EpaperLHR_21-05-6

Thursday, 6 May, 2021 I 23 Ramzan-ul-Mubarak, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 307 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition

IMF told that PakIstan won’t Increase tarIFFs, says tarIn g

announces Kamyab Kisan Programme aimed at incentivising farmers

ISLAMABAD staff report

F

inance minister shaukat tarin said on wednesday that Pakistan had informed the international monitory fund (imf) that increasing taxes or tariffs was currently unfeasible under the imf programme, adding that Prime minister imran Khan is against a tariff hike. flanked by special assistant to the Prime minister (saPm) on revenue dr waqar masood, and other officials in his first media briefing in islamabad, the finance minister, however, ruled out exiting the programme, saying the government has only asked the fund to not assign revenue targets as the country is battling the third wave of covid-19.

“Pakistan has not yet come out of the imf programme, we have told them that our revenues were increasing at 92 per cent but the third wave of covid has caused some decreases, ” tarin said. “we will refuse the imf’s demand to increase the power tariff because our common man is fed up of inflation,” the finance minister said, adding that streamlining revenue and power sectors are an important challenges but inflation would have a cascading effect.

“we will increase the tax network [to achieve the desired targets],” he maintained. talking about taxation, he said its ambit would be further increased through innovative methods whereas the tax-to-gdP ratio would increase every year by one to two per cent. “the sudden increases on the orders of the imf, as done in 2019, would not happen. this is the wrong way of doing it,” he said. instead, he said, gradual annual increases would be the better way to go and efforts would be made to convince the imf about it.

He observed that 90 per cent of programmes of the organisation fail because of its tough conditions and went on to add that there is a “political price of signing a deal with the imf”.

He said that the government entered into an agreement with the organisation despite tough conditions which previous governments had not been asked to fulfill. “we went to the imf to fill the gap left by the $20 billion deficit, and complied with the programme. but i think the government, despite those strict conditions, followed it and went towards stability”. talking about economic activities linked with development of projects under china Pakistan economic corridor (cPec), the finance minister said that since a number of chinese companies are relocating their units to various

coronavIrus In

PakIstan

CONFIRMED CASES:

841,636

countries of the world, the government would request them to relocate some industries to special economic Zones (seZs) in Pakistan. about reforms in state owned enterprises (soes), he said the private sector would soon be given control of the entities. tarin also announced to start the Kamyab Kisan programme aimed at incentivising farmers as existing incentives for the agriculture sector had negligible trickle down effects. talking about the rising inflation, the finance minister claimed that middlemen in the business of agriculture goods were pocketing over 35 per cent of the price being charged to consumers. He said strategic reserve centers would be established to ensure farmers are not blackmailed as price stability is imperative. regarding his plan in the banking sector, the finance minister said that banks would be asked to increase the number of lending. “banks in KP, despite being facilitated by the government are lending rs50 billion out of rs600 billion capacity.” earlier the minister said that 12 working groups have been constituted in the economic advisory council to frame short, medium, and long-term policies for different sectors. the goal will be achieved by incentivising industries, agriculture and housing sectors, which will also provide job opportunities to the people. separately, shaukat tarin said Pakistan is looking forward to further deepen trade and investment ties with the us.

He was meeting with angela P. aggeler, charge d’ affaires of the united states to Pakistan, who called on him, at the finance division. while extending a warm welcome to angela aggeler, the finance minister stated that Pakistan is looking forward to further deepen trade and investment ties with the us under the new administration. “coupled with 220 million consumer market, growing middle class and a young vibrant population, Pakistan offers immense opportunities for the us enterprises to invest in sectors such as information technology, agriculture, energy and tourism,” he added.

fiqah-e-hanfia lahore sehr: 3:43 aM iftar: 6:46 PM

ISLAMABAD staff report

four soldiers were killed and six others injured in an attack by afghan terrorists near the Pakistan-afghanistan border in Zhob district of balochistan on wednesday, a statement from inter-services Public relations (isPr) said. the attack took place when paramilitary troops frontier corps (fc) personnel were engaged in border fencing activity along the border in the district, the military’s media wing said. “terrorists from across afghanistan ambushed fc troops moving for fencing [… ] fc troops responded promptly,” the statement added, without mentioning

LAHORE staff report

LAST UPDATED AT 9:33 AM ON MAY 5, 2021

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

NEW CASES:

119

4,113

RECOVERED:

DEATHS:

738,727 18,429 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

287,643

310,616

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

121,099 AJK/GB: 17,465/5,341

22,776 ISLAMABAD:

76,696

islaMabad sehr: 3:31 aM iftar: 7:05 PM

karachi sehr: 4:20 aM iftar: 7:15 PM

Ambush by Afghan terrorists leaves four soldiers dead: ISPR

Public transPort, tourist destinations will remain closed as well

the Punjab government on wednesday decided to impose a complete lockdown from may 8 to restrict public movement due to the consistent rise in cases of novel coronavirus. the provincial government took the decision during a session held with Punjab Health minister dr yasmin rashid in the chair to mull over steps for curbing the coronavirus pandemic. it has been decided to restrict the public movement by imposing a ban on public transport and tourist spots across the province. the provincial authorities will establish check post on the entrance and exit routes of the cities where police, rangers and army troops will be deployed. dr yasmin said that the next 15 to 20 days are very important to contain covid-19 and asked citizens to support the government steps besides exhibiting responsible behaviour by adopting precautionary measures. she appealed to citizens to celebrate the eidul fitr with simplicity as additional holidays were announced to restrict the public movement. the chief secretary said that the people should be made aware of the precautionary measures and asked citizens to avoid unnecessary travelling during eid holidays. following the national command and operation centre’s (ncoc) orders, all parks and tourist spots

karachi sehr: 4:30 aM iftar: 7:05 PM

fiqah-e-jafaria lahore sehr: 3:33 aM iftar: 6:56 PM

Covid-19: Punjab decides to impose complete lockdown from May 8 g

islaMabad sehr: 3:41 aM iftar: 6:55 PM

the loss reported on the militants’ side. the injured soldiers were sent to combined military Hospital (cmH) in Quetta. the army is fencing nearly 2,600 kilometres border with afghanistan, and according to military sources, around 90 percent of work on the fencing has been completed. according to earlier statements by the isPr, the fence is being erected to stop terrorist activities, militants’ infiltration from the border, and illegal activities including smuggling from afghanistan. officials and experts believe that a significant reduction in militancy along the border areas will be witnessed after the completion of the fencing process.

more inside

Saudi Arabia considering barring overseas Hajj pilgrims for second year: Reuters STORY ON BACK PAGE

fix price of oxygen cylinders, sc tells government STORY ON PAGE 02

will be closed due to the spike in coronavirus cases, he added. dr yasmin maintained the vaccination process is continued across Punjab and more covid-19 vaccination centres will be established to facilitate the citizens. more than 1 million people were inoculated so far. the health authorities have also made Hdu beds in expo centre functional and more beds were allocated in private teaching hospitals for the free-of-cost treatment of coronavirus patients. dr yasmin added that the government is also considering purchases of oxygen and generators for covid-19 patients.

Senior Kashmiri leader Ashraf Sehrai dies in police custody in IOK STORY ON BACK PAGE

‘overseas Pakistanis are precious assets of the country,’ Pm tells envoys STORY ON PAGE 03

02

Thursday, 6 May, 2021

LAHORE

NEWS

FIx prICe oF oxYgeN CYlINders, sC tells goverNMeNt

t

ISLAMABAD News Desk

HE Supreme Court (SC) directed on Wednesday the Ministry of Industries and Production to fix the price of oxygen cylinders within two days’ time.

A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Gulzar Ahmed, heard the coronavirus suo motu case in the apex court during which the court ordered fixing the price of oxygen cylinders amid the worsening coronavirus situation in the country.

No complaint lodged in NA-249 on polling day, says Murad

An apex court bench gave this direction on a plea filed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government. The court further instructed the ministry to explain how the price of oxygen cylinders is set.

The advocate general of KP said suppliers are charging excessively for

Islamabad reports lowest Covid cases in 10 days: DHO ISLAMABAD

KARACHI

TLTP

INP

The capital city Wednesday witnessed lowest number of new cases of Covid-19 in 10 days, Islamabad District Heath Officer said.

Islamabad has registered gradual decline in new cases of Covid-19. The DHO Islamabad Dr. Zaeem Zia has stated that as many as 204 new cases reported in the capital territory in 24 hours, which is minimum in last 10 days. The ratio of positive cases in the city has been recorded 5.06 percent in last 24 hours. In the said time 4,035 tests were conducted in Islamabad, the DHO stated.

Five Covid-19 patients were died in the city in last 24 hours, the health official said, adding that

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday said that no complaint was filed on the polling day in NA-249 by-elections. Talking to the reporters, Shah said Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) accepted the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on the request of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for a vote recount in the constituency. The situation of coronavirus was worsening with every passing day as the government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has not taken the due measures, he claimed.

PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, while reacting to the ECP’s decision of recounting in NA-249, said that his party would also consider approaching the commission for recounting in previous seats. In a tweet, the PPP chairman welcomed the new precedent set by allowing a thorough recount. During the hearing, PML-N candidate Miftah Ismail submitted the details of unsigned Form-45 in the commission and requested to launch an inquiry into the alleged irregularities. The PML-N lawyer, Salman Akram Raja, adopted the stance that a separate petition will be filed for re-polling in the constituency.

Vote recount is our first priority however, we’ll take further steps if we find this to be unsatisfactory, he added.

Yet another consignment of Covid-19 vaccine arrives from China ISLAMABAD: Pakistan received another 120,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from China on Wednesday. In a bid to expedite the vaccination drive, the government has signed contracts with several companies, including Chinese firms, for the purchase of the vaccine.

The plane carrying the doses landed at Islamabad airport this morning. The officials of the National Institute of Health (NIH) received the shipment at the airport. Last week, three special airplanes of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) carrying one million doses from China had reached Islamabad. Three Boeing 777 airplanes were sent by the government and the Health Ministry in a bid to accelerate the delivery of vaccines to combat the coronavirus epidemic. INP

oxygen cylinders in absence of official rates.

“It will cost Rs1 billion to activate the oxygen plant,” he noted, adding that the court will be provided with a detailed report related to the availability of oxygen in the country.

The Ministry of Industries and

the coronavirus situation stable in Islamabad.

However, he said that citizens should strictly follow the coronavirus SOPs, the official said. He advised people to avoid travel in Eid holidays.

The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed 119 more lives across Pakistan during the past 24 hours, taking the death toll from the disease to 18,429.

According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) data, 4,113 new infections surfaced when 44,838 samples were tested during the same period. The positivity rate of new cases was recorded at 9.17%, the NCOC said.

The countrywide tally of confirmed cases currently stands at 841,636 with the addition of 4,113 new cases. Thus far, 733,062 patients have recuperated from the disease.

Interior Ministry sends summary to PM for committee to revisit TLP ban ISLAMABAD TLTP

Federal Ministry of Interior Wednesday forwarded a summary to the prime minister for approval of a committee from the federal cabinet, which will revisit the decision of banning the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), sources claimed.

The interior ministry has suggested three names for the committee that will review the ban on the outlawed TLP. The names of additional secretary interior, joint secretary interior and law ministry’s joint secretary Khurram Shehzad Mughal have been suggested in the summary to the prime minister. The committee will proceed over a plea of the TLP after approval from the federal cabinet.

The TLP seeking review of the government’s

April 15 decision of banning the party over countrywide violent protests. The banned party submitted an appeal to the interior ministry, requesting it to revisit the decision to proscribe it.

On April 15, the federal government banned the TLP after its supporters staged violent protests across the country after the arrest of their leader. A notification declaring TLP as a proscribed organisation was issued by the Ministry of Interior shortly after the federal cabinet approved a summary to ban the party. Addressing a press conference on April 21, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed had said the ban on the party was not being reversed.

However, he added, it has 30 days to file an appeal against the government’s decision of banning it with the Ministry of Interior, after which a committee will be formed to decide the case.

World faces shortage of 900,000 midwives, says UN report ISLAMABAD TLTP

The world is currently facing a shortage of 900,000 midwives, with Covid-19 further exacerbating the situation as many midwives have been deployed to other health services, according to a new United Nations report.

The 2021 State of the World’s Midwifery report, launched on Wednesday by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Confederation of Midwives, said that fully resourcing midwifedelivered care by 2035 would avert roughly two-thirds of maternal, newborn deaths and stillbirths, saving 4.3 million lives per year.

Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), highlighted the “enormous impact” midwives have on women and their families. “A capable, well-trained midwife can have an enormous impact on childbearing women and their families – an impact often passed on from one generation to the next.”

“At UNFPA, we have spent more than a decade strengthening education, enhancing working conditions and supporting leadership roles for the midwifery profession. We have seen that these efforts work”, she added. The report called on governments to provide an enabling work environment for midwives, free from gender-related stigma, violence

and discrimination. It also urged greater investment in the education and training of midwives and midwife-led service delivery, and midwifery leadership and governance.

Appointing senior midwives as leaders at country level would provide a significant lever for building capacity, it noted. Midwives do not just attend births, they also provide antenatal and postnatal care and a range of reproductive health services.

As numbers of midwives increase and they are able to provide care in an enabling environment, women’s and newborns’ health improves as a whole, benefitting all of society. “We must learn the lessons the pandemic is teaching us, by implementing policies and making investments that deliver better support and protection for midwives and other health workers”, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said. “This report provides the data and evidence to support WHO’s longstanding call to strengthen the midwifery workforce, which will deliver a triple dividend in contributing to better health, gender equality and inclusive economic growth,” he added.

