EpaperLHR_21-01-13

Wednesday, 13 January, 2021 I 28 Jumada Al-Awwal, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 195 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition

Intra-afghan talks be pursued for InclusIve, broad-based solutIon, says pM g

COAS SAyS peACe in pAkiStAn hingeS upOn peACeful AfghAniStAn

Nine arrested for rape, murder of minor girl KHAIRPUR STAFF REPORT

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

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eiterAting pakistan’s consistent support to the Afghan peace process, prime Minister imran khan has underscored that intra-Afghan negotiations process must be pursued with perseverance and patience for an inclusive and broad-based solution. the prime minister said this while having a meeting with hezb-e-Wahdat-e-islami Afghanistan leader ustad karim khalili who along with a delegation called on him on tuesday. the exchange of views covered progress in the Afghan peace process and bilateral relations between pakistan and Afghanistan. the premier underscored his long standing position that there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan and that a negotiated political settlement is the only way forward. noting that the Afghan people have suffered gravely due to prolonged conflict in the country, pM imran stressed that after the Afghan people, pakistan is most desirous of peace and stability in Afghanistan. he recalled his recent interaction with Afghan leaders and underlined that pakistan’s message to all sides is to work together for a peaceful solution. the prime minister particularly underscored the importance of reduction of violence leading to ceasefire. he added that a

coronavIrus In

pakIstan

CONFIRMED CASES:

506,701

LAST UPDATED AT 8:06 AM ON JANUARY 12, 2020

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

41

RECOVERED:

NEW CASES:

2,408 DEATHS:

461,977 10,717 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

227,885

146,016

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

61,648

18,429

8,501/4,882 39,340

peaceful and stable Afghanistan will open up new vistas of cooperation in trade and regional connectivity. the premier also reiterated pakistan’s commitment to strengthen the bilateral relationship with Afghanistan, including trade and economic ties and people-to-people linkages. he also assured the Afghan delegation of pakistan’s continued support for human resource development through scholarships and socio-economic development projects in Afghanistan.

Separately, during a meeting with the delegation at the general headquarters (ghQ), Chief of Army Staff (COAS) general Qamar Javed Bajwa said that peace in Afghanistan means peace in pakistan, the inter-Services public relations (iSpr) said in a statement. the army chief said that a stable and prosperous Afghanistan at peace with itself and its neighbours is in pakistan’s national interest, reported the military’s media wing.

According to the iSpr, matters of mutual interest, peace and stability in the region, connectivity, and current developments in the Afghan peace process were discussed during the meeting. the visiting dignitary appreciated the positive role played by pakistan for Afghan peace as well as the army chief's vision on future of pakistanAfghanistan relations, said the iSpr. earlier, the Afghan delegation held a meeting with foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi to discuss matters of mutual

interest including the pakistan-brokered united States-taliban peace talks.

During the meeting, Qureshi reiterated islamabad's stance that there was no military solution to the long-running Afghan conflict, saying only political dialogue could resolve the conflict.

Welcoming the progress made during the on-again, off-again intra-Afghan talks, Qureshi expressed optimism about the second round of talks being held in Doha. he emphasised that the regional peace was linked to the stability in Afghanistan and expressed satisfaction over the progress in intraAfghan dialogue, saying it provides a unique opportunity to the Afghan leadership which must be seized for peace in the country.

Qureshi regretted that india is acting as a spoiler in Afghanistan and we have presented irrefutable evidence in this regard before the world community. the foreign minister shared that the government was taking concrete steps for the promotion of bilateral relations between the two countries, adding that pakistan has also introduced a new visa policy to facilitate the Afghans. khalili thanked the foreign minister for hosting the Afghan refugees over the last many decades and praised pakistan's role in the Afghan peace process.

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Talks with Chinese firm underway to procure Covid vaccine: Asad ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Minister for planning, Development and Special initiative Asad umar has said that the government is promptly taking decisions to procure the antiCovid vaccine.

Briefing the media persons on tuesday, Asad, who also heads the national Command and Operations Centre (nCOC), said that talks are being held with a Chinese company for the procurement of the vaccine. the minister said that initially the vaccine will be administered to the healthcare staff which will be followed by other people. he said 1.1 million coronavirus vaccine doses will be available in the country in March 2021 and front line workers including doctor’s paramedical staff will be vaccinated in the first phase.

Moreover, Asad said that the government's attempt to balance its coronavirus strategy between restrictions to curb the spread of the disease and protection of lives and livelihoods yielded fruit.

"Since the first day [of the outbreak in pakistan], the

Sindh police on tuesday arrested nine individuals on charges of rape and murder of a minor girl in the province's khairpur district.

Seven-year-old Momina larik, working as a domestic help in pirjo goth, was reported on Monday to be killed after being raped. her body was found in a banana orchard in hadal Shah village. the girl often used to stay at her employer's house, which is why the parents did not report her missing until a full day had passed, said Sukkur range Deputy inspector general (Dig) fida hussain Mastoi. it was only when the parents visited the house that they learned the girl had left two days ago. following the news of the incident, a case was registered against three unidentified persons on the complaint of the victim's father, the police said. “police have picked up nine suspects so far,” he said. the police shifted the body to the taluka headquarters hospital, where a doctor confirmed the minor was raped before being strangled to death. police officials will get DnA tests of all the suspects conducted at the forensic & Molecular Biology laboratory of the liaquat university of Medical and health Sciences (luMhS), while a case will be registered into the incident. the incident created anger among the locals, who protested the latest gruesome incident of child abuse and demanded that the rapist be arrested. in August, a report by the ngO Sahil had revealed that as many as 1,489 children, at least eight per day, were sexually abused in the first half of 2020 in the country. the victims included 785 girls and 704 boys. the abusers were acquaintances of the victims or victims’ families in 822 cases while strangers were involved in 135 reported cases, according to the report titled 'Cruel numbers'. the report said that in 98 cases, the victims were between the age of one to five years; in 331 cases, they were between six and 10 years of age; while the largest number of cases (490) involved victims between 11 to 15 years of age.

more inside

Inter-ministerial committee formed after Broadsheet controversy STORY ON PAGE 02

Cabinet gives nod to duty, tax exemption of highspeed diesel prime minister told us to perform two responsibilities: to work to save the lives of the people and to save their jobs," the minister said. he said that the government opted for a smart lockdown policy in the wake of the first wave of Covid-19 to protect the lives and livelihoods. he added that the complete lockdown policy adopted by some of the regional countries added to their economies woes.

Asad warned that several countries have been hit a third wave of the pandemic and appealed to the citizens to continue following governmentdevised standard operating procedures (SOps) to contain

the disease. he warned that pakistan could face the devastating situation regarding Covid-19 if people do not adopt SOps in letter and spirit.

During the presser, Asad also unveiled the results of a survey conducted by the pakistan Bureau of Statistics (pBS), highlighting the impact of the first wave of the pandemic on pakistan’s economy.

According to the report, some 27.31 million of the country’s “working population” of people aged 10 and above were impacted between April and July 2020 due to the outbreak.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 03

STORY ON BACK PAGE

Witnesses, court received threats during Pearl murder trial, SC told STORY ON BACK PAGE

Covid-19 vaccine rollout key to economic recovery: WB report STORY ON PAGE 05

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Wednesday, 13 January, 2021

NEWS

INteR-MINISteRIAl coMMIttee foRMed AfteR BRoAdSheet coNtRoveRSy ISLAMABAD

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TLTP

N inter-ministerial committee has been formed to probe the Broadsheet LLC scandal after videos of the firm’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kaveh Moussavi surfaced on YouTube wherein in he made claims regarding former premier Nawaz Sharif.

The federal cabinet has decided to reveal facts to expose individuals involved in money laundering and making fun of the country’s institutions in light of the findings

of UK law firm Broadsheet, said Minister for Information and Broadcasting Syed Shibli Faraz on Tuesday while briefing the media persons about the decisions taken during the cabinet meeting.

Earlier, Moussavi’s allegations that the Sharif family approached him with a bribe created quite a stir in media.

In an interview, the CEO had said that Broadsheet had flatly refused the deal offered by a person claiming himself as the nephew of Nawaz in the year 2012, retorting that the Broadsheet did not negotiate with crooks.

Faraz said that the cabinet has formed an inter-ministerial committee, which will reveal

Bilawal, Zardari invited to Biden’s inauguration KARACHI: Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari have been invited to United States Presidentelect Joe Biden’s inauguration. The father-son duo got an invitation to attend the oath-taking ceremony of US president-elect Joe Biden, which is scheduled to take place on January 20. After hundreds of President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the US Capitol in a harrowing assault on American democracy on January 6, a shaken Congress formally certified Biden’s election victory. Immediately after the certification, the White House released a statement from Trump in which he pledged an “orderly transition” on January 20 when Biden will be sworn into office. After debate the Senate and the House of Representatives rejected two objections to the tally and certified the final Electoral College vote with Biden receiving 306 votes and Trump 232 votes. TLTP

Iqbal says PM's aide 'allegations' pack of lies ISLAMABAD: A day after Adviser to Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Shahzad Akbar accused the Sharif family of attempting to “spin” the High Court of Justice, London judgment in the Broadsheet LLC case in its favour, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday termed the statement as a pack of lies. Talking to the media, the former minister said that cheap tactics cannot pressurise the party. It is the need of the hour to get rid of incompetent rulers, he declared while questioning Prime Minister Imran Khan as to who is responsible for the fragile state of the national economy. Iqbal said character assassination is done by imprisoning them. I was accused of committing corruption [in Narowal sports complex case] worth Rs70 billion one and a half years ago, and the authorities are still unable to form a joint investigation team (JIT) in the matter, he said. Iqbal further said that the M-5 highway between Multan and Sukkur was constructed by China, not Pakistan, and the incumbent ministers are leveling allegations of corruption on our friend country to sabotage the relations. APP

President for providing marketable skills to differently-abled people ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi has underlined the need for providing marketable skills to persons with disabilities. The president was talking to National Vocational and Technical Training Commission Chairman Syed Javed Hassan on Tuesday. The president asked the NAVTTC to design special training modules for differently-abled people and provide them with skilledbased training so that they could contribute to the development of society. He emphasised the need for financial inclusion of persons with disabilities as well as bringing them into the mainstream education system. He said that the financial and educational inclusion of differently-abled people, who constitute almost 15 per cent of the country’s population, was a major challenge and it was the shared responsibility of society to play its role for their welfare by providing them skills and jobs to make them productive citizens of the country. He stressed the need for collaborative efforts by the federal and provincial governments as well as the civil society to work for the skills development of differently-abled people. TLTP

the individuals, mentioned in the Broadsheet scandal. He said that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and others influenced that inquiry to save their own skin and now the government under Prime Minister Imran Khan has decided to make those names public, after thorough scrutiny of the available material. Faraz clarified that the purpose of the committee is not to look into the minutiae of the case, but to discover how the country’s wealth was looted, and how Broadsheet was approached by a person claiming to be Nawaz’s nephew after it had made its discoveries. “This is a problem that started in 2000 when an NRO was given to PML-N and

[PPP] and then it was as if the matter went into cold storage […] 200 names were given [to the asset recovery firm] of people who illegally sent the country’s wealth abroad,” Faraz said while addressing the media after a federal cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

“Different interviews have come forth and after the High Court’s decision in England, an inter-ministerial committee has been formed to further dissect the matter,” said Faraz. The information minister that those who “made a mockery out of the state institutions, hurt the nation’s wealth and dragged the country into litigation which has caused great embarrassment” will be dealt with after the committee shares its own findings “soon”. The minister said that the cabinet also approved a bill to enhance powers of the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) to ensure transparency. He added that automation and digitisation are being introduced in the working of the office of the AGP. He informed issuance of cheques will

Lyari warlord Uzair Baloch acquitted in murder case KARACHI STAFF REPORT

A district and sessions court in Karachi on Tuesday acquitted notorious Lyari gangster Uzair Baloch in a kidnapping and murder case for want of evidence.

Baloch, claimed leader of the defunct militant group

Peoples Aman Committee (PAC), rose to prominence in 2012 after a wave of deadly violence in Lyari.

Last week, he was acquitted in four separate cases, including two pertaining to armed attacks on police officials. During the hearing, the defence said that no eyewitness appeared to testify against Baloch, while the prosecution was silent over the culprits involved in the

IHC directs PMC to resolve students' problems on MDCAT NEWS DESK The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ordered the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) to resolve the problems faced by the students regarding the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) 2020.

IHC Chief Justice (CJ) Athar Minallah, during the hearing regarding the violations of the PMC, directed the students to take the matter up with the PMC in order to have their objections heard.

The students were protesting against the alleged discrepancies in the 2020 entry test, including outof-syllabus questions.

The test had been held on November 29, 2020, with a secondary test on December 13 for those who missed the first one due to coronavirus related issues.

The counsel for the students had argued that carrying out exams was not in the domain of the federal government and was a subject of the provincial government, but the IHC CJ had refuted this claim.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Sindh government has fully backed the students and has demanded permission to conduct an entry test for the local medical and dental colleges by itself.

Justice Minallah had stated regulatory

authorities do not fall under the provincial domain.

He then ordered the PMC to resolve the complaints of the students.

The demands of the candidates have not been unified as yet, wherein some candidates are calling for grace marks, while others demand the passing grade be reduced from 60 per cent to 50 per cent, while others demand the answer keys be shared and a rechecking take place.

Candidate Abdul Hadi demanded the release of the report of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) probe into the MDCAT paper leak. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had also demanded the release of the FIA probe.

The protesters have also taken to social media to vent their anger against the PMC. Human rights activist Jibran Nasir sided with the protesting students and said the PMC had deleted 14 MDCAT questions after admitting they were ambiguous.

“Those [ambiguous] questions were 7% of the test. Also, for candidates based in Sindh, at least 18 questions were out of the syllabus. That is another 9% of the test.

"This shows incompetence and shameful conduct by PMC's academic board of not applying their mind at all,” he had said in a tweet.

be automated to prevent any kind of delay and fraud. Faraz said that the Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) government is vigorously working on institutional reforms and the cabinet has decided to make these reforms public soon.

Talking about negative impact of the sale of smuggled petrol in Pakistan, the minister said that a crackdown has been started against petrol pumps involved in selling substandard and smuggled petrol, which poses hazards not only to the environment but also adversely impacts functionality of the vehicles.

He said that the sale of smuggled petrol is inflicting a loss of around Rs180 billion to the national exchequer. He added that, so far, 192 petrol pumps have been sealed for selling substandard smuggled oil.

Faraz maintained that such petrol pumps have been directed to furnish records of their sale and purchase within one week. He added that 2,090 petrol pumps have been identified across Pakistan that are involved in selling smuggled petrol.

murder. “The police found the dead body and didn’t identify the slain person,” the counsel said.

“The murder took place in Kalari village on March 13, 2013, while the case was registered on March 17,” the counsel for Baloch said. “Police nominated my client in the case on political grounds, who didn’t commit it.” “My client was nominated in the case over the statement of a police official, who was not present at the crime scene,” lawyer further said.

The witness policeman recorded his statement to the investigation officer but failed to appear before the court as a witness, the said. “Deceased Noshad was abducted from Chakiwara area and was kept at a cell where Uzair Baloch and other accused were present,” according to the prosecution’s charge sheet.

Shehbaz thinks NAB should thank him for saving Rs600bn LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and National Assembly (NA) Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif and his son Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Hamza Shehbaz appeared in an accountability court in Lahore on Tuesday in the money laundering case involving the members of the Sharif family. On court’s query, Sharif complained about the medical board, saying they did not send him the report about his check-up done a few days ago. Talking about the 2007 Chiniot mines project. “I saved Rs600 billion in that project which is very important [to remember],” he said. “The NAB might be right in saying it had saved the money but I was the first one who tried to save the loss to the government coffer." “The first phase of the project was worth Rs640 billion. The savings which I made belonged to this nation. The NAB should thank me for saving the public money,” he added. At this, the judge intervened: “I am not hearing this [mines] case. When the opportunity comes you can appear before the relevant court and tell the judge about it.” During the last hearing, Sharif told the court that the Chiniot mineral reserves were estimated at over $4 billion. He had said the current value of the reserves is 640 billion dollars. He said work on the first phase was underway and added his efforts led to the reserves being handed back to Punjab which would led to the annulment of its debts and an end to poverty in the province. STAFF REPORT

Prices and availability of wheat, flour satisfy Buzdar LAHORE TLTP

Expressing satisfaction over the prices and availability of wheat and flour stocks, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has said that Punjab is the only province where 20-kg flour bags are available at fixed rate.

The chief minister said this while talking to Senior Minister Abdul Aleem Khan who briefed him about the departmental performance The chief minister said that flour price has been stabilised due to the timely decisions and the government will continue to facilitate the consumers. No one will be allowed to exploit the people, he stressed.

