EpaperLHR_2020-06-10

CMYK

Wednesday, 10 June, 2020 I 18 Shawwal-ul-Mubarak, 1441 I Rs 15.00 I Vol X No 341 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition

COVID-19

RecoRd 105 deaths in a day as cases continue to suRge g

COROnAvIRUS CASES SURGE PAST 108,000 AS PROvInCES, AUTOnOMOUS REGIOnS REPORT MORE CASES

Imran orders action against artificial fuel shortage g

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD/KARACHI STAFF REPORT

P

AKISTAn on Tuesday reported 105 deaths by coronavirus in 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 2,172 while the number of cases surged past 108,317.

According to the latest figures by the national Command and Operation Center (nCOC), 4,646 persons tested positive for Covid-19 in 24 hours.

Punjab is the worst-hit province by the pandemic followed by Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan and other autonomous regions.

As of Tuesday, now 40,819 coronavirus cases had been confirmed in Punjab, 39,555 in Sindh, 14,006 in KP, 6,788 in Balochistan, 5,785 in Islamabad, 952 in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and 412 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

Punjab reported 1,916 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of infections across the province to 40,819, according to the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department.

A spokesperson for the department said that the province reported record 48 deaths from coronavirus in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of fatalities to 773 in Punjab province.

Of the new 1,916 cases, 967 infections were detected in Lahore.

The number of people recovering from the disease increased to 8,293 while a total of 299,097 tests had been con-

PREMIER ORDERS FORMATIOn OF TEAMS TO RAID AnD InSPECT OIL COMPAnIES’ STORAGE FACILITIES ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

ducted in the province so far, the department said.

Government of Sindh Spokesperson Murtaza Wahab said that 750 more coronavirus patients recovered from the virus in the province.

In a tweet, Wahab said that during the last 24 hours, more 750 people defeated coronavirus. He advised the recovered patients to take rest and isolate themselves.

‘102 LABS CONDUCTING TESTS’: Meanwhile, the national Command and Operation Centre (nCOC) was apprised on Tuesday that 102 laboratories were undertaking Covid-19 tests in the country.

The meeting, which was held to review short-term national anti-coronavirus action plan devised to meet additional requirements of June and July, was informed that four new laboratories would also start functioning soon.

The forum discussed in detail the incentive package for front line healthcare workers and decided to announce it after getting feedback from doctors and stake holders.

The forum was apprised that the local authorities were taking strict action on SOPs’ violation in across country markets, industries and transport aiming to contain

coRonaviRus in

Pakistan

Covid-19 spread. Dedicated teams were deployed for ensuring compliance to health instructions/guidelines and SOPs, the meeting was told.

Sharing telehealth updates, the meeting was apprised that a total of 5,823 requests were received for getting doctors advise on telehealth dashboard. As many as 188 doctors carried out consultations of 1,374 patients.

In Balochistan, a total of 691 violations have been reported in last 24 hours, and the authorities temporarily sealed 250 shops and fined 92 vehicles and cautioned over non-compliance of SOPs. In Punjab, 769 shops, eight industries, 776 vehicles were closed, fined and cautioned across province, while some 2,865 SOP violations were reported in last 24 hours.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 03

WHO urges Punjab to enforce twoweek lockdown STORY ON PAGE 03

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday ordered maximum punitive action against those responsible for the artificial petrol shortage in Pakistan.

In a meeting of the federal cabinet, the prime minister directed the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) and Petroleum Division to take necessary action to ensure regular supplies within two to three days, according to a notification issued detailing the developments in the meeting.

He also ordered Petroleum Minister Omar Ayub Khan and the OGRA to ensure that all oil marketing companies (OMCs) maintained 21 days’ worth of stock to meet the license conditions.

The cabinet took serious note of the artificial shortage of petrol in the country and, citing the legal power of the OGRA and Petroleum Division to enter and inspect oil companies’ storage facilities, directed for raid teams to be formed.

The teams would comprise the representatives of the Petroleum Division, OGRA, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and respective district administrations.

General Bajwa, Afghan president discuss peace process

CONFIRMED CASES:

110,829

“The teams shall inspect all petrol depots/storage. They have all authority to enter any site,” it added. “Anyone found involved in hoarding shall face full force of law, including arrest and forced release of such stores.”

Companies found to be not maintaining the mandatory stocks and supply to its outlets would face punitive actions, including suspension and cancellation of licence and heavy fines.

The cabinet was informed that supplies for June 2020 totaled 850,000 metric tonnes, as opposed to 650,000 metric tonnes in the comparable period last year. It consequently “urged the public not to engage in panic buying” and asked for hoarders to be identified and taken action against.

Earlier today, PM Imran chaired a cabinet session to review the countrywide situation and discuss important national matters, such as the upcoming budget and Pakistan’s response to and measures against the coronavirus.

Postal Services Minister Murad Saeed said the OGRA “kept on sleeping, while long queues formed outside the petrol pumps”.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 03

more inside

Government, IMF reach consensus to increase salaries, pensions STORY ON BACK PAGE

Global economy to shrink 5.2pc this year: World Bank

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

105

STORY ON BACK PAGE RAWALPINDI STAFF REPORT

RECOVERED:

DEATHS:

SINDH:

PUNJAB:

35,018 2,216 41,303

40,819

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

14,527 412/952

7,031

5,785

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa called on Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday during his one-day visit to Kabul.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), bilateral issues, border management, overall regional security situation, Afghan refugees’ issue, and Afghan peace process were discussed during their meeting. “Both sides agreed to continue working towards mutually agreed goals,” the statement concluded.

The army chief was accompanied by Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director-General

Lieutenant General Faiz Hamid and Pakistan’s Special Envoy to Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq on his visit to Afghanistan. On its official Twitter account, the Pakistan Embassy in Kabul released a picture of General Bajwa and Ghani at the presidential palace.

This is the first visit to Kabul by a high-ranking Pakistani official since Ghani’s second term in office began. It comes ahead of the imminent intra-Afghan talks and only two days after United States President Donald Trump’s point man for Afghanistan held talks with General Bajwa to discuss the next steps for advancing the peace process that has moved slowly since the landmark deal signed between the US and Afghan Taliban on February 29.

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Earlier, the US point person on the matter, Zalmay Khalilzad, met with the army chief and ISI DG and other senior security personnel in Rawalpindi.

An official handout issued by the military’s media wing, ISPR, stated that during the meeting matters of “mutual interest, overall security situation including Afghan refugees’ issue and Afghan reconciliation process and Pak-Afghan border management” were discussed.

On Monday, Khalilzad had also met with a Taliban delegation in Qatar, which was highlighted as another development in the progress with sources claiming that the intra-Afghan talks are expected to take place by the end of this month.

Shehbaz Sharif appears before NAB

STORY ON PAGE 03

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Wednesday, 10 June, 2020

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CABiNET APPRovEs APPoiNTMENT of sNGPL DiRECToRs, sME BANK PREsiDENT AHMAD AHMADANI

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iSLAMABAd:

HE Federal cabinet on Tuesday approved the appointment of 11 Board of Directors (BoD) of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and also the appointment of Dilshad Ali as President SME Bank.

The Petroleum Division, in its summary to the cabinet, proposed Rohi Khan and Rizwan Ullah as SNGL chairperson and nominated Dr Sohail Razi Khan to contest the elections of the board of SNGPL on behalf of the government.

According to documents, in order to improve the winter load management, the federal cabinet reconstituted the BODs of SNGPL on April 5, 2019 for the

remaining statutory period of the board.

The tenure of the BoDs of SNGPL is set to expire on June 20, 2020, whereas the elections for directors of the company are scheduled to be held on June23 , 2020.

Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) is a public sector limited company under the administrative control of the Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division).

In another summary of the Ministry

‘Time to impose fresh lockdown has passed’

of Finance regarding the appointment of President of SME Bank Limited, the federal cabinet also approved the appointment of Dilshad Ali Ahmed as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SME Bank Limited. Dilshad Ali Ahmed had previously worked as Senior Executive Vice President (SEVP), SME Bank.

He was also appointed as the acting president of SME Bank.

Killing of Kashmiri youth epitome of state terrorism: Faraz ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

NAB authorises inquiry against Aamir Kayani, Dr Mirza ISLAMABAD: The Executive Board Meeting (EBM) of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday authorised conducting inquiry against former minister Aamir Mehmood Kayani and others. According to NAB spokesman, the EBM chaired by Justice (Retd) Javed Iqbal, authorised conducting three inquiries against some personalities including Aamir Mehmood Kayani, former Minister for National Health Services and Coordination and others, officers/ officials of Civil Aviation and others, officers/ officials of Capital Development Authority (CDA) and others. EBM authorised conducting complaint verification against Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza. EBM authorised sending inquiries against officers/ officials of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources and others to Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources after analysing inquiry and perusing audit paras. Meanwhile, the bureau has directly or indirectly recovered Rs 178 billion and deposited record amount in national exchequer. APP

NEC to approve Rs1.41trillion National Development outlay for next fiscal year ISLAMABAD: The National Economic Council (NEC) is set to give approval for Rs1.41 trillion National Development outlay for the next fiscal year. According to sources, Prime Minister Imran Khan will chair the NEC meeting on Wednesday in which the forum will approve the next year's economic targets.

The NEC will give the approval of Rs630 billion for federal Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) and of Rs783bn for the provincial development outlay.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) target for next year is set at 2.1 percent whereas target inflation is 6.5 percent. Target for the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is expected to be Rs4.9 trillion which includes indirect tax target of Rs3332 billion. SHAHzAd PARAcHA

Minister for Information Shibli Faraz on Tuesday said that the killing of nine Kashmiri freedom fighters at the hands of Indian troops in occupied Kashmir was the epitome of state terrorism.

Earlier on Monday, four Kashmiris were killed by government forces in occupied Kashmir’s southern Shopian area, just hours after five fighters died in a firefight in the same area.

In a tweet, posted in reaction to the extra-judicial killing of fighters in

fake encounters in the Shopian area, the minister said the pellet guns, tear gas and other atrocities against the

unarmed residents were evidence of Indian crimes against humanity.

He urged the United Nations to immediately take notice of the atrocities.

Faraz said that India could not crush Kashmiris’ just struggle for the right to self-determination through the use of brutal force and coercion.

The minister said that at a time when the world was fighting against the Covid-19 pandemic, India was trampling basic human rights of the Kashmiris.

He said that now the extremist face of India has been exposed to the world.

Meezan bank completes issuance of Rs200 billion energy sukuk STAFF REPORT KARAcHi

Meezan Bank, has played a leading role in successfully concluding the issuance of Pakistan Energy Sukuk (PES) II worth approximately Rs 200 billion by Power Holding Limited (PHL), a public sector entity fully owned by the Ministry of Energy and Government of Pakistan.

The milestone transaction, powered by the key Islamic finance players of the country was concluded successfully in May 2020.

The Sukuk aims to help the Government in addressing the challenges for resolving circular debt in the country’s power sector. Meezan Bank acted as an investment agent and

trustee for this issue. In addition, Meezan Bank was also the joint financial advisor along with Dubai Islamic Bank Pakistan and Bank Alfalah Islamic.

This is the second issuance of this series of sukuk, bringing the total size of shariah-compliant energy sukuk to approximately Rs400 billion.

National Bank Limited along with Taurus Securities Limited led the book building process to conduct Pakistan’s first and largest book building for a sukuk issue through Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX).

The sukuk issue was 1.7 times oversubscribed. The sukuk issuance is a strong indicator of the potential and feasibility of Islamic finance and

promises immense potential for delivering large ticket deals to the government for the benefit of the economy.

It is also expected to enable the government to move away from interest-based borrowing and shift towards shariah-compliant financing as per the requirement of the constitution of Pakistan.

The underlying shariah structure of the sukuk is based on ijarah sale and lease back. Transaction is structured for ten years, with six monthly profit (rental) payments at a rate equivalent to 6 Month KIBOR -10 bps, as determined through the book building process.

The entire issue would be redeemed at maturity i.e. after the completion of 10 years.

Speaker urges MPs to follow SOPs during NA session ISLAMABAD TLTP

National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser Tuesday urged all the members to strictly follow the standard operating procedure (SOP) to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

According to press release, the speaker underlined such a need while chairing a meeting of the parliamentary

OBITUARY It is informed with profound sorrow that Mr. M. Munir Monnoo passed away to his heavenly abode on Monday, June 08, 2020 (Inna Lillahe Wa Inna Illehi Rajeoon).

Given the current COVID-19 circumstances, please feel free to pray for the departed soul from your homes.

For Condolence: Mr. Humayun Monnoo (Son) Contact Number: 0322-4204205 (Death Intimation received on June 09, 2020)

leaders in the National Assembly to discuss modus operandi for conducting sittings of the National Assembly during Covid-19. The speaker initiating the discussion said thirteen members of the House and a significant number of staff members had been tested positive for Covid-19. It was agreed in the meeting that session is being held in special circumstance hence all standards operating procedures should be followed by the members

AgEnciES

Pakistan will target growth of 2.3% in fiscal year 2020-21, according to government officials and documents seen by Reuters that said the economic landscape would depend mainly on the country’s ability to control the coronavirus pandemic.

Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government is set to present its 2020-21 budget on Friday, in a parliamentary session that only 25% of lawmakers will attend due to pandemic restrictions.

“The GDP growth for 2020-21 is targeted at 2.3 per cent with contributions from agriculture (2.9 per cent), industry (0.1 per cent) and services (2.8 per cent),” a planning commission working paper seen by Reuters said.

That forecast is much rosier than the 0.2% contraction in 2020-21 projected by the World Bank earlier in June. The multilateral

CMYK

The Sindh government on Tuesday acknowledged that a time to impose a fresh lockdown has passed as it called on the citizens to adopt precautionary measures to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. While addressing a press conference, Information Minister Nasir Hussain Shah said that a complete lockdown should have been implemented earlier, when the disease had started to spread. “If the virus had been taken seriously when cases started to emerge in the country, the spread could have been curbed,” Shah said. “Why didn’t people take it seriously? Because they were being told by one side that this virus is not to be feared. “When the [Sindh] chief minister came on TV to share the situation of the province, he was accused of promoting panic,” he added.

Punjab to begin Remdesivir trial soon, says minister LAHORE STAFF REPORT

The Punjab government on Tuesday announced that a trial of potential Covid-19 treatment Remdesivir — comprising of 1,000 participants — will start in the province soon.

Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid said: “We will decide, based on the results, if the drug should be made a part of the standard practice or not. The drug is controlled at the moment, it is not even sold by the company in the open market.” She advised people against using herbal medicines to treat the coronavirus. “We do not know if it will work or not and it may have some adverse side effects,” she said. Addressing concerns regarding hospitals reaching full capacity amid a sudden surge in cases, the minister assured that there is “no need for people to panic”, adding that there is enough capacity in the province’s hospitals to deal with Covid-19 patients. She said that 42 per cent of ventilators and 63.2 per cent of intensive care unit beds are currently occupied. However, she said that “patients cannot go to whichever hospital they wish since beds might be fully occupied there. This is not a wish programme where you can just go to the hospital you want [without inquiring about bed availability]”. Rashid added that the Punjab government would soon launch patient information desks in all hospitals so the relatives of admitted patients could be kept updated about their condition.

and the staff in letter and spirit. The meeting also decided not to take any other issue but the members’ only take part in general discussion on budget and its passage.

It was also agreed upon that the sittings of the assembly would stretch up to three hours with presence of 25 percent of the total membership of assembly during a particular sitting. The meeting also decided to hold discussion on issues of PIA air crash, Steel Mills, locusts attack on crops, sugar crisis and atrocities of Indian forces in occupied Kashmir during the pre-budget sittings of the assembly.

Pakistan to target 2.3pc growth in FY21 budget as economy recovers from pandemic ISLAMABAD

KARACHI STAFF REPORT

lender sees growth of -2.6% this fiscal year, ending June 30, while the government expects a 0.4% contraction.

A recent surge in COVID-19 cases has made economists sceptical about a quick recovery in the South Asian nation. Khan said on Monday that the outbreak was not expected to hit its peak until July or August.

