EpaperLHR_20-12-23

Wednesday, 23 December, 2020 I 7 Jumada Al-Awwal, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 174 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition

‘Time To perform is on us’: imran Tells cabineT To sTep up Their work g

Prioritises Power sector reforms, subsidies; terms growing Pension bill one of biggest

iSLaMaBaD

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staff report

rime minister imran Khan told members of his cabinet on tuesday that time to uplift the performance of the Pakistan tehreek-e-insaf (Pti) government to take it to “higher levels” was upon them as he urged the ministers to step up their game for the remaining time of their five-year tenure.

Addressing a ceremony to sign “Performance Agreements of the federal government for the Year 2020-21” in islamabad, the prime minister said, “we will put pressure on ourselves to take our governance performance to much higher levels in our remaining two-and-a-quarter years.” on the occasion, Pm imran admitted that his government did not “have excuses anymore” and that it was “the time for performance now”. At the time of transfer of

power from one government to another after general elections, all previous leaderships should provide a complete briefing to their successors, he stressed. According to the Prime minister’s office (Pmo), federal ministers of various ministries signed performance agreements with the prime minister. the premier called the signing of performance agreements “a step in the right direction” and said that the performance of each ministry will be judged based on the contracts and every ministry will put pressure on itself to meet its targets. “After all, the public has to decide after five years whether we made their lives better or not; whether we fulfilled the promises made to them or not,” he said, adding that the biggest challenge would come from the power sector. stressing that “such a complex and complicated sector” often kept him awake at night, he conceded that there were a number of facets which needed to be “ratio-

nalised and synchronised” in order to provide power to the people at affordable rates. the premier added that subsidies worth rs2,500 billion was the second biggest challenge for his administration, noting that all countries provided subsidies to benefit the poor and to uplift their backward areas. furthermore, in regard to wealth generation, he said that if the exports did not rise, it could be difficult to free Pakistan from its circular debt. He did appreciate the fact that, for the fifth month in a row, Pakistan’s current account recorded a surplus. He said that the growing bill of pensions is also one of the biggest challenges the country is facing. He directed to formulate a comprehensive plan to meet this challenge.

Pm imran said that concentration will be further made on the agriculture sector to increase productivity and job opportunities for the youth. He said that the government is seeking china’s cooperation in the agriculture sector under the china-Pakistan economic corridor (cPec). talking about problems emerging after the transfer of powers and shifting of various subjects to provinces under 18th Amendment, the premier said, “we need to review the system for better performance.”

He questioned what the federal government can do if a province does not release wheat well in time, creating a difference in prices of the commodity. He said that in such situations, blame is shifted to the centre. similarly, the ministry of environment has been devolved to provinces and the centre cannot formulate a uniform policy. He said that this subject should also be kept with the federal government. “we will have to work on all these distortions,” he further said.

COAS appreciates operational preparedness of troops along LoC

raWaLPiNDi staff report

chief of Army staff (coAs) general Qamar Javed bajwa on tuesay visited forward

troops deployed along line of control (loc). the army chief was briefed about latest situation, indian ceasefire violations deliberately targeting innocent civilians

along loc, and recent targeting of united nations vehicle by indian troops against all international norms and conventions.

Appreciating operational preparedness and high morale of troops, coAs lauded officers and men for continued vigilance and professionalism. indian provocations particularly recent targeting of unmogiP vehicles are threat to regional peace and stability, he emphasised. the army chief said that indian Army shall always get befitting response to any misadventure or aggression. “Pakistan Army shall take measures to protect innocent civilians along loc and defend honour, dignity and territorial integrity of motherland at all costs,” he reiterated. corps commander rawalpindi lieutenant general Azhar Abbas received general bajwa at the loc. earlier on sunday, Prime minister imran Khan had reminded the international community of india’s continuous and reckless behaviour, reiterating that if india conducted a false flag operation against Pakistan, it would confront a strong national resolve with a befitting response at all levels.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

Explosion at Karachi ice factory leaves at least eight dead, 16 injured karachi staff report

An explosion within the boiler room of an ice and cold storage factory in the new Karachi industrial Area left at least eight dead and another 16 injured, the police reported on tuesday. seven people had been working inside of the factory at the time of the blast, said deputy superintendent of Police (dsP) moeenuddin. He added that the building itself has been extensively damaged and that nearby factories were caught in the blast zone as well. dsP moeenuddin said that it is possible that some people were caught under the burning rubble, and rescue officials confirmed that the roof of the factory caved in after the explosion. officers of the police, sindh rangers and Karachi municipal corporation are all assisting rescue efforts. Police said that heavy machinery is being used

to recover the trapped people from the debris. reportedly, bystanders had also rushed to the scene of the explosion to help in the rescue efforts. speaking on the incident, sindh minister for labour saeed ghani ordered the ministry’s secretary to conduct a probe and demanded that a report on the explosion be submitted within 24 hours.

A statement from the labour ministry confirmed that a safety team has been sent to the scene of the blast. the statement further added that the minister has communicated with the deputy commissioner (dc) and officials from all departments have been directed to provide immediate medical assistance to the victims of the blast. the statement further said that ghani directed that the heirs of the deceased are promptly notified and arrangements are made for their burial.

LAST UPDATED AT 9:22 AM ON DECEMBER 22, 2020 CONFIRMED CASES: coronavirus in DAY'S DEATH TOLL: NEW CASES:

460,672 RECOVERED:

410,937 DEATHS: 9,474

pakisTan SINDH:

82 1,704

205,484

PUNJAB:

132,526

ISLAMABAD:

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

AJK/GB:

55,450

17,950

36,416

8,015/4,831

02

Wednesday, 23 December, 2020

NEWS

CoRonAviRuS KillS AnotheR 82, infeCtS 1,704 ISLAMABAD

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TLTP/STAFF REPORT

he coronavirus pandemic claimed 82 more lives while 1,704 new infections were reported during the last 24 hours, said the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Tuesday. Fresh 1,704 infections in the past 24 hours raised the national tally to 460,672, while the national death toll has reached 9,474 so far. At least 2,398 Covid-19 patients are in critical condition out of the 40,261 active cases across the country. So far, a total of 410,937 people have recovered from the virus.

National coronavirus positivity rate dropped to 4.93 per cent after more than six weeks of a surge in infections, data issued by NCOC showed.

According to the NCOC, Abbottabad has the highest positivity rate — 40 per cent. “Highest positivity ratio observed in Abbottabad 40.32 percent followed by Hyderabad 22.12 percent and Karachi 12.54 percent,” it said in a statement.

The positivity ratio in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) was 4.32 per cent, Balochistan 10.67 per cent, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) 1 per cent, Islamabad 3.41 per cent, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 5.67 per cent, Punjab 4.22 per cent and Sindh 6.29 per cent.

A further breakdown of the transmission rate showed Lahore leading the chart with 5.8 per cent, followed by Rawalpindi with 7.36 per cent, Faisalabad 5.47 per cent and Multan 5.25 per cent.

A total of 34,594 tests were conducted across the country during the last 24 hours, while so far 6,370,707

PM orders to set up Drone Regulatory Authority ISLAMABAD TLTP

Prime Minister Imran Khan has ordered the establishment of a Drone Regulatory Authority for effective use of remote-controlled surveillance technology in various fields. The decision was taken at a high-level briefing in Islamabad on Tuesday by Minister for Science and Technology Chaudhry Fawad Hussain to PM Imran regarding the formulation of drone policy. The premier was given a detailed briefing on the peaceful and research-based use of drone technology in various fields. The prime minister said that drone technology could be used as an effective tool for agriculture, urban planning, security and law and order. He directed to form a committee to devise a legislative and regulatory authority in this regard. The committee will submit the draft Drone Regulatory Authority Act to PM Imran within a month. Taking to Twitter, Fawad said that the new policy will allow drone production. “Drone manufacturing industry will get a huge boost,” he said. “Import of sophisticated drones will also be allowed.”

Shafqat calls on seminaries to close like other schools ISLAMABAD TLTP

Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood has called on all registered seminaries — which are defying the government’s orders to close in light of the coronavirus pandemic — to pay heed to the NCOC’s orders. As coronavirus cases across the country surged, the government instructed all educational institutions including schools, colleges and universities to close until January 10, 2021. “All ministers have mutually decided to keep all educational institutions, including schools, colleges, universities, and tuition centres closed. However, online classes will continue from November 26 to December 24 after which winter break will start.

Schools will reopen on January 11, 2021,” Shafqat had said during a news conference. According to sources, PM Imran has asked the education minister to provide an explanation on why madrassas were still open. “If all educational institutions are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, then why are madrassas open,” asked the prime minister, sources confirmed.

149 SINDH COPS CONTRACT COVID-19 IN FIVE DAYS; MECHANISM BEING DEVISED FOR VACCINATION MANAGEMENT samples have been tested. Government data showed 60,190 Covid-19 cases have been reported across Pakistan in the last 21 days with a daily average of 2,866.19. At least 1,383 people have died of Covid-19 since the start of December.

Meanwhile, a medical student in KP on Tuesday lost her life due to coronavirus-related complications. Dr Sana Riyaz, the student of the first year of Khyber Girls Medical College, contracted coronavirus, the Provincial Doctors Association said. The coronavirus has claimed the lives of 39 doctors and two medical students in the province so far.

As many as 149 Sindh police personnel, including officers and ranks, contracted the coronavirus during the last five days, pushing the number of infected police personnel to 4,084, said a spokesperson of the Sindh Police on Tuesday. “So far, 22 police officials have died due to the virus and at least 465 were undergoing treatment,” the spokesperson added.

The spokesperson added that at least 3,597 police personnel had recovered from the virus and were in good health. He further said that essential steps were being taken daily to ensure proper care of the personnel who have contracted Covid-19. “The officers and ranks, who served as the vanguard against coronavirus, are extremely committed and enthusiastic to serve humanity,” the spokesperson said further.

In resource-constrained Balochistan, Quetta

witnessed transmission spread at 8.26 percent while Islamabad 3.41 percent. In AJK and Kashmir, Mirpur had an 8.96 per cent spread ratio. According to the NCOC, with some 9,474 deaths since March, the mortality rate stood at 2.05 per cent against its global counterpart of 2.20 per cent. Of these, about 70 per cent were men at least in their 50s. As many as 73 per cent of the deceased had chronic comorbidities (affected with another disease prior to contracting coronavirus).

Meanwhile, the Federal Ministry of Health is working on a specific mechanism for a corona vaccination campaign across the country. The National Immunisation Management System has been under the hammer for the vaccination drive with technical assistance from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA).

The National Immunisation Management System will be a two-way communication system that will run in collaboration with the interior and information technology ministries. The central database of the modern mechanism will be established at NADRA. The citizens of various age groups will be registered in the database of NADRA and vaccination schedules of different age groups will be prepared in accordance with the database. The database authority will send SMS to a citizen according to his or her particulars and the citizen will respond to NADRA with a message with regard to confirmation of the message.

Cabinet decides to submit census report to CCI ISLAMABAD MIAN ABRAR

The federal cabinet on Tuesday approved the release of the results of the sixth national census, however, it agreed to present the census data in the Council of Common Interest (CCI) before making it public, Pakistan Today has learnt.

Mutahidda Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-O), a coalition partner of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), rejected the census report, arguing that the figures were inaccurate and hence a fresh census should be conducted.

The MQM-P ministers argued that the census data was doctored, and the Karachi’s population had been wrongly decreased. After the discussion, MQM-P rejected the results of the 2017 census and Information Technology Minister Aminul Haq wrote a dissenting note in this regard and demanded an immediate new census.

In this regard, the cabinet agreed that releasing the census results should first be presented to the CCI. The cabinet meeting also discussed the strategy to deal with the agitation campaign and long march plans of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and

decided that if the opposition alliance were to submit en-mass resignations, they would be accepted immediately, and by-elections would be held post-haste.

Furthermore, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the PTI-led coalition government takes every decision of the federal cabinet after consultation, and maintained that it is unacceptable for any lobby to try and put pressure on a minister.

PM Imran directed the cabinet members to inform either concerned authorities or him directly if any minister is harassed by a lobby.

Moreover, the cabinet meeting approved the extension of the Mandatory Services Act on the employees of the Utility Store Corporation (USC) and also approved an amendment to the Capital Development Authority (CDA) Ordinance 1980.

It also granted approval to the appointment of CKMD and the appointment of a director-general of National Institute of Marine Science. The cabinet approved the reconstitution of the Board of Agricultural Development Bank; the formation of Board of Investment Nine approved; and the import of turbine fuel. The meeting approved policies for electric vehicle and mobile manufacturing and ratified the decisions of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC).

Rasheed calls for early end to UAE visa restrictions on Pakistanis ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed has called for an early end to the visa restrictions on Pakistani citizens for the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Talking to UAE Ambassador Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Al Zaabi in Islamabad on Tuesday, Rasheed said that Pakistan and the UAE have long-standing ties.

The minister said that 1.5 million Pakistani workers in the UAE are valuable assets, and they send foreign exchange reserves worth about five billion dollars to Pakistan annually. He said that the Emirati government’s cooperation will be required for the extradition of the Pakistanis imprisoned in the UAE. He added that efforts will be continued for promotion of bilateral ties.

The UAE ambassador said that visa restriction on

Pakistani citizens is temporary. He said that talks are underway, and hopefully, issuance of visas will soon resume. He added that the Pakistani community has played an exemplary role in the development of the UAE, and their wellbeing is among our priorities.

Separately, talking to a private news channel, Rasheed said that the Senate elections could be held in between February 12 and March 12, 2021. He said that the government has decided to go to the Supreme Court (SC) to hold open ballot elections in the Senate.

The minister said that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had requested the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold by-elections on vacant seats. He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan wants to hold accountable those who looted the national wealth ruthlessly.

NADRA will inform the person concerned about the health centre for his or her vaccination after getting confirmation. The details of a citizen will become part of the NADRA record after vaccination.

According to sources, ‘Sehat Tahaffuz Helpline’ ‘1166’ will be used during the vaccination drive, through which the general public will be informed about the vaccination drive.

The health ministry has also sought cooperation of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) for the corona vaccination drive in a letter to the Secretary Information Technology seeking a free SMS service for the corona vaccination drive.

After a peak of over 6,800 daily infections in June, the number fell to a low of 213 in August and remained below 700 for most of the last three months. But last month, the government announced that a second wave of the coronavirus had arrived, putting in place new guidelines, including mandatory face masks in public places and banning indoor dining at restaurants.

Schools across the country have also been shut down, or have switched to online classes, until midJanuary. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Imran Khan ruled out a complete lockdown and decided to continue its smart lockdown policy with strict implementation of safety guidelines. Khan has repeatedly said the economy cannot afford a complete lockdown and citizens would have to “live with” strict guidelines.

President Alvi reiterates support for Kashmiri people ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

President Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi on Tuesday said that Pakistan will continue political, diplomatic and moral support for the people of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) to help them achieve their right of self-determination. President Alvi said this while meeting with the president of Tehreek-e-Kashmir (TeK), United Kingdom (UK), Raja Fahim Kayani, who called on him at the Presidency. “We appreciate the role of overseas Pakistanis and Kashmiris who come to support the Kashmiris struggle following the events that happened after August 5, 2019 in IOK. Along with supporting the Kashmir cause, expatriates are playing a pivotal role in the economy of Pakistan while sending remittance,” President Alvi added. He assured Kayani that Pakistan wants peace in South Asia and it is now up to the world community to come forward and settle the IOK dispute as per the wishes of Kashmiris to bring permanent peace in the subcontinent. On the occasion, the TeK UK president hailed the role of Pakistan for supporting the Kashmiris freedom struggle saying after August 5,2019 thousands of overseas Pakistanis and Kashmiris came forward in the UK and other European countries under the banner TeK UK and Europe to condemn the Indian atrocities and human rights violations in IOK.

CJP advises lawyers to maintain decorum of courts while assisting them ISLAMABAD PPI

A 10-member delegation of Bahawalpur Bar Association, headed by President Liaqat Sami Khan and comprising office bearers, called on the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Gulzar Ahmed in the Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday.

The CJP welcomed the delegation and inaugurated a newly developed website of Bahawalpur Bar Association. Talking to the delegation, the CJP said that without the assistance of the bar, the administration of justice cannot be done properly. He advised them to appear in court with full preparation, devotion and dedication and asked them to grasp full knowledge of the law, along with other subjects like philosophy, history, geography, literature, that will help them plead the cases properly.