The CM regretted that the opposition is only interested to protect its personal stakes, adding that

Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is an unnatural alliance of rejected elements which have always ignored the national interest.

The looters cannot deceive the people as the citizens are fully aware of the corrupt, he said.

Opposition's negative role is highly deplorable and it must also realise that people cannot be served through statements, the CM added.

The senior minister stated that flour price has been stabilised as the food department ensured ample supply of flour along with price monitoring. On the other side, the negative narrative of the PDM has been defeated and opposition should shun the politics of chaos as it has no program for the masses, he advised.

Separately, Khan said that the prices of flour across the province have come down to the lowest level in 7 months and 20-kg bag of flour is available in different

cities even at less than the official price.

He added that due to the solid and integrated policies of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the prices of wheat and flour have come down and for the first time in the month of January, these prices have reduced while usually wheat and flour are hoarded to increase the price in this month but this time the situation is different and people have got relief.

He observed that provision of quality and affordable food to the people is the top priority of the government and the Punjab Food Department and related agencies are continuously monitoring to ensure stability in wheat and flour prices.

Khan termed the reduction in flour prices as satisfactory and said that the government would continue its policy of providing relief to the people and ensure ample supply of wheat and flour in the market.

Wednesday, 13 January, 2021

AffoRdABle houSINg foR PuBlIc IS A PRIoRIty of govt: PM ISLAMABAD

P

STAFF REPORT

RIME Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said the provision of affordable housing units to public was a priority of the government and directed the housing ministry to ensure completion of the ongoing housing projects within the stipulated time period.

The prime minster expressed these views in a meeting with Minister for Housing Tariq Bashir Cheema, who

called on him, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) media wing said in a press release.

The minister apprised the premier in detail about the progress on different housing projects being undertaken by the ministry.

According to the press release, the prime minister appreciated the progress on the federal employees housing projects.

Earlier this month, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Minister for Housing Amjad Ali had appreciated the incentives

PdM adopting undemocratic moves to pressure institutions: faraz ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz has said that Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is adopting an undemocratic move against the democratically-elected government. Talking to a private news channel, the information minister said that PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has announced to stage a sit-in in front of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a bid to pressurise the national institutions. The minister said that the tactics being used by the PDM leaders to pressurise the NAB and ECP for casting aside corruption and money laundering cases, would fail soon. Shibli categorically said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government will never grant national reconciliation ordinance to the leaders of opposition at any cost. TLTP

Rasheed urges PdM to desist from taking law into hand ISLAMABAD: Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad has said that leaders of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) should desist from taking law into their hands. In an interview with a private television channel, the interior minister said that action could be taken against the elements found involved in violating laws of the land. Commenting on foreign funding case, he informed that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has disclosed the names of donors, while the opposition party leaders could not do so. In reply to a question about resignation issue, the minister said a rift among the party members of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) over the matter of resignation prevails. TLTP

NePRA to probe Saturday power blackout The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) will constitute a high-powered committee to look into the 14-hour blackout from Saturday. The fact-finding committee will comprise the power regulator's top professionals and renowned protection engineers from the private sector, and will be required to give recommendations to avoid such incidents in future. During the 14-hour blackout, the regulator received reports of 26 deaths due to electrocution, out of which, 14 deaths were due to negligence by the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO).

NEPRA received these after it had constituted a twomember investigation committee under Section 27A of the NEPRA Act 1997 to visit the relevant areas. As such, NEPRA has imposed a Rs13 million fine on PESCO after having determined that PESCO had failed to discharge its statutory obligations to maintain safety standards as laid down in the relevant code and manual. Moreover, PESCO also failed to report fatalities immediately to NEPRA in a prescribed manner as envisaged under NEPRA Performance Standards (Distribution) Rules, 2005.

While the government itself has not ordered an investigation into the incident, the National Transmission & Despatch Company (NTDC) has also constituted its own four-member committee to look into the reasons behind the blackout. NTDC General Manager (GM) North Malik Javed Mehmood would convener of the committee, while GM (Technical) Ghulam Abbas Memon, Chief Engineer (CE) (PO&C) Atif Mujeeb Usmani and CE (Network) would work as members. NEWS DESK

announced by PM Imran.

He had said that it would give a boom to construction industry as well as creating job opportunities for the locals.

In a statement, Ali had said, under the subsidy plan of the prime minister, the government would not collect tax more than five and seven per cent on 5 marla and 10 marla houses respectively for next five years, adding the PM also gave 90 per cent reduction in taxes in housing projects for low income group of society.

In December last year, PM Imran

had announced that the federal government had set aside Rs30 billion in subsidies for low-cost housing schemes in the country.

The first 100,000 houses would get a grant of Rs300,000 per house to lower their costs.

There are 186 construction projects currently registered with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), he had announced in a televised address.

Banks have set aside Rs378 billion for construction activity till December 2021, he had added.

AJK president rejects India's dream of turning Kashmir into Hindu Rashtra NEWS DESK Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan has categorically stated that the Indian dream of turning the disputed territory into a Hindu Rashtra would never materialise.

The Kashmiri people will fight for their right to self-determination until their last drop of blood, he said while addressing a webinar on “Marginalisation of Kashmiris in the Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir by Indian Government”, organised by the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) as the keynote speaker. Other speakers at the event included former senator Javed Jabbar, Pakistan Peace and Culture Organisation Chairperson Mishaal Hussain Malik and AVM (r) Shahzad Chaudhry. IPRI Acting President Brig (r) Raashid Wali Janjua hosted the event.

“Despite India’s policy of irredentism and colonialism, Kashmiris have vowed to continue their struggle for freedom and self-determination by giving their blood to keep the flame of liberty burning. I say with conviction that the truth will prevail, evil will be crushed, and the Indian criminals will be brought to justice,” Khan affirmed.

He said that the whole population of occupied Jammu and Kashmir has been under siege of the Indian

Army since August 5 last year, and the occupation troops are ruthlessly engaged in crimes like the ethnic cleansing of the Kashmiri people, which are not only crimes against humanity but the war crimes as well. Khan said that the BJP-RSS regime is taking systematic steps in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) to alter its demography, its geography, its statehood, and the rights of the people of Kashmir recognized by international law.

“Jammu and Kashmir, as we knew it and as recognised by the UN is disappearing before our very eyes,” he warned He elaborated that last year on August 5, after invasion and forcibly annexing the occupied territory with its federation, it arbitrarily and in violation of the UN Security Council resolutions divided the occupied state into two parts and designated them as federal territories.

The president said that later last year, another sinister plan was implemented to ruthlessly take Kashmir away from Kashmiris, and Pakistan where more than 2 million Hindus from India have been illicitly settled inside the occupied territory. “The real target is the illegal settlement of more than 5 million in the coming years. Kashmir will no more remain Kashmir: it will become Hindustan, a Hindu Rashtra, with a completely marginalized Muslim population,” he maintained.

Gunmen kill cop escorting polio workers in KP pESHAWAR STAFF REPORT

Gunmen riding on a motorcycle shot and killed a policeman in Karak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Tuesday as he escorted a team of polio workers.

The attack came on the second day of a nationwide anti-polio vaccination campaign that authorities launched on Monday in an effort to eradicate the crippling disease by the end of the year.

The polio workers on the team in Karak escaped unharmed, according to local police officer Irfan Khan.

A search for the attackers who fled the scene was underway, he added. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

KP Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sanaullah Abbasi also took notice of the incident and said that the official's killers will be caught soon. He further said that security was being provided to polio workers and

added: "The martyrdom of police [official] is proof that security is being provided."

Abbasi said that there are "some people" who were against polio vaccination but added that they would be rooted out soon. Militants often target polio teams and police assigned to protect them. The proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claim the campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilise children.

Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan are the only two remaining countries in the world where polio is endemic, after Nigeria was last year declared free of the wild poliovirus. Pakistan regularly launches polio drives. It had hoped to eliminate polio back in 2018 when only 12 cases were reported. But in the years since there has been an uptick in new cases.

The latest five-day anti-polio drive started with an aim to immunise some 40 million children under the age of five against the crippling disease with a focus on high-risk cities including Karachi and Quetta.

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Intra-Afghan talks be pursued for inclusive, broad-based solution, says PM CONtINuED fROM pAgE 01 Khalili belongs to the Shia Hazara community from the Northern Alliance and his visit is a part of Pakistan’s ongoing policy to reach out to political leadership in Afghanistan to forge a common understanding on the Afghan peace process and deepen people-to-people ties. His visit comes on the heels of the start of intra-Afghan peace talks between the Afghan government and the Afghan Taliban. Khalili is visiting Pakistan at a time when Afghanistan is rife with rumors of the formation of an interim government to help push the political reconciliation in war-torn Afghanistan. The country’s fraternal ties with Afghanistan are rooted deep in shared history, faith, culture, values and traditions, a Foreign Office (FO) statement said. The premier, on many occasions, said that Pakistan fully supports all efforts for peace, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan. Pakistan remains steadfast in its support for an inclusive, broadbased and comprehensive political solution to the conflict in Afghanistan through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process, it added.

Police arrest five outside lahore court, recover large arms cache LAHORE: Punjab police on Tuesday arrested seven men who were carrying a large cache of weapons outside a district and sessions court in the city's old Islampura neighbourhood. Local security chief Mubashir Awan said five guns, including AK-47 rifles, more than a thousand bullets and 15 magazines were seized from the suspects. However, in a statement issued later, a spokesperson for the Lahore police said five rifles, five pistols and 700 bullets were recovered from seven men. He added that the suspects were shifted to the Islampura police station for registration of a case against them. Meanwhile, Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Ghulam Mehmood Dogar congratulated the security chief and his team for apprehending the men. He also announced action against the suspects and awards for the security team, according to the statement. "Kalashnikov culture will be ended in Lahore. Nobody is allowed to go around displaying weapons. The writ of the state must be established," the CCPO said. "Protecting the lives and livelihoods of citizens is the police's responsibility and we will fulfil it," he added. STAFF REPORT

JuI-f loses another leader who plans to face PMl-N Former forest minister Ibrar Hussain Talon announced that he had parted ways with the Jamiat Ulemai IslamFazl (JUI-F), saying that he would face the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in the upcoming elections. “I quit the JUI-F in front of you all and proudly announce that I will face the PML-N candidates in the upcoming elections anywhere in Mansehra district,” he told a public meeting in Khatain Da Galla area. The former minister said that the JUI-F along with the PML-N was working against the ‘national interest’ and he could not be part of such a party. Tanoli announced that he would join another political party after consulting the people of Tanawal and his constituency. In this regard, he said that he would organise a large gathering. It is pertinent to mention that Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) chief Aftab Ahmad Sherpao was due to address the media on this occasion as well, but could not due to a death in his family, leading to speculation that Tanoli intends on joining the QWP. NEWS DESK

Talks with Chinese firm underway to procure Covid vaccine: Asad CONtINuED fROM pAgE 01 According to the survey, 55.74 million people 10 years and older were economically active prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. It said this had declined to 22 per cent — 35.04 million people — due to the lockdown restrictions. The worst-hit province was Sindh, whose working population reduced from 38 percent pre-Covid to 23 per cent during.

This was followed by Punjab with a 14 per cent decline, and Balochistan with an 11 per cent decline.

The report said that after July, the recovery process had started and 33 per cent of the national population had reported they were once more employed.

He observed the World Health Organisation (WHO), UN General Assembly (UNGA) president Volkan Bozkir and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation founder Bill Gates recognised the government's handling of the pandemic. Moreover, Asad highlighted that the federal government had warned the public about the second wave of the virus in October. "In November, we noticed a rapid increase in the number of cases and took steps at the end of November regarding sectors/activities that were responsible for the increase, including restaurants, marriage halls and educational institutions," he added.

The federal minister said the first week of December 2020 saw fewer coronavirus cases. In the second week, there was an increase in the number of people put on ventilators and the third week again saw fewer cases.

EARLY FEBRUARY VACCINE: Separately, Dr Faisal Sultan, state minister for national health services, said that the government was hopeful it would receive the first batch of the vaccine from China’s Sinopharm in “early February.”The company has applied for registration to the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), submitting the complete data of clinical trials of its vaccine to it.

“We hope to be able to get [vaccine doses from Sinopharm] in the first quarter of this year, hopefully starting in early February,” Dr Sultan told Arab News, adding that the government aimed to begin the process of vaccination within the first quarter of this year.

The government has already announced an intent to purchase 1.2 million doses of the vaccine from China.

In December, the federal cabinet approved $250 million in funding to buy coronavirus vaccines, initially to cover the most vulnerable 5 per cent of the population, including the frontline health workers.

Meanwhile, the NCOC has announced to have

opened registrations for frontline healthcare workers who are set to receive the first doses of the vaccine.

Staff in both public and private health facilities will be vaccinated, NCOC announced on its website and gave an elaborate definition for who qualified as a healthcare worker. “All staff of Covid-19 hospitals (public and private sector) and isolation centers,” the notification said. “All staff includes clerical, administrative and support staff [sanitary workers, guards] in addition to doctors, nurses, paramedics.”

DEATH TOLL RISES:Meanwhile, the coronavirus pandemic claimed 41 more lives while 2,408 new infections were reported during the last 24 hours, said the NCOC on Tuesday.

According to the NCOC, 41 more deaths took the death toll to 10,717, while the national tally of cases now stands at 506,701. Around 3,606 patients recovered from the virus on Monday and the total count of active cases is 34,007. Overall, 461,977 people have recovered from the deadly disease so far. Around 2,340 patients are in critical condition including 54 whose health condition has been declared sensitive. A total of 40,088 tests were conducted across the country during the last twenty-four hours while 7,162,626 samples have been tested so far.

04 NEWS Gas leakage claims three more lives in Mansehra MANSEHRA

Wednesday, 13 January, 2021

PetroleuM diviSion facilitateS two Main culPritS of Petrol criSiS ISLAMABAD

APP

As many as three persons of a family lost their lives due to gas leakage near Potha on Tuesday. According to the local police, one Mohammad Awais forgot to switch off the gas heater and slept before the heater went off due to gas load shedding on Monday night.

Later, the gas supply restored and the room filled with gas, causing suffocation and demise of Awais, his wife and four-year-old son. On Tuesday morning, the family members broke the door of the room and found them all dead. The police shifted the bodies to King Abdullah Hospital and later handed over those to family members. It is relevant to mention that during the first two weeks of this year, more than 12 people have lost their life owing to gas leakage In Abbottabad and Mansehra.

Senate debates rights of provinces, presidential ordinance ISLAMABAD APP

The Senate on Tuesday debated about the provincial rights guaranteed in the Constitution and the presidential ordinance regarding the islands of Balochistan and Sindh. Taking part in the debate, newly-elected Senator Nushrat Shaheen of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) said the incumbent government has inherited power, gas and inflation crisis. She called for provision of gas facility to the divisional headquarters on priority basis. Senator Bahramand Khan Tangi of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) said the government has also taken loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other lending agencies. He added that the ordinances were promulgated despite the presence of parliament. “There is hike in the prices of essential commodities, including sugar, flour, edible oil and medicines. The government should take steps to reduce the prices and give respite to the poor people,” he said. Senator Nuzhat Sadiq of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) said the government should take measures to provide relief to the masses, besides giving friendly environment to the industrialists and traders. Referring to the energy problems, she claimed that the PML-N regime had set up power plants in record time. She also alleged that the opposition members are being victimised. Senator Abida Azeem of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP) said her party and supporters would continue to raise voice for the supremacy of Constitution.

AHMAD AHMADANI

i

NSTEAD of taking action against the main culprits of petrol crisis in June last year, the petroleum division has allowed incumbent Director General (DG) Oil Dr Shafi ur Rehman Afridi to continue work on acting charge basis for the next 90 days, Pakistan Today learnt on Tuesday.

According to a notification issued by the division, Shafi, currently posted as DG Policy Wing, has been assigned the charge of the post of DG Oil in addition to his own duties for a period of 90 days or till the posting of a regular incumbent, whichever is earlier.

It is relevant to mention that a five-member Inquiry commission, headed by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Additional Director General Abubakar Khudabaksh, was formed in July last year to probe into the

shortage of petroleum products that hit the country in the previous month. The commission in its report had recommended strict action against the petroleum division’s secretary, Shafi, OGRA and private oil marketing companies (OMCs).

The commission had recommended departmental action against Shafi, a veterinary doctor by profession, due to his illegal orders regarding allocation of import and local quotas.

The posting of Shafi as well as previous DGs were also found against the approved criteria. Shafi was posted as DG Oil with no previous experience related to the post.

“This fact reflects gross violation on the part of Ministry of Energy Power Division (MoEPD) and its non-seriousness to attend to the issues and functioning of the office of the DG Oil that plays a pivotal role in the petroleum industry of Pakistan,” the report had said.