The planning commission paper projects an average inflation rate of 6.5% in 2020-21, a trade deficit of 7.1% of GDP and a current account deficit of 1.6% of GDP. Exports and imports are projected to grow at 1.5% and 1.1%, respectively. Inflation hit a decade-high of 14.56% in January.

BUDGET OUTLAY: A budget strategy paper in March, just before the pandemic hit, had projected growth of 3% in 2020-21.

The paper, seen by Reuters, foresaw spending of 7.6 trillion Pakistani rupees ($46.76 billion) and a fiscal deficit of 6.9% of GDP — much lower than a current finance

ministry projection of over 9% for 2019-20.

Of that, 3.235 trillion Pakistani rupees ($19.90 billion) was earmarked for debt servicing and 1.402 trillion Pakistani rupees ($8.63 billion) for defence — a rise of over 12% from last year.

The March paper projected public sector development spending of 700-900 billion rupees, compared with 650 billion rupees ($4 billion) in the newer planning commission paper.

Officials say the numbers from March’s strategy paper could be tweaked slightly, although the total outlay is likely to be similar.

The National Economic Council (NEC) will review the estimates ahead of Friday’s budget and can make changes.

HISTORICAL BORROWING: Hit hard by the coronavirus and with about $10 billion in debt service costs in the coming financial year, Pakistan needs funds to stave off a balance of payments crisis, officials from the finance and economic affair division told Reuters.

“We have plans to mobilise around $14 billion in inflows,” one of the high-ranking officials said — more than Pakistan has borrowed in a single-year before.

Wednesday, 10 June, 2020

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WHo URGEs PUNjAB To ENfoRCE TWo-WEEK LoCKDoWN Punjab health minister says cabinet committee to decide about lockdown LAHORE

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STAFF REPORT

HE World Health Organisation (WHO) on Tuesday urged the Punjab government to enforce a strict two-week lockdown in the province to stem the spread of coronavirus.

In a letter to the provincial government, the WHO strongly recommended that the government should adopt the “two weeks off and two weeks on” strategy as it offers the smallest curve. It also recommended strengthening of all public health measures such as quarantine, isolation, physical distancing and contact tracing.

The WHO lauded the provincial government’s efforts in response to the pandemic.

“Government intervention on April 12 detailing social distancing measures, including restrictions, closure of schools and busi-

nesses, international travel restrictions and geographical area restrictions were instituted with the aim of limiting the spread of the disease,” the letter said.

According to WHO recommendations, any government that wishes to lift lockdown restrictions must meet a set of conditions.

The letter noted that so far, Pakistan has not met any of the conditions which include: g Disease transmission is under control g Health systems can “detect, test, isolate and treat every case and trace every contact” g Hot spot risks are minimised in vulnerable places g Schools, workplaces and other essential places should have preventive measures g The risk of importing new cases can be managed g Communities are fully educated, engaged and empowered to live under a new normal

Covid-19 Record 105 deaths in a day as cases continue to surge CONTINuED FROM PAgE 01 Strict actions have been taken against SOP violators in Sindh including sealing of shops and transports all across the province. Some 7,351 SOP violations were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in which 302 shops, and 221 transports were cautioned and sealed while 1,933 individuals were fined. In GB, some 67 shops and 70 vehicles were fined/sealed on 270 violations of health guidelines/ instructions. Likewise, some 101 SOPs violation were marked in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) in which 13 hotels, 24 shops, two industries and 36 vehicles were fined/ sealed. Similarly, 422 SOPs violations were observed in AJK during which 112 shops and 85 vehicles were fined/sealed.

fiA submits reply in Us blogger case ISLAMABAD

Global health body says Pakistan meets no Pre-requisites for easinG restrictions “The positivity rate is high, the surveillance system is weak, there is limited capacity to provide for critical patients and the population is not ready to adapt to change in behaviour,” the letter stated, adding that Pakistan’s reproductive number, which is an estimate for the number of individuals infected by each carrier, is also greater than 1.

The WHO recommended that strategic decisions should be taken to either tighten or loosen public health measures. “These difficult decisions will require the need to balance the response directly to Covid-19 which includes intermittent lockdowns of targeted areas,” it added.

The organisation said that during the lockdown, the country was reporting 1,000 cases per day, however, this number increased after the federal government eased the lockdown in the country. “SOPs [standard operating procedures] need to be

strictly enforced to stem the spread of the virus,” the letter said.

Cases increasing beyond 100,000 in Pakistan are concerning, the WHO added.

Punjab Health Minister Yasmin Rashid said that the provincial government would impose a lockdown in areas with higher number of coronavirus cases to stem the spread of the disease.

While talking to the media, the provincial health minister said that the government had warned earlier that the number of cases would rise. She said that the final decision regarding the lockdown would be taken by the cabinet committee.

“Lahore has more than 19,000 coronavirus cases,” said the Punjab health minister, adding when the lockdown was eased “people thought that the coronavirus has left”.

Dr Yasmin said that the cases are rising due to the violation of SOPs, even though

Shehbaz Sharif appears before NAB LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and Opposition Leader in National Assembly (NA) Shehbaz Sharif appeared before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in money laundering and assets before income cases on Tuesday. Stringent security arrangements were taken to avoid any untoward incident, however, a large number of PML-N workers gathered outside the NAB office and chanted slogans in favour of party leader. The PML-N workers violated the standard operating procedures (SOPs) designed to control over the spike in the coronavirus cases.

The development follows an attempt a week ago by NAB to arrest the PML-N president from his Model Town residence. After a two-hour long siege, NAB officials had to return empty handed after learning that he was not present there. The raid came after Shehbaz did not appear before NAB earlier that day.

Following the PML-N president’s visit on Tuesday, party leader Ataullah Tarar said, “What was the need to conduct a raid at Shehbaz Sharif’s residence?” Tarar said that the “NAB-Niazi nexus have already decided to arrest Shehbaz” (without a court verdict in the matter). “The June 2 attempt is a reflection of the nexus,” he said.

The PML-N questioned the need of an interrogation at this stage when Sharif had been in NAB custody for 133 days. “Even today, they made grave accusations and did not submit proof for the same in court,” he said.

“Their politics of vengeance has no end […] Were 130 days really not enough?” Tarar continued. He questioned whether “Imran Khan Niazi who lives in a 400 kanal house” had been asked how much tax he had paid.

“Jahangir Tareen who has been named by the sugar inquiry commission was given a royal farewell as he left for London,” Tarar remarked, adding: “Who gave permission to the one who robbed the country of Rs100 billion to leave the country?” He said that meanwhile the opposition has been put on the exit control list at the inquiry stage of cases against them.

Meanwhile, Punjab information minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan referring to an Urdu idiom said that Sharif’s appearance today is like “a fool having realised his mistake and coming home” Chohan said Sharif is “deluded” if he thinks he can “escape the law’s grip”.

He said Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Sanaullah and other PML-N leaders are now realising the “inevitable consequences of their actions”. Chohan said that under Prime Minister Imran Khan’s rule, all efforts to bring to heel “corrupt mafia” for accountability will continue “at all costs”.

TLTP

Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Tuesday filed its reply in a local court after a petitioner had claimed that the agency was not taking action against the Cynthia Richie for her defamatory remarks against former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. The court issued a notice to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and sought a reply on the matter till June 13. Additional Sessions Judge Ata Rabbani heard the case as a duty judge.

The petitioner said that the FIA is not taking action on a complaint filed against Ritchie for slandering PPP leader Benazir Bhutto on social media.

Marriyum Aurangzeb tests positive for Covid-19 LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Marriyum Aurangzeb, the central spokesperson of the main opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has tested positive for the coronavirus, party’s Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal confirmed on Tuesday. According to Iqbal, Aurangzeb’s mother has also tested positive for the pandemic.

“She is [the] party’s bold voice. We are all proud of

her most valuable contribution,” he tweeted. The news comes a day after the Covid-19 test of the former prime minister and PML-N Vice President Shahid Khaqan Abbasi came back positive.

Abbasi, 61, had been out and about last week: he went to the Lahore High Court (LHC) to attend PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif’s bail petition hearing and also held a press conference alongside other party leaders including Aurangzeb and Iqbal.

only 3pc Pakistanis clear-headed about coronavirus, survey finds ISLAMABAD APP

As Pakistan crossed its highest coronavirus-related deaths in a day, a survey revealed that only three per cent Pakistanis are clear-headed about the disease, with no misconceptions about its prevention, spread and cure. A snap poll by Ipsos, a global market research and public opinion specialist, released on Tuesday showed public perceptions, attitudes and behaviors among Pakistanis towards the coronavirus pandemic.

The survey was conducted on 1,028 persons, including 72 per cent men and 28 per cent women (68 per cent urban and 32 per cent rural population) during May 19-23. The poll depicted that one in three Pakistanis believed in conspiracy theories related to the coronavirus with 42 per cent terming it a foreign conspiracy, 33 per

cent calling it a laboratory-made virus spread in the world on purpose and 42 per cent having misconception that it affects only the people above 55 years of age.

It said that Pakistani women are three times likelier to have more clarity than men regarding Covid-19 misconceptions. The survey revealed six in 10 Pakistanis were not comfortable to allow their children return to school in the coming weeks.

However, 50 per cent felt comfortable going back to work and 51 per cent believed they would lose their job in next six months.

Three out of five Pakistanis believed they deserved aid from the government due to Covid-19. The expectations are found more among lower economic class and less educated people, it said.

Three in five Pakistanis believed that the ease in lockdown would lead to detrimental increase in infec-

tions and deaths.

The survey found that nearly half of the Pakistanis would hold themselves responsible if coronavirus situation gets worse after ease in lockdown, whereas one in four would blame the government.

Ipsos also put forth a few vital damage control recommendations to the concerned policy-makers based on the empirical research and holistic analyses.

It called for “an intensive yet uniform, coherent and integrated communication campaign by the federal and all provincial governments as crucial to sensitize all Pakistanis about the fatal nature of this pandemic”.

It said that amid widespread misconceptions among all Pakistanis regardless of their social classes, literacy levels and other demographics, it was prudent to develop well-thought myth- busting strategy, clear messaging, delivery mechanism and destination milestones.

people were fined for flouting the rules. Punjab has every kind of data, she said.

She said that in Punjab, the highest number of tests was done and several doctors, who were even not treating the virus patients, got infected. She added that the province has a great number of testing kits.

“There are reports that Actemra injection is being stocked to be sold in black,” said the minister, adding in the same vein the medicine is not life-saving.

imran orders action against artificial fuel shortage CONTINuED FROM PAgE 01 Meanwhile, when Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar asked if there was oil stock left for seven days only, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Petroleum Nadeem Babar responded saying there were 215,000 metric tonnes of petrol in reserve. Ayub, the federal minister for energy, said some companies had stopped buying petrol after an increase of $12 in the global market. “The oil companies which ended the stock, we are cancelling their licenses,” he added. Earlier this week, it was reported that petrol pumps across the country were facing a shortage of fuel supply, adding to the difficulties of the public as well as transporters. It was learnt that stations that did have petrol were charging double the price. A local news outlet reported that Oil Companies Advisory Council (OCAC) has also clarified that OMCs have been replenishing their stocks through supplies from local refineries and imported shipments. “For the month of June, a total of around 850,000 metric tonnes (MT) of petrol is being supplied from local refineries and imports to the distribution & retail network of the country. The current sales of petrol in the country are exceptionally high (50pc growth) due to the easing of Covid-19 lockdown in the past few weeks, causing depletion of stocks and low price of the product,” OCAC informed. Earlier, on June 4, the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) had taken notice of public concerns and complaints about the shortage of petroleum products in the country and had initiated an inquiry to see whether such a shortage is the result of any anti-competitive activity. The CCP’s inquiry will determine the possibility of the existence of any anticompetitive practices causing the shortage of fuel in the country and the undertakings involved in it. The inquiry will further examine why the impact of the reduction in the prices of oil have not resulted in the corresponding reduction in the prices of the lubricants and other oilbased products, including the prices of hi-octane, which are primarily deregulated products.

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Wednesday, 10 June, 2020

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SHC moved AgAinSt exorbitAnt Covid-19 treAtment CHArgeS At PrivAte HoSPitAlS KARACHI

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AHMAD SAAD

EGAL Aid Society, a Karachibased non-governmental organisation (NGO), on Tuesday approached the Sindh High Court (SHC) over the exorbitant treatment fees being charged by the private hospitals from the patients of the Covid-19.

The petition, a copy of which is available with Pakistan Today, observes that the private healthcare facilities including Aga Khan University Hospital and Dr Ziauddin Hospital are charging as much as Rs150,000 per day for a bed in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Rs100,000 a day for a spot in the general ward.

It further states that the hospitals nominated in the petition are not only “grossly overcharging” but also “exploiting [the] patients” by denying them the 25 per cent discount guaranteed for the senior citizens under the constitution.

Speaking to Pakistan Today over the phone, the NGO’s Executive Director Haya Emaan Zahid lamented the “enormous fees” being charged from the coronavirus patients in particular. “Imagine, with Rs100,000 per day charges, a person who

stays at the facility for a week will have to pay Rs700,000 [sic],” she said.

“The treatment cost [at private hospitals] is ridiculously high,” she further said, adding: “We do not want to criticise the hospitals’ administrations. We only want them to revise their charges in line with costs.” “On top of it, you [hospitals] do not

even give the [25pc] concession to the senior citizens.”

The excessive cost of Covid-19 tests is yet another issue. Private laboratories are charging as much as Rs7,900 per test.

“How is a daily wager who earns a meager Rs4000/4500 a month supposed to get himself tested,” asked Mohammed Razi, a

Punjab Assembly pays homage to Prof Waris Mir LAHORE STAFF REPORT

A few days after Punjab Information Minister Fayazul Hassan Chohan declared renowned journalist and academic, Prof Waris Mir, a traitor, the Punjab Assembly adopted a resolution on June 9 to pay homage to the late writer for his meritorious services for Pakistan.

The resolution was unanimously passed on the floor of the provincial assembly that credited Waris Mir and also proposed that the underpass near the New Campus of the University of the Punjab, where Mir rests in his last abode, must be renamed once again, after Prof Waris Mir. This resolution was proposed by the former minister Khalil Tahir

Sindhu, of the PMLN, and except for one member of the sitting PTI government, everyone on the floor unanimously passed the resolution.

The document brought to the floor of house by Tahir Khalil Sindhu on 9 June bore these words – “Professor Muhammad Waris Mir (1938-1987) was an honoured journalist, scholar and teacher of his

time. He fought for democracy, during the era of military dictatorship, and gave his courageous voice to the truth. Being the chairman of the Mass Communication Department of the University of the Punjab in Lahore, he taught Journalism for twenty five years. He also wrote bravely and vociferously in all popular Urdu newspapers of those days, and his writings can still be found as collections in several books.”

It was said in the resolution, "According to the Gazzette of Pakistan, year 2013, page 44, Professor Waris Mir followed the self-proclaimed dictum of 'write for the sake of truth telling, and speak for the voiceless'. He followed his dictum, as a mission to project the opinions of the common people.

Being a propagator of basic human rights, freedom of expression and freedom of thought, Waris Mir chose the road not oft taken, which most of his contemporaries could not do. Despite censorship, mental torture and added stress, he kept fighting and treading on against the dictatorial forces."

The resolution added, “Among the books credited to Waris Mir's name, are Hurriyat e Fikar ke Mujahid, Kya Aurat Aadhi hai, Khushamdi Sahafat aur Syasat, Zameer ke Aseer. Keeping his morals and commitment closer to his heart than anything else, he gave his life at the tender age of 48 years. To honour the services of Waris Mir, the government of Pakistan posthumously decorated him with the highest civilian award, the Hilal e Imtiaz in the year 2013. “Therefore, this Aiwan, unanimously pays homage to Waris Mir for his undoubted patriotic services for Pakistan and also demands that the underpass near the New Campus of the University of the Punjab, be named after him, once again.”

resident of Lahore’s Defence Housing Authority. Last month, the opposition Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had called on the federal government to bear the cost of the Covid-19 tests for the poor.

“How can we expect these poor people to pay for tests for coronavirus?” PPP Senator Rehman Malik had said in a letter to Federal Secretary for Interior retired Maj Azam Suleman Khan.