The launch of the report coincided with the International Day of the Midwife, observed annually on 5 May. The Day recognizes the crucial role these essential healthcare professionals have in preventing maternal and newborn deaths and empowering women to make the best choices for themselves and their babies.

Production had earlier decided to assess the gas production plant and see whether it can be revived to meet the demand for oxygen, as cases of the coronavirus continue to surge in Pakistan.

A Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) lawyer said that the Ministry of Industries and Production deals with the supply of medical oxygen and that the drug regulator has nothing to do with it.

An additional attorney general informed the bench that the Pakistan Steel Mills oxygen plant is nearly 40 years old.

Making the oxygen plant functional will cost Rs1 billion, he explained and vowed to submit a detailed report on the oxygen situation.

FIA report says number of complaints related to harassment, blasphemy increasing NewS DeSK There has been a marked increase in the number of complaints related to blasphemy, harassment, anti-government posts and pornography, according to a report compiled by the Cybercrime Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

The wing is reportedly receiving 260 complaints on a daily basis, it emerged on Wednesday. The report states the agency received a total of 160,000 complaints in three years. The FIA said complaints about anti-government and antireligion posts, fake accounts, blasphemous posts and child pornography have seen a rise over the years. In 2020, the document said, more than 94,000 complaints were received out of which 50,000 are still pending. Breaking the data down, the FIA said it received 22,300 complaints on harassment, 48,000 related to financial fraud, 1,479 on anti-religious activities and 1,467 complaints related to blasphemy. It added that Lahore received the highest number of 36,700 complaints followed by Karachi and Islamabad, with 23,000 and 20,00 complaints respectively.

The report stated the cybercrime wing also received 42,300 complaints about Facebook and 17,500 complaints about WhatsApp.

Citizens, police clash over Covid sop enforcement NewS DeSK A group of police officers were assaulted by civilians when the latter were asked by the former to adhere to the Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs), it emerged on Wednesday. Footage of the incident went viral on social media, with several people seen surrounding the personnel and beating them, a local news station reported. The officers had been urging the people to put on face masks, which have proven to be one of the most effective ways of reducing the rate of transmission. However, a person on the scene engaged in an argument with them. The verbal conflict soon therein escalated to a physical one.

Police said that all four men involved in the assault have been arrested, while a first information report (FIR) has also been registered against them. On Tuesday, an official of the provincial health department said that a variant of the virus from the UK was causing increasing deaths during the third wave of the pandemic. For the fourth time during the ongoing month, the province’s daily death toll surpassed the previous record. The most alarming indicator was that over half of the deaths took place in Lahore. Punjab government has so far vaccinated about one million people against coronavirus, including front line health workers and senior citizens.

outlaw arrested in lahore LAHORe INP

Lahore Police on Wednesday arrested underworld king Khawaja Aqeel, alias Gogi Butt, and dozen of his accomplices during a late-night raid on his house in a private housing scheme. Initially, the Iqbal Town branch of the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) also arrested his two sons — Hamza and Abdullah — and nephews in the raid but released them later. Confirming the news of arrests, Aqeel’s family accused police of also vandalising household items during the raid. Police inserted sections related to terrorism, possessing unlicensed weapons, and others in the case. The First Information Report (FIR) also states that a large cache of weapons was also seized during the raid.

Thursday, 6 May, 2021

LAHORE

NEWS

03

‘overseAs pAkIstANIs Are preCIous Assets oF the CouNtrY,’ pM tells eNvoYs

p

NewS DeSK

RIME Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said that “overseas Pakistanis are precious assets of the country” and stressed that the ambassadors should treat them better.

The above was said while the premier was addressing Pakistani ambassadors stationed across the globe, days after he had called back Pakistan’s envoy to Saudi Arabia over the mistreatment of the Pakistani expat community by the latter’s staff.

Last week, the PM had recalled

Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Raja Ali Ejaz and members of the latter’s staff after reports of their alleged ‘mistreatment’ of the Pakistani expat community surfaced.

“The feedback provided by Pakistani expats living in Saudi Arabia was shocking,” the premier said on Wednesday. “An indifferent attitude towards the expat community is “unforgivable.”

He also read out complaints received on the Citizens Portal and slammed the “callousness” displayed by embassy workers. “The job of embassies is to serve their citizens,” the premier stressed.

Earlier this week, Pakistan’s new ambassador to Saudi Arabia Bilal Akbar had met with Riyadh’s envoy in Islamabad Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki in the Saudi capital to discuss Prime Minister Imran’s upcoming visit to the Kingdom.

The premier is visiting Saudi Arabia next week on the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

In March, the crown prince had made a telephonic call to inquire about the prime minister’s health as the latter had tested positive for Covid-19 and was spending time in quarantine. Wishing Khan a quick

recovery, Mohammed Bin Salman had invited him to visit Saudi Arabia after recovery which the prime minister accepted.

During their meeting, both ambassadors had reaffirmed their resolve to further strengthen the “time tested brotherhood and friendship between the two countries, with a renewed emphasis on economic cooperation.” According to Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry, the visit will prove a milestone in bilateral relations, and the two countries are expected to sign several accords and memorandums of understanding (MoU) in diversified areas,

especially economic and trade relations.

Last week, Ambassador Al-Malki told Arab News that “this visit will further strengthen relations between both countries in all fields,” adding that “there will be many memoranda of understanding” signed during the visit. The two countries had inked agreements for $20 billion investment projects, during the crown prince’s visit to Pakistan in February 2019.

Al-Malki said that while work on the projects had “already begun,” a planned preferential trade agreement would also lead to broader economic cooperation.

Covid-19 kills 119, infects 4,113 more ISLAMABAD aPP

ISLAMABAD: A beautiful view of Faisal Mosque in the federal capital.

security forces kill two terrorists; Captain, two soldiers embrace martyrdom RAWALPINDI: Security forces on Wednesday conducted an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Dosalli, North Wazirstan, after getting reports about presence of terrorists and managed to kill two terrorists. The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), in a media statement, said that in an exchange of fire, an officer, Captain Faheem, and two soldiers, Sepoy Shafi and Sepoy Naseem, embraced shahadat while fighting against the terrorists. The armed forces spokesperson added that the IBO was conducted on reported presence of terrorists where two of them were killed by the forces. sTaff RePoRT

suspects arrested in murder of pakistanBritish woman LAHORE: Lahore Police arrested two men in connection with the murder of a Pakistan-origin British woman who was killed in the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) neighbourhood earlier this week.

Mahira Zulfiqar, 26, was found dead in the early hours of Monday morning after four attackers reportedly barged into a bedroom in the home of her friend where she was staying the night. Zahir Jadoon and Saad Ameer Butt were two of the four accused of being behind Zulfiqar’s murder in the first information report (FIR) filed by Mohammad Nazeer, a relative of the deceased. Nazeer complained that the two men had been threatening and harassing Zulfiqar, making her fear for her life with dire consequences. sTaff RePoRT

Coronavirus contagion rate declining in KP: minister PeSHAwAR INP

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra on Wednesday said that the spread of coronavirus transmission rate was declining in the province and urged the people to continue following the guidelines to keep it from rising again.

The minister said that the contagion rate was recorded at 7.1 percent on Tuesday. He said the number of active patients in the

province stood at 11,076. Jhagra further said that 1,769 coronavirus patients were undergoing treatment in different hospitals across the province. The rate of positive cases was as following: 50 percent in Swat, 21 percent in Mardan, 14 percent in Swabi and Buner, and 13 percent in Peshawar and Malakand, he added.

“The provincial government is further enhancing the capacity of hospitals and we will not rest until the pandemic ends,” said Jhagra.

He appealed to people to avoid drawing crowds. He said that the

third peak of the disease was lethal than its antecedents and to combat it, the people must follow the guidelines including the wearing of face masks and social distancing.

“In the current situation, it is our responsibility to take the precautionary measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus,” said the minister. The minister said that all district administrations have been directed to take action against those violating the SOPs and becoming a major cause in the spread of pandemic.

Health system in South Asia may collapse due to Covid: UNICEF ISLAMABAD TLTP

Impacts of the deadly new surge in Covid-19 cases across South Asia are unlike anything the region has seen before, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said, warning of a “real possibility” that health systems there will be strained to a breaking point, leading to even more loss of life.

In a statement, UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia George Laryea-Adjei called for “urgent action and steadfast leadership” to stop the catastrophe.

“Governments must do everything within their power to stop the devastation, and partners that are able to send assistance must do so immediately. The international community must step up without delay.

This is not just a moral imperative”, he said. LaryeaAdjei also reiterated the importance of individual responsibility. “Every decision we make has the potential to alter the course of this surge – and to either safeguard or endanger the lives of those around us. We may be exhausted, but the virus is not”, he stressed.

He also reminded everyone to ensure they wear masks, wash hands thoroughly with soap, keep physical distances, and to get vaccinated if they have

the opportunity to do so.

Countries across the region are witnessing rises in infections, with India accounting for over 90 per cent of both cases and deaths in the region, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). India also accounted for 46 per cent of global cases and 25 percent of global deaths reported in the past week, WHO added.

Neighbouring countries Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka also reported increasing caseloads.

The situation is particularly alarming in Nepal, where cases recorded a 137 per cent rise this week, reaching the highest levels since the pandemic started last year, severely straining its fragile health system and resulting in shortage of hospital beds, intensive care units and critical medical supplies, including personal protective equipment (PPE) and oxygen concentrators. Pakistan is also experiencing a major surge in Covid-19 and the number of cases increased rapidly in recent weeks.

According to a humanitarian bulletin from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), healthcare system has been impacted in the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with hospitals reporting shortages of available beds, oxygen, and other essential supplies.

The total caseload of active Covid-19 cases on Wednesday reached 84,480 with 4,113 new infections and 5,665 recoveries from the disease during the last 24 hours. 119 people died of coronavirus during the past 24 hours, 106 of whom were under treatment in hospital and 13 in their respective quarantine centres or homes, according to the latest update issued by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).

Most of the deaths occurred in Punjab followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). of the people who died, 38 were receiving treatment on ventilators. The maximum ventilators were occupied in four major areas: Lahore 69 per cent, Multan 77 per cent, Mardan 59 per cent and Bahawalpur 58 per cent. The maximum Oxygen beds (alternate oxygen providing facility other than ventilator administered as per the medical requirement of the patient) was also occupied in four major areas: Gujranwala 55 per cent, Swabi 67 per cent, Peshawar 62 per cent and Swat 57 per cent. Around 676 ventilators were occupied elsewhere in the country while no Covidaffected person was on a ventilator in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Balochistan. 44,838 tests were conducted on Tuesday: 15,297 in Sindh, 16,844 in Punjab, 7,131 in KP, 4,035 in Islamabad, 628 in Balochistan, 396 in GB, and 507 in AJK.738,727 people have recovered from the disease so far, taking the recovery rate to over 90 percent. Since the outbreak, a total of 841,636 cases were detected that also included the perished, recovered and under treatment, including 17,465 in AJK, 22,776 in Balochistan, 5,341 in GB, 76,696 in Islamabad, 121,099 in KP, 310,616 in Punjab and 287,643 in Sindh. About 18,429 deaths have been recorded in the country. 4,687 have perished in Sindh, 8,741 in Punjab, 3,466 in KP, 698 in Islamabad, 239 in Balochistan, 107 in GB and 491 in AJK. A total of 12,010,519 tests have been conducted so far, while 631 hospitals are equipped with Covid-19 facilities. Some 5,741 patients were admitted to hospitals across the country on Wednesday.

Thursday, 6 May, 2021

04 News

LAhoRe

Vaccination rate hits record dailY high, saYs minister MORE THAN 5M PEOPLE HAVE SIGNED UP FOR THE DRIVE ISLAMABAD

t

STaff rePorT

HE government vaccinated over 200,00 people in the 24 hours to Wednesday with a first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, a daily record according to official figures, Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar announced.

The update comes as the government portal registered 4,113 new infections of Covid19 after conducting 44,838 tests, receiving back a positivity rate of 9.17 per cent.

In a tweet, Umar announced there has been an increase in people signing up for the vaccine and more than five million people have registered themselves to date.

OVER 200,000 INOCULATED ON TUESDAY

“If you are 40 years of age or older, please get yourselves registered as soon as possible,” he said, urging the nation to continue following health guidelines.

The government launched the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination for the general public, starting with older people, in March.

The drive began with a focus on the oldest people in the community, generally over the age of 80.

The vaccination of people aged 50 and above began on April 21, and for 40 and above on Monday.

The government is aiming to ramp up the immunisation campaign in the summer and expects to receive 13.2 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines by the end of June.

As of Tuesday, it has vaccinated over 2.70

million people and is planning to vaccinate at least 70 million people by the end of this year. Private hospitals in major cities are also using Russia’s Sputnik-V vaccine that has been imported by a local pharmaceutical company.

Drug Regulatory Authority Of Pakistan (DRAP) has also approved the emergency use of Britain’s AstraZeneca and China’s CoronaVac vaccines, but both are yet to be used in the country.

Umar’s tweet comes days before Pakistan is scheduled to receive the first shipment of 1.2 million doses of the Oxford-Astrazeneca coronavirus vaccine under the World Health Organisationbacked Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) initiative aimed at equitable ac-

cess to vaccines. The programme had committed 45 million doses to Pakistan, with deliveries meant to start in March and continue through the year.

The first shipment of jabs will finally arrive from South Korea on Friday, Arab News quoted a Ministry of National Health Services official as saying.

“Yes, the first consignment is arriving on 7th May,” the official confirmed. “We are committed to vaccinating our maximum population as quickly as possible.”