Centre takes back control of major hospitals of Karachi, Lahore ISLAMABAD TLTP

The federal government on Tuesday issued a notification regarding the takeover of three major hospitals in Karachi and one in Lahore.

Through the notification, the federal government took administrative control of the three hospitals of Karachi, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) and National Institute of Child Health (NICH), besides taking over Lahore’s Sheikh Zayed Federal Postgraduate Medical Institute.

Prior to the notification, the

JPMC was being administered by the federal government despite transfer of powers to Sindh province through a constitutional amendment.

The decision to get back the control of major hospitals of provincial capitals was taken by the federal government under the Medical Teaching Institution Ordinance.

Earlier, the federal government had handed over the administration of JPMC to the Sindh government before the ruling of the Supreme Court (SC) to hand over administrative powers of the three hospitals of Karachi to the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations

and Coordination.

The SC through its judgement in January, 2019 had given the control of the three hospitals of Karachi to the federal government and directed the provincial as well as federal governments to complete a smooth transition of the hospitals’ control in 90 days.

The verdict was announced after the Sindh government and the health institutions had approached the court with a claim that since the subject of health had been devolved to the provinces through an amendment, the management of the JPMC, NICVD and NICH was also vested with the Sindh government.

WhatsApp users in KP move to Telegram, Signal over privacy concerns PESHAWAR AZIZ BUNERI

The WhatsApp users in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) are switching to Telegram and Signal apps for messages and voice calls as they are not ready to accept the new WhatsApp policy due to alleged privacy breach, Pakistan Today learnt on Tuesday.

Omar, a Peshawar-based businessman, told Pakistan Today that he was using WhatsApp from last several years to keep his data and business activities secure, but now he has installed Telegram for the purpose. “After installing the new app, I found around 4000 out of my 5000 contacts in the new app,” he said.

Talking about the new WhatsApp policy, senior journalist Izharullah said there is no problem

with the new policy for those who are well versed in modern technology. “People are now deleting WhatsApp as they believe that the app has started accessing photos and contacts from mobile phones.

After some technology experts revealed that other apps, including Telegram and Signal, are safer than WhatsApp, the ordinary people, who are not familiar with modern technology, have starting installing other apps,” he said.

According to the KP Directorate of Information, important is-

sues were being shared among all the departmental officers of the province through various WhatsApp groups. However, after the new WhatsApp policy, the senior officials of the province are moving to other apps due to security issues.

Earlier, WhatsApp had updated its privacy policy for users and sent notifications to both Android and iOS mobile users. The company had made compulsory for the users to accept the policy before February 8 in order to get continued access to the app.

“Whatever you share, it stays between you. That is because your personal messages are protected by end-to-end encryption. We will never weaken this security and we clearly label each chat so you know our commitment,” a WhatsApp message sent to users had said.

Planning Commission organises consultation to laud role of nurses during Covid-19 ISLAMABAD: The Planning Commission on Tuesday organised a consultation on “Nurses for the Year 2020”. The meeting was attended by the representatives of Pakistan Nursing Council (PNC), Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC), Prime Minister [Imran Khan] Task Force on Nursing and Higher Education Commission and provincial directorates of nursing. Lauding the achievements, contributions and sacrifices of nurses in combating Covid-19, the meeting consolidated national and provincial stocks of nursing education and recaptured the provincial initiatives undertaken in the past year for the advancement of the nursing profession. Chairing the meeting, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Dr Jahanzaib Khan paid a rich tribute to the nurses battling Covid-19 on the frontline. “The nation is indebted to our nursing workforce for this. By putting their own lives in mortal danger during the pandemic, they have set examples of integrity and national spirit. They are the custodians of health services,” he said.

He highlighted the recent paradigm shift in the nursing role globally, from caregiver to decision maker for patient care, and the national need to be prepared for this change. He emphasised on the need to strengthen the PNC to enable it to discharge its mandated functions. Social Sector Member Dr Shabnum Sarfraz said the Pakistan government recognises the need to invest in nursing to expedite the national trajectory towards achieving SDG3 and Universal Health Coverage. She also said that to celebrate the nurses’ contribution in 2021, the WHO-declared International Year of Health and Care Workers, International Women’s day celebrations in Pakistan will focus on celebrating their achievements. STAFF REPORT

According to sources, Shafi and Imran Ali Abro, a research officer of Inter State Gas Systems (ISGS), have been working in the petroleum division due to influence of a bureaucrat. They said that though the services of Imran were earlier returned back to the ISGS, he has been continuously working with the petroleum division unofficially and attending meetings to review the demand, production and supply of the petroleum products in the country.

Despite the directions of Prime Minister Imran Khan to end adhocism in the ministries and divisions, the petroleum division has been violating the directions and obliging blue-eyed officials with acting and additional charge appointments in the division, they added.

Reportedly, Imran is the kingpin in the division, as he has been calling the shots on behalf of his superiors from the last six years despite the fact that he is not an employee of the division.

Wednesday, 13 January, 2021

NEWS

Covid-19 vaCCine rollout key to eConomiC reCovery: WB report WASHINGTON

t

AGENCIES

he global economy is expected to expand 4 percent in 2021, assuming an initial Covid-19 vaccine rollout becomes widespread throughout the year.

A recovery, however, will likely be subdued, unless policy-makers move decisively to tame the pandemic and implement investment-enhancing reforms, the World Bank says in its January 2021 Global economic Prospects.

“While the global economy appears to have entered a subdued recovery, policy-makers face formidable challenges—in public health, debt management, budget policies, central banking and structural reforms—as they try to ensure that this still fragile

global recovery gains traction and sets a foundation for robust growth,” said World Bank Group President David Malpass. “To overcome the impacts of the pandemic and counter the investment headwind, there needs to be a major push to improve business environments, increase labor and product market flexibility, and strengthen transparency and governance.”

The collapse in global economic activity in 2020 is estimated to have been slightly less severe than previously projected, mainly due to shallower contractions in advanced economies and a more robust recovery in China. In contrast, disruptions to activity in the majority of other emerging markets and developing economies were more acute than expected.

“Financial fragilities in many of

tpl Corp acquires an additional stake in tpl properties KARACHI: TPL Corp, Pakistan’s leading tech conglomerate, has acquired an additional stake in TPL Properties, the tech giant’s emerging real-estate property development arm. With a 51% stake post-acquisition, TPL Corp and its sponsors have become the majority shareholders in TPL Properties. According to the notice on Pakistan Stock exchange, TPL Corp acquired 17 million shares at a price of PKR 12 per share from the Alpha Beta Capital Markets (Private) Limited. The announcement comes four years after TPL Properties’ Initial Public Offering in June, 2016. Founded in 2007, TPL Properties invests, purchases, develops, sells and leases real estate assets in the commercial and residential asset classes. The Company is penetrating aggressively into the market with multiple development projects in the pipeline.

The sale of TPL Properties’ flagship project, Centrepoint, enabled distributable gain on the investment property and opened new avenues for investment. The Company’s first high-end residential project, One hoshang (LeeD Gold Targeting project) is already underway. Sindh’s first Technology Park is also under development by the real estate planner and it will feature a high-end IT infrastructure, catering to world-class tech companies looking for an environment that fosters innovation and collaboration. On the occasion, Ali Jameel, CeO TPL Corp commented, “This strategic acquisition shows our relentless support to the Group. It will strengthen TPL’s position as the region’s premier property developer and generate favorable returns for our shareholders and portfolio companies.” PRESS RELEASE

Byco begins civil works on FCC, dHdS units Byco Petroleum Pakistan Limited, Pakistan’s largest oil refining company, reached a key milestone in its Upgrade 1 project by beginning civil works construction on 9th January, 2021 at the site earmarked at its refining complex for the construction of the project. In an extraordinary General Meeting held on 2nd April 2020, Byco had announced its plans to upgrade its refining complex with the installation of two major new additions to its refineries, namely the DhDS (Diesel hydro Desulphurizing) Unit, and FCC (Fluidized Catalytic Cracking) Unit. At the ground breaking ceremony, Mr. Mohammad Wasi Khan, Chairman, Byco’s Board of Directors, commented: “As per our planned schedule, Byco has commenced civil works for the installation of our DhDS and FCC units. The addition of the DhDS and FCC facilities to our refining complex will enable Byco to produce euro 5 | euro 6 compliant diesel and gasoline in Pakistan as per the government’s directive. The upgrade will enable Byco to reduce production of low value Furnace Oil and enhance our products’ quality, making them better for the environment as well as more valuable for our business and thereby will boost Byco’s profitability Insha’Allah. We are thankful to all our stakeholders, including our shareholders, the Ministry of energy, Petroleum Division; the Ministry of Finance; the Ministry of Commerce, OGRA and our financial institution partners.” PRESS RELEASE

these countries, as the growth shock impacts vulnerable household and business balance sheets, will also need to be addressed,” Vice President and World Bank Group Chief economist Carmen Reinhart said.

The near-term outlook remains highly uncertain, and different growth outcomes are still possible, as a section of the report details. A downside scenario in which infections continue to rise and the rollout of a vaccine is delayed could limit the global expansion to 1.6% in 2021. Meanwhile, in an upside scenario with successful pandemic control and a faster vaccination process, global growth could accelerate to nearly 5 percent.

In advanced economies, a nascent rebound stalled in the third quarter following a resurgence of infections, pointing to a slow and challenging re-

covery. U.S. GDP is forecast to expand 3.5% in 2021, after an estimated 3.6% contraction in 2020. In the euro area, output is anticipated to grow 3.6% this year, following a 7.4% decline in 2020.

Activity in Japan, which shrank by 5.3% in the year just ended, is forecast to grow by 2.5% in 2021.

Aggregate GDP in emerging market and developing economies, including China, is expected to grow 5% in 2021, after a contraction of 2.6% in 2020. China’s economy is expected to expand by 7.9% this year following 2% growth last year. excluding China, emerging markets and developing economies are forecast to expand 3.4% in 2021 after a contraction of 5% in 2020. Among low-income economies, activity is projected to increase 3.3% in 2021, after a contraction of 0.9% in 2020.

UN chief calls for urgent transition to renewable energy NEW YORK AGENCIES

Building a global coalition for carbon neutrality by mid-century will be the UN’s “central objective”, the world body’s top official told a conference on climate action on Monday.

“All countries need credible mid-term goals and plans that are aligned with this objective”, SecretaryGeneral António Guterres said, addressing the virtual COP26 Roundtable on Clean Power Transition. “To achieve net zero emissions by 2050, we need an urgent transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy”.

Painting a picture of some 789 million people across the developing world without access to electricity – three-quarters of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa – the top UN official called it “both an injustice and an impediment to sustainable development”. he signalled “inclusivity and sustainability” as key to support African countries, while underscoring that all nations need to be able to provide access to clean and renewable energy that prevents “the dangerous heating of our planet”.

Guterres asked for a “strong commitment from all governments” to end fossil fuel subsidies, put a price on carbon, shift taxation from people to pollution, and end the construction of coal-fired power plants.

“And we need to see adequate international support so African economies and other developing countries’ economies can leapfrog polluting development and transition to a clean, sustainable energy pathway”, he added. Against this backdrop, Guterres repeated his appeal to developed nations to fulfill their annual

pledge for $100 billion dollars to support mitigation and adaptation in developing countries.

Pointing to vulnerabilities faced by Africa – from prolonged droughts in the Sahel and horn of Africa to devastating floods in the continent’s south – he underscored “the vital importance of adaptation” as “a moral imperative”.

The UN chief said that while only 20 percent of climate finance is earmarked for it, adaptation requires “equal attention and investment”.

“The forthcoming climate adaptation summit on 25 January is an opportunity to generate momentum in this much neglected area”, he added.

Despite huge amounts of money that have been reserved for COVID-19 recovery and stimulus measures, the Secretary-General noted that “sustainable investments are still not being prioritized”. he outlined the need for an annual six per cent decrease in energy production from fossil fuels through renewables, transition programmes, economic diversification plans, green bonds and other instruments to advance sustainability. he reiterated the need to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, stating emissions needed to fall by 7.6 per cent every year between now and 2030. however, he noted that “some countries are still going in the opposite direction. “We need to reverse this trend”, he said. he said all public and private financing should support the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with training, reskilling and providing new opportunities that are “just and inclusive”.

05

CORPORATE CORNER

JazzCash, Pakistan's leading digital payments platform, and KASB Securities, the country’s leading brokerage firm, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote retail investment by easing access to investment products and stock market trading. The MoU was signed

by Erwan Gelebart, CEO, JazzCash and Ali Farid Khwaja, Chairman, KASB Securities during a ceremony at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) today. PR

UBL has been declared the ‘Best Digital Bank’ for 2020 at the Pakistan Banking Awards 2020 held on Friday, 8th January 2021 in Karachi. As Pakistan’s fastest growing digital bank, UBL has won this award for the second time for 2020 – the first being, when the Bank was declared the Best Digital Bank of Pakistan by Asiamoney, a leading global publication, earlier last year. PR

pakistan takes lead in adopting SdG 2030 agenda: un report ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has taken the lead in adopting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), becoming one of the first countries in the world to take up their pledge to transform lives and protect the planet, said a report of United Nations Sustainable Development Framework for Pakistan (UNSDF). The United Nations is committed to working with the government of Pakistan with a grass roots level approach reaching people of Pakistan and making a lasting contribution to national development priorities. It also reaffirms its goal to take forward the principle of “leaving no one behind” and to improve the living conditions of all the people in the country, especially the most vulnerable, marginalised and disadvantaged factions of the society, the report said. Keeping in view the emerging scale of Pakistan’s economic growth, the report had termed it inclusive that benefits all people. It added that the economic growth of the country owing to its trajectory had the potential to ensure social development equitable; where women and men, boys and girls, and transgender individuals could fulfill their potential with dignity and equality of opportunity. The report states that with the government’s targeted and all-inclusive policies all people would have access to quality services; where natural and cultural resources were safeguarded. TLTP

Shaukat Khanum - Pakistan’s Fight Against Cancer Amidst a Pandemic

DR MUHAMMED AASIM YUSUF

a

S we leave behind an extraordinary and extremely difficult year, all of us at the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust (SKMT) would like to express our gratitude to the people of Pakistan for their resilience, compassion and extraordinary generosity. The support of the Pakistani nation for the national cause that is Shaukat Khanum meant that we were able to fight on two fronts this year, as we battled both cancer and the coronavirus. More than ever before, in 2020, your support ensured that SKMT continued to be a beacon of hope amidst the gloom of the COVID-19 pandemic, for those suffering from cancer.

I would like to take this opportunity to review the year and to update you on our plans for the future.

As Pakistan was witnessing the first wave of the pandemic, we took a number of measures in all areas of our hospitals, in accordance with international best practice and guidelines, to ensure a safe environment for everyone at

our facilities. These measures included restricting patient attendants and visitors, screening of all staff before entering clinical areas, enforcing social distancing, adhering to strict disinfection protocols, and use of all appropriate personal protective equipment (PPe) as recommended by the World health Organization. We did not lower our guard at any point, and continued to ensure we were prepared to provide a safe environment to our patients and staff.

The measures we have taken to limit staff interaction, for example rotating vulnerable employees to non-clinical areas or allowing them to work from home, have been instrumental in keeping staff infection rates down.

Given our reliance on Zakat and donations, and with a huge expected downturn in clinical activity, we were naturally concerned about a possible drop in our income, which provides free cancer treatment for the needy.

We made a special appeal to all our generous supporters and were humbled by the response received in the form of Zakat and donations. We are indeed grateful for the unstinting support of our donors, which is more important to us than ever before, given the unprecedented times that we are all passing through, as we grapple with the many devastating effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust has always been a forward-looking organisation, and we have our eyes set firmly on the future. We have started construction work on our third, and biggest, cancer hospital in

CMYK

Karachi, and surgical oncology services will commence at SKMCh&RC, Peshawar, in April 2021, marking the completion of Phase III of the development of that hospital. Work will also commence, Inshallah, on the new clinical building in Lahore, in September 2021.The new hospital in Karachi will be the largest tertiary-care cancer centre in Pakistan, with state-of-the-art cancer diagnosis and treatment facilities all available under one roof. SKMCh&RC, Karachi, will serve all of Sindh, as well as Southern Baluchistan, and will help to bring cancer care closer to our patients. Construction on a twenty acre site in DhA City, is well under way, and the project is expected to be commissioned in less than three years, at a total cost of Rs. 13 billion. It will open as a fully functional cancer hospital, with all clinical disciplines in place, and equipped with the latest technology, including state-of-the-art diagnostic facilities as well as the latest in treatment planning and delivery systems.

SKMCh&RC in Karachi, at one million square feet of constructed area, will be twice the size of the hospital in Lahore, and will have forty-seven outpatient examination rooms, a sixty-nine bed chemotherapy facility, two hundred and eighty-eight inpatient beds, sixteen operation theatres, and twentyfour intensive care beds.

