EpaperLHR_21-06-27

CMYK

27 June, 2021 I 16 Dhul-Qadah, 1442 I Rs 25.00 I Vol XI No 357 I 32 Pages I Lahore Edition

PM asks PeoPle to ProMote ‘Pakistaniat’ for Positive iMage of country

ISLAMABAD staff report

P

rime minister imran Khan has said that if the people wish to promote a soft image of Pakistan across the globe, then they should advocate “Pakistaniat“.

Addressing the prize distribution ceremony of the National Amateur Short Film Festival (NASFF) in islamabad, the premier said, “During the war on terror, Pakistanis were termed as extremists. To counter this, they were asked to promote a soft image of Pakistan.”

The premier said a positive image of a country can only be promoted through ownership. “if we want to project a soft image of Pakistan, then we need to promote [the country’s true identity].”

The premier said the countrymen thought that if they wore Western clothes

and spoke english, it would project a soft image. “During this time i was termed as Taliban Khan.”

Speaking english and wearing Western clothes does not project a soft image, it only speaks of an inferiority complex, he said, adding: “A soft image is projected through self-reliance […] so first respect yourself and the world will respect you in turn.”

Pm urges filmmakers to focus on original content: The Pm urged Pakistani filmmakers to focus on original content and adopt new approaches in filmmaking.

He added that Pakistani cinema had evolved over time but mistakes were committed at the beginning since the Pakistani film industry was “impressed” by Bollywood which resulted in copying and adopting another culture.

“So the most important thing i want to

coronavirus in

Pakistan

CONFIRMED CASES:

953,842

LAST UPDATED AT 7:11 AM ON JUNE 26, 2021

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

NEW CASES:

36

935

RECOVERED:

DEATHS:

SINDH:

PUNJAB:

898,944 22,188

335,044 345,655 KP:

137,560

BALOCHISTAN:

26,932

AJK/GB: ISLAMABAD: 20,173/5,950 82,528

say to young filmmakers is that according to my experience of the world, only originality sells — the copy has no value,” the prime minister said. “i want originality in our film industry and for it to bring a new way of thinking,” he said, adding that he had pointed to the lack of original content when he became prime minister and how much the Pakistani film industry was influenced by Hollywood and Bollywood. “i requested the Turkish president at the time and brought the serial ‘ertugrul’ to Pakistan. That has an alternate culture but it is popular and people see it,” he pointed out.

He praised the efforts of Pakistani filmmakers to promote the country’s culture and said they had set out on a “fantastic path”. The premier pointed out that filmmakers had a great opportunity to show those aspects of Pakistan which were unknown to the world.

“So my [advice] to young filmmakers is to bring your own original thinking and don’t fear failure. it is my life’s experience that the one who is afraid of defeat can never win.

Pakistan’s perception needs improvement: iSPr DG inter-Services Public relations (iSPr) Director General maj Gen Babar iftikhar also addressed the event and said that work on improving Pakistan’s perception was necessary.

He said the NASFF was a small part of that effort and asked: “Why should we not give youth the responsibility of showing the real Pakistan?”

A very positive response had been received from educational institutions, said the iSPr chief, adding that hundreds of short films had been received.

He said the first 15 winners would be sent on a scholarship to the University of California for a one-year training course on advanced filmmaking.

Pakistan seeks stable government in Afghanistan: Fawad ISLAMABAD staff report

minister for information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Saturday said Pakistan sought a stable government in Afghanistan and it will never allow any country to use its territory to attack targets inside its war-torn neighbour.

Talking about Pakistan-US relations especially in the context of the prevailing situation in Afghanistan, the minister said durable peace in Afghanistan was very crucial for Pakistan.

Quoting the recent interview of the prime minister to the New York Times, he said imran Khan has clearly stated his views regarding relations with the United States, China and Afghanistan.

He has expressed his desire for stability of Afghanistan and vowed to help Afghanistan in achieving peace and stability, Fawad said.

He said a stable government should be established in Afghanistan by taking on board all stakeholders. The solution to the Afghanistan question must be secured by keeping warring factions in the loop.

Shehbaz suggests formula for overseas Pakistanis representation in parliament LAHORE staff report

in a series of tweets Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday proposed a formula for the representation of overseas Pakistanis in parliament.

The PmL-N chief, suggested reserving 5-7 seats in the National Assembly and 2 seats in the Senate so that the representatives can effectively raise the problems faced by the expats.

The PmL-N received criticism from the ruling party over their opposition to the PTi’s electoral reforms bill through which the overseas Pakistanis are given online voting rights.

Shehbaz said during elections, expats can come to the country and cast votes at the polling stations mentioned in the voter lists.

“The modalities and conditions of representation on these reserved seats can be decided by all the political parties in the Parliament and the required legislation can be enacted with their consensus,” Shehbaz said. in this way, Pakistanis abroad can get guaranteed representation in parliament, he said, adding that along the same

“Taliban were persuaded by Pakistan to negotiate first with the United States and then with the Afghan leadership”, he said, adding that imran, in his interview, also stated that Pakistan will not allow its territory to be used by anyone against Afghanistan. minister said the prime minister was of the view that Pakistan may consider sealing its borders with Afghanistan if the situation in the country deteriorates following the withdrawal of American troops.

He said Pakistan had already fenced off 90 percent of its border region with Afghanistan and, right now, was in a position to completely seal the border if such an eventuality arises.

He said imran termed both United States and China as economic superpowers and that the improvement in relations between them would have positive impacts on the global environment.

He said the prime minister has outlined a new dimension to relations with the United States by emphasising to strengthening economic relations rather than security ties.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

more inside

Bilawal declares PM security risk over remarks on nukes STORY ON BACK PAGE

Fencing underway to secure borders with iran, Afghanistan: rasheed STORY ON PAGE 02

lines, seats may be allotted in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Assembly to represent overseas Pakistanis.

The PmL-N supports the right to vote for Pakistanis abroad under a democratic approach and principles, he said.

“We want an immediate, fair, and just solution to all the problems of the overseas community that they face vis-à-vis Pakistan,” he added. eCP raises concerns over clauses in electoral reforms bill: The election Commission of Pakistan (eCP) has expressed its reservations over changes in several clauses, including con-

stituencies and electoral rolls in the election reforms bill passed by the PTi government. in a letter to the parliamentary affairs secretary on June 17, the commission has requested that the matter be brought to the notice of Prime minister imran Khan before introducing the bill in the Senate. it opposed the inclusion of the word “open ballot” that replaced “secret ballot”.

The eCP said that the inclusion of the word “open ballot” was in violation of Article 226 of the Constitution.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

GB presents Rs105.92bn budget for fiscal year 2021-22 STORY ON PAGE 02 in today’s issue

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Contact: 0307-7338168 irfan.farooq@pakistantoday.com.pk

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Sunday, 27 June, 2021

LAHORE

NEWS

Fencing underway to secure borders with iran, aFghanistan: rasheed ISLAMABAD

i

TLTP

NTERIOR Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad has said that the government has taken concrete measures to make the borders with Iran and Afghanistan protected.

Talking to the media on Saturday, the interior minister said that 88 percent of the fencing process on Afghan border has been completed while 46 percent work has been done on the Pak-Iran border to prevent illegal entry into Pakistan.

Rasheed said the fencing along the borders would help to stop illegal movement and smuggling. The interior minister said

that Pakistan is ready to deal with any type of challenge with support of the Pakistan Army, intelligence agencies and the people.

Rasheed said that Islamabad is expecting that the Afghan Taliban will not allow terrorist groups like Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to carry out activities against Pakistan. “Prime Minister Imran Khan has categorically said that we [Pakistan] will not give any bases to the United States to use against Afghanistan,” he said. “…But we also expect from [Afghan] Taliban that they will not allow TTP [Tehreek-e-Pakistan Taliban] and other elements to carry out any activity which causes harm to the lives and property of Pakistani people,” he said.

PPP calls for early legislation to criminalise torture

Prime Minister Imran Khan earlier this week had repeated his firm stance of not providing any bases to the US, saying that “Islamabad is ready to be a partner for peace in Afghanistan with Washington because both the countries wanted stability, development and denial of terrorists’ havens there”.

Writing in The Washington Post, the prime minister had expressed the apprehension that Pakistan has already paid a very high price of instability in Afghanistan and if the country agrees to host US bases, from which to bomb Afghanistan, and an Afghan civil war ensued, Pakistan would be targeted for revenge by terrorists again.

GB presents Rs105.92bn budget for fiscal year 2021-22 GILGIT TLTP

The Gilgit-Baltistan budget for the fiscal year 2021-22 with a total outlay of Rs105.92 billion was presented on Saturday.

Presenting the budget proposals in Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly, Finance Minister Javed Ali Manwa said that Rs51.7 billion have been allocated for non-development and more than Rs44.22 billion for developmental expenditures.

ISLAMABAD Mian abrar

The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has expressed its grave concerns regarding the absence of anti-torture legislation amid reports of torture in police stations and detention centres, and called for early legislation to criminalise torture. PPP Secretary General Farhatullah Babar expressed these views on the occasion of International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, observed worldwide on Saturday. He said that the Convention against Torture (CAT) was ratified during the PPP government in 2010 and it was obligatory to make domestic legislation. A private member bill criminalizing torture was also passed unanimously by the Senate in March 2015, but there has been no progress despite many public assurances by the government during the past three years, he said. “We live in a state of denial. Official reports submitted to the United Nations’ human rights bodies deny torture in state’s detention centres. When the National Commission on Human Rights (NCHR) in 2019 refuted the claims of no torture in its shadow report, the commission itself became dysfunctional since May that year,” he said. As per the universally accepted practice, the bill passed by the Senate also stated that war, threat of war, internal political instability or an order of a superior authority shall not constitute a defence against the commission of offence of torture. However, during a meeting of the Senate’s human rights committee, it transpired that the government had reservations over it.

“Not making this provision in the law will defeat the very purpose of legislation and raise more questions about internment centres in the country,” he said.

Farhatullah said that allegations of securing confessions under torture are not entirely unfounded. “In October 2018, the Peshawar High Court had set aside convictions of over 70 people on the basis of questionable ‘confessional statements’. The Supreme Court of Pakistan has suspended the PHC verdict,” he said. He called for an independent inquiry into the allegations of involvement of state functionaries in torture in all detention centres.

Pakistan may receive Moderna vaccine doses through coVaX in coming months ISLAMABAD

He said that the budget outlay is 54 percent higher than the budget of previous year. He said more than Rs48.45 million have been allocated in the budget for betterment of the health sector, Rs4.62 billion for physical planning and housing while Rs3.96 billion are allocated for the works department.

The GB finance minister also announced a 10 percent increase in the salaries of government employees and minimum wage for workers was set at Rs20,000.

CPEC will help address power woes, say officials ISLAMABAD Xinhua

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, an important pilot project of the Belt and Road Initiative, has helped Pakistan to overcome the energy crisis and paved a way for the country’s economic prosperity, officials said.

Energy Minister Hammad Azhar told Xinhua that “the power plants built under the CPEC hold immense importance” for the country as they have largely solved the serious electricity shortage in Pakistan, bringing advanced technology and creating job opportunities.

Citing the example of the 660kV Matiari-Lahore high-voltage direct current transmission project under the CPEC, he said that it is a boon for the country’s power sector because it will save energy consumption and transmit cheap electricity from the CPEC’s southern power plants to the northern load centres of the country, which will further “address the issues of energy shortage and inflated price of electricity.”

The CPEC’s southern power plants and the transmission line project, which officially started highpower transmission Friday and is expected to be put into commercial operation later this year, will ensure the supply availability, stability and security, supporting the industrialisation process in the country, the minister said.

Talking about the future of the BRI as a green Belt and Road, and the CPEC as a green corridor, he said the country is striving to achieve “the target of 30 percent renewable energy in the national grid up till 2030, and the CPEC will play a vital role for it” due to its fair contribution in renewable energy projects including hydropower, wind and solar.

On the sidelines of the high-power transmission ceremony of the Matiari-Lahore HVDC transmission project, National Transmission and Despatch Company Managing Director Muhammad Ayub told Xinhua that besides addressing the power crisis, the CPEC energy projects also provided a large number of direct and indirect employments to the people of Pakistan, thus contributing to the economic development of the country.

The CPEC’s power plants are giving Pakistan electricity at the cheapest prices and when the cheapest energy will be transmitted through the HVDC line, it will save a substantial amount of electricity from getting wasted, and will eventually give cheaper electricity to the end-consumers, he added.

The official added that currently “over 18 percent of the country’s electricity gets wasted due to the old transmission lines, but with the introduction of the

HVDC transmission project for the first time in the country, the CPEC will help the country save its energy as the electricity wastage percentage in the MatiariLahore transmission line is only about 4 percent,” which will make a huge difference.

In the month of June, an 18 percent increase in the demand for electricity has been witnessed by the industrial sector, indicating the growth of the industry in Pakistan. Pakistan is able to meet this demand because of the BRI which is injecting enough electricity into the country’s national grid, enabling it to meet the demand of both domestic and industrial consumers.

“The CPEC projects are adding and will add more electricity in our system after the completion of the ongoing projects, and will help us generate more revenues by flourishing our industry, besides improving the lifestyle of our public,” Ayub added.

TLTP

Pakistan is likely to receive Moderna’s mRNA-1273 coronavirus vaccine doses in the coming months through COVAX — the World Health Organisation’s global shared vaccine programme. This was stated by officials from the country’s health ministry. The Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination official said that talks were underway with COVAX to acquire the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine. The official said that there has so far been no confirmation on when and how many doses of the double-dose vaccine would be provided to Pakistan. Pakistan recently received 100,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine through the COVAX facility and also made an agreement to procure 13 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer. Pakistan started a mass vaccination campaign late last month that is now open to all adults.