Wednesday, 23 December, 2020

CouRt oRDeRS to fReeZe ASSetS of ShehBAZ, fAMily LAHORE

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STAFF REPORT

N accountability court in Lahore on Tuesday ordered to freeze the assets of Nusrat Shehbaz – the wife of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) president Shehbaz Sharif – and five other accused in the money laundering reference against the members of the Sharif family.

Sharif along with his son Hamza Shahbaz appeared before the court in the case. During the hearing, the head of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lahore office submitted a report through an investigation officer on freezing the

properties in possession of Nusrat, her daughter Rabia Imran and other members of the family.

The Punjab government formed a four-member medical board for Sharif which would be headed by Dr Khalid Mehmood – a Lahore-based neurosurgeon.

The development comes after Sharif sought medical assistance to deal, saying no cancer specialist was present in the government-formed medical panel provided to him.

Sharif said he received the medical report after three weeks, the judge directed the defence to file a written application. “Verbal discussion won’t achieve you anything. The medical

indian pilgrims issued visas to visit temples in Sukkur, Chakwal ISLAMABAD TLTP

Pakistan has issued visas to Indian Hindu pilgrims to visit the Shadani Darbar in Sukkur and Katas Raj Temples in Punjab’s Chakwal district.

According to a statement issued on Tuesday, the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has issued visas to two groups of pilgrims in December 2020 to visit their revered sites in Pakistan. On Monday, a group of 47 Indian pilgrims were issued visas to visit the Shree Katas Raj Temples – also known as Qila Katas or complex of Katas Temples – in Chakwal from December 23 to 29. The Katas Raj Temples surround a sacred pond to Hindu devotees.

Meanwhile, another group of 44 pilgrims returned to India after their visit to Pakistan, where they participated in the 312th birth anniversary celebrations of Shiv Avtari Satguru Sant Shadaram Sahib in Sukkur from December 15 to 21. Over three centuries old, the Shadani Darbar Temple is a holy place for devotees from across the world. The temple was founded in 1786 by Sant Shamdaram Sahib, who was born in Lahore in 1708. Thousands of Indian Sikhs and Hindu pilgrims visit Pakistan under the bilateral agreement ‘Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974’ to observe several religious festivals every year. The visas issued from New Delhi are in addition to the visas granted to Sikh and Hindu pilgrims participating in these events from other countries. The issuance of pilgrimage visas to Sikh and Hindu pilgrims is part of the Government of Pakistan’s endeavours to facilitate their visits to religious shrines. Pakistan remains committed to preserving sacred religious places and extending all possible facilitation for the visiting pilgrims of all faiths.

Chinese vaccine trials recruit over 20,000 people, including in Pakistan BEIJING AGENCIES

China’s CanSino Biologics Inc has recruited over 20,000 participants for late-stage human trials overseas for its coronavirus vaccine, including in Pakistan, a health official said on Monday. The candidate, known as Ad5-nCoV or Convidecia, which CanSinoBIO is jointly developing with a research institute backed by the Chinese military, is among the five vaccines China has moved into Phase 3 clinical trials to test their efficacy. “As for now, the number of recruited participants has exceeded 20,000 people, and the progress is relatively fast,” said Zheng Zhongwei, an official at China’s National Health Commission, told a press conference. Phase 3 trials for CanSinoBIO’s candidate, which are planned to involve 40,000 participants in total, have begun enrolling participants in Pakistan, Russia, Mexico and Chile, the latest clinical trial registration data showed. The candidate also has trials lined up in Argentina, and has secured a supply deal with Mexico. The one-dose vaccine had been given to about 40,000-50,000 people in emergency use since it obtained approval to be used in military personnel in June, CanSinoBIO Chief Executive Yu Xuefeng said in an industrial event on November 28. A vaccine developed by Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences could start Phase 3 clinical trial soon, Zheng said on Monday, without specifying where it will be tested.

facility is your right,” he added.

THE CASE: The anti-graft agency had filed the case before an accountability court in August.

A total of 20 people had been nominated in the reference, including four approvers — Yasir Mushtaq, Muhammad Mushtaq, Shahid Rafiq and Aftab Mahmood.

The main suspects are Sharif’s wife Nusrat Shahbaz, his sons Hamza and Suleman Shehbaz (absconder), daughters Rabia Imran and Javeria Ali. Other suspects are alleged bemanidars and business partners of the family including Nisar Ahmad, Qasim Qayum, Rashid Karamat, Masroor Anwar, Fazal Dad Abbasi and Shoaib Qamar.

NEWS The reference mainly accused Sharif of being a beneficiary of assets held in the name of his family members and benamidars, who had no sources to acquire such assets.

It said the family members and benamidars of the Sharif family received fake foreign remittances of billions in their personal bank accounts. In addition to these remittances, the bureau said, billions of rupees were laundered by way of foreign pay orders, which were deposited in personal bank accounts of Hamza and Suleman.

The reference further said the family of Sharif failed to justify the sources of funds used for the acquisition of assets.

It said the suspects committed offences of corruption and corrupt practices as envisaged under the provisions of National Accountability Ordinance, 1999 and money laundering as delineated in Anti-Money Laundering Act 2010.

It asked the trial court to try the suspects and punish them under the law.

Court indicts Ahsan Iqbal in NAB case ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

An accountability court in Islamabad on Tuesday indicted Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former minister Ahsan Iqbal and others in Narowal Sports City (NSC) project.

The accused persons, however, pleaded not guilty.

According to details, Judge Syed Asghar Ali conducted the hearing during which Iqbal, former director general of Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) Akhtar Nawaz Ganjera, and other suspects were produced before the court.

Subsequently, the indictment was filed against the suspects.

Following the session, the court while directing the National

Accountability Bureau (NAB) to produce witnesses against Iqbal adjourned the hearing till January 12. Iqbal was arrested by NAB on December 23 last year. He remained in custody for over two months. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had on February 25 granted him bail. Nine months on, the agency filed the reference last month. According to the anti-graft agency, the suspects misused their authority, “illegally enhancing the scope of [the] project from Rs34.75 million to Rs3 billion”. The project was conceived in 1999 on Iqbal’s directives “without any feasibility study”, the alleged. The Central Development Working Party (CDWP), headed by Iqbal, had initially approved the project at a cost of Rs34.74m in 1999. The same year on his “illegal”

directive to the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and the National Engineering Service of Pakistan, the project’s scope was enhanced to Rs97.52m.

Iqbal identified the land for the project and provided specific Khasra (plot) Nos. to the PSB to acquire the land, but the PSB on the directives of the Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms shelved the project in 1999 on the ground that it was not an economic necessity at the time.

Again launched in 2009, the project was approved at a cost of Rs732m, but soon after the passage of the 18th Amendment, the project was devolved to the Punjab government in 2011.

According to NAB, when Iqbal took over the charge of minister for planning and development in 2013, he illegally directed officials of his ministry to include the project in the PSDP 2013-14, though it was not included in the draft PSDP 2013-14 as it was a devolved project and was also reflected in Annual Development Programme 2013-14 of the Punjab government.

After Sherani, another JUI-F leader slams Fazl’s policies PESHAWAR TLTP

In what appears to be serious differences within the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) ranks, former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) JUI-F chief Maulana Gul Naseeb has also criticised policies of Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

Terming Maulana Sherani an honest man, Maulana Gul Naseeb said that the parameters of authenticity have now changed in the JUI-F after the inclusion of rich members in the party.

The election tickets of JUI-F are being awarded on the basis of the money after the joining of Talha Mehmood and Azeemullah, he claimed. “Old workers are leaving the party due to confusion,” he alleged. He underlined the need for reforms in the ranks of the JUI-

F and termed it essential for the future of the party.

Earlier, Maulana Sherani criticised JUI-F chief Fazl, asking how could he call PM Imran Khan a “selected” leader when he, himself, was “selected”. Sherani had gone on to say that PM Imran would complete his term and would be elected for the next five-year term also.

Sherani spelt doom for the 11-party anti-government alliance, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM, led

by Fazl.

Talking to the media in Quetta, the disgruntled JUIF central leader said that the PDM is an “unnatural alliance” that would soon break up because it had no ideology. “My basic and principled difference with him [Fazl] is [that he is] lying,” Sherani, also a former chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), said, adding that the JUI-F chief has also persuaded all the scholars to use lies.

Islamabad airport admin adopts measures to screen travellers from UK ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The administration of Islamabad International Airport on Tuesday adopted strict measures to screen passengers inbound from the United Kingdom after reports of a new strain of coronavirus sweeping across southern England.

The discovery of the new strain, just months before vaccines are expected to be widely available, sowed new panic in a pandemic that has killed about 1.7 million people worldwide and more than 67,000 in the UK. Islamabad Tuesday mid-night joined the growing list of countries across the globe shutting their borders to London after Prime Minister Boris Johnson broke the news to the world.

According to a notification issued by the Aviation Division, the decision to impose “temporary” restrictions was taken during a meeting of the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) and would remain in force till midnight December 29.

“This restriction will be applicable to all persons who originate travel from the UK and are in or have

been in [the] UK over the past 10 days,” it said.

Following the directives, the airport administration made special arrangements to screen for coronavirus incoming air traffic.

Reports suggest a health team was deputed at the airport to collect samples of travellers. Two British airlines, Virgin Atlantic and British Airways, have been operating flights to transport Islamabad-bound passengers. The guidelines, however, permit transit passengers from destinations other than the UK to be allowed to travel into Pakistan. Similarly, Pakistan passport holders who have travelled to England on visitor/temporary visas would be allowed to return under conditions.

The circular further said the NCOC will review the measures on December 28 to determine if an extension is required.

Several other nations blocked travel from Britain over the weekend, including France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Ireland, Belgium and Canada — although experts said the strain may already be circulating in countries with less advanced detection methods than the UK.

03

un probe into 11 Pakistani hindus’ killing in india demanded ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari has demanded the United Nations (UN) probe the extrajudicial killings of 11 Pakistani Hindus by India and ensure payment of reparations to families of the deceased. In a letter written to the UN High Commissioner, she said the extrajudicial executions

by Indian security forces in Manipur, have not been fully investigated, and the state of India has failed to fulfil its obligation to carry out a prompt, thorough and effective investigation which is a clear breach to the Vienna Convention. The minister in the letter demanded the constitution of an investigation team under the auspices of the UN and urged India to allow the team for conducting a free, fair and impartial investigation into the matter and handing over of the dead bodies of deceased to family members. The letter said that India should respect international human rights law by ending impunity for the conduct of officials involved in gross human rights violations. It may be recalled that in August 2020, 11 Pakistan Hindus were executed extra judicially in Jodhpur District, of the Indian state of Rajasthan.

fiA raids PMl-n leader's residence in graft case LAHORE INP

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Tuesday raided the residence of Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) leader Imran Khalid in Gujranwala in connection with a graft case against his brother.

Salman Khalid alias Pomi Butt, former Gujranwala Municipal Corporation (GMC) deputy mayor and president of city PML-N chapter, is accused of not auctioning the contract of parking fee collection at Al-Hameed building in front of the old railway station, causing a loss of Rs8.3 million whereas the parking stand was illegally handed over to the Gujranwala Cloth Market Board which collected fee in the fiscal year 2018-19. Former GMC mayor Sarwat Ikram Sheikh, also belonging to the PML-N, and some senior officials of the corporation had also been nominated accused in the case lodged in December 2018. The FIA team, however, returned as Salman was not at home. Reports suggest Salman has also been nominated in the money laundering case against the members of the Sharif family for being beneficiaries of assets, held in the name of frontmen, they had no sources to acquire.

Saudi aid agency continues winter aid project in Pakistan RIYADH AGENCIES

The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) on Monday distributed 489 winter bags in Buran village of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The aid is part of the center’s 2020 winter project to help needy people in Pakistan. The project aims to provide support to 135,000 people in different parts of the country. One bag contains a number of clothes, blankets, and other winter supplies. With one of the largest humanitarian aid budgets in the world, KSrelief has been working in 44 countries, and after Yemen, Palestine, Syria and Somalia, Pakistan is the biggest beneficiary of the organisation’s aid money and humanitarian operations.

KSrelief has completed 84 projects in Pakistan in the fields of education, healthcare, water, sanitation, hygiene, emergency camps and community support that have cost roughly $100 million.

Zulfi Bukhari denies allegations of israel visit, vows to take legal action ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) for Overseas Pakistanis Sayed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari has once again denied visiting Israel on behalf of the government and also vowed to send a legal notice to the British think-tank propagating this rumour. Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad on Tuesday, Bukhari vehemently denied the allegations against him, saying that he has never visited Israel and that false information was being spread about him. He said that he is happy when he gets criticised as it means he is doing something right. He lamented that he was also blamed for spreading coronavirus through the Taftan Border, as if the country’s borders operate on his command. INP

Wednesday, 23 December, 2020

04 NEWS LHC fines petitioner for claiming non-existence of coronavirus LAHORE SHAHAB OMER

Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Qasim Khan has imposed a fine of Rs200,000 on a petitioner claiming nonexistence of coronavirus. The CJ heard the petition filed by Azhar Abbas regarding non-existence of coronavirus.

During the hearing, the petitioner said that he has also written to the World Health Organization (WHO) about the non-existence of coronavirus. “I have filed the petition regarding the non-existence of coronavirus. The virus does not exist. My position must be heard. Coronavirus does not spread by touching or meeting anyone and I am ready to prove it,” the petitioner submitted.

Centre to introduCe system to monitor finanCes alloCated to provinCes ISLAMABAD

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AHMAD AHMADANI

HE federal government has directed the finance division to devise a mechanism to monitor the spending of funds allocated to the provinces.

Earlier, the federal cabinet, in its meeting held on November 8, had directed the finance division to give a presentation to the federal government about the details of resources generated by the provinces.

While taking note of the presentation on December 15, the cabinet members raised serious concerns regarding the finances allocated to the provinces and highlighted that the finances have not improved the living standards of the citizens so far.

They pointed out that the balance has been tipped in favour of the provinces due to the 7th NFC Award. They requested to the quorum to make it mandatory for the provinces to spend 30 or 40 per cent of the funds, transferred by the federal government, through local governments. The federal government should only undertake inter-provincial projects while the provinces should undertake those projects, whose benefits are limited to a particular province.

Later, the federal cabinet directed the finance division to devise a mechanism to monitor the funds transferred by the federal government to the provinces. The cabinet also directed the Economic Affairs Division (EAD) to present details and utilization of the foreign funds, other than loans.

Well-informed sources disclosed to Pakistan Today that on average, out of total re-

sources of the provinces, around 17 per cent come from their own resources while 83 per cent through the federal government. The total quantum of foreign grants was to the tune of Rs70 billion.

Sharing details of the main revenue sources of the provinces, the sources informed that the provinces have been obtaining finances through divisible pool share under Article 160 of the Constitution of Pakistan, 1973 and National Finance Commission (NFC) Award.

The provinces earn through grants in aid, development grants for certain projects through the federal PSDP with the approval of National Economic Council (NEC), provincial tax, non-tax receipts and straight transfers, which include proceeds of excise duty on natural gas, royalty on gas and crude oil, and gas development surcharge.

Sources further told that the total resources availability positions of provinces (combined) were Rs2924 billion and 3161 billion during the fiscal years 2018-19 and 201920 respectively. Out of which, the provincial own receipts were Rs497 billion and Rs524 billion respectively. The total budgeted receipts for the fiscal year 2020-21 are Rs3812 billion and the provincial own receipts are Rs721 billion. The actual realizations against these budgeted targets are Rs1289 billion and Rs228 billion till November 30.

The total resources availability position of Punjab was Rs1409 billion and Rs1454 billion during the fiscal years 2018-19 and 201920 respectively. Out of which, the provincial own receipts were Rs240 billion and Rs251 billion respectively. The total budgeted re-

ceipts for 2020-21 are Rs1749 billion and the provincial own receipts are Rs307 billion. The actual realizations against these budgeted targets are Rs574 billion and Rs108 billion till November 30.

Out of total resources of Punjab, around 17 per cent come from own resources while 83 per cent through the federal government.