Karachi is the philanthropic heart of Pakistan and, over the last thirty years, the people of Karachi have always supported our hospitals, enabling us to provide financially supported treatment facilities to over 75 per-

cent of all our cancer patients, each year.

There is no doubt in our minds that the people of Pakistan will now step forward to support what will be our, and Pakistan’s, largest tertiary-care cancer centre, in the most populous city, and the industrial and commercial heart, of our nation. For the year 2021, we need Rs. 19 billion to support not only our two existing state-of-the-art cancer centres but to continue the construction of the hospital in Karachi, to commence construction of the clinical building in Lahore and to continue to ensure that the latest technology is employed in providing cancer treatment at all our facilities. As in past years, we expect about half of this to be met through your generous donations and Zakat.

Finally, as you all know, we are in the midst of the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, and each one of us has an important role to play to ensure we successfully continue our fight against cancer and coronavirus. It is more important than ever, given that it is also winter and the ‘flu season, that we keep our guard up and wear our masks properly, practice hand hygiene and maintain social distancing. We cannot afford to relax at this point, but if we continue to show the same resolve we have throughout the previous year, I have no doubt that we will emerge a stronger nation and that Shaukat Khanum will continue to be Pakistan’s bulwark against cancer.

The writer is the chief medical officer and acting chief executive officer of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust

Wednesday, 13 January, 2021

06 COMMENT

The Economic Web

The struggle for civilian supremacy Not a limited over match

Selling ice to Eskimos

T

HE clarification sought by PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman from the gHQ would have been unnecessary if Prime Minister Imran Khan had not been reiterating again and again that the Army was on the same page with his government. The statement was repeated whenever the opposition criticized Mr Khan’s economic blunders or the shortcomings of his Kashmir policy. A year and a half back, the PTI government appointed CoAS gen Qamar Javed Bajwa a member of the National Development Council (NDC) presided over by the PM ‘to accelerate economic growth and improve coordination among the provinces and the federation’.

This was perceived by many as an attempt to make the Army a stakeholder in the PTI administration and share blame for the failure of the government’s policies. Instead of maintaining that the Army was subservient to every government, Mr Khan boasted that it stood behind him for it knew that he was honest.

The components of the opposition’s alliance have all along praised the Army’s role as the defender of the country’s borders. They recognize that the Army personnel guarding the front lines round the clock perform the onerous task of safeguarding the independence and security of the motherland. Pakistan however has also a long history of military coups and the Army’s interference in civilian affairs. There is a widespread consensus now that the Army needs to be seen to be concentrating fully on its constitutional responsibility of defending the country’s physical borders.

It goes to the Dg ISPR’s credit that he responded to the clarification sought by the PDM chief politely, without losing his cool like Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed. His call for the Army not to be dragged into politics was meant for not only the PDM but also for the government, because responding to a question he affirmed that the Army has had no backdoor contact with the opposition parties, thus belying the PM’s claim about the opposition trying to incite rebellion against his government. The fight for civilian supremacy is going to be a nerve-testing match. A step by step approach and display of moderation can ensure that there are no jolts to the system.

Raja amin afzal

“Y

ou have to sell ice to an Eskimo in Siberia”! This was the first marketing debate assigned to the group I was a part of during an academic workshop, whereby the other group acted as ‘Eskimos’ and our task was to convince and persuade them to purchase ice even though glaciers are their abode. Then with the passage of time, I realized, this is what capitalism is doing with everyone.

Have you ever wondered how water and food that were once abundant in nature have been commodified and are now rendered out of the reach of have-nots?

Nature had designed the ecosystem in a perfectly sustainable form to accommodate all the living beings in it. oxygen is the primary need for all living beings (except some anaerobic microbes) and that is why nature made it the second most abundant gas in the earth’s atmosphere. Water, the second basic need for all living things, covers more than 70 percent of the earth surface. other necessary food items also once had a good natural abundance to sustain all the living beings.

And then with the intervention of human activities, the freely sustaining natural ecosystem started stumbling. old forms of socio-economic systems, especially slavery and then followed by feudalism, added to its woes while the pinnacle of exacerbation was brought about by capitalism or the laissez-faire economic system. Today oxygen is sold in hospitals as the naturally existing supply has been contaminated, rendering it no longer breathable. As per WHo data, 90 percent people are breathing polluted air and an estimated 7 million people worldwide are succumbing to death each year due to this polluted air. Imagine how profitable the business of such a product would be, which has the highest demand ever for anything with no other substitutes available to the consumers.

Potable water has already been rendered short in supply in nature (though it is in abundance if one can purchase from giants like Danone, Hint, Nestle, Pepsi and Coca Cola, who are exploiting this lucrative industry). The natural water cycle has been devastated due to constant contaminations and pollutions, thanks to rapid industrialization, rendering it both insufficient in quantity and substandard in quality. More than 80 percent of fresh water is consumed by industries and the agriculture sector. In spite of all this orchestrated shortage, industries dealing in bottled water do not manufacture water by complex chemical reactions; all they do is to take available water from

Trigger-happy police Procedural controls required to prevent extrajudicial killings

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judicial inquiry report on the senseless murder of 22-year-old osama Satti on a main highway of the Capital concludes that the five Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) personnel responsible were ‘trigger-happy and swayed by their power to use guns without any control’. The same can also be said about officials involved in the Sahiwal incident two years back where four persons were killed and three minor children were orphaned in the process. The Punjab Police’s much-touted specialised patrolling unit, the Dolphin Squad, has been involved in multiple suspicious ‘police encounters’. The deaths of Nabeel Hoodbhoy and Amal umer in Karachi in separate incidents are examples of fearless use of sanctioned ammunition by police forces across the country. The inquiry report makes some sound suggestions that would at the very least introduce some semblance of procedure and control within the police and anti-terrorism units of the country. In the absence of any standard operating procedures (SoPs) in the police for the use of weapons and rules of engagement, it is no wonder that police officers are so liberal with their use of bullets. unless such SoPs are formed whereby the drawing and shooting of a weapon has to be satisfactorily justified to a panel of senior officers after the fact, there will be no change in how guns are misused by police.

With regards to ATS officials, the report suggests that its officials should never be allowed to jointly work with the regular force without permission from the superintendent of police and that the recruitment and selection of these special forces officers must be done with the utmost care, preferably by a ‘board comprising high-ranking officers of the police operations and a psychologist that would evaluate the officers for their mental fitness from time to time as well’. This is an important recommendation that would help induct effective, responsible and relatively restrained persons into the ATS. The responsibility to conduct such reforms lies with the respective governments of all provinces and the federal government as well. unless the police’s SoPs and code of conduct are not updated and implemented, incidents of extrajudicial killings will continue unabated. Inquiries, suspensions and terminations will do little to remove the rot from the inside; meaningful sweeping reforms are required.

Anti-Muslim militant outfits in India amjed jaaved

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olloWINg the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJ)’s electoral victories, there has been mushroom growth of anti-Muslim quasi-military outfits in India. Extremist organisations like the Rashtriya Swayemsevak Sangh (RSS), the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), and the Bajrang Dal, among others, manage these organisations. In schools run by the VHP, military training is imparted with live arms, even without the headmaster’s permission.

The headmaster of a school in Bengal filed a complaint in 2018 with the police that he has been receiving threats to his life for resisting forced military training in the school, which was being organized by the Bajrang Dal. The `valour training’ included training in how to load, unload and take aim with guns in the weapon training camp at the school.

Right from comparing Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan to Pakistani terrorist Hafiz Saeed during the intolerance debate in 2015 to asking people to leave India if they don’t practise Surya Namaskar in 2015, uP Chief Minister Swami Adityanath has been at the centre of several controversies.

CIA classified the Bajrang Dal and the VHP ‘militant religious organisations’. But, the Narendra Modi government shrugged off the label. The RSS was tagged as a “nationalist organisation” y te CIA. Members of the VHP had vandalised a 10 ft x11 ft foot steel gate installed at the western entrance of the Taj Mahal by the Archaeological Survey of India, claiming it allegedly blocked access to the Siddheshwar Mahadev temple. Both the VHP and the Bajrang Dal are notorious for anti-Muslim rhetoric in their witch hunts of inter-faith marriages.

Hindu-monk chief minister of India’s largest state, uttar Pradesh, Swami Adityanath, has a criminal background of being a gangster who broke curfew to deliver a hate speech. He was jailed for 11 days.

He even called actor Shah Rukh Khan a `terrorist’.

He warned that if Hindus boycotted his films he would be begging on the streets. During his election speeches at Hyderabad, he demanded the state be renamed after a Hindu icon. He abhorred the Mughal

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other vigilante groups such as the Rashtriya Yuva Vahini also prevent Hindu-Muslim marriages. A lucknow-headquartered Rashtriya Yuva Vahini, a BJP ally, prevented an interfaith wedding in lucknow, though parents of both the bride and the groom had consented.

After demolishing the Babri mosque, these outfits are demanding conversion of the Taj Mahal into temple Tejo Mahalya, and mosques at Kashi and Mathura. museum as the relic of a detestable past.

The Hindu Army, formed in 2018, has been leadHe was nominated as chief minister by BJP President Amit Shah, but now aspires to become India’s ing a movement to remove the Shahi Idgah mosque prime minister. unlike incumbent Prime Minister adjacent to a Krishna temple in Mathura. In SeptemNarendra Modi, he owes his power to the quasi-mil- ber this year, 22 members of the Hindu Army were itary outfit he raised, the Hindu Yuva Vahini (HYV) arrested after they announced a “Krishna Janmabhoomi movement” to get the he founded in 2002, rather mosque removed. than the RSS. Recently, The Vishwa Hindu Dal India’s Chief of Defence thrashed two Kashmiri busiStaff gen Bipin Rawat met No political or religious party nessmen who were selling him, a fact that speaks voldry fruits in lucknow. The umes about his growing in Pakistan has an `army’. No Hindu Yuva Vahini (Bharat) power. “Since BJP assumed is an offshoot of the Hindu power at the Centre in 2014, school imparts military Yuva Vahini, which was fringe Hindu outfits have training to youth. Nor are they founded by chief minister mushroomed in uP. While in 2002.

BJP says it has nothing to do brainwashed to hate Hindus or YogiuPAdityanath Congress spokesperwith the militias, the opposiany other religious community. son Anshu Awasthi said, tion alleges tacit support.

“Prior to 2014, such outfits Yogi’s ‘army’ draws its Yet Pakistan is always a bête were rarely discussed. Nowamembership from several days, they are constantly in Indian states. With the yogi’s noire internationally for the the news. How is all this posappointment as uP chief restrictions on religious sible without protection from minister, interest in it has those in power?” soared from about 50 applifreedom. Many entities and No political or religious cations a day to 5000 a day. leaders have been designated party in Pakistan has an Its membership grew from `army’. No school imparts 300 in 2002 to 1.5 million in as ‘terrorists’ only for military training to youth.

2014. In the gorakhpur diviNor are they brainwashed to sion alone, 500,000 people allegedly having funded the hate Hindus or any other rejoined the HYV as it exfreedom movement in the ligious community. Yet Pakpanded to the villages. Not istan is always a bête noire only uttar Pradesh, HYV occupied Kashmir. internationally for the rehas received membership restrictions on religious freequests from other states too, dom. Many entities and including Maharashtra, leaders have been desigTamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnated as ‘terrorists’ only for allegedly having funded nataka and odisha.

This ‘army’ is so powerful that its members the freedom movement in the occupied Kashmir. Yet thrashed a police officer and raped several women the world does not see what is going on in India with with impunity. Yogi has authorized it to spy on Mus- its government’s connivance. lims for ‘cow offences’ and marrying Hindu women.

Amjed Jaaved is a freelance journalist, has In a case, all the 13 members of a family were jailed for an offence under the love-Jihad law (uttar served in the Pakistan government for 39 years and Pradesh Prohibition of unlawful Conversion of Re- holds degrees in economics, business administration, and law.

He can be reached at ligion ordinance, 2020).

Not only the RSS, VHP and the Bajrang Dal, but amjedjaaved@gmail.com.

Militancy is on the rise since the BJP came to power

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

talism plunged into deep recessions, pushing itself to the verge of extinction, it was only the ‘so-called democratic governments’ that came to its rescue by injecting multi-billion-dollar bail-out packages wit money sucked from the indigent masses. Never had such mamnature, purify it from the contaminants by applying moth amounts been spent on the welfare of the people. distillation and filtration techniques and return it to Based on the premise of ‘Might is Right’, all the people, quenching their lust for money. This is the wealth is concentrated in the hands of an insignificant approach: the system contaminates or destroys the number of people. According to oxfam, a global naturally occurring resources and returns these after movement working for the eradication of poverty, the slight modifications, garnering huge money (a prem- world’s 2,153 billionaires have more wealth than that ise based akin to selling ice to an Eskimo leaving him owned by the lower 60 percent of the world populaor her with no alternative but to purchase). tion combined. The recent covid-19 pandemic has For other products falling outside the spectrum of shoved millions more under the poverty line. basic and physiological needs, a strong artificial need Strangely, in spite of all these devastating impacts is created and then products brought by the pandemic, are launched on the pretext of the billionaires’ worth is still satisfying those false needs. increasing, which proves Hundreds of products and right the predictions by Karl The last economic recession services not once needed, Marx that wealth will conhave been successfully transtinue to accumulate in a few that crippled the world formed into a full-fledged hands while the exploitation need today. economic order in 2007-2009, of the poor masses will conMesmerized by an ongotinue to gain momentum. was finally sustained by the ing litany of marketing and The resultant destitution advertising cannonades, peocoupled with worsening cliapplication of the devious ple are constrained to conmate crises (and further sadtactics of bail-out packages, in dled with the current sume many products and services that they may have covid-19 pandemic) has enthe absence of a planned never even known of, had gulfed millions of lives these widespread marketing revolution that could have worldwide exposing the sysgimmicks not been in existem’s fragility. transformed the economic tence. In all this transformaEnsnared in such an tion, it is not considered system into a new or modified economic web, one finds it whether something is ethical difficult to find a way out. form. Now, let’s wait for post or eco-friendly; the only sine All we know that nothing is qua non is profit. Pornograpermanent, change has been pandemic-fueled prospective phy is a lucrative business an inevitable part of history now, human trafficking is garecessions to see how the and will continue to be. The lore, voters and governments economic model is subject system sustains itself (if so), or are traded for money like to continuous alternating other commodities and diselse what will be the new form cycles of recessions and eases are fabricated on purbooms. The last economic of transformation; will it be pose to flog the medical recession that crippled the inventory. According to economic order in socialism/communism that will world WHo, an estimated 12.6 mil2007-2009, was finally suslion deaths each year are attake over or a state-controlled tained by the application of tributed to unhealthy the devious tactics of bailmixture of dual models or environments mainly attribout packages, in the absence uted to carbon emissions of a planned revolution that something entirely new? from mega-factories, the could have transformed the founding pillars of modern economic system into a new capitalism. Above all, relior modified form. Now, gious sermons are being sold let’s wait for post panby fleecing the followers. Wars are instigated wittingly demic-fueled prospective recessions to see how the to succour the purveyors of weapons and military tech- system sustains itself (if so), or else what will be the nology. ‘Nominal democracy’ in capitalism is rightly new form of transformation; will it be socialism/comdubbed as ‘government of capitalists, by the capitalists munism that will take over or a state-controlled mixand for the capitalists”. ture of dual models or something entirely new?

The foregoing justifies itself in the face of outcomes and actions witnessed to date. Whenever capiThe writer is a freelance columnist

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Wednesday, 13 January, 2021

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

Practical education IT’S the fact that practicing is required for everyone to understand what someone is learning. But, unfortunately, in our country, particularly in Baluchistan, there is no practical system.

The teaching system is still constant from the time, when government of Balochistan built schools. Teachers teach the things present in book, give questions and answers to make students memorize just for marks. But unluckily, many of the students cannot remember these questions because they do not understand what they were boning up. Most of them cheat in exams for becoming pass. Their concepts are not clear and they do not have any ability to think about or create something new because they are not taught how to think. Resultantly, we can’t see any scientists, good philosophers and good thinkers in our country.

The government of Balochistan should take action for this unchangeable teaching method and provide practical system for school students. otherwise, there will be the same result of our new generation, as it is going on to our robotic stars.

Mubarak baluch Sajidi PirandEr, awaran

Tragic accident

An unfriendly ally The USA favours India too much

malik muhammad ashRaf

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lTHougH in the early 1950s Pakistan, by joining SEATo and CENTo, became a uS ally, and since the launching of the War on Terror has been enjoying the status of a nonNATo ally, the reality is that the uSA has never treated it as such. It has not supported Pakistan in furthering her strategic interests in the region nor done anything positive to discourage India from adopting a hostile posture towards it.