According to Zahid, the petition seeks effective enforcement of the judgement passed last year in the Darul Sukun and other versus the government of Sindh case.

While acknowledging the lack of proper legislation to keep the private hospitals’ invoices under check, the petition maintains that the situation became grimmer since most of the public health facilities reached full capacity amid a sudden surge in the number of positive cases in the province. The management of Aga Khan Hospitals was not available for comment until the filing of this report.

Fixing the petition for hearing on June 16, the court issued call-up notices to the respondents including Sindh Advocate General Barrister Zameer Hussain Ghumro and Chief Secretary Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah.

Punjab Assembly declares sanitation workers as frontline heroes LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly on Tuesday approved a resolution to declare sanitation workers as frontline heroes and providing them with adequate Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) mandatory. The resolution comes at the time when the Supreme Court (SC) ordered the provincial and federal governments only a few days ago to ensure provision of safety kits for sanitation workers and not to force them to enter manholes without the protective gear. The resolution was submitted by Khawaja Salman Rafiq, Khawaja Imran Nazir and Saadia Temur, belonging to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), in response to the national call for government authorities, civil society and media to honor sanitation workers as frontline Covid19 heroes in Pakistan launched by @sewperHeroes social media campaign.

Talking to Pakistan Today, Khawaja Imran Nazir said that Health Minister Yasmeen Rashid opposed the resolution stating that sanitation workers were already being provided PPE. “However, the speaker assembly said that even if they were being provided, it should be further increased,” he added. STAFF REPORT

wednesday, 10 June, 2020

news

05

Water politiCs With neiGhbours heat up under WorseninG CliMate in afGhanistan

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N a good year, farmer and mother-offour Zahra Tawakole can produce enough potatoes from her hectare of land in the small Afghan village of Raquel to get her family through to the next harvest.

Over the past two decades, however, weather patterns have become more extreme, Tawakole said, with flooding and dry spells devastating farms in central Afghanistan’s Bamiyan province that rely on rainfall and seasonal snowmelt rivers for irrigation.

“Many farmer families have already left, saying life has become too difficult.

They move either to cities like Kabul, or even to neighbouring countries like Iran,” Tawakole said.

This year, the farmers in Raquel are entrusting the success of their crops to a new system of concrete irrigation canals that will divert water from a small snowmelt river 6km (3.7 miles) away to more than 200 hectares (494 acres) of farmland.

Similar structures are being constructed or rehabilitated throughout the country, as climate change-induced flooding, reduced snowfall and poor irrigation infrastructure make it increasingly difficult for farmers to find enough water.

“Climate change has seen this resource dwindle, affecting the entire nation, which depends on the rivers that irrigate many provinces,” said Rajendra Aryal, the country representative for the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

But locals and officials say measures to help Afghanistan’s struggling farmers get reliable, adequate access to water could also exacerbate rising tensions between the country and its neighbours, who also depend on

MUCH OF THE MELTING SNOW IN AFGHANISTAN’S CENTRAL HIGHLANDS MAKES ITS WAY TO RIVERS THAT CROSS IRAN AND PAKISTAN Afghanistan’s water supplies.

The biggest source of tension is the Helmand River, which both Afghanistan and Iran depend on for agriculture and drinking water.

The river constitutes more than 40% of Afghanistan’s surface water, say water experts, and runs about 1,125km (700 miles) southwest from the Hindu Kush mountains into Iran.

“Afghanistan and Iran both share a hot climate in summer and depend on water, but there isn’t enough. We’re increasingly fighting over water,” said Sheer Agha Noorzai, a farmer in the southern Nimroz province.

IRRIGATION: The central highlands, where Bamiyan is located, are the source of nearly all of Afghanistan’s water, filling the majority of the country’s river systems.

With some of the country’s largest water reserves - made up of rainwater and snowmelt coming down the Hindu Kush mountains - and crop-friendly temperatures, agricultural experts say Bamiyan could become a breadbasket for the nation.

“Bamiyan has huge potential to grow more diverse crops if irrigation can be regulated,” said Aryal.

Currently, he noted, farmers are cultivating about 75,000 hectares (185,300 acres) of land in Bamiyan, nearly a quarter of it dependent on rain for water.

With proper irrigation another 137,000 hectares (338,500 acres) of uncultivated land

Google Maps to alert users about Covid-19related travel restrictions Google is adding features on its Maps service to alert users about COVID-19-related travel restrictions to help them plan their trips better, the Alphabet Inc unit said on Monday. The update would allow users to check how crowded a train station might be at a particular time, or if buses on a certain route are running on a limited schedule, Google said. The transit alerts would be rolled out in Argentina, France, India, Netherlands, the United States and United Kingdom among other countries, the company said in a blog post. The new features would also include details on COVID-19 checkpoints and restrictions on crossing national borders, starting with Canada, Mexico and the United States. In recent months, the company has analyzed location data from billions of Google users’ phones in 131 countries to examine mobility under lockdowns and help health authorities assess if people were abiding with social-distancing and other orders issued to rein in the virus. Google has invested billions of dollars from its search ads business to digitally map the world, drawing 1 billion users on average every month to its free navigation app. AGENCIES

- an area slightly smaller than Greater London - could be utilised, he said.

Now, however, about half of the water coming from the mountains ends up either seeping into the ground or flowing directly into rivers like the Helmand River and isn’t used to irrigate farmland, explained Bamiyan’s former governor Tahir Zuhair.

At the same time, hotter temperatures and increasingly frequent droughts are leading to less rain and snowfall and driving more evaporation from water sources, according to the Ministry of Energy and Water.

The combination of those factors has caused water levels to drop by 10 billion cubic metres over the past few years, it said in 2018.

“Saving water through new canals is not only important for Bamiyan, but has implications for the whole country,” Zuhair told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

WATER DISPUTE: Much of the melting snow in Afghanistan’s central highlands makes its way to rivers that cross the country’s borders into neighbouring nations such as Iran and Pakistan, and disputes over access to those waters are long-running.

Noorzai’s farm is on the Iran border, about 1,000km (620 miles) from Bamiyan, and relies on the Helmand for irrigation.

A 1973 water agreement was supposed to share resources equitably, but both sides say the other is using more than its fair share.

Afghanistan has said that Iran is taking more than the 26 cubic metres of water per second that it was allocated, funnelling it out of the Hamoun wetlands - where the Helmand empties out - and into man-made lakes.

Iran says Afghanistan is holding back more water than it is entitled to, pointing to the two hydroelectric dams that Afghanistan has built across the Helmand, with another in construction in Nimroz.

“The hardest part of our work in Nimroz is to control the border,” explained the province’s governor Sayed Sultan.

“Because of the war, Iran has taken more water than agreed to. Part of the problem is that the exact amount was never measured,” Sultan said.

Forty years of war have made it impossible for Afghanistan to properly measure how much water is crossing its borders, he added.

Iran’s General Director of Transboundary Rivers and Shared Water Resources Eisa Bozorgzadeh told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that such claims are “baseless.”

“We are merely receiving seasonal floodwater from the Helmand,” he said, adding that dams on the Afghan side were damaging the environment.

Water experts say climate change is further aggravating the situation.

Decreasing water levels in the Helmand and other rivers that run out of Afghanistan will eventually reduce the volume of water flowing into Iran, explained Martina Klimes, advisor for Water and Peace at the Stockholm International Water Institute.

“This will affect both countries severely, but can also possibly worsen their bilateral relations on water issues as some might be

under the impression that Afghanistan’s dams have caused the decreased flow,” she noted.

Both countries are now working together to set up a new water measurement station at the border where the Helmand crosses into Iran, that will determine how much water actually flows over the border.

‘OUR GREATEST ASSET’: Food shortages give an added urgency to Afghanistan’s struggle to secure and manage its water supplies.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) issued in May said that about 10.9 million people in Afghanistan roughly a third of the population - are considered acutely food insecure.

Non-profits and officials hope that building better irrigation canals in Bamiyan can help farmers in the area grow enough to boost food security for the wider region.

Asim Farid, the governor for Yawkalang district in Bamiyan, said the 6km (3.7 miles) of cement canals, due to be completed in the spring, could yield 30% more water than the unlined canals that farmers build themselves.

The system will also include large basins to capture flood water, simultaneously stopping it from destroying crops and storing the water for use in dry weather, he said.

In Raquel, farmer Zahra Tawakole believes the new canals will help the village for the time being, but she worries about the increasingly warming winters.

“Improved irrigation canals are an option for now, but we will need to be able to adapt to the long-term consequences of climate change,” she said.

"Bamiyan has many riches, such as coal and iron. But water in an otherwise dry land is our greatest asset." AGENCIES

Obscure Indian cyber firm spied on politicians, investors worldwide WASHINGTON AGENCIES

A little-known Indian IT firm offered its hacking services to help clients spy on more than 10,000 email accounts over a period of seven years.

New Delhi-based BellTroX InfoTech Services targeted government officials in Europe, gambling tycoons in the Bahamas, and well-known investors in the United States including private equity giant KKR and short seller Muddy Waters, according to three former employees, outside researchers, and a trail of online evidence.

Aspects of BellTroX’s hacking spree aimed at American targets are currently under investigation by US law enforcement, five people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The US Department of Justice declined to comment. Reuters does not know the identity of BellTroX’s clients. In a telephone interview, the company’s owner, Sumit Gupta, declined to disclose who had hired him and denied any wrongdoing.

Muddy Waters founder Carson Block said he was “disappointed, but not surprised, to learn that we were

likely targeted for hacking by a client of BellTroX.” KKR declined to comment.

Researchers at internet watchdog group Citizen Lab, who spent more than two years mapping out the infrastructure used by the hackers, released a report here on Tuesday saying they had “high confidence” that BellTroX employees were behind the espionage campaign.

“This is one of the largest spy-for-hire operations ever exposed,” said Citizen Lab researcher John Scott-Railton.

Although they receive a fraction of the attention devoted to state-sponsored espionage groups or headline-grabbing heists, “cyber mercenary” services are widely used, he said. “Our investigation found that no sector is immune.”

A cache of data reviewed by Reuters provides insight into the operation, detailing tens of thousands of malicious messages designed to trick victims into giving up their passwords that were sent by BellTroX between 2013 and 2020. The data was supplied on condition of anonymity by online service providers used by the hackers after Reuters alerted the firms to unusual patterns of activity on their platforms.

The data is effectively a digital hit list showing who was targeted and when. Reuters validated the data by checking it against emails received by the targets.

On the list: judges in South Africa, politicians in Mexico, lawyers in France and environmental groups in the United States. These dozens of people, among the thousands targeted by BellTroX, did not respond to messages or declined comment.

Reuters was not able to establish how many of the hacking attempts were successful.

BellTroX’s Gupta was charged in a 2015 hacking case in which two US private investigators admitted to paying him to hack the accounts of marketing executives. Gupta was declared a fugitive in 2017, although the US Justice Department declined to comment on the current status of the case or whether an extradition request had been issued.

Speaking by phone from his home in New Delhi, Gupta denied hacking and said he had never been contacted by law enforcement. He said he had only ever helped private investigators download messages from email inboxes after they provided him with login details.

For Italy's Muslims, lack of burial space deepens grief in pandemic ROME AGENCIES

The coronavirus pandemic has created the problem of cities running out of burial space as cases continue to climb.

And Italy’s Muslim community is no exception with the Mediterranean country running out of burial space for its religious minority.

Imams and Muslim community leaders are now calling for more cemeteries, or additional space in the country’s existing graveyards, as the faithful increasingly want to be buried in Italy, their home.

“We have experienced the pain (of the pandemic), but it has sometimes been deepened when some families could not find a place to bury their dead because there were no Muslim sections in the town cemeteries,” Abdullah Tchina, imam of the Milan Sesto mosque, toldAFP. More than 34,000 people have died from the virus in Italy, mostly in the industrial north, and for months global air travel has been at a near-standstill.

As a result, Muslims who died of

COVID-19 or other causes could not be repatriated to their countries of origin, as was the practice previously.

That led to a spike in requests for burials — and the realisation that Italy lacks the space.

Italy’s Muslims number around 2.6 million, or 4.3% of the population. Living mainly in the country’s north, 56% hold foreign citizenship, many from countries in North Africa or South Asia.

No official statistics are available on the number of Muslims, whether Italians or foreign nationals, who lost their lives during the outbreak.

A RECTANGLE OF PEBBLES: In the cemetery of Bruzzano, on the outskirts of Milan, 50-something Mustapha Moulay gazes at a greyish earthen tomb in the Muslim section of an overwhelmingly Roman Catholic cemetery.

“It was God’s will,” he said of the death on April 7 of his 55-year-old wife from COVID-19.

She contracted the virus in a Milan hospital where she had been admitted a month earlier for a minor leg operation, said Moulay, who was born in Morocco and has

lived in Italy for 32 years.

The grave has no tombstone, and is simply marked out with a rectangle of pebbles.

The freshest graves are strikingly destitute.

The graves of those who died pre-coronavirus look more permanent — with cement borders and sometimes a marble slab engraved with the crescent moon.

Many other Italian Muslims however were forced to travel long distances to bury their dead, or leave bodies for days in morgues, or even keep them at home while seeking a space.

‘A DIGNIFIED BURIAL’: Under Islamic tradition, the dead must be buried as quickly as possible, preferably within 24 hours.

One of the most extreme cases was that of Hira Ibrahim, a Macedonian woman in Pisogne, near the northern city of Brescia, whose mother died from coronavirus.

Ibrahim had to keep her mother’s body at home for more than 10 days for lack of a Muslim cemetery in her community, according to the newspaper La Repubblica.

Countless Muslim families faced similar tragic predicaments during the crisis, the paper said.

Tchina, the imam, said the problem persists even after the biggest waves of deaths have subsided.

The body of a Muslim who died in Milan last week was transported some 50 kilometres (30 miles) away for burial, he said.

Tchina thanked mayors “who opened their (Catholic) cemeteries during this crisis to ensure a dignified burial” for the Muslim dead.

The president of Milan’s Islamic Centre, Gueddouda Boubakeur, said that some families in Brescia and Bergamo — two of the areas hardest hit by the coronavirus — had to wait “a very long time”.

Thanks to the combined efforts of municipalities and central government authorities, solutions were ultimately found most of the time, he said.

“We didn’t consider the distance. We went to the first town that accepted the bodies. Our concern was above all to find space,” Boubakeur said.

HANDFUL OF CEMETERIES: The Union of Islamic Communities of Italy lists just 76 Islamic cemeteries in the country, which counts nearly 8,000 municipalities.

The oldest was built in 1856, in the

northeastern city of Trieste, while Rome’s date back only to 1974.

Under Italian law, cemeteries “may provide for special and separate sections” for non-Catholics, but they are not required.

Boubakeur acknowledged the government’s cooperation but urged more “political will” to create additional Muslim burial spaces.

“After this pandemic, 150 municipalities responded positively to our requests” to provide a Muslim section in their cemeteries, Boubakeur said — just a fraction of the nearly 8,000 municipalities.

Going forward, the need for Muslim burial plots will only increase as immigrants and their offspring prefer to be interred in Italy.

“We used to have a kitty to pay for sending back bodies to their country of origin, but no longer,” Boubakeur said.

“Some old people still want to be buried in their country of origin. But many have children, grandchildren in Italy and now prefer to be buried here.”

Younger Muslims “want to be buried in Italy because they’re Italian”, Boubakeur said.

Wednesday, 10 June, 2020

06 COMMENT

Ill-timed suggestions for the Budget

Price extracted by the ‘mild flu’ Rise and rise in infections as economy continues to sink

go on a strike, on the eve of Pakistan’s budget announcement. the stakes are high and very real.

Quite apart from this suggestion by the IMF, the ing for those who require medical help. Doctors and government should increase its role and take charge nurses in public hospitals, sanitation and janitorial of the situation. the private sector takes its lead staff, medical workers, police and paramedics are our from the public sector and the government’s apfront-line workers. they are on the government’s proach to the economy. there is little evidence, payroll. Imagine a plausible reality where they are globally, of the government ‘crowding out’ private stop being paid. therefore, not only are they expected sector and investment. If the public sector contracts to continue risking their lives and jeopardizing that now, it will create a dangerous precedent for labour of their loved ones, now the Government is going to employed in the private sector.

