EpaperLHR_2020-05-28

CMYK

Thursday, 28 May, 2020 I 5 Shawwal-ul-Mubarak, 1441 I Rs 15.00 I Vol X No 328 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition

Govt says most suGar subsidies Given durinG PmL-n’s tenure g

ShAhzAd AKbAR SAyS Ex-PREMIER AbbASI gAvE RS20bN SubSIdy ON SugAR

ISLAMABAD staff report

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RIME Minister’s Special Assistant on Accountability barrister Shahzad Akbar on Wednesday said that former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi gave subsidy of Rs20 billion to the ‘sugar mafia’ during his tenure.

Addressing a press conference in the federal capital, the PM’s aide said that the inquiry commission’s report is an indictment against the former premier as a total subsidy of Rs29bn was given to sugar mills during the last five years, with only Rs2.4bn being given by the incumbent Punjab government.

Terming it a criminal act, he said that

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SAPM SAyS ShEhbAz WOuLd hAvE TO fACE ThE COuRT IN ONgOINg CORRuPTION CASE

permission to export 400,000 tonnes of sugar was given in March 2017. “Abbasi gave Rs20bn worth of subsidies. Abbasi considered himself to be Laiq-e-Azam [the most competent person],” he also said, adding that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader headed the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) at the time.

The PM’s aide said that the commission detailed the subsidy given by Abbasi in 2017 in its report. According to the report, he added, Abbasi gave a subsidy of more than Rs20bn to sugar mills on the basis of superficial calculations.

Akbar said that the federal government led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) did not give any subsidy on sugar during

Coronavirus in

Pakistan

its tenure, but rather allowed export of surplus sugar. he termed the investigation report in this regard as an “eye opener”. he said that the credit for the report goes to the PTI government, who probed the scam, collected the evidence, made the report public and was now all-set to take corrective measures.

The investors profited from fluctuations in sugar prices while the common people and farmers bore the brunt, he added.

Prime Minister Imran Khan, he underlined, had formed a commission to probe the fluctuation in sugar prices and the consequent report was made public as soon as it was received.

“Maybe some of our friends did not read the report properly. Perhaps the Opposition did not understand it as the report is in English and lengthy,” Akbar said.

“Audit matters have been reviewed in the report,” he noted, adding that a very important portion in it was the amount of subsidy given by PML-N and specifically

by Abbasi.

Subsidies were given due to “mismanagement in determining the production prices”, he said. he also accused Suleman Shehbaz, the son of Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif, of being the facilitator in this scam. he led the cartel of Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) and manipulated Abbasi into giving the Rs20bn subsidy.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

PML-N slams govt for allowing sugar export despite shortage STORY ON PAGE 03

India’s ‘expansionist policies’ threat to neighbours, PM Imran says g

SAyS MOdI gOvT NOT ONLy A ThREAT TO INdIAN MINORITIES buT IT IS ALSO ENdANgERINg REgIONAL PEACE ISLAMABAD staff report

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said that the “expansionist policies” of bharatiya Janata Party’s (bJP) government were “becoming a threat to India’s neighbours”.

The tweets came as tensions between China and India soared after a border standoff on May 5 in which 11 soldiers – four Indian and seven Chinese – were reportedly injured during a patrol in Nuka La, in the northeastern state of Sikkim, which borders bhutan, Nepal and China. following the incident, both China and India deployed thousands of additional troops to their border near Tibet.

Indian observers believe that the himalayan standoff was potentially triggered by New delhi’s construction of roads and airstrips in the region as it competes with China’s spreading belt and Road Initiative (bRI).

Airbus team continues Karachi plane crash probe

Prime Minister Imran observed that India has employed multiple tools to threaten the teetering regional peace. he said that bangladesh which borders India to the west and north was vulnerable to the citizenship law which is aimed at expelling India’s biggest minority, Muslims, through their deregistration. he noticed that the despicable actions come in addition to “illegal annexation to [Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir] IOJK” which is “a war crime under 4th geneva Convention”. “Laying claim to [Azad Jammu and Kashmir] AJK” is another example, he said.

The premier said that India has also “threatened [Pakistan] was false flag operation” on various occasions. he recalled saying that the Modi government was not only a threat to Indian minorities but has also endangered regional peace through its hostile policies.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

more inside

Pakistan downs another Indian spy quadcopter in AJK STORY ON PAGE 02

Actress accuses Malik Riaz’s daughters of attacking her over love affair

CONFIRMED CASES:

60,154

RECOVERED:

DEATHS:

19,142

1,239

SINDH:

PUNJAB:

24,206

21,118

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

8,483 214/638

3,616 1,879

KARACHI staff report

The technical team of the aircraft manufacturer, Airbus, went to the site of the Pakistan International Airline (PIA) plane crash on Wednesday to investigate the incident.

The team, comprising technical experts, had arrived in Karachi a day earlier to conduct an investigation into the PK-8303 plane crash which killed 97 of 99 passengers onboard.

Earlier a report had stated that drone cameras would be used during the investigation and the 11-member investigative team would use forensics to

probe the accident. Moreover, the team, along with a local investigative group, would focus on finding the cockpit recording, and a flight safety team of PIA would also accompany the Airbus team at the site of the crash, the report had added.

Reportedly, after a green light from the Airbus team, the remains of the plane were moved from the site, including the cabin, tail and other parts to the airport, however, the plane’s engine, landing gears would be shifted in a few days. The shifting of the gear had been earlier halted due to the technical team’s investigation, the report had added.

CMYK

On Tuesday, the Airbus team was briefed about the crash by PIA and fire department officials.

PIA’s Aircraft Accident and Investigation team was present with the Airbus technical team as well to ascertain the situation.

The technical experts had studied the remains of the plane and inspected the engines, landing gear, wings and flight control system of the aircraft.

The team had then inspected the Jinnah International Airport runway and later visited the control tower as well.

Airbus is conducting an independent investigation into the crash, which reportedly happened due to an engine failure.

STORY ON PAGE 04

Govt indifferent to plight of families of PIA crash victims STORY ON BACK PAGE

Chinese president tells army to prepare for war: report STORY ON BACK PAGE

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Thursday, 28 May, 2020

NEWS

PAkiSTAN DowNS ANoTheR iNDiAN SPy quADCoPTeR iN AJk RAWALPINDI

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STAFF REPORT

AKISTAN Army shot down an Indian spy drone close to the Line of Control (LoC) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Wednesday. According to an ISPR tweet, the Indian quadcopter was shot down in Rakhchikri sector along the LoC. “The quadcopter had intruded 650 metres on Pakistan’s side of the #LoC,” the ISPR said.

In a similar incident last month, an Indian quadcopter was shot down by Pakistani troops after it violated Pakistan’s airspace in Sankh district. According to military sources, Indian military uses quadcopters for aerial photography of Pakistani posts along the LoC as part of its intelligence-gathering operations and target selection before carrying out cross-LoC shelling. In March last year, the Pakistan Army had shot down a spying quadcopter in Rakhchikri sector after it intruded some 150 metres into Pakistani airspace.

That incident had come weeks after tensions between the two sides escalated after Pakistan had shot down two Indian Air Force (IAF) planes that violated Pakistani airspace following the February 14 attack targeting Indian security forces in Indian-occupied Kashmir’s Pulwama area.

Pakistan rejects incorrect media reports on OIC’s UN envoys virtual moot ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT FILE PHOTO

NDMA warns of heavy rains till Tuesday ISLAMABAD APP

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Wednesday cautioned the provincial authorities to take preventive measures to avoid loss of life and damage to property due to likely heavy rains from Thursday night to Tuesday. NDMA, in its weather alert, said the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast rains and thunderstorms in scattered places of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, few places of Sindh and north east Balochistan. It asked the National Highways Authority (NHA), Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), Frontier Works Organisation (FWO), Construction and Works (C&W) Departments of respective provinces and regions to remain vigilant for restoring road links. The advisory pointed out that tourists be apprised about weather forecast. In case of any eventuality, the respective provincial disaster management authorities (PDMAs) and relevant departments should share twice daily updates with NDMA. According to the PMD weather update, an impending weather pattern is going to enter in Pakistan on Thursday night. The weather forecast has indicated dust thunderstorms with rain in Quetta, Zhob, Harnai, Barkhan, Dera Bugti,Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Multan, Khanewal, Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, Sukkur, Larkana, Jacobabad, Shaheed Benazirabad from Thursday night to Monday/Tuesday.

Whereas rain thunderstorm (with intervals) is expected in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Chakwal, Attock, Mianwali, Sargodha, Bhakkar, Layyah, Khushab, Mandi Bahauddin, Hafizabad, Gujranwala,Gujrat, Sialkot,Narowal, Sheikhupura, Lahore,Kasur, Faisalabad, Jhang,Toba Tek Singh,Sahiwal , Okara, Kashmir and GilgitBaltistan during Thursday night to Monday/Tuesday.

Dust-thunderstorm with rain is also expected in Mirpurkhas, Badin and Hyderabad on Monday.

SBP’s prudent measures to help stabilise economy post Covid-19: Reza NEWS DESK State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Dr Reza Baqir has said the central bank has actively been monitoring the country’s economic situation in the wake of coronavirus, assuring the SBP’s prudent measures would help stabilise the economy once the pandemic is over. In an interview with a private media outlet, the SBP governor informed that the G20 countries had recently made an important decision to extend loan relief to developing countries, while the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was also extending complete support to the country in its fight against Covid-19.

Pakistan on Wednesday rejected incorrect media reports of the virtual meeting of the ambassadors of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to the United Nations (UN) held on May 20, which the Foreign Office (FO) said first appeared in a section of Indian media.

During the meeting, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN highlighted the rising wave of Islamophobia and state-sponsored violence against Indian Muslims that had entered into a dangerous phase under the RSS-BJP dispensation.

Highlighting the scourge of Islamophobia in India, he updated the OIC group on recent episodes of Islamophobia and targeted violence against Indian Muslims and Kashmiris.

Sharing the growing concern over serious implications of Islamophobia in India, a large number of OIC ambassadors supported the need for a coordinated OIC position on Islamophobia at the UN. Representing the collective voice of the Muslim Ummah, the OIC has repeatedly expressed serious concern on Islamophobia and targeted violence against Muslims in India, as manifested in various decisions and

resolutions of Islamic Summits and Council of Foreign Ministers (CFMs).

The OIC and its human rights body — OIC-IPHRC — have issued strong statements on the Indian government’s recent anti-Muslim actions, including CAA, targeted killing of Muslims in Delhi, Babri Masjid verdict, and demonization of Muslims in the context of Covid-19.

Besides OIC, the UN human rights machinery, the international human rights organisations, and the international media have taken cognisance of the situation and expressed concerns in this regard.

NDMA activates hotline for registering complaints on locust attacks ISLAMABAD APP

In a bid to facilitate complaints related to locusts, the National Disaster Management Authority(NDMA) has activated a hotline 051-111-222-999 for registering and resolving issues pertaining to their attacks. “The aggrieved farmers can register their complaints about the existence of locusts in their respective areas or need of spray on the hotline for 24 hours,” the NDMA spokesperson said in a statement released on Wednesday. Earlier this week, locusts attacked and severely damaged cotton, mango and other crops in various cities of Sindh and southern Punjab, giving rise to fears of more damage in the days to come if appropriate steps are not taken to protect crops from the insects. The locust attack took place in different areas of Multan, Rajanpur, Muzaffargarh and Kandhkot. Mango, cotton crops and rice saplings were severely damaged by the attack. In this regard, Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah had also, earlier this month, warned Prime Minister Imran Khan that a “massive” locust attack could be expected after May 15 on the agricultural fields of the province. In a letter to the premier, the chief minister said that he feared crops could be damaged if the fields weren’t sprayed in the coming days. Sindh government had requested the Centre for assistance in this regard six months ago, unfortunately despite assurances, no co-operation had been received, he said. On Tuesday, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lieutenant General Muhammad Afzal, in a media briefing, shared details of the steps taken to fight the locust attacks. The NDMA chief had said that a massive operation is underway in Multan, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, and Faisalabad divisions, along with Okara, Bhakar, and Layyah districts. “We have enough stock of pesticides in Pakistan to keep the locust attacks in check,” Afzal had said. “China has provided 100,000 litres of Malathion, and 75,000 litres Lambda, while 50,000 more litres of the latter will come from Japan.” In addition, he had said that the NDMA has ordered 100,000 litres each of these pesticides to undertake anti-locust spraying. “The disaster management authority has also arranged nine planes for aerial spray in different parts of the country, including Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” Afzal had said.

Shibli Faraz welcomes UN chief’s statement against Islamophobia ISLAMABAD APP

Federal Information Minister Shibli Faraz has welcomed the United Nations (UN) Secretary General António Guterres statement in which he declared countering Islamophobia as his top priority.

In a tweet on Wednesday, Faraz said the UN chief’s statement is triumph of our stance. He said linking coronavirus with Muslims reflects the BJP’s mindset based

on hatred. Faraz said India’s extremist posture against the Muslim population is violation of human rights.

It may be noted that UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres on May 24, had told a virtual meeting of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states at the United Nations (UN) that countering anti-Muslim hatred and Islamophobia was his “top priority”, saying he “fully agreed” with the assessment that it could pose a threat to international peace and

security. The UN chief was responding to the comments from Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN, Munir Akram, who drew his attention to the rising cases of antiMuslim violence and Islamophobia in India, and urged him to adopt a more focused and consistent system-wise approach to fully tackle the menace.

While voicing his concern over the rise of Islamophobia, the secretary-general called for fighting this phenomenon collectively

‘Killer highway’ in Balochistan more deadly than terrorism KARACHI ANADOLU AGENCY

In Balochistan, fatal highway accidents have surpassed even terrorism in deadliness as the strategic region prepares to receive $64 billion in investment as a key route of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

But to the surprise of many, it is not terrorism but fatal highway accidents that have killed more people in the last decade across the province.

Signed in 2014, the multibillion-dollar project will connect northwest China to Gwadar port through a network of roads, railways, and pipelines to transport cargo, oil, and gas. This will provide the shortest route to Chinese cargo destined for the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa. According to the government-run Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, nearly 4,000 people have died in the road accidents compared to 2,238 citizens killed in the terrorist attacks in the province during the last decade.

Local media and independent monitors, however, put the death toll in accidents way higher, around 8,000.

The 813 kilometres Quetta-Karachi Highway — also known as the RCD

highway — is the epicentre of deadly accidents in the province, which covers 42% land of the country.

The single-lane highway, which passes through 10 major cities, is locally know as “the killer road”, as over 800 accidents took place here last year alone.

It is a major Nato supply route, which connects Karachi to Chaman, bordering neighbouring Afghanistan.

“Increasing number of deaths in highway accidents are becoming a norm in Balochistan,” read a study recently released by Balochistan Youth and Civil Society, a non-governmental group striving for extension of highways to reduce the growing number of accidents in the province. “It’s a bigger problem than terrorism in Balochistan,” it added.

A joint investigation team formed by the Balochistan government to look into the major reasons behind rising number of road accidents, also acknowledged that the traffic authorities do not have any mechanism to monitor the speed limit, and fitness of over 8,000 vehicles passing through the highway daily.

To make things worse, the report added, drivers are often unable to see ahead on the sharp curves due to mountainous nature of the area.

CMYK

The inquiry report recommended immediate expansion of the highway into a two-way road to reduce the number of accidents, often caused by overtaking.

POOR INFRASTRUCTURE: The large Balochistan province, also considered covering parts of neighbouring Iran and Afghanistan, is strategically important because of the rich presence of copper, zinc and natural gas but has a poor road infrastructure. The southwestern province has a staggering 40,000 kilometres network of roads and highways, but none of them has double-lane.

In April 2019, a passenger wagon collided head-on with a truck that slipped to the other side of Quetta-Karachi Highway due to rain. The massive collision resulted in the death of all nine passengers from the same family who were going to Quetta to attend a funeral.