Similarly, the total resources availability position of Sindh was Rs802 billion and Rs823 billion during the fiscal years 2018-19 and 2019-20 respectively. Out of which, the provincial own receipts were Rs188 billion and Rs192 billion respectively. The total budgeted receipts for the fiscal 2020-21 are Rs1078 billion and the provincial own receipts are Rs314 billion. The actual realizations against these budgeted targets are Rs345 billion and Rs88 billion till November 30.

Out of the total resources of Sindh, around 23 per cent come from own resources while 77 per cent through the federal transfer.

When it comes to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the total budgeted receipts for the fiscal year 2020-21 are Rs652 billion and the provincial own receipts are Rs49 billion. The actual realizations against these budgeted targets are Rs242 billion and Rs22 billion till November 30. Out of total resources of the KP, less than 10 per cent come from own resources.

The total budgeted receipts of Balochistan for the fiscal year 2020-21 are Rs334 billion and the provincial own receipts are Rs51 billion. The actual realizations are Rs128 billion and Rs11 billion till November 30. Out of total resources of Balochistan, less than 10 per cent come from own resources.

Chinese Military Aviation Technology is at par with contemporary requirements: ACM Mujahid KARACHI PPI

Christmas event promotes interfaith harmony amid pandemic LAHORE: Idara Ibadat, a Christian nonprofit organisation working to promote literacy in young adults, on Tuesday organised its annual Christmas pageant at the Saint Thomas Centre. Addressing the ceremony, National Council of Churches in Pakistan (NCCP) President Bishop Dr Azad Marshall, who is also the chairman of the Ibadat Trust, said that the Christmas programme was organised annually to acknowledge the hard work put in by the Ibadat students and teachers “but organising this year’s Christmas event amid the Covid19 pandemic was a challenge in itself because of the uncertain situation prevailing in the country and across the world”. “Christmas brings a message of love, hope and humanity in these testing times and I believe we can all pull through this pandemic by reaching out to those in need and giving hope to each other,” he said. Bishop Marshall said that the event was also helpful in fostering a fraternal relationship between the communities and promoting interfaith harmony. “Ibadat Trust’s vision is to impart education to the poorest of the poor sections of society to make them literate and useful citizens,” he concluded.

STAFF REPORT

Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan has said that the Chinese Military Aviation Technology is at par with the contemporary requirements and fully capable to meet the challenges of modern warfare.

During the ongoing exercise Shaheen-IX, the Air Chief lauded the professionalism of People's Liberation Army Air

Force (PLAAF) pilots and said that the outstanding air combat skills of PLAAF pilots are the result of PLAAF’s robust and modern combat training programme.

Expressing his satisfaction over the conduct of the exercise, the Air Chief said that it is heartening to see the two air forces inter-operating across a wide spectrum of airpower employment options.

He further said that in modern times’ competitions in the air, not only good technology,

but also an artful application of strategy and tactics is required.

The Shaheen series of exercises will go a long way in enhancing the professional skills and opera-

tional preparedness of both the air forces in addition to developing mutual understanding of each other’s combat skills and promoting inter-operability.

NEWS

COAS appreciates operational preparedness of troops along LoC cOntinuEd fROm pAgE 01 “In complete violation of int law, India’s delib firing at LoC on UNMOGIP vehicle, despite clear UN markings & flying blue UN flag, shows India’s total disregard for all int norms of acceptable state behaviour & respect for int law & UN. Pak strongly condemns this rogue behaviour,” he had posted on Twitter. “I am making absolutely clear to the int community that if India was to be reckless enough to conduct a false flag operation against Pakistan, it would confront a strong national Pakistani resolve & be given a befitting response at all levels of the threat.

Make no mistake,” he had added. Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had said that after the exposure of fake Indian NGOs by Brussels-based DisinfoLabs, India had begun planning a surgical strike against Pakistan to divert attention away from its internal affairs. In this regard, he had urged the international community to play their part in obtaining a peaceful solution between the two nuclear neighbours, stating that Pakistan “is fully prepared to respond and defeat their designs” and would “respond immediately and effectively”. FM Qureshi had added that India was engaging in these tactics to divert attention from “serious internal issues” – namely, the deteriorating human rights situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) and the recent farmers’ protest in India. The Pakistan Army had been put on high alert amidst a possible threat of another attempt by India to conduct a surgical strike inside Pakistani territory.

PIA receives over 1,300 applications under voluntary separation scheme KARAcHi TLTP

More than 1,300 Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) employees have submitted applications seeking early retirement under the voluntary separation scheme (VSS), it was learnt on Tuesday.

Today (Dec 22) was the last date for submission of applications. PIA plans to lay off over 3,000 employees under the VSS by the end of December.

According to details, the national flag carrier, under its restructuring plan, offered the voluntary separation scheme to 3,500 employees. If the separation of the required number of 3,500 employees is not met through the scheme, then a mandatory separation scheme will be launched in January 2021. A PIA spokesperson said that the excessive employees will be mandatorily retired based on performance, discipline and value addition of the employees.

BuILderS BOdy exPreSSeS COnCern Over hIke In SteeL, Cement PrICeS KARAcHi STAFF REPORT

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HE Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD) has voiced concerns over sudden rise in prices of steel and cement, the basic raw material for construction industry, and termed it a conspiracy against the affordable housing scheme launched by the government.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, ABAD Chairman Fayyaz Ilyas demanded the federal government to take stern action against “unscrupulous elements that are trying to sabotage steps of the govern-

ABAD CHIEF TERMS SUDDEN HIKE IN STEEL AND CEMENT PRICES 'A CONSPIRACY AGAINST PM'S AFFORDABLE HOUSING SCHEME' ment for reviving the national economy”.

He said despite the fact that most raw materials are local, cement and steel manufacturers have raised prices to Rs625 per 50kg bag of cement and Rs126,500 of steel per tonne, which is no way justifiable.

“It seems that cement and steel man-

LAHORE When bulldozers began roaring in front of Shakeel Ahmed’s home in Lahore’s historic Anarkali district, he and his neighbors huddled together at a nearby shrine — despairing about the loss of their property and land.

Like other families in the area, Ahmed, 40, said he was forced to sell his home to the Punjab government for far less than market value to make way for a new Chinese-financed metro in Pakistan’s secondlargest city. The $1.8-billion Orange Line, which started operating in October, promises to cut traffic and air pollution in one of South Asia’s most-polluted urban hubs, but it has left hundreds of people facing an uncertain future.

“I didn’t want to go anywhere else. This is the only place I’ve known in my life,” Ahmed told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Today, he rents a room behind the revered Mauj Darya shrine, but fears being priced out of the rapidly gentrifying area — which now has its own metro station — in the years to come.

The Orange Line, operated by China Railway, NORINCO International and Pakistan partners, is one of about two dozen new mass transit projects Beijing is launching globally as part of its trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

It carries up to 250,000 passengers a day, and proponents of the metro trumpet its cheap cost – Rs40 a ride – and the dawn of a sleek, hitech mode of transportation.

ufacturers’ cartels are hell bent to crush the construction industry.”

He maintained that cement and steel are main ingredients of construction but “manufacturers of these two materials are busy in minting money without any justification while the Competition Commission of Pakistan looks helpless to take

Pakistan’s IT exports rise 39pc in July-Nov FY21 KARAcHi ARIBA SHAHID

Pakistan’s IT exports increased 39pc to Rs763 million in the first five months (July-Nov) of the current fiscal year (FY21), data revealed by the State Bank of Pakistan showed.

Analysts attribute the rise in IT exports to relaxed regulations by the SBP with regard to remitting funds in and out of Pakistan. In addition, the government announced a number of incentives which also included a tax incentive by the FBR.

It may be noted that Pakistan has long been at an advantage considering that wages here are relatively lower compared to other countries. This has a strong correlation to the weak rupee in comparison to counterparts.

Moreover, ‘work from home’ culture observed all around the world has resulted in greater reliance on IT related solutions. Considering the nature of work, IT companies have managed to stay in business as they could continue to operate by working from home.

As per a tweet by Samiullah Tariq, Head of Research at Pak Kuwait In-

vestment Company, “This growth in IT exports will enable quick realization of foreign currency proceeds, lead to massive generation of employment and good paying jobs, enable individuals to work part time which means home based workers can benefit, and this may also be a good way of digitalizing economy and leading to a growth in the formal economy.”

He opined that the potential for IT exports is even higher than workers’ remittances growth given the right incentives, direction, and opportunities for local workforce.

KP govt approves 25 uplift schemes worth Rs36bn STAFF REPORT: The 13th meeting of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) on Tuesday approved 25 uplift schemes of different sectors with an estimated cost of Rs36.08 billion.

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Shakeel Qadir Khan, Additional Chief Secretary P&D Department, via video link. As per details, the forum considered 28 schemes pertaining to water, health, Auqaf, Hajj & minority affairs, elementary & secondary education, higher education, revenue

Orange Line brings uncertainty for displaced residents AGENCIES

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Standing in front of Anarkali’s gleaming metro station, city resident Kafeel Chaudhary, 54, said the train would benefit the economy, which like those of its regional neighbors has reeled under the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We have very few examples of this type of modern infrastructure in Pakistan. These trains are usually only found in Europe. But now Pakistan has one too, thanks to China,” Chaudhary said.

‘WE DIDN’T GET ENOUGH’: But residents displaced by the Orange Line fear the city’s rapid infrastructure development may leave them on the economic margins — especially in historic areas along the metro’s route.

“For Rs1 million, we’re never going to find a place in this area ever again,” said Ahmed, standing outside the government-owned Maharaja Building, a crumbling housing block of one-bedroom apartments occupied by entire families.

Part of the building was demolished for the metro project, affecting about 200 residents, including Ahmed, who now rents a room in the section of the block that is still standing.

Today, most of the building’s former occupants fear they have sacrificed property in one of Lahore’s most iconic — and valuable — commercial areas. They expect property prices to rise in the coming years — but know they will not reap the rewards.

More than 50 households in the building were compensated a lump sum of Rs1 million per room after

being displaced by the Orange Line, according to the Lahore Development Authority (LDA), but many residents are unhappy.

“We didn’t get enough money,” Ahmed said, accusing local authorities of heavy-handedness as they vacated land during the construction process. “When they came to ask us to leave our houses, they came with the police […] How could people fight with them?” Zargham Lukhesar, a local barrister who worked with activists to challenge the city’s route for the train, said residents — especially those from low-income groups — had often been pressured into selling their property.

“The official would give a document to sign, saying take it or leave it,” he said. “It was easy for the government to harass and push out residents and give them peanuts.”

The LDA said the Punjab government was authorised to take land under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, a colonial-era regulation granting the government the right to appropriate land if citizens receive compensation and advance notice.

It allocated Rs1.6 billion for compensation payments to residents living in government-owned properties and Rs20 billion to owners of private property, the LDA said.

A spokesman for the LDA said residents were not pressured to sell the property and denied that they had received below-market-value compensation. He added that the government had also compensated residents who may not have had proof of ownership.

CMYK

board, roads, transport and energy & power sectors, of which three schemes were deferred due to inadequate designs and were returned to the respective department for rectification.

Out of the 25 approved schemes, three belonged to the water sector, eight to health sector, three to Auqaf, Hajj & Minority Affairs, one each to elementary & secondary education sector and KP Board of Revenue, two to higher education sector, three to road infrastructure sector; and two each to energy & power and transport sectors. PESHAWAR

any stringent steps against these cartels”.

Ilyas said that the construction industry is the second largest job providing sector after agriculture, which is the reason why Prime Minister Imran Khan is giving due importance to this industry and had started Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme for people who otherwise are unable to own their homes.

But, he lamented, steel and cement cartels are trying to sabotage a noble cause of the PM. He appealed the government to take stern action against the steel and cement cartel so as to the construction industry and the national economy.

Pakistan registers all-time high of 3m active tax filers Pakistan’s number of active taxpayers crossed three million for the first time in the country’s history, according to data released by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Monday. The weekly updated active taxpayers list (ATL) showed that the number of return filers for the tax year 2019 were at 3,000,453 on the basis of return filed up to December 20. Previously, the highest returns filing was recorded at 2.85 million for the tax year 2018 as per taxpayers’ directory issued by the FBR in October. FBR had gathered information of about 7.4 million taxpayers whose withholding tax was deducted, but they failed to file their returns as required under the law. According to a report by The News that quoted an official at the Regional Tax Office (RTO), ATL for the tax year 2019 is applicable till February 28. Therefore, the FBR will get additional returns for the year.

The tax offices issued notices to individuals required to file their returns for the tax year 2019 on the basis of third party information. The number of return filers by February 29 for tax year 2019 was 2.53 million as per ATL issued on March 1. It means the FBR added 470,000 more returns since then. MONITORING REPORT

06 COMMENT

Geo-strategic importance of Pakistan-Russia relations

Senate elections ECP asserts itself, but what’s the opposition’s strategy?

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he eCP has finally put its foot down, letting the government know that the Commission alone is authorised to issue the schedule for the Senate elections. The Commission made it clear that the elections cannot be held before February 10. As things stand the Senate electoral body is still incomplete on account of seven National Assembly and provincial assembly seats being still vacant. In the light of the schedule announced by the eCP, the last by-election will be held on February 19. Thus it is the last week of February when the Senate polls can take place, at the earliest. The government would have done well to consult the eCP instead of taking recourse to the Supreme Court if there was any way other than constitutional amendment to elect Senators through open ballot rather than secret ballot. For the common man there is little ambiguity in Article 226 of the Constitution which explicitly stipulates, by use of the mandatory “shall”, that “All elections under the Constitution, other than those of the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister, shall be by secret ballot.”

The Senate elections pose a dilemma for the PDM. The opposition alliance has yet to decide whether to leave the field open for the ruling alliance. The PPP does not want to let the ruling alliance grab the maximum seats in the Upper house of the Parliament. For this the PPP will have to take part in the by-elections for two provincial assembly seats in Sindh. The other components of the PDM however want to resign from the assemblies irrespective of the consequences and may not participate in the by-polls.

As a temporary way out to maintain the PDM’s unity, the PPP too has called for its lawmakers resignations to be sent to the party leadership, signifying that it is willing to resign though it would do so at the appropriate time when other options like a march on Islamabad followed by a sitin have been exhausted and resignations remain the only way out. The issue is likely to turn up at the next PDM summit. What remains to be seen is whether the opposition parties are able to maintain their unity.

Sajjad Shaukat

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here are no permanent friends and enemies in international politics. Friendship and enmity change in accordance with the states’ interests which are of primary importance.

During the Cold War, Pakistan was allied with the USA and the former USSr backed India.

Following the end of the Cold War, the USA left both Pakistan and Afghanistan to face the fallout of the Afghan war 1.

After the 9/11 tragedy, the USA, again needed Pakistan’s help. Pakistan was granted the status of non-NATO ally by the USA due to the early successes, achieved by Pakistan’s Army and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) against the Al-Qaeda militants.

But, when the US-led allies felt that they are failing in coping with the stiff resistance of the Taliban in Afghanistan, especially the USA started accusing the Pakistan Army and ISI of supporting the Afghan Taliban.

When the US-led NATO decided to end the prolonged war in Afghanistan and to withdraw its forces, again, Washington needed Pakistan’s assistance.

Since the US Special representative for Afghan reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad started his efforts to convince the Taliban to have direct talks with the USA, he admitted that Pakistan has been playing a major role which also resulted into the US and Taliban agreement in Doha, the capital of Qatar on February 29.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had particularly, thanked Islamabad for efforts in helping reach the agreement. Visiting top US civil and military officials are still praising Pakistan.

At the same time, the USA, which has signed several agreements, including defence pact, with India, is still supporting New Delhi to counterbalance China.

In the recent past, during his visit to New Delhi, US Secretary of State Pompeo along with Defense

Debt relief Not a long-term solution

Is he ready to scrap the farm laws? amjed jaaved

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INCe November 26, Indian farmers, mostly from Punjab and haryana, have been protesting on the outskirts of chilly New Delhi. The government tried to block their march to the country’s capital. The elderly and young farmers were brutally beaten.

Water cannons were mercilessly used. Many farmers caught cold and later died. Till 17th December, 24 farmers have died, including a Sikh priest who committed suicide saying in a death note that he could not see the farmers in distress.