How is an economy ask them to do it for free. supposed to recover if its How is that fair? consumption tanks?

Let us add to the there are very few polfront-line workers the How is an economy supposed to icy options to resuscitate people who make the investment thereafter. A government machinery recover if its consumption tanks? direct attack on Pakrun, the bureaucrats and There are very few policy options to istan’s skilled labour other government emunder the guise of fiscal ployees. In 2018-19, a resuscitate investment thereafter. A consolidation will not whopping 96 percent of only make economic regovernment employees direct attack on Pakistan’s skilled covery next to impossiwere employed in the ble, it will also directly basic scales 1-16. We canlabour under the guise of fiscal and negatively affect the not say that they have consolidation will not only make state and government. missed the mark during And we will very this crisis. they are funceconomic recovery next to quickly find ourselves in tionaries of the state; they a vicious circle of inenforce policies they reimpossible, it will also directly and competent government ceive from the upper echnegatively affect the state and workers unable to elons. Let us refrain from achieve fiscal targets faulting them with somegovernment. And we will very which will perennially thing that is not their fault. park us on the front door they have been working quickly find ourselves in a vicious of international lenders, tirelessly and they do not including the IMF. circle of incompetent government receive a wage premium; Is it even worth it for they do receive job secuworkers unable to achieve fiscal the government to take a rity, and that is why they decision that is bound to choose to serve their targets which will perennially park be reversed? country this way. All of that will go out with the us on the front door of international Dr.Izza Aftab decision to freeze or cut lenders, including the IMF Chairperson of the their wages. Is this how Economics Department the state should reward at Information the people who serve it Technology University, and its people?

Lahore. She is also the the decision to freeze wages will create ripples to the tune of a tsunami, pun intended. Not only will Director of the SDG Tech Lab and the Program this hamper the much-needed restructuring and reha- Director of Safer Society for Children. She has a PhD bilitation of the economy in the medium run, it will in Economics from The New School University (NY, erode belief, trust and confidence in the government USA) and is a Fulbrighter.

She tweets: @izzaaftab and state. this will be a direct attack on Pakistan’s democracy and potentially bring the country back to Ms Sadaf Akbar is a Research Associate at the the two-party system. Just recently, the Grand Health Alliance announced that it would strike against a SDG Tech Lab established in collaboration with provincial government due to the lack of safety equip- Information Technology University, Lahore, UNDP ment for doctors. If their demands go unmet, they will and UNFPA.

The IMF pushes bad economics (again)

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HE pandemic continues to take a larger toll in terms of human life and social development week after week. there is a growing realization now that cases and deaths did not rise at as rapid a rate as they did in Europe and the USA at least partly because of the lockdown that the provinces had imposed in March despite the Prime Minister’s opposition. the concessions given to the clerics’ lobby during Ramzan and to the traders lobby a week before the Eid opened the floodgates. the country is facing the consequences of the government’s shortsightedness. thanks to the government’s fatalistic view that limited its responses to kneejerk reactions, the country is losing the battle both in terms of human casualties and economic development. the government’s policy based on developing herd immunity has already led to more than 2000 deaths. Per capita death rates in India and Bangladesh stand at half those in Pakistan. In economic terms Pakistan has turned out to be the worst-hit country in the region. Pakistan’s economy was already in bad shape before the advent of covid-19 and unemployment was on the rise. the employment miracle promised by opening the construction industry has turned out to be a mirage. According to the World Bank’s Global Economic Prospects released on Monday the country’s economy was likely to go into the red this fiscal year and would be unable to recover even next year. It forecast a negative GDP growth of -2.6 percent for the current fiscal year and -0.2 percent during the next. As opposed to this, other economies in the region— India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan— would remain in the growth mode during fiscal 2019-20, even though all would suffer from the pandemic’s impact. the much flaunted arrangements in terms of the provision of PPEs, ventilators and hospital beds are coming under increasing pressure as shown by complaints by both patients and doctors. What one expects from the Prime Minister is to provide hope and leadership in the period of the pandemic. His apocalyptic warning that Pakistan might also have to face the conditions prevailing in the USA, Brazil and Europe if citizens are not careful will cause despair rather than arouse hope.

Dr izza aftab &saDaf akbar

I

t’S that time again in Pakistan─ the time when it tallies its books, double-checks all its pockets and glances dismally at the plethora of ‘summaries’ received. It is Budget time in Pakistan.

Pakistan is expected to announce the fiscal budget of FY 2020-2021 on June 12. While Pakistan has ignored, and will ignore, most requests, the ones coming from the IMF are hard to ignore. the latest ‘suggestion’ is to freeze the public-sector wage bill so that Pakistan can continue on its path of fiscal consolidation. this should be done to achieve the target of limiting the primary fiscal deficit to 0.4 percent of GDP. In the past ten years, according to the State Bank of Pakistan, this metric ballooned to 9 percent of GDP in 2012 and has been almost halved in 2018.

Since then, it has shown a slight increase. Now, the demand is that it be reduced by a factor of six in the upcoming year. Ladies and gentleman, brace yourselves, we are in for quite a ride!

Before we go up in arms about some hidden agenda of the IMF, it is pertinent to note that this suggestion is not a first from it. Latvia, which borrowed €7.5 Billion from the IMF in 2008, had to cut government expenditure as well. to ensure fiscal consolidation, Latvia unilaterally brought wage cuts; cuts in pensions, teachers’ pay and wages in the health sector quickly followed. therefore, this is an old trick in the IMF’s bag. It is also a trick that has not yielded any documented temporal improvement and has almost always been quickly reversed by governments forced into it. Collective action like strikes have been a key factor in such a reversal.

So what would happen if Pakistan yields to this demand? At a time when the state needs to be entrepreneurial, such shackles will prove counter-intuitive even to broad goals of international lenders like the IMF. Forget the macroeconomic woes Pakistan always finds itself in for a moment and consider the exogenous shock of the covid-19 pandemic.

Pakistan’s trajectory of the spread of the virus has still not peaked. the virus is spreading like wildfire with no abatement in sight. the country’s front-line workers, along with scores of civilians, are falling prey to the virus like flies. the recent relaxation of the lockdown and the ensuing spike in cases is evidence enough that our front-line workers are our best bet against the virus. As a nation, we have played no effective role to prevent the spread by curbing our mobility, so we have to fall back on curing it and car-

Rape allegations Cynthia Ritchie’s claims must be investigated but so should her credentials

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YNtHIA Ritchie, a US national residing in Pakistan for over a decade, claims that in 2011 former Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik in the PPP government, under the pretense of resolving her visa issues, invited her to his official residence, drugged her and then raped her. these are very serious allegations involving a person who acted from a position of power and assaulted a foreign national on Pakistani soil, and therefore require a thorough investigation to ascertain all the facts. there should be no hesitation or unnecessary delay in commencing a probe against these or any other allegations of sexual assault by the relevant authorities. We need to dispense with the unfortunate idea of an ‘ideal victim’ and stick to investigating allegations of sexual assault regardless of who is making them.

However, Ms. Ritchie’s own credibility is also something of a question mark. Her ubiquity in the corridors of power, rubbing shoulders with political bigwigs and heads of institutions at social events or official tours arranged especially for her during an extended stay in Pakistan is mysterious. Under what capacity does she enjoy such unbridled access that many would give an arm and a leg for, no one really knows. On paper, she is a blogger, freelance film director and producer who according to her is working to portray a soft-image of Pakistan internationally, but none of her writing has been published in any reputable foreign publication while her very limited work behind the camera can be described as video-blogging (vlog) at best. the majority of her social media presence is based on twitter where her engagement can be summed-up as relentless trolling. through her past tweets, she has made multiple unprovoked below-the-belt vicious personal attacks on the Bhutto family, the more reprehensible of which are the ones on the late Benazir Bhutto, who is no more and can’t defend herself. In this context, her latest allegations being PPPspecific bring Ms Ritchie’s motives into question as well.

None of her claims, which also delve into conspiracy theory territory, such as a PPP-PtM anti-state nexus, have ever been substantiated. It is quite surreal that a foreigner. about whom very little is known, is granted a visa every few years, who has highly questionable credentials, openly comments on domestic politics and deliberately tries to stir up controversy by spewing venom, is allowed regular face-time with the country’s leadership and on-demand airtime on primetime television as well. Her becoming a prominent figure in Pakistan’s political discourse can largely be attributed to the person(s) who facilitated it.

Rescheduling Chinese debt An option that might need to be explored

Mohsin saleeM Ullah

I

t is fast-becoming commonplace, albeit worrying, for any developing, poor country to constantly struggle to pay off bailouts and seek debt reliefs. the debts are often loans borrowed from international organizations and developed countries like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and more particularly, China. And sadly, Pakistan is no exemption to this, and in fact, the tale has been nothing to write home about. Pakistan is a major recipient of China’s Belt and Road infrastructure initiative, pledging to bankroll some $60 billion in port, road and railway projects there. this has often resulted in such infrastructure loans, plunging the recipient-countries into debt crises for. And now, Pakistan is going to have deal with a fast increasing mounting balance-of-payments crisis.

Over the years, China has been a very close ally of Pakistan. And in recent times, there came about China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a group of infrastructure development projects that have been under construction in Pakistan since 2013. the value of the projects was originally placed at $46 billion at the start, but as of 2019, its worth is pegged at the value of $62 billion. the CPEC, according to the par-

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

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an all-time high of $88, 891 million in the fourth quarter of 2017 and a record low of $33, 172 million in the third quarter of 2004. All these have led to declining amounts in foreign exchange, capital flows and foreign reserves. the country has to always appeal to countries like China for loans to subsidize its tough economic ties involved, is intended and operated to speedily de- situation. In the clover, these funds have not been sufvelop Pakistan’s infrastructure and substantially bol- ficient to ease Pakistan’s current account crisis, so the ster its economic buoyancy through the construction country had to also call on the IMF for the $6 billion of modern transportation networks, numerous energy loan it recently lent. the difficulty is that the CPEC venture is a long projects, and special economic zones.

While the economic corridor seems to immensely way from being done, and the expenses of finishing benefit China, Pakistan is also drinking from the pot it continues rising.

Furthermore, that makes it likely that Pakistan of the project. And of course, that looks juicy. It’s indeed a huge step forward, as the country relentlessly could reschedule its obligation a few times before it’s strives to transition from a developing to a large econ- finished and offer a destiny similar to some countries omy — therefore creating a lot of economic oppor- like Sri Lanka and in Africa — trading obligation tunities for its people in the process. But despite this, with value, which basically will hand CPEC to China. that is the model there is a rising challenge China utilized in reschedthat seems to put Pakistan uling Sri Lanka’s obligaon the low sides. the tion, transforming the project even makes Paknation’s Hambantota port istan to be much more inOver the years, China has been a authoritatively into debted to China, which very close ally of Pakistan. And in China’s own port, for a has been its financier. long time. An achieveAnd in fact, yet surprisrecent times, there came about ment bargain marked ingly, Pakistan’s external debt profile took off on China–Pakistan Economic Corridor nearly a year ago gives China Merchants Ports an upward spiral shortly (CPEC), a group of infrastructure Holdings—an arm of the after CPEC was Chinese government— launched. this has since development projects that have 70% stake in the Indian prompted a rising indebtOcean’s noticeable station. edness that comes at a been under construction in Like CPEC, the time when the country is Hambantota port develalready living beyond its Pakistan since 2013. opment started with means and is in dire need credits from China. Be of critical funds. this is that as it may, when Sri asserted by insistently Lanka couldn’t reimcontinuous current account deficits and external debts of the country. And burse the credits, Beijing changed over these advances to value, generally transforming Sri Lanka this could be safely likened to a debt trap by China.

Pakistan, with $312.57 billion Gross Domestic into a “semi-province,” in an unpretentious way.

In conclusion, that is the thing that will in the Product (GDP) recorded a current account deficit of a staggering 5.8% of GDP in 2018, according to long run happen to Pakistan when China expects protradingeconomics.com. the country’s current ac- prietorship and control of CPEC and gathers tolls count to GDP averaged -2.35% from 1980 until 2018, from vehicles that go through. reaching an all-time high of 4.90% in 2003 and a Mohsin Saleem Ullah is a freelance writer who record low of -8.50% in 2008. Likewise, Pakistan’s external debt jumped to $105, 841 Million in the first holds an LLM, in business law from UC Berkeley, quarter of 2019 from $99, 086 Million in the fourth reports for The Fox News Digital in Pakistan. He can quarter of 2018.the country’s external debt averaged be reached at mohsin.saleemullah@berkeley.edu or $53,029.34 Million from 2002 until 2017, reaching @MohsinSaleemu.

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Wednesday, 10 June, 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

Upcoming budget tHE government is expected to announce its annual budget, estimated expenditure, and revenue collection for the fiscal year 2020-21 in the second week of June. the government’s prime focus will likely be, and should be, on providing relief for people and businesses alike, rather than increasing taxes, until the virus is contained and we may move back towards normality. thus, it shall most probably reflect an effort to counter the negative impact of the coronavirus on our economy. the government may increase debt to provide relief for people and businesses. Businesses are continuously accruing great losses as revenue from the airline industry, public transport, hospitality, leisure, and tourism fall next to nil. Restaurants have reopened, but with the limited function of takeaways only. As many sectors remained closed and may not be reopened over the next three- or four-month period, further taxes will only threaten the livelihood of individuals. the government should thus be mindful and take precautions to avoid furthering the economic catastrophe which looms over us.

SAQIB ISHAQ Chakothi AJK

Response to locusts

The buck stops here Blame must be laid at the right door bad news as to the failure of two engines. On inspection? Were the relatives of the deceased the face of it, he was trying his best to follow provided with adequate compensation, or were the instructions given by the former. Even oth- they fed on false promises? Had the inquiries erwise, he was a mature enough pilot, who was been made and the crucial facts involved in ERO was fiddling while Rome said to have 17,000 flight hours around the crashes been revealed, heads might have rolled burned. the sure recipe for disaster, world to his credit. and proper decisions would have been taken not for a complete failure for a leader, is However, every nerve is strained to pass the to repeat the same mistakes to avoid further to sit on its hand and enjoy holidays, buck to him with a view to getting away with crashes. Alas, this was not to be. whilst the nation is stumbling from everything.

Against this the one crisis to another. they say when misfortunes spokesman for the backdrop, is it not come, they come not alone, but in battalions. Pakistan Airline Pidelusional to attach First coronavirus, then economic slump, and the lots Association, many expectations crash of PIA aircraft, and that too before Eid, tariq Yahya, opined With every crash, the confidence of to an inquiry comand now the locust attack. mission, whose rethat such a crash the general public in traveling by the otherwise joyful religious event of Eid- was not unlikely, as port would never see ul-Fitr became a somber one. the pressure was most of the PIA airthe light of the day?

PIA is undermined and its mounted on the Chairman of PIA, Air Marshal craft were no longer So why do people Arshad Malik to take the responsibility for the airworthy. Needless demand resignareputation lies in tatters. Knowing crash and step down. But being a warrior, he dug to mention that a tion? Naturally, the full well that their lives are his heels in. buck stops with the team from France Rialways Minister Sheikh Rasheed refused based Airbus comChairman, who sits imperilled, it is hard for them to point-blank to resign in the wake of train pany, the maker of at the top of the nacrashes. When he hitched his wagon to PtI, he the ill-fated aircraft, tional flag carrier prefer PIA over other airlines. It is would insist on Saad Rafique, then Railways visited Pakistan to and undertakes to safety that matters ultimately Minister, to bow out. Air Marshal Malik might launch its own insupervise the suborhave followed suit. Prime Minister Imran Khan, vestigation. While dinate officers. He too, would not tire of demanding resignations getting their stateexercises the powers from public office holders before coming into ment recorded beof a Chief Execupower. He would quote multiple examples from fore it, the members tive. He is at the Western democracies. However, post-election, of Pakistani inquiry committee shifted the whole sweet will and mercy of the Federal Governthis is not to be. After all, the apologists may blame on the pilot. ment, which appoints him. His fixed tenure argue that the ground realities of politics stand Following the air crash in 2014, Dr Nafisa under the law is three years, which can be cut poles apart from lofty and empty campaign slo- Shah along with three other National Assembly short, and he may be relieved of his services eargans and no obligation, let alone a moral one, members presented the National Air transport lier by the Federal Government. Wouldn’t he be rests upon a leader.