“This was one of the hundreds of accidents reported in the past few years on this highway but it triggered a public debate demanding the extension of singlelane main highways in the province,” said Najeeb Yousaf Zahri, leader of a five-member group — which in March held a “long march” from Karachi to Quetta to press the demand for expansion of highway lanes. Sanaullah Baloch, a

member of the Balochistan Assembly echoed a similar view.

“Poor road network is one of the key problems Balochistan has been facing for the last 72 years. It has not only badly hit the local economy and the social fabric, but the national integrity,” said Baloch, an ex senator and the leader of Balochistan National Party — an ally of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government.

‘NO COMPROMISE ON CPEC’: His party struck a six-point agreement with PM Imran’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) after 2018 elections to form the government, of which, the top demand was the expansion of Balochistan’s road network, particularly the Quetta-Karachi Highway.

“If at least this highway is expanded, it will not only significantly reduce the number of accidents but will also improve the national connectivity,” Baloch said, adding: “It’s not the CPEC but an improved road network that will lead to economic prosperity in Balochistan”.

Liaquat Shahwani, a spokesman for the provincial government also acknowledged the seriousness of the issue.

“Nothing is serious than this issue for Balochistan. People die every day due to this [poor road network],” he added.

Thursday, 28 May, 2020

PML-N SLAMS govT foR ALLowiNg SugAR exPoRT DeSPiTe ShoRTAge ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

HE Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) on Wednesday said that the Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf (PTI) government allowed the export of sugar at a time when there was a shortage of sugar in the country. Addressing a press conference in reaction to the briefing by PM’s aide on accountability Shahzad Akbar, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said that with the given subsidy, the price of sugar spiked up from Rs80 to Rs90 in the country.

She lashed out at the incumbent government for conducting a “dubious and inept” inquiry in the sugar scandal, maintaining the party’s prior stance that the probe is incomplete until and unless Prime Minister Imran Khan appears before the commission and provide an explanation “for the hidden facts”.

“Imran Khan is the real culprit in the matter, hence, he should resign from his seat,” Aurangzeb said, adding that the premier was “deliberately not made part of the commission and inquiry as part of a scheme to throw dust in the eyes of people”. “The report by the inquiry commission was made public because Imran Khan has to be saved,” she emphasised.

Referring to the PML-N tenure, Aurangzeb claimed that the party had not allowed sugar prices to rise for five

MARRIYUM CLAIMS PML-N GOVT DID NOT ALLOW INCREASE IN SUGAR PRICES FOR FIVE CONSECUTIVE YEARS SHAHBAZ GILL SAYS THERE WAS ‘NEVER A SHORTAGE OF SUGAR IN THE COUNTRY BE IT BEFORE THE EXPORT OR AFTER’ consecutive years, asserting that “if anyone can put Pakistan on the path of development, it is only PML-N”. Criticising the incumbent government for carrying out an “incomplete investigation” into the scandal, she said that the exporters made money in two ways “on the orders of the prime minister” and looted the people.

“On the one hand, exporters took advantage of the increase in dollar rate and on the other hand, they took advantage of the increase in sugar price in the country,” she said. “After the report was out, we hoped that Shahzad Akbar would give us the news for Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar’s resignation but the real culprits in the case escaped from the back door,” she added. Reiterating that the incumbent prime minister should appear before the commission, the PML-N spokesperson said that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif also appeared before Joint Investigation Team (JIT) during his time as the prime minister.

“The government does not want to deal

with either the coronavirus or the sinking economy of the country,” Aurangzeb said, adding that it “just wants to put PML-N leaders behind bars without legitimate reasons”. The PML-N spokesperson went on to raise questions about the commission’s process of inquiry. She asked: “Why did the commission not call Khusro Bakhtiar and his brother in the mill case?”

Calling for dispensation of justice and adequate inquiry into the sugar case, Aurangzeb said that the decision makers are “intimidated by National Accountability Bureau (NAB)”.

Meanwhile, PML-N leader Rana Mashood said that even Supreme Court raised questions on the inquiry process employed by the asset inquiry unit which was headed

by Akbar.

Saying that the present government has done nothing to uplift the country’s sinking economy, Mashood demanded that those who have harmed the national exchequer by giving subsidies without inquiry should be handcuffed immediately.

NEWS “Imran Khan has not yet been summoned for approving the subsidy,” he said, adding, that the working of the sugar commission is dubious, and “mud-slinging at the expense of the Sharif family was done deliberately” to divert attention from the real issues faced by Pakistan.

MEDICINE IMPORTED FROM LONDON: The PML-N has been politicking since day one while Pakistan’s premier, institutions, and the public fight the novel coronavirus, PM’s Special Assistant on Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill said later in the day.

Reacting to Marriyum Aurangzeb’s press conference, Gill said: “These are the people whose medicine for fever is imported from London.

“Marriyum Aurangzeb is right; the dilapidated health system their government left really does not have any strength.

“We’re taking steps for prevention from coronavirus to the best of our abilities and with the best intentions,” he added.

“The PML-N leaders are probably forgetting that he [PM Imran] is neither Shehbaz [Sharif] nor Nawaz [Sharif] that he would go to London to spend Eid,” the special assistant retorted.

“Imran Khan is here with the people in these difficult times and is reviewing the situation,” he added.

Aurangzeb should explain whether her party completely understood the sugar inquiry report, he added rhetorically, noting further that the PML-N is “often unable to comprehend reports written in English”.

Gill said no government in the past had so strongly cornered the sugar mafia and that there was “never a shortage of sugar in the country be it before the export or after”.

“The mini-Nawaz Sharifs present in the market hoard and speculate but Imran Khan is the one who will take these miniNawaz Sharifs to task,” he added.

Coronavirus cases cross 60,000, death toll climbs to 1,239 ISLAMABAD APP

Coronavirus cases in Pakistan crossed the 60,000 mark on Wednesday while the death toll climbed to 1,239.

21,118 cases have so far been detected in Punjab, 24,206 in Sindh, 8,483 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 3,536 in Balochistan, 1,879 in Islamabad, 638 in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), and 214 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

So far 19,142 patients have recovered from the deadly virus, while 39,693 are still under treatment.

As per the National Command and Op-

eration Centre (NCOC), Pakistan has so far conducted 499,399 coronavirus tests and 8,491 during the last 24 hours.

A day earlier, the number of coronavirus infections continued to spike amid violations of the standard operating procedures (SOPs) owing to Eid, the federal government had warned that it would have to re-impose the lockdown to contain the cases.

The warning came weeks after the government had started phase-wise easing of the nation-wide lockdown earlier this month, citing economic fallout of a prolonged quarantine.

Addressing a press conference, Special

176 stranded Pakistanis return from india LAHORE

Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza had said that the government would reimpose the national quarantine “if the current trajectory of the virus continues”.

Lamenting that the government’s instructions and SOPs were not being followed, Mirza had said, “As we promised when we eased the lockdown if this trend continues, we may reimpose strict lockdowns after Eid.” He had observed that apparently there was a perception that the threat of the pandemic was over. “Unfortunately, there is now this thinking among us that this disease was only here till Eid and that some-

how it will disappear after Eid. This is a huge misunderstanding,” he had said.

Mirza had announced that the government would assess the situation before making a final decision on the fate of the lockdown.

Last week, the Supreme Court (SC) had ordered the federal government to reopen shopping malls across the country while declaring that “apparently is not a pandemic in Pakistan”. The apex court had also directed the authorities to allow markets to remain open on Saturday and Sunday as well, contrary to the government’s original plan in which markets were only open four days a week.

Balochistan registers 16pc increase in Covid-19 recovery rate: spokesperson QUETTA APP

STAFF REPORT

Another 176 Pakistani nationals stranded in India returned through the Wagah border on Wednesday. The border, which had been closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, was opened exclusively for their return.

These Pakistani citizens had been stranded in different Indian cities for the past two months, with most having travelled on pilgrim visas. This is the third set of Pakistani nationals who have been repatriated from India since the pandemic. The return of roughly 400 stranded citizens has been facilitated thus far. Upon their arrival, immigration and customs clearance and screening was carried out in accordance with anticoronavirus measures in place. Officials said that the luggage of the travelers was also disinfected and that the suspected cases will be sent to isolation centres for quarantine. Meanwhile, Indian nationals stranded in Pakistan also await their return to their home country. At least 208 Indian nationals are reportedly stranded in Pakistan as of now. Several of the stranded Pakistani and Indian citizens include Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs who had travelled to the respective neighbouring country for religious pilgrimage and found themselves unable to return due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown.

Balochistan government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani on Wednesday said that the recovery rate in the province, which had decreased to 13 per cent over the last few weeks, has risen to 29 per cent recently.

Addressing a press conference, Shahwani revealed that the death rate has also decreased to one per cent.

He said, however, that people had brought the virus “to their homes by being careless”.

Shahwani observed that 21 per cent of virus patients in the province are women. “At least 242 children under the age of 10 have contracted the virus even though they do not go to bazaars and their schools are closed. The age group between 21 and 40 constitutes 44pc of the total cases which shows they are not taking this seriously,” he said.

The spokesperson appealed to the people to follow standard operat-

03

Tareen asks govt to acknowledge his payments to sugarcane farmers NEWS DESK Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Jahangir Khan Tareen on Wednesday said that he would be grateful if the government spokespersons acknowledge the farmer compensation figures from 2017-18. Responding to the press conference of Special Assistant for Accountability Shehzad Akbar, Tareen said in a tweet that he was the only sugar mill owner who paid the full price of sugarcane to the farmers during 2017-18 season. Tareen also retweeted Prime Minister Imran Khan’s tweet on October 12, 2017, in which he had said that Jahangir Tareen was the only mill owner who paid full price of sugarcane to farmers while the Shehbaz Sharif government had allowed mill owners to pay whatever they wished to farmers.

Zara Abid attacked online after death in plane crash NEWS DESK Supermodel Zara Abid, who was presumed dead in a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane crash last week, was attacked by online trolls who condemned her profession and lifestyle soon after her demise. The 28-year-old model was on board the ill-fated flight when it crashed in a residential part of Karachi on Friday. Although the authorities did not name the victims, they said that only two men survived. Following initial reports of her survival, her brother also asked the people to stop spreading fake news.

Zara worked with some of the biggest brands in Pakistani fashion and in January this year won “Best Female Model” at the Hum Style Awards.

Leading designers paid tribute to her professionalism and style. She was set to make her debut as an actress later this year. Soon after the news of her presence on the ill-fated flight spread, the supermodel was attacked on social media for her profession and clothing choices. Some users even suggested that she would be punished in the afterlife for her lifestyle. While some continued criticising her after her death, there were also many tributes to her from fellow models, designers and actors who called it a “tragedy for the fashion industry”. Some said that she had redefined conventional beauty standards with her tanned complexion. Other social media users also condemned the moral policing and urged the people to avoid posting judgmental comments about her. As the hurtful tweets continued to flood social media, Zara’s family reportedly deactivated all her social media accounts.

50pc work on Suki kinari power project completed: Bajwa ISLAMABAD APP

ing procedures otherwise the government would be forced to impose a “strict lockdown” to curb the spread of the virus.

He also advised the people of the province to learn how to live with the coronavirus, warning that not doing so would endanger their lives.

“It is necessary to follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) otherwise coronavirus won’t let us

live. The SOPs are very simple — wear masks, maintain a distance of one metre and wash your hands,” Shahwani said.

He added that the people were not taking the virus seriously because it did not show visible symptoms.

“Coronavirus symptoms affect the internal body and don’t show physically so people don’t take this seriously,” he said.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Lieutenant General (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa on Wednesday said that 50 per cent work on 874 MW Suki Kinari Hydel Power Project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has been completed. In a tweet, Lieutenant General (r) Bajwa, who is also chairman of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority (CPECA), said that work on the power project is in full swing as progress on the project remains unaffected due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Bajwa said that 50 per cent work on the project has been completed. He added that the project is being established at Kunhar River with an investment of $1.963 billion under the umbrella of ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). He informed that the project has so far created 4,250 job opportunities and after completion it would help reducing cost of electricity.

“Bringing cost of electricity down is top priority of the government,” he added.

04 LAHORE

Thursday, 28 May, 2020

PRAyER TiMingS

WEATHER UPDATES THURSDAY

410C

290C

FRIDAY

370C

250C

SATURDAY

320C

230C

FAJR SUNRISE

ZUHR

ASR MAGHRIB ISHA

3:27

11:59

4:52

5:02

6:57

8:33

Punjab govt changes timings of markets, malls and shops LAHORE STAFF REPORT

LAHORE: Youths beat the heat at the canal ignoring all SOPs regarding prevention of Covid-19. ZuBAiR MAHFOOZ

ACtress ACCuses MAlik riAz’s dAughters Of AttACking her OVer lOVe AffAir UZMA KHAN’S LAWYER SAYS POLICE NOT REGISTERING FIR DESPITE ‘AMPLE VIDEO AND PHOTO PROOF’ OF VIOLENCE MALIK RIAZ CLAIMS USMAN MALIK IS NOT HIS NEPHEW, AMNA USMAN CLAIMS HAD REPEATEDLY WARNED UZMA NOT TO DESTROY HER MARRIAGE LAHORE

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SHAHAB OMER

ODEL and actress Uzma Khan has accused business tycoon Malik Riaz’s daughters of forcibly barging into her house with 12 armed men and violently attacking her over an alleged extramarital affair.

In a preliminary application submitted to the Defence Phase 6 Police Station for registration of an FIR against the incident, Uzma Khan has claimed that her assailants were led by Malik Riaz’s daughters.

Meanwhile, Uzma’s lawyer Barrister Hassaan Niazi claimed on twitter that the police was not registering the FIR against the culprits even though there is ample video and photo proof of violence and the injuries that were caused to Uzma and her sister Huma Khan.

Earlier in the day, multiple viral videos on social media showed two women entering the actor’s house and threatening her for allegedly having an extramarital affair with a man named Usman Malik, who is said to be related to Malik Riaz. One video shows them sprinkling some liquid on Uzma while threatening to kill her. In another, one of the ladies asks her guards to touch Uzma to see if she would sleep with him. The ladies can be seen hurling abuses at Uzma and her sister while threatening to have them ‘picked up by intelligence agencies’ as well.

In the video, the woman asks questions about Usman, accuses Uzma Khan, and says, “Tell me the truth, what did you

do with Usman? Did you sleep with him?”

The two sisters look shaken during the whole incident. Uzma Khan says that nothing happened between her and Usman and the video ends here.

Later, the actress took to social media to share her side of the story. “This is my official statement. Please share and help me in my fight for justice,” she said.

“I have been shamed, blackmailed, harassed, been threatened to kill in the past three days. I feel I have nothing to lose now and I have decided to fight the strongest people of Pakistan,” Uzma wrote. “For me, it is either I get justice or I will be killed but there is no turning back now.”

“I am an orphan so you can’t kill my parents. The maximum you can do is kill me,” she added.

Perhaps, hinting at a video that went viral, she responded, “Since you have shamed me in front of the whole world anyway. Since I am a woman and obviously the vulnerable and easy target, carry on but now I will fight till my last drop of blood.”

Uzma also said that she has filed a police complaint against her alleged harassers.

“I request Punjab police to register my FIR and conduct my and my sister’s Medical examination (my basic right) before our wounds start to heal. I hope I am as much Pakistani as Malik Riaz,” she concluded.

She further said she would address a press conference on Thursday at Lahore Press Club and would share the complete details with the media.

MALIK RIAZ DENIES USMAN IS HIS NEPHEW: Malik Riaz, while rejecting all the allegations in a tweet, said, “I

categorically rebut this malicious propaganda associating me with a viral video.

Usman is not my nephew. I’m appalled at such below the belt attempt to malign me for something I’m not involved in any capacity. I would also like to inform that I’ll be filing defamation cases against anyone who tries to implicate me wrongfully for such disgraceful incidents.”

In another video, a woman who identifies herself as Amna Usman claimed that her husband was having an extramarital affair with Uzma Khan and that she had warned her several times not to destroy her marriage.