Notwithstanding the fact that Pakistan has rendered unprecedented sacrifices in men and material in the War on Terror and has played a vital role in facilitating peace deal between Taliban and the uSA and the commencement of the intra-Afghan dialogue– acknowledged across the globe and by uS itself– it continues to endorse Indian propaganda against Pakistan as a supporter of terrorism, particularly with regard to the incidents that have been happening in India.

Since forging a strategic partnership with India along with its Western allies, the uSA refuses to remove the blinders from its eyes to see the state terrorism being perpetrated in Indianoccupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian support to Baloch insurgents and its sponsorship of acts of terrorism in Pakistan about which authentic evidence has been provided to it and the uN in the form of a dossier. It has invariably chosen to pressurize Pakistan to do more and as bought the Indian narrative of Pakistani involvement in incidents like the Mumbai terrorists attack without appreciating the ground realities and the Indian lack of cooperation in furthering the investigations into the incident.

Reacting to the conviction of Zakiur Rehman lakhvi, a leader of lashkre Taiba, for his involvement in terror financing, the uS State Department in a tweet said, “We are encouraged by the recent conviction of Zakiur Rehman lakhvi. However, his crimes go far beyond financing terrorism. Pakistan should further hold him accountable for his involvement in terrorist attacks, including the Mumbai attacks.”

The spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was right in dismissing the uS concerns and the insinuations of the tweet in this regard, saying, “The State Department is encouraged to

reserve its concern for the active aiding, abet- cause of encouragement for India to continue her ting, planning, promoting, financing and execu- communal policies within India, as well as the tion of terrorist activities by India for which inhuman treatment of the people of Indian-ocsufficient irrefutable evidence has been pro- cupied Kashmir and ending the special status of vided. Pakistan is fully abiding by its own the state by scrapping Article 370 of the Indian statutes and fulfilling international obligations. Constitution. A report in The Los Angeles Times The investigations, prosecutions and subsequent in the backdrop of this development, claimed convictions, through due process, are a reflec- that India had taken the uS administration in tion of effectiveness of Pakistan’s legal system, confidence before going ahead with its plan to which operates independent of any extraneous end the special status of the state and making the factors or influences. The legal process in the territory part of the Indian union. The foregoing Mumbai case remains stalled due to reluctance developments and amply prove that the uSA is

by India to send witnesses for cross-examination an unfriendly ally for Pakistan.

A peep into recent history also corroborates by a Pakistani court.” It was a rare and much-required rebuke to the uSA for her unreasonable the foregoing inference. When India attacked stance on the issue. It may not nudge any change Pakistan in 1965, the uSA refused to come to the aid of its ally and even in the uS perspective stopped the supply of on the issue, which is military hardware to blinded by her own her. It imperiled Pakstrategic and commerThe dilemma is that Pakistan istan’s security through cial interests and te Inthe u2 incident. It dian role in furthering cannot afford a rupture in helped India start its nuher ‘Contain-China’ clear programme but policy, but it is abrelations with a superpower tried everything within solutely imperative for like the USA. In the conduct of its power to stop PakPakistan to keep hamistan from going nuclear mering at the subject foreign relations, engagement to address our security and asserting her own concerns vis-à-vis India. narrative on the issue. is the name of the game.

After the withdrawal of The dilemma is Pakistan however needs to Soviet forces from that international poliAfghanistan, it pulled tics is bereft of humanrecalibrate her relations with out, immediately leavity, the principles ing Pakistan to face the enshrined in the uN the USA, keeping in view its consequences. It has Charter and the norms of human morality. long-term strategic, economic signed a Civil Nuclear Agreement with India in That is the reason why and geopolitical interests. The contravention of NPT the issues like Palestine and protocols of and Kashmir, in spite of guiding principle in this regard rules the Nuclear Suppliers a myriad uN resolugroup, paying no heed tions purported to reshould be that we belong to to Pakistan’s security solve the issues, remain this region and our strategic, concerns. It is also leadunresolved. ing a campaign to make What Indian Prime economic and security India a permanent Minister Narendra member of the uN SeModi has done in Ininterests are inextricably curity Council, which dian-occupied Kashlinked to it can have far-reaching mir, in disregard of the consequences for the uN resolutions and South Asian region, parIndia’s international ticularly in undermining obligations, constitutes an affront to the conscience of the world com- Pakistan’s security interests and jeopardizing setmunity and the uN. Pakistan has persistently tlement of the Kashmir issue in conformity with been sensitizing the world about the blatant vio- uN resolutions. The uSA is trying to leave lation of human rights and the killing spree by Afghanistan courtesy a Pakistani role in facilitatthe Indian security forces in Indian-occupied ing it, but it wants India to play a dominant role Kashmir and also the threat that the Indian pos- in Afghanistan in the post-withdrawal era, neture towards Pakistan poses to peace and secu- glecting Pakistani concerns. It is also trying to rity in the region. But the international sabotage CPEC in collaboration with India; a community, particularly the uSA and its allies, project of tremendous transformational dimension continue to show indifference to the unfolding in economic terms for Pakistan and the region.

The dilemma is that Pakistan cannot afford a scenario in the region and the Indian criminal acts, which have also been regularly docu- rupture in relations with a superpower like the mented by human rights organizations like uSA. In the conduct of foreign relations, engageAmnesty International as well as corroborated ment is the name of the game. Pakistan however by two reports of the uN Human Rights Com- needs to recalibrate her relations with the uSA, mission. The international media has also been keeping in view its long-term strategic, economic continuously unmasking the Indian atrocities in and geo-political interests. The guiding principle Indian-occupied Kashmir and the building hu- in this regard should be that we belong to this region and our strategic, economic and security inmanitarian crisis.

Nothing seems to affect this indifference. terests are inextricably linked to it.

The uSA and its allies are blinded by their Malik Muhammad Ashraf is an academic. strategic and commercial interests and the antiChina role of India. Their attitude is actually the He can be contacted at: ashpak10@gmail.com

MACHH accident was very tragic. The people wanted the PM to protect the communities. Finally the Prime Minister went yesterday. I firstly judged PM failure to give justice action to Hazaras community. Since very sadly , there were containing their dead bodies in the road to call out Imran Khan tu fulfill every promises made in their times. He said “don’t blackmail me”.

His words made community cried again to take a good action against them.

He ultimately said he will come to visit Quetta. The coal miners are really a concern throughout Pakistan. Every very profession requires to help themselves, but the coal miner are surviving to help the people in a rich or a poor country. Much like Pakistan, coal miners are wasting their lives often in greater accidents and are finally killed and saddened by the authorities alot. You can imagine by physically seeing that coal mining is a very difficult job sitting on his uncomfortable seat or area. The air he breathes is polluted and just a waste. And thanks to their performance, these deserved people keep us warm all years. However, the digging of earth is not easy . It requires their full swing energy. They even sacrifices their lives for us only and they don’t have particular jobs only. These valuable people are very badly blamed and killed. So what words I should use to describe Pakistan’s conditions in these times. The people are openly assassinated. Although very recently, 11 coal miners were killed by armed attackers in Pakistan.

Every very profession requires to help themselves, but the coal miner are surviving to help the people in a rich or a poor country. Much like Pakistan, coal miners are wasting their lives often in greater accidents and are finally killed and saddened by the authorities alot. You can imagine by physically seeing that coal mining is a very difficult job sitting on his uncomfortable seat or area.The miners from Hazaras minority group were abducted and killed. The history is it’s witness that the Hazaras were often targeted by Sunni extremists in the past and so surprisingly the killers were not identified and no groups have been responsible for killings. This worst accident occured in the small mining town of Machh in Balochistan province. As the PM reacted to this accident by assigning the FC to use all resources to apprehend these killers and give justice to them. The Hazara community yet continues to protest in Quetta and they placed the bodies on the road and called on authorities to make a fair promise and justification. I request the authorities of Pakistan to look into this serious matter and bring good improvements in Pakistan. And my last appeal is to Imran Khan’s government to know the feelings of these people very well. barkatullah turbat

Fighting the new strain PAKISTAN, on December 29, confirmed its first cases of the new variant of coronavirus, and heretofore, country was fighting with the deadly second wave. The reports have revealed that the new variant of the SarsCov-2 could be up to 70 per cent more transmissible than the old variant.

Despite all this, the Minister of Education announced the re-opening of educational institutions in phases.

It should be noted that due to the increasing cases of coronavirus in the county, the government announced the closure of all educational institutions from November till January. As January arrived, Education Minister announced the re-opening of educational institutions from 18th January. Mr. Shafqat Mahmood has always said that the health of students is his first priority and he has proved it by the closure of educational institutions. But the decision of re-opening schools in these critical days, is very dangerous as coronavirus incidence is still worrying, with the number of critically ill patients and daily deaths clocking in a between 50 to 80.

There is still time for education minister to review his decision because if educational institutions re-open, coronavirus and its new variant will take many more precious lives of students.

It should be noted that due to the increasing cases of coronavirus in the county, the government announced the closure of all educational institutions from November till January. As January arrived, Education Minister announced the re-opening of educational institutions from 18th January. Mr. Shafqat Mahmood has always said that the health of students is his first priority and he has proved it by the closure of educational institutions. To sum up, I would like to request Federal minister for education to take a right decision in coming weeks, and save the precious lives of students, because if students are alive, they can continue their studies even after pausing one or two years, but if they die, they can never be resurrected in this world. dilShad baluch Sajidi awaran

Wednesday, 13 January, 2021

08 WORLD VIEW

TrUmp shoUld be Impeached. bUT ThaT alone won’T remove whITe sUpremacy from amerIca TRUMP RAN FOR PRESIDENT ON A VISION OF AMERICA WHERE WHITENESS IS VALUED AT THE EXPENSE OF EVERYTHING ELSE

WaShington PoSt HIllARy ROdHAm ClInTOn

w

EdnEsday’s attack on the Capitol was the tragically predictable result of white-supremacist grievances fueled

by President Trump. But his departure from office, whether immediately or on Jan. 20, will not solve the deeper problems exposed by this episode. What happened is cause for grief and outrage. it should not be cause for shock. What were too often passed off as the rantings of an unfortunate but temporary figure in public life are, in reality, part of something much bigger. That is the challenge that confronts us all.

Over these last days, i’ve thought about my experiences as a senator from new york on sept. 11, 2001, and the 9/11 Commission

Report that followed. The report’s authors explored the failures that opened the door for a devastating terrorist attack. “The most important failure,” they wrote, “was one of imagination. We do not believe leaders understood the gravity of the threat.” almost 20 years later, we are living through another failure of imagination — the failure to account for the damage that can be done to our nation by a president who incites violence, congressional leaders who fan the flames, and social media platforms that sear conspiracy theories into the minds of Trump’s supporters. Unless we confront the threats we face, we risk ensuring that last week’s events are only a prelude to an even greater tragedy. Trump ran for president on a vision of america where whiteness is valued at the expense of everything else. in the White House, he gave white supremacists, members of the extreme right and conspiracy theorists their most powerful platforms yet, even claiming that there were “very fine people” among the torch-wielding militia members who converged on Charlottesville in 2017.

By the time he lost in 2020, he had whipped a dangerous element of our country into a frenzy. His supporters began planning

their insurrection, making plans to march on the Capitol and “stop the steal.” Members of Congress, including sen. Josh Hawley (RMo.), sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) and Rep. Mo Brooks (R-ala.), encouraged them, in Brooks’s words, to “start taking down names and kicking ass.” Trump left no doubt about his wishes, in the lead-up to Jan. 6 and with his incendiary words before his mob descended. so how do we move forward as a country? What does it say about us that so many were complicit, while those who sounded the alarm were dismissed as hysterical? The generous explanation is that it’s hard to comprehend the danger of what seem like ridiculous conspiracy theories until you experienced that danger firsthand. This is a lesson i’ve learned myself. i’ve had my share of unpleasant experiences with people who believed i was evil incarnate — everything from being burned in effigy for fighting for health-care reform, to claiming that i was running a pedophilia ring out of a pizza parlor, to receiving a mail bomb from a rabid Trump cult member.

Fanatical ideas can lead to real, even deadly harm. That’s something the people of Michigan realized last year when armed

Leaving WhatsApp will be hard – but it is the right thing to do indePendent

“U

AdAm SmITH

sE signal,” spaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted on 7 January.

“That's @signalapp, for those who don't speak Elon,” the infamous whistleblower Edward snowden tweeted shortly after. When asked why the former nsa employee recommended it, snowden had a powerfully simple response: “i use it every day and i'm not dead yet.” signal, for those who don’t speak Elon or Edward, is an end-to-end encrypted messaging app.

This means that it uses a protocol that ensures nobody – including signal – can access the content of the messages. since the surge of popularity from the endorsements, it currently sits at the top spot on both apple’s app store and the Google Play store.

These celebrity endorsements were sparked by signal’s rival, Whatsapp. The Facebook-owned client has approximately 2 billion monthly active users around the world, while signal has around 14 million. it’s hard to really call these apps competitors, since a messaging app is only as strong as its network. But while Whatsapp’s network is under threat, signal’s continues to grow.

Last week, Whatsapp sent a message to all of its users informing them of its new privacy policy, which would share data from the messaging app to Facebook. This data includes battery level information, iP address, browser information, mobile network, phone number and the internet service provider. This does not include the contents of users’ chats because those are, like signal, end-toend encrypted. in fact, Whatsapp uses the same protocol that signal itself uses.

Moreover, this does not include users in the "European region", which covers the EU, EEa, and the UK (even post-Brexit), despite being given a new privacy policy to agree to. “There are no changes to Whatsapp's data-sharing practices in Europe arising from this update,” director of policy for Whatsapp niamh sweeney tweeted. The fact such a clarification needed to be made, that users did not understand how their data was protected, is the culmination of Facebook’s generally poor reputation with regards to privacy. it is strange for a journalist to write this, but what matters is not how things are; it’s how things feel. Whatsapp might not share data to Facebook but it feels like it does, in the same way that your phone is (probably) not actually listening to your conversations, but the mass of information about your location, preferences, chat history, all collected by advertisers, means that the TV programme you were talking about only yesterday is now the first advert you see on the site.

These “coincidences” are actually just surveillance capitalism, a manifestation of our every interest bought and sold so we become better consumers. it makes people uncomfortable, even if

LAST WEEK, WHATSAPP SENT A MESSAGE TO ALL OF ITS USERS INFORMING THEM OF ITS NEW PRIVACY POLICY, WHICH WOULD SHARE DATA FROM THE MESSAGING APP TO FACEBOOK – ELON MUSK HAS A POINT WHEN HE TELLS US TO ‘USE SIGNAL’ they might not necessarily be able to put into words why that is.

Moreover, Facebook is currently in an image war against apple with regards to privacy. apple’s new iPhone operating system will soon ask users whether they consent to being tracked by Facebook, something that many users will likely object to because of the legacy of the infamous Cambridge analytica scandal. in the wake of donald Trump’s recent attacks on democracy, many users are unlikely to want to hand more power to the organisation that, at least partially, helped get him elected.

While Facebook is not currently taking data from Whatsapp, that future is also coming soon.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg has long talked about merging the back-end of all the company’s messaging platforms, as well as instagram. Even if users are not currently having their data shared between platforms, the knowledge that such an event is coming is palpable. and finally, no-one likes to be forced to use something. Facebook’s various apps take up numerous precious slots on the phone’s home screen, and in the midst of antitrust suits claiming that the company crushes or purchases the competition, the idea that this can be fought against seems to be slowly seeping through to the everyday user. does using signal solve every problem? no.

Many people will still use Facebook, or instagram, or Whatsapp – at least, until iMessage comes to android – but Facebook’s power is in its user base. it’s hard to swap from Whatsapp because everyone is on Whatsapp, just as it's hard to move house when you’ve grown into the neighbourhood, or make friends if you’ve changed schools. But while difficult, and awkward, it is possible. despite the apparent divine right of these tech platforms, they do not last forever – just look at the vacuum left from Myspace, or aOL, or BBM. switching messaging apps might not feel like a lot, but it is an acknowledgement of an attempt at a different world built on different principles.

That, at least, is a start.

militia members plotted to kidnap their governor. it’s something nashvillians saw when a conspiracy theorist blew up an entire city block. now, it’s something all of america has experienced. But it is not enough to scrutinize — and prosecute — the domestic terrorists who attacked our Capitol. We all need to do some soul-searching of our own. in isabel Wilkerson’s new book “Caste,” she cites a question from historian Taylor Branch: “if people were given the choice between democracy and whiteness, how many would choose whiteness?” Wednesday reminded us of an ugly truth: There are some americans, more than many want to admit, who would choose whiteness. it’s sobering that many people were unsurprised by what occurred last week, particularly people of color, for whom a violent mob waving Confederate flags and hanging nooses is a familiar sight in american history. Consider what we saw last June, when Black Lives Matter protesters peacefully demonstrating in Lafayette square were met with federal officers and tear gas. if the first step toward healing and unity is honesty, that starts with recognizing that this is indeed part of who we are.