Safety Board, Bill before the National Assembly exercising his influence to avoid getting inthe all-important question that stares us in with a view to establishing a board independent volved in the eye of the storm? Should he not the face is whether the Air Marshal should resign of the Civil Aviation Authority, to investigate the stand down in the interest of a fair, transparent or not. Speaking at a press conference following causes of plane crashes and to determine and en- and impartial inquiry? the deadly crash, not for a moment did a feeling sure compensation. It contemplated accountabilthe amount announced by the government of remorse or pain or embarrassment cross his ity of the board and the CAA by Parliament. as compensation to the tune of 1 million is deface. the Federal Government instituted a four- Sadly, the Standing Committee on the bill, rec- risory and illusory, to say the least. member inquiry committee, headed by Air Com- ommended it be rejected by the Assembly, withPakistan is a signatory to a multilateral modore Usman Ghani to investigate the cause of out setting out any reason at all. treaty called the Montreal Convention 1999. the crash. therein A crash causing Pursuant to it, the airline is bound to pay damlies the rub. Coming 97 deaths is a huge ages to the bereaved families. Invoking the as the Air Comloss and embarrass- Fatal accident Act, 1855 & the Carriage By Air modore and three ment to the nation at (International Convention) Act, 1966, the relaA crash causing 97 deaths is a huge home and abroad. In tives of the deceased may institute civil suits other members do from the PAF, its heyday, PIA was against the federal government, PIA through its loss and embarrassment to the where a junior is not a brand name. It Chairman and the Airbus company to claim supposed to dissent would help set up compensation. nation at home and abroad. In its from a senior, can All said and done, under Article 19-A of the airlines and train piheyday, PIA was a brand name. It they sit in judgment lots around the Constitution, 1973 read with the Right to Access over a serving Air world. Its motto was to Information Act, 2017, it is the fundamental would help set up airlines and train “Great Marshal? people to fly right of every citizen of Pakistan to demand that As gradually with”. It was a mat- the findings of the inquiry report be made public. pilots around the world.

Its motto facts started beter of national pride. Anyone involved in criminal negligence should coming known, the was “Great people to fly with”. It was But then, things not go scot-free. With every crash, the confiblame was laid at went from bad to dence of the general public in traveling by PIA a matter of national pride. But then, worse. the door of the is undermined and its reputation lies in tatters. pilot, who allegedly Knowing full well that their lives are imperilled, From 1965 to things went from bad to worse. didn’t pay heed to 2020, PIA witnessed it is hard for them to prefer PIA over other airthe warning alarms 10 crashes of its lines. It is safety that matters ultimately. sounding in the Unless the appointments are made purely on planes. It raises a secockpit for the failries of questions: merit and PIA is purged of the corruption that ure of the landing gear to opem. John Cox, an whether fair, transparent, and impartial inquiries runs through its veins and the political interferaviation safety consultant ruled out the possi- were made to get at the truth and the findings ence is ended, the return to its former glory is bility. the checklist requires the crew to make were made public? What were the underlying not possible. It goes without saying, it is a tall sure that the landing gear has been locked into reasons for the crashes? Whether the pilots or order and is easier said than done. place before preparing for landing. the conver- the flying crew were incompetent? Or could they sation that went on between the Control tower not make crucial decisions in the wink of an Zaeem Mumtaz Bhatti is a lawyer based in and the pilot reveals that the latter was noncha- eye? Were the planes not airworthy? How much Lahore. He tweets at @zaeem8825. He can be lant and he didn’t lose his cool while breaking time elapsed since they last underwent thorough contacted at zaeem.bhatti89@gmail.com.

zaeeM MUMtaz bhatti

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WE had a devastating attack of locust swarms a long time back. the government at that time took every possible step to prevent its settlement in any area, especially on crops. In cities and villages, people came out with anything they could get hold of to make noise to scare off the locust.

People from all walks of life and from every age and gender came together to do whatever they could to prevent loss of crops by locust swarms. It was this unity and zeal of people that kept the damage at a minimum. When I see the lackluster response of the government and people to locust attacks on crops today, I feel that we have lost the spirit of fighting such disasters as one. Politicians do less practical work and are more compulsive talkers, indulging in irrelevant and frivolous matters. the government of Sindh did not take timely measures to handle the locust issue during the COVID pandemic.

RAJA SHAFAATULLAH Islamabad

PUBG ruining youth tHE PUBG game is getting much popular among the youth,and children. they enjoy the game and waste their time playing it.

It comes to know that this game is going to be banned in Pakistan within a few days due to some reasons that are. this game is based on “Violence” where you are supposed to kill your opponents, the more you kill youe opponents in game, the more you get happy. And the the psychologically proved that it has impact on brain and they try to be violent in real life. they don’t do decent activities.

As we know that music is “Haram” in Islam. And when you play this game there are some musical elements in the background, and also when a player drive a car, there are some music played in the car.

Apart from that, the women in the game have been used as a sata.

Who are dressed in a way which provoke the desires. they can be seen in short dresses like skirts and etc. Infact, game allows people to connect with each other and allow them to talk to each other. While playing this game, many people talking to “non Mehram”. Whic is also against the islam. the most important thing in this game is “Idol worshipping”. Where you bow down to it and glorify it, you’ll get more guns and stuff like that.

And this thing include on a Shirk, which is unforgivable sin.

In my opinion this game become the addiction and the player don’t even listen to anyone else while playing this game. And only by playing such types of games people disrespect humans and hurt thein feelings. though, this game connect people with world, but disconnect them from the one sitting next to them.

ZILL-E-HUMA Rawalpindi

Anxiety ANxIEtY disorder are the most common type of mental illness. we all have the potential to develop mental health problem no matter how old we are whether we are male or female, rich or poor. It affect how we think, feel and act. It also help to determine how we handle stress, relate to other and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. If you experience mental health problem your thinking, mood and behavior could be affected and also fear of being subject to the judgement of other, they may feel afraid or feel that they have no control over what is happening feeling helpless or hopeless, thinking of harming yourself and even attempt suicide.

TAQDEES ZAFAR Islamabad

Cellphones and students CELLPHONES are of great use; they have made the life of the mankind more comfortable and entertaining. Due to them people have become close to one another, despite of being far. though the cellphones have many benefits, they are also very bad for the mankind. they have revolutionized the life of the people with many changes which have made the mankind mentally, physically and socially weak.

Cellphones are beneficial if used when needed or required. But, the people are misusing them. they have left all their other relationships, activities and duties and are wasting their complete time on their cellphones.

Cellphones have highly affected the mind and the studies of the students. Parents give their children cellphones at an early age and make them a part of this complicated world for which their minds are not ready yet. Parents need not to give cellphones to their children at an early age if they wish them to perform well in their studies.

TZ Islamabad

Wednesday, 10 June, 2020

08 WORLD VIEW

The reTurn of economic naTionalism BURKE WAS A BRITISH NATIONALIST WHO WAS FAR MORE INTERESTED IN THE WEALTH OF HIS NATION THAN IN THE WEALTH OF NATIONS

Newsweek

W

DAVID BROG

hat do conservatives want?

For decades, movement conservatives had a ready answer to this question. We want free markets and low taxes. We want limited government. In Grover Norquist's infamous formulation, we want to shrink government so small that we "we can drown it in the bathtub."

If these libertarian fantasies failed to inspire you, you're not alone. Many of us who consider ourselves to be deeply conservative were never moved by the "leave us alone" agenda. We aspired to national greatness—not small government. We longed to lift up our fellow americans, not withdraw from them. and for our sins, we were ostracized. In the Republican schoolyard, being called a "squish" or a "RINO" made you unpopular, indeed.

Like him or not, President Donald trump has rendered an invaluable service to the conservative movement. It took this brash outsider to finally shatter the ossified Cold War conservative orthodoxy. Suddenly, we're having the debates we should have had the day the Berlin Wall fell. and the most urgent of these debates

is to revisit the notion that conservatives must be free market fundamentalists.

When conservatives support an active governmental role in promoting our national industry and protecting our workers, we are not betraying our conservative heritage— we're honoring it. this doesn't mean that conservatives don't revere the free market—we most certainly do. But we've always seen the free markets as a means towards an end and never mistook it for an end in itself. Conservatives have thus felt free to depart from orthodox laissez-faire dogma when necessary in the service of larger conservative goals, such as the flourishing of the nation and the unity of its people. any analysis of the conservative approach to economics must naturally begin with Edmund Burke. While a strong case can be made that the conservative movement preceded him by centuries, Burke had the benefit of being a contemporary of adam Smith. these two great men met, exchanged ideas and expressed mutual admiration. Burke read Smith's the Wealth of Nations and endorsed it. For his part, Smith is said to have recognized Burke as "the only man I ever knew who thinks on economic subjects exactly as I do."

Despite this background, however, the frequent efforts to claim Burke as some sort of prophet of laissez-faire completely misunderstand the man and misrepresent his thought.

Burke's deep appreciation for free markets never hardened into an ideological absolute.

Quite to the contrary, Burke was famously

suspicious of all abstract ideologies. and he was downright hostile to any effort to reshape society in the name of such ideologies.

Rather than obsess over the means, Burke focused on the end. and for Burke, the end—the great goal of his politics—was clear: the flourishing of his nation, what he once called "the grandeur and glory of England." Burke was a British nationalist who was far more interested in the wealth of his nation than in the Wealth of Nations.

In Burke's day, Britain governed a global empire. Burke thus pursued his nationalist agenda from within this now-obsolete colonial framework. Yet while Burke's specific policy proposals are no longer relevant, his political priorities most certainly are. throughout his career, Burke advocated measures to promote the national interest that departed from laissez-faire dogma.

Noting that "restraints upon trade are nice things; and ought to be well considered," Burke consistently supported restrictions that prevented Britain's colonies from (1) developing industries that competed with Britain and (2) purchasing manufactured goods from anywhere other than Britain. When it came to noncompeting industries, however, Burke encouraged government to "grudge no expense" in providing subsidies and other support to promote colonial enterprises. across the atlantic, Burke's conservative contemporary, alexander hamilton, was pursuing his nation's interests with equal zeal. hamilton had also studied and admired adam

Smith's the Wealth of Nations. he certainly saw free markets and free trade as an ideal to work toward. But like Burke, hamilton was animated by another, overriding priority: the independence and prosperity of his nation. the economic circumstances facing hamilton's america were quite different from those of Burke's Britain. hamilton's challenge was not to preserve the existing mercantilist arrangements, but to break free from them. In particular, hamilton dedicated himself to building the infrastructure—financial and physical—that would facilitate the development of american commerce and industry. he thus supported the creation of a national bank as well as investments in internal improvements, such as roads and canals.

Most importantly, hamilton believed that the government had to actively support strategic new industries. In his seminal Report on Manufactures, hamilton made the case for providing "bounties" (subsidies) for infant industries. he also advocated protecting these industries with tariffs, when needed. and he anticipated, and refuted, the standard laissezfaire critique of such policies: If the system of perfect liberty to industry and commerce were the prevailing system of nations, the arguments which dissuade a country in the predicament of the United States from the zealous pursuit of manufactures would doubtless have great force.... But the system which has been mentioned is far from characterizing the general policy of nations. hamilton's economic policies outlived him. a series of prominent american leaders continued to support muscular government interventions to enable the U.S. to better compete with Britain. the most prominent among these economic nationalists was henry Clay, who dedicated decades to promoting his "american System" of public in-

vestments in infrastructure (both physical and financial) combined with protective tariffs.

But it ultimately fell to one of Clay's most zealous disciples, abraham Lincoln, to fully implement this ambitious agenda. While prosecuting the Civil War, Lincoln also put into place a system of investments, subsidies and tariffs that put america on a path to ultimately surpass the British.

By the dawn of the 20th century, america was the world's ascendant industrial power. as such, our national interest now required the very free trade and limited government that had previously impeded our progress.

Once the Cold War began, ideological imperatives combined with economic necessity to enshrine laissez-faire at the heart of american conservatism.

It was a golden conservative era. and it ended three decades ago. We're now well into a new century in which we face different adversaries and novel challenges. Like hamilton, we live in a day when laissezfaire "is not the prevailing system of nations." as other governments aggressively promote and protect their industries, vast swaths of america's industrial heartland have been devastated. Yet too many conservatives continue to invoke abstract ideology to justify impotent inaction.

We can do better. true conservatives understand that national progress is a multigenerational project. to move forward, we must be in constant dialogue with our conservative ancestors. this conversation is urgent and instructive, for these forebears have much to tell us. they remind us to place our nation and our fellow americans at the heart of our movement. they urge us to confront our complex reality free from the blinders of abstract ideology. Most of all, they plead with us from the great beyond to stand up and start acting like conservatives again.

It's about time we listen.

David Brog is president of the Edmund Burke Foundation.

Why Modi’s economic nationalism is a A lingering challenge for American wrong turn for Covid-hit India and British universities: Sinophobia

BloomBerg ANDY MUKHERJEE

Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants all 1.3 billion Indians to be “vocal for local” — meaning, to not just use domestically made products but also to promote them. as an overseas citizen living in hong Kong, I’m doing my bit by very vocally demanding Indian mangoes on every trip to the grocery. But half the summer is gone, and not a single slice so far.

My loss is due to India’s Covid-19 lockdown, which has severely pinched logistics, a perennial challenge in the huge, infrastructure-starved country. But more worrying than the disruption is the fruity political response to it. Rather than being a wake-up call for fixing supply chains, the pandemic seems to be putting India on an isolationist course. Why? Granted that the liberal view that trade is good and autarky bad isn’t exactly fashionable anywhere right now. What makes India’s lurch troublesome is that the pace and direction of economic nationalism may be set by domestic business interests. the Indian liberals, many of whom are Western-trained academics, authors and — at least until a few years ago — policy makers, want a more competitive economy. they will be powerless to prevent the slide.

Modi’s call for a self-reliant India has been echoed by home Minister amit Shah, the cabinet’s unofficial No. 2, in a television interview. If Indians don’t buy foreignmade goods, the economy will see a jump, he said. the strategy — although it’s too nebulous yet to call it that — has a geopolitical element. a military standoff with China is under way, apparently triggered by India’s completion of a road and bridge near the common border in the tense himalayan region of Ladakh. It’s very expensive to fight even a limited war there. With India’s economy flattened

by Covid, New Delhi may be looking for ways to restore the status quo and send Beijing a signal.

Economic boycotts, such as Chinese consumers’ rejection of Japanese goods over territorial disputes in the East China Sea, are well understood as statecraft.

In these times, it’s not even necessary to name an enemy. an undercurrent of popular anger against China, the source of both the virus and India’s biggest bilateral trade deficit, is supposed to do the job. But is it ever that easy? a hastily introduced policy to stock only local goods in police and paramilitary canteens became a

farcical exercise after the list of banned items ended up including products by the local units of ColgatePalmolive Co., Nestle Sa, and Unilever NV, which have had significant Indian operations for between 60 and 90 years, as well as Dabur India Ltd., a New Delhibased maker of ayurveda brands. the since-withdrawn list demonstrates the practical difficulty of bureaucrats trying to find things in a globalized world that are 100% indigenous.