“I would also like to clarify that my husband Usman Malik has nothing to do with Malik Riaz Hussain, he is not a part of his immediate family. Barrister Hassaan Niazi has a personal grudge with Malik Riaz and he is using this incident to malign him,” she said, alleging that Niazi had also attempted to “settle the matter” in return for money.

Amna further said that the allegation that she had barged into Uzma Khan’s house was wrong because the house was owned by her husband, Usman Malik.

“I’ve repeatedly warned Uzma not to wreck my 13-year-old marriage but she continued seeing my husband,” she added.

She also claimed that when she entered the house she saw “cocaine lines and

liquor on the table”. “The allegation that I had thrown kerosene oil on Uzma is baseless because it was liquor that I had found in the room,” she said, adding that her actions were justified because no woman could see her marriage being destroyed.

In her recorded video message, Amna does not speak on the veracity of the allegations that it was Malik Raiz’s daughters who carried out the raid with armed guards.

Pakistan Today made repeated attempts to contact the police, including DIG operations, but no response was received by the time of filing of this report.

Talking to Pakistan Today, women’s rights activist Farzana Bari said that it is a crime to forcibly enter into someone’s house and create panic.

“The women should have resolved the matter within their family instead of rushing to Uzma’s house and then harassing her. Police should take action on this matter because delaying registration of the case will only show that our institutions are under the influence of the elite and powerful personalities,” she said.

Uzma Khan had stepped into the world of acting with the film Waar released in 2013. Later, she starred next to Humayun Saeed in the super hit film Jawani Phir Nahin Aani, and Jawani Phir Nahin Aani 2. She has also acted in Teri Meri Love Story and Yalgar.

As Eid holidays come to an end, the Punjab government has once again imposed the lockdown, a smart one this time, by changing timings of all markets, shopping malls and shops in the province. Punjab Minister for Industries and Commerce Mian Aslam Iqbal announced the new timings for business and trade in the province on Wednesday in this regard.

According to the details, confectionery shops will be allowed to remain open from 9am to 7pm while malls and markets will resume their previous timings of 9am to 5pm from May 27.

Only medical stores will be allowed to remain open round the clock. However, grocery stores, milk shops and bakeries will be allowed to remain open throughout the week. Iqbal ordered strict implementation of coronavirus precautionary SOPs at malls. “Buyers will be screened through thermal guns and use of hand sanitisers, gloves and masks will be mandatory,” he said. Further, automobile industries and other manufacturing sectors will be allowed to operate seven days a week while showrooms have been granted permission to stay open for four days a week. Previously, due to Eid, the province had allowed markets to remain open till 10pm. Iqbal added that the decision of imposing another lockdown in the province will be taken by experts from the provincial and federal levels.

Ventilators availability in Punjab hospitals being ensured: Yasmin LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Health,Dr Yasmin Rashid has said that the availability of ventilators is being ensured in all hospitals across the province. Chairing a meeting here at Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education on Wednesday, Dr Yasmin reviewed the selection process of members for the Provincial Policy Board under medical teaching institutions. She said that academic and career records would also be reviewed for selection of members. During the meeting, members presented their suggestions for the search and nomination committee as well.

Secretary Health Barrister Nabeel Ahmed also briefed the meeting about measures for treatment of coronavirus patients. The provincial health minister expressed her resolve to complete the selection process for establishing different boards under the MTI. STAFF REPORT

Punjab CM criticises Opp for politicising pandemic issue LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar on Wednesday said that the politics of opposition leaders over the coronavirus issue will not be allowed to continue anymore. Buzdar said that opposition parties have turned politics into business which is why the Covid-19 crisis is now being politicised. “The Pakistani nation will not pardon those doing politics over a pandemic as the real faces of those making false claims have exposed,” he added. The chief minister said that the opposition tried to ruin the government’s efforts to contain coronavirus amid an emergency situation. The Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaaf (PTI) government took timely decisions against the pandemic under the leadership of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan which helped the country to cope with the challenges of Covid-19,” he maintained. STAFF REPORT

NDMA tasked with eliminating locusts: Fakhar Imam MULTAN APP

Federal Minister for National Food Security Syed Fakhar Imam on Wednesday said that the prime minister has tasked the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to eliminate locusts across the country after declaring a national emergency against it.

While talking to media persons after distributing Eidi among children of the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau (CPWB) here on Wednesday, the minister termed the locust attack as another pandemic.

It may be noted here that the insects entered in the country in March 2019.

Fakhar said the prime minister had de-

clared national emergency in January in the wake of locusts’ attack, with action initiated against it under National Action Plan.

He said that currently, over 90,000 army officials were deputed to protect crops through fumigation campaign against locust attack on farmlands.

He said locusts had hit the country after twenty seven years after arriving from East Africa, travelling about 170 kilometers distance every day whereas a single locust pair gave birth to about 200 children.

He said that the insect had stayed here for such a long time and not migrate elsewhere for the first time.

“Most of the locusts had come from warm areas of Balochistan and Thal,” he maintained.

Referring to help being extended by the country’s friend China, Fakhar said that China had sent a ten member delegation here to hold consultation for eliminating ‘the second pandemic’ from the country.

Later, he said, it had also provided 332,000 litres of chemical which was being sprayed at affected places of late.

He said the plant protection unit of the Agricultural Department had 20 planes in 1990 to hold anti-septic spray on crops. “Unfortunately, it had reduced to two planes and with one of them crashing, we now only have one unit. So, the government is arranging five more planes to combat locusts,” he said.

He said agriculture department, deputy commissioners (DC) of districts and officials

of Pakistan Army were also confronting locusts with maximum effort.

About the wheat purchasing target, he said it was about Rs4.2 million tonne last year and doubled this year, adding that the incumbent government was trying to help out farmers to lessen their losses surfacing in current situation while the government was currently offering an incentive package to farmers with twelve and half acres of agricultural land.

He said Punjab province had already purchased 4,000,000 tonne wheat from growers and achieved 90 per cent of its target while Sindh secured 83 per cent of its target.

According to the details, PASCO purchased 1.2 lac metric tonnes wheat against a

fixed target of 1.8 metric tonnes.

“The government is vying hard to contain wheat smuggling to maintain the price and quantity of the basic food ingredient in the country,” he said.

The minister also heaped praise on Pakistanis for battling the coronavirus pandemic through acting upon the recommended SOPs in letter and spirit.

Replying to a question, he said the the rest if the world must be proactive to resolve the emerging India-China conflict over Ladakh.

He also condemned Indian atrocities being committed at large scale in Indian held Kashmir and said that examples of manhandling reported in Kashmir valley could be witnessed anywhere across the globe.

Thursday, 28 May, 2020

SiNdh gOvt SpeNdS Over rS2.7bN tO Set up twO New hOSpitalS KARACHI

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STAFF REPORT

INdH Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, presiding over a Covid-19 response meeting on Wednesday, directed the health department to make at least 500 monitors and 200 ventilators available in Sindh apart from completing 50-bed hospital in Gulistan-e-Jauhar and a 200-bed Infection disease Control hospital in NIPA by June 2020.

“We have arranged Rs2.7 billion to upgrade the existing facilities and operationalise two new hospitals in the city and hopefully with their start, the government would be able to accommodate a large number of patients, in case of further spread of the pandemic.” The meeting was attended by Minister Health dr Azra Pechuho, Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, PSCM Sajid Jamal Abro, Secretary Health Zahid Abbasi, Prof. dr Bari, and other concerned officers of the health department.

CM Murad was told that in 10 different hospitals in the city, 131-bed ICUs and 174-bed HdUs have been established. At present 61 ICU beds and nine HdUs beds are vacant. It was also decided to expand the capacity of ICUs, HdUs and isolation facilities in 21 existing hospitals located in different areas of the province.

In Karachi, Civil, Trauma Center, Ojha, JPMC, Lyari, Services Hospital, Indus, NICH, SIUT, AKU, Ziauddin. LUH Hyderabad, PMC have been chosen while in other areas of the

province Civil hospital Khairpur, GIMS Gambat, GMMMC Sukkur, CMC Larkana, SASIM Sehwan, dHQ Kotri, Indus hospital Badin, JIMS Jacobabad will be upgraded. At present, all the hospitals have a total of 224 ICU beds and 186 additional beds would be added. These hospitals have a total of 268-bed HdU facilities and they would be given an additional 268 beds.

To a question, the chief minister was told that 30 monitors and six new ventilators have been provided to Civil hospital Karachi and work on piped oxygen in medical wards 1 and 2 and surgical 1 and 2 wards have been completed while negative pressure piping of surgical ICU, which would have the capacity of 27-beds, has also been completed. The 85-bed medical wards 1 and 2 would be made functional by providing them with 60 more monitors. Similarly, surgical wards 1 and 2 and the 27-bed ICU and the 53-bed HdU would be made functional by providing them 23 venti-

lators and 53 monitors. The chief minister was told that the structure of the 50-bed hospital in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, located opposite Karachi University, is ready to use.

Presently, the oxygen pipeline was being laid and work would be completed by the end this week. On the recommendation of the health department, the chief minister approved Rs95.7 million for purchase of equipment such as ABG machines, BIPAP machines, four ventilators, 40 monitors, two portable suction machines, one portable x-ray machine, two ECG machines, 30 syringe pumps, 30 infusion pumps, three crash trollies, two defibrillators, two portable monitors, 35 beds and other equipment.

He further gave four to six weeks to the health department to make the hospital functional and report back on the progress.

CM Murad was also informed that the 200bed Infection disease Control Hospital NIPA was being developed with high flow oxygen and intensive care unit. It is a three-story building and the structure of the hospital is ready and the necessary installation and fixing of hospital equipment have been started. Murad directed the health department to make the 54-bed ground and first floors functional within the next five weeks. Private hospitals have been directed the expand their ICUs and HdUs as per government request. Sindh chief minister said that over Rs2.7 billion have been released to purchase equipment to upgrade the existing facilities.

Govt says most sugar subsidies given during PML-N’s tenure ContInued fRom pAge 01 He said that the incumbent government would take action against all culprits exposed in the investigation report, irrespective of their party affiliation.

Akbar said that next week, PM Imran would be briefed to direct the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and other concerned departments to file reference in the court of law in light of the commission’s report.

Taking a jibe at the PML-N,

he said that Shehbaz had returned to the country from London to lead the nation but has now selfquarantined himself to avoid appearing before the NAB court where he faces corruption charges. “Shehbaz has isolated himself. The case of telegraphic transfers (TTs) against him is in its final stages. Once it is finalised, he will have to answer in court,” he said, referring to an ongoing probe into TTs tracing back to the former chief minister of Punjab.

“How was Shehbaz able to purchase expensive homes for his wives in housing societies? These expenses were carried out

police arrest aasia bibi’s sister for husband’s murder LAHoRe

through kickbacks and fake accounts,” he said.

“Shehbaz will have to face the courts once the TT case is finalised,” Akbar reiterated.

Looping in the government of Sindh, he said the leadership gave the most benefit to Omni Group through subsidies, which had been opposed by the provincial cabinet.

“The chief minister of Punjab appeared in front of the sugar inquiry commission but the chief minister of Sindh did not,” he said, adding that “the [PTI] government will take homogeneous action against our party and others” named in the report.

india’s ‘expansionist policies’ threat to neighbours, says pM ContInued fRom pAge 01

STAFF REPORT

Najma Bibi, the sister of Aasia Bibi who was acquitted by the Supreme Court (SC) in a blasphemy case in 2018, was arrested by the police on Wednesday for being an accomplice in her husband’s murder.

Two days ago, Younus Masih, 52, who worked at the mansion of a landlord, was found dead with his throat slit in a field. He belonged to Mananwala and had settled in Khanpur for work along with his wife and two children, a 14-year-old daughter and a 12-year old son.

Younas’ family informed the police that the 28-year-old Najma was having an extramarital affair with a man named Irfan dogar and they murdered Younas together after he found out about their affair. Sheikhupura dPO Ghazi Muhammad Salahuddin assigned the case to Factory Area SHO Muhammad Afzal dogar and Sub-Inspector Wali Hasan Pasha. The police arrested Najma and Irfan and they confessed to their crime during interrogation.

Aasia Bibi was convicted in 2010 of passing derogatory remarks about Islam after neighbours working in the fields with her objected to her drinking water from their glass because she was not a Muslim. She spent eight years on death row. She was released in October 2018 after the top court overturned her conviction, saying there were “glaring and stark” contradictions in the case against her.

She left Pakistan for Canada in May 2019.

Earlier this year, Aasia was invited to live in France after a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. despite her ordeal, Aasia said she still felt positive about Pakistan and hoped to return there one day.

Separately, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday warned that India’s aggressive policy towards its neighbours is putting the regional peace and security at stake. The foreign minister, while talking to different TV channels, said that the world community must take notice of it. Qureshi said that recent conflict between China and India was triggered by the latter’s illegal constructions in Ladakh. He said that while China wishes to resolve issues through dialogue, it “cannot remain oblivious to India’s illegal constructions”. The foreign minister expressed concern over the construction of roads and airstrips by India in Ladakh, which is a disputed territory. He pointed out that New delhi had stripped occupied Jammu and Kashmir of its special status last year, saying that the move shows India’s intention of “changing the demographic composition of the territory”. He said that India has used the land of Afghanistan against Pakistan. In a separate statement, the foreign minister said, “The world should take notice of India’s motives, where is it headed? Sometimes India has problems with Nepal, at other times, it (New delhi) tries to disrupt the Afghan peace process. India tries to promote unrest in Balochistan and now it has done the same in Ladakh and is trying to blame China for it.”

Earlier this month, Indian media reported that several Indian and Chinese soldiers were injured in a border face-off at Naku La in North Sikkim. Currently, soldiers from both sides are camped out in the Galwan Valley in the high-altitude Ladakh region, accusing each other of trespassing over the disputed border, the trigger of a brief but bloody war in 1962. About 80 to 100 tents have sprung up on the Chinese side and about 60 on the Indian side where soldiers are billeted, Indian officials briefed on the matter in New delhi and in Ladakh’s capital, Leh. Both are digging defences and Chinese trucks have been moving equipment into the area, raising concerns of a long faceoff, according to media reports.

NEWS

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'Over 800 children have tested positive for Covid-19 in Sindh' KARACHI: Around 882 children have tested positive for coronavirus in Sindh, revealed Sindh government spokesman Murtaza Wahab on Wednesday. Wahab confirmed the numbers in a tweet, stating that the sharp increase was owing to people’s carelessness as they had been negligent in following the government-mandated SOPs. “Can’t we defer shopping and socialising?” the spokesman asked, saying that it was still not too late for people to be careful. The province’s currently virus tally stands at 24,206 – the highest among all provinces and regions. As per the statistics provided by Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday, the province recorded 699 fresh cases, out of this, 599 were said to have been reported only in Karachi. Six more people succumbed to the virus, taking the province’s death tally to 380. He further stated that around 275 patients were in a critical condition, and at least 42 were on ventilators. The CM informed that a total of 9,270 people have recovered thus far. The province has so far conducted a total of 163,805 tests. On May 24, the CM had said that the number of total positive results from the tests conducted on May 23 amounted to 24 per cent, which was the highest percentage of positive cases in a single day recorded till then. STAFF REPORT

No decision taken on extending or easing lockdown in Sindh KARACHI: Sindh Minister for Information Nasir Hussain Shah on Wednesday said that the provincial government is yet to decide on extending or further easing coronavirus lockdown in the province. “The lockdown remains implemented as per the terms of the last notification issued by the government,” Nasir Shah said adding that any decision on extending or easing lockdown in the province would be taken after consultation with the federal government. “The shopkeepers should follow the lockdown time period and open their businesses following agreed standard operating procedures (SOPs).” He further said that Transport Minister Awais Qadir Shah was in touch with the transporters and soon they would decide over the issues faced due to a ban on transport activities amid ongoing lockdown. INP

Thursday, 28 May, 2020

06 COMMENT

India-Nepal border dispute- new strategic dimensions

War plans look good on paper

Until you meet the enemy

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ROM an earlier state of euphoria, SAPM Zafar Mirza has veered into panic mode. Instead of continuing his crusade against the lockdowners, Dr Mirza threatens to impose “strict lockdown” all over the country if the infection-cum-death rate continues to rise.

The childish hopes that ‘hot and dry’ weather will mitigate the virus threat combined with a casual attitude towards the pandemic was bound to make people take the threat lightly, throw caution to the winds and violate SOPs in mosques and markets. The rise being widely noted is the outcome of the PTI government’s own wishful thinking.

The nDMA chairman is upbeat about preparations to deal with the spread of covid-19. he rattles off statistics to prove enough preparations have been made to accommodate many times more patients in hospitals. But ventilators, ICU beds, testing kits, PPes, and so on, are no more than weapons in the war against covid-19. The virus meanwhile is fast taking toll of doctors and medical staff who have to fight the war. By the end of April more than 440 health care workers had tested positive and eight had fallen dead.

What’s more putting thousands of corona-affected patients in quarantine camps and hospitals will put a big pressure on government finances.

One wishes nDMA chairman Godspeed as he proceeds to fight the locust swarms. The preparations he has made look impressive on paper. These include 375,000 litres of pesticide gifted by China and another 50,000 litres by Japan. Fighting wars with foreign weapons has not been a good experience in the past. In the present case the help has arrived sufficiently late as locusts have already damaged cotton, mango, onion, chilli, tomato and other crops in various districts of Balochistan, Sindh and Southern Punjab. The nDMA is currently making a plan to deal with the anticipated floods.

The best way to deal with national threats is through national consensus for which the PTI government is not willing to be game. national consensus cannot be created through bureaucratic or technocratic arrangements but through direct talks between the ruling party leadership and the major opposition parties, and by putting life into Parliament.

Part of the Hindutva agenda BilAl AhmAd Sheikh

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nDIAn Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the 80-kilometre (50-mile) Lipulekh road, which will serve as the shortest route between the Indian capital, new Delhi, and Kailash-Mansarovar, a revered hindu pilgrimage site in the Tibetan plateau. The link road via Lipulekh himalayan Pass is also considered one of the shortest and most feasible trade routes between India and China. nepal views the alleged incursions as a stark example of bullying by its much larger neighbour. In fact the Indian extremist think tankis now opening all disputed avenues to grab more power and strategic advantages in all neighboring countries.

After the devastating episode of the absorption of Sikkim into India in 1975, the nepalese always struggled to save their country from Indian aggression.

The country was never colonized, but served as a buffer state between Imperial China and British India.

Many nepalese had actively taken part in the Indian Independence struggle and wanted to liberate nepal as well from the autocratic Rana occupation. The Rana domination ended after the struggle led by the royal Shah family reached an agreement called the ‘Delhi Compromise’. Thus Indian influence directed all actions and reactions in nepalese power circles.

Birendra Bir Bikram Shah succeeded to the nepalese throne on 31 January 1972, at the age of 27. he tried to maintain a balanced foreign policy between India and China. he had a greater commitment to democracy within the country, but Indian influence played a vital role in decision-making. Birendra Bir Bikram Shah slowly improved relations with China and also started relations with Pakistan. Birendra Bir Bikram Shah is credited for introducing SAARC in Asia in order to strengthen the foreign relations of nepal with the other South Asian countries.

In 1989, when the People’s Movement was taking momentum and turned into a bloodiest movement, as a condition of safeguarding the Panchayat system, India put forward some conditions to King Birendra aimed at taking control of national sovereignty. If the King had accepted these conditions, the panchayat system would not have ended. But the king said, “It is better to surrender to the people rather than surrender to India.”

The 1990s People’s Movement drafted the constitution which came into effect in november 1990.

This constitution forced the monarchy of King

Air crash investigations Prematurely blaming the pilot seems like trying to save others

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nSTeAD of investigating the Karachi air tragedy with a view to fixing responsibility, and perhaps equally important, fixing on measures to prevent a recurrence, it seems that a trail of innuendoes and leaks is being laid that will place the blame on the dead pilot. The purpose is not to improve for the future, but to ensure that the two institutions involved, PIA and the Civil Aviation Authority, are both exculpated. The purpose of all this would obviously be the preservation of the reputations of the PA Managing Director and the CAA Director General.

It might be argued that the pilot, Captain Sajjad Gul, was no more, and throwing the blame on him would save these senior officials. however, thus sacrificing him would not only leave the cause of justice unserved, but would also besmirch the reputation of an experienced pilot.

There are a number of investigations going on. One, the preliminary investigation by the CAA, has been completed, and has not blamed pilot error, but has merely said that the plane scraped the tarmac on its first landing approach. Then there is to be the main investigation, by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board, which is headed by Air Commodore Inam Ghani. It is perhaps contrary to the appearance of fairness for the head of the four-member committee to be a junior of the head of PIA, a serving air marshal, who had to face litigation because of this. This investigation is expected to report in three months. As the plane was an Airbus 324-214, an Airbus investigation also is to be conducted, and a 14-member team arrived on Tuesday and visited the scene of the accident. The team was given the Cockpit Voice Recorder, which had been recovered from the scene of the accident, but not the Flight Data Recorder, which has not. Both ‘black boxes’ will be decoded by Airbus, and are absolutely crucial to any investigation.

Until the investigations are complete, there is no reason why more general issues of safety are to be swept under the carpet. While PIA’s sloppiness under the present MD and the CAA’s complicity under the present DG continue, passengers’ lives remain at stake.

AhmAd SherAz

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Arif Nizami Editor Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

Covid-19 and Capitalism

he ongoing viral crisis in the world is novel in the way it has involved life everywhere on the planet unequivocally. The human race is back to its primary mode; survival.

And that’s the issue with capitalism, it was tems, as we see US President Donald Trump blamnever made for survival. ing China , and well China blaming US Marines; Capitalism simply works on a profit-first-based India is blaming Islam while Islamic scholars are system, thus it has been busy financing anything but blaming it on the wrath of God . This blame game gear for survival. So it’ll is an unending phenombe some humor when enon. But all are turning humanity will say that a blind eye to the real they had means and culprit, that is capitalplans to invade and conism, as economies are We are not facing this imbalance quer Mars by 2021, or dwindling around the due to anything but our own bad countries will boast of globe and the crisis of having nuclear weapons food and air (ventilators) policies and the greed of the to erase continents is worsening with each within minutes, but no passing day. corporate world, and this situation such blueprints to ensure economies are medical equipment for could have been avoided by an crashing, and the deeper themselves. Because the we go into this with alternative system, one that was corporate system retime, there is a chance sponsible for its producan economic Pannot working on a profit-first basis. It of tion is driven by crazy demic for years to come. profit and a corrupt But is it really crashing would have been more efficient, hunger to lure humans due to this health probmanufacturing things on a needinto things they don’t relem the world is in? If ally even need. Our priwe take a closer look first and common-sense-first basis. orities have not been monetary institutions defined by our needs, One comprising of enterprises run were creating money but instead they have and lending it to counby workers, as the worker class been designed to cater tries and companies at a the interests of a few low interest to keep the believes and breathes in the capitalists controlling boat afloat for years and our markets. This was this borrowing of huge concept of survival.

This is how the all playing out pretty sums at low interest had beneficial for homo post corona world should be, run made a huge gap besapiens until nature intween income and by policies and governments that troduced another panwealth and the upwards d e m i c . spiraling stock market define human priorities as they are, We are all in this one totrends were far away gether. And even amidst from underlying realiswith survival being the first of it, governments are tic values and profits. not willing to accept the The truth is capitalism failures within their sysneeded a scapegoat and

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev to hand over deci- are all the same. The Indian Government secretly sions of government to the nepali people. This move forced nepal to adopt a new Constitution which diof King Birendra not only reflects his commitment rectly eased Indian influence. nepal’s increasing coto the people of nepal but closed many avenues of operation with China, including its purchase of Indian intervention. But power politics of nepalese Chinese weaponry, was also seen as one of the major political parties once again brought instability to the factors behind this blockade. A strong earthquake also country. A rebellion was launched by the CPn-M on contributed to the misery in nepal.

India and China had agreed to include Lipu Lekh 13 February 1996 with full support from Indian Inpass as a bilateral trade route in a May 2015 joint telligence Agency RAW. India stopped all supplies of arms to the statement, nepal had issued separate diplomatic nepalese Army and lobbied successfully in the UK protest notes to the two Asian giants for not obtaining and the USA, accusing the nepalese Army of human Kathmandu’s consent. The recent dispute over road building is also to be seen rights abuses. China supin context of the last ported the nepalese diplomatic note issued Government in the wake that months ago, India of this violence by supNepal is a small state and had issued a new political plying arms. The obvimap to show the bifurcaous purpose of this fighting for its rights from the tion of Jammu and Kashinsurgency was to overmir into two new Union throw the nepalese world, but in front of Indian Territories. In it, it demonarchy and establishing a People’s Republic. aggression no one is helping Nepal picted Kalapani as part of Indian territory, which led The insurgency reat any forum. UNO and all otheri to a strong objection from sulted in the deaths of nepal. China cleared its over 17,000 people ininternational forums have kept position by stating that cluding civilians, insur“road building from India gents, army and police silent at this aggression. Pakistan is nothing to do with personnel, and internal and China must watch and help the India–China Trade displacement of hundreds Agreement.” of thousands of people Nepalese people due to the fact The Lipulekh Pass is (mostly of rural nepal).

The conflict was characthat this area is on the door step of claimed by nepal based on the 1816 Treaty of terized by summary exeKashmir and holds strategically Sugauli it entered with cutions, massacres, British colonial rulers purges, kidnapping and very important locations which can the to define its western borother war crimes and der with India. Kathcrimes against humanity affect us in future mandu also claims the by insurgents with the highly strategic areas of help of the Indian Army.

Limpiyadhura and KalaKing Birendra Bir pani, although Indian Bikram Shah Dev was a person who always neutralized Indian pressures and troops have been deployed there since new Delhi with his balanced foreign policy nepal successfully fought a war with China in 1962. The himalayan remaintained normal relations with China and other gion, which borders the Indian state of Uttarakhand, countries. The stability of nepal was threatened even is also included in nepal’s official map. nepal is a small state and fighting for its rights more when Birendra and his family (including Queen Aishwarya) were massacred at a royal dinner on 1 June from the world, but in front of Indian aggression no 2001 by his eldest son King Mahendra. This massacre one is helping nepal at any forum. UnO and all otheri international forums have kept silent at this agwas instigated by RAW, which was proved later. nepal is a landlocked nation, and imports all of gression. Pakistan and China must watch and help the its petroleum supplies from India. Roughly 300 fuel nepalese people due to the fact that this area is on the trucks enter from India on a normal day. The 2015 door step of Kashmir and holds strategically very imnepal blockade, which began on 23 September 2015, portant locations which can affect us in future. was an economic and humanitarian crisis which seBilal Ahmad Sheikh is a freelance columnist verely affected nepal and its economy. The reasons

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nature gave them one; a virus.

At the same time as the pandemic, capitalism has found no new tools. The world is being plunged into a Depression, John Maynard Keynes came forward to the rescue, with his theory that falling demand should be made up by government spending.

At the moment, all that seems to be happening is that capitalism is using the same tools, of government spending a lot of borrowed money to keep up some demand, a lowering of interest rates, and basically everything in the Keynesian bag of tricks.

Let’s see it from another point of view , the poor countries of Africa , Latin America and Asia are looking for ventilators and testing kits in global markets but all those capitalist companies have told them to wait for some months as they are too busy satisfying the needs of First World. The equation is simple: that there is no profit in doing business in the Third World when you have a surging demand in the First World. And though poor countries are till date less affected by the virus, they don’t have the testing kits to know the actual figure, while on another pressing note some countries in Africa have less than 100 ventilators, for example, Senegal has four while Central African Republic has three working machines to cope with this respiratory pandemic.

We are not facing this imbalance due to anything but our own bad policies and the greed of the corporate world, and this situation could have been avoided by an alternative system, one that was not working on a profit-first basis. It would have been more efficient, manufacturing things on a need-first and common-sense-first basis. One comprising of enterprises run by workers, as the worker class believes and breathes in the concept of survival. This is how the post corona world should be, run by policies and governments that define human priorities as they are, with survival being the first.

Ahmad Sheraz is a freelance columnist

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Thursday, 28 May, 2020

COMMENT 07 Editor’s mail Send your letters to: letters to editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, lahore, Pakistan.

E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively

FBR to facilitate businessmen in tax matters BUDGeT proposals sent by the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) would be given due consideration and they would be helpful in finalising the federal budget for 2020-21, said Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairperson nausheen Javed Amjad.

Talking to ICCI President Muhammad Ahmed Waheed on Thursday, she assured him that the process of paying tax refunds would be accelerated to address liquidity issues of the business community.

“The role of the business community is important in the economic development of the country and the FBR will try to facilitate businessmen in tax matters for business promotion,” she said.

Speaking on the occasion, Waheed highlighted that many tax-related issues of the business community needed close attention of the FBR for their swift resolution. Owing to the situation emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic, businesses and industries have suffered mammoth losses and in these conditions the FBR should play a key role by facilitating them in tax matters for the revival of business activities, he stressed.

Waheed added that the chamber had sent comprehensive and sectorwise budget proposals to the FBR for various sectors including steel, cooking oil and ghee, steel re-rolling, real estate, furniture and others, which should be included in the final budget and tax issues should be addressed. he pointed out that a huge amount of income tax and sales tax refunds was pending with the FBR due to which the business community was facing a liquidity crunch.

Waheed called for expediting the process of disbursing the refunds or allowing those refunds to be adjusted against payable taxes. he said the adjustment of tax refunds would provide modest relief for the business community at a time when businesses were suffering from the impact of Covid-19..

BilAl ShABBir islamabad

The great terror Keeping fear out with good sense mohiB ASAd “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times……it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness,…it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…..”

Charles Dickens, —- A Tale of Two Cities.

(1859)

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heSe are the opening lines of the bestselling novel in history. It is a historical story about the French Revolution from 1789 to 1799. The revolution was later referred to the ‘Great Terror’ because of the blood and gore which overthrew a corrupt elite order, and established a republic, considered to date as one of the fairest dispensations of the Social Contract to this day.

I have used this rather chilling title for this article because we, along with another 191 nations are living under the shadow of a possibly dreadful catastrophe. The covid-19 virus has infected over 5.6 million worldwideworld-wide, and galloping along merrily. Routine life has been hit for a six, and we look at each sneeze as a knell. What could be stupider?

A lot of the fear surrounding this flu is because there is no known silver bullet to kill it.

That a vast majority of infections heal themselves, by some process that has not been adequately explained by medics, is another concern.

Who are the minority? And am I, or one of my dear ones, part of the category that falls seriously ill? This is the genesis of the great terror around in societies all over the planet, especially in countries with the high numbers of those affected.

So far, Pakistan, although tense and stressed, has been spared the worst. Although we are well into the second month of our first known infection, the numbers of patients and casualties is low compared to many countries including some with much better education and healthcare systems. To begin with most patients had a history of recent travel abroad. Our known cases, then, were mainly imported. But it seems that the virus is now firmly stationed here; having found Pakistani hosts. however, as a food for thought consider this: For the last 12 generations Pakistanis have been ruled by governments formed by the elite.

From the 18th century till 1947, it was the Brits and after that local brown elites whom Winston Churchill cynically termed “rascals, rogues, and freebooters” (sic). Be that as it may, the fact is that this country has one of the weakest healthcare systems in the world. According to a UnICeF report of 2018, Pakistan has the world’s worst infant mortality rate. The elite which captured Pakistan through the 1973 Constitution have given the people poverty, disease, spurious medicines, adulterated food, polluted cities, bad law-and-order, energy outages, disenfranchised women, restive minorities, porous borders, and general hopelessness in the future.

But the sorry state in which Pakistanis have had to make do over at least 12 generations has tested Darwin’s theory that only the fittest survive. Those not designed to cope with the surrounding smut die very quickly. Those who survive develop antibodies against viruses and other pathogens floating around in squalid sur-

roundings. I tend to agree with a large body of popular opinion, that the Pakistani herd will brush aside the Covid19 in a few weeks after the last imported case is quarantined. There are recently developed computer-based and AI-driven algorithms which predict the spread of the virus, and according to these models the actual rate of infection is far lower than that predicted. This lends credence to the theory that populations exposed to many pathogens develop more effective antibodies. The jury is out on this issue; we will know in a couple of months how hardy we are.

This is not to suggest that we disregard the commonsensical preventive measures of this, or indeed, any other virus of the Corona family.

Wash your hands and face, stay clear of strangers, and never ever touch your face except with a tissue paper. If internalized for all time, we will be healthier in the future.

To return to Dickens: Firstly the losers: It is the worst of times for those who have lost a family member to the disease; for those who are sick with it; for those who are in quarantine; for those whose incomes have suddenly dried up; for all others who go around in constant dread of getting infected without knowing whence. It is the worst of times for all mothers who have family settled abroad; for patients of other long-standing diseases who can’t get regular medical attention as most hospitals are only half-functional; for the expatriate Pakistanis worrying about aging relatives back home.

And the winners are: This is the best time for the electronic media outlets. With millions a captive audience their advertising rates must have tripled. So they broadcast the same gloom and doom hourly. Clinical psychologists unanimously agree that constant reiteration of bad things reinforces feelings of angst, creating serious depressions. What our TV channels do is exactly that. Where there is no bad news locally they import it from abroad. But money is money, and is most needed in bad times.

Another sector having it great is the mobile networks.

A third is the aarthi. he is the middleman between the farmer and the consumer of edibles.

The aarthi is making windfall profits, stockpiling, and driving up prices by creating scarcity.

This class of businessmen is a classical study in opportunism. First, they had the old ration card scheme trashed in cahoots with the elite of the 1970s, then got the government sold on the Utility Stores junket, and finally they have the whole food chain in their pocket. If government is really interested in ensuring food security, and not leaving the citizen at the mercy of vultures who fleece both the farmer and the public, it should bring back the old dog-eared ration card which used to ensure supply of standard items at affordable prices. This mafia must be praying for the long life of covid-19.

The Utility Stores Corporation loses almost Rs 4 billion rupees annually, every year since 1974. As with the hundreds of other State Owned enterprises, I, a taxpayer, am paying for its upkeep, and nobody tells me why? The beneficiaries are the USC’s 14,500 employees, and the aarthi who supplies sub-standard stuff to the outlets. Government persists in this inexplicable experiment at my expense.

The beggary mafia is another group bene-

fitting from the knee-jerk reaction of the government to pour billions into charity. Governments are not supposed to be in the charity business. That’s for the people of Pakistan with their enormous wealth. There is more gold in private coffers in this country than Fort Knox: There are Rs 15 trillion lying in commercial banks: There are more than Rs 3 trillion in currency notes; plus, unknown trillions in prize bonds; plus, all-cash-paid real estate of millions of trillions; plus billions of dollars in gunny bags hoarded in basements.

So leave charity for the public. Just give them better governance. We all have highly developed social consciences, poor and rich alike.

Starvation is never a scenario in this country, for which Allah SWT be praised. Government may, if it has loose cash, which we doubt, subsidize well-established local charities which are in the hundreds all over this country.

The present dole-out is cosmetic and probably quasi-political, for which the government is already getting a lot of flak. Just reopen business and commerce so that the private social net does not dry up. This disease is a long-haul. how much money is being wasted will be known only when the Auditor-General of Pakistan looks at the books, accounting the $8 billion outlay in the last few weeks. Amnesty International has warned that transparent procurement and disbursement procedures are not being followed in many countries where governments are doling out emergency funds.

Another thing which amazes a lot of thinking people is how Pakistan, with its cutting-edge arsenal of nuclear weapons, has such a weak engineering base. One of the major scares going around these days is the lack of ventilators in hospitals. Pakistan is a major supplier of surgical instruments internationally. I hope some bright young technician in Sialkot is at it now. Basically it is a low-tech cheap-to-produce machine but a lifesaver. Local production would be a major boost to the presently weak hospital system.

Among a lot of other failures of the bureaucracy, a major default is the inadequate health and education sectors. If you look at the sanctioned budgets of these two departments, and the savings at the end of the fiscal year over our history, you will find billions unused and lapsed back to the Treasury. Bad planning and worse implementation of policy is the only explanation. The other day, a superior court ordered the recruitment of 800 doctors for the prisons. These posts were sanctioned years ago, but lie vacant.

Blame the politicians?

There are many takeaways from this horrendous present experience. Some say many fundamental beliefs and practices will evolve into a more ethical lifestyle post-covid-19. Maybe, maybe not. Time-tested wisdom is that the more things change, the more they remain the same.

The clarion call of the French Revolution was for “Liberty, Fraternity, equality”. how many of these lofty ideals in the social contract do we have in this country? The feudal classes, who own this country in more ways than one, are unlikely to loosen their centuries-old draconian grip on institutions, merely because a few thousand fellow-citizens died in a plague.

Mohib Asad is a former member, Federal Public Service Commission.

Ladakh dispute LADAKh is a union territory, adjacent to the state of Jammu and Kashmir, under the administrative control of India and has been a cause of dispute between Pakistan, India and Chine till 1947. Recently, India made a move in Ladakh, and tried starting the construction of a few roads and airstrips in the disputed territory which is straight up against the laws, since the territory is disputed, and was met with severe retaliation from the Chinese troops.

And none of this is new! India has been creating tensions with nepal at its border in the recent past and has also been using the land of Afghanistan against Pakistan. It has been trying to create unrest in Balochistan and also stripped the state of Jammu and Kashmir of its special status last year! This ‘conceited expansionist policy’ of India is a major threat to the peace of its neighbors and the region. now the recent move of India in Ladakh, seems to have the dirty interests of another nation besides India. A nation who doesn’t want this region to progress, is Anti-China and seems to be the one responsible for this move of aggression by India. One major factor that is going to change the demograph of this entire area is CPeC! This multi-billion project promises to bring prosperity to the region since it will serve as a connection between the landlocked countries of the region and the hot waters. China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Russia are the major countries that will heave most of the benefits of this project! Moreover, Ladakh was considered the only missing part of the puzzle that could’ve given rise to some problems, but this careless move by India has this last part in its place too, since now China has taken control of the state.

Overall, the whole situation might look like just another dumb move

by India, but from under the microscope, one can clearly see several Super Powers into play in the region.

AliyAAn MAlik lahore

A hard year “UnInSTALL 2020, because it has a virus inside it”, a slogan that got spread in social media just after novel crona took power globally. Afterall it isn’t one virus, it is a virus of bad luck and tragedies. Well , at the end of every year we celebrate to welcome a new year where we accept thousands of new hopes. Similarly, the world welcomed the year of 2020 when the virus (crona) was taking space in the city of Wuhan in China.Gradually , the people got more and more infected with this uncurable disease and thus it took control over the globe. World became tragitic and people just became so down with the situation and lost the hopes as the virus is cureless and Uncontrollable . And yet it continued and there is no idea how many more lives of people get into danger with this.

Furthermore, 2020 just gave us a promo by corona virus nevertheless it shocked us with many more. We lost Two Indian actors Irfan Khan (29 April) 2020 and Rishi kappor (30 April) 2020 whose movies entertained us with laughter and tears. World got two big loses due to the death of such talented actors.

Moreover, 2020 didn’t stop its heart breaking news when we lost two students (Shahdad and ehsan) of balochitan who faught for the freedom of baloch nation and they got martyed on 1 may 2020 . On the other hand, a Baloch journalist, Sajid hussain, who got abudcted in the starting of April was thrown into the cold river of Sweden and accepted martyrdom on the same day.

In addition, on 20 May 2020 there was an accident in Dasht Boshli where 4 people faced death because of a generator which got burnt in a well. It was very hard for the family to lose 4 of its shoulders in the blink of an eye. Beside this, 22 may 2020 a Plane Crashed (Lahore to Karachi ) which took the lives of numerous soul for whom many families were waiting to welcome their loved ones for eid but sadly the distance of 20 seconds turned into the meeting of lifeafter.

Tears fall, hearts beat and shoulders are down but this year is not stopping playing so bad. I am writing this is in a mid night to remember all those family who are just suffering. May God give pateince to the families of victims.

2020 you are playing bad.

AMBreen BAShir Turbat

Thursday, 28 May, 2020

08 WORLD VIEW

How Modi failed tHe pandeMic test THE STARKEST FAILURE OF THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT’S CORONAVIRUS STRATEGY HAS BEEN THE DEVASTATION IT IMPOSED ON THE COUNTRY’S WORKERS

New York Times

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HartosH singH Bal

ndia has been under a lockdown to stem the spread of the coronavirus for two months. On March 25, the first day of the lockdown, india had 618 confirmed cases and 13 deaths. as india is easing the lockdown now, it has more than 151,000 cases and more than 4,300 deaths — a much smaller number compared with the fatalities in the United States and various European countries, with a much smaller population. The cases rose from 100 to 100,000 in the United States in 25 days, in Britain in 42 days. in india, which had the longest and strictest lockdown, the rise in cases from 100 to 100,000 took 64 days. it may suggest the success of the indian government’s strategy, but the almost similar trajectory of spread of the virus and fatality rates in Bangladesh and Pakistan suggests that other factors have had a considerable

role to play.

Of the 30 countries that have registered more than 25,000 coronavirus cases, india, Pakistan and Bangladesh are among the countries with the lowest levels of testing per million people, which raises questions about whether statistics on the slow spread of the pandemic in South asia are a result only of the lack of testing.

But the low fatality rates in South asia seem to be real because no evidence has surfaced of large-scale underreporting of deaths across india, Pakistan and Bangladesh. it seems that a major factor explaining the lower fatality rates in South asia is demographics. The median age in india is 29 years, 23 in Pakistan and 27 in Bangladesh, while the median age is 38 in the United States, 40.5 in Britain and 45 in italy. data from new York City indicates that 73 percent of all coronavirus deaths have occurred among patients who were age 65 or older. Only 5 percent of the indian population falls in this age group, as opposed to 16 percent of the american population. The rate of hospitalization and death has been lower than in Europe and the United States. in Britain and italy, the percentage of deaths among coronavirus patients has been 14.4 percent and 14 percent, while it has been 3.3

'You are not going to die from COVID-19' COVID-19 RESOURCES SHOULD FOCUS ON ELDERLY WITH UNDERLYING CONDITIONS, SET REST OF HUMANITY FREE washiNgToN Times

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ricHard W raHn

OOd news (please see the accompanying table)! if you are under 65, in reasonably good health and do not have a vitamin d deficiency, you have only a tiny chance of dying from COVid-19. and if you are younger than 34, your chances of dying from the virus are so small as to be almost statistically undetectable.

On the other hand, if you are 85 or older, are in a nursing home, have serious health problems and a vitamin d deficiency, you may be in real danger if you are exposed to the virus — but only a tiny portion of the population is in such a condition.

The U.S. population is about 330 million, and the number of people who die each year from all causes is about 2.85 million or a bit less than 1 percent. To date, less than 100,000 people in the United States have died from COVid-19 or three-hundreds of 1 percent. (The peak in deaths appears to have already occurred but even if the number of deaths doubles from the current level, which is most unlikely, the total will be well under one-tenth of 1 percent).

Political leaders have shut down much of the world economy on the basis of bad information and the failure to ask the right questions. any action to try to stop the spread of the virus should have been accompanied with a competent estimate of how many net lives would be saved by the action. net lives means how many people would die from COVid-19 compared to all of the additional lives lost through delayed diagnoses and treatments of cancer, heart disease and all other ailments due to the COVid-19 shutdown. The number of additional suicides and the misery of losing tens of thousands of small businesses, and the loss of liberty also needed to be factored in. Very little of any of that was done.

Early in the year, the leaders of

the World Health Organization (WHO) said the virus was unlikely to be transmitted from human to human (given its animal origin) and probably would not be a big threat. it soon became apparent that WHO had been wrong, and the threat was real. The folks at WHO were soon exposed as Chinese puppets — Communists lying? Who would have thought? a group out of imperial College in the U.K., promoted a model that forecast 2 million or so deaths in the U.S. and

millions elsewhere from the virus.

This caused panic among the medical, political and media elites, which resulted in the worldwide shutdown. The model turned out to be deeply flawed, overstating the likely death toll by over 20-fold (aka gross incompetence, or worse).

The fraudulent model was neither closely examined initially, nor rejected because it served certain political and media interests. Political opponents of President Trump were quick to blame him for not acting quickly enough, while ignoring the fact that when he shut down China travel on Jan. 31, they had criticized him for overreacting.

The media loved the story because fear sells newspapers and increases TV ratings, and they could blame it on the hated Mr. Trump. But as is typical with the many in the

percent in india and 2.2 percent in Pakistan, where the median age is 22.8 years.

The most significant question now is whether the government has made adequate use of the time the long lockdown bought it to prepare for the problems that lie ahead.

The number of cases is rising steadily and is expected to continue to rise as the lockdown is now being lifted in the face of increasing pressure on the economy. india’s health minister has claimed that india has 31,250 intensive-care unit beds, which is up from 9,500 at the beginning of the lockdown. The health ministry said earlier that 4.8 percent of Covid-19 patients have required the intensive-care unit beds. it suggests that coronavirus cases would have to increase fivefold for india to run out of beds to treat patients requiring critical care.

But aggregate data does not take into account the fact that the infections are not evenly spread across the country. a staggering 60 percent of the coronavirus cases in india have been reported from five cities — Mumbai, delhi, ahmedabad, Chennai and Pune. india’s commercial capital, Mumbai, and Pune are already running out of hospital beds for critical patients.

Mumbai is the worst hit and accounts for more than 20 percent of all cases, and the

media, they did not think beyond stage i, and as the economy was needlessly sent into the tank, advertisers withdrew. Circulation and ratings may be up, but fewer advertisers are paying the freight, so many of those who promoted the panic are and will be losing their jobs. ah, divine justice.

Serious scholars, like Professor anne Marie Knott of Washington University in St. Louis, a mathematician who also understands economics, has prepared a very clear short presentation, “Why you haven’t caught COVid-19,” explaining how the data demonstrates that most people, especially the young, will never contract the virus and for those who do, most will have a totally benign or mild reaction.

Her presentation may be found on YouTube at: anne Marie Knott: Why you haven’t caught COVid-19. again, the only real danger is for a very small percentage of people over 65, except for those 85 and older, who have other serious problems. Ms. Knott’s analysis clearly shows that the costs of the shutdown are greatly exceeding the benefits.

Mr. Trump, the political leaders in both parties, and particularly the mainstream media were too easily se-

duced by well-meaning “experts” like dr. anthony Fauci. Most of the medical experts, understandably, have a very narrow focus and do not fully consider total costs and benefits of their recommendations and actions. now that we have sufficient global data and “petri dish” experiments (from U.S. navy and commercial cruise ships that were quarantined for more than 14 days) to understand the real risks to various groups) there is no longer justification for most restrictions on those under 65. Resources should be concentrated on the elderly with underlying conditions — and the rest of humanity should be allowed to go free and resume normal lives.

Richard W. Rahn is chairman of the Institute for Global Economic Growth and Improbable Success Productions.

rise in cases is outpacing the ability of the city to ramp up its health infrastructure. in the western state of Gujarat, Mr. Modi’s home state, the situation is equally grim. By mid-May public hospitals were already full and certain privately run hospitals were trying to exploit the pandemic by charging exorbitant fees to patients. The Gujarat High Court intervened and remarked that “an ordinary man will never be able to afford to avail adequate treatment from a private hospital,” given the fee being charged.

The high court pointed out that the most glaring problem with Mr. Modi’s badly planned lockdown was the crisis of hunger it had unleashed among india’s migrant workers and the poor. “They are not worried about the virus,” the court remarked. “They are worried about food.”

The starkest failure of Mr. Modi’s coronavirus strategy has been the devastation and misery it imposed on india’s informal sector workers, mostly people from impoverished villages, who work in indian cities, without a safety net.

Hundreds of thousands of migrant workers were left without wages after the lockdown imposed with a four-hour notice closed factories and businesses. They couldn’t pay rent; they didn’t have enough to eat.

They looked toward their villages, where they could find shelter and food by relying on extended family.

With the public transport suspended, the workers set out on foot, walking hundreds of miles in temperatures as high as 100 degrees Fahrenheit. in May alone more than 150 migrant workers walking back home have been killed in road or train accidents. as the lockdown is being partially eased, the migrant workers are now making the same journey they could have made two

months ago when the cases in india numbered fewer than 1,000. Since some of the workers are serving as unwitting carriers of the virus to areas of low prevalence, they are greeted with alarm and apprehension in their villages. demographics offered the indian government considerable breathing room, but india now faces two challenges at the same time — a medical infrastructure already under strain in the very places where cases are rising most alarmingly and a population stretched to the limit by economic hardship, with many facing the threat of malnutrition and hunger.

Mr. Modi has a history of announcing sweeping measures with great fanfare and little administrative preparation or followup. He and his government will have to move beyond their focus on managing public perception.

The lockdown was observed with ease by the middle and upper classes, who can afford to do so. But the coronavirus cases are spreading fast in dense urban clusters of the poor, who can’t afford the luxury of social distancing. it is india’s poor who are and will be affected the most by a rising number of infections and economic hardship.

There is an indian phrase for such a situation, a phrase that was already on the lips of every migrant workers leaving the pitiless cities for their villages under a punishing sun: “Bhagwan Bharose” (“With faith in God”). it is not an expression of faith in the rule of heaven, but an expression of a lack of faith in their rulers on earth.

Hartosh Singh Bal is the political editor of The Caravan magazine in New Delhi and the author of “Waters Close Over Us: A Journey Along the Narmada.”

New USAID religious-freedom adviser has history of anti-Islam comments HE SHARED A POST ON FACEBOOK THAT CALLED ISLAM ‘A BARBARIC CULT’

washiNgToN PosT

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JosH rogin

n Tuesday, the US agency for international development got a new “religious freedom adviser” who has a long history of making and promoting anti-islam comments on social media. This is just the latest reason officials and aid experts are concerned about the politicization and dysfunction of the country’s lead development agency under acting administrator John Barsa — a particularly dangerous dynamic in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. The appointment is just the latest in a series of Trump administration moves that are raising concerns it is undermining USaid’s ability to fulfill its mission as the United States’ lead agency for helping the world’s poorest countries improve their economy, security and health. USaid officials confirmed to me that Barsa chose Mark Kevin Lloyd to be USaid’s new “religious freedom adviser.” His first day was Tuesday. in 2016, the associated Press reported that Lloyd (then the Trump campaign’s Virginia field director) had made and shared several islamophobic posts on his personal social media accounts. On June 30 of that year, he shared a post on Facebook that called islam “a barbaric cult,” the aP reported.

Four days after the Orlando terrorist attack that same June, he shared a meme saying potential gun buyers should be forced to eat bacon. in another post, Lloyd wrote that “those who understand islam for what it is are gearing up for the fight,” the aP reported.

Those post are no longer public, but Lloyd’s Facebook account as of Tuesday still shows public posts where he accuses Barack Obama of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and says people who believe islam is a peaceful religion don’t understand history. “no one with a history of spewing hatred and bigotry has any place helping to lead one of our government agencies,” House Foreign affairs Committee Chairman Eliot L. Engel (d-n.Y.) told me. “it’s especially outrageous that someone with a track record of islamophobia would be put in a role dealing with religious freedom.”

“The comments he made four years ago were in reference to radical islam, not islam,” a USaid spokesperson said, referring to the “barbaric cult” example, but declining to explain any of Lloyd’s other islamophobic statements. The spokesperson also said Lloyd has experience working for a faith-based provider of global relief assistance, called Gleaning for the World, that will be valuable during the covid-19 pandemic.

Two officials at the organization told me Lloyd hadn’t worked there since at least 2005. USaid declined to clarify his role there. His appointment is just one of the moves officials and experts cite as evidence

that Barsa is politicizing and mismanaging USaid, a $31 billion agency.

The White House named Barsa acting administrator last month without even consulting the State department, reaching down to elevate him over more qualified senior officials. in the brief period since his appointment, Barsa has already gotten into hot water by writing a harshly worded letter to U.n. SecretaryGeneral antónio Guterres demanding the removal of references to “sexual and reproductive health” from a recent U.n. pandemic response plan, and insisting that no funding be allowed to go to abortions.

That brought him rebukes both from democrats in Congress, who took issue with Barsa’s characterization of the U.n. plan, as well as the Trump administration’s own U.n. ambassador, Kelly Knight Craft, who called Barsa to dress him down for not clearing the letter with top State department and U.S. Mission to the United nations officials in advance.

Barsa’s brazenness is fueling suspicion inside the administration that he is auditioning publicly for his next administration job, perhaps in the leadership of the department of Homeland Security, where he worked during the first year of the Trump administration. That is also intensifying speculation about his likely successor. Candidates include Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s former congressional chief of staff James Richardson, now the head of the State department office of foreign assistance. Former White House aide to the chief of staff Robert Blair and Rep. Ted Yoho (RFla.) are also said to be under consideration.

But with a pandemic raging and Congress preoccupied, it’s likely Barsa will be in charge at USaid for the rest of the year. if Barsa doesn’t start actively defending his agency’s interests, we can only expect the current weakening of its role to continue apace.

Meanwhile, development officials and experts are watching nervously as the administration makes plans that could further erode USaid’s role in fighting the pandemic. The White House is proposing to set up a new office inside the State department that would be in charge of the government’s international pandemic response.

The plan’s defenders say it would improve coordination and oversight of the government’s efforts to fight the pandemic both at home and abroad. deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator who presented the plan to senior officials last week, is also said to be the favored candidate to lead the new office. “it is a power grab,” one leading aid organization executive said. “This is an attempt to do what people have long suspected this administration has wanted to do, which is to hobble USaid and concentrate control at the State department.”

Barsa’s narrow focus on his political agenda means USaid stands to lose more authority and resources on his watch. The Trump administration’s lack of concern for its role (USaid is not even on the White House coronavirus task force), embodied by the appointment of Lloyd, is contributing to that steep decline.

The sad result is clear: USaid, the agency that should be leading our vital international response to the pandemic, is in terrible shape. and the people it is charged with helping will suffer as a result.

Thursday, 28 May, 2020

BUSINESS 09

Govt briefed on liquidity iSSueS hAmPerinG lArGe-ScAle mAnufActurerS ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

A SpaceX set for historic launch as human spaceflight enters new era SpaceX, the private rocket company of billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, was set to launch two Americans into orbit on Wednesday from Florida on a mission that would mark the first spaceflight of NASA astronauts from US soil in nine years. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was due to lift off from the Kennedy Space Center at 4:33 pm EDT (20:33 GMT), launching Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken on a 19-hour ride aboard the company's newly designed Crew Dragon capsule to the International Space Station.

They were to blast off from the same launch pad used by NASA's final space shuttle flight, piloted by Hurley, in 2011. President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence were scheduled to visit Florida's Cape Canaveral to view the launch in person. Prospects for an on-time liftoff hinged on the weather, with forecasters late on Monday citing a 40% chance that storms over eastern Florida could force a postponement. If that happens, the next launch window would be Saturday afternoon. A successful mission would achieve NASA's top priority, as articulated by agency chief Jim Bridenstine, of resuming launches of "American astronauts on American rockets from American soil." Over the past nine years, NASA astronauts have had to hitch rides into orbit aboard Russia's Soyuz spacecraft.

For Musk, Thursday's launch represents another milestone for the reusable rockets his company pioneered to make spaceflight less costly and frequent. It would also mark the first time that commercially developed space vehicles — owned and operated by a private entity rather than NASA — have carried Americans into orbit. The last time NASA launched astronauts into space aboard a brand new vehicle was 40 years ago at the start of the shuttle program. Musk, the South African-born high-tech entrepreneur who made his fortune in Silicon Valley, is also the CEO of electric carmaker and battery manufacturer Tesla Inc. Hurley, 53, and Behnken, 49, NASA employees under contract to fly with SpaceX, are expected to remain at the space station for several weeks, assisting a short-handed crew aboard the orbital laboratory. Aerospace giant Boeing Co, producing its own space launch vehicles in competition with SpaceX for NASA business, is expected to launch its CST-100 Starliner vehicle with astronauts aboard for the first time next year. NASA has awarded nearly $8 billion to SpaceX and Boeing combined for development of the rival space launch systems. Bridenstine declared the manned SpaceX flight a "go" last week after NASA and the company convened for final engineering checks. The Hawthorne, California-based rocket company, founded by Musk in 2002 and formerly known as Space Exploration Technologies, has never previously flown humans into orbit, only cargo. SpaceX successfully tested Crew Dragon without astronauts last year in its first orbital mission to the space station, but that vehicle was destroyed the following month during a ground test when a valve for its in-flight abort system failed, causing an explosion. The ensuing nine-month investigation ended in January. AGENCIES

delegation of Nishat Group met Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh to apprise him of the damage caused by Covid-related economic downturn to large-scale manufacturers.

PM's advisers on commerce and austerity, federal industries minister, finance secretary and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) chairperson were also present on the occasion, according to a statement issued by the finance ministry on Wednesday.

The delegation shared that owing to coronavirusinduced demand compression, the size of balance sheets of large manufacturers was no longer maintainable, adding that the major contributing factor was the “massive labour cost”, especially in labour-intensive

industries like the garments sector.

They maintained that any arrangements to avoid permanent laying off or furloughs were putting excessive strains on the liquidity position of businesses, which were anticipating slow economic recovery, hence hedging against potential solvency issues.

The delegation head stressed the need for the government's enhanced role in easing the liquidity position of large businesses, besides urging the government to formulate a scheme for cost-sharing between public and private sectors.

The finance adviser empathized with the delegation members and updated them about the current implementation status with regard to the PM's economic stimulus package worth Rs1,240 billion.

The delegation was asked to put up a precise case for financial facilitation since the State Bank of Pakistan was already running a scheme for payroll protection.

The commerce adviser on the occasion called for working out the impact of reversion of orders by US from China and other countries, and its potential impact for manufacturers in Pakistan.

The industries minister requested the delegation to provide details of the proposal in terms of costsharing arrangements, along with details about requirements of different sectors, so that the government could ensure a balanced treatment to all key contributors to GDP. The finance adviser concluded the meeting with the understanding that a specific proposal be crafted regarding upscaling of existing SBP scheme, as too many interventions carry the risk of diluting the impact. He further emphasized that upper bounds of additional liability be calculated through defined parameters so that evidence-based decision may be shaped before the next budget.

Financial guarantee likely to be made mandatory for shipping companies ISLAMABAD SHAHZAD PARACHA

The federal government has decided to make 'financial guarantee' a mandatory requirement for shipping companies in the upcoming year budget 2020-21, it emerged on Wednesday.

Sources said that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) would amend the Customs Rules 2001 to make mandatory the need for

a financial guarantee for shipping companies or agents.

"If the said decision is taken, shipping companies and agents will have to provide financial guarantees to ensure timely delivery of goods at ports," an insider said. "In addition, they would also have to submit bonds as per the proposed rules."

Sources said that the financial guarantee for shipping com-

imple- should have been panies cernedmented earlier as con ted re- stakeholders had submit departlated proposals to the tax officials ment. However, the tax ther re- are now working to fur these fine the proposals, and should be approved in next year's finance bill.

They said that FBR would add six more provisions in Customs Rules 2001 pertaining to bonds/facilities.

PPA accuses govt of disrupting poultry supply chain LAHORE

Oil falls on US-China tensions over Hong Kong LONDON AGENCIES

Oil prices fell on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump said he was working on a strong response to China’s proposed security law in Hong Kong.

A potential deterioration in relations between the world’s two biggest economies could ratchet up the pressure on global businesses and oil demand already weakened by the coronavirus pandemic.

Brent crude fell 90 cents, or 2.5pc, to $35.27 a barrel by 1342 GMT and US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was down 81 cents, or 2.4pc, at $33.54.

“As much as oil fundamentals are improving, there are still several flies in the bullish ointment. They include the latest uptick in US-China tensions,” said Stephen Brennock of oil broker PVM. “The threat of a fresh USChina trade war is no longer just a tail risk and could spell disaster for risk assets.”

Gloomy forecasts over the economic impact of the pandemic

also weighed on crude prices.

The euro zone economy is likely to shrink between 8pc and 12pc this year, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said, warning that a mild scenario was already outdated and the outcome would be between medium and severe.

Traders were also paying attention to early signals on a meeting between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies in less than two weeks.

The group, known as OPEC+, is cutting output by nearly 10 million barrels per day

(bpd) in May and June, but the question is whether it will continue to do so as demand recovers after the easing of coronavirus lockdowns in many countries.

“Stock builds are falling and the market will be balanced in June, so who wants to willingly forego millions of crude barrels in sales if he’s able to sell it in a recovering market,” said Rystad Energy’s head of oil markets, Bjornar Tonhaugen.

In another sign of weak fuel demand, Japan’s refineries operated at only 56.1pc of capacity last week, the lowest rate since at least 2005.

STAFF REPORT

The Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) has stated that the government was once again attempting to disturb the supply-demand mechanism of the poultry industry by fixing the rates of chicken. In a press statement issued on Wednesday, PPA (North) Vice Chairman Ch Muhammad Fargham raised serious concerns over the government’s attempt of fixing the rates of chicken, saying that the industry was extremely depressed by this illegal action of the authorities. He informed that the government on May 7 had fixed the rate of poultry meat at Rs260 per kg, adding that the industry had opposed this decision, arguing the move would cause a shortage of chicken, which would result in price escalation. "The government, on May 20, had agreed with the PPA leadership and withdrew its earlier decision of fixing the official rate of poultry meat. But it is unfortunate that just two days after its commitment, the authorities once again started interfering in the supply-demand mechanism of the poultry industry." Fargham opposed the government’s interference in fixing the prices of perishable items like poultry products, saying the prices should be controlled absolutely by the supply-demand mechanism under a free-market economy. He urged the government to facilitate the poultry farmers who are striving hard to recover their annual losses, which were incurred due to high cost of production and lower prices of chicken in the market. He said the association had repeated intimated the government that the situation would eventually lead to a reduction in meat production. "We had strongly advised the government not to intervene in the free-market mechanism," he recalled.

‘Govt to amend SEZ Act to promote industrialisation, attract FDI’ ISLAMABAD APP

Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood has informed that the Board of Investment (BoI) was working on amendments in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Act 2012 to facilitate the services sector, provide a conducive environment for enterprises, and attract foreign direct investment in the country.

Talking to APP on Wednesday, he said the act, in its current form, could not effectively contribute towards industrialization in its true spirit due to some inherent shortcomings, like slow pace of development, lack of utilities, complicated approval processes, cumbersome procedures to avail incentives, lack of clear policy objectives, absence of one-window operations etc.

The adviser said the proposed amendments aim to cater to the government's vision to promote the entire service sector such as knowledge and IT SEZs and integrated

RAZAK DAWOOD SAYS AMENDMENTS WILL HELP ENSURE PROVISION OF QUALITY SERVICES TO INVESTORS tourism zones.

He said that considering that regulatory and bureaucratic hurdles pose the biggest challenge to industrialization, a 'One-Stop Services Act' is proposed to be promulgated to ensure the requisite ease of doing business and to provide quality services to the investors with legal backing.

On a query, Dawood said the SEZs constitute a major part of the government’s industrialization agenda, which includes export promotion, import substitution, transfer of technology and employment generation.

The adviser said the establishment of SEZs was critical to resolving 'balance of payment issues' as "we generally give priority to enterprises that are involved in export generation or import substitution".

Talking about the criteria, the adviser

said that only those economic zones were given the status of SEZ that were generating exports. "At a zonal enterprise level, the admission into an SEZ is based on the economic viability of the business proposal."

Dawood continued that the economic viability was gauged through expected employment generation, domestic and imported raw material consumption, and local & imported machinery available at the time of filing of the application.

"As more zonal enterprises are coming into production, the monitoring of these commitments has become indispensable," he said, informing that instead of leaving it up to the developers or SEZs, the SEZ Secretariat at BoI was working to consolidate the data to gauge the actual benefits at the zonal enterprise level.

Dawood said that with digital world becoming a reality, the SEZs were to be transformed to meet the modern-day challenges and create space for IT SEZs. "For this to materialise, the proposed amendments also include a special provision for IT SEZs that relaxes the minimum land requirement of 50 acres."

He informed that an incentives package to ensure meaningful export-led labour-intensive industrialization through local and foreign investors, including the expected Chinese relocation of industries in the SEZs, has been prepared by the BOI and has been submitted to the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) for approval.

"This package is not only an extension to the already provided incentives but it also has some additional benefits for developers and enterprises, subject to the approval of the ECC." On the role of SEZs in industrial development under China Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC), Dawood said that CPEC

SEZs could be a true catalyst to industrialize Pakistan.

The adviser informed that due to various shifts in global economy as well as the changes in international relations, many manufacturing businesses were relocating from China to other destinations.

An Industrial Development Cooperation Project (CPEC-ICDP) project was already underway at BOI with a mandate to fast track industrial cooperation between China and Pakistan, he added.

Dawood further informed that China was developing the first state-of-the-art CPEC-SEZ (Rashakai Special Economic Zone) in Nowshehra, more international developers were being solicited through international bidding to develop SEZs in Pakistan. "Chinese companies (state-owned as well as private) are showing a keen interest to develop SEZs in Pakistan and we hope that with Chinese units in CPEC SEZs, Pakistan will become part of Global Value Chains (GVCs).

Thursday, 28 May, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS

SouTh KoreA reporTS hIgheST dAIly Number of New CoroNAvIruS CASeS IN 49 dAyS SEOUL

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AGENCIES

OUTH Korea reported the highest daily number of new coronavirus cases in 49 days on Wednesday, as one of the country’s largest e-commerce companies battled an outbreak linked to a now-shuttered logistics facility. The Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 40 new cases as of midnight Tuesday, bringing the country’s total number to 11,265. A day earlier the country recorded 19 new cases.

So far, at least 36 cases have been linked to an outbreak at the logistics centre operated by SoftBank-backed ecommerce firm Coupang Corp in Bucheon, west of Seoul, the KCDC said. It was not immediately clear how many of the cases were reported in the last 24 hours.

About 3,600 people at the facility are being tested. The company said it closed the centre on Monday and began the strongest disinfection measures recommended by authorities.

Coupang benefited from the contactless trend driven by Covid-19 in South Korea, with orders surging for groceries and other products. The logistics centre opened in early March and is in charge of deliveries to western Seoul, a spokeswoman said.

The first case related to the centre was diagnosed on Saturday, and is suspected to be connected with a Seoul nightclub outbreak earlier this month.

Health officials warned that cases linked to the centre could rise.

“We are very nervous about community infections and we are keeping a close eye on the situation,” vice health minister Kim Kang-lip said at a briefing.

Kim said authorities suspect the logistics centre did not comply with

“basic” quarantine principles, adding that an investigation is under way.

A spokeswoman for Coupang, however, said the centre went through daily disinfection and all employees wore masks and gloves and had temperatures checked.

Despite the spike in new cases, more than 2 million children returned to class on Wednesday, the latest in a phased opening of schools.

“What we are worried about now is that when kids go to school, they’re naturally physically close to their friends and they have to eat together so they may be infected with coronavirus,” said Chan Woong-jeon, the father of a second grader who returned to Seryun Elementary School in Seoul on Wednesday.

Park Hyeon-ji, a teacher at the school, said teachers had been trained on how to react to any outbreak.

“We’ll be able to take immediate action,” she said.

France bans use of hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid-19 PARIS AGENCIES

Twitter labels Trump tweets as 'unsubstantiated' for first time WASHINGTON AGENCIES

Twitter labelled two of Donald Trump’s tweets “unsubstantiated” and accused him of making false claims on Tuesday, a first for the social network which has long resisted calls to censure the United States President over truth-defying posts. Trump’s tweets contended without evidence that mail-in voting would lead to fraud and a “Rigged Election.” Under the tweets, Twitter posted a link that read “Get the facts about mail-in ballots” and which took users to a notice pointing out that the claims are “unsubstantiated”, citing reporting by CNN, the Washington Post and other media outlets. “Trump falsely claimed that mail-in ballots would lead to ‘Rigged Election’,” the notice contended. “However, fact-checkers say there is no evidence that mail-in ballots are linked to voter fraud.” Trump aimed the misleading tweets at California, contending falsely that anyone living in the state would be sent ballots when in fact they will only go to registered voters, according to the notice. Discouraging voting, say by requiring people worried about the coronavirus to risk being in crowded polling stations to cast their ballot, is seen as improving Trump’s chances of re-election. The tweets violated a recently expanded Twitter policy, according to the San Francisco-based company. “In serving the public conversation, our goal is to make it easy to find credible information on Twitter and to limit the spread of potentially harmful and misleading content,” head of site integrity Yoel Roth and global public policy director Nick Pickles said when the change was announced.

6 killed in Saudi Arabia shootout between families RIYADH AGENCIES

A shootout in a southwestern province in Saudi Arabia that local reports say was sparked by a dispute between two families has killed six people, a police spokesman said on Wednesday. According to the spokesman, Lt Col Zayed Al Dabbash, three others were wounded in the violence in Asir province on Tuesday. The spokesman was quoted by the state-run Saudi Press Agency as saying that the fatalities were all Saudi citizens. He said police seized weapons used in the crime and that prosecutors were investigating. Mass shootings are rare in the kingdom, and the police official gave no indication the shooting was terror-related.

The French government on Wednesday cancelled a decree allowing hospital doctors to administer hydroxychloroquine as a treatment to patients suffering severe forms of Covid-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus.

The announcement comes two days after the World Health Organisation (WHO) said it was pausing a large trial of the malaria drug due to safety concerns.

British medical journal The Lancet has reported that patients getting hydroxychloroquine had increased death rates and irregular heartbeats, adding to a series of other disappointing results for the drug as a way to treat Covid-19.

US President Donald Trump and others have pushed hydroxychloroquine in recent months as a possible coronavirus treatment.

France decided at the end of March to allow the use of hydroxychloroquine in specific situations and in hospitals only.

No vaccine or treatment has yet

New Indian roads, air strips sparked border standoff with China NEW DELHI AGENCIES

been approved to treat Covid-19 which has killed more than 350,000 people globally. The WHO “has implemented a temporary pause … while the safety data is reviewed”, its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday, referring to the hydroxychloroquine arm of a global trial of various possible treatments.

Trump announced last week he was taking the drug, explaining he had decided to take after receiving letters

from a doctor and other people advocating it.

“I think it’s good. I’ve heard a lot of good stories,” Trump told reporters then, as he declared it safe.

Trump dismissed the opinions then of his own government’s experts who had warned of the serious risks associated with hydroxychloroquine, with the Food and Drug Administration highlighting reported poisonings and heart problems.

A Himalayan border standoff between old foes India and China was triggered by India’s construction of roads and airstrips in the region as it competes with China’s spreading Belt and Road initiative, Indian observers said on Tuesday. Soldiers from both sides have been camped out in the Galwan Valley in the high-altitude Ladakh region, accusing each other of trespassing over the disputed border, the trigger of a brief but bloody war in 1962. About 80 to 100 tents have sprung up on the Chinese side and about 60 on the Indian side where soldiers are billeted, Indian officials briefed on the matter in New Delhi and in Ladakh’s capital, Leh, said. Both were digging defences and Chinese trucks have been moving equipment into the area, the officials said, raising concerns of a long faceoff.

“China is committed to safeguarding the security of its national territorial sovereignty, as well as safeguarding peace and stability in the China-India border areas,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson’s office said in a statement.

Virus takes toll on mental health of Europe's medics LONDON AGENCIES

Steve, a paramedic in northeast England, contracted the coronavirus two months ago. Then his wife fell ill. Both recovered but throughout they were concerned about passing it on to their two young sons.

“On my return to work, I couldn’t sleep properly, as I was worried that I could still bring the virus home and that I could still get it again,” the 46-year-old told AFP. “I never thought I would ever have to work on the front line in a pandemic. I do wish it was just a dream and when I wake up the world will be back to how it was.”

Doctors, nurses and paramedics in full protective clothing have become an enduring image of the pandemic.

But stress and anxiety brought on by dealing with the high levels of serious illness and death have become commonplace on the medical frontline.

Now, professional bodies and experts in Europe’s worst-hit countries want more support to tackle the psychological impact on staff — particularly if a second wave strikes. “We’ve got all the ingredients for a major risk of post-traumatic stress disorder,” said Belgian mental health expert Xavier Noel. Noel, a clinical psychologist in Brussels, singled out nurses as of most concern, given their

proximity to seriously ill patients and the dying. “They’ve faced a totally unusual death rate and way of dying, in a more dehumanised context, without the presence of families to support them,” he said.

DEPRESSION AND SUICIDE RISK Europe has officially seen nearly 175,000 deaths from more than two million cases, and across the continent the battle to save lives has taken a punishing toll. In Belgium, studies indicated that more than twice as many healthcare workers than usual had thought about quitting the profession, and levels of unhappiness were four times higher.

Another found alcohol consumption

CMYK

highest among healthcare professionals.

In France, one healthcare workers’ support association said it was receiving more than 70 calls a day from medics about the crisis.

Some seven in 10 were from women and a handful of calls were even deemed to indicate an “imminent risk of suicide”.

In Spain, more than 50,000 healthcare workers have tested positive for COVID-19 — 22 percent of the total cases in the country, according to the health ministry.

Anxiety is rife, a study by the Complutense University of Madrid found, adding that just over half of the 1,200

medics it questioned had “depressive symptoms”. A similar number (53 percent) showed signs “compatible with post-traumatic stress”, the study said.

“We believe an urgent psychological intervention is necessary for this group if the much-feared second wave materialises,” said the report’s authors, Lourdes Luceno Moreno and Jesus Martin Garcia. “We are going to see professionals emotionally damaged and a health system without the capacity to respond.”

The Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan similarly found seven in 10 healthcare professionals in the worsthit regions of Italy were exhausted.

Nine in 10 had suffered psychological stress. Many reported increased irritability, trouble sleeping and night terrors, as well as emotional breakdowns.

Researcher Serena Barello said the normal stresses of the job had been exacerbated by the increased workload, difficult working conditions and the raft of unknowns about the virus.

That had put their health “seriously at risk, not just physically but also emotionally and psychologically”, she added.

‘HERO’ LABEL ADDS PRESSURE: In the UK — whose death toll is second only to that of the United States — the country’s only charity offering mental health support for first responders is also warning of a looming crisis.

Thursday, 28 May, 2020

SPORTS 11

Premier League cLuBs vote to resume contact training LONDON

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AGENCIES

REMIER League clubs voted unanimously on Wednesday to resume contact training as the English top-flight took a significant step towards a possible restart in June.

The Premier League was put on hold in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, with Liverpool agonisingly close to the title. Clubs returned to training in small and socially distanced groups last week but they have now moved to stage two of the “return to training protocol”.

“Premier League shareholders today voted unanimously to resume contact training, marking another step towards restarting the Premier League season, when safe to do so,” the league said in a statement. “Squads are now able to train as a group and engage in tackling while minimising any unnecessary close contact.”

It added: “Discussions are ongoing as work continues towards resuming the season, when conditions allow.”

The small number of positive tests from the first two rounds of testing at Premier League clubs has raised hopes of a return next month.

Eight cases of coronavirus among

players and staff have been detected from 1,744 tests in the Premier League.

In the second-tier Championship, just two positive tests were registered from 1,014 tests.

A targeted return date of June 12 was described by Premier League chief execu-

tive Richard Masters last week as a “staging post”. Players and coaches have argued they will need until at least the end of June to reduce the risk of injuries after such a long lay-off.

Some players have voiced fears over their safety and that of their families due

to the virus.

Watford captain Troy Deeney has not returned to training after three positive cases were registered by the Hornets over concerns he could spread the virus to his five-month-old son.

French World Cup winner N’Golo Kante has also been given permission by Chelsea to train at home.

Germany’s Bundesliga has already managed to complete two rounds of fixtures since returning behind closed doors and there has been little player opposition to La Liga’s plans to return in Spain from June 11. Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson said playing at an empty Anfield and winning the Premier League title with no fans present would be “pretty strange”.

Liverpool were 25 points clear of 2019 champions Manchester City when the league was shut down, on the verge of being crowned English champions for the first time in 30 years.

“Of course it would feel different because if you win any trophy and receive it without any fans there, it would be pretty strange,” he told the BBC. “We still have work to do and we still need to perform at a high level right the way until the season finishes because we want to finish as strongly as we can to make sure it is a full season,” he added.

ICC preps for T20 World Cup, denies claims over postponement DUBAI AGENCIES

Favre hints at Dortmund exit after Bayern defeat MUNICH AGENCIES

Swiss coach Lucien Favre has hinted that he may leave Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season after defeat by Bayern Munich left his team seven points adrift of the champions in the Bundesliga title race with six games left.

For the second season running under Favre, second-placed Dortmund find themselves wanting at the tail end of the campaign with Bayern now firmly on course for an eighth straight league title. The Swiss gave a resigned grin when asked if Tuesday’s 1-0 home loss to Bayern behind closed doors, settled by Joshua Kimmich’s deft chip, proved Favre does not have what it takes for Dortmund to break Bayern’s monopoly on the German league.

“That’s been said here for months,” said Favre, 62, who has a year left on his Dortmund contract. “I know how these things go and I will talk about it in a few weeks. “I’m staying calm and I trust in myself.” The home defeat in Dortmund came on the back of a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Bayern last November at Munich’s Allianz Arena. According to German daily Bild on Wednesday, Dortmund’s bosses made contact “in the past few months” with Niko Kovac, who was sacked by Bayern in November, as a possible successor to Favre.

After Favre said he will make a future announcement, Germany legend and Sky pundit Lothar Matthaeus commented “as soon as I heard that, I thought ‘Favre will leave and Kovac will come’”. Bild also claim that RB Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann is Dortmund’s ideal candidate, but the 32-year-old is under contract until 2023. Favre has all but waved the white flag on bridging the gap in the table, even though Bayern must still face Borussia Moenchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen, who have already both beaten them this season. “It’s going be difficult - seven points (to make up) in six games, that is brutally hard,” said Favre. The Swiss fell offside with Dortmund fans last season when he conceded the 2018/19 title race was “over” after a 4-2 home defeat by Schalke left them three points behind Bayern with three games left.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has said that it will be continuing its preparations for the T20 World Cup as per schedule and will not be postponing the tournament due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Media reports in India said ICC members had come to an understanding that this year’s event would be pushed back to 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The ICC board is to meet on Thursday to discuss several issues related to the pandemic and its members will also address the fate of the World Cup, which is due to be played at stadiums around Australia from Oct. 18 to Nov. 15.

“The ICC has not taken a decision to postpone the T20 World Cup and preparations are ongoing for the event in Australia this year as per plan,” a spokesman for the governing body told Reuters. “This is on the agenda for the ICC Board meeting tomorrow and a decision will be taken in due course.”

Australia has been among the most successful nations in containing the spread of the new coronavirus but travel restrictions remain in place with several state and territory borders still closed.

A Cricket Australia spokeswoman told Reuters she was unaware of any decision being taken to postpone the World Cup. The Indian cricket board (BCCI), which is set to host the following edition of the tournament in 2021, is keeping a close eye on developments as a postponement could open up a window for this year’s Indian Premier League.

The lucrative franchise-based tournament, which was supposed to start at the end of March, had to be postponed

indefinitely due to the pandemic and the BCCI could see a $530 million dip in revenue if it fails to find another window for the competition.

Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins told reporters on Wednesday that the IPL would be a great stand-in if the World Cup was postponed.

“You have millions and millions around the world watching that format and I’m sure this year could potentially be even more after a long break off cricket,” he added.

olympic chief Bach consults with ioc members over virus fallout TOKYO AGENCIES

Olympic chief Thomas Bach on Wednesday held a series of talks with International Olympic Committee members on the potential consequences of the coronavirus pandemic that has seen the Tokyo Games pushed back a year to 2021, sources said.

Bach was to address the 100 IOC members in three different sessions decided by language and local time zone. Bach’s aim is to canvas the members for their view on “how to handle the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic”, a source told AFP. The IOC president wants to hear “thoughts, ideas and experiences of all members across the globe”, it added. While Bach addressed all Olympic actors on March 24 when announcing the postponement of the Tokyo Games, it is the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak that he has specifically consulted IOC members.

Bach was backed up by Olympic Games executive director Christophe Dubi, IOC sports director Kit McConnell, IOC director general Christophe De Kepper and chief operating officer Lana Haddad. The IOC’s medical and scientific director, Richard Budgett, also took to the floor to discuss “the issue of a vaccine”, according to a second source. Bach warned last week that 2021 was the “last option” for holding the delayed Tokyo Games, stressing that postponement cannot go on forever. He said he backed Japan’s stance that the Games will have to be cancelled if the coronavirus pandemic isn’t under control by next year. The German wouldn’t say, however, whether a vaccine was a prerequisite for going ahead with the Olympics, but was lukewarm on the idea of holding them without fans. In March, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics were postponed to July 23, 2021 over the coronavirus, which has killed hundreds of thousands around the world and halted international sport and travel. It was the first peacetime postponement of the Olympics. The IOC has already set aside $800 million to help organisers and sports federations meet the extra costs of a postponed Olympics. According to the latest budget, the Games were due to cost $12.6 billion, shared between the organising committee, the government of Japan and Tokyo city.

Empty Japan stadiums could soon hear the sound of app-lause TOKYO AGENCIES

A new Japanese smartphone app will allow fans to send virtual cheers and jeers to sports stadiums in the hope of creating atmosphere at matches played behind closed doors due to coronavirus.

Instrument maker Yamaha said its remote cheering system will let users tap buttons on the app to deliver cheers — or boos — via dozens of speakers placed inside grounds. Event organisers can pre-set various types of cheers and jeers, and change the intensity levels depending on the number of users pressing their buttons — aiming to replicate the roar when a goal or home run is scored.

Even when a live audience is permitted, fans may still use the app to prevent potentially coronavirus-laden droplets flying through the air through shouting.

They can pick which side of the stadium to send their chosen cheer or jeer, and can remotely join chants that only designated users can begin.

The company originally planned to launch the app in

later this year, but accelerated its development after the coronavirus forced sporting events to be cancelled or played without fans.

Yamaha said a recent test of the system at a 51,000seat stadium produced a sound similar to that of a live crowd. The firm deployed 58 speakers at the Ecopa Stadium and invited officials from football teams Jubilo Iwata and Shimizu S Pulse to send in remote cheers and boos.

“I feel that this system will encourage players on the field by making them feel like their fans and supporters are nearby,” Jubilo’s business strategy official Hiromi Yanagihara said in a statement issued via Yamaha.

The firm said the system can also be used in the future by those unable to attend matches.

Yahama spokesman Kenji Arakawa said the app could be used for other events and they were receiving enquiries from multiple fields.

“This might be used at music concerts, theatres or comedy shows. Especially in comedy acts, audience reaction is essential,” said Arakawa.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe recently lifted the state of

CMYK

emergency for the entire nation, but he still urged organisers of major events to use caution to prevent new infections. Japan’s professional baseball teams are preparing to start their new season behind closed doors from June, three months later than the original schedule. Football’s J-League kicked off the season for one weekend in February before suspending it, with local media speculating the season will reopen in late June or early July, with early games likely to be played without fans.

Thursday, 28 May, 2020

NEWS

Govt indifferent to pliGht of families of pia crash victims GRIEVING FAMILIES STRUGGLE TO RECOVER THE BODIES OF THEIR LOVED ONES KARACHI

d

ARIBA SHAHID

AYS after the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane crash that claimed 97 lives, the families of the victims are still struggling to recover the bodies of their loved ones. The illfated Airbus A320 crashed near a residential area of Karachi on Friday moments after the pilot informed the control tower that both engines of the plane had stopped working. While the authorities are currently conducting a probe into the tragic incident, the grieving families are suffering at the hands of government officials who continue to be indifferent to their plight.

Speaking to Pakistan Today, an individual who lost a loved one in the crash said that the lack of coordination between the government departments is adding to their woes. He said that the mourning families would soon release a statement to the media, explaining the trouble they had endured at the hands of government officials.

However, as per Edhi Foundation, the relatives of the deceased passengers have already taken 19 bodies from the morgue, which has created problems in the identification process. The social welfare organisation said that people claimed the bodies of their loved ones based on identification of personal belongings such as jewelry, clothing and identification cards, etc. but considering how the bodies were charred, they may have wrongly identified them.

The government said that bodies of 97 passengers had been recovered from the crash site, however, the authorities are currently trying to identify the passengers.

The Health Ministry recently announced that the bodies of 41 passengers have been handed over to their family members after identification, while the Sindh government announced that DNA tests of unidentified

victim’s bodies had also been conducted and they would be handed over to the families within 10 days.

On May 26, the University of Health Sciences (UHS) had requested the families to provide medical and dental records of their loved ones. A special helpline was also formed set up for this purpose, and approximately 21 dental records were sent to them. In addition to this, the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) also collected DNA samples of 52 victims.

INSENSITIVE BEHAVIOUR: Moreover, in a tweet, Adil Rahman, who lost both his father and mother in the tragic incident, said that that the national flag carrier had been unable to develop an appropriate strategy to communicate with the grieving families. As per his tweet, the PIA staff had been calling him multiple times a day,

mainly every time a shift changes, and asked him, “Aap ko bodies mil gayi hain?” (Have you received the bodies?), which is both insensitive and unprofessional considering the severity of the loss.

In addition to this, PIA Spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez said on air that Bank of Punjab (BoP) President Zafar Masud, who miraculously survived the plane crash, should help out the victims’ families and should assist the authorities in improving aviation and road safety.

Furthermore, some segments of the media, that retorted to sensationalism to increase their viewership, also received a lot of criticism for flashing the names of passengers on screen, announcing preemptive deaths without confirmation, and for behaving insensitively with the grieving families.

Chinese president tells army to prepare for war: report NEWS DESK Chinese President Xi Jingping has ordered the Chinese Army to strengthen the training of its troops and “prepare for war”, according to the state media reports.

The Chinese president said that it was important to “comprehensively strengthen the training of troops and prepare for war”, “resolutely safeguard national sovereignty” and “safeguard the overall strategic stability of the country”.

Xi’s speech comes amid rising tensions with the US and escalating clashes with the Indian army at the Ladakh border. Both armies are said to have deployed additional troops in sensitive areas along the boundary with experts predicting a lengthy standoff.

As per a report by ThePrint, Beijing

has also increased up security on its side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) by locating an estimated 1,200 to 1,300 troops near the Pangong Lake.

Xi, who chairs China’s powerful Central Military Commission (CMC), made the comments at a meeting of the delegation of the People’s Liberation Army

(PLA) and People’s Armed Police Force (PAPF) on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People’s Congress (NPC), the country’s parliament.

He emphasised on preparing for a military struggle “…to flexibly carry out actual combat military training, and to comprehensively improve our military’s ability to carry out military missions”.

“This epidemic prevention and control struggle is a practical test for national defence and military reform, fully embodies the effectiveness of the reform, and also puts forward new requirements for reform,” he added.

Two days back, Chinese diplomat Wang Yi, criticised the efforts of some US politicians to fabricate “rumours” and “stigmatise” China to blame it for the pandemic.

Us troop pullout from afghanistan ahead of schedule WASHINGTON AGENCIES

The US military withdrawal from Afghanistan is considerably ahead of schedule, an official told AFP on Wednesday, as President Donald Trump reiterated calls for the Pentagon to bring troops home. The developments came as questions loomed over the next phase of Afghanistan’s long war, with the expiry of a three-day ceasefire and an anxious wait to see when violence might return. Under a deal the US signed with the Taliban in February, the Pentagon was to bring troop levels down from about 12,000 to 8,600 by mid-July, before withdrawing all forces by May 2021. But a senior US defence official said the troop number was already at about 7,500, as commanders look to accelerate the withdrawal because of fears over the coronavirus pandemic. “The drawdown was accelerated due to COVID-19 precautions,” the official told AFP, noting that the departure of anyone with underlying health concerns or over a certain age was being prioritised. Trump on Tuesday told reporters the US force level was “down to 7,000-some-odd soldiers right now”. The next day he returned to a frequent complaint that America should not be acting as a “police force” in Afghanistan. “After 19 years, it is time for them to police their own Country,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “Bring our soldiers back home but closely watch what is going on and strike with a thunder like never before, if necessary!” Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Campbell said in a statement the US was adhering to its agreement with the Taliban. Any further drawdown would come “after the US government assesses the security environment and the Taliban’s compliance with the agreement”, he added.

CALLS TO EXTEND CEASEFIRE: Afghanistan has just enjoyed a rare respite in its nearly 19-yearold war, after the Taliban called a three-day ceasefire to mark the Muslim celebration of Eid al-Fitr. But the historic pause, only the second of its type, expired Wednesday and calls for the Taliban to renew it went unanswered, though there were no immediately confirmed reports of major violence.

The Afghan government said it would continue with the release of Taliban prisoners that had been agreed in the US deal with the insurgents and is seen as key to kickstarting long-delayed peace talks. On Tuesday, the Afghan military freed about 1,000 Taliban inmates, mostly from Bagram jail near Kabul, as part of a pledge to release up to 2,000 insurgents in response to the Taliban-led ceasefire. On Wednesday, a senior Taliban member told AFP that in return, the insurgents were planning to free about 50 to 100 Afghan security force members as early as Thursday.

Top Afghan officials have demanded the Taliban extend the ceasefire and offered to reciprocate. “If the Taliban are ready to extend the ceasefire, we are ready to continue the ceasefire too,” National Security Council spokesman Javid Faisal said on Tuesday. The future of talks with the insurgents “depends on the Taliban’s next move”, he added. The release of prisoners by both sides is part of a USTaliban deal, which excluded the Afghan government, that stipulates Kabul would release up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners and the militants would free about 1,000 national security personnel. Kabul had already freed about 1,000 Taliban inmates before the ceasefire, while the insurgents had released about 300 government captives.

EU proposes huge aid plan as virus hammers Latin America BRUSSELS AGENCIES

The EU unveiled a proposed 750-billion-euro recovery plan Wednesday to get the continent back on its feet after the devastation wreaked by the coronavirus pandemic, as Latin America outpaced Europe and the US in the number of daily infections.

The massive European plan follows other unprecedented emergency measures introduced around the world to rescue economies shattered by the disease, which has claimed more than 350,000 lives with infections rapidly approaching 5.6 million.

While the virus continues to cause havoc in Latin America, Europe has slowly started reopening businesses as outbreaks on the continent slow, but Italy and Spain lack the firepower of richer European nations to rebuild their economies.

The European Commission put forward a 750 billion euro ($825 billion) proposal to the European Parliament and member states on Wednesday, aiming to help the worst-affected countries with a mix of grants and loans. Economic Affairs Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni hailed the proposal as a “European breakthrough” that would “tackle an unprecedented crisis”.

Last week EU officials said the recovery package could be as much as one trillion

euros, but the amount was announced Wednesday as 750 billion euros — a mixture of grants a loan credits. Heavily indebted Italy and Spain are slated to be the biggest beneficiaries, according to a document seen

by AFP. Italy would receive up to 81.8 billion in direct aid and 90.9 billion in loans, while Spain would receive 77.3 billion in aid and 63.1 billion in credits, the document said.

The proposed package is expected to kick off tough negotiations, as backers try to win the support of some northern EU states that oppose paying out aid in grants to nations already under mountains of debt — such as Italy and Spain.

The proposal comes as the continent — which has lost at least 173,000 people to COVID-19 — grapples with the human tragedy and economic destruction.

Spain on Wednesday will begin 10 days of official mourning for the more than 27,000 people who died in the country, with all flags on public buildings at half-mast. The Iberian nation and others hit particularly hard, such as Italy, Germany, France and Britain, have all started easing their lockdowns, as people head to shops, sunbathe at beaches and run in parks after months of confinement.

Russia, meanwhile, said it had passed its peak of infections, promising to hold postponed World War II victory celebrations next month.

While desperate to kickstart their economies, especially the tourism sector, most governments in Europe are also trying to move cautiously, afraid of a second wave of infections.

That fear has meant some activities have been allowed again, while others must wait — including choir singing.

After horror stories emerged from choirs around the world of mass infections among singers, the activity is now considered dangerous by German authorities.

At the Church of the Twelve Apostles in Berlin’s Schoeneberg district, there have been no choir rehearsals since early March.

“I do miss it,” said soprano Heike Benda-Blanck. “You can still sing in the shower but it’s not the same.”

‘STILL ACCELERATING’: But while many Western nations are inching back towards some form of normality, the virus has continued its march in Latin America, which has outpaced Europe and the United States in the number of daily infections.

“We are particularly concerned that the number of new cases reported last week in Brazil was the highest for a seven-day period, since the outbreak began,” said Carissa Etienne, director of the Washington-based Pan American Health Organization.

“Both Peru and Chile are also reporting a high incidence, a sign that transmission is

still accelerating in these countries.”

Brazil reported the highest daily death toll in the world for the fifth straight day, pushing its total to 24,512 with infections soaring to more than 390,000.

The virus is also fuelling a political crisis in Brazil, where right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro has downplayed the COVID-19 threat and lashed out at state governors who have asked people to stay at home.

Police on Tuesday raided the official residence of one of Bolsonaro’s leading critics over the response, Rio de Janeiro Governor Wilson Witzel, alleging he embezzled public funds for the virus.

Witzel called the raid “political persecution” and warned: “What happened to me is going to happen to other governors who are considered enemies.”

‘ABSOLUTE FOOL’: The United States remains the hardest-hit nation in the world and with a death toll approaching 100,000, President Donald Trump has weathered a torrent of criticism for his handling of the crisis — and for not wearing a mask in public despite recommendations from his own administration’s experts.

The right-wing leader, battling to get reelected this year, kicked off another storm by retweeting criticism of his presumptive election rival, Joe Biden, for following guidelines by wearing a mask during Memorial

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Day commemorations.

Biden hit back, blasting Trump as an “absolute fool”.

But Trump’s principal preoccupation has been for a quick turnaround for the badly battered US economy, and has pressured local and state leaders to ease lockdowns.

The US leader kicked up a fresh cloud of controversy this month when he said he was taking the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a preventative measure against coronavirus. France said Wednesday it was banning the drug as a COVID-19 treatment, following a similar decision by the World Health Organization over fears of the drug’s dangerous side effects.

Across the Pacific, Japan — the world’s third-largest economy — has already started a cautious rollback of virus restrictions, ending a state of emergency on Monday.

And as Japan’s funfairs slowly open, a group of park operators released joint guidelines on virus safety, including visitors wearing masks at all times.

They recommended that thrill-seekers on rollercoasters and other rides refrain from screaming, and park staff dressed as superheroes and stuffed animal mascots not shake hands with or high-five fans.

The guidelines also include appropriate social distancing between ghosts and victims in haunted houses.