Interestingly, only yesterday, Minister of State for Health Dr Faisal Sultan had said the government does not have “any visibility” of 15 million coronavirus vaccine doses that Germany promised to provide by May under the Covax initiative.

Germany agreed to provide the jabs to Islamabad during Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s visit last month.

“We don’t have any visibility of this delivery at this point,” Sultan told Anadolu Agency in a brief message.

Earlier this week, Sultan, without identifying the producer, had said the government has signed deals to procure 30 million doses.

He said 19 million doses will be received by June and clarified that the government is not reliant on donations but 90 percent of the vaccine stock was, in fact, purchased. He further announced that domestic packaging of single-dose CanSino vaccine will begin soon. Three million doses a month of the drug will be prepared at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad, he added.

The minister had last month announced that by the end of June, the government would have a stock of 17 million vaccine jabs but stopped short of identifying the developer.

“The challenge [for the government] is to deploy and use them. The number of people who have registered is in the hundreds of thousands, not millions, yet we need to vaccinate 40 to 50 million by the end of this year,” he had said in an interview.

FY 2021-22 to be year of rehabilitation: Bakht LAHORE INP

Punjab Finance Minister Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht has said that the fiscal year 2021-22 will be the year of rehabilitation as the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme will ensure health and special development packages for industrial sector to help recover economy in the country. The minister expressed these views while presiding over a pre-budget consultative meeting with leading economists under the Sub-National Governance Programme on Wednesday. He said that the measures to increase agricultural production and provision of services in the relevant sectors will be improved.

The development of agro-related industries will also be an important part of the future development agenda. Providing social security will also be the top priority of the Punjab government in the next budget, he added. He said that economic recovery is unthinkable without industrial development. Sustainable steps are being taken for the development of industrial sector in all stages from investor protection to establishment of industrial zones and preparation of a suitable labour force in consultation with stakeholders, he added. These 360 degree assessments of different sectors with experts, academia, citizens and those directly and indirectly involved in different value chains will lead to a holistic and inclusive budget-making process. The session was attended by Planning and Development Chairman Abdullah Sumbal, Finance Secretary Iftikhar Sahoo, Urban Unit Chief Executive Officer Dr Omar, Dr Ghulam Nabi, Dr Ali Cheema, Maroof Syed, Javed Iqbal, Nazish Afraz and experts of Sub-National Governance Programme.

LAHORE: A market is closed with barriers in Baghbanpura area amid lockdown in the provincial capital. ZubaIr MehfooZ

Five passengers diagnosed with coronavirus at Karachi airport KARACHI TLTP

Five passengers of two international flights landed at the Jinnah International Airport were diagnosed with Covid-19 on Wednesday.

According to reports, during routine medical check-up of the passengers of overseas flights, five of them were detected coronavirus positive.

All the five coronavirus positive passengers were shifted to the federal government’s quarantine facility at Karachi’s Bhittai Abad.

Two passengers of flight 151 from Dubai and three passengers of flight 329 from Riyadh were diagnosed coronavirus positive in rapid antigen test conducted by the health officials at the airport.

A passenger of an international flight in Is-

Law ministry to work with NADRA, NITB for sex offenders’ registry ISLAMABAD TLTP

While taking measures to implement the Anti-Rape Ordinance in the country, Federal Law Minister Dr Farogh Naseem on Wednesday asked the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to design a software for complete record of the sex offenders.

According to a press release, in order to implement the Anti-Rape Ordinance, the ministry of law and justice will collaborate with NADRA, National Information Technology Board (NITB), law enforcement agencies, National Response Centre for Cyber Crime and courts to design a Sex Offenders Registry, which will help check the repeat offenders and prevent sexual offences that can be prevented by vigilance. A meeting, in this regard was held under the chairmanship of Naseem, who said

liaison with the law enforcement agencies for getting the relevant information pertaining to sex offenders is very important. He lauded the role of NADRA for its work on issuance of Letters of Administration and Succession Certificates and expressed his confidence that NADRA has the potential to do the best to help in this regard.

He said NADRA, NITB and other relevant quarters can nominate 2 to 3 focal persons so that they become part of sub-committees to collaborate with the LEAs and National Response Centre for Cyber Crime for acquiring relevant information. He said sex offenders’ registers along with a mechanism for public to provide information on sex offenders will help reduce sex crimes in the country. Parliamentary Secretary for Law and Justice Barrister Maleeka Bokhari said that the registry will help in reducing the number of sex crimes.

lamabad also diagnosed coronavirus positive in rapid antigen test. Pakistan has reduced the number of international flights into and out of its airports by 80 per cent to help curb rising Covid-19 cases.

The restrictions will run to May 20. The controls will be reviewed on May 18. All international passengers upon arrival at Pakistani airports on remaining services would be required to undergo rapid antigen testing (RAT) and will also have to show an RT-PCR test conducted within 72 hours before boarding a Pakistan-bound flight.

Passengers with a negative Covid test will still undergo self-quarantine at home for 10 days, and those found positive will be shifted to a self-paid facility for the same period of time.

Inbound passengers will also need to download an app on to their phones to help monitor their movements.

Thursday, 6 May, 2021

LAHORE

Bulls RulE as PsX Gains 380 POints, ClOsEs at 44,943 POints ISLAMABAD

K

APP

SE 100-index of the pakistan stock exchange (psx) continued with bullish trend Wednesday, gaining 380.02 points, with positive change of 0.85 per cent, closing at 44,943.61 points against 44,563.59 points on the last

working day.

A total of 259,868,123 shares were traded during the day compared to the trade of 221,502,765 shares the previous day whereas the price of shares stood at Rs14.808 billion against Rs10.088 billion the previous day.

As many as 370 companies transacted shares in the stock market, 227 of them recorded gain and 126 sustained

Gold price slips to Rs87,400 per 10gm Gold prices in the international market went slightly up on Wednesday. At 1340 hours GMT, gold in the international market was trading at $1,782.60 an ounce after gaining $1.80 an ounce in its value as compared to its closing value on Tuesday last. However, the price of yellow metal in the country went down. The price of 10 grams yellow metal was recorded at Rs87,400 after shedding Rs500.

The price of 10 grams gold was recorded at Rs87,900 on Tuesday last. According to a commodity expert, the outlook of gold remains strong over the next week. Gold is expected to trade high, he added. He said that the situation in global and domestic equity markets remain weak, adding that this will pull investors towards gold which is considered a safe haven. NEWS DESK

losses whereas the share price of 17 companies remained unchanged.

The three top traded companies were Unity Foods Ltd with a volume of 42,393,831 shares and price per share of Rs34.46, Telecard Limited with a volume of 32,751,000 and price per share of Rs14.75 and TRG Pak Ltd with volume of 30,085,908 and price per share of Rs167.32.

Island Textile witnessed maximum increase of Rs149.99 per share, closing at Rs2199.99 followed by Sapphire Tex, share prices of which increased by Rs63, closing at Rs918.

AKD Capital recorded maximum decrease of Rs33.61 per share, closing at Rs456.38 whereas Shield Corp was runner up with the decrease of Rs19 per share, closing at Rs366.50.

Bitcoin jumps to $56,024 The prices of major cryptocurrencies, except ethereum, went up on Wednesday with Dogecoin consolidating its position as fourth-biggest digital currency, gaining over 15 percent in 24 hours.

As of 1345 hours GMT, bitcoin, the world's biggest cryptocurrency, gained 0.70 percent to reach $56,024.

With this increase in price, the market capitalisation of the BTC has reached $1.04 trillion.

On the other hand, ethereum (ETH) shed 3.63 percent to reach $3,369. With this decrease in price, the market capitalisation of ETH reached $389.2 billion.

However, Binance Coin (BNB) gained 2.51 percent to reach $653. The market capitalisation of BNB stands at $99.8 billion after this decrease.

Dogecoin (Doge) gained 15.35 percent to reach $0.66. With this increase in price, the market capitalisation of Doge reached $85.58 billion.

Likewise, XRP reached $1.60 with a 10.50 percent increase in its price. Its market capitalisation has reached $72.1 billion with this increase.

It is pertinent to mention here that the latest surge in the price of the world’s second biggest digital asset, ethereum, turned its co-founder Vitalik Buterin into the youngest crypto billionaire in history.

The public ether address of the Russian-born Cana-

CMYK

dian IT programmer hit $1 billion on its balance sheet after ether’s meteoric growth to $3,200 was recorded earlier this week. In 2018, Buterin referred to the address as his main wallet.

Buterin proposed the open-source computing platform Ethereum, based on blockchain technology, in late 2013. The 27-year-old billionaire is now seen as one of the founding members of cryptocurrencies and other blockchain applications.

Ethereum is currently the most actively used blockchain, while ether is ranked as the second largest cryptocurrency after bitcoin by market value. NEWS DESK

NEWS

05

Dollar falls to Rs153.24 as rupee gains for sixth day Pakistani rupee continued its winning streak against the US dollar for the sixth straight session in the interbank on Wednesday and made a recovery of 20 paisas (+0.13 percent). According to the State Bank of Pakistan, the US dollar opened at Rs153.24 and closed at Rs153.04. Within the open market, rupee was traded at 153/154 per dollar. The rupee gained Rs0.41 against the greenback during the last three days, while it has gained Rs15.01 against the greenback in fiscal year 2020-21 and appreciation has been Rs6.80 in the current year. The currency experts said that the inflows of export receipts helped the rupee make recent gains. They said that the rupee appreciated due to inflows of Eid related remittances.

They said that overseas Pakistanis usually send money to their relatives for Eid celebrations. The experts said that the inflows of exports, remittances and other foreign receipts would help the rupee maintain levels in coming days. Meanwhile, the foreign exchange reserves held by the country stand at $23.52 billion by week ended April 23, 2021, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said. The reserves held by the central bank stand at $16.428 billion while reserves held by commercial banks stand at $7.092 billion. NEWS DESK

Pandemic sinks global investment to 15-year low: OECD Data from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD) showed that foreign direct investment (FDI) flows worldwide plummeted to $846 billion in 2020, which is a 38 percent drop compared to 2019. The coronavirus pandemic “accelerated a steady decline and contributed to sinking global FDI flows to their lowest levels since 2005,” said the report. In 2020, global FDI flows represented only 1% of world GDP – their lowest level since 1999. The FDI inflows nosedived in most countries last year, according to the OECD.

Thursday, 6 May, 2021

06 COMMENT

Regulating money in elections

In the midst of a reset of relations Pak-Saudi ties

The real money trail

T

he deterioration in relations started in August last year with the less than politic choice of words by FM Qureshi asking Saudi Arabia-led OIC to stop dilly-dallying on the convening of a meeting of its Council of Foreign Ministers on Kashmir. What presumably irked the Saudi government most was the “or” part of the statement which maintained that otherwise PM Khan will be asked to call a meeting of the Islamic countries that are ready to stand with Pakistan.

Saudi Arabia immediately recalled $1bn loan, and that too within six months of its renewal. Pakistan made the payment after seeking $1bn commercial loan from China.

Soon after, COAS Bajwa visited Saudi Arabia without being able to break the ice.

It was only after the US elections in December that things started changing. President Biden’s Middle east policy made the Arab rulers of the Gulf feel less secure than they were under the republican administration. Last week Saudi Crown Prince MBS said his government wanted good relations with Iran. early this week Saudi King Salman and Turkish President erdogan had a telephonic conversation. Saudi ambassador called on PM Imran Khan and MBS telephoned PM Khan inviting him to Saudi Arabia The recent cooling of relations notwithstanding, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have a decades old history of mutual assistance leading to cordial relations. enjoying good relations with Iran and Turkey, Pakistan can act as a bridge between Saudi Arabia and the two estranged countries. Pakistan on the other hand is in need of foreign investments to implement its development agenda. Not long ago, Saudi companies had outlined plans to invest around six to eight billion dollars for establishing an oil refinery in the country while the Saudi ambassador had said the kingdom wanted to set up a petrochemical industry near Karachi.

In the world today relations between countries are based on mutual needs of a material nature rather than on sentimental notions. Only an economically strong and internally united country can earn respect in the comity of nations and safeguard its independence. While seeking revival of cordial relations with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan must ensure these are not at the expense of any other country.

Raja Hamza anwaR

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he advertisement posters of candidates that stretch miles throughout their constituencies, the exuberant assembly of supporters gathered in large processions around their candidates in vehicles as they stop by for every corner meeting, the unending cauldrons placed outside the election offices manned by people who incessantly distribute food to every bystander and the pompous power show jalsas that are the hallmark of a successful election campaign. These are events integral to any election campaign that ordinary Pakistanis cannot afford.

Pakistan’s elections highlight exclusivity in the country’s electoral politics, whereby the halls of power are reserved for the deep-pocketed individuals.

The proposed election reform by the government must create a legal regime that achieves parity between candidates, to allow space for those driven by the altruistic desire to serve the country regardless of the depth of their pockets. The deluge of unregulated money in politics has pushed the working and the middle classes of the county out of the capital-intensive political contest, making Pakistan’s democracy an elite club of the wealthy. exacerbating the problem is the current legal framework that stands in the way of effective enforcement by the election Commission of Pakistan (eCP).

Section 134 of the election Act 2017 requires all candidates to disclose their election expenses to their returning officers. Its underlying rationale is the right of the constituents to know their candidates, which will allow them to hold their candidates politically accountable throughout the election campaign. If voters of a constituency have the requisite information about the amount of money their candidate is spending, they may decide to inquire about the source of

NA 249 rhetoric The opposition parties shouldn’t revive an outdated politics

T

he rhetoric that has emanated from both the PPP and the PML(N) seems a throwback to the 1990s, when the two went beyond normally intense political rivalry to descents into rudeness and unparliamentary language. There should be some food for thought in both parties that the PTI has transformed all politics, and has thrown both parties into the wilderness.