Removing Trump from office is essential, and i believe he should be impeached.

Members of Congress who joined him in subverting our democracy should resign, and those who conspired with the domestic terrorists should be expelled immediately. But that alone won’t remove white supremacy and extremism from america. There are changes elected leaders should pursue immediately, including advocating new criminal laws at the state and federal levels that hold white supremacists accountable and tracking the activities of extremists such as those who breached the Capitol. Twitter and other companies made the right decision to stop Trump from using their platforms, but they will have to do more to stop the spread of violent speech and conspiracy theories.

The Biden administration will need to address this crisis in all its complexity and breadth, including holding technology platforms accountable, prosecuting all who broke our laws, and making public more intelligence and analysis about domestic terrorism. despite the horror of what we saw happen, in the weeks and months ahead the news cycle will move on. We owe it to ourselves not to do the same. We have the strength, the ability and — yes — the imagination to confront what happened and ensure that nothing like it ever happens again.

That’s what real patriotism looks like.

Hillary Rodham Clinton is a former U.s. senator, secretary of state and democratic nominee for president in 2016.

Narendra Modi’s Potemkin democracy Project Syndicate

I

SHASHI THAROOR

ndia's prime minister has an "edifice complex" that has given rise to grand new government buildings, including a planned new parliament. sadly, the spirit of deliberation and debate that animated the old parliament building risks being left there. indian legislators woke up in the new year to two realizations. First, the annual winter session of parliament, from which they should just have been emerging, had not taken place at all. and, second, new delhi’s magnificent parliament complex, a tourist attraction since it was built in 1927, had been turned into a construction site.

These two facts sum up the reality of indian democracy under Prime Minister narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). On one hand, the government has shrugged off the very concept of accountability to the people’s representatives, the cornerstone of parliamentary democracy. On the other hand, Modi, an increasingly larger-than-life figure whose flowing beard and other-worldly air make him resemble the “Raj Rishis” or emperor-sages of ancient days, is doing all he can to transform the republic physically as well as politically. a new, grander parliament building is to arise alongside the old one, as part of his determination to leave his visible mark on the national capital.

Modi’s “edifice complex” includes plans to construct an array of new government buildings alongside new delhi’s Central Vista, the grand sweep of which leads past parliament to the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the presidential palace. a new residential-cum-office complex for the vice president and the prime minister are also part of the plans.

Environmentalists have obtained a stay on construction from the supreme Court, but did not challenge the groundbreaking ceremony for the new parliament building to proceed.

Parliament itself barely met in 2020. The official reason, of course, was the COVid-19 pandemic, which led to the shortening of the year’s first two sessions and the cancellation of the third. Parliament sat for only 23 days in the budget session that began the legislative year, before being adjourned in March because of the pandemic. The government then showed no desire to convene the monsoon session, which normally starts in late June or midJuly and continues until august. it might happily have ruled by decree were it not for the constitutional requirement that parliament convene within six months of the end of the previous session.

The monsoon session was belatedly called on september 14 to meet for just 18 days with no weekend breaks.

But it was abruptly adjourned after ten days, again because of the virus. and the winter session, which should normally have started in mid-november and continued until Christmas (on some occasions, it has even extended through the holiday session) simply never happened.

There is no doubt about the current dangers of 750 MPs and hundreds of officials and journalists crowding into the parliament complex. Three ministers, two dozen MPs, and several parliamentary officials tested positive for the coronavirus during the monsoon session; three MPs and a minister of state died after contracting COVid-19. But it seems absurd that a country claiming to be a world leader in information technology finds itself unable to connect its MPs virtually through videoconferencing, as so many

other national parliaments have done. a national crisis is precisely the time when parliament should be meeting to discuss its cause, in this case the pandemic and how policymakers are managing it. But that appears to be exactly what the government wants to avoid. as the truncated monsoon session showed, it sees the legislature as a mere rubber stamp for decisions it has already taken. Key legislation – including hugely controversial labor and farm bills – was pushed through both houses without significant debate.

The government imposed its own priorities, ensuring that the presiding officers took up its bills (mainly those ratifying previously issued executive decrees) while deferring debate on the issues that opposition parties wanted to raise. These included the border standoff with China, during which 20 indian soldiers were killed in June, a controversial draft Environment impact assessment, the government’s new Education Policy, and financial and tax compensation to state governments.

Under the previous Congress-led government from 2009-14, 71% of all bills were first scrutinized in parliamentary standing committees. Under the BJP government, that rate has decreased to 25%, and since Modi’s re-election 20 months ago, not a single bill has benefited from such scrutiny. This sorry record includes the three farm laws whose passage sparked major protests, with angry farmers besieging the capital for several weeks in late 2020. The protests again proved the utility of thorough legislative consideration before bills are passed. But the government seems to believe that its electoral mandate is all the approval it needs, with parliamentary examination and debate being a mere formality. Parliamentary committees have struggled to meet in recent months even after the easing of the initial draconian lockdown, because travel restrictions and quarantine rules in MPs’ home states have made it difficult to assemble a quorum. Pleas by committee chairs, including me, to connect some members virtually by secure videoconference have been rejected on confidentiality grounds.

The irony of conducting a groundbreaking ceremony for a new parliament building during the pandemic, while suspending the work that should have been taking place in the old one, was lost on the government. Even the confidentiality excuse does not apply to regular parliamentary sessions, which, unlike committee meetings, are televised.

The inescapable conclusion is that the government would rather dispense with the inconvenience of being accountable to the legislature. such tendencies were apparent even in the shortened monsoon session, when parliament dispensed with Question Hour, the one time when MPs can demand unscripted answers from ministers. i have previously noted the Modi government’s propensity to sidestep debate on important issues and use its majority to reduce parliament to a noticeboard for its decisions.

This is an administration that does not like to be questioned. india will eventually have a new building to showcase its democracy. sadly, under Modi and the BJP, the spirit of deliberation and debate that animated the country’s old parliament will be left there.

Shashi Tharoor, a former UN under-secretary-general and former Indian Minister of State for External Affairs and Minister of State for Human Resource Development, is an MP for the Indian National Congress.

Wednesday, 13 January, 2021

BUSINESS 09

ECC to Mull ovER FivEYEaR tEXtilE PoliCY todaY LAHORE

Bulls dominate PSX as benchmark index gains 316 points ISLAMABAD APP

The KSE-100 index of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed bullish trend on Tuesday, gaining 316.62 points, with positive change of 0.69 per cent, closing at 45,922.042 points, against 45,605.42 points on the last working day. A total 825,893,776 shares were traded during the day compared to the trade of 588,039,825 shares the previous day whereas the price of shares stood at Rs21.138 billion against Rs17.746 billion on the previous day. As many as 414 companies transacted shares in the stock market, 272 of them recorded gain and 124 sustained losses whereas the share price of 18 companies remained unchanged. The three top traded companies were K-Electric Ltd. with a volume of 250,242,000 shares and price per share of Rs4.01, Hum Network with a volume of 68,503,000 and price per share of Rs7.43 and Unity Foods Ltd with a volume of 29,800,575 and price per share of Rs30.60. Millat Tractors recorded a maximum increase of Rs43.96 per share, closing at Rs1,161.05 whereas Khyber Tobacco was runner up with the increase of Rs34.03 per share, closing at Rs487.77. Nestle Pakistan witnessed a maximum decrease of Rs109.60 per share, closing at Rs6660.40 while Gatron Ind. shares decreased by Rs42.37 per share, closing at Rs522.63.

KP govt approves funds to establish cryptocurrency mining plant

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has approved funds for establishing a cryptocurrency mining plant after the province decided to hand out No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to interested businesses. In this regard, KP Advisor on Information Technology, Ziaullah Bangash, while speaking to a local media channel said that the provincial government has approved the release of funds needed to establish a plant for mining. It is pertinent to mention here that cryptocurrency is a decentralised means of carrying out transaction virtually, and is not regulated by federal governments and banks, while people can create them via mining. “We will issue no-objection certificates to individuals who want to mine for the currency on their own as well,” Bangash said, adding that the world is adapting to new changes fast and their affinity towards cryptocurrency means there is a great opportunity for investments in this field. “We have already passed the bill for it from our KP assembly,” he informed. NEWS DESK

a

STAFF REPORT

meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet to be held on Wednesday is expected to discuss the Textile and Apparel Policy 2020-25.

The meeting which will be presided over by Federal Minister for Finance & Revenue, Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, will have six items on the agenda from different ministries, including a proposal by the moved by Ministry of Industries and Production for a waiver of taxes on the import of sugar.

Earlier on December 17, the Min-

istry of Commerce, after revising the initial draft, had submitted the Textile Policy 2020-25 to the ECC for approval.

Prime Minister Imran Khan had approved the five-year textile policy for onward submission to the ECC in November 2020. However, the ministry was unable to oblige due to undisclosed reasons.

According to sources, the draft policy, prepared by the textile division of the ministry, would now be discussed in the upcoming meetings of ECC. Under the new draft of the five-year textile policy, the target of textile exports by 2025 has been set at $21 billion. The division also recommended provision of electricity to the sector at

7.5/kWh cents; RLNG at $6.5 per mmBtu; and domestic gas at Rs786 per mmBtu. Other incentives in the proposed policy include unchanged Long-Term Financing Facility (LTFF) and Export Financing Scheme (EFS) rates; review of LTFF and refinance scheme for SMEs and indirect exporters; and launch of Brand Development Fund.

The proposed policy has been formulated to reduce the input cost of the textile and clothing sector and to make it competitive with regional players, documents read.

Under the policy, facilities/incentives worth around Rs950 billion would be provided to the textile sector. The

impact of electricity at cents 7.5/kWh (all inclusive) is estimated to be Rs250 billion; RLNG — Rs111 billion; DLTL for textiles and apparel products — Rs400 billion; 5pc LTFF — Rs75 billion; and 3pc EFS — Rs109 billion.

Of the $21 billion target, $16.294 billion has been set for value added sector while $4.571 billion for the textile sector.

According to the draft policy, customs duty drawback rates would be revised, as the government is committed to revitalising Pakistan Textile City Limited and Karachi Garment City Limited.

In addition, mass level training programmes would be launched, especially on industrial stitching, whereas textile marketing strategy would be reviewed.

Nine olive extraction plants installed under PSDP

ISLAMABAD APP

More than nine advanced oil extraction plants have been installed in the country to harness the increasing olive oil production on a commercial scale for farmers.

The oil extraction units were installed under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) to promote olive cultivation to reduce reliance on imported edible oil for catering domestic requirements.

According to an official of the PDSP, three out of nine plants have a capacity of extracting 600kg oil per hour, while six have a capacity of extracting 100kg per hour.

“All basic accessories like harvesting baskets, oil analyser for quality analysis, filling, capping sealing machine and olive oil storage containers had been installed within these machines,” the PDSP official said, adding that the units are an important part of the olive value chain in the country and would serve as a pull factor for the uplift of this sector.

“So far, olive trees have successfully been cultivated over 27,000 hectares of land across the country whereas cultivation

is to be expanded over 70,000 hectares to turn marginal lands into productive lands for enhancing the income of small scale growers,” he added.

It may be mentioned here that the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) is working to promote local production of extra-virgin, chemical-free olive oil, as well as striving to impart basic training to growers for attaining higher output to maximise farm income.

Olive cultivation on a commercial scale was initiated in Pakistan through an Italian funded project in 2012, after which the government launched a PSDPfunded project, promotion of olive cultivation on commercial scale in Pakistan, in 2014.

According to an estimate, about 2.90 million olive trees have been planted on 25,600 acres so far.

It is worth mentioning here that about 2.3 million olive trees would be cultivated during the current year to promote olive farming on a large scale which is expected to reduce reliance on imported edible oil.

“On average, 500,000 to 600,000 olive plants per annum are being cultivated by the gov-

ernment,” the PDSP official said, adding that survey teams have also started feasibility studies in order to identify areas for the cultivation drive this year.

He further informed that as many as 10 olive producing nurseries have been established in collaboration with public and private sectors to fulfil local needs.

From these local nurseries, about 1 million plants would be obtained this season, whereas these plants would be 100 per cent certified by the Federal Seeds Registration and Certification Authority (FSRCA).

Olive cultivation in the country has been gaining momentum as local output during the current season is projected to cross 11,000 tonnes, showing a significant development towards reducing reliance on the imported edible oil and exploiting the export potential of this particular agricultural produce.

“The country is expecting to extract about 13,000 tonnes of extra virgin olive oil worth millions of dollars that would help boost farm income with less investment and inputs,” the PDSP official said.

It may be mentioned here that KP Governor Shah Farman on Tuesday presided over a high level meeting to review progress on Prime Minister Imran Khan’s initiative of olive plantation in the province and directed Agriculture and Forest Departments to conduct separate survey regarding olive plantation.

The meeting discussed the available, suitable land for olive plantation in all districts as well as involving local community especially youth and students through cooperative farming in this initiative.

Budget deficit increases to Rs992b in 5MFY21 The federal budget deficit soared to nearly Rs1 trillion in the first five months of the current fiscal year (5MFY21), which was largely in line with the annual budget target due to a continued squeeze on defence and development spending and keeping some expenditures off the books. According to a report by the Express Tribune that quoted sources in the Ministry of Finance, the federal budget deficit widened to Rs992 billion or 2.2 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) during the July-November period of FY21, which was 5pc higher than the same period of last fiscal year. Overall, the total federal government expenditures increased by 14.5pc to Rs2.4 trillion during the July-November period.

Expenses were higher by Rs300 billion compared to the same period of last year. Out of the increase of Rs300 billion, additional spending of Rs244 billion was on account of debt servicing, which means other expenditures of the federal government remained almost at the same level compared to last year. For the current fiscal year, the government has set the federal budget deficit target at Rs3.43 trillion or 7.5% of GDP. The deficit in the first five months was equal to about 29% of the annual target and was in line with the estimate; however, the trend is expected to reverse in the coming months due to anticipated shortfall of over Rs350 billion in tax revenue. The local media outlet also claimed that the finance ministry did not fully pay electricity subsidies and a significant amount remained unpaid, which was added to the circular debt during the period under review. Overall, the budget deficit, calculated after taking into account the provincial cash surplus, stood at Rs822 billion or 1.8pc of GDP. It was 0.3-percentagepoint higher than the same period of last fiscal year. It may be noted here that a squeeze on development and defence spending is aimed at supporting the primary balance, which is part of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) conditions. NEWS DESK

Govt urged to impose long-delayed health tax ISLAMABAD AHMAD AHMADANI

Health and tobacco control activists have urged the government to take notice of the delay in implementation of the 'health tax' on tobacco products and carbonated drinks that was approved by the Cabinet in 2019.

Addressing a press conference here at the National Press Club on Tuesday, Human Development Foundation (HDF), Society for the Protection of the Rights of Child (SPARC) and Pakistan National Heart Association (PANAH) asked the government to impose the tax which the government had claimed would generate approximately Rs50 billion in revenue almost two years ago.

Speaking about the delay in implementation, HDF Project Lead Syed Anis Bilal al-

leged that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is responsible for playing with the lives of people as it had lobbied against the tax.

"Currently, the economic situation in Pakistan is unstable and the government is in need of revenues which can be utilised for financing government schemes such as a universal health coverage programme. Noncompliance in implementation of the bill cost the government a total of Rs55 billion in revenues last year. Revenue generated from the tax can be utilised for pandemic control and guarantee better health for our people," he added.

Speaking on the occasion, PANAH General Secretary Sanaullah Ghumman shared that the association had found out that the bill has been going back and forth between the FBR, Health Ministry and Fi-

nance Ministry.

In this regard, he said the association had filed a petition after which a hearing was held by the federal ombudsman wherein the FBR shared in writing that it does not have any issues with the implementation of the health levy bill. Similarly, the Ministry of Finance has also given a written assurance for taking necessary steps for the implementation of the bill. However, no further was taken by the departments concerned.

Participants of the conference anticipated that the government will take instant notice of the delay in implementation of the health levy and open an investigation to determine why the decision of the Cabinet was not implemented despite the passage of almost two years.

Earlier on December 27, the Ministry of

CMYK

National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination had urged the Ministry of Finance to lay the federal Health Levy Bill in the parliament to impose a health tax on tobacco and sugary drinks to increase revenue and prevent non-communicable diseases.

In a letter to the Ministry of Finance, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Special Assistant on Health Dr Faisal Sultan had emphasised the need to charge Rs10 per pack of 20 cigarettes and Rs1 per 250ml on carbonated drinks as approved by the federal cabinet on June 18, 2019.