Nearly 13 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered in the country of 220 million people so far, with about 3.5 million people fully vaccinated, according to the National Command Operation Centre, which is overseeing the pandemic response. Pakistan has primarily used Chinese vaccines – Sinopharm, CanSinoBio and Sinovac- in its inoculation drive and, earlier this month began allowing those under 40 to receive AstraZeneca, of which it has a limited supply meant for people traveling to countries that require it.

Former caretaker prime minister Khoso passes away QUETTA STaff rePorT

Veteran jurist and former caretaker prime minister retired Justice Mir Hazar Khan Khoso has passed away in Quetta.

Khoso, 92, breathed his last on Saturday after remaining under treatment for a month at a hospital in Quetta.

His funeral prayers will be offered in his native town Katbar Sharif in Sibi.

Khoso was born on September 30, 1929, in Village Azam Khan of Jaffarabad district in Balochistan and graduated from the University of Sindh in 1954 and passed Bachelor of Law, or LLB, in 1956 from the University of Karachi.

He joined the legal profession in 1957 and enrolled as Advocate of High Court of West Pakistan Karachi Bench in 1959 and Advocate of Supreme Court in 1980.

He was elevated as additional judge of Balochistan High Court from June 20, 1977, to June 1979 and again elevated as an additional judge on March 31, 1985.

He was appointed as a permanent judge of the Balochistan High Court on March 31, 1987, and appointed as Chief Justice of Balochistan High Court on December 13, 1989.

He also remained acting governor of Balochistan from June 25, 1990, to July 12, 1990, and from March 13, 1991, to July 13, 1991.

Khoso retired as Chief Justice of Balochistan High Court on September 29, 1991. He was appointed Judge of Federal Shariat Court on October 18, 1991, and elevated as Chief Justice of the Federal Shariat Court on November 17, 1992, and held his office up to July 8, 1994.

In March 2013, the Election Commission of Pakistan selected him as

the interim prime minister after a parliamentary committee and political parties failed to agree on a candidate.

The outgoing government of the Pakistan Peoples Party had proposed Khoso and former State Bank of

Pakistan governor Dr Ishrat Husain, while then-opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz had put forward the name of retired judge Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid and a politician Rasul Bux Palejo.

Sunday, 27 June, 2021

LAHORE

KaMal asKs oPPosition to aPologise For clashes outside asseMbly QUETTA

c

TLTP

HIEF Minister Balochistan Jam Kamal on Saturday demanded the opposition to apologise for the violent clashes that took place outside the provincial assembly prior to the unveiling of the budget for fiscal year 2021-22 to prevent the chaos from becoming a precedent.

Addressing the Balochistan Assembly, Kamal said if the matter is not taken seriously now then in the future "anyone can climb over the gate and get inside".

The chief minister said that at the very least he does not want his party to be

blamed, that the chaos resulted due to "their weakness". "If there is no respect for the assembly, there will be none for us."

Kamal said that provinces do not progress with rallies and demonstrations.

He said that the opposition may be pleased that there is no development work in the province but they should not blackmail the government.

He invited the opposition lawmakers to hold discussions instead in parliament — whether or not all their demands are agreed upon — noting that the people surely did not vote for the opposition for them to spend their time in jail. "So come and talk to us. All discussions become part

NEWS

03

of the record."

He went on to state that holding a press conference in the police station does not have the same impact as speaking in the assembly.

Meanwhile, members of opposition parties were present at the Bijli Road police station for a sixth day, offering themselves up for arrest.

Leader of the Opposition in the Balochistan Assembly Malik Sikandar said that the fact that the opposition leaders are not being arrested "is proof that the FIR against us is false". The opposition lawmakers had clashed with police on June 18 outside the Balochistan Assembly, prior to the budget presentation.

Police said the opposition lawmakers had locked all four doors of the building to prevent the budget session from taking place. The opposition's protest and clashes intensified, as per reports, when the chief minister arrived at the assembly. Police then resorted to ramming the gate so that the government lawmakers could enter for the budget session.

Rights group says UAE detaining, deporting Shi’ite Muslims from Pakistan Human Rights Watch has accused the United Arab Emirates of forcibly disappearing at least four Pakistannational men since October and of deporting at least six others based on their Shi’ite Muslim religious background. The 10 men had mostly lived and worked in the UAE, a Sunni Muslim Gulf monarchy, for many years as managers, sales staff, CEOs of small businesses, labourers and drivers, the New York-based campaign group said in a report published earlier this week. The UAE’s foreign ministry and government communications office did not respond immediately to a Reuters request for comment on the HRW report. Ministry of Foreign Affairs was also not immediately available to comment on the issue. HRW has previously said hundreds of activists, academics and lawyers are serving lengthy sentences in UAE jails, often following unfair trials on vague and broad charges. The UAE has dismissed those accusations as false and unsubstantiated. MoniToring rePorT

ISLAMABAD: Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan lawmakers meet Prime Minister Imran Khan. inP

Pakistan’s Covid-19 positivity rate falls below 2pc NEwS DESk According to the National Command and Operation Center’s latest data Pakistan’s coronavirus positivity rate dipped below 2% for the second time this week Saturday morning.

Another 36 people died from COVID-19 in the country in the last 24 hours as the country continues to see a gradual improvement in the pandemic situation.

Earlier in the week, the country had recorded a positivity rate of 1.69%.

At least 46,842 coronavirus tests were conducted across the country in the last 24 hours, out of which 935 came back positive.

The total number of deaths from coronavirus now stands at 22,188 and the total number of cases has reached 953,842, while 898,944 people have recovered from the virus so far. The active number of cases stand at 32,710.

Warnings of a fourth Wave: Federal Minister for Planning and National Command and Control Centre head Asad Umar has warned of a fourth wave of coronavirus pandemic in Pakistan next month.

In a tweet uploaded on Friday, Asad said that the new wave is possible in July urging the people to strictly follow coronavirus guidelines to stay safe.

The federal minister said that the NCOC in its meeting analysed data which hinted that another wave of the pandemic can hit Pakistan if safety protocols are not implemented.

“Reviewed the artificial intelligence-based disease modelling analysis today in NCOC. In the absence of strong SOP enforcement and a continued strong vaccination program, the 4th wave could emerge in Pakistan in July,” he tweeted.

“Please adhere to SOPs and vaccinate as soon as possible,” he added.

The third Covid-19 wave which hit the country in

February proved deadlier than previous ones. During the third wave, the number of active cases in Pakistan crossed the 50,000 mark on March 31.

Within one month, Pakistan’s coronavirus figures almost doubled as on April 29, the country’s active cases crossed the 90,000 mark.

Pakistan reported the highest coronavirus positivity ratio of 11.63 percent on April 4. As per the NCOC, the total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the country stand at 952,907, while 897,834 people have so far recovered from the virus.

Currently, there are nearly 33,000 active cases and the nationwide death toll stands at 22,152.

According to the NCOC’s data, during the first wave, the number of active cases surpassed the 50,000 mark in June 2020 and then started to decline and finally, dropped to less than 6,000 by September.

The second wave of the pandemic hit the country in October after which the NCOC introduced restrictions, among which included shutting down schools and other educational institutions.

By December, the number of active case had exceeded 50,000 and then, gradually come down to the 16,000 mark in February 2021. Pakistan kicked off its vaccination campaign on February 2 and has so far administered 14,165,288 doses.

Sunday, 27 June, 2021

04 NEWS

lahore

Transfer of Hindus to IOK violation of international law, UN resolutions: Shehryar ISLAMABAD

a Hindu majority state,” he said.

He said that the Kashmir Committee has decided to add public component into the country’s narrative on Kashmir and formed advisory boards to assist the committee.

He said that the advisory boards would have experts from private sector to further the public awareness over Kashmir dispute.

He said that the advisory board on culture would help develop films and documentaries to tell the misery being faced by the Kashmiri people at hands of the occupational regime of India in Jammu and Kashmir.

He said that the advisory board on culture would also help to protect, project and promote the Kashmiri culture, its literature, history and heritage.

He said that the world needs to be informed about half widows, pallet guns and economic strangulation of Kashmir by the Indian occupational regime, adding that the cultural board would also project these issues being faced by the Kashmiri people. He said that the board on ac-

ademia would help promote research and education on the issue of Kashmir.

He said that the board on digital issues would help stop censorship of Kashmiri content on the digital space. He said that the digital board would help devise strategy to counter Indian censorship of Kashmiri voices on the digital media.

He said that the advisory board on human rights would help raise the Kashmir cause at the human rights forums of the world and for the first time, top human rights activists would be speaking for Kashmiris at the world forums.

He said that the board on diplomacy would help lobbying with the world policymakers and decision makers on the Kashmir issue.

He said that the world would start listening to the Kashmiri voices once experts add value to the Kashmir narrative.

President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Masood Khan and other speakers also talked on the occasion.

Private schools to ditch summer break to meet syllabus deadline

cern over the reopening of schools at the time of summer vacations.

They expressed fear that children will suffer due to eight-hour-long classes in the hot and humid weather conditions. “Opening schools amid the very hot weather is playing with the health of students,” a parent said, questioning the “wisdom” behind opening educational institutes in the sweltering heat.

P

Mian abrar

ARlIAMenTARy Committee on Kashmir Chairman Shehryar Khan Afridi on Saturday said that India is involved in demographic terrorism in IndianOccupied Kashmir (IOK) and massive transfer of Hindus to IOK is a part of a greater plan of India to turn Muslim majority state of Jammu and Kashmir into a Hindu majority state. Afridi expressed these views while addressing the audience at an event held here at the Kashmir Council.

Afridi said that the Kashmir Committee is the voice of the nation and anything initiated from the Parliament has a direct and deep rooted impact. “India is involved in demographic terrorism in the Indian-Occupied Kashmir and massive transfer of Hindus from mainland India to IOK is a part of a greater plan of India to turn Muslim majority state of Jammu and Kashmir into

ISLAMABAD Staff report

The association of private schools on Saturday announced that its partner schools will not observe summer holidays this year to make up for learning time lost to the Covid19 crisis.

All Pakistan Private Schools Federation President Kashif Mirza said that the schools will remain open during the summers and will operate between 7:00 am and 11:00 am.

“The students will be allowed to attend classes in the casual dressing instead of school uniforms,” he said, adding that the decision was taken in view of extreme weather conditions.

Mirza further announced that educational institutions could also

Exemption of registration fee, motor vehicle tax for electric vehicles notified ISLAMABAD Monitoring report

In order to implement the decision of the federal cabinet for incentivising electric vehicles, the government has notified exemption of registration fee and motor vehicle tax on two- and three-wheeler and heavy commercial vehicles and four-wheelers with immediate effect. According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Interior, in pursuance of the recommendation of Cabinet Division “vide case no 101/50/2020 dated 22.10.2021 and in the exercise of the power conferred by virtue of Section 13 of Motor Vehicle Taxation Act 1958 read with rule 4 of West Pakistan Motor Vehicle Rules 1969, Government of Pakistan is pleased to exempt the registration fee and motor vehicle tax for categories of vehicles with immediate effect including 2-3 Wheelers and HCV and fourwheelers”.

shift to virtual classes only if they had the equipment to do so.

The schools across the country have been reopened on the directives of the national Command and Operation Centre and the government has also announced plans to take in-person tests as Covid-19 cases continue to witness a declining trend.

M e a n while, parents of matric and intermediate students have expressed con-

Sunday, 27 June, 2021

LAHORE

NEWS

FDA ADDS WArning AbOUt rAre heArt inFlAmmAtiOn tO PFizer, mODernA COviD ShOtS WaSHington

t

ReuteRs

HE US drug regulator on Friday added a warning to the literature that accompanies Pfizer Inc (PFE.N)/BioNTech (22UAy.DE) and Moderna (MRNA.O) Covid vaccine shots to indicate the rare risk of heart inflammation after its use.

For each vaccine, the fact sheets for healthcare providers have been revised to include a warning that reports of adverse events suggest increased risks of myocarditis and pericarditis, particularly after the second dose and with onset of symptoms within a few days after vaccination, the FDA said.

As of June 11, more than 1,200 cases of myocarditis or pericarditis have been reported to the US Vaccine Adverse

Event Reporting System (VAERS), out of about 300 million mRNA vaccine doses administered.

The cases appear to be notably higher in males and in the week after the second vaccine dose. The CDC identified 309 hospitalizations from heart inflammation in persons under the age of 30, of which 295 have been discharged.

Health regulators in several countries have been investigating cases of myocarditis and pericarditis, more frequently found in young men, after a shot of Pfizer or Moderna, vaccines that are based on the mRNA technology.

The latest update from FDA follows an extensive review of information and the discussion by CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meeting on Wednesday. Pfizer and Moderna did not immediately respond to requests for comment after business hours.

Shehbaz suggests formula for overseas Pakistanis representation in parliament continued from page 01 “The Supreme Court has given a clear opinion in this regard in the case related to the presidential reference,” the letter read.

The commission said electronic voting machines (EVMs) required a thorough debate in parliament. It added that there were many issues with the EVMs that remain unaddressed and therefore the ECP could not guarantee that their use would help in holding free and fair elections.

It also raised objections to the right of vote for overseas Pakistanis.

The ECP expressed concerns on the amendments that would take powers away from the commission and hand them over to the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA).

Earlier this month, the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs had greenlighted the government’s electoral reforms bill with a

majority vote.