Therefore, the allegations that the PPP had won with establishment support, or that the PML(N) benefited from its support once, might be exhilarating, but they add nothing to the political debate.

Both parties should note that the main problem is not who won the NA 249 by-election. That will be determined by the recount which has been accepted by the election Commission of Pakistan (eCP). What is more important that the PTI candidate came in fifth and that the TLP candidate did better. however, whichever party won, the other was a very close runner-up. The TLP result may mean that a new political challenge is being reflected, which the two parties will need to handle more adroitly than they did that of the PTI. The PTI, however, is not just a new opponent, but the government of the day. That means that while the PML(N) and PPP, being more used to opposing each other than cooperating, must concert measures to oppose the PTI effectively, not merely so that they can present themselves as better alternatives at the next general election, but also that the ruling party is constantly shown how its deeds are affecting the public. Both parties need to realize that while seeking the electorate’s approval is essential, for that is how a party fulfills itself by forming the government, the function of providing a voice to the opposition is almost equally important. With that in mind, the parties have to consider whether it is worthwhile attacking each other’s bona fides over a seat, which will not change the balance in the house, and certainly will not bring down the government, narrow as the government’s majority is.

IHsan afzal KHan

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here is a dire need of the forceful and immediate implementation of laws related to the elections. recounting process must be initiated as per the law soon after the application received by the aggrieved party to ensure its satisfaction There are still too many loopholes in the system It is highly unfortunate that after 73 years of independence, elections in Pakistan cannot be held yet which are perceived to be free and fair. The election of NA -249 in Karachi where voter turnout was 20 percent; half of the 2018 general election, and the votes of all parties were reduced. Whereas, PPP managed to get more than double the votes it got in 2018 general election, defeating Miftah Ismail of the PML(N). All defeated parties have alleged rigging in this election. Public perception and political talk shows also point towards a strong perception of election rigging.

It took 11 hours to compile the result whereas total votes cast were 72,740 in 276 polling stations. At this speed one vote was counted at a speed of two and half minutes per polling station. Moreover, there is absolutely no explanation why Form 45 could not be finalized within a couple of hours when voter turnout was so low. Why it took 11 hours for some presiding officer to finalize the result? On the other side, some completed their task within a couple of hours?

This election has just taken place a few weeks after the Daska By-election for NA-75 which was nullified due to rigging and re-election was announced with a result much different from the first polling in the by-election. The PML(N) was defeated first and won the election later on. The election Commission has also held accountable the administration which held the first round of Daska By-election by suspending them.

Arif Nizami Editor Managing Editor

Joint Editor

Umar Aziz Executive Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

leviate those concerns would be by making it compulsory for the returning officers to submit their reasons in writing to the eCP board and seek its approval to initiate an investigation against a particular candidate. employing this procedure would curtail any prospect of exercise of whimsical discretion by returning officers.

Furthermore, section 132 imposes strict spending restrictions on each candidate. The expenditure ceiling set for a candidate contesting National Assembly’s election is four million rupees, two million rupees for a candidate contesting the Provincial Assembly’s election and one million five hundred thousand rupees for Senate elections. This kind of financial ceiling is an inadequate way to remove the financial inequality between the candidates. Its fundamental flaw is that it assumes all candidates across Pakistan will incur identical costs while ignoring the cost fluctuations based on a constituency’s terrain, distance and so on.

Candidates campaigning in the mountainous tehsils of District rawalpindi will be confronted with dilapidated infrastructure and a rugged road network that will increase their transportation costs, as compared to a candidate campaigning in the well-developed constituency of rawalpindi city.

Moreover, spending limits inherently fail to factor in the inflationary issues that have become native to Pakistan. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, just a year’s inflationary index from March 2020 to March 2021 sees an increase of 9.05%. With the continuous rise in inflation, contesting national elections in 2023 will be more expensive than in 2018, resulting in the prescribed legal limit being inadequate to meet expenses.

The entire apparatus of strict spending restriction is counter-productive, as potential candidates will continue to understate their expenses to contest elections.

One way to remove this defect is to replace the maximum spending provision with a requirement based on reasonable financial spending that the eCP will determine. Parliament should instead focus on setting broad principles of policy that will guide the exercise of eCP’s discretion in determining a reasonable amount instead of imposing a strict amount that merely looks appealing on paper.

The maximum spending provision should be replaced with a requirement based on reasonable financial spending that the ECP will determine. Parliament should instead focus on setting broad principles of policy that will guide the exercise of ECP’s discretion in determining a reasonable amount instead of imposing a strict amount that merely looks appealing on paper

The writer can be reached rajahamzaanwar786@hotmail.com

at

Dreams of a free and fair election

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Yousaf Nizami Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

the finances and make an informed decision to vote. however, this regulatory framework does not allow the eCP to regulate effectively and makes the accountability process an arduous task. Candidates must disclose their electoral expenses only after the election polls, that is after the winning candidate has been unofficially announced. Under this model, the eCP would find it difficult to ascertain the particulars of expenses in a constituency by each candidate due to a lapse of several months, resulting in an ineffective investigation. This legal lacuna absolves the candidates from conforming to a stricter legal duty, under which the candidates submit their expenses throughout their elections. Introducing a mandatory periodic disclosure requirement instead of the current framework would allow the returning officers to assess the veracity of the disclosures within a specific period with ease.

Consider this hypothetical scenario, each candidate states in their expenses declaration form that they had ordered ten thousand advertisement posters. Under the present legal regime, the winning candidate would have to submit his return of expenses within ten days of being declared the victor while the losing candidates must comply with the disclosure requirement after thirty days. In this scenario, it would be challenging for the Commission to scrutinise the actual number of advertisement banners used by each candidate as the election would have ended and the purchase of advertisements would have been made at different periods during their election campaign. It would be troubling for the eCP to specifically assess whether candidates are understating their expenses.

Whereas, following the periodic disclosure requirement, the returning officer can potentially conduct a robust investigation by physically deploying the Commission’s resources to account for the number of banners used in that particular constituency during a specific period. Implementation of this kind of accountability would also require delegating investigative powers to the returning officers.

A hue and cry might be forthcoming from political parties at the thought of granting broad investigative powers to the returning officers, as these officers are nearly always alleged to collude with their favourite party to ensure its victory. Nevertheless, one way to al-

I

Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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Similarly, in the 2018 general elections, the result transmission system (rTS) system which was introduced for the first time then collapsed. In the rTS system, presiding officers, before sending the original documents, had to take a picture of the form 45 and send it to the returning officers (rOs) and eCP in real time.

Where this system ensures transparency and efficiency it has many fissures. In the 2018 general elections, the failure of rTS had presumably changed many results. It showed that it might be hacked or controlled forcibly. Some investigations unveiled that the rTS never failed, but had been stopped forcibly.

The recent by-elections are being perceived with the same skepticism that how can it take 11 hours to send pictures of the forms? The attitude of the returning officers was such that they had become partisans in this election. They were not ready to listen to anyone; they were not ready to give any data despite the fact that this is the constitutional right of every candidate.

It is enough to say that there is something which smells fishy. And it is evident as eCP stayed the consolidation of NA-249 election’s result and accepted the application of Miftah Ismail, which seeks the recounting of votes, for hearing. If a single by-election becomes too controversial, what can we expect from general elections in the whole country ?

This kind of impediment in transparency and autonomy of eCP can never let the nation grow. The incompetence of government has reached the point where they cannot hold a by-election in a transparent way; the way where no one has any sort of reservations; the way

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

where one can accept his or her defeat, thinking that defeat in a transparent election is not defeat but the victory of the nation. As a nation, we are standing at a dangerous edge. robert Browning said it as “Our interest’s on the dangerous edge of things. The honest thief, the tender murderer, the superstitious atheist.

This establishes that the current election system has failed to deliver free and fair elections. Political parties and political candidates are vulnerable to election fraud at the will of the caretaker government in general elections, or the establishment which is working behind the scenes. An eelection system has to be established which covers the gaps in the current system. It is the duty of the Government and Opposition to work together to come forward with a solution which is agreed upon by all. Otherwise this cycle has continued since the last 73 years and will still continue. The victims are the voters who are losing faith in the system. essentially, the institutions need to develop the trust among the masses. The trust deficit must be eliminated to ensure the transparent process of elections. This can be possible if all the stakeholders can get access to every information regarding elections.

Complete exclusion of factors that pressurize concerned officers and authorities, can also smoothen the election process. There is a dire need of the forceful and immediate implementation of laws related to the elections. recounting process must be initiated as per the law soon after the application received by the aggrieved party to ensure its satisfaction.

Essentially, the institutions need to develop the trust among the masses. The trust deficit must be eliminated to ensure the transparent process of elections.

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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The writer is a freelance columnist

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Thursday, 6 May, 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

Black night eLeCTrICITy is one of the most needed requirements in today’s world, but, unfortunately, Tehsil Tump (Balochistan) is devoid of this basic necessity of life. It is unbelievable that in the 21st century, people of Tump are living like the ones who lived centuries ago in caves without having electricity. No one can think about living without having electricity, but, unfortunately, the people of Tump have no choice. It is requested to the government to take strong actions to solve this issue and let the people of Tump also have this basic necessity of life.

Hammal ZaHid KolaHoo

NCOC workings

Parents were corrupt, but we children are clean

Former FATA region

Why a truth and reconciliation commission won’t work

DR faRID a malIK

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N the last four decades (1977 to 2018), the Islamic republic of Pakistan has been plundered. Corruption at all levels has taken place. Despite clear proofs of impropriety, convictions have not taken place. Both the Sharif brothers have presented an unusual defence. The elder brother maintains that his two sons hussain and hassan received money from their grandfather, the late Mian Muhammad Sharif, to buy property in London. he as the Prime Minister (PM) holding the highest office in the land, had no role in this transaction.

The two boys claim immunity on the basis that they are no longer citizens of Pakistan, and as such the courts have no legal jurisdiction over them. The younger brother has not questioned the money laundering and wrongdoings of his son Salman Shahbaz and son-in-law Ali Imran, who now reside in the safety of London. As UK and Pakistan do not have an extradition treaty, so despite the fact that they have been declared absconders they cannot be brought back to face the legal process. It is alleged that some of these transactions took place from the Chief Minister’s Secretariat during the term of Shahbaz Sharif.

It is an interesting situation, corruption above and below, yet the in-between-public-officeholders moving the levers of power remained clean. either the term ‘I know nothing, I see nothing’ applies or the famous Punjabi proverb holds where a blind man distributes the bounties to his own household. In other words the two Sharif brothers maintain that as we saw nothing don’t question us, if our family members used our influence to their advantage we are not to be blamed. Parents are now in the grave and the beneficiaries are out of reach, how can we be held responsible for the corruption that we never committed?

In such a situation the common law seems helpless as there has to be an open trial and witnesses for the court to reach a decision, in the

absence of which the entire legal process is stalled. I am reminded of the famous Chicago gangster Al Capone who operated in the early part of the last century and escaped conviction as he physically eliminated anyone who dared to appear as a witness against his crimes. Finally the Internal revenue Service (IrS) got him on having assets beyond means. he was imprisoned for tax evasion, his empire collapsed, resulting in his death in captivity.

On the style of South Africa, a ‘Truth and reconciliation Commission’ was proposed in the Charter of Democracy (COD). The idea has been revived again. In such a set-up one has to admit to the sins committed while in office and then ask for forgiveness. Those who were called and did not confess had to face the legal process. Personally, I don’t think our Sharifs, Zardaris, Chaudhrys and so on are willing to confess as they maintain that they did nothing wrong while their personal empires grew multifold in the period that they were holding public office. As President, PM, CM they kept on playing the Nero’s flute while the country was being robbed by their own kin and all civilian institutions were made to collapse through personal need based SrOs (Statutory regulatory Orders).

In order to clean the stables I am all for clemency provided the corrupt admit their crimes and vanish for good.

Conviction through Common Law and weak prosecution is almost impossible as we have seen in the last three years.

There was a time in the land of the pure when individuals holding public offices would quit even if they were accused of wrongdoing or misuse of power or perk. Conflict of interest was carefully watched. State interests were considered supreme. The first PM did not even claim a personal residence in the new land. The family of Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan had no place to live after his assassination in 1951. The same holds true for Khawaja Nazimuddin, the person who replaced him. There was a minister from the eastern Wing who resigned when he found out that his office had paid the bill for his personal telephone. Abdur rab Nishtar as Pun-

ACCOrDING to the National Command and Operation Center ( NCOC) announcement ‘stay home Stay Safe’ strategy to control mobility from May 8 to 16 including eid holidays. Actually it was a correct decision since we can observe the current spike of coronavirus in the country which requires effective measures to contain it’s further spread. It also underscored issuance of comprehensive SOPs and guidelines for youm-e- Ali (AS), itekaf, Night of Qadr, Jumma-tul-Wida and Namaz-e- eid. And NCOC announced that all markets, businesses and shops will remain closed except essential services that are grocery shops, pharmacies and medical stores, medical facilities and vaccination centres, vegetables, fruits, chickens, meat shops, bakeries, petrol pumps, good takeaways, utility stores, electricity, natural gas, internet, cellular networks/telecommunication call centres and media. however, the ban has been busy imposed on Chand raat Bazars including mehndi, jewelry, ornaments and clothing stalls. There would also be complete ban on tourism for both local and outsiders. All tourists resorts, both formal and informal picnic spots, shopping malls and hotels and restaurants will get closed too. And travel nodes which lead the tourists to visit places like Murree, Galyat, Swat Kalam, Sea view, beaches and Northern areas and other tourists destinations. I hope the all given SOPs will be followed with no comprises.