"Pakistan is obligated to reduce onethird premature mortality from these diseases mainly caused by the tobacco by 2030 as part of its targets set in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)," he had stated.

It should be noted that the cigarette man-

ufacturers in Pakistan are highly influential within the FBR and the government. The three largest companies in the country have all shown increases in their profitability as reflected in their public filings. However, despite pocketing millions, the companies allegedly exert pressure on the government to reduce taxes and avoid slapping the health levy on their products.

It is also pertinent to mention here that the country scored 0.88 points out of five on the cigarette tax scorecard, including 170 countries, according to a report released by The Tobacconomics in December 2020.

The report has suggested the government impose a uniform specific tax on cigarettes that comprises at least 70pc of the retail price and is automatically updated to stay ahead of inflation and income growth.

Wednesday, 13 January, 2021

10 FOREIGN NEWS

IndIA'S toP coUrt orderS StAy on new fArm lAwS thAt rIled growerS NEW DELHI

I

AGENCIES

NDIA’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered an indefinite stay on the implementation of new agricultural laws that have triggered widespread protest from farmers, saying it wanted to protect farmers and would hear their objections.

For more than a month, tens of thou-

sands of farmers have camped on the outskirts of New Delhi, the capital, to protest against reform measures that they say benefit large private buyers and harm growers.

Chief Justice Sharad Bobde told a hearing the Supreme Court would set up a panel to hear the farmers’ grievances.

“We have the power to make a committee and the committee can give us the report,” he said, ordering the stay for an undisclosed period on the laws

passed in September.

“We will protect farmers.”

There were no immediate further details. Farm leaders said their demand for a full repeal of the laws remained unchanged.

“We are grateful to the Supreme Court for its positive response,” said Rakesh Tikait, president of one of the largest farmers unions, Bharti Kisan Union.

“The protests will continue until demands are met.”

India says the laws aim to modernise an antiquated farming system, bedevilled by wastage and bottlenecks in the supply chain.

But farm leaders say the reforms are an attempt to erode a longstanding mechanism that ensures farmers a minimum support price for their crops. The government has said there was no question of dropping the reforms and eight rounds of talks have failed to find common ground. The two sides are set to meet again on Friday.

Kuwait government resigns en masse as emir faces first big challenge KUWAIT AGENCIES

Indonesia uses unmanned undersea vehicle in hunt for air crash victims, 'black boxes' JAKARTA AGENCIES

Indonesia has deployed a remotely operated underwater vehicle to help divers search for the remains of victims and recover the flight recorders from a Sriwijaya Air jet that crashed into the sea three days ago soon after takeoff. The Boeing 737-500 plane with 62 people on board plunged into the Java Sea Saturday afternoon, four minutes after taking off from Jakarta’s main airport. Indonesian police made the first identification of a victim from the crash on Monday. Flight attendant Okky Bisma was identified by his fingerprints, said a police official. “My super kind husband [...] Heaven is your place... Until we meet again darling,” Okky’s wife, who is also a flight attendant, wrote on her Instagram account. The Boeing 737-500 jet was headed on a domestic flight to Pontianak on Borneo island, about 740 km (460 miles) from Jakarta, before it disappeared from radar screens.

It was the second major air crash in Indonesia since 189 passengers and crew were killed in 2018 when a Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX also plunged into the Java Sea soon after taking off.

The jet that crashed on Saturday is a largely different design. “Today we are focusing on finding the victims,” Yusuf Latif, a spokesman for search and rescue agency Basarnas, said on Tuesday. Divers have narrowed down an area where they believe the flight recorders, known as black boxes, are believed to be but search efforts have been hindered by debris, officials said. A remotely operated underwater vehicle has been deployed to help scour the seabed, while navy vessels with sonar search from the surface. Once the flight data and cockpit voice recorders are found, Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) expects to be able to read the information in three days. With few immediate clues on what caused a catastrophic loss of control after take-off, investigators will rely heavily on the flight recorders to determine what went wrong. The Sriwijaya Air plane was nearly 27 years old, much older than Boeing’s problemplagued 737 MAX model. Older 737 models are widely flown and do not have the stall-prevention system implicated in the MAX safety crisis.

Kuwaiti ministers handed in their resignations to the prime minister on Tuesday, the government communications office (CGC) said, days after lawmakers submitted a motion asking to question the premier over issues including the makeup of the cabinet.

Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah alKhalid al-Sabah must submit the resignations to the OPEC member state’s ruler, Emir Sheikh Nawaf alAhmed al-Sabah, for approval.

Three main Kuwaiti newspapers earlier said Sheikh Sabah was expected to do so.

The resignation of the cabinet, formed on Dec. 14, had been expected after the move in parliament earlier this month that posed the first political challenge for the new emir as the country faces its worst economic crisis in decades.

The prime minister had been due to be questioned at a parliamentary session on Jan. 19.

CGC said the government submitted its resignation “in light of developments in the relationship between the National Assembly and the government”, but did not elaborate.

The motion to question Sheikh Sabah, who has been premier since late 2019, was submitted by three MPs on Jan. 5 in the first regular session of a new assembly in which the opposition made gains after two thirds

Pompeo claims Al Qaeda has new home base in Iran WASHINGTON AGENCIES

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed on Tuesday, without providing hard evidence, that al Qaeda had established a new home base in Iran.

The New York Times reported in November that al Qaeda’s Abu Muhammad al-Masri, accused of helping to mastermind the 1998 bombings of two US embassies in Africa, was gunned down by Israeli operatives in Iran. Iran denied the report, saying there were no al Qaeda “terrorists” on its soil. Pompeo told a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington that he was announcing publicly for the first time that alMasri died on Aug. 7 last year. Pompeo said his presence in Iran was no surprise, and added: “AlMasri’s presence inside Iran points to the reason that we are here now... Al-Qaeda has a new home base–Iran.”

Iran demands sanctions 'snapback' removed in any new nuclear talks DUBAI AGENCIES

of lawmakers lost seats in legislative polls last year.

More than 30 other MPs supported the request to question him on issues including forming a cabinet “not reflective” of poll results and allegations of government “interference” in electing the Speaker and members of parliamentary committees, according to the motion seen by Reuters.

Kuwait has the most open political system in the Gulf region, with a parliament wielding power to pass legislation and question ministers, although senior posts are occupied by ruling family members.

Frequent rows and deadlocks be-

tween cabinet and parliament have led to successive government reshuffles and dissolutions of parliament, hampering investment and economic and fiscal reform.

The latest standoff complicates government efforts to tackle a severe liquidity crunch caused by low oil prices and Covid-19 by pushing through a debt law that has faced legislative gridlock.

The emir has final say in state matters and the succession of Sheikh Nawaf last September following the death of his brother had raised hopes of a detente between the ruling family and their critics in parliament.

Iran demands the removal of the so-called snapback mechanism in its nuclear accord, which could revive all UN sanctions against Tehran, in the event of new talks with world powers, a senior aide to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said. Under the 2015 deal, Iran agreed to curb its nuclear work in return for relief from US and other sanctions. The accord includes the option of a snapback of UN sanctions if Iran breaches the deal, requiring Tehran to suspend all nuclear enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research development. “This (trigger) mechanism must be abandoned as an irrational principle in the event of further negotiations,” Ali Akbar Velayati, a top adviser to Ayatollah Khamenei, said in an interview posted on the Supreme Leader’s website. “From the beginning, the Supreme Leader was not satisfied with the issue of the trigger mechanism and this was done against his will,” said Velayati, a former foreign minister. Iran has rejected Western calls for wider international talks over its nuclear and military ambitions after US President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions. World powers and Iran have weeks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal after Tehran began to enrich uranium at higher levels and Iran’s parliament threatened to curb the access of UN inspectors next month, the head of the global atomic body said on Monday.

Israel's Netanyahu removes Trump from his Twitter banner photo US imposes counter TEL AVIV

AGENCIES

Israel Prime Benjamin Netanyahu dropped US President Donald Trump from the banner photo of his Twitter account on Tuesday in an apparent break with a political ally facing possible impeachment.

A photo of Netanyahu sitting next to Trump at a White House meeting had long taken pride of place on the official @netanyahu account, testimony to the conservative Israeli leader’s close ties with the Republican president and his popularity in Israel.

Early on Tuesday, another photo, showing Netanyahu being injected with the coronavirus vaccine, topped the page, along with the slogan for Israel’s inoculation campaign: “Citizens of Israel, we are returning to life”.

Netanyahu had kept the photo of his meeting with Trump, long in lockstep with him over a tough policy towards Iran and the Palestinians, on the site even after the Republican president’s defeat by Democrat Joe Biden in the US election in November.

The photo was briefly replaced with a Hanukkah holiday-themed image last month, raising media speculation that Netanyahu had decided to distance himself from Trump.

But when the eight-day Jewish festival was over, Trump reappeared -- although no longer alone with Netanyahu in a photo.

Instead, Netanyahu posted a banner image of himself with the president and the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signing an agreement at the White House in September on formalising ties with Israel.

No explanation was given on Netanyahu’s site for Trump’s disappearance, a day before the US House of Representatives was expected to begin considering his second impeachment after last week’s storming of the Capitol.

Trump’s own account was permanently suspended by Twitter on Friday due to what the social media giant described as the risk of further incitement to violence.

In televised remarks on Thursday, Netanyahu called the events at the Capitol a “rampage” and said he was certain American democracy would prevail.

terrorism sanctions on five people WASHINGTON AGENCIES

The United States on Tuesday imposed counter terrorism sanctions on five people it tied to Iran, designating them each as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), according to the US Treasury Department’s website. A news agency reported on Monday that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo plans to use newly declassified US intelligence to publicly accuse Iran of ties to al Qaeda in a speech on Tuesday, two people familiar with the matter said, as part of his lastminute offensive against Tehran before handing over to the incoming Biden administration.

'Please help us': Migrants, exposed to freezing Bosnia winter, await chance to reach EU BIHAC AGENCIES

Hundreds of migrants are taking shelter in abandoned buildings in and around the northwestern Bosnian town of Bihac, wrapping up as best they can against the snow and freezing weather and hoping eventually to reach EU member Croatia across the border.

Bosnia has since early 2018 become part of a transit route for thousands of migrants from Asia, the Middle East and North Africa aiming to reach Europe’s wealthier countries.

But it has become increasingly difficult to cross EU borders and impoverished Bosnia has become a cul de sac with its ethnically divided government unable to cope, leaving hundreds of people without proper shelter.

Ali, 16, from Afghanistan, has been sleeping in an abandoned bus for almost six months after he left a Bihac camp.

“I’m in really a bad way, there’s no one to look after us here and the conditions are not safe here,” Ali said.

“People who are supposed to support us have been coming and taking things from us and then selling those

things inside the camp or in other places. We have nothing here ...

Please help us.”

There are about 8,000 migrants in Bosnia, some 6,500 in camps around the capital Sarajevo and in the northwestern corner of the country bordering Croatia.

On Monday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell talked by phone with Bosnia’s presidency Serb chairman Milorad Dodik, urging Bosnian authorities to improve dire humanitarian conditions of migrants and open centres more evenly distributed across the whole country.

The Serb and Croat-dominated parts of Bosnia refuse to accommodate any migrants, most of whom come from Muslim countries.

“Borrell stressed that failing to do so would have severe consequences for the reputation of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” his office said in a statement.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM), which is running the Bosnian camps, said its mobile teams are helping around 1,000 people squatting in houses that were deserted or destroyed during the Bosnian war in the 1990s.

Wednesday, 13 January, 2021

Smith replaceS Kohli aS No 2 teSt batSmaN, WilliamSoN Solid at top DUBAI

K

AGENCIES

ANE Williamson, who hit 238 in the Christchurch Test against Pakistan, consolidated his position at the top of the ICC rankings for Test batsmen by reaching 919 rating points–the highest ever by a New Zealand player. There was a switch just below him, with Australia’s Steven Smith replacing Virat Kohli of India in the second position following the Sydney Test where he was the Player of the Match.

Williamson's previous best points tally was 915, which he had reached in December 2018, already taking him past Richard Hadlee, the only other New Zealand cricketer to have crossed the 900-point mark (909 in December 1985).

Meanwhile, Smith's scores of 131 and 81 at the SCG took him past Kohli, who went back home from Australia after the first Test for the birth of his first child.

In other changes after the thrilling draw in Sydney, Marnus Labuschagne achieved a career-best 866 points to stay at No. 4 - he hit 91 and 73 in the game - and

among bowlers, Josh Hazlewood gained three places to reach No. 5 after picking up four wickets in the game.

For India, Cheteshwar Pujara's twin half-centuries pushed him up to No. 8 from the tenth spot, while Rishabh Pant's aggressive 97 in the second innings helped

him jump 19 spots to No. 26. Shubman Gill, Hanuma Vihari and R Ashwin also made gains after playing crucial innings in helping India salvage the draw.

Following the conclusion of the Christchurch Test between New Zealand and Pakistan, Henry Nicholls' 157 brought

him inside the top ten for batsmen after he gained three places to become No. 9. Kyle Jamieson - who bagged a career-best match haul of 11 for 117 at Hagley Oval was another big mover: he climbed seven spots to reach No. 21 among bowlers, and also became the fifth-ranked allrounder after just six Tests.

Also, Pakistan - despite losing the series 0-2 - had reason to cheer after Azhar Ali's 93 and 37 helped him advance seven places to 18th position and Mohammad Rizwan's 61 took him to 37th spot following a gain of ten places.

In the other update following the Johannesburg Test between South Africa and Sri Lanka, opener Dean Elgar reached No. 13 after innings of 127 and 31 not out in a ten-wicket for the hosts. His team-mates Anrich Nortje, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi and Lutho Sipamla also rose in the bowlers' chart to be No. 38, No. 45, No. 47 and No. 49, respectively.

Sri Lanka too had their share of gains– captain Dimuth Karunaratne's second-innings 103 took him to No. 15, while Kusal Perera, the visitors' highest run-getter in the series, moved up four spots to No. 56.

Australia captain Paine apologises for sledging Ashwin SYDNEY AGENCIES

Australian captain Tim Paine apologised on Tuesday after launching an ugly tirade at India’s Ashwin Ravichandran in the drawn Sydney Test, admitting he was “bitterly disappointed” in his own conduct.

Paine said frustration got the better of him on Monday when he tried to unsettle Ashwin, who played a key role as the tourists denied Australia to salvage a draw on the final day of the third Test.

“I want to apologise for the way I went about things yesterday [Monday]... my leadership was not good enough, I let the pressure of the game get to me,” the Australian skipper told reporters.

Stump microphones had picked up Paine making a series of verbal jabs at Ashwin.

But the right-hander was defiant and his unbeaten 39

helped keep the series level at 1-1 to set up a winner-takesall fourth and final Test in Brisbane starting Friday.

Paine acknowledged his actions undermined the goal he set himself when appointed Test captain in 2018 to revamp the team’s toxic culture after the “Sandpaper-gate” ball-tampering scandal.

“I am a captain who wants to enjoy the game, who wants to play the game with a smile on his face and I fell short of my expectations and our team standards,” he said.

Paine, who was also fined for dissent after an expletive-laden rant at umpire Paul Wilson on day two of the match, admitted “my mood throughout the whole Test was probably a bit off”. He insisted the behaviour was a “blip” that would not be repeated and said he had not considered standing down as captain over the incident.

Critics, including former England captain Michael Vaughan, said Australia appeared to be heading “back to the old days” of sledging and foul language.

Star batsman Steve Smith, who was Australia’s captain during the sandpaper cheating scandal, also attracted negative attention when footage suggested he scuffed up batsman Rishabh Pant’s guard at the crease.

The stump camera showed Smith shadow batting and then apparently rubbing off the pitch marks – made by the batsmen to judge where they stand – with his boots.

Paine said it was just part of Smith’s regular routine.

“It is one of his mannerisms, he was marking centre, he wasn’t by any stretch of the imagination trying to change guard or do anything like that,” he said.

Paine dropped three catches during the epic final day, including a chance from Ashwin shortly after their exchange, which did not help his mood.

“I ended up looking the fool, did not I? You open your mouth and then you drop a catch,” he said.

He said he spoke to Ashwin after the match and they joked about the mistake.

F1 Schedule 2021: Bahrain to host season opener as Australia moves later in calendar LONDON

F

AGENCIES

ORMULA 1 has revealed a revised calendar for the 2021 season. The F1 schedule retains a record 23 races, but the 2021 season will now start a week later with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 28, with the Australian Grand Prix moving later in the year.

Due to the ongoing travel restrictions in place the 2021 Chinese Grand Prix will not take place on its planned date, with Imola returning to the F1 calendar in that slot. Discussions with the promoter and authorities in China are ongoing, with the potential to reschedule the race later in the season if possible.

The TBC race in the calendar will be announced in due course and will take place on the new date of 2nd May. In 2020, F1 became the first truly international sport to restart following

the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Although the experience gained and safety measures established last year hold F1 in good stead for 2021, the ongoing situation regarding Covid-19 has meant it is not feasible to begin the season in Melbourne.

The good news, however, is that the Australian Grand Prix will now take place from the 18th – 21st November following an agreement between Formula 1 and the Australian authorities that shows the importance of the race in Australia to Formula 1 and their partners in Melbourne.

As stated previously, Formula 1 expects fans to return to the grandstands and the exclusive Paddock Club for the 2021 season.

“It has been a busy start to the year at Formula 1 and we are pleased to confirm that the number of races planned for the season remains unchanged,” said Stefano Domenicali, President and

CEO of Formula 1.

“The global pandemic has not yet allowed life to return to normal, but we showed in 2020 that we can race safely as the first international sport to return and we have the experience and plans in place to deliver on our season.

“It is great news that we have already been able to agree a rescheduled date for the Australian Grand Prix in November and are continuing to work with our Chinese colleagues to find a solution to race there in 2021 if something changes.

“We are very excited to announce that Imola will return for the 2021 season and know our fans will be looking forward to the return of Formula 1 after the winter break and our revised season opener in Bahrain. Obviously, the virus situation remains fluid, but we have the experience from last season with all our partners and promoters to adapt accordingly and safely in 2021.”

The updated 2021 F1 race calendar: 28 March–Bahrain (Sakhir) 18 April–Italy (Imola) 2 May–TBC 9 May–Spain (Barcelona) 23 May–Monaco (Monaco) 6 June–Azerbaijan (Baku) 13 June–Canada (Montreal) 27 June–France (Le Castellet) 4 July–Austria (Spielberg) 18 July–United Kingdom (Silverstone) 1 August–Hungary (Budapest) 29 August–Belgium (Spa) 5 September–Netherlands (Zandvoort) 12 September–Italy (Monza) 26 September–Russia (Sochi) 3 October–Singapore (Singapore) 10 October–Japan (Suzuka) 24 October–USA (Austin) 31 October–Mexico (Mexico City) 7 November–Brazil (Sao Paulo) 21 November–Australia (Melbourne) 5 December–Saudi Arabia (Jeddah) 12 December–Abu Dhabi (Yas Island)

SPORTS 11 coronavirus one of biggest contributing factors to pakistan’s dismal performance in NZ, says pcb NEWS DESK Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Cricket Committee Chairman Saleem Yousuf on Tuesday said that playing cricket during the coronavirus pandemic was one of the biggest contributing factors to the national team's dismal performances, according to a press release issued by the board. The national team had failed to perform during the recent New Zealand tour, where they lost the Twenty20 series 2-1 and Test series 2-0. Talking during a meeting of the committee, Yousuf said the committee had carried out a holistic but constructive, fact-based and objective review of the national team in the past 16 months. "Nevertheless, we also need to take into consideration a number of other factors and the committee was of the view that cricket during the Covid-19 pandemic was one of the biggest contributing factors in the side’s dismal performances. "All professional and high-performing athletes require an environment where they can prepare their best for the international stage, which was not the case for the last two tours and most definitely not at the last tour where players had been confined to their rooms for two weeks due to the policies of that particular Covid-free country," Yousuf said.

"These big losses affected the team combinations that, in turn, resulted in the side’s overall below-par performance against a side that remained unbeaten in the past two-and-a-half years. The committee also believes more scientific and data-based work needed to be done on the players with improved communication," he added.

Umar Gul appointed as Quetta Gladiators’ bowling coach NEWS DESK Pakistan Super League (PSL) team Quetta Gladiators have signed former player Umar Gul as their bowling coach for the sixth edition of the league. Gul will replace legendary all-rounder Abdur Razzaq. Quetta Gladiators owner Nadeem Omar said, “Gul will bring in his wealth of experience and his appointment will prove very beneficial for the likes of speedsters Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah and Usman Shinwari. He ruled the T20 format for years so we could not have asked for a better replacement and it is like a family member returning to the team. I also want to thank Razzaq for his exceptional services over the years.” Gul had played 47 Tests, 130 ODIs and 60 T20Is for Pakistan and taken 163, 179 and 85 wickets respectively.

Fa cup: liverpool set to take on manchester United in blockbuster fourth round tie LONDON: Manchester United will face Liverpool in the blockbuster tie of the FA Cup fourth round, while League Two Cheltenham host Manchester City. Liverpool and United will clash for two consecutive weekends with the top two also facing off in the Premier League on Sunday. National League North side Chorley’s reward for their victory over a depleted Derby was a home tie with Premier League Wolves. Chorley manager Jamie Vermiglio told BBC Sport: “That’s what we really wanted, Premier League opposition, great. “And there’s a bit of history because in 1986, Chorley played against Wolves at home and beat them 3-0, so we just need to do that again.” AGENCIES

American Isner skips Australian Open over Covid-19 protocols WASHINGTON AGENCIES

American John Isner will not travel to Melbourne for next month’s Australian Open as strict Covid-19 health protocols would have forced him to be away from his family for an extended period, the 35-year-old said on Monday.

Players are set to begin arriving in Melbourne this week for the Grand Slam event and Victoria’s state government has said it is imposing the strongest restrictions seen at any tennis tournament for the February 8-21 Open. Players and staff have to isolate for two weeks before they take part in warmup events at Melbourne Park, which is also the venue for the Australian Open,

from January 31. There are also restrictions on players’ entourages travelling to Australia which forced Isner, the highestranked men’s American player at 25th, to decide to stay at home.

“At this stage of my career and in my life, I always had visions of being able to travel with my family,” Isner, who has a twoyear-old daughter and one-year-old son, told

reporters after his defeat in the Delray Beach Open quarter-finals. “Of course, that would not be the case for Australia this year. Understandably so, I get it. It really was just a situation where I didn’t want to be away from my family for that long. I decided to stay home.” The Dallas resident, who is known for his towering frame and massive serve, has been ranked as high as number

eight in the world and has won 15 ATP singles titles. “Me not going to Australia does not mean that I am not committed, because I still am,” Isner added.

“I am healthy, I feel really good and I’ll continue to take care of my body. Once the tour gets back from Australia, I look forward to playing as full of a season as I possibly can.”

Wednesday, 13 January, 2021

PRAyER TIMINGS

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CabInet gIveS nod to duty, tax exemPtIon of hIghSPeed dIeSel ISLAMABAD

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OMAR AYUB SUBMITS PRELIMINARY PROBE REPORT INTO NATIONWIDE POWER BREAKDOWN

MIAN ABRAR

HE federal cabinet on Tuesday approved tax and duty exemption of highspeed diesel to facilitate the transport sector in shifting from smuggled and faulty diesel from Iran towards the refined imported diesel.

According to a source, the tax exemption for highspeed diesel will be given through general tendering as around 192 petrol pumps selling faulty smuggled Iranian petrol have been sealed.

The quality of standard petrol is higher, while poor quality petrol harms vehicles and the environment, the source added. During the meeting, Energy Minister Omar Ayub submitted a preliminary report on the power breakdown. The report said that the power breakdown across the country was due to human error.

The report submitted to the federal cabinet said that a circuit breaker had been used to provide earthing facility during a maintenance work at Guddu Power Plant.

The morning shift team went home without disconnecting the breaker, while the night shift shutdown the control room without providing earthing to the breaker, causing the Guddu Power Plant shutdown.

The tripping of the transmission lines of the power plant caused a nationwide power breakdown.

According to the source, Ayub also detailed the cabinet on action taken against those held responsible in the preliminary report. Prime Minister Imran Khan directed Ayub to inform the nation on the reasons of the power breakdown so all conspiracy theories about the incident could come to an end.

Furthermore, the federal cabinet discussed political, economic and national security issues, including the coronavirus situation. The agitation campaign of the opposition alliance of Pakistan Democratic

Movement (PDM) was also reviewed. Addressing the meeting, PM Imran said that various issues related to power breakdown need to be resolved once and for all. The premier had summoned Ayub and Adviser Nadeem Babar to the meeting, while a four-member ministerial committee would also brief the prime minister on the reasons that led to the petroleum shortage crisis in the country recently.

Asad Umar, Shafqat Mahmood, Shireen Mazari and Azam Swati are members of the probe committee and have been tasked to determine those responsible for the blackout.

The issue of Broadsheet LLC was also discussed in the meeting, wherein the PM entrusted the task of stating the facts on the Broadsheet case to the Information Minister Shibli Faraz.

The meeting discussed in detail the

Osama Satti's murder. PM Imran directed the interior minister to look into the murder case and said that the incident was unfortunate and justice would be served in the case.

PM Imran also directed the ministers to focus on their departments, stating that after two and a half years, the ministers need to work hard to solve the problems of the people.

He asked the federal ministers to focus on their work and discharge their duties with full energy as well as telling them to present the performance of their ministries and departments in the media in an accurate manner.

The meeting also informed the prime minister about the protest in front of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) by the opposition. PM Imran said that the PDM had politicised the incident, which was unfortunate.

The cabinet approved the bill relating to the powers of the auditor general of Pakistan (AGP) and the declaration of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Lahore Commercial Banking Circle as a police station.

Pakistan lodges protest with India over unabated ceasefire violations ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The Foreign Office (FO) summoned a senior Indian diplomat on Tuesday to register Pakistan's strong protest over ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces along the Line of Control (LoC) on Monday, resulting in serious injuries to a 10year-old boy. In a statement, FO Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said that due to indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by the Indian occupation forces in Nezapir Sectors of the LoC, a 10-year-old Muhammad Zaheer, the son of Muhammad Rafique and a resident of Mohri village, sustained serious injuries. He said that the Indian occupation forces along the LoC and the Working Boundary (WB) have been continuously targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-calibre mortars and automatic weapons. This year, India has committed 48 ceasefire violations, resulting in serious injuries to three innocent civilians. Condemning the deplorable targeting of innocent civilians by the Indian occupation forces, it was underscored that such senseless acts are in clear violation of the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, and are also against all established humanitarian norms and professional military conduct.

RAWALPINDI: An eagle silhouetted by the sun shining between the clouds. INP

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Witnesses, court received threats during Pearl murder trial, SC told ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The Supreme Court (SC) was informed on Tuesday that the trial court, which heard slain American journalist Daniel Pearl's case, and its witnesses received threats during the course of the trial. Pearl, 38, the South Asia bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal, was abducted on January 23, 2002, in Karachi and beheaded the next month, reportedly by AlQaeda. Sheikh had been convicted of helping lure Pearl to a meeting in Karachi in which he was kidnapped. In April 2019, the Sindh High Court (SHC) ordered the government to release the four accused -- including the principal suspect in the case British-national Omar Saeed Sheikh -- after allegations against them could not be proved. A three-judge bench, headed by Justice Mushir Alam, was hearing an appeal filed by the Sindh government and Pearl's parents against the SHC decision. During Tuesday's hearing, the legal counsel for Pearl's parents, Faisal Siddiqui, said that the case was shifted from Karachi to Hyderabad due to threats. Siddiqui also argued that terrorism cases were filed on the basis of "confessional statements". He urged the court to "create a balance between the basic rights of the petitioner and the accused". Omar's legal representative Mehmood Sheikh, in his arguments, labelled the case as "false and a result of pressure". He said that the United States had sent the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents to assist the murder investigation.

"No country sends its investigative institutions after its ordinary citizens," he said. Speaking about the legal process that led to Sheikh's sentencing, Mehmood said the witnesses produced by the prosecution "gave contradictory statements during the investigation and [in] court". "Daniel Pearl was an American citizen, that's why the evidence was planted," the lawyer added. Mehmood said that in the case, it was stated that the "murder conspiracy" was hatched in a hotel in Rawalpindi. However, the hotel's receptionist had said that he did not know Omar Sheikh, Mehmood said, adding that "confessional statements were extracted from the suspects through torture." The counsel also argued that there was no evidence of any meeting between the suspects. The case was adjourned until Wednesday. Prior to his kidnapping, Pearl had been investigating the link between reportedly Pakistan-based militants and Richard Reid, the notorious “Shoe Bomber” who attempted to blow up a flight from Paris to Miami with explosives hidden in his shoes. In July 2002, following the hearings, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Hyderabad had sentenced to death Sheikh and life term to other co-accused. However, all four convicts had moved the SHC in 2002 challenging their convictions. In his autobiography, In the Line of Fire: A Memoir, former president Pervaiz Musharraf had claimed that Sheikh, a student at the London School of Economics (reports claim that he did not graduate), was hired by MI6 to engage in “jihadi operations”, adding that “at some point, he probably became a rogue or a double agent”.

House speeding to impeach Trump for Capitol ‘insurrection’ WASHINGTON AGENCIES

Poised to impeach, the United States House sped ahead with plans to oust President Donald Trump from office, warning he is a threat to democracy and pushing the vice president and Cabinet to act even more quickly in an extraordinary effort to remove Trump in the final days of his presidency.

Trump faces a single charge — “incitement of insurrection” — after the deadly Capitol riot in an impeachment resolution that the House will begin debating Wednesday. At the same time, the FBI warned ominously Monday of potential armed protests in Washington and many states by Trump loyalists ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20.

In a dark foreshadowing, the Washington Monument was closed to the public amid the threats of disruption. Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf abruptly resigned. It all added up to stunning final moments for Trump’s presidency as Democrats and a growing number of Republicans declare he is unfit for office and could do more damage after inciting a mob that violently ransacked the US Capitol last Wednes-

day.

“President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government,” reads the fourpage impeachment bill.

“He will remain a threat to national security, democracy, and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office,” it reads.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is summoning lawmakers back to Washington for votes, and Democrats aren’t the only ones who say Trump needs to go.

Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania joined GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska over the weekend in calling for Trump to “go away as soon as possible.”

Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., encouraged House GOP colleagues late Monday to “vote your conscience,” according to a person granted anonymity to discuss the private call. She has spoken critically of Trump’s actions, but has not said publicly how she will vote. Pending impeachment, Democrats called on Vice President Mike Pence and the Cabinet to invoke their constitutional authority under the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office before Inauguration Day. Their Democrats’ House resolution was blocked by Republicans. However, the full

House is to hold a roll call vote on it Tuesday, and it is expected to pass. After that, Pelosi said, Pence will have 24 hours to respond. Next would be the impeachment proceedings. Pence has given no indication he is ready to proceed on a course involving the 25th Amendment.

He and Trump met late Monday for the first time since the Capitol attack, a senior administration official said.

Trump and Pence had a “good conversation” in the Oval Office discussing the week ahead, and they pledged to continue working for the remainder of their terms, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private meeting.

No member of the Cabinet has publicly called for Trump to be removed from office through the 25th Amendment.

As security tightened, Biden said Monday he was “not afraid” of taking the oath of office outside — as is traditionally done at the Capitol’s west steps, one of the areas where people stormed the building.

As for the rioters, Biden said, “It is critically important that there’ll be a real serious focus on holding those folks who engaged in sedition and threatening the lives, defacing public property, caused great damage -- that

they be held accountable.”

Biden said he’s had conversations with senators ahead of a possible impeachment trial, which some have worried would cloud the opening days of his administration.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer was exploring ways to immediately convene the Senate for the trial as soon as the House acts, though Republican leader Mitch McConnell would need to agree. The president-elect suggested splitting the Senate’s time, perhaps “go a half day on dealing with impeachment, a half-day on getting my people nominated and confirmed in the Senate, as well as moving on the package” for more COVID relief.

As Congress briefly resumed Monday, an uneasiness swept the government. More lawmakers tested positive for COVID-19 after sheltering during the siege. And new security officials were quickly installed after the Capitol police chief and others were ousted in the fallout from the attack on the iconic dome of democracy. Some GOP lawmakers, including Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, faced public blowback for their efforts on the day of the riot trying to overturn Biden’s election.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-

Md., offered the 25th Amendment resolution during Monday’s brief session. It was blocked by Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va., as other GOP lawmakers stood by him.

Pelosi said the Republicans were enabling Trump’s “unhinged, unstable and deranged acts of sedition to continue. Their complicity endangers America, erodes our Democracy, and it must end.”

However, House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, a Trump ally, said in a letter to colleagues that “impeachment at this time would have the opposite effect of bringing our country together.”

He said he would review possible censure of the president. But House Republicans are split and a few may vote to impeach.

The impeachment bill from Reps. David Cicilline of Rhode Island, Ted Lieu of California, Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Jerrold Nadler of New York draws from Trump’s own false statements about his election defeat to Biden.

Judges across the country, including some nominated by Trump, have repeatedly dismissed cases challenging the election results, and Attorney General William Barr, a Trump ally, has said there was no sign of widespread fraud.

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