The five amendments to the Election Act that have been approved include holding Senate elections through open ballot, granting right to vote as well as conditionally contest polls in the country to overseas Pakistanis and issuance of lists of candidates for reserved seats for women and members of religious minorities within three days.

Declaring a National Assembly, Senate or local government seat vacant if the successful candidate does not take oath within 60 days of the polls and demarcation on the basis of voters instead if population were also given the nod.

It was earlier reported a day earlier that PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif would write a letter to the ECP seeking a briefing on the government’s attempts “to encroach upon the commission’s legal domain under the disguise of electoral reforms bill” and its legal implications.

They added that a strategy had already been devised

to intercept the bill in the Senate; however, it was important for all the political parties to know about the implications of this bill.

PDM rejects govt’s election reform proposals: Last week the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) has rejected the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in elections, and decided to launch a fresh phase of protests to send the government packing.

PDM Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman while addressing a press conference said the PDM constituent parties with consensus have rejected the government’s suggestion of holding next elections through electronic voting machines (EVMs). “ECP [Election Commission of Pakistan] which is the poll supervisory body should summon a meeting of all political parties and formulate a joint plan on election reforms,” he added.

The meeting termed EVMs a plot of pre-poll rigging, said the PDM chief, adding that the opposition alliance has also rejected the presidential ordinance issued in this connection.

New FATF action plan to be implemented soon: Hammad Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar has said that a new action plan given by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) will be implemented soon. Addressing a presser on Saturday, the minister said that anti-money laundering plan is much easier to tackle than the previous counter-terrorism one because Pakistan has already introduced laws in this regard.

The minister said that Pakistan's progress was appreciated by the FATF. He condemned the statements of opposition pertaining to the FATF. He expressed hope that Pakistan would be removed from the FATF grey list after completing the new action plan within a year. “We will complete the remaining [conditions] within 12 months… Pakistan will now be placed on white list instead of black,” he said.

Hammad said the FATF president, including other members of the global anti-money laundering watchdog, have

appreciated Pakistan’s “remarkable progress”.

While responding to a question as to why the country was not removed from the grey list, the minister said FATF as an organisation has been “changing” with time. “Previously it [FATF] was only concerned about technical compliance but now it also focuses on effectiveness which needs to be achieved on ground and not only on papers,” he said. “We have achieved above partial completion,” the minister added.

The minister said 75 of the 82 technical points on the overall agenda given to Pakistan have already been completed and the remaining ones are "less challenging” to overcome. The sole remaining item on financial terrorism in the FATF's original action plan would be completed in three to four months in time for the next plenary session. NeWs DesK

Pakistan seeks stable government in Afghanistan: Fawad continued from page 01 Fawad said Imran, in his interview, also recalled that the relations with the United States have been viewed from a security perspective in past. The minister assured that Pakistan was ready to play its role in easing out tensions between China and the United States. He recalled that Pakistan had also played a role in the 1970s when tensions between the United States and China were at an all-time high. He said prime minister has also expressed his optimism for better relations with India. “If our relations with India improve in the future, then Pakistan will have a geographically important position between India and China, two major trade markets. Then the world, including the United States, will not be able to ignore Pakistan,” he said.

cmYK

05

Watershed US UFO report does not rule out extraterrestrial origin WaSHington ReuteRs

A US government report on UFOs issued on Friday said defence and intelligence analysts lack sufficient data to determine the nature of mysterious flying objects observed by American military pilots including whether they are advanced earthly technologies, atmospherics or of an extraterrestrial origin. The unclassified nine-page report, released to Congress and the public, encompasses 144 observations – mostly from US Navy personnel – of what the government officially calls “unidentified aerial phenomenon,” or UAP, dating back to 2004.

Labelled a preliminary assessment, it was compiled by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in conjunction with a Navy-led task force created by the Pentagon last year. “UAP clearly pose a safety of flight issue and may pose a challenge to US national security,” the report stated, adding that the phenomena “probably lack a single explanation.” The report marked a turning point for the US government after the military spent decades deflecting, debunking and discrediting observations of unidentified flying objects and “flying saucers” dating back to the 1940s. The report includes some UAP cases that previously came to light in the Pentagon’s release of video from naval aviators showing enigmatic aircraft off the US East and West Coasts exhibiting speed and manoeuvrability exceeding known aviation technologies and lacking any visible means of propulsion or flight-control surfaces. All but one of the listed sightings – an instance attributed to a large, deflating balloon – remain unexplained, subject to further analysis, the report said. For the other 143 cases, the report found that too little data exists to conclude whether they represent some exotic aerial system developed either by a US government or commercial entity, or by a foreign power such as China or Russia. In some observations, UAP appeared to exhibit “unusual patterns or flight characteristics,” but those may stem from sensor glitches or witness misperceptions and “require additional rigorous analysis,” the report said. Analysts have yet to rule out an extraterrestrial origin, senior US officials told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity. The report’s language avoided explicit mentions of such possibilities. Asked about potential alien explanations, one of the officials said: “That’s not the purpose of the task force, to evaluate any sort of search for extraterrestrial life. … That’s not what we were charged with doing.” “Of the 144 reports we are dealing with here, we have no clear indications that there is any non-terrestrial explanation for them – but we will go wherever the data takes us,” the senior official added. NEAR MISSES: The study documented 11 UAP near-misses reported by pilots and a small number of cases in which military aircraft “processed radio frequency energy associated with UAP sightings.” Most reports also described objects that interrupted training or other US military exercises, it stated. The task force focused on phenomena witnessed first-hand by military aviators, with 80 reports involving detection by multiple sensors, the report said. Most were from the past few years. The report established five potential explanatory categories: airborne clutter, natural atmospheric phenomena, US government or American industry developmental programmes, foreign adversary systems and a catch-all “other” category.

The senior official said the findings did not provide any “clear indications” that the UAP are part of a foreign intelligence-collection programme or a major technological advancement by a potential adversary.

The government in recent years has adopted UAP as its term for what commonly are known as “unidentified flying objects,” or UFOs, long associated with the notion of alien spacecraft. US Senator Marco Rubio was instrumental in commissioning the report, ordered by Congress six months ago as part of broader intelligence legislation.

“For years, the men and women we trust to defend our country reported encounters with unidentified aircraft that had superior capabilities, and for years their concerns were often ignored and ridiculed,” Rubio said.

“This report is an important first step in cataloguing these incidents, but it is just a first step.”

Sunday, 27 June, 2021

06 COMMENT

Human security and the budget

Pakistan after troops’ drawdown

The journey continues

From major player to bystander?

W

Rafique ahmed quReShi

hAT Prime Minister Imran Khan told The NewYork Times indicates that Pakistan’s Afghan strategy has led us up a blind alley.

While Pakistan’s relations with Afghan governments have generally been problematic, it appears that the Afghan Taliban too are unwilling to listen to us after the USA announced the pull out of its troops. What one gathers from the PM’s remarks is that Pakistan can play no role in stopping the civil war other than closing borders with Afghanistan.

As the civil war rages and the Taliban advance, Pakistan will have to pay a heavy price if the situation continues to deteriorate. To start with, the number of ungoverned spaces in Afghanistan will increase. War will provide Pakistan-specific terrorist groups, currently sheltering on the other side of the border, a big opportunity to acquire lethal weapons while the chaos generated in the country would help them to launch more lethal attacks inside Pakistan. With several tribes living astride the Durand Line it would be difficult to stop Afghan asylum seekers from entering Pakistan.

After the myth of strategic depth, the myth of strategic location is also getting blown up. The question from The NewYork Times if Pakistan will continue to have any strategic relevance to the USA after the pullout, drew a blank from the PM. When asked what he meant by Pakistan seeking civilized relations with the USA, the PM said he was asking for a relationship like the one that exists between the USA and Britain, or between the USA and India. Britain is the fifth largest economy in the world while India is to overtake Britain in 2025. To have a civilized relationship with major powers, Pakistan will have to pay more attention to its economic development than anything else. Pakistan needs peace in Afghanistan for its internal stability and for the all-important transit trade with Central Asia. Pakistan has therefore to do all it can to persuade the Afghan Taliban that any government imposed by force will not be acceptable to most countries, including neighbouring states and those who have so far financed the war-ravaged Afghanistan. What’s more, unless there is a consensus on government formation it may not be possible to ensure the unity of Afghanistan which is badly riven by ethnic and sectarian divides.

B

efOre becoming Prime Minister, Imran Khan had a great vision for prioritizing human security in policy making and implementation. he has allocated a share for human security, which is an adequate sum as compared to the previous governments. National security has also been given the required attention as the lion’s share is allocated for traditional security, and another larger chunk would be invested in the development sectors The opposition alleged that this ‘budget is imposed by the IMf’, and it is linked with unjustified taxation (indirect taxation), inflation, primary deficit, and faltering subsidies for public sectors The economy was lagging in the region. The Pakistani economy has taken a V-turn under the leadership of Imran Khan. first and foremost, the government’s ehsaas programme, ‘reduction in inflation and price control and monitoring’, Kamyab jawan and Kissan Programme, and an amount of rs 155 billion for mitigation of socio-economic impacts of the covid-19 pandemic are a few initiatives for sustaining human security.

The World Bank recognized the ehsaas emergency Cash Programme as “amongst the top four social protection interventions in the world in terms of numbers of people covered.” The budget allocated for the ehsaas programmes is rs 203 billion and it covers over 15 million families. On average each of the family gets only rs 12,000, which is an unprecedented act by the government to uplift the downtrodden. But the government is encouraged to invest more in poverty mitigation. further, the government increased the minimum wage to rs 20,000. A ten percent increment in salaries and pensions are roposed in the budget.

Likewise, these following amounts the government has reserved for environmental protection (rs 436 million), food and health security (rs 12,017 and rs 28,352), education (rs 42,450), Bait-ul-Maal (rs 4,200), “Anti-rape fund” (rs 100), human rights (rs

Can Pakistan survive identity politics?

Still in the greylist

Tahaffuz Movement in the tribal areas and in parts of Baluchistan as a result of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances done by the state agencies, and protests against blasphemous acts where state could not favor the religious groups the hopes of Islamic identity were killed. The waves of protests made by ethnic groups, particularly by the Pashtuns, against the state for misuse of power, is a problem that cannot be ignored.

The groups involved in such protests not only criticized state policies, but continuously identified on the Two-Nation Theory. But the state has always themselves as Afghans, despite holding the citizenwitnessed on the one hand a clash of faith and secuSeema ejaz larism, where the state on several occasions has used ship of Pakistan. This has been witnessed in various the Islamic identity, whereas the secularist forces that demonstrations made by the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movehe world has passed through several ques- were part of the power structure and were in good re- ment. More recently, just two days ago Usman Kakar, tions that it tries to answer before shaping lations with the Western powers were not only reluc- a member of a Nationalist party and a senator of Pakits institutional structures and processes. The tant about the Islamic identity but had clearly istan, who was murdered in his home, which gave the nationalist groups another central question until the last decade of the maintained that Pakistan is threat and opportunity at 20th century was that of the economy, which a democratic country, and the same time to unite, but that Political Islam has no gave rise to capitalist or planned economies. This disthis time Baloch people too tinction of economic systems then aligned states position in the state affairs. joined hands with the PashThe idea here is that Pakistan is a This concept of an Isalong the type of economies they had adopted.

Thecomments, For feedback, tun people wholeheartedly. lamic identity was further question of economy however has not lost its context, multilingual state, and it does not The state was suggestions and, most Blamed for deteriorated when the state but events in the 21st century have posedimportantly, a new ques-tips, contact us at the killing of Usman Kakar. have an identity in the age of tion which is the forcing nations all overwhitelies@pakistantoday.com.pk the world to got in trouble with ethnic Apollo Again, the crowds raised groups such as the Baloch identity politics that could unite recognize who they really are. slogans that showed their This is related to the politics of identity. Although people and the Bengali nathe Pakistanis, as the West has criticism of the state and “I refuse to join a club that would have me as a tionalists.

On the other identity politics h as always been part of politics, more surprisingly during member.” done through its liberal norms.

If which has now become one of the most powerful hand, especially in the curthe funeral the flag of – Groucho Marx the state has rent situation, forces in contemporary international politics. Identity Pakistan has to survive the Afghanistan was raised on politics describes the way people adopt political and been witnessing a clash of the grave of the Senator. identity politics, it must work The Lahore Gymkhana doesn’t seem to be too well faith and ethnicity.

This is legal positions that might be based on ethnicity, race, The idea here is that behaved a club these days. elections to the governing upon an identity that is not so gender, religion, social background, class or any other mainly based on the idea Pakistan is a multilingual body are taking place and some of the members are that people have given away identifying factor, but in the Third World countries, religious as people are divided on state, and it does not have taking it way too seriously.

The sides seem to have identity politics is mainly underpinned by religion or their state’s Islamic identity an identity in the age of adopted American campaigning techniques, some of sectarian lines and the state and now are associating nationalism. Though the phenomenon started on the identity politics that could which have only barely been introduced in the elections left in the 1970s, it has now been driven by the right, themselves with their ethnic cannot decide upon a single unite the Pakistanis, as the to the national and provincial assemblies in Pakistan, like identity.

Conflict based on which can be witnessed in the Western world where West has done through its school of thought, not affiliated pre-recorded phone messages and short ad films. countries for the last decade had been moving to- ethnicity in Pakistan is not a liberal norms.

If Pakistan It’s also led to quite the canvassing, with the elite new phenomenon to be with a certain ethnic group in wards protectionism to protect their identity, espehas to survive the identity of former ‘biryaniUS ki platein.’ dinners, notupon, all but has existed looked cially inequivalent the case of PresidentLavish Donald majority, not so secular because politics, it must work upon of them dry.

The sort that makes the electoral college in Pakistan in the very beTrump who used to say that I am a global citizen, but an identity that is not so rewish these elections took place every year, not every that would burden the religious of course America comes first, and the issue of Brexit ginning phases of independligious as people are dithree years. ence in Baluchistan in 1947, where Britain opted for independent trade policies groups, but it should be an vided on sectarian lines and A little further away in Lahore, at the far more and even in Third World countries such as India. If continued up till this day, the state cannot decide upon identity that is inclusive and exclusive, and far less ostentatious, Punjab Club, and then, in the case of east the Western nations protected the liberal norms and a single school of thought, elections are an extremely low key affair.

This is a should provide equal values as the main components of their identity, it Pakistan, led to separation in not affiliated with a certain gentlemens’ club, good sirs, we don’t have that sort of 1971.

This somehow proved would be easy for them to unite themselves based on representation for all religious, ethnic group in majority, thing here.

Apparently, simple canvassing is also not a broad identity. So, until or unless the slogans in the that ethnic groups are not not so secular because that allowedrace there. ethnic, and political groups form of gender, or religion which are now on the safe in the type of constituwould burden the religious rise, do not supersede liberal values, identity politics tional and power structure, * * * * * * * * * groups, but it should be an or at least the deliberate acmay be counted as a blessing for the West. This polidentity that is inclusive and MAjOr General Baburitself Iftikhar even taken tions,over Pakistan has. itics of identity has not limited to thehasn’t Western should provide equal repreyet as the military’s spindoctor-in-chief and a slew of As soon as the current democracies but is now also taking hold in the Third sentation for all religious, ethnic, and political groups. fake accounts beenoutlook createdthough. in his name. Presumably Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan took office World countries with a have different This could be made possible by convincing all the by the same smart alec online trolls that were the bane of in 2018, he manipulated the argument and talked In a country like Pakistan identity politics is groups, if possible, to compromise on certain aspects his predecessor.

Thethe infantryman willa realise abouthis a state where state affairs would be conducted problematic in the sense that state is lacking col- what artilleryman predecessor that in they didn’tto Islam. A trend of using religion got a of their identity. Otherwise, the state might go according lective identity.

One can hardly seelearnt: any state thiscertainly prepare for this sort So, of stuff at Kakul. world, which is you not multiethnic.

Pakistan is no boost in framing situations and in identifying its en- through some very disturbing phases of sectarian and exception. Although Pakistani ruling elites have al- emies, especially India. Thus, Pakistanis once again ethnic conflicts and ultimately divisions. ways associated themselves with an Islamic identity were to be bound by an Islamic identity. But with the The writer is freelance columnist that comes from the independence of Pakistan based rise of Nationalist movements such as the Pashtun

The government has to realign its priorities

f

OreIGN Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that there is “no room” to continue keeping Pakistan on the financial Action Task forcesor 's (fATf) greylist despite knowing full well that the country has been able to satisfy 26 out of 27 of its action plan points. Therefore, room for exactly one condition to keep Pakistan on the greylist exists. The fM alleges that the fATf is being “used for political purposes” with some powers having a desire to keep Pakistan in the greylist. This may be true to an extent, but there is a limit to the damage countries like India can do as full-fledged members of the fATf while Pakistan has support from allies like Turkey and China, both of whom are prominent members as well.

While there is no doubt that Pakistan has come a long way since it was first placed on the greylist three years ago by passing legislation to curb terror financing and money laundering, it still remains unable to effectively implement the fATf’s standards. One major challenge is the unavailability of competent people in law enforcement agencies to investigate, prosecute and seize ill-gotten money that is used to finance terror. A lack of training and funding is one problem while rampant corruption, political inference and an excruciatingly slow-moving judicial system is another.

The final condition that remains to be met, that of taking meaningful legal action against leaders of UNdesignated terror groups, around 1373 individuals, is difficult to achieve with these inherent deficiencies in the system. Comments made by PM’s Advisor on Accountability & Interior Shahzad Akbar, stating that Pakistan remains in the greylist due to ‘Shehbaz Sharif’s money laundering’, a case which seems to be politically motivated and where allegations are yet to be proven, is an irresponsible and ludicrous statement that takes away from the seriousness of the matter at hand.

Six more deliverables have now been added to the last remaining objective, making the task of getting off the greylist more difficult. The government continues to focus all its energy on putting as many of its political opponents behind bars as fast as it can, while legal action against terrorists remains subdued at best. If this remains the case, getting back on that coveted whitelist will be close to impossible.

The rhetoric of identity in a multilingual, multi-ethnic Pakistan

T

whiteLieS

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Yousaf Nizami Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad Managing Editor

Joint Editor

Umar Aziz Executive Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

279), research, and for poverty alleviation and social can get rs 150,000 interest-free loan for farms and safety (rs 599). As an illustration, the government al- rs 200,000 for leasing tractors and other farm-related located 2.135 trillion for the Public Sector Develop- equipment. These measures not only empower the ment Programme, which was increased by 37 percent poor segment of society but also end poverty slowly and gradually. According to the Prime Minister that as compared to previous year.

On the other hand, Imran Khan’s role for envi- the aim is to create jobs and houses for the poor. And ronmental rehabilitation is commendable. When his the finance Minister says that the salaried class is exparty made the government in KP, he initiated the Bil- empted from new taxes on one hand. On the other lion Tree Tsunami for green Pakistan. Thus, now the hand, federal excise duty is reduced from 17 percent central government under his leadership is investing to 16 percent in fY22.

Unfortunately, Pakistan spends the lowest in the more and more in the environment. According to the region as far as education Climate risk Index, Pakistan and health are concerned. is one of the most affected Unlike Pakistan, India and countries in the world. Apart Bangladesh invest more on from environmental security, health and education. Indian the government is also, someThe PTI government has been ‘union budget’ is declared as how, prioritizing other asinvesting more and more on a paradigm shift because it pects of human security. has invested more on educaSimilarly, increasing subhuman security in the form of tion and health. India has alsidization for the public secEhsaas programmes, subsidies located Ind rs 350,000 tor is bliss for the poor. The government has increased for public sectors, and interest- million for the covid-19 vacBy contrast, Pakpublic sector subsidies from free loans for farmers and people cination. istan allocated rs 5000 rs 209,000 million to rs 682,000 million. These subsiwho are interested in having their million for covid-19 and other natural calamities. dies are reserved for fuel: natown businesses. Additionally, In a nutshell, the PTI ural gas and furnace oil.

Despite the fact, oil and gas Imran Khan’s ecosystem-friendly government has been investmore and more on prices are expected to inpolicies, Ten Billion Tree Tsunami ing human security in the form crease by 260 percent during Programme, are crucial to of ehsaas programmes, subfiscal Year 2021-22. This insidies for public sectors, and crement in prices would ultidiscuss.

He has enhanced interest-free loans for farmmately bring a storm of education budget from Rs 29 ers and people who are ininflation in the country. Prices of all commodities are di- billion to 42 billion rupees in FY22 terested in having their own businesses. Additionally, rectly linked to the fuel price.

Imran Khan’s ecosystemIf it goes up, basic commodifriendly policies, Ten Bilties’ prices would surely inlion Tree Tsunami crease. The finance Minister said that the government wants to keep the inflation Programme, are crucial to discuss. he has enhanced rate at 8.2 percent for fY22, which is higher than that education budget from rs 29 billion to 42 billion rupees in fY22. of the previous year, 6.5 percent.

Additionally, the government would provide inThe author is currently serving as Director Genterest-free loans for establishing businesses. People can take rs 500,000 interest-free loans for businesses eral of The Human Security Institute and CEO of and rs 2 million for house-loans. Meanwhile, farmers ZEKAB Int.

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Sunday, 27 June, 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

Importance of IT

Dreams taking shape

their voice taken away.

But things cannot remain static for long.

These must change – and they are. Through malgovernance spread over decades, Pakistan had lost much of its vibrancy and exuberance. It had struggled with an excess of corruption resulting in depletion of both its assets and its promise. Its is not there while others don’t see it even when wings were clipped and the body lost its agility. it is all around them? Why is it that the ill that It was reduced to a mass of sufferance. With the they may be enveloped in does not appear to be promise of change also came a change of apso to them? And why is it that they are even will- proach. People are no longer content accepting ing to put their faith in the goodness of things in their fate as dictated by those who have been the spite of the immense hurt those may have caused cause of their multifaceted deprivations. They them? These are strange things generating have renewed energy driving them to raise their strange feelings. voice for their rights – and they are.

But one also understands why it is so.

Much of the freedom that they have today Through decades, these people have been forced has come through the mass awareness created to live in the company of a host of belittlements by Prime Minister Khan’s political struggle. he and ignominies without even the freedom to stoked the rebellious streak in people who had speak because that would be construed as rebel- been reduced to listless existence for fear of lion against the interests of the ruling elite who reprisals. It is khan who drove that fear out of had usurped their rights to advance their per- their minds and sensitised them to their rights sonal interests and those of their hierarchical as- and gave them the courage to demand them. sociates. This pain has travelled through This is what has changed the equation for a new generations, only increasing in intensity with the contract which is taking shape. But the old one passage of time. So, for the sake of sheer con- has been thrown out and is no longer relevant. venience, this pain is espoused as normal to live A thief is being called a thief. Looters and with. It is as if it is their eternal companion. This plunderers are known by those names. Usurpers is not how societies progress and prosper. This are being recognised as such. There is no fear is not how societies become sustainable entities among people and there is no restraining them driving the course of history. any further in demanding what actually belongs But nothing stays static for long. Change is to them. Times have inevitable without changed and they conwhich life would wither tinue to change further away. In spite of the with every passing day. fear that bulk of the A new spirit and a new people live with, there resolve dictate the fate is a heart within them The credit for this change rests of these people, not pumping good tidings. hereditary subwith Prime Minister Imran Khan their This is what stirs them servience before the out of slumber and mopowerful. It is not the who cultivated among people tivates them to chase might of an empire of their innocent and times bygone that dicthe courage and confidence to harmless ambitions. tates their fate. It is their This is when the society stand up for their rights. He is right to demand that is actually begins to take changing the culture. It the one who drove the fear out is no longer the past shape and character – around the dreams and times stamping the fuof their minds and gave them desires of its impoverture. It is the new-found ished and marginalised human courage and the daring and grit to walk out communities. This is confidence which are what helps them cast in the front to demand what bringing about an irreoff the innate fear and versible change in the injects in them the they have been criminally way things are shaping courage to stand up and deprived of. This is the making up. The credit for this fight for their inalienable rights. change rests with Prime of a vibrant society that is alive Minister In spite of much deImran Khan spondency that we have who cultivated among to its fate.

“Absolutely not” is a been accustomed to in people the courage and the past years, I strongly key stage of freeing it of the confidence to stand up believe that we are now for their rights. he is shackles that it has been passing through times the one who drove the of change driven by the fear out of their minds wearing through decades. It is and gave indomitable spirit and them the darresolve of the people. ing and grit to walk out time to cast off all residual They are no longer conin the front to demand tent with what has been semblances of subservience what they have been their bounty through the criminally deprived of. and rise to attain a destiny years of a miserly life This is the making of a they have lived. They vibrant society that is which awaits the brave want it better with rights alive to its fate. “Abthat would be on a par solutely not” is a key with those enjoyed by stage of freeing it of the the ruling elite who shackles that it has been have kept them hostage wearing through within the containment of promises made, but decades. It is time to cast off all residual semnever delivered. While the ones exploiting the blances of subservience and rise to attain a descudgels of manipulation prospered with balloon- tiny which awaits the brave. ing coffers, the impoverished communities lost even their right to two measly meals a day. InThe writer is a political and security stratestead of realising their dreams and desires, gist, and heads the Regional Peace Institute – hunger stalked them as they looked hauntingly at an Islamabad-based think tank. Email: the promise of a future repeatedly disintegrate in raoofhasan@hotmail.com.

Twitter: front of them while their hands remained tied and @RaoofHasan

Rising to attain the destiny that awaits the brave

Candid Corner Raoof haSan “In the vacant places We will build with new bricks There are hands and machines And clay for new brick And lime for new mortar Where the bricks are fallen We will build with new stone Where the beams are rotten We will build with new timbers Where the word is unspoken We will build with new speech.”

–T. S. Eliot

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heNeVer I read these lines, and that is quite often, I am reminded of a place in a state of utter disrepair reverberating with these voices of workmen chanting about toiling together. And the mind races to what we have become accustomed to seeing in our own midst where those who have indulged in merciless pillage of all structures and assets are the ones purporting to be the saints and saviours. And I continue to hear these voices soaked in pain and anguish, yet singing their song of hope.

It generates a strange feeling. There are innumerable people in our surroundings who have been systematically deprived of their rights through a vile and wicked mechanism perpetrated over decades. There is pretty little that they can look forward to in their future, and those who shall take their name hence. But they don’t lose hope. As a matter of fact, the more they are bludgeoned, the more resolute their spirit becomes in coping with adversities. It is a strange phenomenon which is difficult to understand through a process of exercising logic and reason. It appears that they are imbued with ceaseless optimism that is nurtured within their beings and there is a celestial presence somewhere which they pursue by way of continuing to regenerate their belief in the goodness of things to come.

It may be just as well that one does not quite comprehend what is the motivating power driving their faith. But one understands the ordeal that they have been subjected to without a care which has left behind indelible marks of suffering they have to deal with in their endeavour to survive another day, and then another. This is the cycle of life for them which comes laden with the burden of more to do in a desperate struggle to continue living. In the process, they are reduced to a skeleton of a presence that casts a chill. As T. S. eliot said, “I remember, those are pearls that were his eyes”.

One wonders why is it that there are people who see ill in everything they encounter when it

PrIMe MINISTer Imran Khan here friday said the government was working for the promotion of technical education and information technology to ensure sustainable economic growth which would ultimately help generate more jobs and empower country’s youth. Addressing the inauguration function of new block at Malakand University, the Prime Minister said developed nations’ success was attributed to their priorities they accorded to quality education, research and knowledge based economy and that is why his government was investing on human resource development for rapid economic growth and generate more employment opportunities. he said NUML University was providing quality education to thousands of aspiring students and hoped it would soon become on a par with the Oxford University. Al Qadir University would be completed by this September and it would also become a hub of quality education and research works, he added. The Prime Minister said the country’s wealth had been stolen for the past 30 years and its plunderers had either taken shelter in hospitals or fled away abroad to escape accountability. happiness, he remarked, could only be achieved by following the right path and serving people with dedication and commitment. The Prime Minister said there was no short cut in life for achieving goals and all objectives could be achieved through hard work and professionalism, adding aimless life destroyed potential of individuals. Imran Khan said Pakistan possessed all the potential to become a developed country and great responsibility lied on the educational institutions by bringing intellectual revolution among students as per Quaid e Azam and Allama Iqbal’s vision. he said when his government took over the country’s reigns it was facing massive loans’ burden and bank default and national kitty was almost empty. With the support of friendly countries and his government’s strong economic policies, he said, the country was now heading towards a right direction of economic stability and prosperity. The country, prime minister said had come out of difficult economic situation now and his government had returned a record rs6.2 trillions interest loans during last two and a half years, whereas, PMLN could only repay rs3 trillions during the same period. In comparison, his government had returned rs35 trillion as repayment and loans interests whereas PMLN had paid back only rs20 trillions, he informed. The Prime Minister said the government was focusing on mega development projects to generate economic and financial resources. In addition to two mega projects of Bhasha and Mohmand dams to meet energy needs, ravi and Business Cities were also being established in Lahore with potential to generate rs6000 billion revenue and promote economic activities, he added.

Priority, he said was being given to the construction industry keeping in view its enormous potential to generate employment opportunities, besides providing low-cost housing to poor, labourers, farmers and have-nots.

Thirty industries would be directly benefited from the promotion of construction industry in Pakistan, he added.

AhmAd JunAid iSlAmAbAd

Education and development eDUCATION is the backbone for the development of any nation in the history We can take example from few successful countries like japan, russia, China, Amrica, france, and United Kingdom. These Nations are successful because they had worked for the betterment of education.

They worked hard & by the striving day and night for the betterment of education. They were successful due to their education system as well as great efforts of their scholars, in the history japan is the example for those countries, Who want to develop their country with the help of education. history is witnessing that japan become destroyed in the past decades but they didn’t lose their courage and they demanded to other countries that they don’t want to their food and shelter, The only one thing they want that was a good teacher’s from the countries. They want good teachers for the development of their own country and they had Proved in the world that nation developed by the power of education & good teacher. In the world those nations were successful which were worked for the education. I want to share here one famous quote that, “If you want to destroy any nation then deprived them from education as a result they will fight with each other and then they will automatically destroy thereself”. We can learn a lot of lesson from that quotation which is regarding the importance of education so education is a change agent for the every country in the world.

SAffdAr Ali ChAnnA lArkAnA

US withdrawal from Afghanistan PreSIDeNT Trump while in office announced that he will withdraw US forces from Afghanistan as soon as possible. his special envoy to the region, Mr. Zami Khalizad started preparing grounds for the US forces to leave Afghanistan. he met with the Pakistani leadership to seek their help and facilitation in the talks with the Taliban. The US had realized that without involving Pakistan, it would be impossible to get out of the quagmire they were in. The back and forth meetings between the Taliban leadership, the fM of Pakistan, and the US envoy started rolling and they finally met in Doha, Qatar to strike a deal that would ensure the peaceful withdrawal of the US forces from Afghanistan. This deal and the announcement by the US were welcomed by everyone except a few who have selfish motives associated with the presence of the US and the lack of peace in the region. Unfortunately, last week the newly elected president of the US, Mr. joe Biden said that it might be difficult to withdraw all the forces from Afghanistan by the mutually agreed date of May 01, 2021. While this would make those happy who benefit from the conflict in this region, the rest of the world has reacted strongly to this assertion by the US president. There have been severe reactions from russia and China and the Taliban spokesperson has announced that if the US does not honor its commitment to leave Afghanistan, peace cannot be guaranteed. This development is worrisome for the entire world but more so for Pakistan as it suffers directly and immensely from the conflict in Afghanistan. I wonder if the US, the self-proclaimed leader of the free world, is indeed serious in peace around the world. It seems the US leadership is willing to put peace at stake to preserve self-image and political rhetoric at home. rAJA ShAfATullAh iSlAmAbAd

Sunday, 27 June, 2021

08 WORLD VIEW

The siTuaTion in afghanisTan is much worse Than you realise THE US MILITARY IS DOWNPLAYING THE TALIBAN’S GAINS, AND THE US AND UN ARE PRETENDING THERE IS A VIABLE PEACE PROCESS

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thomas Joscelyn

UST two weeks after President Biden announced on April 14 his decision to withdraw all American forces from Afghanistan by September 11, the Taliban launched a massive offensive. Since May 1, the jihadists have captured a large swath of the country, laying the groundwork for the resurrection of their Islamic emirate. America and its allies have remained mostly indifferent—retreating from the battlefield as the jihadists advance. This is what a lost war looks like. here are four takeaways from recent events.

The U.S. military is downplaying the Taliban’s gains.

While testifying before the house Armed Services Committee this week, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley tried to downplay the Taliban’s gains. “There's 81 district centers that are currently, we think, are underneath Taliban control. That's out of 419 district centers,” Milley claimed. “There's no provincial capital that is underneath Taliban control, and there’s 34 of those.”

Milley went on to argue that “60 percent of the 81 [district centers] were seized last year, and the others since the last two months or so.” he then went on to say that while the U.S. is “concerned,” there are enough Afghan forces “to defend their country.”

There are several problems with Milley’s figures. First, he claimed that 31 or 32 districts fell to the Taliban in the past “two months or so,” but that’s a very low estimate.

That was an accurate figure in mid-June, but

was no longer the right figure when Milley testified on June 23, as the Taliban continued its offensive.

The U.N. reported on June 22 that more than 50 districts have come under Taliban control since the beginning of May—and that was before the Taliban won even more ground in the past 72 hours. My colleague Bill Roggio, who follows this more closely than anyone, thinks that the Taliban has actually conquered 60 to 70 or more districts since May 1. Roggio’s figures are buttressed by reporting from the Afghan media, which has documented far more districts falling than Milley let on. To give you some perspective on the importance of the Taliban’s gains, Roggio likens an Afghan district to an American county in terms of land mass.

Second, Roggio estimates that the Taliban now controls more than 140 districts— 60 or so more than Milley claimed before Congress. It is often difficult to discern when the jihadists have full control of a district. even so, the majority of Afghanistan’s districts are, at a minimum, outside of Kabul’s control. Roggio also estimates that more than 170 districts are contested. That is in addition to the 140 or so he thinks are controlled by the Taliban, meaning three-quarters of the country is now outside of Kabul’s control. Milley did not inform Congress of this dire situation.

Third, while it is true that no provincial capitals have yet fallen to the Taliban, it is only a matter of time. The Taliban’s fighters have encircled multiple provincial capitals, deliberately waiting for U.S. and NATO forces to fully withdraw from the country before seizing at least some of them. To give just two examples from recent days, Taliban fighters have made incursions into Kunduz and are on the outskirts of Mazar-i-Sharif, two of Afghanistan’s 34 provincial capitals.

Many more provincial capitals are surrounded.

The truth is that the U.S. military has attempted to downplay the Taliban’s battle-

field gains for years. This is part of the American failure. In October 2018, the U.S. military stopped relying on estimates of the number of Taliban controlled and contested districts, arguing that such figures are “of limited decision-making value” to leaders and all that mattered was progress toward a “political settlement.” In reality, the U.S. military didn’t want to admit that the Taliban was slowly gaining ground at the time. And now the jihadists are taking territory at a rapid pace.

Much of the offensive is taking place in the north, far from the Taliban’s traditional strongholds, but in locations where alQaeda-affiliated groups are known to operate.

The Taliban’s home turf is in southern and eastern Afghanistan. But over time, the group has become stronger elsewhere throughout the country. This is due, in no small part, to al-Qaeda’s efforts.

Many of the districts that have fallen to the jihadis in recent weeks are located in Afghan provinces such as Balkh, Kunduz, Takhar and Badakhshan. These northern provinces border the Central Asian countries of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

The Taliban’s fighters even seized the border crossing with Tajikistan, forcing 134 Afghan soldiers to flee into the neighboring country.

Naturally, the Taliban’s ranks in these areas include jihadists from the Central Asian states. In fact, al-Qaeda has groomed Central Asian fighters since the 1990s and it is likely that those efforts are now bearing fruit. The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) was one of the first Central Asian jihadist groups to work closely with al-Qaeda and the Taliban. It splintered several years ago, after its leadership defected to the Islamic State (ISIS), thereby provoking a crackdown by the Taliban. But other alQaeda-linked organizations that split off from the IMU, such as the Islamic Jihad Union (IJU) and Ansarullah (which is comprised mainly of Tajiks), continue to fight on.

In addition, the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP), a predominately Uighur organization, is also known to train and fight in northern Afghanistan.

These al-Qaeda-affiliated outfits fight under the Taliban’s banner, so they advertise their role in the war only on occasion.

Still, there is ample evidence pointing to their participation in the Taliban’s jihad.

Their presence in the Taliban’s campaign became obvious after President Obama withdrew the vast majority of U.S. forces by the end of 2014. Months later, in the spring of 2015, the Taliban opened a major offensive across the north. That campaign was a harbinger of the current offensive and the role of the aforementioned al-Qaeda-affiliated Central Asian groups was well-documented at the time. It’s a safe bet they are still on the frontlines today.

One of the many analytic failures of the Afghan War involves these very same Central Asian jihadist groups. It’s well-known that they are part of al-Qaeda’s network and that they fight for the Taliban, but the U.S. and its allies never developed a working model to explain how they fit into al-Qaeda’s overall organization scheme. So, as U.S. officials repeatedly downplayed al-Qaeda’s presence in Afghanistan, they ignored that these Central Asian groups were growing and didn’t factor them into the assessments of al-Qaeda’s total strength. This was true even though, for example, Uzbeks are known to be part of al-Qaeda’s international facilitation network and the leader of the TIP was drawing a salary from Osama bin Laden’s personnel budget.

Incredibly, American officials still can’t really explain how these Central Asian jihadists fit into al-Qaeda’s organization.

The Taliban’s deputy emir, Sirajuddin haqqani, has issued orders regarding captured spoils and governance under the Islamic emirate.

The Taliban is preparing its men to rule.

On June 24, the Taliban’s deputy emir, Sira-

juddin haqqani, released the latest in a series of instructions to his men. haqqani, a U.S.and U.N.-designated terrorist, trumpeted his organization’s “continuous series of conquests,” instructing the Taliban’s “district and provincial governors” to “pay attention” to the orders coming down the chain of command. The Taliban leader told his fighters that they shouldn’t be “cruel” or “arrogant” in their moment of triumph. “Good governance is the need of the hour and must be taken into account by our colleagues. To compensate even a small mistake is a tall order.” haqqani does not speak like the internationally wanted terrorist that he is. Instead, he speaks authoritatively—like the head of a nation—the Islamic emirate of Afghanistan. This is yet another indication of the American failure.

U.S. and U.N. officials are still pretending there is a “peace process” and there is a possibility that the Taliban may be willing to agree to a political settlement with Kabul.

The Taliban isn’t interested in peace. At all. The Taliban and its al-Qaeda allies went on the offensive immediately after the U.S. signed a withdrawal agreement with the group on Feb. 29, 2020. The jihadists have launched multiple offensives since then, including the most recent one. Yet, U.S. and U.N. officials continue to pretend that there is some sort of “peace process.” This is delusional.

"We are looking very carefully at the security on the ground in Afghanistan and we're also looking very hard at whether the Taliban is, at all, serious about a peaceful resolution of the conflict," Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told reporters on Friday.

“There is only one acceptable direction for Afghanistan—one acceptable direction—away from the battlefield and back to the negotiating table,” said Deborah Lyons, the U.N. secretary-general’s special representative for Afghanistan, on June 22. But one doesn’t need to look “very hard” to discern the Taliban’s intentions. The jihadists are willing to extract more concessions at the negotiating table, without giving anything up. But they very much plan to win on the battlefield—and in recent weeks, they’ve done just that.

The Afghan government is scrambling to hold on. A delegation led by President Ashraf Ghani visited Washington this week as part of a last-ditch effort to convince President Biden that a full withdrawal of American forces will lead to further jihadist victories.

It is unlikely that President Biden will be swayed. Like his predecessor, Biden decries America’s “endless wars” and is largely unconcerned by the terrorists’ endless jihad.

The foreign policy crisis on Joe Biden's doorstep THE WITHDRAWAL OF ALL US TROOPS MEANS THAT AMERICA'S NATO ALLIES IN AFGHANISTAN ARE ALSO PULLING THE PLUG

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Peter Bergen

he meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chairman of Afghanistan's high Council for National Reconciliation Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, comes after a report by the US Congressional Research Service released earlier this month that concluded, "By many measures, the Taliban are in a stronger military position now than at any point since 2001."

In the past days, the Taliban have launched a major offensive in northern Afghanistan far from their traditional strongholds in the south and east of the country. habiba Sarabi, an Afghan government negotiator engaging in talks with the Taliban, told CNN, "With the imminent removal of all United States forces in just a few weeks, the Taliban are moving rapidly, resulting in a swift deterioration in the security environment. We were caught off guard by the scale and scope of setbacks in the north."

The United States has contributed to the deteriorating security situation by consistently saying for more than a decade that it is leaving Afghanistan, which has under-

mined the Afghan government and strengthened the resolve of the Taliban who have won at the negotiating table from the Americans what they failed to win on the battlefield.

Without swift action by the Biden administration we could see in Afghanistan a remix of the disastrous US pullout from Saigon in 1975 and the summer of 2014 in Iraq when ISIS took over much of the country following the US pullout from the country three years earlier. That withdrawal was negotiated by then-vice president Biden.

The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based think tank, assesses that the Taliban now control 25 per cent of the Afghan population, while the government controls 40 per cent of the population, and just over a third of Afghans live in regions that are contested between the Taliban and the government The Taliban have seized 50 of the country's 370 districts since May, according to the United Nations.

The premise of the many years of USTaliban negotiations has been that the United States will draw down militarily in exchange for the Taliban severing relations with al-Qaeda -- the terrorist organization it harbored at the time of the planning and execution of the terrorist attacks against the US on September 11, 2001.

This has been, to put it charitably, a charade, according to the United Nations, which reported just this month that the two groups remain "closely aligned and show no signs of breaking ties." The UN report notes that Taliban-al Qaeda ties have actually "grown deeper."

Meanwhile, US presidents going back to Barack Obama have consistently said

the United States is leaving Afghanistan, but in the end, Obama left 8,400 troops when he completed his second term. Donald Trump also wanted to go to zero, but he left at least 2,500 soldiers.

In both the case of Obama and Trump, the Pentagon made the case that leaving a relatively small number of troops in Afghanistan acted as an insurance policy to prevent the Taliban taking over much of the country.

Now comes Biden, who has promised to go to zero troops by the 20th anniversary of 9/11; a more inappropriate end-date for the US presence would be hard to conjure.

The withdrawal of all US troops means that America's NATO allies in Afghanistan are also pulling the plug. There were 7,000 allied troops in the country when Biden announced he was going to zero, but now they are also all heading for the exits.

After Biden's announcement, the Australians decided to close their embassy in Kabul. Other countries will likely follow.

The Biden administration has said that some six thousand American contractors will have to leave Afghanistan as well.

This move completely undercuts the Afghan Air Force, which has capable pilots but relies on American contractors to service the complex helicopters and aircraft it has been given by the US government.

Without those contractors the Afghan Air Force will be effectively grounded and the Afghan government would lose a key military advantage over the Taliban.

The US is also leaving in the lurch the many thousands of Afghans who have helped the US military. The nonprofit, No One Left Behind, has documented more than 300 cases since 2014 in which Afghans who had worked with the US mil-

itary or their family members were killed by militant groups in Afghanistan. eighteen thousand Afghans who have worked with the US military are now seeking visas to leave Afghanistan for the United States as they quite reasonably fear for their lives, but these visas are generally taking many years to process. They also don't account for a further 53,000 of their family members who are also trying to flee the wrath of the Taliban.

All this comes at a time when the Biden administration is admitting the lowest number of refugees in American history, even fewer than Trump, according to a report by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) that was released in April.

The IRC found that the Biden administration will likely admit only around 4,000 refugees from around the entire world this fiscal year.

And, of course, all the hard-won gains made by women and minorities in Afghanistan over the past two decades now stand to be lost.

The hazaras, a long-discriminated against minority in Afghanistan because of their Shia religion, make up around 15 per cent of the population. They were massacred by Taliban forces before 9/11, according to human Rights Watch. The Taliban, which is largely made up of the Pashtun ethnic group, continue to attack hazaras, as does the local branch of ISIS. hazaras are now arming themselves in anticipation of a return to the ethnic civil war that wracked Afghanistan in the mid1990s.

Afghan women are understandably frightened that as the Taliban assert their power they will lose their rights to work and to be educated.

So how might anything be salvaged from this mess?

First, American contractors who are willing to stay in Afghanistan to service the planes and helicopters of the Afghan air force should be allowed to stay. Those contractors could be secured by elite Afghan commando forces.

Second, Afghans who have helped the US military must have their visas processed expeditiously, even if it means doing so in neighboring countries such as Pakistan. And if the visas can't be issued in a timely fashion, the US government should have a plan to evacuate the thousands of Afghans whose lives may be at risk. (Biden promised on Thursday that those who aided US troops and diplomats "are not going to be left behind" and are "welcome here just like anyone else who risked their lives to help us.")

Third, Turkish troops must be allowed to continue to maintain security at Kabul airport. Turkey has long secured the key airport as part of its NATO duties and without security forces at the airport the United States and other nations will likely have to end their diplomatic presence as will international aid organizations, which would be in no one's interests, including the Taliban who understand how dependent Afghanistan is on international support.

Fourth, the United States should make clear to the Taliban that it will intervene militarily in Afghanistan using airstrikes if the Taliban don't sustain their agreements to sever ties with al-Qaeda and engage in genuine peace negotiations with the Afghan government.

Peter Bergen is CNN's national security analyst, a vice president at New America and a professor of practice at Arizona State University. He is author of the forthcoming book "The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden." The views expressed here are his own. Read more opinion at CNN.

Sunday, 27 June, 2021

BUSINESS 09

LAHORE

WB To pRovide $442.4mn foR soCial infRasTRuCTuRe uplifT in punjaB ISLAMABAD

Gold snaps weekly losing streak to reach Rs90,200 per 10gm ISLAMABAD NEWS DESK

Gold prices gained 0.97 percent this week due to weakening US dollar and 10-year Treasury yields, making it the first weekly gain in four weeks. Gold in the international market closed at $1,782.30 an ounce after gaining $17.20 in its value as compared to its closing value in the preceding week that was 1765.10.

Meanwhile, the price of 10 grams of yellow metal in Pakistan decreased to Rs90,200 at the weekend. As the international gold market closes late as compared to the local market, closing rates are adjusted on the next day in the local market. According to analysts, gold is picking up the bid tone in European trading, taking advantage of the retreat in the US Treasury yield and the dollar across the curve. The risk-off action in the European equities, amid rising concerns over the rapid spread of the Delta plus Covid strain, lifts gold’s safe-haven appeal. Despite the rebound, gold’s upside appears capped around $1794 ahead of the US PCE Inflation data, which shed more light on the inflation picture and the Fed’s next policy move. The same favours gold prices due to its riskbarometer status. Among the key risk catalysts, US stimulus and trade headlines were the major favour to the market sentiment.

Tesla 'recalls' vehicles in China for online software update

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HE World Bank has signed a financing agreement with the federal government to provide $442.4 million for uplift of social infrastructure in the rural areas of Punjab. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and the World Bank signed the financing agreement of “Punjab Rural Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation Project,” worth US$ 442.4 million, in Islamabad on Saturday, according to a press statement.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Economic Affairs Omar Ayub Khan appreciated the World Bank’s efforts by highlighting that this is a signature project which reflects the vision of the prime minister to invest in human capital and improve the living standard of the people.

The minister further stated that the event is a reflection of continued confidence by the international financial institutions (IFIs) on the government’s policies, economic reforms and people-centred programmes. He reiterated the commitment of the federal government to extend all possible support to the provincial governments in their efforts to invest in human capital by addressing challenges to health & education, building resilience, improving service delivery and promoting economic opportunities to ensure inclusive and sustainable economic growth in the country.

Country Director World Bank, Najy Benhassine ensured the World Bank’s continued financial and technical support to the government in achieving the priority development objectives and to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth in the country.

Secretary EAD Noor Ahmed thanked the World Bank country team for extending their continuous support to the government to help achieve sustainable economic development in Pakistan.

This project aims to provide equitable and sustainable access to clean drinking water; improve sanita-

tion; and reduce child stunting in Punjab. The project interventions will cover 2,000 villages including 2,000 main settlements and 8,000 small settlements in 16 districts of Punjab that are the poorest and have the worst social infrastructure and stunting issues.

In line with the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan to ensure equitable and inclusive socio-economic opportunities, eight districts from South Punjab i.e. Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, DG Khan, Lodhran, Multan, Muzaffargarh, Rahim Yar Khan and Rajanpur are included in the project.

Furthermore, eight other districts from Central and North Punjab–Bhakkar, Chakwal, Chiniot, Jhang, Khushab, Mianwali, Pakpattan and Sarghodha–are also included after due diligence. The project will di-

rectly impact the life of common man and create employment opportunities in the rural areas.

The government will invest in social infrastructure and improve service delivery to provide potable water through cost-effective & sustainable investments, safely managed sanitation facilities to reduce the total faecal burden in the village environment and raise awareness and promote behaviour change for better hygiene practices at the household & community level to promote health and ensure the sustainability and quality of the water source.

The project interventions will directly benefit six million rural people of Punjab and will support in reducing the incidence of stunting among children aged 0-3 (40 percent) in Punjab.

Tarar vows to play role for enhancing trade with Netherlands

BEIJING REutERS

Chinese regulators said on Saturday Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Inc would 'recall' nearly 300,000 China-made and imported Model 3 and Model Y cars for an online software update related to assisted driving, with owners not required to return their vehicles. The State Administration for Market Regulation said on its website that the move is linked to an assisted driving function in the electric cars, which can currently be activated by drivers accidentally, causing sudden acceleration. The remote online software 'recall' - a first for Tesla cars built in China - covers 249,855 China-made Model 3 and Model Y cars, and 35,665 imported Model 3 sedans.

Tesla, now making Model 3 sedans and Model Y sportutility vehicles in Shanghai, sold 33,463 China-made electric cars in May, according to industry data.

ISLAMABAD tLtP

Newly appointed Ambassador of Pakistan to Netherlands Suljuk Mustansar Tarar has said that the government is focusing on trade diplomacy and he would play a role in cooperation with the private sector to promote bilateral trade between Islamabad and Amsterdam.

Tarar expressed these views while interacting with the business community during his visit to Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI), said a statement issued on Saturday.

He said that though it is still uncertain how the European economies, including Netherlands, would shape up after Covid-19 pandemic, his focus would be to diversify Pakistan’s trade

Bitcoin falls to $30,739 as cryptos plunge ISLAMABAD tLtP

The prices of major cryptocurrencies plunged on Saturday, with the capitalisation of the crypto market decreasing by 6.01 percent to reach $1.28 trillion as of 14:00 GMT. The price of Bitcoin (BTC), the largest cryptocurrency, slipped to $30,739 after shedding 6.97 percent. With this decrease in price, the market capitalisation of the BTC has reached $576 billion.

Likewise, ethereum (ETH) price shed 6.45 percent to reach $1,736. With this decrease in price, the market capitalisation of ETH has reached $202 billion.

Similarly, XRP shed 7.45 percent to reach $0.593. The market capitalisation of XRP stands at $59.3 billion after this decrease.

On the other hand, Cardano (ADA) price

reached $1.22 with a 7.14 percent gain in its price. Its market capitalisation has reached $39.1 billion with this decrease.

Similarly, Dogecoin (Doge) shed 8.35 percent to reach $0.236. With this decrease in price, the market capitalisation of Doge reached $30.6 billion.

On Friday, reports emerged of the disappearance of billions of dollars worth of Bitcoin from Africrypt, a South African-based cryptocurrency-based investment firm. A law firm representing the company's investors said about 69,000 ($3.6bn) of Bitcoin had gone missing, alongside Ameer and Raees Cajee, the founders of the company.

Hanekom Attorneys said the brothers running the company had written to clients on April 13, saying that their systems had been hacked, and that client accounts and client wallets had been "compromised". The letter also said Africrypt had halted opera-

tions. Cape Town-based law firm Hanekom Attorneys said the brothers had vanished. It has been employed by investors and has reported the case to the police.

“We were immediately suspicious as the announcement implored investors not to take legal action,” the firm told Bloomberg.

“Africrypt employees lost access to the back-end platforms seven days before the alleged hack.”

In a statement issued on Thursday, South Africa's Financial Sector Conduct Authority said it was aware of concerns regarding Africrypt, but added cryptocurrencies are not currently regulated in the country "and consequently the FSCA is not in a position to take regulatory action".

"The Authority has warned the public and continues to do so with respect to the high-risk nature of investing in crypto assets," the regulator said.

CMYK

and exports with the Netherlands. For this purpose, he would share trade leads with the Ministry of Commerce and chambers of commerce & industry so that the business community of Pakistan could take advantage of available business opportunities in the Netherlands, he added.

He said that he would also encourage investors of the Netherlands to ex-

plore Pakistan for joint ventures (JVs) and investment. He said that extra efforts are needed to increase Pakistan’s export base and the private sector has to play an enhanced role to achieve this goal. He also shared his plans to find out new opportunities for Pakistan’s private sector in the Netherlands so that with joint efforts, exports of Pakistan could be further enhanced.

Speaking on the occasion, ICCI President Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan said that Pakistan’s bilateral trade with Netherlands is just around $1 billion, which is not reflective of the real potential of both countries. He said that Pakistan’s embassy in Netherlands should identify new opportunities for exports promotion.

He said that textile products are the main exports of Pakistan to the Netherlands; however, given the support of the government, many other products including pharmaceuticals, marble & granite, IT products, surgical instruments and others could be exported. He said that all Pakistani foreign missions should have upgraded books on Made in Pakistan that would help in further improving our exports.

Other ICCI office-bearers also shared ideas for promoting PakistanNetherlands bilateral trade and economic relations.

Sunday, 27 June, 2021

10 fOREigN NEwS

LAHORE

Three killed, five seriously injured in Germany knife aTTack BeRLIN

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ReuteRs

hRee people were killed and five seriously injured in a knife attack in southern Germany on Friday by a 24-year-old Somali immigrant, described by officials as having been placed under compulsory psychiatric treatment in recent days.

Police stopped and arrested the attacker in the town of Wuerzburg by firing a bullet through his thigh. They said his injuries were not life-threatening.

“Three are dead and five very seriously injured,” regional Interior Minister Joachim herrmann said after arriving on the scene.

“With the most seriously injured, we are not

sure they will survive.”

The man had lived in Wuerzburg since 2015, the year Germany opened its borders to more than a million migrants and refugees fleeing war and poverty. his life was not in danger and he was being questioned by police in hospital, herrmann said. “his condition had been noticed in recent months, including violent tendencies, and a few days ago he was put into compulsory psychiatric treatment,” herrmann said.

Among the three dead was a young boy and one of his parents, Main Post newspaper said. As is standard practice in Germany, police did not release the name of the suspect.

Police said there was no indication that there were any other attackers, and that the situation was now under control.

Videos posted on social media showed a seemingly barefoot man holding a long knife being warded off by other men with chairs until police arrived. Another video appeared to show blood on the ground.

The videos matched the reported location of the attacks on and around Wuerzburg’s central Barbarossaplatz, though it was not immediately possible to confirm when they had been made. Reuters footage from the scene showed dozens of police and emergency vehicles in attendance.

Wuerzburg, an ancient city of 130,000 people some 100 kilometres south-east of Frankfurt, was five years ago the scene of a knife attack on a train by a 17-year-old asylum seeker from Pakistan in which five people were injured, two seriously.

US ex-cop sentenced to over 22 years for George Floyd murder MINNeAPOLIs AFP

Former policeman Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison on Friday for the murder of African-American George Floyd, the killing that sparked the United States’ biggest demonstrations for racial justice in decades.

The white, 45-year-old Chauvin gave his “condolences” to the Floyd family in a Minneapolis court, without apologizing, before Judge Peter Cahill handed down a lesser sentence than the 30 years the prosecution had sought.

“This [jail term] is based on your abuse of a position of trust and authority and also the particular cruelty shown to George Floyd,” Cahill told Chauvin, who listened impassively.

Graphic shows the charges, verdict and sentencing in the Derek Chauvin murder trial. Chauvin was found guilty on all charges in the murder of George Floyd. AP The decision was read out at the end of a tense hearing in which the court watched a recorded message by Floyd’s seven-year-old daughter and heard from Chauvin’s mother.

The Floyd family’s lawyer called the sentencing a “historic” step towards racial

reconciliation in the United States. “[It] brings the Floyd family and our nation one step closer to healing by delivering closure and accountability,” Ben Crump tweeted. President Joe Biden said: “I don’t know all the circumstances that were considered but it seems to me, under the guidelines, that seems to be appropriate.”

Protesters march during a brief rally after the sentencing of Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US June 25, 2021.

Reuters After the sentence was announced, chanting marchers with megaphones and motorcycle escorts took over some of the city’s busiest blocks during rush hour. No serious incidents were reported as they wound their way through stopped traffic.

The sentencing was long-awaited in Minnesota, with hundreds of people gathering near the courthouse into the evening.

Many said Chauvin should have gotten 30 or 40 years.

Chauvin, who has been behind bars since being convicted on three counts of murder and manslaughter two months ago, wore a light gray suit as he learnt his fate following a trial that captivated the world. he spoke briefly, after declining to testify during his six-week trial.

“I do want to give my condolences to the

Miami building collapse raises questions as search for survivors continues News Desk Following the collapse of the Champlain Towers South apartment building on Thursday, residents are now asking questions about what exactly happened and whether the building was of sound structural integrity or not. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has said people “have a right to know” how a 12-storey building collapsed in the US city of Miami, as the search for survivors continues. The number of people listed as missing remains at 159, officials say, with four people known to have died. At least 102 people have now been accounted for, but it is uncertain how many were inside when it came down.

Floyd family,” Chauvin said after removing his face mask.

“At this time due to some additional legal matters at hand, I’m not able to give a full formal statement at this time.”

“There’s going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest and I hope things will give you some peace of mind,” he added. earlier, the court watched a moving video from the late Floyd’s daughter, Gianna Floyd. “I miss you and I love you,” the girl said when asked in the recorded message what she said would say to her father today.

Chauvin and three colleagues arrested Floyd, 46, in May 2020 on suspicion of having passed a fake $20 bill in a store in Minneapolis, a northern city of around 420,000.

They handcuffed him and pinned him to the ground in the street.

Chauvin then knelt on the back of Floyd’s neck for nearly 10 minutes, indifferent to the dying man’s groans and to the pleas of distraught passers-by.

The scene, filmed and uploaded by a young woman, quickly went viral. After weeks of home confinement due to the Covid-19 pandemic, hundreds of thousands of people poured onto streets across the country and overseas, to demand an end to

racism and police brutality.

It took weeks for the mass demonstrations to taper off, but the debate around the pressing social issues remains vivid in the United States, where Biden has been slow to come up with the police reforms he promised during his campaign.

Minnesota law provides for a minimum sentence of 12.5 years but Floyd’s brother, Terrence Floyd, his voice choking, told the court Cahill should hand Chauvin the stiffest term possible.

‘PARTICULAR CRUELTY’: Terrence Floyd, brother of George Floyd, delivers a victim impact statement during the sentencing hearing on June 25, 2021, in a still image from video. Pool via Reuters “Why? What were you thinking? What was going through your head when you had your knee on my brother’s neck?” demanded Floyd, urging Chauvin to explain the reason for the murder.

Cahill said his sentence was “not based on emotion or sympathy,” but the law, and in a 22-page sentencing memorandum identified aggravating circumstances that brought a heavier punishment.

They included that Chauvin’s offense occurred in front of minors and that he “committed the crime as a group with the ac-

tive participation of at least three other” officers.

Chauvin’s trial was closely followed across the country. his lawyer said Chauvin had followed police procedures in force at the time and that Floyd’s death was due to health problems exacerbated by drug use.

The jurors took less than 10 hours to convict. Their decision was greeted with a huge sigh of relief across the country. Many had feared an acquittal would lead to worse unrest, while others worried that once again a white police officer would get away with what they saw as murder.

With good behavior, Chauvin could serve just two-thirds of any prison sentence, with the remaining third on supervised release. The defense will appeal the verdict, Nelson has said, citing doubts over the impartiality of some jurors.

On the eve of sentencing, the judge denied the defense’s request for a new trial.

Neither will the case end with Chauvin: his three former colleagues will face trial in March 2022 on charges of complicity in homicide.

In parallel, the four men also face federal charges of violating Floyd’s constitutional rights. No date has yet been set for that trial.

No farters please: Classified ad seeking eligible groom goes viral News Desk A classified ad seeking “a non-farting, nonburping, handsome, rich feminist” groom for an “opinionated feminist” launched a flurry of heated online debates in India where matrimonial ads seeking the perfect bride regularly appear on newspapers and matchmaking sites.

The advertisement was later revealed to be a prank pulled by a brother on his sister’s 30th birthday, but not before drawing a barrage of angry tirades from offended men who accused the wannabe bride of being a “gold digger” among other things, International Business Times reported.

As per the ad, a 30-year-old opinionated feminist with short hair and piercing is looking for a “handsome, well built” husband strictly in the age range of 25 to 28 years.

Anyone who meets the criteria is asked to write to curbyourpatriarchy@gmail.com.

“Turning 30 is a milestone, especially because of all the conversation in our society around marriage. As you turn 30, your family and society start putting pressure on you to get married and settle down,” the prankster told BBC. “We had a good laugh. It was a fun prank,” said his sister, who got the “opinionated” email id and password as a birthday gift.

“When I unrolled it, it had the email address — curbyourpatriarchy@gmail.com — and the password. I had no idea what I was supposed to do with that,” she said. The next morning, the brother gave her a copy of the newspaper with the page opened to the matrimonial classified ad section.

The email address has allegedly received more than 60 emails. In India, femi-

nism is still a misunderstood concept and often perceived negatively, reported the Free Press Journal.

This point was illustrated by the abusive messages the woman received in response to the advertisement. The woman was branded a “gold digger,” “hypocrite” and “cougar” and received sweeping statements like “all feminists are idiots.” Someone said she “sounded fat”. however, not all comments were bad.

One man wrote to her that he is the man she is looking for since he was “docile and not opinionated at all.” She also received notes from other women thanking her for posting

the ad.

The woman’s best friend who planned the prank told BBC, “everyone wants a well-settled groom. But to see it laid out clearly triggered so many people. They were enraged.”

Similar-sounding matrimonial ads from men seeking “slim,” “fair,” “single child” and “working” women are quite common in India.

“Do you send such triggered emails to all the sexist, casteist ‘bride wanted’ adverts that appear in the papers everyday? If not, then you need to curb your patriarchy,” said the woman to people triggered by the satire.

Sunday, 27 June, 2021

SPORTS 11

LAHORE

ENglaNd wiN T20i SEriES agaiNST Sri laNKa Olympics Tokyo 2020 organisers to offer volunteers Covid-19 vaccine: Nikkei TOKYO ReuteRs

Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games organisers will give all 70,000 volunteers working for the Games an opportunity to receive a Covid-19 vaccine, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Saturday, citing organisers. Nikkei said some of the volunteers have already been vaccinated. The Tokyo 2020 organisers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Public broadcaster NHK reported earlier this month around 10,000 of the 80,000 volunteers who signed up to help at the Games had quit. Multiple opinion polls have shown that a majority of respondents are opposed to holding the Games this summer during the pandemic.

Teenager Knighton keeps record-breaking year on track at US trials NEW YORK

E

NEWs DEsK

NGLAND completed a 3-0 clean sweep over Sri Lanka in the T20I series with a crushing 89-run victory at the Ageas Bowl, ESPNcricinfo reported. It was the fourth-largest victory margin in terms of runs England have achieved in the format.

Despite the loss of both regular openers to injury, England posted a century stand for the first wicket to grasp a firm hold on the ENGLAND match which they were never to relinquish. Dawid Malan was named 180 FOR 6 (MALAN Player of the Match for a fluent in76, BAIRSTOW 51, nings of 76 that belied the slow nature of the pitch. Jonny CHAMEERA 4-17) BEAT SRI Bairstow made 51. Nobody in the LANKA 91 (BINURA 20, rest of the match passed 20. EngWILLEY 3-27, CURRAN 2land lost their way a little towards the end of their innings. An excellent 14) BY 89 RUNS spell of death bowling from Dushmantha Chameera, a bright spot amid the rubble of a bitterly disappointing Sri Lanka performance, saw England lose five wickets for 19 runs between the 16th and 19th overs. Chameera finished with career-best figures of 4 for 17.

Chris Jordan, however, helped England plunder 17 from the final over of the innings to take them to a total that was (of at least three matches) against England. always likely to prove beyond the reach of a side that had Malan, who has been batting at No. 3 of late, and failed to reach 130 in either of the first two games in the se- Bairstow, who has been at No. 4, put on 105 for the first ries. So it proved as England's seamers, gaining a degree of wicket in 11.4 overs. After taking a couple of overs to size lateral movement that is unusual with the white kook- up the bowling and the conditions, they attacked with calm aburra ball, combined to bowl Sri Lanka out for just 91. It precision to define the rest of the game. Their stand was was the fourth lowest score Sri Lanka have made from a 14 more than the entire Sri Lanka side managed. completed T20I innings.

It was England's first century opening stand against Chris Woakes, Sam Curran and Jordan took 4 for 36 Sri Lanka in T20Is and their fifth in total. Underlining that from their 12 overs combined, while David Willey picked strength in depth is the observation that Alex Hales, anup three wickets. other man who is currently deemed surplus to requireWith Jason Roy suffering from a tight hamstring, ments, was involved in three of those five century stands Moeen Ali was recalled to the T20I side for the first time and was busy scoring a century for Nottinghamshire while since September 2020. But he was consigned to a periph- this game was being played. Realistically, Malan and eral role by the dominance of England's opening batters Bairstow are likely to be shunted back down the order and the excellence of their seamers. when Buttler and Roy return.

Sri Lanka also made a couple of changes. But Oshada This has been, in many ways, a chastening series for Fernando, who took 27 balls over his 19 runs and seemed Sri Lanka. But the performance of Chameera, at least, has preoccupied with trying to hit almost everything through been encouraging. With his pace, control and variations, the leg side, underwhelmed and Lakshan Sandakan was he challenged the batters in each game. Over the series, unable to make any inroads with his left-arm legspin. he had an impressive economy rate of 6.26 per over.

Avishka Fernando was absent through injury.

Chameera began by conceding just three from the first Given that England went into this series without two over of the match, demonstrating an ability to gain a little first-choice players (in Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer) and movement and a sharp short ball. But it was when he relost Jos Buttler to a calf injury along the way, this result turned towards the death that he excelled: mixing his would seem to confirm their place among the favourites quicker deliveries - he can exceed 140kph - with some for the T20 World Cup in a few months. It is harder to find well-directed slower balls, he took four wickets for six runs room for optimism for a Sri Lanka side that succumbed to in those two overs and dragged back a runaway England. their first clean-sweep defeat in any limited-overs series He batted both beautifully and at an impressive tempo.

His first boundary, from his sixth delivery, was a clip for six off his legs that was timed to perfection and it was followed by a succession of reverse-sweeps, drives and slogsweeps that provided a reminder of his range and class. One lofted drive over extra-cover might have been the stroke of the day. He beat Bairstow to fifty (30 and 41 balls respectively) and demonstrated his ability as a power hitter by heaving Wanindu Hasaranga for two vast sixes in an over.

Don't fret about his having 'only' scored 76 by the time he was dismissed in the 19th over: he had been starved of the strike. On another sluggish surface, his strike-rate 158.33 - was significantly better than anyone else who faced 10 deliveries in the match.

With scores of 111 for 7, 129 for 7 and now 91 all out, Sri Lanka's batters have looked strangely impotent. They were never able to register a total that threatened England and only one of them could get up to a score of 40 all series. With time running out ahead of the T20 World Cup, it's an area that will have to improve if Sri Lanka are to challenge.

It had been almost six years since Woakes had played a T20I before this series. But, in conceding just 3.28 runs per over in the two games he played, he must have earned himself a chance of a longer-term recall. His control, skills, and variations - which seems, on this evidence, to include a new slower ball which is delivered with no change of seam position and appears tough to pick-up and his ability to contribute with the bat, would appear to render him an attractive option.

ReuteRs

Teenage sensation Erriyon Knighton stunned the men’s 200 metres field at the US Olympic trials on Friday with the leading time in the opening round of 20.04 seconds, weeks after he toppled eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt’s junior record. Knighton, 17, beat world champion Noah Lyles, who claimed a second-best 20.19 finish at Eugene, Oregon’s Hayward Field and broke the 23-year-old’s US high school record of 20.09. “That was my first time racing against him. I’ve watched tons of his races. I love to see it,” said Lyles. “It reminds me of myself coming out here in 2016. I want to see people taking that path and other paths.” Lyles, a favourite to win the event at the Tokyo Games, failed to make the cut in the 100m earlier in the trials. Knighton, who told reporters he counted Bolt, Lyles and four-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson among his inspirations, will compete in Saturday’s semi-finals. “I saved something most definitely,” said Knighton, who believes it could take a 19.8 or 19.7 to punch a ticket to Tokyo. “You don’t want to push to your full capacity but you want to make it through the rounds and make the top three, but you can’t use all your energy in one race.”

Australia skipper apologises to New Zealand, eats ‘humble pie’ MELBOURNE ReuteRs

Australia test captain Tim Paine has apologised to New Zealand for writing the Black Caps off before their World Test Championship triumph against India.

Paine had predicted India would “comfortably” beat Kane Williamson’s side in the WTC final, only to be ridiculed on social media after New Zealand completed an eight-wicket win in Southampton this week.

“We all get some wrong. I copped a bit from the Kiwi fans, so I thought I’d come on air and eat some humble pie,”

Paine told New Zealand radio station Newstalk ZB. “I thought the New Zealanders played outstandingly. It’s always a pleasure to watch the way they go about it.

“For such a small nation — I’m from Tasmania, which is obviously our smallest resource state and we punch above our weight — so I certainly respect what the Kiwis do on an international stage.”

Paine’s Australia were beaten 2-1 by a severely depleted India during the home summer, despite the tourists losing captain Virat Kohli after the first test and their entire first-choice pace attack to injury through the four-match series.

Jason Day fires 62 to move into lead at Travelers NEWs DEsK Jason Day of Australia posted the low round of the day, an 8-under 62, to grab the 36-hole lead Friday at the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Conn.

Day, the former World No. 1 who has slipped to 71st in the Official World Golf Rankings, sank eight birdies without a bogey in his second round to reach 9 under for the event. Bubba Watson (66 Friday) and first-round co-leader Kramer Hickok (69) are one behind.

The highlight of Day’s round was a 36-foot, 5-inch birdie putt on the par-3 fifth hole at TPC River Highlands. It broke left to right and found the side of the cup, marking his seventh of eight birdies after he began on the back nine.

Day is searching for his first PGA Tour win since the 2018 Wells Fargo

Championship.

“It’s nice to be able to visualize a ball going in the hole again instead of thinking, Am I going to hole this putt?” Day said. “So nice to be able to do that.”

“The body is okay, just stiff. It’s sore to get onto the other side of the golf swing, so any time going left was a little bit sore,” said Day. “It is what it is. I haven’t had time to really rest it since I kind of put it out. I think having a couple weeks off was great, but you just need a little bit more time is what it is.

Meanwhile, Justin Rose “lit up” his scorecard with eight birdies as he charged into contention with a second-round 63 at the Travelers Championship in Connecticut.

Rose arrived at TPC River Highlands on the back of a woeful performance at last week’s US Open, where rounds of 78 and 77 saw him miss the cut by a distance, but a hot putter lifted his spirits at TPC River

Highlands.

The Englishman cruised to the turn in 30 and then holed from 25 feet at the 10th before adding further birdies from outside 30 feet at the 11th and 14th, although he then three-putted the 15th green to close two shots behind leader Jason Day. “I putted great today,” said Rose, who has slipped to 44th in the world rankings having played only five events since withdrawing from the Arnold Palmer Invitational with a back problem in March. “I made a lot of mid- to long-range putts, which obviously got my scorecard lit up.

A group of seven players tied for fourth at 7 under includes Kevin Kisner and England’s Justin Rose, each of whom shot 63, as well as Russell Henley, a co-leader after the first, second and third rounds at last week’s U.S. Open. FedEx Cup points leader Patrick Cantlay is part of a tie for 11th at 6 under.

Sunday, 27 June, 2021

PrAyer Timings

NEWS

FAJR SUNRISE

ZUHR

ASR MAGHRIB ISHA

3:19

12:04

3:44

4:57

7:11

8:50

BILawaL decLares PM securITy rIsk over reMarks on nukes

KOTLI

P

TLTP

AKISTAN People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday declared Prime Minister Imran Khan a “security risk” over the latter’s remarks during an interview about the country’s nuclear deterrence.

Addressing a rally in Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s (AJK) Kotli, Bilawal, while slamming the premier’s remarks, said that they were irresponsible.

“The selected says we do not need a nuclear

IT exports grow 47pc to reach $1.9bn in 11 months

programme [if Kashmir issue is resolved]… doesn’t that make him a security risk?” he added.

The PPP leader said that the prime minister has been making mistakes whenever he talks about the Kashmir issue for the last three years and has not been able to form any policy on such a critical matter. “We say to this government that we will not let Kashmir be sold. No one will be allowed to dictate to the Kashmiris… only they will make their decision.”

He said when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi revoked the semi-autonomous status of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK) on

August 5, 2019, PM Imran merely said: “What can we do?”

“What kind of a coward prime minister do we have? Whose orders is he following?” he questioned and added if the people of IOK are facing oppression at the hands of Modi then the people of AJK are also facing the wrath of PM Imran’s government in the garb of inflation and incompetence.

“You will have to give us a majority vote so not only we can tackle the oppression of Modi but also respond to the selected,” he added.

Bilawal said if Pakistan is standing on its feet today, then it is because of the PPP. “Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto gave this country a nuclear programme and Benazir Bhutto the missile programme.”

He said that wherever you go in AJK, you will find infrastructure built during the PPP tenures.

“The PPP established 19 colleges in Kotli alone.”

He said that those who say that the PPP is finished should come to Kotli and witness the spirit of the people here for his party.

Since his party’s formation, Bilawal said, its policy has always been that the Kashmir issue would be resolved only by the Kashmiris and to date it is still our policy. “Only people of Kashmir can decide their fate,” he further said.

Earlier in an interview with Jonathan Swan of ‘Axios on HBO’, PM Imran had said that once the Kashmir issue is resolved, there will no longer be any need for nuclear deterrence.

“The moment there is a settlement on Kashmir, I believe Pakistan and India will live as civilised neighbours without nuclear deterrence,” the premier had said.

President calls for effective steps to curb drug usage, trafficking

ISLAMABAD

Police arrest more suspects in Lahore blast LAHORE The AssociATed Press

The counterterrorism police made more arrests Saturday in connection with a car bombing in a residential neighbourhood of Lahore earlier in the week that killed three people and wounded 25.

The attack in Lahore was near the residence of Hafiz Saeed, the jailed chief of the proscribed Jamatud Dawa organisation.

Investigating officer Ahmed Wakeel said police arrested a man from the Mandi Bahauddin district who sold the car used in the Wednesday blast. The explosion took place outside the residence of Saeed, who is designated a terrorist by the US Justice Department and has a $10 million bounty on his head. Wakeel said two other men were picked up in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who were allegedly involved in rigging the explosives in the car. Police now have five suspects in custody in connection with the blast. On Friday, security forces arrested Pakistan national David Peter at Allama Iqbal Airport in Lahore as he tried to fly out of the country. His arrest led to the arrest of another man from Lahore. Wakeel also said investigators found evidence of involvement of the Indian secret service in the attack. He did not elaborate. In November, an anti-terrorism court in Lahore sentenced Saeed to 15 years in jail on two charges of terrorism financing. Saeed has been arrested and released several times over the past decade. He denies any involvement with militancy, including the 2008 Mumbai siege in which 160 people were killed, including Americans.

Pakistan won’t allow use of its soil for terrorism: Habib

TLTP

The information technology (IT) exports increased by 47 percent during the first eleven months (July-May) of the current fiscal year 2020-21 to reach $1.9 billion. According to data released by the State Bank of Pakistan, IT exports increased 59 percent year-on-year to $200 million in May. The exports were $126 million in May 2020. Telecommunications, computer and information services are important items of services exports. Exports of services stood at $5.3 billion in July-May fiscal year 2020-21 compared to the $5 billion in the corresponding period of last fiscal year, the SBP data showed. The growth in the country’s technology product and services exports was attributed to the coronavirus induced surge in freelancing activities. Within information and communication technology services, the growth mostly originated from software- and hardware-related services. Pakistani workers, including freelancers, are already wellintegrated into the global gig economy. In fact, at the global level, Pakistan is host to the thirdlargest number of freelancers working on the most popular web platforms for contractual jobs. This allowed the country to capture the increase in global demand for ICT services during the period. The SBP said that its measures also contributed to a rise in the export of IT services. The central bank allowed exporters of goods and services, including IT based services, to retain a certain portion of their export proceeds in their special foreign currency accounts.

ISLAMABAD sTAff rePorT

President Dr Arif Alvi has called for taking effective measures to curb drug use and its illicit trafficking, saying these are among top priorities of the government.

In his message on International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on Saturday, the president said, “Today we reaffirm our commitment to eliminate drug trafficking as it poses a serious threat to public health.”

The president said, “We must fulfil our collective re-

sponsibility to stop the illicit drug trade through joint efforts.

He said it is a great honour for Pakistan that the international community has recognised and appreciated Pakistan’s role and commitment in the fight against drug trafficking.

Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Narcotics Control Ijaz Ahmad Shah has said that every person will have to play its role in the fight against drugs to protect the future of generations to come.

In his message on the occasion of International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Traffick-

ing, he expressed the commitment to eliminate the scourge of drugs from the country.

He said, “We are determined to save our country, people and youth from the danger of drugs.” He said strategy has been chalked out to control the spread of drugs in the society.

The International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking was observed on Saturday. The theme of the day was “Share Facts on Drugs, Save Lives”. Observance of the day aimed to raise awareness to fight against substance abuse as well as the unlawful trade of drugs.

ISLAMABAD TLTP

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib has said that Pakistan would not allow any country to use its soil for terrorism and subversive activities. Talking to a private news channel, Farrukh Habib said that Pakistan has rendered supreme sacrifices in war against terrorism to eliminate it completely. He said the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) had recognised Pakistan's progress and efforts to come out of its grey list. Farrukh said that Pakistan was included in grey list during the tenures of previous governments both Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz as they did not make any proper legislation in that regard. The minister said the incumbent government has done a remarkable work and efforts have been made to address multi-challenges faced by the country for combating financing of terrorism, besides improving the national economy.

Qureshi questions motive behind keeping Pakistan on FATF list after agenda compliance ISLAMABAD sTAff rePorT

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has questioned the decision of the Financial Action Task Force to continue to keep Pakistan on its grey list despite addressing 26 of the 27 items in the original 2018 action plan.

While recognising “substantial” progress made by Islamabad in addressing strategic deficiencies in its anti-money laundering or counter-terrorist financing protocols, the global terror watchdog Friday retained Pakistan on its increased monitoring list.

In a statement issued Saturday, Qureshi said there was “no room” to keep Pakistan on the list after it had implemented nearly the entire action plan, Radio Pakistan reported.

The foreign minister said it needed to be looked into whether the Americandominated agency was “being used for political purposes”, adding “some powers desire to keep the sword of FATF hanging over Pakistan.”

The Paris-based agency has in the past been accused of “focusing mostly on developing countries” and “none of the key financial centres in the world”.

“Nor are there many secrecy jurisdictions, despite the fact that some of [the countries] have serious weaknesses in their anti-money laundering regulations,” said a campaigner at Global Witness, a leading human rights organisation, in a report.

“It was yet to be determined whether the FATF was a technical forum or a political one,” Qureshi said.

He further said whatever measures the government took were in our own interests, emphasising that it was in the country’s interest to stop money laundering.

Critics of the task force argue it focuses too much on whether a country has appropriate anti-terror-finance legislation, and does not give enough attention to whether such laws are effectively implemented.

There has long been concern that the US is helping to fuel terror financing because it allows individuals to hide their identities, and illicit funds, behind companies and trusts, making it difficult for banks to know who they are dealing with.

“This loophole has allowed terrorists, organised crime and corrupt politicians access to the financial system,” said the Global Witness report.

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