Free-trade champions fret that the prime minister, whom they saw as being on their side six years ago, is acting against their advice to dismantle statist controls on land, labor and capital to help make the country more competitive. Engage with the world more, not less, they caution. But Modi also has to satisfy the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the umbrella hindu organisation that gets him votes. Its backbone of small traders, builders and businessmen — the RSS admits only men — was losing patience with the anemic economy even before the pandemic. Now, they’re in deep trouble, because India’s broken financial system won’t deliver even state-guaranteed loans to them. the U.S.-China tensions — over trade, intellectual property, Covid responsibility and hong Kong’s autonomy — offer a perfect backdrop. a dire domestic economy and trouble at the border provide the foreground. Big business will dial economic nationalism up and down to hit a trifecta of goals: Block competition from the People’s Republic; make Western rivals fall in line and do joint ventures; and tap deep overseas capital markets. the first goal is being achieved with newly placed restrictions on investment from any country that shares a land border with India. the second aim is to be realized by corporate lobbying to influence India’s whimsical economic policies. as for the third objective, with the regulatory environment becoming tougher for U.S.-listed Chinese companies like alibaba Group holding Ltd., an opportunity may open up for Indian firms. all this may bring India Shenzhen-style enclaves of manufacturing and trade, but it will concentrate economic power in fewer hands, something that worries liberals. they’re moved by the suffering of India’s low-wage workers, who have borne the brunt of the Covid shutdown. But when their vision of a more just society and fairer income distribution prompts them to make common cause with the ideological Left, they’re quickly repelled by the Marxist voodoo that all cash, property, bonds and real estate held by citizens or within the nation “must be treated as national resources available during this crisis.” Who will invest in a country that does that instead of just printing money? at the same time, when liberals look to the business class, they see a sudden swelling of support for ideas like a universal basic income. they wonder if this isn’t a ploy by industry to outsource part of the cost of labor to the taxpayer. Slogans like Modi’s vocal-for-local stir the pot and thicken the confusion. the value-conscious Indian consumer couldn’t give two hoots for calls to buy Indian, but large firms will know how to exploit economic nationalism. One day soon, I’ll get my mangoes — from them.

PEOPLE USE THE CORONAVIRUS AS AN EXCUSE TO HARASS ASIAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AND BULLY ASIAN CHILDREN

Jerusalem Post SERKAN AYDIN

the coronavirus pandemic is impacting every aspect of normal life, including higher education. Colleges and universities have been pushed into uncertainty as they are impelled to transform to online-only courses while struggling with many other issues, particularly in terms of finances.

International students are also suffering from pandemic issues. One can witness the financial struggle of international students here at the University of Leeds in the UK, especially in terms of accommodations, rent, food and other expenses. Support offered by universities includes providing hardship funds for students in financial difficulty. Universities are also providing pastoral and mental health support. Yet this seems not to be a permanent solution. as the universities frenziedly discuss whether they can safely reopen their campuses, even sending most students encouraging messages about the possibility of returning in the fall, Notre Dame in the US became one of the first major universities in the country to announce detailed plans for bringing back students, saying it would put in effect “a regimen of testing and contact tracing, put quarantine and isolation protocols in place and require students to maintain social distancing and wear masks in public.”

Even if universities reopen, will international students come to the UK and US? British universities fear that the loss of tens of thousands of Chinese students next year will lead to gaping holes in their budgets, after the survey by the British Council has found that only a quarter of those intending to study in the UK were still

going ahead with their plans. according to the higher Education Statistics agency, the number of Chinese students studying at British universities rose above 120,000 for the first time last year, up from 89,000 in 2014-15. their tuition fees are a key source of income. there is a challenge for Chinese students coming to Western universities: rising Sinophobia. My PhD thesis elaborated on Islamophobia in the university context. having carried out research through interviews, it concluded that media exerts an enormous impact on the rise of Islamophobia on campus. Now is also the time to talk about the Sinophobia and racism that re-emerged with media coverage of the coronavirus. the excessive coverage evokes Sinophobia and racism that have real, harmful consequences for current and future Chinese and asian students in universities.

In the early days of the US response to the pandemic, President Donald trump incessantly labeled COVID-19 “the Chinese virus.” “this language from the most powerful individual in the world was the most dangerous example of scapegoating for political purposes,” says Gordon h. Chang, a professor of american history at Stanford University. the Daily Columbian Spectator reported that “Chinese and asian students have recently been the target of racist discrimination, including a hateful message in Butler Library – and the name tags of two Chinese students, which were affixed to a suite door to identify the residents living there, had been burned in late January in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.” the global Sinophobia fueled by the media is of significant consequence. People use the coronavirus as an excuse to harass asian university students and bully asian children.

Sinophobia killed a man in australia, as bystanders refused to perform CPR, fearing that he might carry the disease.

Yinxuan huang, a sociology research fellow at City University London who has been carrying out research among Chinese Christian communities in the UK during the coronavirus crisis, said: “almost all incidents they reported were associated with ‘maskaphobia,’” which is a fear of masks which then triggered racist attacks. “Most of the victims – some got called ‘virus’ and others got shoved – were wearing masks when they were attacked.”

“Many Chinese students feel that the issue of the mask is the single biggest cultural shock they have ever experienced in the UK. they are now facing a dilemma and have to choose between two bad choices – insecurity (for coronavirus) and fear (for racism).”

Despite the fact that US lawmakers are encouraging major social media platforms – such as Facebook, Google and twitter – to cooperate in promoting credible information about the virus outbreak, this seems to be ineffective.

Universities and individual community members must also participate in efforts to curb misinformation and Sinophobia. I loved learning about Chinese cuisine and banquets with my Chinese friends during my PhD time at the University of Leeds. I was infatuated with asian hospitality and their contribution to academia here. the university holds a special Chinese New Year annual event. We, the international students, believe that the UK is a place that values tolerance, equality, diversity and rule of law. the growing coronavirus-related racism is disturbing. as racial vilification will not end easily, american and British universities should consider taking measures to combat against Sinophobia on campuses and in dorms, as well as worrying about reopening and financial issues stemming from tuition fees.

The author is an independent journalist and lecturer at the University of Leeds.

Wednesday, 10 June, 2020

BUSINESS 09

Locusts pose a bigger economic threat to pakistan than the virus

CORPORATE CORNER

Tecno has launched its SPARK 5 series of smartphones that come with five cameras, in Pakistan. The series was launched in a live online event aired from Tecno’s official facebook page on June 7, 2020. “Tecno has always manufactured the most innovative products in the technology market. Theteasers of SPARK 5 gathered great response from the Pakistani audience and we assume that this launch would be a hallmark of this year,” says Creek Ma the company’s General Manager. PRESS RELEASE

pakistan set to export car part to toyota vietnam ISLAMABAD: AuVitronics Limited, is set to export a car part to Toyota Motor Vietnam Co, Ltd. (TMV), making it a member of Toyota’s global supply chain. The move comes after Indus Motor Company (IMC) requested Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) to let AuVitronics Limited supply absorber bumpers to TMV since TMV is adopting the same Toyota Corolla model that is sold in Pakistan. IMC along with the local supplier reduced the development lead time to half in order to meet the TMV’s tough timelines. “IMC has been striving for the development of the auto sector for the last thirty years. We have fulfilled our commitment to the country and promoted the auto and engineering industry in Pakistan and today we are achieving new successes,” said IMC Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ali Asghar Jamali. He added that now as part of the global supply chain of Toyota, IMC will further develop the industrial base of the country and that IMC has already helped local vendors sign around 30 technical assistance agreements with foreign companies.He also added that consistency in government policies can help companies achieve long term export objectives. TMC is one of the largest automobile manufacturers worldwide having a supply chain that is spread throughout the world. The company follows a lean production philosophy called Toyota Production Systems (TPS) which over the years has also been adopted widely throughout its supply chain. GHULAM ABBAS

business community calls for business friendly policies at the torkham border PESHAWAR: The Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) has urged the government to review its policies related to the Torkham border in order to facilitate the business community. Bilateral trade and transit trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan has remained low for the last three months as policies such as exchange of drivers and unloading of goods from vehicles at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border at Torkham, have been put in place. According to the SCCI, such policies cause huge financial losses to traders and the business community. They urged the government and the Ministry of Interior to enforce Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for bilateral trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan similar to what are being implemented at all international airports across the country. The chamber office bearers also informed that a joint Jirga of Pakistan and Afghanistan business community in collaboration with the federal and provincial governments will also be convened in Peshawar. STAFF REPORT

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AGENCIES

WARMS of locusts spreading across Pakistan are emerging as a bigger threat to the economy than the coronavirus pandemic, with the pests threatening farm output, livelihoods and food security.

The locust-invasion now covers an area of 57 million hectares in a country with a total crop area of 23 million hectares, said Falak Naz, director general of crop protection at the Ministry of Food Security and Research. While not all the areas infested now are crop lands, the insects are moving fast, he said.

Agriculture is the second-biggest sector in the economy — contributing about 20% to gross domestic product — and provides a livelihood to half of the nation’s workforce. Faced with devastating losses, authorities are now being forced to divert money set aside to fight the coronavirus to help combat the locust scourge instead.

“This is a bigger problem than the coronavirus for Pakistan,” said Ahmad Jawad, a fruits exporter and an adviser to the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry, the nation’s main business lobby group. “You can save yourself from coronavirus by maintaining social distance, but there’s no escaping a hunger crisis if the locusts attack.”

From wheat to pulses and oil-seeds to mangoes, crops have already been damaged. The nation’s new cotton crop is seen as the most vulnerable to the pest attack — and with cotton-based products making up about half of Pakistan’s exports, the damage will further worsen the outlook for an economy forecast to shrink for the first time in 68 years.

Pakistan had a locust attack last year that arrived from Iran, but this year’s one is the most severe in three decades. Swarms of desert locusts occur irregularly in North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, usually when drought is followed by heavy rain.

The threat comes just as Pakistan exits a lockdown that was imposed to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, with authorities now having to step up support for agriculture.

Murad Ali Shah, the chief minister of Sindh province — Pakistan’s second-largest crop-producing region — ordered the release of 132 million rupees ($807,000) his government had earlier kept for coronavirus emergency measures. He also approved another 286 million rupees for the purchase of chemicals and 25 pesticide-spraying vehicles.

In Sindh, locusts have damaged wheat, oil seeds, pulses, fodder and vegetables in an area of more than 166,701 hectares or 13.8% of the province’s total cropping area. Also at risk are cotton, sugarcane and other crops sown over more than 1.75 million hectares.

The government is using four aircraft and half-adozen army helicopters for crop dusting, and is planning to buy six planes from Air Tractor Inc., the food ministry’s Naz said. Farmers are using methods like beating drums and revving tractors to scare away the locusts that move about 90 miles an hour and eat any produce in their sight.

The infestation is capable of wiping out 40% of Pakistan’s major crops, according to Ahsan Mehanti, chief executive officer at Arif Habib Commodities, part of the fertilizers-to-financial services conglomerate Arif Habib Corp. Ltd. “This is a major threat,” Mehanti said. “Pesticides should be procured to completely eradicate the locusts and save the crops.”

ARTICLE COURTESy OF BLOOMBERG

PSX settles flat at 34,803.6 points LAHORE STAFF REPORT

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) swung between red and green on June 9, finally settling at 34,803.60 points by the end of the trading session, up 54.03 points from Monday.

Losing -61.45 points the KSE 100 index fell to its intraday low of 34,688.12. It then managed to recover its losses and touched its intraday high of 34,855.39 after gathering +105.82 points and finally settled at 34,803.60 points.

The KMI 30 index lost 6.17 points closing at 55,791.14 points.

The KSE All share index added 0.35 points ending at 24,852.30 points.

Out of total scrips traded 167 advanced and 132 declined.

Overall market volumes surged from 222.14 million shares traded on Monday to 238.21 million shares traded on Tuesday, June 9.

Lotte Chemical Pakistan Limited (LOTCHEM +7.48 percent), Jahanghir

Siddiqui and Company Limited (JSCL +2.88 percent) and Pakistan Refinery Limited Right Shares (PRL1 -14.81 percent) were volume leaders of the day.

Sectors that added most points to the KSE 100 index included the banking sector (+61.28 points), cement

sector (+19.76 points) and the pharmaceutical sector (+15.95 points). United Bank Limited (UBL +31.99 percent) Lucky Cement Limited (LUCK +29.24 points) and Dawood Hercules Corporation Limited (DAWH +15.14 points) were top point contributors

during the session.

The Oil and Gas Exploration sector lost -0.64 percent from its cumulative market capitalization. Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MARI -0.81 percent), Pakistan Oilfields Limited (POL -0.86 percent), Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDC -0.03 percent) and Pak Petroleum Limited (PPL -1.61 percent) all closed in red.

Global equity markets showed mixed performance. Global crude prices headed south from the previous close with WTI Crude Oil prices down by -2.41 percent to $37.30 while Brent Crude Oil price declined -1.69 percent to $40.11.

On the economic front, the latest report published by the World Bank (WB) said that Pakistan’s economy would perform even worse than what previous estimates had warned about due to the COVID fallout. The WB forecasts a negative Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of -2.6 percent for the current fiscal year and -0.2 percent for the next year.

How will Britain pay for coronavirus borrowing?

LONDON AGENCIES

British government borrowing is soaring to levels not seen since World War Two, something Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his finance minister Rishi Sunak will try to fix once the worst of the coronavirus crisis has passed.

Government forecasters think the budget deficit could jump five-fold to 300 billion pounds ($380 billion) this year or around 15% of annual economic output.

By comparison, after the global financial crisis the deficit peaked at 10% and it took almost a decade of spending cuts to bring it down to around 2% last year.

Johnson has suggested that more spending is on the way by promising to “double down” on his plans for more public infrastructure investment.

Sunak has said little about how he might tackle the surge in public debt estimated to hit 2.2 trillion pounds this year, beyond hinting that self-employed workers might see their tax bills rise.

How is Britain funding its borrowings?

Helped by the Bank of England’s huge bond-buying programme and its record low

interest rates, Britain is selling bonds to investors at an unprecedented pace, with 225 billion pounds of issuance planned between April and July.

The government feels under less pressure than in 2010, when it feared a Greecestyle loss of confidence among investors.

Last month it sold a three-year bond with a negative yield.

In the short run, the OBR expects debt servicing costs to fall as lower interest rates outweigh the burden of the extra borrowing.

How will Britain cut the deficit after the crisis?

Much of the borrowing surge is caused by programmes that the government hopes will be temporary. Its income support programmes for workers are likely to cost more than 100 billion pounds but they are due to end by October.

The government hopes its unprecedented support will allow the economy to revive after coronavirus restrictions are lifted.

Initial forecasts from Britain’s budget forecasters and the BoE assumed little longterm economic damage.

But policymakers now see a risk of socalled scarring to hotels, airlines, bars and

restaurants due to changed customer behavior and reduced demand for city-centre office space.

Almost all recessions have caused some scarring, and Britain – like other countries – is likely to face a persistent budget hole after the crisis, HSBC economist Stephen King said.

But significant spending cuts are un-

likely with voters tired of austerity and Johnson committing to invest more, leaving tax rises as the most obvious option.

However, Johnson promised before 2019’s election not to raise the rates of income tax, value-added tax or national insurance, the three biggest sources of revenue.

How has Britain reduced debt levels be-

fore?

In the past, British debt-to-GDP levels have risen far higher than now, peaking at 259% of GDP in 1946.

Strong economic growth, and low interest rates relative to inflation, played a much bigger role in reducing debt over the following 20 years than tax rises or spending cuts, according to economic historian Nicholas Crafts.

By contrast, between World War One and World War Two, high interest rates, slow growth and the Great Depression negated the impact of the government’s sizeable budget surpluses.

This time, the picture is mixed with interest rates and inflation both low and a growth outlook that has been weak for more than a decade.

Britain’s large stock of inflation-linked bonds makes it harder to inflate away debt as happened in the past, even if the government raised the BoE’s inflation target.

For HSBC’s King, the closest historic parallel to today is the Napoleonic Wars at the start of the 19th century – when Britain introduced income tax.

“It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that, once again, the taxman cometh,” he said.

Wednesday, 10 June, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS

MoSCow eMerGeS FroM loCkdown AS wHo wArnS oF 'worSenInG' GlobAl CrISIS

M

AGENICES

OSCOW emerged from a strict coronavirus lockdown on Tuesday despite Russia seeing thousands of new cases every day, as the World Health Organization warned the pandemic was "worsening" worldwide.

Muscovites flocked to streets and parks after authorities in the Russian capital lifted restrictions in place since March 30, even as the country registered 8,595 new cases and its total death toll surpassed 6,000.

Walking in central Moscow under sunny skies, 33-year-old marketing manager Olga Ivanova said that after weeks stuck at home it felt good to have her city back.

"It's nice out and there are a lot of people on the streets. It's a beautiful day, in every sense of the word," she said.