Many countries have vibrant Sikh communities who held peaceful demonstrations to express solidarity with their Sikh brethren at home. The government was irked at the sight of Premjit Singh Pamma among the London protesters. A union minister, raosaheb Danve, saw China, Pakistan, and pro-khalistan people’s hand in the movement. however he was rebuffed by Shiv Sena of Maharashtra.

The opposition parties had earlier opposed hasty enactment of farm laws. They are still supporting the protest.

The three farm bills –the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, the Farmers (empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and the essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020– and the labour bills were passed

by Parliament during the recent monsoon session.

Many political parties, including the long-term NDA ally Akali Dal, the Opposition Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Trinamool Congress and rashtriya Janata Dal, supported the nationwide strike call given by the Bharatiya Kisan Union, the All India Farmers Union, All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) and All India Kisan Mahasangh, among others.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal “attacked the Centre saying the farm laws have been made to ensure poll funding for the BJP and not for the benefit of the farmers”. he Ttore copies of the three farm laws during the house proceedings to protest against the controversial agricultural legislation.

Interestingly, even the farmer wing of rashtraya Swayemsevak Sangh is also supporting the protest despite some reservations.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

training of Pakistani troops in russia. Pakistan’s defence ties with Moscow are growing strong and this pact has opened new avenues of cooperation.

On 27 September 2018, Pakistan and russia signed a historic $10 billion offshore gas pipeline agreement in Moscow. The project will help russia cement its place in the energy market of Pakistan.

Under the agreement, a state-owned Pakistani company will collaborate with russia’s energy giant company Gazprom. On 6 February 2019, during a visit of the russian delegation, headed by Gazprom, the russian side pledged an investment of $14 billion in the offshore gas pipeline project.

Islamabad will also gain access to the russian market to boost its overall exports, while Moscow offered to revive Pakistan steel mill.

Islamabad and Moscow agreed on 22 May 2019 to enhance cooperation in various fields, including trade, energy and defence sectors. The agreement was reached at a meeting between Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

As regards the military relations, a defensecounter terrorism related agreement was signed in 2014. Under the deal four Mi35 helicopters were also sold by russia to Pakistan. Since 2016, Islamabad and Moscow have been conducting joint military exercises named DrUZBhA. Pakistan has already allowed russia to use Gwadar port through the China-Pakistan economic Corridor (CPeC). Islamabad plans to join CPeC with the eurasian economic union (Central Asian republics).

Moreover, in a meeting held between the USA, russia, China and Pakistan in Beijing in July 2019, the four countries had called on the Taliban to immediately agree to a ceasefire and to engage in direct negotiations with the Afghan government.

Nonetheless, the russia-Pakistan-China alliance for collective security against terrorism, emanating from the India-US nexus, in checking the emerging realities in Indo-Pacific and the larger eurasia, Pakistan-russia relations have geostrategic importance.

The writer can sajjad_logic@yahoo.com

be

reached

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Will Modi sacrifice his strong-man ego?

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FTer applying for the G-20 debt relief initiative, available to 76 of the poorest nations in the world, Pakistan has secured rescheduling agreements worth $526 million, $347 million of which comes from China, the country’s largest bilateral creditor.

Covid-19 has not spared even the most stable and growing economies of the world, which makes the debt relief facility for fledgling economies a fair and justified move. In total the PTI government has now secured close to $950 million worth of relief, which will provide much needed fiscal space to work with. early into the pandemic Prime Minister Imran Khan had requested richer countries to write-off the debt of countries like Pakistan; a proposition that had little chance of even being considered as an option by international creditors. While one can appreciate the attempt to get a free lunch, the reality is that there is no such thing, even in the worst of circumstances, such as a global pandemic.

All this is of course temporary and Pakistan will have to, at some point in the very near future, start repaying its debt according to predetermined schedules, and it is impossible to improve the condition of the economy within that time frame to become self-sufficient enough that it no longer needs to borrow more to repay its debt.

Much before the coronavirus hit our shores, Pakistan’s economy was a shambles. One can accept the argument that the PTI government inherited a precarious debt situation when it came to power, but in the absence of a viable economic plan and team, the first two years were rife with indecisiveness and power politics within the finance ministry, leading to delayed action and general incompetence. Although some stability has been regained since, Pakistan still needs to borrow heavily and regularly to stay afloat. With Saudi Arabia pulling out another $1 billion that will probably be covered by China like it was the last time, and the IMF programme suspended pending fulfillment of conditions, Pakistan will continue to struggle to remain afloat, heavily dependent on foreign debt. The PTI government can celebrate the debt relief all it wants but it will only help barely keep its head above water.

Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Secretary Mark esper, the USA and India signed a pact to share sensitive satellite and map data, as Pompeo warned of the threat posed by an increasingly assertive China.

In its report on Counter Terrorism released on June 24, 2020, the US State Department allegedly stated that Pakistan continued to serve as a safe haven for regionally focused terrorist groups and allowed groups to target India and Afghanistan.

Next day, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed disappointment over the US report on Terrorism, describing it as self-contradictory and selective by elaborating: “Pakistan will not allow any group or entity to use its territory against any country.” recently, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN Munir Akram handed over to the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres a dossier on India’s campaign to promote terrorism in Pakistan by pointing out that it was violation of international law, the UN Charter and Security Council resolutions.

Taking cognizance of the US double game, Islamabad has been strengthening its relations with the russian Federation.

During his first trip to Moscow, Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa on April 24, met with the Commander of russian Ground Forces Col Gen Oleg Salyukov who acknowledged achievements of Pakistan Army in fight against terrorism. he stated that Pakistan is a geostrategically important country and russia was keen to expand its existing bilateral military-to-military cooperation. russia and China favour Pakistan’s efforts towards reconciliation and peace in Afghanistan, which are essential for the whole region.

On 9 June 2017, Pakistan’s then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif held a meeting with russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Astana, Kazakhstan. President Putin stated: “Pakistan is an important partner for russia in South Asia” and congratulated Mr Sharif on Pakistan’s full membership to the SCO. An agreement had been signed in Islamabad on 7 August 2018 between Pakistan and russia for the

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Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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The government expected the movement to peter out due to severe cold and lack of food and shelter. But, it was in vain. The farmers are determined to stay put. They understand that if they disperse , they may not be able to rejoin anytime soon.

They consider it a nightmare to return to their abode empty-handed.

Aside from the death of 24 protesting farmers, thousands of farmers commit suicides each year due to financial distress. India’s home Ministry has reported in its report titled National Crime records Bureau’s Accidental Deaths and Suicides that 11,379 farmers died by suicide in 2016. This translates into 948 suicides every month, or 31 suicides every day. The actual figure could be higher as a large number of women who work on farms are not characterised as farmers.

According to te NCrB report, in 2019, some 10,281 people involved in farming died by suicide.

Of these, 5,957 were farmers and cultivators, while 4,324 were agricultural labourers. This category accounted for 7.4 per cent of all suicides in India.

Over two-thirds of suicide victims in 2019 earned less than rs 1,00,000 annually or below rs 8,333 per month. This comes down to rs 278 per day, which is sometimes less than the minimum wage rate under the Mahatma Gandhi National rural employment Guarantee Act. Only 30 per cent of the suicide victims had annual earnings in the range of rs 100,000 to less than rs 500,000.

At least 2000 widows of indebted farmers, who had committed suicide in the past, raised their voices against the central farm laws.

The interviewed widows wished that they abandon farming as it does not assure them of even a subsistence level of life. “The three laws brought in by the Modi government will kill us and take all our land from us. We want these bills scrapped.

Farmers are already in debt and dying by suicide.

If these bills are not repealed, more farmers will commit suicide.”

Protesting farmers blocked the highways connecting Delhi with Amritsar, in Punjab, and Meerut, in Uttar Pradesh, and also the one between Punjab and haryana. In the south, traffic was affected on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu highway due to the protests.

Farmers fear the farm Bills will result in the abolition of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) | Several US lawmakers, UK parliamentarians, Canada, Brazil, and even the UN secretary general supported agitating farmers and urged Modi to allow them to protest peacefully.

India has called the remarks by foreign leaders on protests by farmers as “ill-informed” and “unwar-

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ranted” as the matter pertained to the internal affairs of a democratic country.

Some Sikhs, settled abroad, sent the protesters several quintals of almond. Local Sikhs provided them with fruit, pulses and flour. One Galaxy Brar announced, “I had announced through social media that people can approach me for free fuel as a corpus fund has been created. People from Punjab, rajasthan have contacted me so far. I get their fuel filled online through my BPCL card and payment is done from my side. One trolley is given 1,000 litres of fuel for coming and going, as jathas keep replacing each other.”

The massive majority of estimated 600,000 Sikhs in the UK (last census said 432,000) are of Punjabi background. Punjab is known as “the breadbasket of India” for its lush farming lands.

The agricultural wealth their generations have worked for will soon be sifted off into corporations.

“Many Sikhs support Khalistan and have advocated for it peacefully and legally for decades in the West. Being a Khalistani does not mean supporting terrorism. Issues such as India’s current treatment of farmers are just another reason there is support for Khalistan. But, the Modi government is giving a terrorist taint to the movement said Premjit Singh Pamma who participated in Sikhs’ protest in UK. Pamma is wanted in connection with the 2010 blasts in Punjab’s Patiala and Ambala and also for the killing of an rSS man in 2009. he is also suspected to be associated with banned groups like Sikhs for Justice .

Pamma was arrested in Portugal in 2018 under a red Corner Notice issued by the Interpol. however, India’ request for Pamma’s extradition from Portugal was turned down and he was subsequently released.

India’s Supreme Court has restrained the Modi government from implementing the farm laws until a decision. Some farmers consider it a moral victory.

But others consider it a ploy as the Court has admitted a petition for ending road blockade.

Many point out that the Court is too politicized.

It did nothing about the abolition of special status of Kashmir, and dabbled in religious matters like the ramjanam Bhoomi, the triple talaq.

The protest is in a state of flux. Now even credibility of the Sureme Court is at stake. Modi’s strong man image stands shattered.

Amjed Jaaved is a freelance journalist, has served in the Pakistan government for 39 years and holds degrees in economics, business administration, and law.

He can be reached at amjedjaaved@gmail.com.

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

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

Incorporating Technology in Education AS the saying goes, “ in the midst of every crisis, lies great opportunities.”

As the covid-19 has taken its toll on education sector, it has also open new avenue of incorporating technology in our education system. Coronavirus has compelled authorities to digitalize education delivery system in order to provide distant learning during the closure of educational institutes. however, owing to capacity issues, digital divide and digital illiteracy, government is unable to provide dividends of technology to everyone, particularly in the remote areas of Pakistan. A recent decision by the Universal Service Fund (USF) to provide high-speed mobile broadband services to the remote areas of Pakistan is a welcome news in this regard.

This will enable residents of these remote areas to access modern education on internet. This will not only revolutionize education delivery but also help in education management in far flung areas. The need of hour, therefore, is to digitalize educational system so that students in distant area can get education in this time of crisis.

FaiSal hayat Okara

Karachi’s strays

Self determination is the real issue India must be reined in by the international community

malik muhammad aShraf

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he United Nations General Assembly has adopted a Pakistan-sponsored resolution titled “Universal realization of the rights of Peoples to Self-determination.” The resolution called upon states to cease immediately their military intervention in, and occupation of, foreign countries and territories and all acts of repression, discrimination, exploitation and maltreatment, in particular the brutal and inhuman methods reportedly employed in the execution of those acts against the peoples concerned. It also requested the UN human rights Council to continue giving special attention to human rights, especially the right to self-determination. The passage of the resolution is surely a diplomatic triumph for Pakistan.

The right of the people to self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international law. The concept of self-determination evolved as a by-product of the doctrine of nationalism. After World War II, the promotion of self-determination among subject peoples became one of the chief goals of the UN. even its predecessor League of Nations also recognized this principle.

Article 1(2) of Chapter I of the UN Charter enunciates the right of self-determination as one of its objectives. Pursuant to that objective the UN has adopted a myriad of resolutions in the context of different conflicts around the world, particularly Palestine and Kashmir. resolution 2649 adopted in 1970 not only recognizes the right of self-determination of the subjugated people, but also reiterates the right of adoption of any means by the concerned people to win their right of self-determination.

But it is regrettable to note that in spite of the continued denial of this right to the people of Kashmir for the last more than 72 years the UN and the global community have not fulfilled their obligation towards them as enunciated in the UN resolutions and the commitments made by the then Indian leaders.

What India’s Modi government has done in Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir constitutes an affront to the conscience of the world community. In pursuance of the rSS philosophy of hindutva, it has actually tried to nullify the UN resolutions on Kashmir and all its bilateral

agreements with Pakistan to resolve the con- emanating from internal unrest due to the rSStentious issues, including the core issue of Kash- BJP regime’s policies aimed at subjugation of mir. The continuation of the killing spree in religious minorities and disadvantaged segments Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, in partic- of the society.”

The most worrying aspect revealed by Mr ular the siege of the Valley, and its persistent hostile posture towards Pakistan has put the Qureshi based on the intelligence reports is that India was seeking the nod of approval from its peace and security of the entire region in peril.

During 2020 India committed 3000 viola- partners. Who are these partners is known to tions of the ceasefire agreement and the contin- the entire world. It is due to their support and ued firing across the LOC has killed 278 looking the other way to what is happening in civilians. It also committed an act of aggression this region, particularly Indian-Occupied against Pakistan in February 2019 when it sent Jammu and Kashmir, that the BJP regime feels its planes to bomb imaginary terrorist camps at encouraged to flout international law, UN resBalakot. The restraint shown by Pakistan and in- olutions and norms of inter-state behaviour. It is pertinent to mention tervention by friendly that The Los Angeles countries helped in deTimes, in the backdrop fusing the tensions. of the repeal of Article however the danger of 370 of the Indian Conan armed conflict beKashmir is really a nuclear stitution, revealed that tween the two countries flashpoint. Therefore the world the BJP took this step still persists. with a nod of approval Prime Minister community and the UN must from the Trump AdImran Khan has been repeatedly warning intervene before things reach a ministration.

It is indeed regretabout the Indian depoint of no return. The real table that the strategic signs and the threat it of India, with a poses to peace and seissue is allowing the people to partners view to promote their curity in the region. strategic and commerWhile condemning Inexercise their right of selfcial interests, are not dian firing on the vehidetermination in consonance only encouraging India cle of UN observers at to deny the right of the LOC, he again with the relevant UN self-determination to warned the world about the people of Kashmir a likely false-flag operresolutions, which is the only but are also indifferent ation against Pakistan to the security threat

by India and the conway to ward-off the dangers that India poses to templated response to it lurking on the horizon as a peace and security of in these words: “Modi the region. They fail to government would try result of India acting as a warunderstand that the to divert attention of conflict between Pakthe word community like state. The Indian istan and India could from its internal mess leadership also needs to eventually also underby conducting a false mine their strategic and flag operation against understand that its policies commercial interests.

Pakistan. I am making Their blind support to it absolutely clear to the were not only inimical to the India was an even biginternational commuregional peace and security ger threat to peace. nity that if India were Kashmir is really a to be reckless enough but also against its own nuclear flashpoint. to conduct a false-flag Therefore the world operation against Pakstrategic interests and community and the UN istan, it would confront must intervene before a strong national Paksecurity. The clash between things reach a point of istani resolve and be two nuclear powers could no return. The real given a befitting reissue is allowing the sponse at all levels of prove mutually destructive. people to exercise their the threat. Make no right of self-determinamistake.”

Can they afford this risk? tion in consonance with A similar warning the relevant UN resoluwas given by Foreign tions, which is the only Minister Shah Mahway to ward-off the mood Qureshi last Friday. Talking to media in UAe he said, “India is dangers lurking on the horizon as a result of planning, and seeking ‘tacit approval’ from im- India acting as a war-like state. The Indian leadportant players, whom it considers its partners, ership also needs to understand that its policies to undertake a surgical strike against Pakistan to were not only inimical to the regional peace and divert attention of the world from its own wors- security but also against its own strategic interening domestic situation. We are well aware ests and security. The clash between two nuclear about Indian designs. We have intelligence re- powers could prove mutually destructive. Can port about a false-flag operation by India. I want they afford this risk? to share all this information with the UAe govMalik Muhammad Ashraf is an academic. ernment and the rest of the World. India’s irrational approach is driven by its frustration, He can be contacted at: ashpak10@gmail.com

I have finally become compelled with how to raise this issue to the government, because now the issue has now become critical. The issue is that the number of street dogs in the city of Karachi is on the upsurge.

Because of this increase, they are becoming more dangerous for the people and especially the children. Day by day, the number of incidents involving dog biting is rising. Unfortunately, our government doesn’t seem to take this vital issue seriously. People going to the mosque for Fajar and Isha prayers are the most vulnerable. Mothers are constantly in fear when they send their kids to school and or errands because of this issue which is completely neglected by the corrupt officials of the government. Whenever the suggestion/demand of poising these mad dogs is brought up to the respected officials they are more concerned about animal cruelty than the safety of our children. Therefore, I appeal to the Army Chief and the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take note of this serious situation and convince our government to act accordingly.

MuhaMMad azEEM karachi

Increasing sexual violence ANOTher incident of sexual abuse within one month has set a wave of fear and unrest across the district. A minor girl Jamila of around 8 years, daughter of poor labor was subjected to sexual assault by an unknown miscreant in Banu a locality of Taluka Mirpur Bathoro district Sujawal. The girl found semi-unconscious was shifted to civil hospital Sujawal for treatment, where her condition is stated to be stable. Parents of the miseryridden girl have demanded justice while no FIr of the incident has been lodged yet. This case is second of its kind in the district followed by the Ayshiya Themore rape case that had taken place a month back in a village near Jati. The higher authorities of the districts have opted to remain silent on that ensuing imprecation. It seems that the people of the remote district are unaware of the ferociousness that has started to pullulate in an otherwise peaceful district. Chief Minister Sindh, Chief Justice of SIndh high Court and IG Sindh are requested to take notice of this gruesome incident kaMraN khaMiSO khOWaJa SuJaWal

PM warna cabinet The PTI government has to take its governance performance to much higher levels in the remaining time of its five-year tenure, Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Tuesday, telling his ministers that “the time for performance has arrived.” he was addressing a special ceremony to sign ‘Performance Agreements of the Federal Government for the Year 2020-21’ in Islamabad attended by ministers and special assistants to the prime minister.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, federal ministers of various ministries signed performance agreements with the prime minister.

“We will put pressure on ourselves to take our governance performance to much higher levels in our remaining two-and-a-quarter years,” the premier said. “We no longer have an excuse that we’re new and are learning because most of us came into power for the first time. The time for performance has arrived,” he added.

Terming the signing of performance agreements “a step in the right direction”, Prime Minister Imran said the performance of each ministry will be evaluated based on the contracts and every ministry will put pressure on itself to meet its targets. “After all, the public has to decide after five years whether we made their lives better or not; whether we fulfilled the promises made to them or not,” he said, stressing that governance could not be delivered unless all ministries performed individually. Among the government targets, the premier said he saw the power ministry as the biggest challenge for the country and his government, which he said sometimes “keeps me awake at night”.

“The power sector is such a complex and complicated sector; there are so many different things that need to be rationalised and synchronised to provide people with affordable power and not add to the rising circular debt,” he said. he said although some factors concerning the power sector were in the government’s control, others were not.

The premier named subsidies worth rs2,500 billion as the second biggest challenge for his administration, noting that all countries provided subsidies to benefit the poor and to uplift their backward areas.

Mentioning wealth creation as the third test for the government, he said if exports were not increased, the issue of current account deficit would remain. The prime minister took this moment to praise the latest data which showed on Tuesday that Pakistan’s current account recorded a surplus for the fifth consecutive month in November, terming it a matter of “pride” for the government. he emphasised the need to use subsidies for wealth creation, but said some subsidies needed to be targeted to benefit a select few, and not the rich and poor alike.

EhtiShaM ahMad

08 WORLD VIEW

ExtrEmE raDIcalIsatIon Is happEnIng on FacEbook anD YoutubE – what can bE DonE to stop It? MAINSTREAM SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS SERVED AS AN EXTREMIST BREEDING GROUND FOR THE CHRISTCHURCH SHOOTER. ONLY FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE WILL PREVENT SIMILAR TRAGEDIES

new StateSMan

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SaRaH ManaViS

NE boring summer afternoon when i was a kid, my sister and i pestered my dad to take us somewhere new. He thought for a moment and asked if we wanted to go to a new park nearby. We couldn’t believe there was a park in our neighbourhood that we had never heard of before. My dad told us to think about it.

“Dell Park,” he said. “that’s the name.

Can you remember where it is?” We immediately started hypothesising, spending what was probably half an hour discussing the different niche parts of our small town that the park could possibly be in. after combing through all of our options we gave up and he said he’d take us. We walked 90 seconds from our house and my dad stopped and pointed at a street sign – “Dell Park”. We’d somehow forgotten it was the name of the road parallel to ours.

My dad rang our neighbour’s doorbell and they both laughed as he told the joke.

While we were busy chasing our first instinct, we missed the answer that was in front of us. What we learned that day wasn’t that one type of answer is what often turns out to be right, but how easy it is to become distracted from the truth by what feels like the obvious solution. On 8 December 2020, a

New Zealand Royal Commission report into the Christchurch terrorist attack was released. it examined the two successive shootings which took place in March 2019 and led to 51 deaths and 40 injuries across two mosques. the attacks rapidly became the subject of global media attention, not only because of their gruesome, racially-targeted nature, but because of the perpetrator's links to hard-right online groups. the shooter livestreamed the first 17 minutes of the attack on Facebook, during which he declared: “Remember lads, subscribe to PewDiePie”, the catchphrase of a subscription campaign from Youtuber Felix Kjellberg. Prior to the attack the shooter uploaded a 74-page “manifesto” to the notorious chat forum 8chan. the manifesto was riddled with ironic online in-jokes and many suspected it to be a long “shitpost” – when someone posts something typically nonsensical, surreal or ironic online in order to bait people into a reaction. at the time, commentators were quick to pin the shooter’s radicalisation on far-right internet culture – writers, myself included, wrote explainers that linked the shooter’s demeanour to long-running memes on insidious, niche platforms. the shooting was even partially attributed with the overall demise of 8chan, which was taken offline when its security firm, Cloudflare, withdrew its protection after two more mass shootings were linked to the site. these assertions, until last week, were educated guesses. Based on the memes the attacker deployed and where he published his manifesto, it seemed likely he was another man lured in by sites propagating white supremacy. But although these guesses were well-informed, they have now been proved only half true: the Royal Com-

mission’s report found that, despite the shooter’s association with these sites, he was radicalised on Facebook and Youtube. in a statement following the report’s release, New Zealand's prime minister Jacinda ardern apologised for security “failings”, noting that the terrorist was “not a frequent commentator” on nefarious sites and that he found Youtube a “significant source of information and inspiration”. “this is a point i plan to make directly to the leadership of Youtube,” she said. the report also included other details of the shooter’s internet history, such as his visits to “extremist” Facebook group, “the lads society”, and his significant donations to several far-right organisations. He visited sites such as 4chan and 8chan, but was not an active participant.

Over the next few weeks and months, the online spaces that the Christchurch shooter spent most time on – the specific channels, videos, posts and Facebook pages he followed – will come under greater scrutiny. this important work has the potential to prevent a handful of people from being similarly radicalised. But the Christchurch case represents another conversation that we are having too late: that radicalisation isn’t just happening in insidious little corners of the internet. it’s happening in the open on mainstream platforms that most of us are using. *** For a long time, both Youtube and Facebook have been able to shy away from this uncomfortable truth. While both would admit they have problems with misinformation and conspiracy theories existing on their platform, they can deal with such cases halfheartedly and on a one-off basis. But now there is proof that the most extreme user

journey on these sites isn’t simply someone being fooled by misinformation or getting hooked on a single conspiracy theory. it’s a seismic shift in worldview, the end point of which is genuine harm and the death of innocent people. it is happening this very second, twisting people’s brain chemistry towards radical, dangerous ideas – a trajectory that can rarely be reversed.

Reputation has arguably played the biggest role in distorting this reality. it’s easy to brand 4chan as a white supremacist site when racial slurs appear on almost every page; it’s less easy to do so on a site like Youtube, largely associated with influencers such as Zoella and Ksi. Facebook, by contrast, has suffered reputational damage from the Cambridge analytica scandal and rampant misinformation. However, it gets away with being branded a fake news hub – not a place where people become neo-Nazis.

While not entirely positive, a much darker brand image is skirted.

Both Youtube and Facebook can ultimately pin the blame on 8chan, 4chan, or even Reddit, where users’ language is often more extreme and violent ideation is more vivid. the larger sites could argue, that although they may be the starting point for a users’ radicalisation, they aren’t the real cause. But after the New Zealand report, this defence has lost all credibility. it is now incumbent on Facebook and Youtube to take a stance – something that both platforms have long avoided. Neutrality and apoliticism have for years been convenient get-out clauses, allowing the sites to assuage critics until the next inevitable crisis. But through such behaviour, Facebook and Youtube have allowed what was once a serious but manageable problem to morph into some-

India’s excluded stay poor THE DALIT MOVEMENT HAS ENABLED ITS MEMBERS TO FREE THEMSELVES POLITICALLY FROM THE DOMINATION OF HIGHER CASTES BY FORMING THEIR OWN PARTIES AND ORGANISATIONS

THE FORMS OF OPPRESSION COMBINE TO KEEP ADIVASIS AND DALITS DOWN, EVEN IF THEY HAVE ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS: 47.8% OF THOSE WITH SECONDARY EDUCATION OR HIGHER ARE STILL POOR

Le Monde dipLoMatique

D

Dalel BenBaBaali

alits and adivasis are contributing to india’s economic boom, even though growth has worked against them. the adivasi (meaning indigenous) are ‘tribal’ peoples, and number more than 100 million out of 1.2 billion indians, 8.6% of the population. the 200 million Dalits (meaning oppressed, formerly ‘untouchables’) are 16.6%, and say they feel ‘broken’ by the harsh caste system. these historically disadvantaged groups are designated as scheduled tribes and Castes, which allows them to benefit from quotas, reflecting their demographic weight, of public sector jobs and seats on the boards of educational institutions and in elected assemblies. this positive discrimination policy, written into the 1950 constitution, has given them some social mobility, though not in the private sector where higher castes dominate senior positions.

Dalits and adivasis are still over-represented among india’s poor. the country’s record growth since economic liberalisation (6% from the mid-1980s, 8% since the mid2000s) has not benefitted them: poverty among them has fallen by less than 1% since 2000, and 82% still live below the global poverty threshold of $2 a day. an index based on factors including income and access to electricity, safe drinking water, sanitation and education shows that 81.4% of adivasis and 65.8 % of Dalits are classed as poor, compared with 33.3% of higher castes, and 55.4% across the population (12.6% in China). the reasons lie in the deep-rooted discrimination in indian society, and oppression that links caste, class, gender, ethnicity and regional origin. the rise of capitalism and modernisation strengthened rather than weak-

ened inherited identities. Neoliberal reforms introduced in the 1980s, and expanded after the 1991 financial crisis, were intended to promote growth by opening up the economy to trade and attracting foreign capital. indian and foreign investors took advantage of cheap and socially divided labour. More than 90% of indian workers today are employed in the informal sector and have no social welfare; it is hard for them to organise to demand pay rises, or cooperate with those working in the formal sector, who are relatively better off.

WHO GETS THE WORST JOBS? Ethnicity, caste and gender still play a major role in employment. Dalits get the most strenuous jobs, or those considered most degrading, while the most precarious go to seasonal migrants from india’s poorest areas, where adivasis have had their land appropriated by the government. Class differences among Dalits and adivasis are increasingly marked. Elites (as yet very small) are emerging within these groups, notably because of the quota policy: only 18% of Dalits and adivasis have a medium or high income, compared with 55% of other castes. in tamil Nadu, Dalit men from villages in the Cuddalore industrial corridor have escaped subservience to big landowners from dominant castes to whom they were sometimes tied for life by debt. But their wives still work on the land, paid daily, and the men are not truly free: insufficiently qualified for the public sector, they work in low-level jobs in highly polluting factories where they handle dangerous substances. the Pioneer Jellice factory in Cuddalore (workforce 500) provides no protective equipment for workers using chemicals to clean beef bones to make gelatine. When these workers, 70% Dalit, went on strike in 2008, demanding better conditions, the management hired non-unionised adivasi migrants in their place. there’s a similar management strategy on tea plantations in Kerala, where adivasi pickers from the poor eastern state of Jharkhand, considered more tractable and paid piecework, have gradually replaced Dalits, who had permanent jobs and were more combative. this super-

exploitation shows how indian capitalism uses social, ethnic and regional divides for profit. in september 2016, 8,000 Dalits, mostly women working on tea plantations, went on a month-long strike over the severe deterioration of employment conditions. the sector was in crisis. Men who had worked in tea factories lost their jobs and moved to the big cities of neighbouring tamil Nadu to find jobs in textiles, where they continue to face discrimination. some decided to hide their identity by changing their family name, often an indicator of caste.

PROPERTY RIGHTS CHALLENGED: in regions where the adivasi are a majority, their worsening poverty is largely due to ‘accumulation by dispossession’. Entrepreneurs and farmers from the dominant castes are appropriating for their own profit natural resources on which the adivasi depend. this is especially true in the tribal territory of Bhadrachalam, in northwest telangana state. areas with a majority adivasi population, theoretically protected by the constitution and classed as ‘scheduled areas’, are subject to legislation that bans other groups from buying land. in reality, avidasi property rights are constantly challenged, by newly arrived farmers who occupy land illegally and grow cash crops such as tobacco and cotton, and also by the government, which acquires land for development and sells it to investors or uses it for major infrastructure projects such as hydroelectric dams. in Bhadrachalam, in a protected zone in the fertile Godavari valley, there is a huge paper mill belonging to the indian tobacco Company (itC) conglomerate, one of south asia’s biggest manufacturers of paper and packaging. Contrary to indian government claims, made to justify industrialising tribal territories, fewer than 5% of the factory’s 1,575 permanent employees and only 8% of its 4,000 occasional workers, paid by the day, are adivasi. Many Dalits work there because they don’t have property rights in tribal territories, while the adivasi continue subsistence farming, to maintain their cultural and economic independence, on what land they still control. as the adivasi are deprived of land and water re-

thing far worse. On Youtube, radicalisation is so fundamental to some users’ experiences that it will take an extraordinary set of changes to eliminate this risk. the site must be restructured or, in reality, shut down to prevent a significant share of users from suffering this fate. in the immediate term, however, Youtube could make fundamental changes to its terms and conditions with the aim of reducing hard-right, white supremacist content. it could change its infamous algorithm, which offers a conveyor belt of progressively more extreme content after each video viewed. But these changes would require the site to sacrifice a significant part of what keeps users returning.

Youtube knows it’s easier – and financially simpler – to acknowledge each case in isolation and then move on. so this is what it does: it tweaks its algorithm, adjusts its guidelines, and hails its action, while in reality doing almost nothing to prevent radicalisation. as tech writer Becca lewis wrote last week, “there is often a great disconnect between what actions Youtube says it is taking and what users and creators actually experience… the great irony is that by attempting to stay apolitical, Youtube consistently makes the political choice not to care about or protect vulnerable communities.” another reason why this conversation feels impossible is because deradicalisation is hard to achieve. Preventing radicalisation is something we know how to do – but what about the tens of millions of people who have already gone over the edge? the truth is that we know little about how to help those who have suffered this fate; there are no basic guidelines or even complex steps to follow. and if Youtube takes responsibility, it will be at least partially left to the sites to find that elusive solution. With this in mind, we must do what we can to force the hand of the tech companies we now know are at fault. the narrative that radicalisation happens on the internet’s worst backwaters is only one part of the story. the sooner we acknowledge that radicalisation is happening on the platforms most of us know and use, the sooner changes to prevent tragedies such as Christchurch can happen. Only radical action will ensure that social media platforms are no longer extremist breeding grounds.

Sarah Manavis is the New Statesman’s tech and digital culture writer.

sources, especially through the pollution of the Godavari river by factory effluent, they join the proletariat. itC, after having exhausted the bamboo from local forests, is investing in eucalyptus plantations. these have a disastrous impact on the environment, impoverishing the soil and exhausting the groundwater, and occupy land that belongs to adivasis, who are evicted and reduced to selling their labour or migrating to the cities. similar processes are occurring in many indian states. the share of agriculture in india’s GDP declined from 29% in 1990 to 17% in 2016, and rural areas are no longer the main source of capital accumulation for the dominant rural castes, which are diversifying through investment in trade and industry. this economic transformation has been accompanied by a change in methods of subordination and strategies for control, though the power relationships are largely unaffected. Where they have been affected, it has been by worker struggles.

PRESSURE ON MULTINATIONALS: the adivasi’s fight against land grabbing is supported by Maoist guerrillas. they have already forced some multinationals to back down: south Korea’s Posco (formerly Pohang iron and steel Company), which had indian government approval to build a facility on 800 hectares; Vedanta, a mining company based in london, which operated highly polluting bauxite mines; and the indian steel giant tata.

But government repression has been harsh. in 2006 police in Kalinganagar, in Odisha (formerly Orissa), opened fire on a crowd demonstrating against the building of a new tata steelworks, killing at least 12 and wounding dozens. the Dalit movement has enabled its members to free themselves politically from the domination of higher castes by forming their own parties and organisations, though the Brahmins and other dominant castes still control india’s production infrastructure and state apparatus. indian communist parties, led by members of higher castes, are reluctant to address the problem and prefer to see it as a class issue, in accordance with Marxist orthodoxy.

But studies show that class exploitation is linked to caste oppression, with new methods of subjugation built onto and modifying old ones. Different forms of oppression combine to keep adivasis and Dalits down, even if they have academic qualifications: 47.8% of those with secondary education or higher are still poor, and caste discrimination persists in universities, as shown by the 2016 suicide of Rohith Vemula, a Dalit doctorate student at the University of Hyderabad. the historical opposition between dominant castes and marginalised groups has grown stronger since the latter entered the market economy on unfavourable terms. internal divisions, based on ethnic, regional and caste identities, have worsened, undermining their unity in the struggle for social justice. Overcoming these divides is a priority.

Dalel Benbabaali is an anthropologist and a co-author of Ground Down by Growth: Tribe, Caste, Class and Inequality in Twenty-First-Century India, Pluto, London, 2017.

Wednesday, 23 December, 2020

BUSINESS 09 corporate corner Qatar Airways offers passengers full year of flexibility in 2021 DOHA: Qatar Airways has announced that it will offer passengers unlimited date changes and fee-free refunds for all tickets issued before 30 April 2021 for travel completed by 31 December 2021. The airline’s latest enhancement to its industry-leading flexible booking policy has been designed to continue providing customers with peace of mind that they can change their plans with ease.

The airline is also making the option to exchange tickets for a travel voucher with 10pc additional value a permanent feature for all customers booking travel via qatarairways.com. The process for redeeming a travel voucher is quick and easy – passengers apply online and receive the voucher within 48 hours. Press release

Arçelik, Hitachi GLS form joint venture worth $300m KARACHI: Arçelik A.Ş. and Hitachi Global Life Solutions, Inc. (Hitachi GLS) have signed a share purchase agreement to establish a new joint venture company. This historic partnership creates a major player in Asia-Pacific the world’s largest home appliances market, to expand global sales through a joint competitive supply-chain. As part of this $300 million transaction, Hitachi GLS will establish a new company into which it will transfer its global home appliances business outside of Japan. Arçelik will acquire 60% ownership in the new company, which both partners aim to establish in the spring of 2021, after regulatory approvals. Arçelik has consistently expanded its home appliance business in over 145 countries around the world. Press release

POL import bill falls 22.8pc in July-Nov period The overall imports of the petroleum group declined by 22.78 per cent during the first five months (July-Nov) of the current financial year (FY21) as compared to the corresponding period of last year. According to data issued by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Tuesday, during the period under review, total imports of the petroleum group stood at $3.946 billion, as against the imports of $5.110 billion last year. The commodities that contributed to the decrease of petroleum imports included petroleum products, imports of which declined by 16.5pc, from $2.174 billion to $1.815 billion. Meanwhile, on a yearon-year (YoY) basis, petroleum group imports decreased by 16.4pc during the month of November as compared to the same month of last year. The petroleum imports during November 2020 were recorded at $777.981 million against the imports of $930.396 million in November 2019. On a month-on-month (MoM) basis, petroleum imports decreased by 7.44pc during November 2020 as compared to the imports of $840.484 million in October 2020, the data revealed. NeWs DesK

Govt decides to form Drone Regulatory Authority ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Tuesday decided to form a Drone Regulatory Authority (DRA) for effective use of the remote-control surveillance technology in various fields. Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry apprised Prime Minister Imran Khan regarding the formulation of drone policy at a high-level briefing in Islamabad. The premier was also thoroughly briefed on the peaceful and research-based use of drone technology in various fields. "The drone technology is very useful for agriculture, urban planning, security and law and order," PM Imran said and gave directives to set-up a committee to devise a legislative and regulatory body in this regard. According to reports, the committee would submit a draft regarding DRA act to the prime minister within a month. The prime minister said drone technology could be used as an effective tool for agriculture, urban planning, security and law and order. Earlier on September 28, the government had prepared a draft policy for use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) – drones, model aircrafts, quadcopters and balloons. “After incorporating the stakeholders’ input, the draft policy will be presented before the federal cabinet for its approval,” Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan had said. sTaFF rePOrT

PAkiStAN REGiStERS cuRRENt AccOuNt SuRPLuS fOR fiftH StRAiGHt MONtH ISLAMABAD

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sTaFF rePOrT

AKISTAN’s current account recorded a surplus for the fifth consecutive month in November at $447 million as compared to a deficit of $326 million during the same time last year, data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) showed on Tuesday.

“In contrast to the previous five years, the current account has been in surplus throughout FY21 due to an improved trade balance and a sustained increase in remittances," the central bank said on Twitter.

"In November 2020, both exports and imports picked up, reflecting a recovery in external demand

and domestic economic activity."

On a cumulative basis, the total current account surplus during the July-November period rose to a record $1.64 billion against a deficit of $1.745bn during the same period last year.

Remittances during the five months under review jumped 27 per cent to $11.77bn after Covid-led travel restrictions increased flows through legal channels.

"This turnaround in the current account, together with an improvement in financial inflows, raised SBP’s foreign exchange reserves by around $1bn in November 2020. At $13.1bn, they are now at their highest level in 3 years," the state bank said.

Commenting on the development, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that "despite Covid-19, Pakistan's

British American Tobacco to move BPO operations from Malaysia to Pakistan ISLAMABAD GHUlaM aBBas

British American Tobacco (BAT) has decided to move its 'shared services' operations from Malaysia to Pakistan, it was learnt on Tuesday.

BAT is the first multinational company to move its Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) services to Pakistan after Deutsche Bank withdrew its operations from the country, officials of the commerce ministry said.

Earlier today, a meeting was held at the commerce ministry, where Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood noted that the opening of business services by BAT “is an indication that the country is now being considered as a cost effective location for activities like back office services, BPO, call centres, etc.”

According to ministry officials, the meeting examined the state of services trade in Pakistan and steps taken to expand the sector. It was informed that technological advances have

opened up many possibilities for trade in services across borders in many sectors.

This is especially true for back office services which are now called BPO, of which 'Business Shared Services' are a specialised form. These include customer support, sales and marketing support, bookkeeping, payroll management, fee collection, transcription, etc.

The adviser reiterated the importance of these services and informed the participants that Pakistan Tobacco Company, a subsidiary of BAT, had been competing for BAT's 'Global Business Services' to be set up in Pakistan.

Dawood informed that earlier this year, he had held a meeting with the management of BAT, over video link, in order to market Pakistan as a favourable destination for shared services. He lauded the Pakistan Tobacco Company for succeeding in accomplishing this monumental task and announcing BAT's plan to set up its 'business shared services' organization for Asia Pacific and Middle East Region in Pakistan.

He told the meeting that this was achieved after a rigorous process spanning over several months, during which Pakistan was evaluated by BAT, along with countries like India and Bangladesh.

“This decision was taken after evaluating countries on key factors like the existing commercial presence of BAT, country sustainability, availability of workforce and talent etc.”

Dawood said that BAT’s project will create thousands of jobs in Pakistan over the next five years, besides serving as a talent incubator in the country.

The meeting was informed that shared services are covered under Mode-II of the service exports and it will initially help the country earn $100 million per annum, with potential to increase further in the future.

Dawood said the government would facilitate the company in fulfilling legal and regulatory requirements to establish the organization. He hoped that this would encourage other multinational subsidiaries in Pakistan to move such services to the country.

KP govt increases mills' wheat quota PESHAWAR aZIZ BUNerI

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has announced to increase the wheat quota for flour mills from 5,000 tonnes to 6,000 tonnes per day to avoid any flour crisis in the province.

In this regard, the provincial government has warned the mill owners that there should be no increase in flour prices after the government increases its supply.

According to officials, strict action would be taken against flour mills owners for creating artificial shortage to increase flour prices in the market.

Speaking to Profit, All Pakistan Flour Mills Association (APFMA) Executive Mem-

ber Haji Iqbal said that flour would be available in abundance in the province for the next four months with the timely increase in the province's wheat quota.

He said that prices in the market will fluctuate but the province will not face a crisis like in previous months.

According to sources, the KP government has also increased the quota of 20kg flour bags for Peshawar district to 30,000, after which citizens of the provincial capital could easily access the commodity.

Adviser to KP Chief Minister on Food Khaliqur Rehman said after this decision, traders and mill owners are now left with no justification to sell the commodity to people at higher prices.

economy has witnessed a remarkable turnaround".

"Pakistan’s external side has continued to firmly batten down the hatches during the pandemic by posting a current account surplus for a fifth straight month in FY21,” Wajid Rizvi from Fortune Securities said.

"The most noteworthy characteristic is that the surplus increased despite a rise of $338m (up 22pc month-on-month) in the trade gap. Trade gap is expected to expand further primarily from an increase in food, textile, machinery and auto imports.”

However, the current fiscal year-to-date performance has created an adequate foreign exchange reserves buffer to cushion any subsequent rise in the trade gap, he added.

‘SBP committed to making supply chains cashless’ LAHORE TaIMOOr HassaN

State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Deputy Governor Sima Kamil said on Tuesday that the central bank is committed to digitizing corporate supply chains in order to help achieve the goal of digital financial inclusion. "It is the overarching aim of the State Bank to ensure a safe and secure financial system. The other role that we have is financial inclusion. What we want is to reduce cash and promote financial inclusion through digitization," the SBP deputy governor said during a webinar titled 'Cashless Supply Chain 2020', organised by B2B payments facilitator Haball Private Limited. The deputy governor noted that the majority of supply chains in Pakistan, whether in rural or urban areas, from manufacturer to distributor to end customer, are cash and paper-based.

"This makes the economy undocumented and ineffective for all players. So it is in the interest of the country to have entities like Haball that would assist in [introducing] paperless regime," she said. Corporate supply chains have been a big challenge for the central bank, she said, adding that due to the presence of cash, synergies between digital financial services and corporate supply chain actors carry immense potential for digital financial inclusion. "This will not only create transparency for corporates but will also provide a bankable identity to unbanked distributors and retailers. It is important that they see value in this."

Meanwhile, Kamil also highlighted the steps taken by SBP to promote digital financial inclusion. "The SBP has rolled out EMIs, rules for simplified digital onboarding of merchants, deploying QR codes for payments, and a flagship launched with the help of the World Bank namely National Payment Systems Strategy," she said. "Under this [strategy], we tried to build a modern and robust payment system for the country that enables the provision of cost effective and easily available digital financial services. The flagship project for this is the micropayments gateway. The deputy governor further stated that the micropayment gateway will move towards bulk payments, retail payments as well as push payments.

"We believe this will transform the payments ecosystem and provide a full fledged solution to the challenge of branchless banking wallets, and result in a rapid ach

Eurobonds for Mohmand, Diamer Bhasha dams on the cards Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh has summoned a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) on Wednesday to discuss a six-point agenda, including the issuance of Eurobonds for Mohmand and Diamer Bhasha dams. According to local media reports, the ECC is also likely to approve the Karachi Transformation Plan in the forthcoming meeting which had been deferred previous two sessions. The committee may also approve a technical supplementary grant worth Rs500 million for the Ministry of Housing and Works. Further, the ECC members will also mull over matters related to loans and financial needs of the Gas Infrastructure Development Cess (GIDC).ievement of our goals of national financial inclusion." NeWs DesK

MARKET DAILY

Stocks fall 426 points as selling pressure persists KARACHI sTaFF rePOrT

Bearish sentiment continued to prevail at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Tuesday, with the benchmark index once again succumbing to late selling pressure and closing in the red.

Global equity markets displayed a mixed pattern, whereas crude oil prices continued to slip lower; WTI crude price declining 1.38pc to $47.32, while Brent crude falling

1.08pc to $50.36 (as at 3:53pm PST).

"Reminiscent of the previous session, the market moved within a narrow range for the most part, before collapsing under selling pressure -- mainly in banking, E&P and cement stocks," said a report issued by Arif Habib Ltd. "International crude prices remained subdued after yesterday's blow, causing pressure in E&P stocks, whereas foreign investors have been spring cleaning their holdings in the banking sector [before the close of the calendar year], thus playing a

significant role in bringing the index down."

SUMMARY: The benchmark KSE-100 Index swayed both ways on Tuesday, registering its intraday high at 43,478.97 (+145.21 points) and low at 42,757.49 (576.27 points). It settled lower by 426.65 points at 42,906.94. Among other indices, the KMI-30 Index lost 836.96 points to end at 69,695.75, while the KSE All Share Index dropped 287.91 points, closing at 30,199.26.

The overall market volumes increased from 516.44 million shares in the previous

CMYK

session to 560.35 million shares (+9pc), whereas average traded value clocked in at $140.9 million as against $140.3 million (+0.4pc). Worldcall Telecom (WTL 2.56pc), Invest Capital Investment Bank Ltd (ICIBL +11.29pc) and TRG Pakistan Ltd (TRG -5.12pc) topped the volume chart, exchanging 70.79 million, 30.81 million and 23.61 million shares, respectively.

Sectors that dragged the benchmark index to the red included banking (-88.59 pts), oil and gas exploration (-60.93 points) and auto-

mobile assembling (-32.64 points). Among the companies, TRG Pakistan Ltd (TRG 41.21 points), Pak Petroleum Ltd (PPL -30.38 points) and Oil and Gas Development Company Ltd (-25.13 points) denting the index the most. Shedding 5.48pc from its cumulative market cap, the refinery sector ended as the session's worth performer, with Byco Petroleum Pakistan Ltd (BYCO -3.42pc), National Refinery Ltd (NRL -7.14pc), Attock Refinery Ltd (ATRL -6.92pc) and Pakistan Refinery Ltd (PRL -6.75pc) posting significant losses.

Wednesday, 23 December, 2020

10 foreign neWS China's new Long March 8 rocket makes maiden flight BEIJING AGENCIES

A new Chinese carrier rocket made its first flight on Tuesday under a long-term plan to develop reusable launch vehicles aimed at reducing mission costs and speed up launch schedules for commercial clients. The medium-lift Long March 8 Y-1 blasted off at 12:37pm (04:37 GMT) from the southern Chinese island of Hainan carrying five satellites, state media reported. China plans to develop reusable rockets under the Long March 8 series in the coming years, similar to the Falcon range already produced by U.S. private aerospace firm SpaceX. State media did not say if the Long March 8 Y1 itself was reusable, but future variants are expected to be capable of vertical take-off and vertical landing (VTVL), allowing them to be used for more than one launch. China will develop its first VTVL vehicle around 2025, an official at the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the country’s main space contractor, told a local conference in November. The Long March 9 Y-1 launch wrapped up a hectic year for China’s space programme. Earlier this month, China brought back rocks and soil from the moon in the first lunar sample retrieval since 1976. In July, China launched its first independent mission to Mars. Around 2022, China aims to complete a multi-module, inhabited space station. By 2045, it hopes to establish a programme operating thousands of flights a year and carrying tens of thousands of tonnes of cargo and passengers.

South Korea scrambles jets as Chinese, Russian aircraft enter air defence zone

US SaILS nUCLeaR-SUb thRoUgh StRaIt of hoRMUz aMId IRan tenSIonS HORMUZ AGENCIES

I

N an unusual show of force, the guided missile submarine USS Georgia sailed through the Strait of Hormuz while surfaced on Monday, escorted by the cruisers USS Philippine Sea and USS Port Royal.

US Navy freedom of navigation operations (FONOPS) are a regular occurrence in contested waters around the world, with surface warships sailing through hot spots in the South China Sea on a regular basis–but the "silent service" of the submarine force typically remains hidden from view.

USS Georgia has some specific capabilities that are only shared by a handful of other subs in the fleet.

It was laid down in the 1980s as a nuclear ballistic

missile submarine, but was later converted into a platform for conventionally-armed cruise missiles and for special operations. With the modification of 22 out of its 24 ballistic missile tubes, it has enough room for 154 Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles– the kind typically deployed by the US for limited strikes on strategic targets, like the 2018 missile attack on Syrian chemical weapons facilities.

Its two remaining ballistic missile launch tubes were converted into lockout chambers for special operations, increasing its ability to insert and extract tactical teams in non-permissive environments. The modification program also added berthing for up to 66 special operations personnel at a time. Photos of the Hormuz transit, released by the Navy on Monday, showed it surfaced and carrying a removable dry deck shelter, used to deploy raiding craft like the submersible

Return to meaningful talks, UN envoy urges Israelis, Palestinians

AGENCIES

SEOUL

UK economy in crisis amid growing global isolation LONDON AGENCIES

Countries around the world have started closing their borders to the United Kingdom to prevent the spread of a rapidly transmittable strain of coronavirus, which was detected on UK shores and could be 70 per cent more infectious. It began with the Netherlands, which said on Sunday that it would stop flights from Britain because of the new strain.

Now, more than 30 countries have followed suit, with some travel bans set to last until the end of January. In addition to European nations, Argentina, Canada, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, India, Israel, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are among those who have suspended travel to and from the UK. France has added sea and rail links to its travel restrictions that will initially last 48 hours. Eurostar trains between London, Brussels and Amsterdam were also halted from Monday. On Saturday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Tier 4 lockdowns, putting the nation under severe restrictions until the end of 2020. Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned that the new variant of the virus, which may be up to 70 per cent more transmissible, is “getting out of control.”

Pollution deaths in India rose to 1.67 million in 2019: report NEW DELHI

AGENCIES

South Korea said it scrambled fighter jets in response to an intrusion into its air defence identification zone by 19 Russian and Chinese military aircraft on Tuesday. Four Chinese warplanes entered the Korea Air Defence Identification Zone (KADIZ) followed by 15 Russian aircraft, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The South Korean military dispatched air force fighters to take tactical measures. The South Korean military said the Chinese military had informed South Korea that its planes were carrying out routine training before the Chinese aircraft entered the KADIZ. “This incident seems to be a joint military drill between China and Russia but it requires a further analysis,” the JCS said in a statement. South Korea’s foreign ministry contacted China and Russia and told them there should not be a recurrence, Yonhap news agency reported. In July last year, South Korean warplanes fired hundreds of warning shots toward Russian military aircraft on a joint air patrol with China, when they entered South Korean airspace. South Korea and Japan, which both scrambled jets to intercept the patrol at the time, accused Russia and China of violating their airspace. Russia and China denied it.

SEAL Delivery Vehicle or SEAL rubber raiding boats.

"Georgia’s presence in the US 5th Fleet area of operations (AOO) demonstrates the US Navy’s ability to sail and operate wherever international law allows," said 5th Fleet in a statement.

The show of force followed the day after a rocket attack on the US Embassy compound in Baghdad, which the US State Department has blamed on militia forces allegedly backed by Iran. One Iraqi civilian was killed in the attack and the compound was damaged, according to the agency.

"Iran-backed militias once again flagrantly and recklessly attacked in Baghdad, wounding Iraqi civilians. The people of Iraq deserve to have these attackers prosecuted. These violent and corrupt criminals must cease their destabilizing actions," Pompeo said in a statement Sunday.

NEW YORK AGENCIES

The UN envoy for the Middle East Peace Process urged Israelis, Palestinians, regional States and the broader international community to “take practical steps to enable the parties to re-engage” in the peace process.

Addressing the UN Security Council, Nickolay Mladenov told the ambassadors in his final briefing as special coordinator, “The Middle East Quartet–alongside Arab partners–and Israeli and Palestinian leaders, must work together to return to the path of meaningful negotiations.”

“Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Arabs have lived with conflict for too long”, said the UN envoy. “Loss and displacement are part of the personal history of every single household” for generations.

He painted a picture of Palestinians being “upended from their homes” and forced to seek refuge across the region while “Jews have been upended from across the region” and forced to seek refuge in Israel.

Mladenov reminded that the conflict is not only over land or history, “it is a conflict

over the very right of two nations to co-exist”.

A disruption of vital services in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) is hanging in the balance as the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) faces a funding gap of $88 million, which includes some $22 million to pay salaries of nearly 30,000 frontline education, health, social and other workers directly assisting Palestine refugees.

“The Agency is not only a lifeline for millions of Palestine refugees, and fully engaged in the fight against Covid-19, but is also critical for regional stability”, said Mr. Mladenov.

“Sufficient funding is essential for the Agency’s continuity, and I renew my appeal for support”.

Meanwhile, last week the Palestinian prime minister and the acting OPT humanitarian coordinator launched a 2021 Humanitarian Response Plan, which includes a $417 million appeal to help 1.8 million vulnerable people over the coming year.

“The latest humanitarian needs assessment found that 2.45 million Palestinians — some 47 per cent of the population currently need aid”, he said.

Israeli settlement-related developments continue, with expansions in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Mladenov added, saying they entrench Israel’s occupation and undermine the prospect of a two-State solution.

“The advancement of all settlement activity must cease immediately”, he spelled out, underscoring that they constitute “a flagrant violation” of UN resolutions and international law.

The special coordinator also called “deeply concerning”, the continued demolition and seizure of Palestinian humanitarian projects and schools.

“I call on Israeli authorities to end the demolition of Palestinian property and the displacement and eviction of Palestinians”, he said.

In closing, he recounted that every Palestinian he met believed that negotiations were “only a façade” for more land grabs while every Israeli believed they would lead to more “violence and terror”.

“The world cannot leave the situation unattended”, said the special coordinator, pointing to UN resolutions, bilateral agreements and the Middle East Quartet’s efforts, all aimed at resolving the conflict.

Toxic air killed more people in India in 2019 than in 2017, The Lancet, a medical journal, said in a report shared by the government on Tuesday, with 1.67 million deaths accounting for 18 per cent of all fatalities. India, whose cities top global pollution lists, faces a growing economic as well as human toll from bad air quality, which was linked to 1.24 million, or 12.5 per cent of total deaths in the previous such study for 2017. The analysis found pollution led to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, respiratory infections, lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, neonatal disorders and cataracts. Land-locked New Delhi, the world's most polluted capital whose winter skies are often obscured here by its filthy air, recorded the highest per-capita economic hit, the journal said. The fatalities in 2019 led to a total loss of $36.8 billion, or 1.36 per cent of India’s gross domestic product (GDP), with the poor and populous states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar experiencing the highest economic loss as a percentage of their GDP. Although the death rate due to household air pollution fell 64.2 per cent from 1990 to 2019, that due to ambient particulate matter pollution more than doubled, The Lancet said. “The improvements in air quality across India during the Covid-19 lockdown period, and its upsurge again with the easing of restrictions, provide interesting pointers to the extent of air pollution reduction that is possible with reduced human activity,” it added. The government said in a statement that India would need to invest more in state-specific pollution control programmes if it were to meet its goal of becoming a $5 trillion economy by 2024, from around $2.9 trillion now. India’s three main cities, New Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai, were on the list of the world’s 20 worst polluted cities, Swiss air quality technology company IQAir reported on Tuesday.

US issues additional visa restrictions on Chinese officials WASHINGTON AGENCIES

The United States on Monday imposed additional visa restrictions on Chinese officials over alleged human rights abuses, taking further action against China in the final month of US President Donald Trump’s term.

China said it would retaliate.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the restrictions affected officials believed to be responsible for or complicit in repressing religious practitioners, ethnic minority groups, dissidents and others.

“China’s authoritarian rulers impose draconian restrictions on the Chinese people’s freedoms of expression, religion or belief,

association, and the right to peaceful assembly. The United States has been clear that perpetrators of human rights abuses like these are not welcome in our country,” he said in a statement.

US-China relations have plunged to their worst level in decades as the world’s top two economies spar over issues ranging from the coronavirus outbreak, Beijing’s national security law for Hong Kong, trade and espionage.

On Friday, Washington added dozens of Chinese companies, including top chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp and drone manufacturer SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd, to a trade blacklist.

Also on Monday, US Department of Homeland Security chief Chad Wolf said it

was looking at further restrictions on China, which he called an ever-increasing threat to the United States. Wolf told the Heritage Foundation think tank these included tighter visa curbs on Chinese Communist Party members and a broader ban on goods made with forced labour. He said DHS was also reviewing the activities of Chinese television maker TCL Electronics Holdings.

Wolf noted a State Department action this month to reduce the validity of US visas for members of China’s ruling Communist Party to one month. “We are ... working with State to consider further restrictions on visa validity periods for CCP members,” he added.

He said DHS was “continuing to develop and hoped to soon issue” a region-

wide ban covering “key categories of products produced with forced labour” in China’s Xinjiang region.

Wolf did not elaborate, but he was apparently referring to a broad import ban on all cotton and tomato products from Xinjiang that the Trump administration considered this year before opting for narrower bans on products from specific entities.

US apparel makers have criticized a broader ban as impossible to enforce.

China condemned the US measures.

“We will take countermeasures in response. We will take measures against those who are responsible for harming our bilateral relations,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a daily news conference

in Beijing on Tuesday.

Wolf said DHS would soon issue a business advisory cautioning against using data services and equipment from firms linked to China and said it was “reviewing entities such as the Chinese manufacturer TCL,” the world’s third largest manufacturer of TV sets.

Wolf said it had been discovered this year that the firm had “incorporated backdoors into all its TV sets, exposing users to cyber breaches and data exfiltration.”

Wolf said DHS would soon release a “Strategic Action Plan to counter the People’s Republic of China” that would draw on Trump’s 2017 national security strategy and a 2020 document laying out a US strategic approach to Beijing. He did not elaborate on this.

Wednesday, 23 December, 2020

RIzwAN STARS AS PAkISTAN AvoId cleAN SweeP wITH fouR-wIckeT wIN oveR Nz

SPORTS 11 Hafeez becomes highest T20I run-scorer in 2020 LAHORE: Veteran Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez on Tuesday became the leading run-scorer in calendar year 2020 in Twenty20 Internationals after surpassing India’s KL Rahul by 11 runs. After scoring 41 runs in Pakistan's win in the third T20I against New Zealand in Napier, Hafeez bagged 415 runs in the outgoing year, the most by any player.

"Alhamdulillah. Allah is the best planner," the 40-year-old tweeted after becoming the highest run-scorer in calendar year 2020 in T20Is. Hafeez, who is popularly known as ‘Professor’, is the first Pakistani since 2013 to finish a year as a leading T20I scorer. Overall, he has amassed 1,005 runs across all forms of T20 cricket, including leagues and international cricket. Hafeez is among five batsmen to score over 1,000 T20 runs this year. He, with 2323 international T20 runs, is just 12 runs behind Shoaib Malik, who is Pakistan’s all-time leading T20I run-scorer. STAFF REPORT

Nagging back injury not a problem for Smith ahead of second India Test

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OHAMMAD Rizwan celebrated his elevation to the Pakistan Test captaincy in style Tuesday, smashing a career-best 89 to stop New Zealand claiming a series sweep in the third Twenty20 in Napier.

Pakistan reached New Zealand’s target of 174 with two balls to spare, ending on 177 after Iftikhar Ahmed sealed the win with a six in the final over. But it was Rizwan’s 89 from 59 balls, with support from 41-run Mohammad Hafeez, that inspired the victory.

It was a hard-fought win for the tourists, who suffered heavy defeats in the two opening matches after a rocky preparation that included Covid-19 quarantine in Christchurch with no training.

The win was particularly sweet for Rizwan, who was named on Monday as captain for the first Test against New Zealand starting December 26 after regular skipper Babar Azam was ruled out with a broken thumb. “I never thought I would be made the captain of Pakistan and I cannot explain my happiness,” he said after his man-of-the-match T20 performance.

Rizwan said the T20 victory was an important morale booster ahead of the two-Test series against the Black Caps. “We want to take momentum from

MELBOURNE: Australia batsman Steve Smith has no concerns that a nagging back injury will hamper him during the second Test against India, which starts on Saturday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Smith had missed some training time in the build-up to the series opener at Adelaide and was still feeling “a little stiff” on Tuesday, but 31-year-old said he been able to prevent serious flare-ups from the long-standing issue. “It is just something I need to manage whenever it goes and I probably have not had an episode since 2014, I think it was, so hopefully they can continue to be six years apart if they come,” Smith told reporters. “If I am moving around and laying down I am good. If I sit around for too long it is not great for it, but I am not worried about it. I think everything will be fine and I will be good to go.” Smith scored just one run in the first innings at Adelaide Oval and was one not out when Joe Burns hit the winnings runs as Australia secured an eight-wicket victory over the tourists, who had been dismissed for a record-low 36 in their second innings. But Smith has an impressive record at the MCG. In his seven Boxing Day Tests, the right hander has scored 908 runs at 113.50 with four centuries and three other scores more than 50. At his home ground in Sydney, his next best average at home, he has an average of 67.88. “I like batting at the MCG,” Smith said. “There is nothing like the thrill and you get the shivers down your spine when you walk out to bat on Boxing Day with the crowd yelling, and it is like a dream come true in a way.” AGENCIES

this into the Test match, so this is very important for us,” he said. After two losses when batting first, Pakistan changed tactics and opted to bowl when they won the toss, restricting New Zealand to 173 for seven, with Devon Conway top-scoring on 63.

Faheem Ashraf was the pick of the Pakistan attack, taking three for 20.

The strategy of chasing down New Zealand’s total paid off as Rizwan PAKISTAN 177 and Hafeez forged a 72-run partnership that laid the foundation for FOR 6 (RIZWAN 89, the win.

SOUTHEE 2-25) BEAT NEW Hafeez, who was stranded on ZEALAND 173 FOR 7 99 in Hamilton, made 41 from 29 balls including three sixes.

(CONWAY 63, ASHRAF Rizwan’s innings, the sixth3-20) BY FOUR highest by a Pakistan batsman in T20s, included a booming six that WICKETS bounced off the roof of a stand and out of the ground, forcing the umpires to select a replacement ball.

Daryl Mitchell, on as a fielding substitute for the injured Martin Guptill, took three catches for the Black Caps and Pakistan made a nervy finish to the match. But the solid start to the innings ensured the middle order had enough breathing space to steer the tourists home.

Bradman’s ‘baggy green’ sold for Australian $450,000

Chelsea close in on top four with 3-0 win over West Ham LONDON AGENCIES

Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham scored a late opportunist double to secure a 3-0 home win for Chelsea over West Ham United in the Premier League on Monday after Brazilian defender Thiago Silva had fired them in front with an early header.

The result lifted Chelsea to fifth on 25 points from 14 games, a point behind fourth-placed Everton, while West Ham stayed 10th on 21 points after failing to rack up a third successive away win. It was a welcome victory for Chelsea after two successive defeats and Abraham acknowledged there was a rallying cry in the dressing room before the kick off.

“The boys said we needed a performance and that’s what we did today,” the 23-year-old told Sky Sports. “As a striker, scoring goals gives you confidence, my team mates created a lot of chances and we defended well as a team. It is something you do in the park, get in the right areas and be ready when the ball lands. It is still early doors to be looking at the table, we have to just keep picking up three points.” West Ham’s Declan Rice had a goal disallowed for offside before 36-year-old centre back Thiago Silva planted a thumping header past visiting goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski in the 10th minute as he met a Mason Mount corner.

The Hammers twice came close as Aaron Cresswell shot across the face of goal and Chelsea centre

Djokovic withdraws from ATP Player Council elections LONDON AGENCIES

World number one Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from this month’s ATP Player Council elections citing the governing body’s new rule that would make it a “conflict of interest” because of his role in the Professional Tennis Players’ Association (PTPA).

The Serb set up the breakaway PTPA on the eve of the US. Open in September and resigned as head of the player council but last month he confirmed that he had been nominated by his fellow professionals for the current elections which he accepted. However, the new ATP rule means he has had to withdraw.

"Unfortunately, given these latest developments I feel it is now necessary to remove my-

self from the list of candidates," he wrote in a tweet on Monday. “I do not wish to create conflict or uncertainty around the player elections or create any issues that may arise.”

Djokovic repeated the assertions he made several times this year that the PTPA wanted to co-exist with the sport’s governing bodies but the ball was now in their court. “The PTPA has made it clear it does not intend to be combative, it is unclear how the ATP will view the association in the future,” Djokovic said.

He added that the PTPA was still in the formative stages but he was still keen to advance it to further the interests of all players, especially those in the lower ranks.

The decision to form the PTPA blindsided many players with Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal voicing their opposition.

back Kurt Zouma cleared a dangerous raid before Fabianski denied Timo Werner at the other end in the closing stages of the first half.

But Abraham settled Chelsea’s nerves when he made it 2-0 in the 78th minute after Werner’s scuffed shot from the edge of the penalty area fell kindly for the England forward, who diverted it into the net with the slightest of touches. With West Ham reeling, Abraham added the third two minutes later when he sidefooted in a rebound from a tight angle after Christian Pulisic’s close-range header was parried by Fabianski.

Misfiring Germany international Werner missed a chance to make it 4-0 in the dying minutes when he rattled the crossbar from close range after a fine run and assist by N’Golo Kante.

SYDNEY: The “baggy green” cap awarded to late Australian cricketing great Don Bradman on his Test debut in 1928 has been sold to a local businessman for A$450,000 after it failed to sell at auction last week. Auctioneers had hoped to reach between A$1 million-$2 million for the cap, which had failed to reach its reserve price of A$400,000 in the online auction. The sale still surpasses the A$425,000 paid for Bradman’s baggy green cap from his final tour of England in 1948 that was sold in 2003. Australian businessman Peter Freedman said in a statement released by the auction house Pickles that he had bought the cap and intended to tour it around the country. “All too often, memorabilia such as this ends up spending its life on the wall of some boardroom or in some basement bar of a wellheeled sports fanatic,” Freedman said. “I want as many people to enjoy it as possible.” Bradman, who was known as “The Don”, is regarded as one of Australia’s greatest captains and his remarkable consistency with the bat saw him retire with a Test batting average of 99.94, a mark that has not been eclipsed in 72 years. Earlier this year former spinner Shane Warne, Australia’s leading Test wicket-taker, sold his prized baggy green for more than A$1 million to aid bushfire relief efforts. AGENCIES

Tokyo Olympics to spend $900 million on coronavirus measures TOKYO AGENCIES

Organisers of the Tokyo Olympics will spend $900 million on measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus at next year’s Games, they said on Tuesday, as they unveiled their latest budget for the delayed tournament.

The organisers repeated their projection that the total cost of the postponement, including the Covid-19 countermeasures, would come to about $2.8 billion, bringing the entire cost of holding the Games to about $15.4 billion.

“We want to build the best possible system by continuing to interact with the relevant organisations of doctors and

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nurses,” Tokyo Olympics chief executive Toshiro Muto told reporters. “It is still a big issue for us to secure as many medical staff as we hope for when faced with a situation where private medical institutions are struggling with management because of the coronavirus,” Muto said.

The organisers took the unprecedented step of postponing the Olympics in March because of the pandemic and the government of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who has declared he will host the Olympics “at any cost”, is pressing ahead with the preparations. The Games are the legacy of the ex-premier Shinzo Abe who resigned in September. Under his watch, Japan secured the Olympics and invested billions of dollars in their organisation,

having gathered more than $3 billion in domestic sponsorship.

Even before the postponement, the Olympics had gone above the initial budget with almost $13 billion already spent, according to the organisers.

The Covid-19 countermeasures will include PCR testing infrastructure, setting up a clinic, as well as creating remote coverage set-ups and countermeasures at food and drink processing centres, the budget summary showed.

Some of the extra costs would be covered by additional sponsorship and insurance, organisers said this month.

They would also tap a contingency fund detailed in last year’s budget to cover some costs.

Wednesday, 23 December, 2020

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CPEC ExPanding into sECond PHasE dEsPitE gloBal EConomiC Crisis, says Bajwa IsLAMABAD

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MIAN ABRAR

HINA-PAKISTAN Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority Chairman Lt Gen (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa has said that the multi-billion dollar CPEC project has been moving ahead at a rapid pace despite the global economic slowdown resulted due to the coronavirus pandemic.

He was addressing the online award ceremony organised by the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad for outstanding Pakistani staff of CPEC projects. Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong attended the online award ceremony wherein 18 outstanding Pakistani staff from Gwadar Port, energy, infrastructure and other fields of the CPEC construction received awards for their outstanding performance.

“After successful completion of the first phase, CPEC is expanding into its second phase as per schedule despite a very serious setback of Covid-19 around the world, ensuring economic

CHINESE ENVOY SAYS BOTH COUNTRIES MOTIVATED TO EXPAND CPEC COOPERATION stability and well-being of the people of Pakistan,” said Bajwa.

“The biggest dividends people of Pakistan are going to witness due to CPEC in the coming days include the creation of a plethora of local jobs, the transformation of technology, particularly in newer areas of science and technology, industrialisation and agriculture,” he said.

Chinese Ambassador Nong Rong, keeping in view the successful completion of the first phase of CPEC, said that China and Pakistan are even more motivated to further expand CPEC and that the prospects of our all-around cooperation have been further widened.

“I would like to extend my warm congratulations and heartfelt gratitude to all those who have won the award for your excellent service,” he said.

The Chinese ambassador said that

50-yEar-old woman martyrEd in indian firing at loC: isPr RAwALPINDI STAFF REPORT

A 50-year-old woman on Tuesday embraced martyrdom after Indian forces once again targeted a civilian population in their unprovoked firing at the Line of Control (LoC), reported Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). According to the ISPR, the Indian troops conducted unprovoked ceasefire violation (CFV) in Hotspring and Jandrot Sectors along the LoC, deliberately targeting the civil population with mortars and heavy weapons. “A 50 years old woman embraced shahadat [martyrdom] while three citizens including a four-year-old girl, identified as Nayab got injured in the attack,” the army’s media wing said. It further said that the injured were evacuated to a nearby medical facility for necessary treatment. It is pertinent to mention here that besides targetting the civilian population, the Indian forces even fired at a United Nations (UN) vehicle along the LOC on December 18. Indian Army deliberately targeted a United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) vehicle carrying military observers at the LoC, the ISPR said. According to the details shared on the Twitter account of the ISPR, Indian Army resorted to unprovoked fire in Chirikot Sector of the LoC and deliberately targeted a UN vehicle with two military observers on board. The military observers, the army’s media wing said were en route to interact with victims of the ceasefire violations in Polas Village in Chirikot Sector.

“While the vehicle was damaged, the two UNMOs luckily remained unharmed. They were safely rescued and evacuated by Pakistan Army to Rawalakot,” the ISPR said.

CPEC is an important pilot project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and a demonstration of China-Pakistan cooperation.

During the past 5 years, the CPEC has achieved great success and made tremendous contributions to the development of Pakistan and regional connectivity under the joint efforts of the governments and enterprises from both countries. “Based on consensus of both governments, we further expand the CEPC cooperation from Gwadar Port, energy, infrastructure development and industrial cooperation to new areas of agriculture, science and technology, social economy and international cooperation,” he added.

Ambassador Rong said that due to Covid-19, they had to hold an online ceremony this year. He added that despite the adversity brought by the pan-

demic, CPEC has achieved a lot this year.

He also said that the transit trade for Afghan goods through Gwadar Port has been officially launched, helping the sustainable supply of daily necessities for people of Pakistan and Afghanistan during this testing period.

China and Pakistan further promoted industrial cooperation with the signing of the development agreement of the Rashakai Economic Zone. The project has also completed a number of environment-friendly socioeconomic projects such as the expansion work of Faqur School in Gwadar, China-Pakistan Friendship Forest, aid of disaster relief facilities, donation of cold-chain vaccine storage and transportation equipment in a timely manner.

The Chinese ambassador said, “It is fair to say that both sides have overcome the difficulties of the Covid-19 and made new headways of cooperation in a coordinated way. In this year, there is no stop of the construction, no job cut, no withdrawal of workforce of the CPEC projects.”

10 terrorists killed in Awaran: ISPR RAwALPINDI STAFF REPORT

10 terrorists were killed in an intelligence-based operation in Awaran district of Balochistan, said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Tuesday.

The intelligence-based operation (IBO) was conducted by the security forces in the Gwargo area of Awaran, the ISPR said. The raid was conducted based on information about the presence of terrorists responsible for an earlier deadly attack on the security forces in the area, it added.

“As soon as [the] security forces cordoned [off] the area, [the] terrorists opened fire to flee [under its cover] from the area,” the ISPR said. “In [the ensuing] intense exchange of fire, 10 terrorists were killed.” A cache of arms and ammunition was also recovered from the hideout.

“These terrorists were also involved in a firing

LONDON Oil dropped towards $50 a barrel on Tuesday, adding to losses from the previous session, as a mutant variant of the coronavirus in Britain revived concerns over demand recovery.

Detection of the new variant prompted several countries to close their borders to Britain. The BBC cited France’s Europe Minister as saying that the two countries would announce a deal to restart freight by Wednesday. Brent crude was down 79 cents, or 1.6pc, at $50.12 a barrel by 1442 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell

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Prison doCtors among fivE KillEd in KaBul BomBing kABUL AGENCIES

Four doctors who worked at an Afghan prison with hundreds of Taliban inmates were among five people killed on Tuesday when a bomb attached to their car exploded, police said. The blast happened in a southern district of the city when the doctors were travelling to the Pul-e-Charkhi prison where they worked, Kabul police spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz said. Four doctors and a passer-by were killed when a “magnetic bomb” attached to the car detonated, Faramarz said, adding that another two people were wounded. Hundreds of Taliban fighters and other criminals are incarcerated at Pul-e-Charkhi, located on the eastern outskirts of Kabul. The city has been hit by a wave of deadly violence in recent months despite the Taliban and the government engaging in peace talks. Targeted killings of prominent figures, including journalists, politicians and rights activists have also become more common recently in Kabul and other provinces. The IS group has claimed responsibility for some of the recent attacks in Kabul, that killed dozens of people. Tuesday’s attack came just two days after a car bomb targeting a lawmaker killed 10 people and wounded more than 50 in Kabul.

Lawmaker Khan Mohammad Wardak was wounded in the blast. Days before that incident, a deputy governor of Kabul province, Mahbobullah Mohebi was killed in a similar attack. And on Monday, an Afghan journalist was shot dead by gunmen in the eastern city of Ghazni in what appeared to be yet another targeted killing. Rahmatullah Nekzad had contributed to the Associated Press news agency since 2007 and had also previously worked with the AlJazeera broadcast network.

incident on security forces which resulted in [the] martyrdom of Lance Naik Iqbal on December 20 in Awaran,” the military said. Lance Naik Iqbal was hit during a search and clearance operation in the Jatt Bazaar area near Awaran which was conducted on the basis of intelligence about the presence of terrorists and their facilitators in the area.

The raid triggered a gunfight between the security forces and the terrorists holed up in their hideout in the area. “Lance Naik Muhammad Iqbal was injured and immediately evacuated to Karachi where the brave soldier embraced Shahadat due to excessive bleeding,” the ISPR said at the time. The entire Jatt Bazaar area was cleansed of terrorists.

Awaran is the home district of Dr Allah Nazar Baloch, the head of Baloch Liberation Front, one of the several outlawed terrorist groups that have unleashed a bloody campaign in the resource-rich province.

Oil drops as new coronavirus strain revives demand fears AGENCIES

FAJR SUNRISE 5:32

75 cents, or 1.6pc, to $47.22. Both benchmarks slid nearly 3pc on Monday, partly erasing recent gains driven by the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, seen as key to allowing a return to normal life. “In the battle between immediate negative concerns and future optimism, the former is now fighting back,” said Tamas Varga of oil broker PVM. The latest rally culminated in Brent hitting $52.48, its highest since March, on Friday. Some see potential for prices to fall further.

“The environment remains decidedly riskaverse,” said Jeffrey Halley of brokerage OANDA. “Given the scale of oil’s two-month rally, a deeper correction cannot be ruled out.”

Human rights activist Karima Baloch found dead in Canada News Desk Exiled Pakistani human rights activist Karima Baloch, 37, was found dead in Toronto, Canada after having gone missing, the authorities confirmed. Toronto police had stated that Baloch, who was living in exile in Canada for about five years, was last seen on December 20 in the Bay Street and Queens Quay West area in Toronto and had sought public assistance in locating her.

Baloch’s family later said that her body had been found and requested for privacy, The Balochistan Post reported. “On Monday, December 21, 2020, a 37-yearold woman was located deceased. It is currently being investigated as a non-criminal death and there are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances,” Caroline de Kloet, Toronto Police’s media relations officer told a local news outlet. She had been listed by the BBC in its 100 most inspirational and influential women of 2016 for her work in human rights. The first chair of the Baloch Students Organization (BSO-Azad), a political student organisation, she had been advocating for the rights of those in a region home to a long-running insurgency movement and raising the ongoing issue of enforced disappearances. In her activism, she had placed emphasis on fighting for the rights of Balochi women and had highlighted how the legal system and religious groups in Pakistan would use state and social machinery to intentionally target women, particularly from vulnerable groups. This is not an isolated occurrence. In May, Sajid Hussain, a journalist who wrote about human rights violations in Balochistan, was found dead in a river in Sweden, where he had sought asylum after threats to his life in Pakistan.

WHO says new coronavirus strain is slightly more infectious, but not deadlier New YORk AGENCIES

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has come forward to calm things down amid the anxiety over a new potentially ‘highly infectious’ Covid-19 strain found in the UK, saying it is not that different from other coronavirus strains.

The UN health agency chief said that scientists have been working to understand new Covid-19 variants that have been reported in South Africa and the United Kingdom. “The bottom line is that we need to suppress transmission of all SARS-CoV-2 viruses as quickly as we can”, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a regular press briefing. “The more we allow it to spread, the more opportunity it has to change”, he added.

In early 2021, $4.6 billion in additional funding will be needed to purchase Covid-19 vaccines for at least 20

per cent of low and lower middle income countries, according to the WHO chief. “This will ensure health workers and those at highest risk of severe disease are vaccinated, which is the fastest way to stabilize health systems and economies and stimulate a truly global recovery”, he said. “There is zero evidence that the new coronavirus variant increases severity of the disease,” the WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme Chief Mike Ryan said, citing data received from British scientists.

The risks faced by the people that catch this particular strain of the virus are pretty much the same as odds faced by other people suffering from Covid-19. According to the WHO, it is neither more aggressive, nor any deadlier than the other strains. It does seem to be spreading somewhat easier, the health watchdog admitted. Still, its contagiousness appears to be nothing out of the ordinary and it is still much less infectious than diseases such as mumps.

The new strain would also hardly affect the efficacy of drugs and vaccines developed against Covid-19, the

WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan said.

“So far, even though we have seen a number of changes, a number of mutations, none has made a significant impact on … the susceptibility of the virus to any of the currently used therapeutics, drugs or the vaccines under development,” she said. The WHO officials also described a flurry of travel bans to and from the UK imposed by some two dozen nations across the world as a move taken out of abundance of caution. “We have to find a balance. It’s very important to have transparency, it’s very important to tell the public the way it is, but it’s also important to get across that this is a normal part of virus evolution,” Ryan said, while still calling this decision “prudent.”

The WHO expects to receive some more data on the new Covid-19 strain in the coming days, including on the immune response the human organism provides to the new virus. Statements from the WHO come after the discovery of a new Covid-19 strain provoked some sort

of a panic in Europe and beyond. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the new mutation is allegedly 70 percent more contagious, as he announced strict ‘Tier 4’ lockdown for the areas that saw a sharp rise in new infections.

Following the announcement, many nations, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, France, Germany, Poland and Russia suspended all travel to and from the UK. Other countries like Argentina and Chile soon followed suit, while Turkey and Saudi Arabia went further and cut all foreign travel at all.

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