BarKatullaH turBat

jab Governor kept a log of his personal telephones and paid for them out of his own pocket.

The Pakistan Steel Mill (PSM) was the pride of Pakistan at one time. Instead of expanding its operations to attain self-sufficiency in this vital sector it was shut down during the regime of the Iron and Steel Businessmen, or ‘Lohars’ as they are called in Lahore. Those who run personal businesses profitably drive the state owned enterprises into the ground for vested interests.

Those who seek public office must work in common, not for the individual good as has been the case in Pakistan. To control their kin is also part of their official conduct. Captain (r) Gohar Ayub Khan had a scooter loan when his father took control of the country. he then managed to enter the ranks of the famous 22 families who monopolized the wealth of the impoverished nation.

Almost the entire Sharif family is facing corruption charges, including Maryam’s husband Captain (released) Safdar Awan. Then Shahid Khaqan Abbassi who now owns his own airline after heading the national Air Carrier PIA which was driven into the ground, is also accused of corruption.

Under the most unfavorable power purchase agreements, the country is producing unaffordable electricity together with the out-of-reach LNG (Imported Liquified Natural Gas). The entire sugar sector is controlled by the political families who are spread over almost all parties. While the loot and plunder continues the nation helplessly watches.

The accused arrive in the courts to hero’s welcome with their supporters and friends and are then granted bails on the basis of which they claim exoneration. With victory signs the corrupt claim their innocence and also ignorance, and the show goes on with a clear message, prove our guilt or forever remain silent as the money is in the safe hands of our next of kin for which we carry no blame or remorse. “ reach them if you can”. Pakistan Zindabad.

The accused arrive in the courts to hero’s welcome with their supporters and friends and are then granted bails on the basis of which they claim exoneration. With victory signs the corrupt claim their innocence and also ignorance, and the show goes on with a clear message, prove our guilt or forever remain silent as the money is in the safe hands of our next of kin for which we carry no blame or remorse.

The writer is ex-Chairman, Pakistan Science Foundation. He can be contacted at: fmaliks@hotmail.com.

PrIMe MINISTer Imran Khan on Wednesday said that the present government was committed to the development and progress of merged areas (erstwhile FATA). The provision of record rs. 48 billion development funds for the merged areas by the federal government in current fiscal year despite difficult economic conditions and coronavirus demonstrated that commitment, he added. The Prime Minister was presiding over a meeting here to the review the progress of development projects in the merged areas of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa (KP). Minister for Planning Asad Umar, Minister for religious Affairs Pir Noor-ul-haq Qadri, Chief Minister KP Mahmood Khan, Minister of State for Information Farrukh habib, Provincial Finance Minister Taimur Khan Jhagra, Members of National Assembly (MNAs) Gul Dad Khan, Gul Zafar Khan, Sajid Khan, Muhammad Iqbal Afridi, Malik Fakhar Zaman and senior officers of the federal and provincial governments were in attendance. The meeting was told that 117 development projects have so far been approved for the merged areas which included the projects relating to education, health, communication, irrigations, sports, law and justice, agriculture, energy and clean drinking water. It was also briefed in detail about the funds released by the federal government and spent on the development projects in merged areas. Prime Minister directed to accord priority to such projects for merged areas in the next budget, in consultation with local leaders and public representatives, which besides catering to the immediate needs of people would prove beneficial for the people directly and in minimum duration. he also directed for the constitution of committee comprising representatives of the federal and provincial governments to monitor the progress of development projects and for timely realization of the set targets. Prime Minister directed the public representative present in the meeting to involve the people regarding the process of ongoing development projects in the merged areas so that the development progress move forward with the support of masses. About the provision of justice in the merged areas, he directed that special attention should be given to that aspect.

SoHail KHan iSlamaBad

Detriments of unemployment UNeMPLOyMeNT is a very serious issue not only in Pakistan but in the whole world. In Pakistan hundreds and thousands of people out there who do not have employment. Besides, the problem of unemployment are very severe in Pakistan because of the growing population and demand for jobs. Moreover, if we neglect this problem then it will be going to become the reason for the doom of the nation. The causes of high rate of unemployment are lack of capital, lack of proper skill, poverty and high rate of population growth in Pakistan. Unemployment is obviously the root of many evil and crimes. It spell starvation, disease and death on its victims. The young people who do not have any job or any source of income ultimately become indifferent to right and wrong, good and evil, corruption and vice of all kinds are the natural out come of unemployment. The first thing to do to reduce unemployment in Pakistan is the proper planning by the government of Pakistan. The education system of Pakistan should be equal and well managed. Well recognized training and technical institutions are need to be established where skills programs are offered.

Besides, the problem of unemployment are very severe in Pakistan because of the growing population and demand for jobs. Moreover, if we neglect this problem then it will be going to become the reason for the doom of the nation. The causes of high rate of unemployment are lack of capital, lack of proper skill, poverty and high rate of population growth in Pakistan. Unemployment is obviously the root of many evil and crimes. mEHluB muHammad aKram KaraCHi

Thursday, 6 May, 2021

08 WORLD VIEW

Anger rises As coronAvirus rAges in Modi’s constituency

bbC

M

Geeta PaNdey

anY angry citizens of the region, in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, are now asking where their MP, narendra Modi - India’s prime minister is in their hour of need.

India’s devastating second wave has pushed the country’s total number of infections to 20 million and the death toll to more than 220,000. In Varanasi, with the health infrastructure swamped, patients can no longer find hospital beds, oxygen, or ambulances, and getting a Covid test can take up to a week. In the past 10 days, most pharmacies have run out of basic medicines like vitamins, zinc and paracetamol.

“We are inundated with calls saying help us get a bed or oxygen,” said a local medical professional, who did not want to be named.

“With the most basic medicines in short supply, people are even taking expired drugs,” he said. “They say it’s a little less effective, but at least it’s something.”

WHAT CAUSED THE VIRUS SPREAD? City residents say the first signs of trouble became visible in March. as cases spiked in Delhi and Mumbai and authorities there began imposing restrictions, migrant workers began returning home to their villages in and around Varanasi on overcrowded trains, buses and trucks.

Many came home for the Holi festival on 29 March or to vote in the village council elections on 18 april - held against advice from experts. Reports say more than 700 teachers on poll duty died in the state and the elections helped spread the virus.

Varanasi’s hospitals were soon overwhelmed and people left to fend for themselves.

Rishabh Jain, a 25-year-old businessman based in the city, told the BBC that when his 55-yearold aunt fell sick he had to drive 19 miles (30km) every day to queue for up to five hours to refill an oxygen cylinder.

“We panicked when her oxygen levels fell below 80,” he said. “We couldn’t find a hospital bed so the family started phone bashing to find an oxygen cylinder. We tried 25 numbers for 12 to 13 hours and finally

“THE PRIME MINISTER AND THE CHIEF MINISTER HAVE GONE INTO HIDING, ABANDONING VARANASI AND ITS PEOPLE TO THEIR OWN FATE.” “THE LOCAL BJP LEADERS ARE IN HIDING TOO. THEY HAVE SWITCHED OFF THEIR PHONES. THIS IS THE TIME PEOPLE NEED THEM TO HELP WITH A HOSPITAL BED OR AN OXYGEN CYLINDER BUT IT’S TOTAL ANARCHY HERE. PEOPLE ARE SO ANGRY.” A LONG-TIME CITY RESIDENT, WHO LIVES CLOSE TO THE HARISHCHANDRA AND MANIKARNIKA GHATS THE TWO MAIN CREMATION AREAS ON THE BANKS OF GANGES RIVER - SAYS FUNERAL PYRES HAVE BEEN BURNING NON-STOP FOR THE PAST MONTH with help from social media and the district administration, we managed to get a cylinder. She’s recovering now.” alarmed by the situation, the allahabad high court on 19 april ordered a week’s lockdown in Varanasi and four other cities in the state, saying the pandemic had “virtually incapacitated our medical infrastructure”. The state refused to enforce it and challenged the order in the Supreme Court, arguing it had to “protect both lives and livelihoods”.

Critics now say the government has failed to do either. With the district administration imposing intermittent weekend curfews and with most businesses and shops shut from fear, thousands are losing their livelihoods and the virus is still spreading.

THE QUESTION OVER NUMBERS: Varanasi has so far recorded 70,612 infections and 690 deaths. But 46,280 - or 65% cases were recorded since 1 april. The official Covid death toll for the district hovers most days around 10-11. On Sunday, the government data put it at 16. But everyone I spoke to in Varanasi dismissed these numbers as a fiction. a long-time city resident, who lives close to the Harishchandra and Manikarnika ghats - the two main cremation areas on the banks of ganges river says funeral pyres have been burning nonstop for the past month. earlier, the two locations between them would have 80-90 cremations a day, but for

the past month, the resident said, he believed the number has risen to roughly 300-400 a day.

“How do you explain this increase?” he asked. “These people are also dying of something? Most reports say they had a cardiopulmonary failure. How are so many people, including young healthy individuals, suddenly dying from a heart attack?” a recent video shared by a Varanasi resident showed corpses lined up on either side of a narrow lane leading up to the cremation ground, stretching up to a kilometre. The authorities opened two new cremation grounds about 10 days ago, but reports say they are operating around the clock.

THE VIRUS SPREADS TO VILLAGES: The tragedy has not stopped at the city of Varanasi: the second wave has made deep inroads into smaller towns and remote villages in the state. Sudhir Singh Pappu, chief of Chiraigaon block, a cluster of 110 villages with a population of 230,000 on the outskirts of Varanasi, told the BBC that each village had reported five to 10 deaths in recent days.

In some villages, he said, the toll was as high as 15 to 30.

“There is no hospital in the block, no oxygen and no medicines,” he said. “There’s no space in government hospitals, private hospitals ask for a deposit of 200,000 rupees to 500,000 rupees even before they look at a patient. We have nowhere to go.”

Kamal Kant Pandey, a resident of aidhe village, said he thought the situation in his village was worse than in the city. “If you tested

MR MODI HAS OFTEN TALKED ABOUT HIS “SPECIAL BOND” WITH THE RIVER GANGES, THE ANCIENT CITY OF VARANASI, AND THE CITY’S PEOPLE. BUT AS THE VIRUS HAS RAVAGED THE CITY AND THE MEDICAL INFRASTRUCTURE COLLAPSED, MR MODI HAS STAYED CLEAR OF HIS CONSTITUENCY everyone in my village of 2,700 people, at least half would be positive. So many people have cough, fever, pain in the lower back, weakness, loss of taste and smell,” he said.

Deaths in aidhe were not making it onto the official database because “there’s no testing here”, said Mr Pandey, who was himself sick with the virus but made a full recovery.

“Imagine, this is the prime minister’s constituency and even then we are gasping for breath,” he said.

‘MODI IS IN HIDING’: Mr Modi has often talked about his “special bond” with the river ganges, the ancient city of Varanasi, and the city’s people. But as the virus has ravaged the city and the medical infrastructure collapsed, Mr Modi has stayed clear of his constituency.

Residents have watched as their MP made 17 trips to the key political state of West Bengal between February and april, to campaign for the assembly elections there, which he lost badly on the weekend. an angry restaurant owner described Mr Modi’s review meeting to discuss the Covid crisis in Varanasi on 17 april - a day before the village council elections - as a “farce”.

“The prime minister and the chief minister have gone into hiding, abandoning Varanasi and its people to their own fate,” the restaurant owner said. “The local BJP leaders are in hiding too. They have switched off their phones. This is the time people need them to help with a hospital bed or an oxygen cylinder but it’s total anarchy here. Peo-

ple are so angry.”

The blame “lies with no-one else but the prime minister”, said Congress politician gaurav Kapoor. “The buck stops with him.

The blame for every single death in the past month and a half in Varanasi - and in India lies at his doorstep” Mr Kapoor said. like many city residents, Mr Kapoor too has suffered personally - he lost an aunt and an uncle a fortnight back to Covid and a friend’s brother is now battling for life in a hospital. When I called him for the interview on Friday, he was isolating in a room at home, infected with coronavirus.

He said when the numbers first began rising, he was inundated with calls seeking help in finding a hospital bed or an ambulance. “But people have realised that it’s pointless. The calls now are for oxygen cylinders,” he said.

The situation, by all accounts, is likely to get worse before it gets better. Varanasi is in chaos, and the picture on the outskirts and in the rural areas, where supplies are even more scarce, is worse.

“Doctors there tell me they don’t even have oximeters, so patients are dying in their sleep when their oxygen levels plummet,” said the owner of a diagnostic centre in Varanasi.

“When my wife and child were infected, I called our doctor and did everything he advised. But what about the illiterate man in the village who has no doctor on his speed dial? You know how he lives? He lives by god’s mercy.”

BJP’s Hindi belt template losing appeal THE BENGAL MANDATE IS ALSO A VICTORY FOR FEDERALISM, AS IS THAT IN TAMIL NADU AND KERALA. THE BJP DREAM OF ‘ONE NATION ONE POLL’ LOOKS MORE DISTANT AFTER THESE POLLS. INDIA’S FEDERAL NATURE HAS BEEN REASSERTED. ADD TO THE BENGAL VERDICT THE ZERO BALANCE FROM KERALA AND THE DMK-LED FRONT’S WIN IN TAMIL NADU, AND WE HAVE A REMINDER THAT ALL OF INDIA IS NOT UNDER THE SWAY OF MODI AND HIS PARTY Tribune, india

B

Saba Naqvi

engalI is the second most spoken native language in India after Hindi. In West Bengal’s rejection of the BJP and the thumping win of the regional powerhouse, the TMC, led

by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, is mirrored the larger message of the limitations of the Hindi belt template that had so far worked successfully for the national party. Two years have gone into the second term of Prime Minister narendra Modi and the disenchantment is now showing.

It’s happening at a time when there has been a serious loss of face for the national regime because of the Covid crisis. There is, therefore, a clear image dent in losing Bengal, an election on which the BJP leadership staked so much. They made it a prestige election, so now there is, indeed, a loss of prestige. It’s that much more damaging as the votes have been counted at a time when the body count from Covid deaths is mounting. The BJP has much to ponder over, including the rising deaths, the scarcity of oxygen and vaccines and the flailing economy.

But since the party is usually described as the ulti-

mate election fighting machine, it may also ponder over the efficacy of its Hindi belt politics symbolised by the slogan ‘Jai Shri Ram’, through which it launched its aggressive high-decibel campaign in Bengal — and failed to generate enough friction on the Hindu-Muslim faultline to actually win. Because numerically, the Hindi belt dominates, its nature of politics is often wrongly presented as an all-India phenomenon.

This election is a reminder that India is a polyglot nation of many cultures and subcultures. Cow belt politics, it turns out, could have peaked and does not appeal across the land.

It would be wrong, however, to conclude that communal polarisation was not a factor in Bengal: it was there, and was festered in the months leading up to the polling, but not all Hindus were convinced that they were in danger from the minorities, most are Bengali-speaking anyway. The state’s very large Muslim population (27 per cent) was alarmed enough to vote with their hand and feet for the TMC. Former journalist Swapan Dasgupta and BJP candidate for the seat of Tarakeshwar (that he would eventually lose) had once famously written in a magazine: “Between good governance and chaos stand the Muslims of India.” This line of reasoning is probably what the BJP

would like to put out as the alibi for a resounding defeat.

Yet, it would be a mistake to see the TMC as landing this mandate only through the Muslim voter bloc; the large vote share difference between the two parties, with the TMC ahead by over 10 per cent, should put an end to any such speculation. In the final reckoning, across the state, across castes, communities, urban and rural folk, Didi’s party was preferred over the BJP. The national party does now get to be the principal opposition in Bengal, with the left all but gone into oblivion, along with the Congress.

There were other factors responsible for the triumph of the extraordinary woman in hawai chappals, with her foot famously plastered, who got the better of the PM and the big guns of the Union Cabinet. For, when goliaths rain down with all their might and fury Davids do come through as heroic. Mamata Banerjee, the only woman chief minister in India at present, has always been exceptional in giving women representation in both the lok Sabha and the assembly.

The Bengal mandate was also a victory for federalism, as is that in Tamil nadu and Kerala. The BJP dream of ‘one nation one poll’ certainly looks more distant after this round of state polls. India’s federal nature has been

reasserted and the numbers are not good for India’s preeminent party. add to the Bengal defeat the zero balance from Kerala, a state where the RSS cadres are always in pitched battles with the left cadres, the latter now triumphant; on top of that is the decisive win for the DMKled front in Tamil nadu, and we have a reminder that all of India is not under the sway of the Prime Minister and his resource-rich party.

True, the BJP retained power in assam. and IT cell chief amit Malviya (also co-in-charge for Bengal) was spotted on a TV channel saying that it would be wrong to deduce that the PM’s popularity is coming down as the party is likely to be a partner in an alliance that has come to power in a front in the Union Territory of Puducherry.

Since the BJP will not get the CM’s post there, Malviya’s serious defence on May 2 was a comic clutching at straws.

The next round of state elections takes place in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh in early 2022. The protest against the farm laws is now a part of a lived reality of Punjab and there is nothing to suggest that the BJP could make a mark in the state whose farmers are shuttling between the borders of Delhi and their farms. and then there is UP that has just concluded a four-phase panchayat poll in the course of which reportedly 700 teachers forced to do election duty died due to Covid-19; that’s besides the thousands who have perished from the virus in the state accused of undercounting the dead. at this stage, there does not appear to be a strong political opposition in UP, but extraordinary circumstances have consequences. Chief Minister Yogi adityanath had campaigned vigorously in Bengal where he promised to create, as he had in UP, anti-Romeo squads once the BJP came to power because he said women of Bengal were not safe with the TMC — his way of dog-whistling about minorities.

Clearly, the people of Bengal had no desire for such offerings from the Hindi heartland Chief Minister. They have their own language, idiom, politics and culture to follow in the streams, forests and meadows of Bengal.

They have sorely disappointed the BJP at a time the national party needed the oxygen of victory.

Thursday, 6 May, 2021

bUSineSS 09

lahore

ECC aPProvES PaymEnt of thE firSt inStallmEnt to iPPS SECP registers 186pc growth in new companies’ registration with digitalisation ISLAMABAD INP

Digitalisation has led to extraordinary growth of 186 per cent in incorporation of new companies in April 2021.

The SECP, in April has registered a total 2,185 new companies, raising the total number of registered companies to 141,805. In April, around 99pc companies were registered online, 29pc of applicants completed the incorporation process the same day while 220 foreign users were also registered from overseas. SECP Chairman Aamir Khan attributed the trend of growth to digitalisation and automation, introduction of simplified combined process for name reservation and incorporation, very low level of fees, and assistance provided for incorporation by the newly established business centre.

The April incorporation included 67pc private limited companies, 29pc single member companies and the remaining 4pc were public unlisted companies, not for profit associations, trade organisations, foreign companies and limited liability partnerships (LLPs). The IT sector, for the first time, took lead with the registration of 194 new companies in a month. The IT sector was followed by the trading sector with registration of 180 new companies, construction with 117, import and export with 115, and consultancy services with 110. Foreign investment has been reported in 47 new companies. These companies have foreign investors from USA, China, Saudi Arabia, Germany, UAE, Greece, Turkey, Norway, Canada, Netherlands, Syria, UK, Hong Kong and Australia. The highest numbers of companies, i.e. 736 were registered in Islamabad, followed by 667, 378 and 151 companies registered in Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar, respectively. The CROs in Multan, Faisalabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, Quetta and Sukkur registered 131, 48, 48, 23 and 3 companies respectively.

ISLAMABAD

t

ShAhzAd PARAChA

HE Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) on Wednesday gave approval to pay the first installment of Rs89 billion to 35 Independent Power Producers (IPPs) out of total 47 whereas payment to the remaining 12 IPPs may be withheld owing to NAB investigations.

Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin chaired the meeting wherin the Power Division presented a summary regarding release of the first installment of payment to IPPs. Secretary Power Division briefed the committee about the recommendations of the sub-committee constituted during ECC last week in addition to a detailed briefing to the regarding a draft summary for providing additional power from NTDC to K-Electric and the issue of nonpayment for the additional power supply

by K-Electric to the Power Division.

The ECC constituted a sub-committee comprising federal minister for Planning, federal minister for Energy, federal minister for Maritime Affairs and SAPM on Power to be headed by the finance minister to negotiate with K-Electric for settlement of payment dispute amicably.

The Power Division placed a summary regarding tax on payments to the

offshore supply contractors of IPPs located in AJ&K which was approved the summary to facilitate swift processing of such projects due to its strategic importance.

The ECC also considered and approved a summary tabled by the Ministry of Industries and Production regarding exemption from duties and taxes for import of oxygen gas, oxygen gas cylinder and cryogenic tanks by oxygen concentrators, generators, manufacturing plants under respective Harmonised System (HS) codes for a period of 180 days to cope with the increased requirement of oxygen during the third wave of Covid-19 in the country.

Lastly, Power Division presented a summary before the committee regarding retargeting of power sector subsidies for electricity consumers during phase-I in consultation with Ehsaas and Finance Division. The ECC approved the summary, in principle, with a direction to work out modalities for future course of action.

The forum also approved Technical Supplementary Grants worth Rs1800million for the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) for procurement of oxygen gas, Rs10 billion for the Finance Division for reimbursement of telegraphic transfer charges to the banks on home remit-

PSX gets first woman chairperson

S&P Dow Jones launches new crypto indexes NEW YORK AGENCIES

The S&P Dow Jones Indices launched new cryptocurrency indexes, it said on Tuesday, further mainstreaming digital currencies including bitcoin and ethereum by bringing them to the trading floors of Wall Street. The new indexes, S&P Bitcoin Index, S&P Ethereum Index and S&P Crypto Mega Cap Index, will measure the performance of digital assets tied to them.

The list will expand to include additional coins later this year, the division of financial data provider S&P Global said. The company first announced the plan in December when it said it would cover more than 550 of top-traded coins and that its clients will be able to create customised indices and other benchmarking tools on cryptocurrencies. “Traditional financial markets and digital assets are no longer mutually exclusive markets,” said Peter Roffman, global head of innovation and strategy at S&P Dow Jones Indices. The indexes will use data from New York-based virtual currency company Lukka. Bitcoin, the most popular cryptocurrency, has seen a wild rally in prices after backing from high-profile companies including Tesla and Bank of NY Mellon. Its price, however, has come off its record highs. Ethereum, meanwhile, touched a record high on Monday after rising above $3,000 for the first time over the weekend.

KARACHI STAFF REPORT

For the first time in the 73 years history of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), a woman chairperson has been elected to the board of directors.

In the first meeting of the newly elected PSX Board held on Wednesday, Dr Shamshad was unanimously elected as the PSX board chairperson.

A veteran of Pakistan’s financial markets, Dr Shamshad Akhtar has served on various key roles, including caretaker finance minister.

Prior to that, she served as the 14th

governor of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the first woman to assume this position. She also served as a senior adviser to then secretary general of the United Nations (UN), Ban Ki-moon, vice president of the World Bank (WB) and spearheaded the capital market development reforms during her tenure at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in the 1990s.

On being elected to the post, Dr Akhtar commented, “I look forward to our joint endeavors to further transform PSX as a premier institution so it can play a critical role in raising its market capitalisation through deepening of debt

and equity markets, broadening its investor and product base and service efficiently all its clients upholding high standards of governance”.

On the other hand, PSX CEO Farrukh H. Khan welcomed the appointment saying, “We are particularly excited and proud to have someone of the caliber of Dr Akhtar to be the chairperson of PSX. Her understanding of capital markets and global experience will be invaluable in the development of capital markets and PSX. The fact that she is the first woman to chair PSX adds to our pride and excitement in welcoming her”.

tances to encourage overseas Pakistanis to remit money through formal banking channels and Rs115 million for the Ministry of Defence for the up-gradation of health care facilities at Cantonment General Hospital, Rawalpindi.

Similarly, the chair also approved TSG worth Rs800 million to the Ministry of Defence Production for the payment of outstanding loan to the National Bank of Pakistan (Bahrain), Rs8 million for the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to clear the pending liabilities of “Implementation Tribunal for Newspaper Employees (ITNE)”, Rs571.216 million for the Ministry of Law and Justice for the construction of Islamabad High Court Building, Rs350 million for the Ministry of Law and Justice for a new building of the Supreme Court Branch Registry Karachi, Rs198.017 million for running Isolation Hospital and Infections Treatment Center, Islamabad for treatment of Covid-19 patients, Rs27.5 billion for National Disaster Management Fund (NDMF) to complete component under Karachi Transformation Plan.

Furthermore, the TSGs of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, Geological Survey of Pakistan (GSP), Ministry of Federal Education and Technical Training, National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) and Cabinet Secretariat were also been approved.

External debt servicing to stay above $10bn next fiscal The country’s external debt servicing will remain over $10 billion a year for the next two years, as the government weighs its debt-related foreign inflows position to meet the mounting foreign obligations that keeps it dependent on global lenders. According to a report by the Express Tribune, the ministries of finance and economic affairs held a meeting to take stock of the situation, which suggested that the government would have to keep the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on its right side. The $10 billion a year external debt servicing is exclusive of the foreign loans that Pakistan has taken in the shape of deposits from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and China. The $2 billion of the UAE and China’s $4 billion are expected to be rolled over, reducing the repayments by the same amount. The meeting was informed that against the current fiscal year’s expected inflows of $14.4 billion, the disbursements of loans might remain around $12 billion, the officials said. Up to $2.5 billion shortfall will be because of only $500 million disbursements by the IMF and no disbursement from the $1 billion Saudi oil facility. The meeting also reviewed the possibility to fast track disbursements of over $16.5 billion in foreign loans that Pakistan has signed, but has not undisbursed due to long gestation periods of projects and not fulfilling conditions. The meeting was informed that these loans would be disbursed subject to resolution of all the outstanding issues whereas the government also does not have sufficient fiscal space in the budget to provide rupee cover to these foreign loans. MONITORING REPORT

US trade deficit jumps to record high WASHINGTON AGENCIES

The US trade deficit jumped to a record high in March amid roaring domestic demand, which is drawing in imports, and the gap could widen further as the nation’s economic activity rebounds faster than its global rivals.

Manufacturers lack the capacity to satisfy the surge in demand because of resource constraints and bottlenecks in the supply chain. Inventories are very lean. Demand is being driven by a rapidly improving public health situation and massive government aid to households and businesses to cushion the blow from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The trade deficit increased 5.6% to an all-time high of $74.4 billion in March, the Commerce Department said on Tuesday. The trade gap was in line with economists’ ex-

pectations.

Imports soared 6.3% to a historic $274.5 billion in March. Goods imports shot up 7.0% to $234.4 billion, also an all-time high. Imports of consumer goods were the highest on record, as were those for food and capital goods.

The bulk of imports in March came from China, boosting the politically-sensitive goods trade deficit with Beijing to $27.69 billion from $24.62 billion in February, reversing a tariffs-driven improvement during the Trump administration.

Imports from Mexico hit a record high in March, as did those from South Korea.

Exports accelerated in March, but continued to lag the growth in imports. Exports surged 6.6% to $200.0 billion. Exports of goods vaulted 8.9% to $142.9 billion.

They were led by industrial supplies and materials and capital and consumer goods.

The pandemic remained a drag on trade services, especially travel. At $17.1 billion

CMYK

in March, the services surplus was the smallest since August 2012.

Robust demand is boosting manufacturing. A separate report from the Commerce Department on Tuesday showed factory orders increased 1.1% in March after falling 0.5% in February. Business spending on equipment was also stronger than initially thought.

Despite the widening of the trade deficit, the economy grew at a 6.4% annualized rate in the first quarter, the second-fastest gross domestic product growth pace since the third quarter of 2003, fuelled by pent-up domestic demand. That followed a 4.3% growth pace in the fourth quarter.

Most economists expect double-digit GDP growth this quarter, which would position the economy to achieve growth of at least 7% in 2021, which would be the fastest since 1984. The economy contracted 3.5% in 2020, its worst performance in 74 years.

Thursday, 6 May, 2021

10 FOREIGN NEWS

LAHORE

COVID-19

Supreme Court orderS IndIan government to preSent oxygen plan NEW DELHI

I

AGENCIES

NDIA’S government, facing calls for a strict coronavirus lockdown to slow the devastating surge in infections, was ordered by the top court on Wednesday to submit a plan on meeting New Delhi hospitals’ oxygen requirements within a day.

The Supreme Court decided against immediately punishing officials for failing to end a two-week-old erratic supply of oxygen to overstretched hospitals.

“Ultimately putting officers in jail or hauling officers for contempt will not bring oxygen. Please tell us steps to solve this,” Justice Chandrachud said during the hearing.

It stayed the contempt notice issued to the government by a lower New Delhi High Court for defying its order on supplying adequate oxygen to more than 40 New Delhi hospitals. The government officials found guilty could have faced six months in prison or a fine.

With 382,315 new confirmed cases,

NEW DELHI REPORTS 3,780 DEATHS IN A DAY India’s tally has risen to more than 20.6 million since the pandemic began. The Health Ministry on Wednesday also reported 3,780 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 226,188. Experts believe both figures are an undercount.

On Tuesday, the New Delhi High Court, which had summoned two Home Ministry officials for a hearing on Wednesday, said that the grim reality is that hospitals are reducing the number of beds and asking patients to move elsewhere. The court is hearing petitions filed by several hospitals and nursing homes struggling with irregular oxygen supplies. “You can put your head in the sand like an ostrich, we will not. We are not going to take no for an answer,” Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli said.

Raghav Chaddha, a spokesman for the Aam Aadmi Party governing New Delhi, said hospitals were getting only 40 per cent of their 700 metric tonnes requirements through the federal govern-

ment, and the local government was arranging additional supplies to meet the shortfall and setting up new oxygen plants.

The latest wave of infections since April has pushed India’s health care to the brink with people begging for oxygen cylinders and hospital beds on social media and news channels.

Bodies have been piling up at cremation grounds and in graveyards with relatives waiting for hours for the last rites.

Dileep Kumar, a student, said he was asked by hospital authorities to shift his father to another hospital in Ghaziabad, a town on the outskirts of New Delhi, after it ran out of oxygen on Tuesday.

Authorities are scrambling to add more beds, sending oxygen from one corner of the country to another, and scaling up manufacturing of the few drugs effective against Covid-19.

Rahul Gandhi, a leader of the opposition Congress party, said this week “a

lockdown is now the only option because of a complete lack of strategy by the Indian government.”

Modi’s government is reluctant to impose a national lockdown for fear of the economic fallout. Modi said last month that it should be the last resort.

But nearly a dozen states have imposed curbs on their own.

The most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, with 200m people, implemented a five-day lockdown this week. The country’s second and third most populated states of Maharashtra and Bihar are also under lockdown with varying curbs.

Efforts to scale up the vaccination drive are hampered by the shortage of doses. India, a country of 1.4 billion, has so far administered 160m doses.

The global community is extending a helping hand. The United States, Britain, Germany and several other nations are rushing therapeutics, rapid virus tests and oxygen to India, along with some materials needed for India to boost its domestic production of Covid19 vaccines.

post-election violence kills six in eastern India CALCUTTA AGENCIES

At least six people have been killed in post-election violence in India’s West Bengal state, police officials said on Wednesday, after a regional group beat Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party in a bitterly fought contest. The regional Trinamool Congress (TMC) retained control of the populous eastern state in results declared on Sunday, with Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerging as the main opposition there for the first time. A senior West Bengal police official said the violencehad been particularly intense in at least six districts scattered across the state, with homes of some 100 political workers from both sides attacked and vandalised. “In Cooch Behar district in North Bengal there have been at least 25 separate clashes between TMC and BJP workers ever since the results were declared,” the official said, declining to be identified as he is not authorised to speak to media. Both parties said their workers were being targeted by rivals. “Our party workers are being hounded out in the rural belts and houses have been torched,” said Shisir Bajoria of the BJP, which staged a sit-in protest at its headquarters in the state’s capital city, Kolkata. Subrata Mukherjee, a senior TMC leader, told Reuters that at least two of the party’s workers had been killed in recent days. “It was the TMC workers who were on the receiving end,” Mukherjee said. West Bengal has a history of political violence, including flare-ups after elections.

Covid scare at G7 meeting after Indian delegates test positive LONDON AGENCIES

The Group of Seven foreign ministers' meeting in London was hit by a Covid-19 scare on Wednesday when India's foreign minister and his entire team said they were self-isolating after two delegation members tested positive.

Britain is hosting the threeday meeting — the first such G7 event in two years — which has been heavily billed as a chance to restart face-to-face diplomacy and an opportunity for the West to show a united front against threats from China and Russia.

India, currently undergoing the world's worst surge in Covid-19 cases, is attending the G7 as a guest and had been due to take part in meetings on Tuesday evening and throughout Wednesday. “Was made aware yesterday [Tuesday] evening of exposure to possible Covid positive cases,” Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Twitter.

“As a measure of abundant caution and also out of consideration for others, I decided to conduct my engagements in the virtual mode. That will be the case with the G7 Meeting today [Wednesday] as well.”

The meeting is a precursor to the main G7 summit due to take place at a rural English resort in June, with US President Joe Biden and other world leaders set to attend.

A British official confirmed the two positive tests and said the entire Indian delegation was selfisolating. British rules require a 10-day self-isolation period.

The Indian delegation had not yet attended the main summit venue at Lancaster House, and so meetings scheduled for

Wednesday went ahead as planned. British foreign minister Dominic Raab was seen greeting and fist-bumping other G7 members as they arrived at the venue.

“We deeply regret that Jaishankar will be unable to attend

the meeting today [Wednesday] in person,” a senior UK diplomat said. “This is exactly why we have put in place strict Covid protocols and daily testing.”

On Tuesday, pictures from inside the grand Lancaster House conference venue showed the reality of diplomacy in the coronavirus age — delegates separated by plastic screens, and a “family photo” of ministers carefully spaced two metres apart. Jaishankar was pictured meeting British interior minister Priti Patel on Tuesday, although Patel did not have to self-isolate because the meeting had been held in line with existing rules. Both were wearing masks in the photograph.

Thursday, 6 May, 2021

SPORTS 11

LAHORE

Guardiola's Man City finally CraCk the ChaMpions leaGue Code SOON-TO-BE ENGLISH CHAMPIONS HAVE MARCHED TO EUROPE'S FINAL BY WINNING EVERY KNOCKOUT GAME — HOME AND AWAY

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AGENCIES

ANCHESTER City finally cracked the Champions League code with an impressive 2-0 win over Paris Saint Germain on Tuesday, the 4-1 aggregate triumph earning them a first ever spot in the final of Europe’s elite club competition.

After stumbling in the latter stages of the Champions League in his four previous campaigns with the club, Pep Guardiola dropped his usual focus on the tasks ahead to reflect on banishing

the one major question mark over his stewardship of the club.

“To reach the final of this competition is so difficult,” he told reporters.

“It is the toughest one, the quality of the opponent and the composure you have to have to suffer the toughest moments.”

Those moments had proved too tough for City in each of the past four seasons.

Last season’s 3-1 quarterfinal loss to a very beatable Olympique Lyonnaise followed defeats to Tottenham, Liverpool and Monaco in the Champions League knockout stages.

“It remained in my head for weeks and it was painful, I cannot deny,” Guardiola said recently.

Many had wondered whether the Spaniard’s obsession with the competition had led him to overthink games or transmitted nerves to his players, but this season was different.

City have not sneaked into the final or battled through against the odds, they have marched to Istanbul by winning every knockout game — home and away.

Indeed, they are unbeaten throughout their entire Champions League campaign this season, winning 11

games and drawing just once.

Throughout the Guardiola years, City have produced some glorious attacking football but also, especially in Europe, some shaky defensive displays. This year, though, they have combined the flair in the final third with a rock solid defence that has conceded just four goals in the Champions League so far.

The addition of Ruben Dias, the Portugal central defender signed from Benfica, has proven to be a masterstroke. The arrival of the 23-year-old has transformed City in the same way that Virgil van Dijk gave Liverpool the solidity they were lacking before their Champions League triumph two years ago.

Teenager Phil Foden, cautiously introduced into the side by Guardiola, has come of age during this campaign, effectively replacing Raheem Sterling in the attack.

Riyad Mahrez, who scored both goals on Tuesday, has flourished, while Ilkay Gundogan has come out of his shell to become an all-round midfielder. City’s exits in Europe have all featured moments when they have let the game get away from them — losing their cool, their shape and their focus.

But this season there has been a solidity and maturity that is so vital at the highest level and both in Paris and at home, City were firmly in control.

“In big occasions there are going to be nerves. We have to control that.

You put the pressure on yourself,” said right-back Kyle Walker, reflecting on the earlier exits.

“You go back to Anfield and throwing it away in the first leg. The second year we are at Tottenham and lost in the first leg before chasing it here. “Last year, it was different, over one leg - a proper cup game. To finally get the victory over there and then come here and win is full credit to this squad.”

Chelsea or Real Madrid await but whether it is an all-English final or a clash with the 13-times winners, City will start as favourites — and justifiably so.

former cricketer MacGill kidnapped and released, four arrested, say australian police SYDNEY AGENCIES

Australian police on Wednesday arrested four men in connection with the armed kidnapping of former Test bowler Stuart MacGill. The men were detained in a pre-dawn raid in Sydney, following the kidnapping of the cricketer in the city’s affluent Lower North Shore last month. MacGill was lauded as a talented bowler and played 44 Tests for Australia, but was unlucky that his career coincided with that of Shane Warne, ranked by many as the best spin bowler of all time. Police said that on April 14 the 50-year-old MacGill was confronted by three men at an intersection and bundled into a vehicle. He was driven to a property an hour out of the city where he was allegedly assaulted and threatened with a firearm before being released after the hour-long ordeal. “I know it was only an hour that he was held but it would have been a horribly frightful hour to endure,” NSW Police superintendent Anthony Holton told media. MacGill, who knew one of his alleged kidnappers, was “still quite shaken” by the incident, Holton said. After “extensive investigations” a police strike force and riot officers arrested four men aged 27, 29, 42 and 46, in the early hours of Wednesday. Although no ransom was paid police believe the kidnapping was financially motivated.

The four men were in the process of being charged and were expected to appear in court later on Wednesday.

Virus-hit india to help move australian ipl cohort to sri lanka or Maldives NEW DELHI AGENCIES

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will help to move Australia's entire Indian Premier League (IPL) cohort to the Maldives or Sri Lanka, Cricket Australia (CA) boss Nick Hockley said on Wednesday. The IPL was suspended indefinitely on Tuesday as India's Covid-19 crisis escalates, but the decision left Australian and other foreign participants looking for ways to leave the country. Australia has banned travellers from India who have been in the country within the prior 14 days but CA interim Chief Executive Hockley said the players would wait outside India for approval to head home. "So what we're working to do and what the BCCI are working to do, and they've been incredibly cooperative, is working to move the entire cohort out of India," Hockley told reporters in Sydney. "That's now narrowed down to the Maldives and Sri Lanka. The BCCI are working through the final details of that at the moment and we expect that movement will happen in the next two to three days." Hockley added that the Indian board had also committed to arranging a charter plane to bring the Australian cricketers home.

Australia has banned travellers from India until May 15. The Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) confirmed former Australia batsman Mike Hussey, a coach for one of the IPL teams, had tested positive for Covid-19. ACA boss Todd Greenberg said that as far as he was aware, Hussey was the only Australian involved in the IPL to contract the virus.

Madrid Open: Mertens knocks out Halep, Thiem makes winning return from injury MaDrID AGENCIES

World No 3 Simona Halep was dumped out of the Madrid Open on Tuesday, losing 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 in the last 16 to Belgian Elise Mertens, while Dominic Thiem claimed a straightforward win in his first match since March.

Romania’s Halep, who won the Madrid title in 2016 and 2017, is still yet to reach a WTA Tour final this season and this was her earliest exit in the Spanish capital since a 2015 first-round loss.

Halep had sailed through the first two rounds on the Madrid clay without dropping a set but she ended up second best in a match which yielded 15 breaks of serve. Halep served 10 double faults in the match, Mertens nine. The former world No 1 was twice a break up in the final set at 3-1 and 43 but finally succumbed after just over two and a half hours of play.

In the quarter-finals, 13th seed Mertens will meet her doubles partner, Belarusian seventh seed Aryna Sabalenka, who dispatched American Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-2 in just 52 minutes.

World No 1 Ashleigh Barty will meet ninth seed Petra Kvitova in the quarters, while eighth seed Belinda Bencic is up

against Spaniard Paula Badosa, ranked 62 in the world. The final last-eight tie will see Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova play Karolina Muchova, who needed four match points to beat Maria Sakkari 6-0, 6-7 (9/11), 7-5.

Russian Pavlyuchenkova edged out Australian Open runner-up Jennifer Brady 7-5, 6-7 (8/10), 6-3 despite missing a match point in the second set.

THIEM WINS ON RETURN: In the men’s draw, world No 4 Thiem eased to a 61, 6-3 thrashing of American Marcos Giron in his first match for almost two months.

The Austrian, playing for the first time since a surprise loss to Lloyd Harris in Dubai, broke his 91st-ranked opponent’s serve four times and did not face a break point. “I need 100 per cent in every aspect of my game,” said the third seed. “I was just not able to put that on court in Doha, Dubai, or towards the end of the Australian Open, so that’s why it was better to take a break.”

Thiem will next face Australia’s Alex de Minaur, who was leading Harris 6-2, 3-0 when the South African retired injured, in the third round.

Italian teenager Jannik Sinner booked his place in the second round when his opponent Guido Pella withdrew with a leg injury in the second set while trailing 6-2, 4-4.

“I never played against him before, so

you never know what to expect,” said world No 18 Sinner. “I was trying to keep focused on what I had to do. I think it has been a good first match obviously.”

Sinner, the Miami Masters runner-up, will face Alexei Popyrin in the second round after the Australian beat German JanLennard Struff 6-3 7-6 (7/4).

Sixth seed Andrey Rublev, meanwhile, had to work hard before becoming the first man through to the third round, battling for two hours and 20 minutes with American

CMYK

Tommy Paul before coming through 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-4.

“It’s important to win when you’re not (playing) your (best) game and things are not going well,” the Russian said. “So it’s really important to win this match to have more confidence. I’m happy that I turned it around.” The in-form Rublev has reached at least the quarter-finals in all of his previous eight tournaments this season.

Former Madrid Open runner-up Kei Nishikori edged out Russia’s Karen

Khachanov 6-7 (6/8), 6-2, 6-2 in the first round. But Canadian pair Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov both suffered early defeats.

Auger-Aliassime, the 15th seed, lost 61, 6-4 to Norway’s Casper Ruud in the opening round, while 11th seed Shapovalov was beaten 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 by Kazakh Alexander Bublik in the last 32.

World number 10 Matteo Berrettini saw off his fellow Italian Fabio Fognini, winning 6-3, 6-4 to book a third-round spot.

Thursday, 6 May, 2021

prAyer Timings

NEWS

SAudi ArAbiA conSidering bArring overSeAS HAjj pilgrimS for Second yeAr: reuTerS

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AUDI Arabia is considering barring overseas pilgrims from the annual Hajj for the second year running as Covid-19 cases rise globally and worries grow about the emergence of new variants, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday.

Such a move would restrict the pilgrimage to Makkah, a once in a lifetime duty for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it, to Saudi nationals and residents of the kingdom who were vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19 at least months prior to attending.

While discussions about a possible ban have taken place, there has been no final decision on whether to pursue it, they said.

Before the pandemic enforced social distancing globally, some 2.5 million pilgrims used to visit the holiest sites of Islam in Makkah and Medina for the week-long Hajj, and the lesser, year-round Umrah pilgrimage, which altogether earned the kingdom about $12 billion a year, according to official data.

As part of economic reform plans pursued by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom was hoping to raise the number of Umrah and Hajj pilgrims to 15 million and 5 million respectively by

2020, and aimed to double the Umrah number again to 30 million by 2030. It aims to earn 50 billion riyals ($13.32 billion) of revenues from the Hajj alone by 2030.

Two sources familiar with the matter said authorities have suspended earlier plans to host pilgrims from overseas, and will only allow domestic pilgrims who have been vaccinated or have recovered

COAS stresses need for military cooperation in meeting with Saudi CGS

Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa stressed the need to further enhance military to military cooperation between Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

The army chief’s remarks came during a meeting with the Saudi Armed Forces Chief of General Staff (CGS) General Fayiadh Bin Hamed Al Rowaily in Riyadh on Wednesday.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), matters of mutual interest, regional security situation including the Afghan peace process, defence, security and military to military cooperation were discussed during the meeting.

“Pakistan-KSA cooperation will have a positive impact on peace and security in the region,” the ISPR stated quoting the army chief.

CGS KSA thanked the COAS for his sentiments and assured of full co-

operation and support from the kingdom in all initiatives aimed at improving regional cooperation, peace and stability.

Earlier it was reported that Gen Bajwa reached Riyadh on May 4 ahead of the crucial trip by Prime Minister Imran Khan to Saudi Arabia later this week.

The army chief was received by Pakistan’s recently-appointed Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Lt-Gen (r) Bilal Akbar and Saudi military officials.

During the visit, the army chief would be meeting Saudi civil and military leadership in what seems to be part of the preparation of the prime minister’s scheduled to take place on May 7.

The visit of the army chief and upcoming trip by the premier is seen as significant as these developments suggest a thaw in ties between the two countries. news desk

from Covid-19 at least six months before the pilgrimage.

Restrictions will be applied on the age of participants as well, one of the sources said.

A second source said the plans were initially to allow some numbers of vaccinated pilgrims from abroad, but confusion over types of vaccines, their efficacy and the emergence of new variants has pushed

officials to reconsider.

The government media office did not respond to a request for comment.

Saudi Arabia, which stakes its reputation on its guardianship of Islam’s holiest sites in Makkah and Medina, barred foreigners from the Hajj last year due to the pandemic for the first time in the kingdom’s modern history, allowing it only to a limited number of Saudi citizens and residents.

Covid-19 infections are still rising in 35 countries globally. There have been at least 153,508,000 reported infections and 3,351,000 reported deaths caused by the new coronavirus so far.

India leads the world in the daily average number of new deaths reported, accounting for one in every four deaths reported worldwide each day.

In February, the government suspended entry to the kingdom from 20 countries, with the exception of diplomats, Saudi citizens, medical practitioners and their families, to help curb the spread of the new coronavirus.

The ban, which is still in place to date, includes people arriving from the United Arab Emirates, Germany, the United States, Britain, South Africa, France, Egypt, Lebanon, India and Pakistan. Agencies

said it was concerned about the health of hundreds of Kashmiri political detainees as India faces a massive health crisis because of an explosion of coronavirus cases. It said the prisoners were being denied “even basic amenities”, leading to “serious health problems among the prisoners”.

India has arrested thousands of Kashmiris under the Public Safety Act since 1989, when an armed struggle erupted in occupied Kashmir seeking the region’s independence or merger with Pakistan. Rights groups say India has used the law to stifle dissent and circumvent the justice system, undermining accountability, transparency, and respect for human rights.

Sehrai was one of the staunchest supporters of Kashmir’s merger with Pakistan. He was head of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat and a member of the largest religious and political group, Jama’at-e-Islam.

He spent more than 16 years in various Indian jails in a political career that spanned nearly six decades.

His son was killed in a gun-

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india posts record daily rise in coronavirus deaths NEW DELHI Agencies

India’s coronavirus deaths rose by a record 3,780 during the last 24 hours, a day after it became the second country to cross the grim milestone of 20 million infections after the United States. Daily infections rose by 382,315 on Wednesday, health ministry data showed. Government modelling had pointed to a peak by Wednesday, a few days earlier than thought, since the virus has spread faster than expected. The surge of the highly infectious Indian variant of the coronavirus has seen hospitals run out of beds and oxygen and left morgues and crematoriums overflowing. Many people have died in ambulances and car parks waiting for a bed or oxygen. Two “oxygen express” trains reached the capital Delhi on Wednesday carrying desperately needed liquid oxygen, Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal said on Twitter. Over 25 trains have so far delivered oxygen to different parts of India. India’s government says there are enough oxygen supplies but distribution has been hindered by transport problems. A two-judge bench of the Delhi High Court has been holding almost daily video conferences to hear petitions from hospitals seeking oxygen and invoking India’s constitutional right to protection of life.

Senior Kashmiri leader Ashraf Sehrai dies in police custody in IOK Senior Kashmiri leader Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai, who challenged India’s rule over occupied Kashmir for decades, died on Wednesday while in police custody. He was 78.

Sehrai was admitted to a government hospital with multiple ailments on Tuesday from a jail in the southern Jammu region, officials and his family said.

Sehrai’s son, Mujahid Sehrai, said his father was denied proper medical care while in jail. He said he spoke to his father 10 days ago and he complained of ill health.

“He told us several times in the last few months during his two phone calls a week to home that he was not getting proper medical treatment,” his son said. “We moved a court on April 16 with a petition seeking proper medical assistance for him but the court was yet to review it.”

Sehrai was arrested last July under the Public Safety Act, which allows authorities in occupied Kashmir to imprison anyone for up to two years without trial.

Last week, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference

FAJR SUNRISE 3:54

fight with Indian troops in April last year in the region’s main city of Srinagar. He was a member of Kashmir’s main fighter group.

Mohamad Junaid, a New York-based Kashmiri political anthropologist, said “there is no difference between killing and actively creating the conditions of someone’s death.” In a tweet, he said, “When a state can’t take care of its own people, how could it ever look after the health of political dissidents it has declared as enemies and imprisoned?”

Sehrai is survived by his wife, two daughters, and three sons.

Condoling the demise of the freedom fighter, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that he is deeply saddened on the demise of the senior APHC leader in Indian custody. ”My thoughts and prayers are with the late Ashraf Sehrai’s family. I also convey my deepest condolences to the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Jammu and Kashmir and the Kashmiri people,” he said in a statement. news desk

Taliban capture northern Afghan district amid surge in violence KABUL Agencies

Taliban insurgents captured a district in northern Afghanistan, forcing government troops to retreat to the provincial capital amid a recent surge in violence, officials said on Wednesday. Fighting has escalated sharply in recent weeks, with Afghan officials saying the Taliban have stepped up their attacks since Washington announced plans last month to pull out all U.S. troops by Sept. 11. The militants seized the district of Barka in the northern province of Baghlan after hours of fighting with Afghan forces, who retreated to the main city, said Jawed Basharat, a spokesman for the provincial police. The Taliban suffered heavy losses in the fighting, he added, but a senior security official who sought anonymity said at least 10 security forces were killed and 16 others captured by the Taliban. The district fell a day after Afghan security forces fought back a major Taliban offensive in the southern province of Helmand. The Afghan government says it has recorded more than 100 Taliban attacks on security forces and other government installations in 26 of the 34 provinces over the last 24 hours. READ Taliban would roll back Afghan women’s rights -US intelligence report The Taliban overran a small outpost on a highway in Baghlan, killing nine Afghan soldiers and wounding several, regional officials said on Tuesday. Kabul police spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz said one person was killed and three wounded when a roadside bomb hit a vehicle belonging to a health official outside the city. Another roadside bomb killed a district police commander in the southeastern province of Paktika on Tuesday, officials said.

Tough for developing nations to rebound without urgent vaccine provision: Akram NEW YORK App

Harnessing the full potential of science and technology for the benefit of all people, everywhere, is the focus of a two-day virtual meeting convened by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), which opened on Tuesday.

The Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology, and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (STI Forum) aims to identify gaps and promote partnerships in efforts to achieve a greener world by 2030.

In his opening remarks to the forum, Pakistan Ambassador at United Nations Munir Akram underlined the “vital” role of science, technology, and innovation to the survival and progress of mankind.

In this regard, he said that unless coronavirus vaccines are “urgently and equitably” made available, the developing countries will find it difficult to recover from the huge dam-

age done to their economies by the pandemic.

“It is only science, technology, and innovations that have provided a ray of hope in the form of the vaccine development and the continuity of business through digital technology,” Ambassador Akram said.

In the current crisis, he said that states have leveraged the power of science, technology and innovation to fight the devastation of the pandemic through new ways of coping, working, learning and accessing services and maintaining social connectivity.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasised how the Covid-19 pandemic has revealed the importance of science, technology and innovation for human well-being and survival, as well as the need for greater global cooperation.

His statement was delivered by Maria Francesca Spatolisano, Assistant SecretaryGeneral in the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

Addressing the pandemic, the UN chief said not only was a vaccine developed in

record time, but the crisis has also increased innovation in medicines and digital communications technologies.

At the same time, scientific discovery and collaborations have accelerated and new ways of delivering services have proliferated.

Guterres said these advances hold promise for collective challenges beyond the pandemic, including in limiting climate disruption, reducing inequalities and “ending our war on nature”.

However, he noted that billions of people worldwide still remain largely excluded from the benefits of the information and technology revolution, and the pandemic has only exacerbated existing technology divides.

“It is essential that we work together — across borders, sectors and disciplines — to make science and technology work for everyone”, his statement said.

“Multi-stakeholder cooperation will continue to be the key, helping us to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, address climate change, end the biodiversity and pollu-

tion crises and rise to our other common challenges.”

Speaking to a panel on ‘Innovations for Vulnerable Communities”, Pakistan’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN

Aamir Khan congratulated the young innovators, including those from Pakistan, for their contribution in responding to the massive human sufferings stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic.

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