With more than 485,000 cases as of Tuesday, Russia has the third-highest number of confirmed infections after the United States and Brazil. Officials say the high number is the result of a huge testing campaign, with more than 13 million tests carried out so far, and point to Russia's relatively low mortality rate as evidence it is safe to ease lockdowns.

Critics have accused authorities of under-reporting deaths and say officials are rushing to lift restrictions for political reasons, after President Vladimir Putin rescheduled a high-profile military parade for June 24 and a vote on constitutional re-

Iran says it will execute informant who led CIA to Soleimani TEHRAN AGENCIES

An Iranian citizen who provided information to the United States and Israeli intelligence services on the whereabouts of Iran’s slain Revolutionary Guards commander Qassem Soleimani will be executed soon, Iran’s judiciary said on Tuesday. On Jan 3, a US drone strike in Iraq killed Soleimani, leader of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force. Washington blamed Soleimani for masterminding attacks by Iran-aligned militias on US forces in the region. “Mahmoud Mousavi-Majd, one of the spies for CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) and Mossad, has been sentenced to death. He gave the whereabouts of martyr Soleimani to our enemies,” judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said in a televised news conference. Officials have not said whether Mousavi-Majd’s case is linked to Iran’s announcement last summer that it had captured 17 spies working for the CIA, some of whom it said were sentenced to death. Soleimani’s killing led to a peak in the confrontation between Iran and the US. Iran retaliated with a rocket attack on an Iraqi airbase where US forces were stationed. Hours later, Iranian forces on high alert mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian passenger airliner taking off from Tehran.

Thousands mourn George Floyd as accused officer appears in court

COVID-19 deaths have passed 406,000 worldwide, with more than seven million infections, since the disease emerged in China late last year before sweeping the globe, subjecting billions to some form of lockdown and paralysing economies.

Governments around the world are cautiously peeling back those restrictions to resuscitate their economies while trying to avoid a resurgence of infections. A study by Imperial College London published on Monday estimated that lockdowns prevented 3.1 million deaths in 11 European countries.

Cyprus on Tuesday welcomed its first tourists after nearly three months on lockdown, with flights scheduled from Israel, Greece and Bulgaria. Desperate to save its summer tourism season, the

Mediterranean island's government has pledged to cover the medical costs of any visitor who tests positive for the coronavirus while on holiday. Other countries have been more cautious. The health minister in Spain, one of the hardest-hit countries in Europe, said that wearing face masks in public will be compulsory "until we permanently defeat the virus" with an effective treatment or vaccine.

North Korea cuts communication lines to South AGENCIES North Korea is severing all official communication links with the South, it announced Tuesday in a move analysts said was aimed at manufacturing a crisis on the divided peninsula.

Since last week the North has issued a series of vitriolic denunciations of the South over activists sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets over the border -- something defectors do on a regular basis.

In recent days authorities in the North have organised large-scale rallies across the country of citizens pledging their support, with inter-Korean ties at a standstill despite three summits between the North's leader Kim Jong Un and the South's President Moon Jae-in in 2018.

Tuesday's move cuts all official communication links between the two sides, but the immediate effect will be limited - Pyongyang has refused to engage with Seoul for months, with few if any conversations on the lines aside from test calls.

The latest development comes just three days before the two-year anniversary of a landmark summit between Kim and US

President Donald Trump in Singapore.

The United States said it was "disappointed" by the announcement, with a State Department spokesperson urging North Korea to "return to diplomacy and cooperation". Negotiations over the North's nuclear programme have been deadlocked since the collapse of a second Trump-Kim meeting in Hanoi last year over what the North would be willing to give up in exchange for sanctions relief.

The impasse has left Pyongyang in-

creasingly frustrated over the lack of concessions and analysts say it has taken no substantive steps towards giving up its weapons. It has increasingly turned its anger towards Seoul rather than Washington, carrying out a series of weapons tests and other provocations in recent months -- including last month shooting at a South Korean guard post in the Demilitarized Zone that divides the peninsula.

Pyongyang "will completely cut off and shut down the liaison line" between

The saint soldier

HOUSTON AGENCIES

Thousands of mourners filed past George Floyd’s coffin Monday ahead of the African-American’s funeral in his native Houston as a court set bail at $1 million for the white officer charged with his murder in a case that has sparked once-in-a-generation protests against police brutality. Many well-wishers made the sign of the cross as they approached the open casket to say a last goodbye while others took a knee or bowed their heads in silent prayer for a man who has become emblematic of America’s latest reckoning with racial injustice. The six-hour viewing at The Fountain of Praise Church — which drew more than 6,000 people, organizers said — was the final stage in a series of ceremonies paying tribute to Floyd before he is laid to rest Tuesday next to his mother in his hometown. In Washington, Democratic lawmakers knelt in silent tribute to Floyd before unveiling a package of police reforms in response to the killing of unarmed black Americans by law enforcement. The congressional move came a day after the Minneapolis city council voted to dismantle and rebuild the police department in the city where the 46-year-old Floyd died during a May 25 arrest. Derek Chauvin, the 44-year-old white officer who was filmed pressing his knee on the handcuffed Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes, made his first court appearance on Monday. The 19-year veteran, who appeared by videolink from prison, faces up to 40 years if convicted on charges of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter. Chauvin did not enter a plea and the Hennepin County District Court judge set his bail at $1 million with conditions, or $1.25 million without. The conditions would require him to surrender his firearms, not work in law enforcement or security in any capacity, and have no contact with Floyd’s family. Three other Minneapolis policemen appeared in court last week to face a charge of aiding and abetting Floyd’s murder for their roles in his arrest for allegedly passing a counterfeit $20 bill. All four officers have been fired.

forms for July 1. But as large parts of Europe and the United States reopen, the WHO reported a record number of new coronavirus cases globally. Director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday that 136,000 cases had been reported in the previous 24 hours, "the most in a single day so far," with the majority of them in the Americas and South Asia.

COMPLACENCY IS 'BIGGEST THREAT': "Although the situation in Europe is improving, globally it is worsening," he told reporters. Tedros said that in countries where the situation was getting better, "the biggest threat is now complacency".

"More than six months into this pandemic, this is not the time for any country to take its foot off the pedal," he said.

MANSOOR MALIK Soora So Pehchaniye J Laree Deen Ke Haith (True warrior is he who fights for his faith) Purja purja kat mare, kabhun na chhade khait (He may be cut apart into pieces, but never leaves the battlefield) These were the verses of Adi Granth being recited by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the leader of the Sikh outfit Damdami Taksal, when he along with a handful of aides tugged their heels and took guards for the final battle of faith. Bhindranwale stood up as a soldier to hold the grounds and fought to defend the faith even if it demanded the supreme sacrifice.

“Operation Blue Star”, the codename given to an Indian military operation, was carried out from 1st to 8th of June 1984, against a religious preacher who had inspired thousands of followers in challenging the might of so-called ruthless Indian war machine. A saint soldier that lived in our times, a dauntless warrior, who fought against discrimination.

The chilling and fascinating account of Bhindranwale coin-

cides with the anniversary of Guru Arjun Dev’s martyrdom, the Sikh face of struggle. The reign of terror that was unleashed by the so-called Hindu republic under the garb of secular democracy against Sikhs which combined with the level of casual brutality and lack of accountability stunned a nation of 24 million.

Contrary to popular perception, the struggle did not start suddenly rather was preceded by a decade-long peaceful struggle before reaching the point of saturation. Gandhi and Nehru had made certain promises to the Sikhs but soon after partition, the Indian leadership changed its mind and legally defined Sikh Panths as part of Hindus. Even to the extent that the entire nation was humiliated by calling them as criminal minds by Nehru and Patel. The ineffective inquiry, together with the accolades for the Indian army and General K.S. Brar, a handpicked for the operations, fuelled great widespread anger against the state.

To the surprise of many, the Indian government never formally apologized for this massacre but occasionally expressed “regrets”. Sant Bhindranwale had clearly warned that if the army steps foot into the golden temple, the “foundation stone for Khalistan will be laid”.

The scorching sun of June 1984 witnessed an unequal battle between poorly equipped sikhs and Indian might. CRPF, BSF, 9th infantry division, 350 infantry brigade, 12 Bihar infantry battalion, 10 Guards, 9 Garhowal, 26 Madras, 9/15 Kamaon, Para commandoes, Naval divers, Special Frontier Force, Artillery, 16/18

CMYK

Vijayanta tanks had besieged Golden temple only to kill one Bhindranwale.

Additionally, seven divisions were deployed in the villages of Punjab to quell any uprising. This use of force started on the 1st and 2nd of June, then prime minister Indra Gandhi appeared on Dordarshan, the state-owned broadcaster, pleading to join hands and shed hatred rather than shed blood and the same day her merciless troops gunned downed 22 more innocent devotees inside Golden Temple.

By June 3, thousands of devotees were pouring in to the Golden Temple on Guru Arjun Dev Ji martyrdom anniversary.

But the Indian government chose Gurpurab day to carry out the operation to inflict maximum damages to the Sikh pride. Indian Army was sure to take over Akal Takhat within half an hour but this largest army couldn’t cover a distance of merely 200 meters till June 8.

The symbol of Sikhism, the sacred structure of Shri Akal Takht was directly shelled by Vijayanta tanks. The front side of the Akal Takht was completely destroyed and its adjacent buildings razed to the ground. David Graves from The Telegraph reported on June 15: “The Akal Takhat looks like it has been bombed. It looks like a building in Berlin after the World War. Every building in the complex had been riddled with bullets.”

The parikrama (walkway around the pool) was littered with bodies but the tenacious resistance, strength, courage, and resilience of those brave Sikhs exhibited will be taught in the study syllabus to the

North and South from noon on Tuesday, the official Korean Central News Agency said, along with military hotlines and a communication link between the headquarters of the North's ruling Workers' Party and the South's presidential office.

Hotline calls by the South to the North rang unanswered as the deadline expired, Seoul's unification ministry said.

The decision was taken by Kim Yo Jong, the leader's sister and key adviser, and ruling party vice chairman Kim Yong Chol, KCNA said, in an explicit demonstration of the sibling's increasing authority in government. Last week she issued a statement threatening to scrap a military pact with the South and close a liaison office -- where activities have already been suspended for months due to the coronavirus outbreak.

'DISGUSTING RIFF-RAFF': Tuesday's statement repeatedly denounced defectors who send leaflets to the North by balloon and bottle criticising Kim over his weapons programmes and human rights abuses. It called them "disgusting riff-raff" and accused Seoul of complicity in their actions.

coming generations.

The complete disproportionate use of force by the govt had baffled all and so far no Indian military or political genius with all its eloquence and extravagance of words can answer some simple questions: 1. Why did the Indian government choose Guru Arjun Dev martyrdom day to carry out the operation when there were hundreds of devotees present to worship.

2. Why did the government not wait outside by cutting down the supply of electricity, food and water?

3. Why the army had denied the evacuation of devotees from the Golden Temple Complex.

4. Why the Indian government went straight to the maximum use of force rather than exercising restraint?

5. What is the justification of burning and taking hundreds of Sikh scriptures and relics from libraries and Gurudwaras by the Indian army?

6. What is the justification of kidnappings, forced disappearances and beatings of innocent Sikh men and teenagers throughout Punjab??????

7. Why the Indian government had killed more than 30,000 other Sikhs in one day just to kill one target.

8. Why did the army attack 133 other Gurudwaras in Punjab out of which 45 were of great historical significance if the hunt was only for one person and there was no militant in them?

9. Why did the government overlook the reaction of Sikhs to a military attack on Golden Temple, which is sacred to Sikhs as Mecca is to Muslims and the Vatican to Catholics?

Joyce Pettigrew in his book The Sikhs of Punjab: Unheard Voices of State and Guerilla Violence has explained the very rea-

son by saying: “The army went into Darbar Sahib not to eliminate a political figure or a political movement but to suppress the culture of a people, to attack their hearts, and to strike a blow at their spirit and self-confidence.”

Gen Brar in his book Operation Blue star-The True Story admits the Nazi styled cold-blooded executions of Sikhs who were lined up against the wall and killed mercilessly. Even the innocent devotees were denied dignified last rites and treated like animals as the dead bodies were piled up in garbage trucks and cremated.

Moreover, the Indian army looted valuables found on dead bodies not even sparing the rings, bangles, and earrings of slain women. More than 180 hands written scripts of Guru Granth Sahib were burned. Curfew was clamped and foreign media was ordered to leave Punjab and there was a total news blackout.

Jaswant Singh Khalara, a famous human rights activist, had identified some 25,000 unidentified bodies killed by police till September 1995. Although the ruthless Indian state succeeded in eliminating Bhindranwale the mesmerizing and charismatic persona of Bhindranwale has not diminished but spilled over to the next generations who are still living in the time warp of 1984.

To forget and forgive the actions of the ferocious Indian army in 1984 is like asking Jews to forgive and forget Hitler and the atrocities that were perpetrated upon their nation. It disillusioned the coming generations of Sikhs and made Indian union with its center in New Delhi as a symbol of hatred and reminder of revenge for their national humiliation.

The writer is a civil servant.

Wednesday, 10 June, 2020

CriCKet Chiefs allow virus substitutions in tests

t

SPORTS DESK EST teams will be allowed to field substitutes for players displaying coronavirus symptoms, the International Cricket Council said on Tuesday.

The new regulation is one of several interim changes designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 when cricket resumes, including a ban on saliva being used to shine the ball.

As happens with concussion substitutes, any replacement would be able to

play a full part in the match but it would be down to the match referee to approve the nearest like-for-like switch.

Previously, substitutes were restricted to fielding.

The regulation for COVID-19 replacements would not be applicable in

limited-overs internationals.

Other changes ratified by the ICC's chief executives committee include a ban on applying saliva to the ball, a method employed by fast bowlers on one side of the ball to make it swing.

A team can be issued with up to two warnings per innings but repeated use of saliva on the ball would result in a five-run penalty to the batting side.

But the ICC explained in a statement that "the umpires will manage the situation with some leniency during an initial period of adjustment for the players". International travel restrictions have seen the ICC relax its rule mandating that neutral umpires stand in Tests.

The ICC said given there may be "less experienced" officials on duty it would increase the number of unsuccessful appeals per innings for each team to three for Tests and two for white-ball formats. Concerns had been expressed that the pandemic might lead to Chris Broad -- the only English official on the elite panel of referees -- adjudicating on incidents involving an England team featuring his son, Stuart Broad.

The new regulations are set to apply for the first time when England face the West Indies in the opening match of a three-Test series at the biosecure venue of Southampton, starting on July 8.

Players to learn a lot from Younis batting expertise, says Zaheer Abbas SPORTS DESK Asian Bradman Zaheer Abbas has lauded the appointment of Younis Khan as batting coach, saying the players would learn a lot through the 2009 World Twenty20 winning captain’s experience.

“I am very happy to see Younis Khan being appointed as the batting coach. He is an experienced batsman and I hope players will learn through his experience on how to bat on the English wickets,” Abbas, who scored 5,062 runs in 78 Tests, told APP on Tuesday.

Younis has been appointed as the team’s spin bowling coach and mentor for the three-Test and three-T20s series, to be played in August-September.

Younis, 42, scored 10,099 runs at over 52 in 118 Tests from 2000 to 2017. Against England, Younis holds an equally impressive record. In 16 innings of nine Tests in England, the champion batsman scored

810 runs at over 50 with two centuries (218 at The Oval in 2016 and 173 at Headingley in 2006) and three half-centuries. In two Tests in Pakistan and six in the United Arab Emirates, he scored a total of 616

runs at just under 50 with two centuries (127 and 118 in Dubai) and one half-century.

“Younis has a lot of experience and his expertise in batting will prove vital for the players on the English wickets,” he said.

The former International Cricket Council (ICC) President said he wanted to see behavior of the wickets in England as there has been no play for quite some time now, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The matches will be very interesting. It won’t be easy for Pakistan to win against the English team in England,” he said.

Speaking about the young prolific batsman and skipper Babar Azam Abbas, who scored 2,572 runs in 62 ODIs, he said the Lahore-born cricketer would do well.

“Babar should not take any kind of pressure and must focus on his batting, as we need him mainly as a batsman,” he said.

SPORTS 11

Pollard's Montpellier agree wage reduction in 'solidarity gesture' SPORTS DESK

South Africa's Rugby World Cup winner Handre Pollard's French side Montpellier announced on Tuesday their players and coaches will take a salary cut due to the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The 2018 Top 14 runners up join other French sides in Eben Etzebeth's Toulon, Cheslin Kolbe's Toulouse as well as Clermont and Castres in reducing their wages for the coming campaign. "A unanimous gesture of solidarity confirmed by everyone involved in the club which should allow Montpellier to restart calmly for the new season, as and when the health situation and government decisions allow," a statement said. The side, who have Pollard's fellow Springboks in Johan Goosen and Bismarck du Plessis in their squad, did not disclose by how much the wages would be decreased but RMC Sport reported the figure was 12%. They returned to individual training on June 2 and hope to restart full sessions from the start of next month. The Top 14 season was declared over in April due to the COVID-19 outbreak but questions remain about which sides will represent the league in next season's European Champions Cup. Billionaire-backed Montpellier were in eighth place when last term was brought to an end and could miss out on the top-tier of continental competition. They have signed France's Vincent Rattez, England's Alex Lozowski and are set to confirm South Africa's Cobus Reinach's arrival ahead of the new term. According to reports in South Africa Pollard earns 1.06 million euros ($1.2million) a year with the club now coached by former France international Philippe Saint-Andre.

Chelsea's Kante back in contact training SPORTS DESK Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante has returned to contact training ahead of the Premier League's comeback next week, the Blues confirmed on Tuesday. The French World Cup winner had been allowed to continue training at home when his teammates returned to training last month due to fears over coronavirus. "N'Golo Kante was back with the main group today at Cobham as training continues to ramp up ahead of the Premier League restart next week," Chelsea said in a statement. In the latest round of testing on Premier League players and staff there were zero positive cases from 1,195 tests. Black and ethnic minorities are at greater risk of serious illness if they contract the virus, according to the Office for National Statistics. Kante experienced a health scare when he collapsed at Chelsea's training ground two years ago.

Tests did not reveal any heart concerns but he missed Chelsea's next game as a precaution. Kante's elder brother Niamh died of a heart attack shortly before the 2018 World Cup. The 29-year-old is not expected to be match fit in time for Chelsea's opening game of "Project Restart" against Aston Villa on June 21. However, Kante could now play an important role in the run-in as Chelsea aim to hold onto a place in the Premier League's top four.

Frank Lampard's men hold a three-point advantage over Manchester United with nine games of the season to play.

Ten years on, mixed results for World Cup hosts South Africa SPORTS DESK This Thursday marks the 10th anniversary of South Africa hosting the World Cup, the first and only time Africa staged the biggest single-sport global tournament.

A decade on, the report card about football in the republic is mixed with successes including a thriving national league and multi-sport use of virtually all the World Cup stadiums. Negatives include a poorly performing national team, the absence of South Africans from four of the five major European leagues and a national association beset by personality clashes.

Here, AFP Sport looks at five successes and failures of South Africa 10 years after drawing with Mexico in the opening game and subsequently becoming the first hosts not to reach the last 16.

PREMIERSHIP: A rich, efficiently-run 16club Absa Premiership national championship under chairman and self-made millionaire Irvin Khoza is a major success story in South African sport.

Formed in 1996 with Briton Trevor Phillips the first chief executive, the league left behind decades of maladministration with allegations that some clubs were "run from boots of cars".

The highlights of each season are matches between 50-year Soweto rivals Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, who woo 90,000 crowds to FNB Stadium, where Spain won the World Cup final. Clubs are paid a 2.5 million rand ($150,000/130,000 euro) monthly grant and the league and three

annual knockout competitions offer a combined 34.5 mn rand in first prizes.

SAFA: Danny Jordaan, a parliamentary lawmaker from the ruling African National Congress turned football official, heads the South African Football Association.

Unlike most African countries, the national body does not run all football with the Premiership and second-tier GladAfrica Championship separately organised.

While the smoothly-operated leagues attract little negative publicity, the same cannot be said of SAFA, with Jordaan often criticised for running it like a "personal fiefdom".

Former top official Dennis Mumble says Jordaan is obsessed by Khoza: "He will walk down the street, stub his toe on a rock, and blame Irvin for the rock (being) in the road."

STADIA: Fears that many of the 10 World Cup venues would quickly become 'white elephants' have not been realised with nine used regularly for football or rugby.

The exception is the Royal Bafokeng Sport Palace, a 45,000-seat stadium in northwestern town Rustenburg, where England played 10 years ago.

When Platinum Stars were relegated from the Premiership, then sold and moved to Cape Town, the ground was left tenantless and has not secured a replacement. Johannesburg (two stadia), Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Mbombela (formerly Nelspruit), Polokwane, Port Elizabeth and Pretoria were the other World Cup venues.

BAFANA BAFANA: Apart from occasional inspired performances, like stunning hosts Egypt in an Africa Cup of Nations last-16

clash last year, the national team have become an embarrassment.

Bafana Bafana (The Boys) are ranked only 13th in Africa, failed to qualify for the 2014 and 2018 World Cups and were notable absentees from two of the last five Cup of Nations. "I do not understand why the national team is not that good because the national league is among the best in Africa," retired Cameroon superstar Samuel Eto'o told AFP last year. Ahead of the 2010 World

CMYK

Cup, a capacity 90,000 crowd watched South Africa defeat Colombia in a friendly, now the national side struggles to draw 5,000 to even competitive fixtures.

PLAYING ABROAD: A clear sign of the decline of South African football is the fact that no star from the republic plays for an English, German, Italian or Spanish topflight club.

France is the only top-five league in Europe where South Africans feature and the

number dwindled when Amiens, the club of midfielder Bongani Zungu, were recently relegated. It is a far cry from a few decades ago when centreback Lucas Radebe captained then Premier League side Leeds United. Other South Africans who starred in Europe included Benni McCarthy (Portugal/England), Mark Fish (England/Italy) and now deceased Philemon Masinga (Italy/England) and Delron Buckley (Germany).

Wednesday, 10 June, 2020

NEWS

Government, ImF reach consensus to Increase salarIes, pensIons LAHORE

THE THIRD ROUND OF TALKS BETWEEN THE PAKISTANI GOVERNMENT AND THE INTERNATIONAL LENDER ALSO SAW AN AGREEMENT TO NOT INCREASE ELECTRICITY AND GAS TARIFFS UNTIL SEPTEMBER 2020

MUHAMMAD FARAN BUKHARI/GHULAM ABBAS

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He Pakistan government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reached a consensus on Tuesday, on not putting a freeze on the increase in salaries and pensions of government employees and keeping electricity and gas tarrifs at their current level, in the upcoming budget.

The issues came under discussion during the third round of talks between the Pakistani government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which ended on Tuesday, June 9.

According to reports, the IMF had asked the Pakistani government to cut spending during the previous meetings.

However, the government refused to do so citing the need to protect government employees and pensioners and the citizens battling the Covid-19 induced economic meltdown, from the effects of inflation.

The agreement to not put a hold on the increase in salaries and pensions came after the government gave assurance to the IMF that it will not further increase its deficit and will increase its non-tax revenues.

Media reports on May 30th had informed that the government was expected to raise salaries and pensions by 15-20 percent. However, currently there

has been no official word from the authorities regarding the percentage raise to be announced on June 12 during the presentation of the federal budget.

As per the consensus, the conditions of IMF related to the loan agreement, would remain relaxed till September 30, and after October, Islamabad will fulfill the conditions which are linked with the extended Fund Facility (eFF). earlier, the finance team had made it clear to the IMF that it will not be able to achieve the previously fixed targets under the prevailing circumstances. earlier on June 6, Director Communication Department IMF Gerry Rice stated that the IMF and Pakistani authorities remain closely engaged to bring the second review of the eFF to a positive conclusion, while taking into account the new conditions the fund is facing in Pakistan, and to ensure the programme delivers on its objectives.

"On the eFF, which was already in place with Pakistan, I can tell you that technical discussions with the authorities

continue. They remain fluid with a view to bringing that second review of that program, that eFF, to a positive conclusion, as soon as possible. We're working with the authorities, constructively, to ensure that that can be brought to a positive conclusion, as soon as possible, while taking into account the new conditions that we're facing in Pakistan, and to ensure the program delivers on its objec-

tives," he said.

The IMF has already provided emergency financing of about $1.4 billion in April this year, in a bid to help the country deal with the Covid-19 crisis.

The Pakistan government is set to unveil the budget for the next year on June 12.

It was revealed on June 6 that the federal government had decided to present a tax-free budget for the fiscal year 2020-21. Sources privy to the matter said that the government will not introduce any new taxes in the forthcoming budget while harsh measures will be taken to curb tax evasion.

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is expected to be given special powers to stop tax evasion in the country.

GOVERNMENT AGREES TO NOT BORROW FROM SBP ISLAMABAD: As the third round of talks between the Pakistan government and the IMF came to an end on June 9, it was agreed that the Pakistan government will not borrow from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). According to sources, under the agreement, since the government will not borrow from the SBP, it will have to borrow money from the financial sector. As a result, the government will be essentially borrowing at a higher rate from banks and financial institutions.

Moreover, with this agreement the government will be unable to give stimulus in the shape of printing additional money, something that a large number of countries are doing in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic. “Currently the inflation is low throughout the world and countries are giving stimulus by printing money.

This agreement will bar the Pakistani government from doing so,” said a source while talking to Profit. STAFF REPORT

WHO retracts comments on asymptomatic spread of Covid-19 A top World Health Organisation (WHO) expert has tried to clear up misunderstandings about comments she made that were widely understood to suggest that people without Covid-19 symptoms rarely transmit the virus.

Maria Van Kerkhove, the UN health agency's technical lead on the virus pandemic, insisted on Tuesday that she was referring only to a few studies, not a complete picture, in the comments she made on Monday.

Van Kerkhove's remarks raised confusion and questions among outside experts and health officials who have recommended, and in some places required, that people wear masks to try to prevent the virus from spreading.

The clarification she provided during a WHO social media chat showed many questions remain about whether infected people who don't show symptoms of illness such as fever, dry cough or difficulty breathing can transmit the virus to others.

"What I was referring to yesterday were very few studies, some two or three studies that have been published, that actually try to follow asymptomatic cases.

"That's a very small subset of studies," she said. "I used the phrase very rare, and I think that that's [a] misunderstanding to state that asymptomatic transmission globally is very rare. What I was referring to was a subset of studies."

Van Kerkhove clarified that some

people do not develop symptoms, but can still infect others.

“Some estimates of around 40 per cent of transmission may be due to asymptomatic [cases], but those are from models. So I didn't include that in my answer yesterday but wanted to make sure that I made that clear,” she said.

Covid-19 patients most infectious when they first feel unwell The WHO also said that studies show people with the coronavirus are most in-

fectious just at the point when they first begin to feel unwell.

This feature has made it so hard to control spread of the virus that causes Covid-19 disease, but it can be done through rigorous testing and social distancing, experts said.

“It appears from very limited information we have right now that people have more virus in their body at or around the time that they develop symptoms, so very early on,” Van

Kerkhove said.

Preliminary studies from Germany and the United States suggest that people with mild symptoms can be infectious for up to eight to nine days, and “it can be a lot longer for people who are more severely ill”, she said.

Dr Mike Ryan, WHO's top emergencies expert, said that the novel coronavirus lodges in the upper respiratory tract, making it easier to transmit by droplets than related viruses such as Sars or Mers, which are in the lower tract.

“Now as we look at Covid-19, we have an infectious pathogen that is present in the upper airway for which the viral loads are peaking at the time you are just beginning to get sick,” he said.

“That means you could be in the restaurant feeling perfectly well and start to get a fever, you are feeling okay, you didn't think to stay home, but that's the moment at which your viral load could be actually quite high,” he said.

"And it's because the disease can spread at that moment that the disease is so contagious, that's why it spread around the world in such an uncontained way, is because it's hard to stop this virus.”

But some countries have shown that transmission can be brought down to “an acceptable level or even to no level”, as New Zealand had recently demonstrated, he said. AGENCIES

Worldwide coronavirus death toll reaches 408,794 Coronavirus pandemic has claimed at least 408,794 lives across the world so far, with over 7.2 million confirmed cases. The United States tops the list with over 113,061 deaths followed by the Britain with 40,597, Brazil by 37, 312 and Italy with 33,964 deaths. As far as number of confirmed cases is concerned, the US leads the chart with 2,006,607 cases followed by Brazil with 710,887 case, Russia with 485,253 cases. More than 3.53 million people have recovered from the infection.

WHO WARNS OF REBOUND RISK: Now is not the time to become complacent and drop our guard about the coronavirus as the pandemic is still growing globally, World Health Organization officials have warned. Despite some improvements in infection rates in europe, the global Covid-19 situation is “worsening” yet again, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday during an online press briefing. Sunday, June 7, had most reported cases in a single day so far of the outbreak, he added. According to Tedros, active surveillance and contact tracing are still essential to ensure the virus doesn’t rebound. “More than six months into the pandemic this is not the time for any country to take its foot off the pedal,” he warned. The alarming comments by Tedros come as many countries are lifting their Covid-19 lockdowns after reporting success in containing the spread of disease. Businesses are reopening and people are starting to return to offices, with timelines for the resumption of international air travel also being announced. But the WHO has been warning that easing restrictions will inevitably lead to a ‘second wave’ of the coronavirus, with the disease making a comeback in a different part of the population after an initial decline in cases. There are fears that this ‘second wave’ could even be accelerated by the ongoing protests over the death of African American man George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis. Major rallies against police brutality, some of which turned violent, are still being held in many of America’s largest cities and european capitals, with the participants gathering in large numbers and mostly ignoring Covid-19 self-distancing rules. Worldwide, more than 7 million people have been infected with the novel coronavirus and 403,000 have died since the pandemic was first reported in China’s Wuhan in December 2019. The US remains the worst-hit country with almost 2 million confirmed cases and a death toll of over 110,000, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University. It’s followed by Brazil which has more than 691,000 infections and some 36,400 fatalities. Russia, which has been one of the world leaders in Covid-19 testing, has recorded 476,000 confirmed cases, with almost 6,000 people succumbing to the disease. The WHO has been heavily criticized over its initial response to the Covid-19 outbreak. The UN health agency held off calling the spreading coronavirus a “pandemic,” despite it being found in Asia, North America, europe and the Middle east, until March, 11. AGENICES

Global economy to shrink 5.2pc this year: World Bank WASHINGTON TLTP

The Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown measures have thrown the global economy into turmoil, the World Bank says, projecting global GDP (gross domestic product) to contract 5.2 percent in 2020.

The anticipated decline will be the worst since World War II and nearly three times as steep as in the 2009 global recession.

In its Global economic Prospects report, the bank forecasts that the pandemic is expected to plunge most countries into recession in 2020, with “per capita income contracting in the largest fraction of countries globally since 1870.”

Advanced economies are projected to

shrink seven percent. The bank has expressed specific concern over developing markets with weaker public health systems, where up to 60 million people could be tipped into extreme poverty.

“This is a deeply sobering outlook, with the crisis likely to leave long-lasting scars and pose major global challenges,” said World Bank Group’s vice president Ceyla Pazarbasioglu. Investments will stay lower in the near term, and global trade and supply chains will erode to some extent, according to the report.

The World Bank downgraded growth forecasts for all regions but flagged Latin America, europe, and Central Asia in particular, due to the size of their domestic outbreaks and the risk of “global spillovers” due to heavy reliance on trade, tourism, and commodities.

The report forecasts a 9.1 percent decline in real GDP for the euro Area and a 6.1 percent contraction for both the United States and Japan. In the US, the World Bank expects a rebound of four percent in 2021 assuming a recovery in consumer and investor confidence, made possible by “large-scale” policy support from both the Federal Reserve and Congress.

The world’s second largest economy, China, is projected to grow one percent this year, down from 6.1 percent in 2019, before bouncing back.

While projecting a global economic rebound of 4.2 percent in 2021, the World Bank warned that an “even worse scenario is possible” if the health crisis takes longer than expected to contain.

Published by Arif Nizami at Qandeel Printing Press, 4 Queens Road, Lahore. Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk