Issuu

Thursday, 19 August, 2021 I 10 Muharram, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 50 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition

PM takes notice of tiktoker assault case, directs Punjab iGP to investiGate g

Mashwani says non-bailable clauses added to FiR

RiMe Minister imran Khan has taken note of the assault against a female tiktoker at Minar-e-Pakistan last week and directed the Punjab inspector general of police to investigate the matter, his aide reported. sayed Zulfiqar bukhari stated on twitter that the PM personally spoke to the Punjab iG on both the e manhandling of the woman and the vandalisation of Ranjit singh’s statute at lahore Fort. “Police is catching all culprits involved in manhandling of female tiktoker in lahore and those damaging statue of Ranjit singh at lahore Fort,” bukhari tweeted. the senior Pti leader said that these are gross violations of laws and social norms and the government won’t spare a single person involved in these crimes. Meanwhile, Punjab government spokesman Fayyazul hassan chohan wednesday condemned the Minar-e-Pakistan incident where a woman was as-

saulted by a mob and said the culprits are being identified through video footage. “the incident of assault on a woman in Greater iqbal Park is a shameful act which has brought shame to the society,” Fayyaz chohan said in a statement today. he said that the accused involved in the video are being identified and will be brought to justice. the incident came to light after a video went viral on social media, showing hundreds of men attacking a woman as she went to the park with four of her friends to celebrate independence day. the police registered a case against 400 men for assaulting the woman who was making tiktok videos at the park. Meanwhile, PPP chairperson bilawal bhutto has slammed the incident and asked the government to bring those responsible to the book. “the assault of a young woman by a mob at #minarepakistan should shame

coronavirus in

Pakistan

CONFIRMED CASES:

1,109,274

LAST UPDATED AT 9:15 AM ON AUGUST 18, 2021

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

NEW CASES:

3,974

RECOVERED:

DEATHS:

996,426 24,639 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

414,850

374,916

KPK:

BALOCHISTAN:

153,836 AJK/GB: 29,790/9,482

31,686 ISLAMABAD:

94,714

every Pakistani. it speaks to a rot in our society,” the PPP leader said. he said that those responsible must be brought to justice. “the women of Pakistan feel insecure and it is all our responsibility to ensure safety and equal rights to all,” he added. while talking to the media, diG investigations shariq Jamal Khan said the police were taking the case as a challenge and promised to take it to the logical end. the police officer said the investigations were underway after the case was filed. “we have the videos and the experts are analyzing as it is a technical process to ascertain who was doing what.” shariq Jamal said the case is very strong and that they have also recorded the statement of the victim. in yet another terrifying episode of violence against women, a woman in lahore’s Greater iqbal Park was assaulted by hundreds of men. the victim, along with her friends, was making a tiktok video in the park when hordes of men of all ages climbed a fence and attacked the woman. the victim told the police that the men groped her, tore off her clothes, beat her, and tossed her in the air. in addition, they robbed her of Rs15,000, snatched her mobile phone and took off her gold ring and studs. out of hundreds of men, many of who just stood there and even made a video, only one person came to the woman’s rescue and helped her get out of the park. Meanwhile, Punjab chief Minister sardar usman buzdar has sought a report from lahore capital city Police officer about the harassment of the woman in Greater iqbal Park and directed to the early arrest of the accused. News Desk

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

Exiled Ghani says he left Kabul to prevent bloodshed ABU DHABI ReuteRs

ashraf Ghani, the afghan president who fled the country following a taliban takeover, said on wednesday that he had left Kabul to prevent bloodshed and denied reports he took large sums of money with him as he departed the presidential palace. Ghani, who was speaking from exile in the united arab emirates, has been bitterly criticised by former ministers for leaving the country suddenly as taliban forces entered Kabul on sunday. “if i had stayed, i would be witnessing bloodshed in Kabul,” Ghani said in a video streamed on Facebook, his first public comments since it was confirmed he was in the uae. he left on the advice of government officials, he added. earlier in the day, the united arab emirates said that it is hosting ashraf Ghani “on humanitarian grounds”, after he fled his country amid a taliban takeover. Ghani’s whereabouts had been unknown after he fled afghanistan at the weekend. “the uae Ministry of Foreign affairs and international cooperation can confirm that the uae has welcomed President ashraf

Deadly Jalalabad protests as Taliban consolidate rule KABUL ReuteRs

at least three people were killed in anti-taliban protests in the afghan city of Jalalabad on wednesday, witnesses said, as the group tried to set up a government and western countries stepped up evacuations of diplomats and civilians. More than a dozen people were injured after taliban opened fire on protesters in the eastern city, two witnesses and a former police official told Reuters. the taliban have promised peace following their sweep into Kabul, saying they will not take revenge against old enemies and will respect the rights of women within the framework of islamic law. the witnesses said the deaths took place when local residents tried to install afghanistan’s national flag at a square in the city, some 150 km (90 miles) from the capital on the main road to Pakistan. taliban spokesmen were not immediately reachable for comment. as the taliban consolidated power, one of their leaders and co-founders, Mullah abdul Ghani baradar, returned to afghanistan

Ghani and his family into the country on humanitarian grounds,” the ministry said in a brief statement. until wednesday, speculation had mounted that he had fled to tajikistan, uzbekistan or oman. the taliban capped a staggeringly fast rout of afghanistan’s major cities in just 10 days, achieved with relatively little bloodshed, following two decades of war that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. the collapse came as us President Joe biden moved to complete the withdrawal of us troops. he admitted on Monday that the taliban advance had unfolded more quickly than expected but defended his decision to leave, and criticised Ghani’s government. us-led forces invaded the country following the sept 11 attacks in 2001, in response to the taliban giving sanctuary to alQaeda, and toppled them. this would not be the first time that the oil-rich Gulf country opens its arms to former leaders and their relatives, now persona non grata in their country. in 2017, the emirate of dubai hosted former thai prime minister yingluck shinawatra, who was sentenced in absentia to five years in prison.

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more inside

Pakistan rejects India’s ‘unwarranted’ remarks on Ranjit statue vandalism STORY ON BACK PAGE

ashura to be observed today amid tight security STORY ON PAGE 02 for the first time in more than 10 years. a taliban official said leaders would show themselves to the world, unlike in the past when they lived in secret. “slowly, gradually, the world will see all our leaders,” the senior taliban official told Reuters. “there will be no shadow of secrecy.” but thousands of afghans, many of whom helped us-led foreign forces over two decades, are desperate to leave the country. More than 2,200 diplomats and civilians have been evacuated from afghanistan on military flights, a western security official said on wednesday.

“we are continuing at a very fast momentum, logistics show no glitches as of now,” the western security official told Reuters. the taliban held their first news briefing since their return to Kabul on tuesday, suggesting they would impose their laws more softly than during their harsh 1996-2001 rule. “we don’t want any internal or external enemies,” Zabihullah Mujahid, the taliban’s main spokesman, told reporters. women would be allowed to work and study and “will be very active in society but within the framework of islam”, he said.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

PIA evacuates 1,100 people from Kabul amid Afghan crisis STORY ON PAGE 03

council may rule afghanistan, taliban to reach out to soldiers, pilots

STORY ON BACK PAGE

Thursday, 19 august, 2021

lahoRe

news

AShurA tO be ObServed tOdAy Amid tight SeCurity LAHORe/ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

eMBeRS of the Shi’ite faith will perform mourning rituals Thursday to mark Ashura, the holiest festival in their calendar, amid heightened measures in many places to protect against any sectarian attack. Clerics will highlight the teachings of Imam Hussain and various aspects of the tragedy. elaborate security arrangements have been installed to avoid any untoward incident during the processions. Law enforcement agencies, including police, Rangers and Frontier Corps will provide security. Apart from the security measures, district administrations, all over the country, have placed hospitals and ambulance

services on high alert. Moreover, the governments of the four provinces, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan have taken adequate measures to ensure security on the day. Pillion-riding has been banned in many cities across the country. Although a blanket blackout of cellular service across the country is not under consideration on Muharram 10th, a partial suspension of the service in different cities due to security reasons is anticipated. Police have already conducted a survey of procession routes across the country and sealed all shops, houses and buildings on the routes after a thorough check by bomb disposal squads. Ashura falls on the 10th day of the lunar calendar month of Muharram and commemorates the martyrdom in 680 AD of Imam Hussain, one of the grandsons of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), near Karbala

in what is now Iraq. Shi’ites mark the festival with large public rituals, sometimes involving bloody self-flagellation or cutting to signify a link with the sufferings of Hussain, whose martyrdom symbolises a wider struggle against oppression and tyranny. It is observed in Pakistan and in other countries with sizeable Shi’ite communities, including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Syria. Last week, the federal government designated August 18 and 19 (Muharram 9th and 10th) as public holidays to observe the ritual. NCOC ISSUES GUIDELINES: Last week, the National Command and Operation Centre issued special instructions to mark the climax of the annual ritual with standard operating procedures to contain the spread of Covid-19 infections. The body issued the instructions keeping

in view the recommendations of the clerics. The instructions underlined that all gatherings and processions should be held under restrictions. The use of face masks,

social distancing, thermal screening must be ensured by the local administration. The guidelines discouraged private gatherings inside the houses.

Pakistan’s ambassador returned to Kabul: Rasheed ISLAMABAD aNadolu ageNcy

Pakistan’s ambassador to Afghanistan arrived back in Kabul Wednesday, days after the Taliban took over control of the capital city, Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said. Mansoor Ahmad Khan returned to Kabul by road via the Torkham border, a key crossing point between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Rasheed told reporters in Islamabad. Khan returned to Islamabad on July 19, a day after the government of former president Ashraf Ghani called back its mission following the purported kidnapping of the daughter of Afghanistan ambassador in Islamabad. “Situation along with our borders is normal, even our ambassador today went back to Kabul by road via Torkham,”

Ahmed said while referring to some foreign media reports of tense situation at the Torkham border after the Taliban took over control of the Nangarhar province. There is now peace in Afghanistan and over 800 trucks crossed via our borders to Afghanistan, he added. Sharing details of Pakistan’s efforts to facilitate the evacuation of personnel and staff of diplomatic missions, international organisations, media, and others from Afghanistan, the minister said so far 900 diplomats, foreign nationals, and 613 Pakistan nationals have arrived in the country. Responding to a question to recognise the Taliban government in Kabul, Ahmed said this decision will be made by Prime Minister Imran Khan and the Foreign Ministry. He also welcomed the Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid’s statement to not allow his

country’s soil to be used against neighbours and any other country. “Pakistan will also not allow anyone to use its soil against Afghanistan,” Ahmed said. Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed on Wednesday also said that the attempts to make Pakistan a scapegoat have failed, adding that Prime Minister Imran Khan tried to convince former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani but he did not listen. The interior minister said that the prime minister will decide whether to recognize the Taliban government or not. Rasheed while rejecting Indian media reports of Pakistan receiving refugees from Afghanistan said that neither Pakistan would interfere in Afghanistan nor we would allow anyone to do it here. He said there is complete peace and tranquillity at Torkham and Chaman

borders which are open for movement, trade and transit visa facilities. The minister said that Pakistan had evacuated around 900 foreign officials and diplomats from Afghanistan, and added that a special cell had been established in the interior ministry which was functioning 24 hours. The interior minister said immigration officials have been instructed to provide visas on arrival to diplomats and foreign media. “No Afghan refugees are coming to Pakistan. We are giving transit visas to all diplomats, media and staff of other institutions,” he said. Responding to a question, the interior minister said that neither Pakistan will interfere in Afghanistan nor will it allow anyone in Pakistan. The interior minister expressed confidence that the situation will improve in Afghanistan.

Qureshi, Chinese FM discuss Afghanistan situation ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi telephoned his Pakistan counterpart, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, on Tuesday and exchanged views on the evolving situation in Afghanistan. During the conversation, a Foreign Office statement said, Qureshi underlined that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan was of critical importance for Pakistan and ultimately the region. In this perspective, Pakistan had assiduously supported the peace process in the war-battered country. Pakistan and China, as part of Troika Plus — a body of four stakeholder countries and also includes Russia and the US — have made valuable contributions to support these efforts, he observed. In the present situation, it was crucial to ensure safety and security, as well as protection, of the rights of the Afghan

people, Qureshi said. He stressed that an inclusive political settlement was essential, for which all Afghans should work together. Qureshi said it was equally important for the international community to remain engaged in support of the Afghan people. He emphasised that the international community must also have sustained economic engagement with Afghanistan. He apprised Yi of Pakistan’s efforts to facilitate the evacuation of personnel and staff of diplomatic missions, international organisations, media and others from Afghanistan. Qureshi observed Pakistan and China were “iron brothers” and strategic partners, saying the two countries had the tradition of maintaining close coordination and communication on issues of common interest and significance. The two diplomats agreed to remain in close contact to promote their shared objectives.

Soldier martyred, terrorist killed in South Waziristan RAWALPINDI: INp

A Pakistan Army soldier was martyred during an exchange of fire with terrorists in South Waziristan, the ISPR said Wednesday. On the night of August 17 and August 18, the Pakistan Military post observed and engaged the movement of terrorists in Kanniguram,” a statement by the army’s military wing stated. During intense exchange of fire, one of the terrorists was killed. While responding to the terrorists, 42-year-old Naib Subedar Sonay Zai got critically injured and later embraced martyrdom. He hailed from Dera Ismail Khan. The area has been sealed and a search operation is underway. Pakistan Army is determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve, the ISPR added.

NCOC daily update: 3,974 new cases, 66 deaths from Covid-19 ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Pakistan reported 3,974 new Covid-19 cases over the last 24 hours, the National Command and Operation Centre said on Wednesday. The NCOC, a department leading campaign against the pandemic, said that the number of overall confirmed cases has risen to 1,109,274, including 996,426 recoveries. According to the NCOC, 66 more patients died over the last 24 hours, bringing the overall death toll to 24,639, adding that 4,885 are in critical condition. Sindh is the worst-affected province by the pandemic with 414,850 infections, followed by Punjab which has reported 374,916 cases. The NCOC said on its website that the country has administered 44,322,217 doses of vaccines and has fully vaccinated 12,658,359 people as of Tuesday night.

UK Supreme Court rules in favour of PIA in appeal filed by travel agency NeWS DeSk The United Kingdom’s Supreme Court on Wednesday in a landmark case ruled in favour of Pakistan International Airlines Corporation in an appeal filed by a travel agency regarding the issue of constitutes economic duress, and whether such duress can arise where lawful acts or threats are made by one party in support of a demand which that party genuinely believes it is entitled to make. The case was heard by President of the Supreme Court Lord Reed, Deputy president Lord Hodge, as well as Lord Lloyd-Jones, Lord Kitchin and Lord Burrows. The hearings took place on November 2 and 3 last year, with the

judgement delivered on August 18, reported Dawn. According to a summary shared by the court, PIA had entered into a contract with the appellant, Times Travel, pursuant to which Times Travel acted as a ticketing agent to PIAC. Times Travel was a small familyowned travel agency whose business was largely dependent on its ability to sell PIAC’s tickets. By 2012, a large number of PIAC’s ticketing agents had either commenced or threatened proceedings to recover substantial sums they said PIAC owed to them by way of commission. In September 2012, PIAC gave lawful notice of the termination of its existing agency contracts and offered Times Travel a new contract.

The new contract contained a waiver by Times Travel of its claims for unpaid commission under the prior arrangements. Times Travel accepted and signed the new contract. In 2014, Times Travel initiated proceedings to recover unpaid commission and other payments which it said were due to it under the prior contractual arrangements. At first instance, the High Court held that Times Travel was entitled to avoid the contract with PIAC on the grounds of economic duress. The Court of Appeal had allowed PIAC’s appeal. Times Travel then appealed to the Supreme Court, which ruled in favour of PIA.

Thursday, 19 august, 2021

lahoRe

PiA evACuAteS 1,100 PeOPLe frOm KAbuL Amid AfghAN CriSiS ISLAMABAD

app

MIDST the uncertainty in Afghanistan, Pakistan International Airlines is actively carrying out its operations from Kabul, having evacuated 1,100 people within two days with more such flights in the pipeline. Considering the volume of demand, the national flag carrier increased the number of flights from five to 14 for this week. Moreover, it has also converted its flights from previous Airbus A320 to much bigger

Boeing 777 planes to evacuate a maximum number of people. According to an official, the PIA had evacuated nearly 1,100 people from Kabul after which the airport was run over by the crowd and all airport set up got dismantled. Read more: Taliban delegation meets Karzai amid efforts to form new Afghan govt The PIA has now coordinated with AFCeNT and has just resumed its operations to Kabul, he added. “The first flight after the takeover by Taliban has already reached Kabul and is scheduled to evacuate over 320 people of World Bank to Pakistan.”

The evacuation operation started after the panic among the foreign missions and a number of world institutions and companies stationed in Kabul, desiring to leave the country. The Pakistan embassy in Afghanistan immediately contacted the PIA which started planning flights to Kabul to assist with the repatriation mission. Lauding the PIA’s effort, Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that Pakistan’s commendable evacuation efforts are continuing as PIA has again resumed its operations today. “Up till now we have evacuated 1,100

personnel from Kabul,” he wrote on his official Twitter handle. He said that Ambassador Mansoor Khan is back in Kabul and Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed all officials in Kabul to facilitate this effort. Comprehending the humanitarian need, the PIA CeO also offered support to other nationalities, global institutions and multinational companies wanting to evacuate their citizens from Kabul. The PIA was also approached by the US nationals, missions of the Philippines, Canada, Germany, Japan and the Netherlands, besides other world institutions, international news agencies,

Int'l community must support afghanistan economically: PM NeWS DeSk Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that Islamabad is closely following developments in Afghanistan and in touch with regional and international powers, according to express Tribune. According to the news outlet, the premier expressed these remarks during a telephone call from Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Wednesday. Imran said that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan is critically important for Pakistan and the region, adding that safety and security as well as protection of the rights of all Afghans is critically important. The premier also said that an inclusive political settlement is the best way forward. It is equally essential for the world community to stay engaged in order to support the people of Afghanistan, economically and to help rebuild, he added. A day ago, German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke with Prime Minister Imran Khan, the emir of Qatar and the head of the UN Refugee Agency. “The chancellor spoke yesterday, in the early evening, with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan as well as with the emir of Qatar,” Merkel’s spokesman Stefen Seibert told a regular news conference.

LAHORe On the fateful day of Sunday when the Taliban captured the capital city of Afghanistan, two commercial planes of the Pakistan International Airlines were waiting at the runway of the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul for clearance from the air traffic control to take off for flight back home. While the first plane, an Airbus, took off after securing clearance from the ATC, Maqsood Bajrani and his crew had little idea of how fast things were unravelling on the ground. The insurgents were seizing Kabul after the government of President Ashraf Ghani in Afghanistan collapsed, bringing to a swift end almost two decades of a US-led coalition’s presence in the war-torn country. As Bajrani’s PK-6252, with 170 people onboard, prepared for landing, the office of the ATC dropped a

asking for capacity and schedule to evacuate their people. The permissions and planning were conducted by a specially set up operational desk involving representations of flight operations, flight safety, security and PIA local teams. The PIA chief was personally supervising the desk and was in contact with Afghanistan CAA, military officials, Pakistan’s embassy in Kabul and the foreign ministry. The next missions are already planned and will commence from tomorrow (Thursday) to evacuate other nationalities, including foreign journalists and their aides.

Qayyum names KPL as official t20 cricket league of Kashmir ISLAMABAD MIaN abRaR

Merkel also spoke with Filippo Grandi, head of the UNHCR refugee agency, Seibert said, adding that the

biggest flows of Afghans at the moment were within the country.

Pilot hailed for flying passenger jet from Kabul airport Staff RepoRt

news

bombshell: “The Taliban have captured the city. We are leaving our posts. You’re now on your own.” On being informed of the development, Bajrani’s crew told him to “take your own decision”. After reading the situation, a crew member said, the captain promptly decided to take off. “Soon afterwards the plane started moving with high speed to take off [… ] it was because the captain was following two fighter jets running ahead of the PIA plane as he thought it better to follow them,” she said. The crew finally took a sigh of relief when the captain informed them that they had entered the territory of Pakistan. The plane landed at Islamabad International Airport at about 7:10 pm on Sunday. The chief executive officer of the PIA, Arshad Malik, praised Bajrani for bringing the plane during the crisislike situation. “In a crisis situation, the use of understanding, experience and skills is a sign of a real professional,” Malik said. Commercial flights out of

Hamid Karzai International Airport were cancelled Sunday evening and remained so until early Tuesday. Airport security and air traffic control were taken over by the US military, according to the Pentagon, in the absence of local airport security authorities. American troops have secured the military side of the airport, where the US embassy staff and operations were relocated on Sunday. It’s unclear how many American citizens remain in Afghanistan, but some lawmakers in Washington say they have received hundreds of calls amid a lack of clarity from the State Department. State Department staff have set up their own hotline for people seeking emergency flights out of the country, but a deluge of requests means many calls go unanswered. The department’s official advisory says: “Do not call the US embassy in Kabul for details or updates about the flight. Do not travel to the airport until you have been informed by email that departure options exist.”

Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan Niazi Wednesday announced to name Kashmir Premier League as the National T20 League of Kashmir. The announcement came during a meeting of AJK PM with Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Chairman Shehryar Khan Afridi and famous cricketer Shahid Afridi at the AJK PM House in Muzaffarabad. Inspector General of AJK Police Sohail Tajik, Sports secretary and other high ranking officials were also present on the occasion. Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi said that the KPL would be spending Rs1 billion on the development of sports across AJK. AJK PM Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi said that Azad Kashmir is the base camp of the Kashmir Freedom Movement and the martyrs of Kashmiri fighters in the heavens would be happy today. “I myself am a resident of the Line of Control and I know what it takes to challenge the Indian Illegally Occupied regime in Jammu and Kashmir. He said the KPL was a soft power tool to project Kashmir,” he said. “We have dedicated the KPL to the martyrs of Kashmir. I have directed Principal Secretary to name KPL as Official National Cricket League of Kashmir,” he added. He directed AJK Sports secretary to develop a state of the art cricket academy in Muzaffarabad and name it the Shahid Afridi Cricket Academy. He added that all the modern facilities would be provided in the cricket academy to harness the skills of Kashmiri youth. Speaking on the occasion, Shehryar Khan Afridi said that the KPL has helped project Kashmir’s name on the global sports map. He said the successful holding of the KPL was a message of peace and development to all and sundry and all stakeholders shared the fruit. “Sports and culture help grow a nation and its morale. KPL is the first successful show of Prime Minister AJK. Now, the sky is the limit to holding such events to help harness the Kashmiri talent,” he said. Shehryar Afridi said that Kashmiri youth would be provided on global platforms. He said that the cricket academy in Azad Kashmir would groom the Kashmiri youth on Cricket, Squash and hockey skills. He acknowledged that the elder generations had sacrificed everything for Kashmir.“Sports is the best gift to Kashmiri youth. A self-sustainable academy needs to be developed to help benefit the youth of Kashmir. We will provide a blueprint of the academy,” he concluded. KPL President Arif Malik said that the upcoming KPL would also feature a new franchise, Jammu Janbaz, to pay tribute to the Martyrs of Jammu next year.

Karzai, abdullah to hold talks for new afghan political setup kABUL INp

Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai and head of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah will hold talks with Taliban leadership in Doha. Karzai and Abdullah, also accompanied by Hizb-e-Islami’s Gulbuddin Hekmatyar are expected to discuss the formation of the new government and the political setup in Afghanistan. earlier, Hekmatyar talking to a news channel said, he was heading to Doha to meet with the Taliban delegation, accompanied by Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah. A Taliban delegation led by a senior leader of the Haqqani Network group,

Anas Haqqani, met the former Afghan, a Taliban official corroborated on Wednesday, amid efforts by the group to set up a government. The Haqqani Network is an important faction of the Taliban, who captured the capital, Kabul on Sunday. Karzai on Sunday announced that a ‘coordination council’ was formed “in order to prevent chaos, reduce sufferings of the people and oversee a peaceful transition of power” after the Taliban seized control of the war-torn country. The Afghan Taliban said on Tuesday they wanted peaceful relations with other countries and would respect the rights of women within the framework of Islamic law, as they held their first official news briefing since their shock seizure of Kabul.

“We don’t want any internal or external enemies,” the movement’s main spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said. Women would be allowed to work and study and “will be very active in society but within the framework of Islam”, he added. “If the question is based on ideology, and beliefs, there is no difference… but if we calculate it based on experience, maturity, and insight, no doubt there are many differences,” Mujahid told reporters. “All those in the opposite side are pardoned from A to Z,” he said. “We will not seek revenge.” Mujahid said a government would soon be formed but offered few details, only saying the Taliban would “connect with all sides”.

Thursday, 19 August, 2021

04 NEWS

LAHORE

CellulaR seRviCes suspended in Kp, punjaB aReas FoR seCuRiTy Reasons

NEWSD DESK

ELLULAR services were suspended in the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and different areas of Punjab to ensure security on the 9th of Muharram-ul-Haram on Wednesday. The main procession emerged from the Imam Bargah Hussainia, with Saddar and all adjacent markets closed on the occasion. Authorities said that foolproof security measures have been adopted in Peshawar and the bomb disposal unit has swept the area. Moreover, snipers were also posted on top of buildings for extra security. The authorities imposed a ban on the entry of

Afghan refugees in the city on the occasion. A ban was also imposed on pillion riding, while Section 144 was put in place to ensure further security. Some 1,000 security personnel were deputed to secure the routes of the procession, which will cross the Fawara Chowk, Kali Bari and other traditional areas to culminate at the Imambargah at 4:00pm. Meanwhile, Punjab Minister for Law and Cooperatives Basharat Raja announced that the government has imposed Section 144 on Muharram 9th and 10th, while pillion riding and mobile phone service would be banned in selected areas as per the requirement. Briefing the media on Muharram security arrangements in Lahore, Raja said on

the direction of Punjab Chief Minister Usman Bazdar, the provincial cabinet committee on law and order held separate meetings of each division besides consultations with religious scholars and leaders of the Majlis-e-Ittehad-e-Muslimeen to finalise the security arrangements. He disclosed that 36,686 majalis (religious gatherings) and 9,318 processions would be held in the province for which 410,000 police personnel, 35 Rangers and 66 Army companies are being deployed on security. He told media persons that exemplary cooperation from the scholars of all sects was going. Due to special arrangements, he said, this time the Muharram gatherings and

processions were not affected by the Independence Day celebrations. So far strict action has been taken against several people for spreading religious hatred on social

media while clear instructions had also been given to the municipal services for the removal of encroachments and garbage on the routes of processions during Muharram.

Traders demand reopening of markets on Friday KARACHI TLTP

KARACHI: Security officials stand alert to avoid any untoward incident during processions of 9th of Muharram. PPI

NTDC awards contract for load dispatch system project KARACHI TLTP

The National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC) has awarded a consortium that includes China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) and Hitachi ABB Power Grids a project to deliver an all-new Load Dispatch System (LDS) to support the country’s sustainable energy goals, a statement said. The system will help improve the grid visibility and automation, enabling the seamless integration of renewables, it added. Pakistan is aiming at increasing the contribution of renewable energy from existing 4 percent to 30 percent by 2030. The intermittent nature of solar and wind energy production means that an increasing share of renewables requires greater visibility, real-time monitoring,

remote control and optimisation of the power grid. The deployment of Hitachi ABB Power Grids’ industry-leading supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) application network manager, with its energy management and generation management capabilities, will facilitate efficient, secure and reliable grid operations. To achieve this, the project team will deploy a SCADA Energy Management System (EMS) at NTDC’s national control centre in Islamabad and at the back-up control centre in Jamshoro. The system will connect the control centres with all the power plants and grid stations that are not currently monitored in real-time and will help build capacity for future stations and remote ends. The project will also involve the installation of a new mission-critical communication network with a fiber

optic foundation and featuring a microwave network as back-up. This will help ensure always-on connectivity and prevent outages, resulting from disruptions in the communication network. It will also enable secure data transmission and increased protection from cyber threats through tele-protection and near real-time encryption of operational data and signals. After the unbundling of Wapda, NTDC was incorporated as a public limited company in November 1998. It is the backbone of the national power system in Pakistan and is the country’s largest transmission company. It owns 220kV and 500kV grid stations and transmission lines and is preparing to welcome ultra-high voltage (765kV) and high voltage direct current (HVDC) technology. “This hallmark project for NTDC,

financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), will open new horizons through automation and sustainable international best practices to achieve a safe and reliable grid,” NTDC managing director Engr Azaz Ahmad said, adding: “The project will bring more visibility and control to the NTDC’s operations, enhancing system stability and curtailing system collapse and blackouts incidents in [the] future.” “It’s incredibly exciting to support Pakistan’s giant leap toward a sustainable, carbon-neutral future,” Hitachi ABB Power Grids country managing director in Pakistan Najeeb Ahmed said. “The national LDS project is the culmination of several years of engagement with NTDC to understand its current and future needs and to deliver a project that is complex, geographically and technically,” he added.

Vitamin D deficiency can cause hypertension, diabetes: report EDIRNE ANADOLU AGENCY

Vitamin D is very beneficial for the body, and a deficiency of it can result in a variety of ailments, including hypertension and diabetes, says a senior health expert. While vitamin D can be obtained from healthy sunbathing, exposure to horizontal sun rays impair vitamin D formations, Dr. Sedat Ustundag, Dean of Faculty of

Health Sciences at Trakya University in the northwestern province of Edirne, warned on Wednesday. Ustundag told Anadolu Agency that Turkey has an advantage in terms of healthy sunbathing because of its geographical location. However, he warned that exposure to horizontal sun rays disrupts vitamin D formation, and unprotected sunbathing can raise the risk of skin cancer. He added that vitamin D is formed when the blood veins in the arms are exposed to ultraviolet-B rays from

the sunlight. "Vitamin D is formed only in the presence of sunlight as well as healthy livers and kidneys," he said. Recommending the hours dense in ultraviolet-B rays are appropriate for sunbathing, Ustundag also warned that unprotected and irresponsible sunbathing is detrimental to the human body. He suggested that it is critical to calculating the hours of UV-B rays in a certain place, which can be done easily using certain websites online.

CMYK

The business community has demanded the Sindh government to allow markets to stay open on Friday after the two-day closure on account of Ashura. Ilyas Memon, president of the traders association, called on the provincial government to ease the Covid-19 restrictions and allow businesses to operate this Friday. He said commercial activities will remain suspended from Wednesday to Thursday as major business centres and roads have been sealed due to security concerns ahead of Ashura. Memon recalled businesses had remained shut due to the Covid-19 lockdown last week, taking a heavy toll on traders. He, therefore, demanded that the government should allow markets to stay open this Friday. Earlier, Pakistan Yarn Merchants Association (PYMA) appealed to the Sindh government to allow business to open on Friday falling on August 20 due to Muharram-ul-Haram holidays during the week, as the step will help overcome the serious economic crisis caused by the coronavirus epidemic. In an Appeal, Hanif Lakhany, vice president of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) and Senior Vice Chairman of PYMA, Farhan Ashrafi, Vice Chairman PYMA & convener FPCCI's Central Standing Committee on Yarn Trading, said that the Sindh government has already issued orders to close businesses for two days on Friday and Sunday to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, due to which business activities will be closed for 3 consecutive days including Friday which is not in any way in favour of the economy in the current situation. The PYMA office-bearer added that on 9th Muharram-ul-Haram falling on Wednesday (18th August) and 10th Muharram-ul-Haram on Thursday (19th August), after public holidays, business will be closed again on Friday due to Covid-19 SOPs. Due to which the business will be closed for 3 consecutive days, which will cause huge financial losses to the business community. They appealed to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah to help the business and industry emerge from the grim economic crisis and allow business to open on August 20.

FBR issues tax rates for prize bond winners NEWS DESK The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has issued updated rates of withholding income tax on winning of prize bonds during fiscal year 2021-22. The withholding tax rates have been updated after incorporating changes made through Finance Act, 2021. The FBR collects withholding tax under Section 156 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001. The withholding tax shall be collected from every person making payment on account of winning of prize on prize bond, crossword, raffle, lottery and quiz from recipient of prize or winning at the time of the prize or winnings are actually paid. A tax rate of 15 percent of the gross amount shall be collected on payments made for prize on prize bond and crossword. The rate shall be increased by 100 percent if the person is not appearing on the Active Taxpayers List (ATL). A tax rate at 20 percent of the gross amount shall be collected on payments on winning from a raffle, lottery, prize on winning a quiz, prize, offered by companies for promotion of sale crosswords puzzles. However, the tax rate shall be increased by 100 per cent i.e. 40 per cent if a person is not appearing on the ATL. The tax rate shall be final against tax liability of the person.

Thursday, 19 August, 2021

LAHORE

NEWS

PM taKEs noticE of tiKtoKEr assault casE, dirEcts Punjab iGP to invEstiGatE continued from page 01

HE chief minister said it was a very regrettable incident and it was a collective responsibility to provide justice to the affected woman, he added. In this regard, CCPO Ghulam Mahmood Dogar issued a statement wherein he said the suspects were being identified through videos of the incident shared on social media, and that a number of photos and videos had been sent to the National Database and Registration Authority to ascertain their identities. CCPO Dogar ordered police to

arrest the suspects visible in the video clips and said the culprits would be “traced soon”, according to the statement. “Those misbehaved with the girl will be dealt with strictly,” he was quoted as saying. The footage is being acquired from Safe City cameras, DHA and TikTok clips, a police official who asked not to be named because the investigation is ongoing told Dawn.com. He said at least 10 suspects had been identified and would be apprehended soon, adding that more suspects would be identified soon. On Wednesday, Lahore Police also

Exiled Ghani says he left Kabul to prevent bloodshed

issued an appeal to the public to help identify and arrest the suspects involved in the incident. The FIR was registered under Sections 354-A (assault or use of criminal force against woman and stripping her of her clothes), 382 (theft after preparation made for causing death, hurt or restraint in order to commit the theft), 147 (rioting) and 149 (unlawful assembly) of the Pakistan Penal Code. Azhar Mashwani, Punjab chief minister’s focal person for digital media, on Wednesday said that “strong and non-bailable clauses” had been added to the FIR.

He added that Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar had ordered police to arrest all the culprits “ASAP”. Meanwhile, PTI leader Zulfi Bukhari said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had personally spoken to the Punjab inspector general of police about the incident. “Police is catching all culprits involved in [the] manhandling of female TikToker in Lahore,” he tweeted. Punjab Finance Minister Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht strongly condemned the assault, saying “the full might of the government will come down” upon those involved in it. with additional input from INP

Deadly Jalalabad protests as Taliban consolidate rule

More German investors to invest in Punjab LaHore APP

Ambassador of Germany Bernhard Schlagheck has said that Punjab has an investment friendly environment and German investors will take advantage of it. In a meeting with Punjab Minister for Industries and Trade Mian Aslam Iqbal before Ashura holidays, he stressed that many German companies have already invested in the province and more businessmen were expected to pour money in Punjab. The meeting discussed matters pertaining to mutual interests, bilateral cooperation and investment opportunities present in Punjab. Speaking on the occasion, the minister told the envoy that Pakistan and Germany enjoyed deep friendly relations. He revealed that the government of Punjab and German companies were collaborating in the technical sector and underscored the need to enhance cooperation. “Germany possesses great expertise in the field of technology and the government of Punjab wants to benefit from it,” he said. “Punjab government has established four new technical universities in the province and a state-ofthe-art skills technology park is also being set up in Lahore.” He said that there was vast scope to accelerate cooperation between Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) and technical institutions of Germany. Iqbal said the Punjab Board of Investment and Trade was facilitating local and foreign investors.

iKEa starts selling renewable energy to households

continued from page 01 Spain’s king Juan Carlos went into self-exile in the UAE in August last year as questions mounted over the origins of his fortune, and the UAE was Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto’s home during her eight years in exile before she was assassinated in her home country in 2007. The UAE is one of three nations, including Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, which recognised the previous hardline Taliban regime, which ruled from 1996 to 2001. This time around, the Taliban have sought to project an air of restraint and moderation. Ghani was elected in 2014 on promises to remake Afghanistan. But the 72-year-old may ultimately be remembered for making little headway against the deep-rooted government corruption that underwrote his downfall. In his last years in office, Ghani watched as he was first cut off from talks between Washington and the Taliban that paved the way for the US exit from Afghanistan, and then forced by his American allies to release 5,000 hardened insurgents to lock down a peace deal that never materialised. Dismissed as a “puppet” by the Taliban, Ghani was left with little leverage during his final months in the presidential palace, and resorted to delivering televised diatribes that did little to improve his reputation with Afghans. Meanwhile, the Afghanistan embassy in Tajikistan demanded Interpol police to arrest Ashraf Ghani and his aides. The Afghanistan embassy in Tajikistan has asked Interpol police to detain Ashraf Ghani, Hamdallah Mohib and Fazal Mahmood Fazli on charges of stealing public wealth so that funds could be returned to Afghanistan, Afghanistan’s Tolonews reported while quoting sources.

neW YorK AGENCIES

continued from page 01 During their rule, also guided by sharia religious law, women were prevented from working, girls were not allowed to go to school and women had to wear all-enveloping burqas to go out and then only when accompanied by a male relative. ‘TIME WILL TELL’: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, echoing leaders of other Western countries, said the Taliban would be judged on their actions. “We will judge this regime based on the choices it makes, and by its actions rather than by its words, on its attitude to terrorism, to crime and narcotics, as well as humanitarian access and the rights of girls to receive an education,” Johnson told parliament. Britain has said it will welcome up to 5,000 Afghans during the first year of a new resettlement programme that will prioritise women, girls and religious and other minorities. Many Afghans are sceptical of

the Taliban promises. Some said they could only wait and see. “My family lived under the Taliban and maybe they really want to change or have changed but only time will tell and it’s going to become clear very soon,” said Ferishta Karimi, who runs a tailoring shop for women. Mujahid said the Taliban would not seek retribution against former soldiers and government officials, and were granting an amnesty for exsoldiers as well as contractors and translators who worked for international forces. “Nobody is going to harm you, nobody is going to knock on your doors,” he said, adding that there was a “huge difference” between the Taliban now and 20 years ago. The Taliban, who have fought to expel foreign forces since they were overthrown in 2001, seized Kabul on Sunday as US-led Western forces withdrew under a deal that included a Taliban promise not to attack them as they leave.

US forces running the airport had to stop flights on Monday after thousands of frightened Afghans swamped the airfield looking for a flight out. Flights resumed on Tuesday as the situation came under control. Seventeen people were wounded on Wednesday in a stampede at a gate to the airport, a NATO security official said, adding that civilians seeking to leave had been told not to gather unless they had a passport and visa to travel. He said he had not heard any reports of violence by Taliban fighters at the airport. Britain said it had managed to bring out about 1,000 people a day while Germany flew 130 people out. France said it had moved out 25 of its nationals and 184 Afghans, and Australia said 26 people had arrived on its first flight back from Kabul. “Everyone wants out,” said one Afghan man who arrived in Frankfurt on Wednesday with his wife and son on a flight via Tashkent. “We saved ourselves but we couldn’t rescue our families.”

IKEA, the world’s biggest furniture brand, is branching out into selling renewable energy to households, starting with home market Sweden in September. Ingka Group, the owner of most IKEA stores worldwide, said households would be able to buy affordable renewable electricity from solar and wind parks, and track their usage through an app. Ingka’s partner Svea Solar, which produces solar panels for IKEA, will buy the electricity on the Nordic power exchange Nord Pool and resell it without surcharge. Households will pay a fixed monthly fee plus a variable rate. IKEA, which also sells solar panels for households in 11 markets, said those buyers would be able to track their own production in the app and sell back surplus electricity. Jonas Carlehed, head of sustainability at IKEA Sweden, told Reuters he hoped to roll out the new renewable energy offer as well as IKEA’s solar panel offering to all markets. “We want to make electricity from sustainable sources more accessible and affordable for all,” the company said in a statement. “IKEA wants to build the biggest renewable energy movement together with co-workers, customers and partners around the world, to help tackle climate change together.” Ingka said the plan was to offer electricity from solar and wind parks five years old or less, as a way to encourage the building of more parks. More broadly IKEA aims to be “climate positive” – reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than is eitted by the entire IKEA value chain, from raw material production to customers’ disposal of their furniture – by 2030. Carlehed said in an interview he saw the renewable energy offer to customers as contributing to reaching that target as well as being a potential new revenue stream. “It will contribute indirectly (to the target). The link is that our customers’ use of our products account for around 20% of IKEA’s total climate footprint – from appliances, lighting and electronics such as speakers and so on.”

Afghanistan low on dollars with currency reserves stuck abroad Singapore AGENCIES

Afghanistan's currency reserves are mostly held in foreign accounts and are probably inaccessible to Taliban rulers, leaving the country desperately low on dollars, Ajmal Ahmady, who led the central bank until the capture of Kabul, said. Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB) controlled about $9 billion, some $7 billion of which was held as a mixture of cash, gold, bonds and other investments at the U.S. Federal Reserve, Ahmady, the acting governor, who has now fled Afghanistan, said on Twitter. Most of the rest is in other international accounts and at the Bank for International Settlements, a bank for central banks based in Switzerland, and not physically in DAB vaults, he said - leaving about 0.2% or less of the total accessible to the Taliban. "Given Afghanistan's large current account deficit, DAB was reliant on obtaining physical shipments of cash every few weeks," he said. "The amount of such cash remaining is close to zero due a stoppage of shipments as

the security situation deteriorated." No international reserves were "ever compromised" and "no money was stolen from any reserve account," Ahmady added. A U.S. administration official has also told Reuters that no assets of the Afghan government held in the United States would be made available to the Taliban. The Taliban, who now control Kabul, have said treasury, public facilities and government offices were the property of the nation. Ahmady said he had been told Taliban were asking bank staff about the location of assets, but added that they should have foreseen it would be impossible to access them. He now expects the local currency, the Afghani, to fall as the central bank cannot supply enough dollars to local banks and for the Taliban to use capital controls to prevent outflows. "Inflation will rise as currency passthrough is very high," he said. "This will hurt the poor as food prices increase." Earlier, AFP reported that Taliban will be denied access to any Afghan reserves held in US accounts, quoting a US administration official on Monday.

As US forces were evacuating Afghanistan’s capital after the Taliban’s swift takeover, the official said: “Any Central Bank assets the Afghan government have in the United States will not be made available to the Taliban.” The central bank’s gross reserves totaled $9.4 billion at the end of April, according to the IMF. But most of those funds are held outside of Afghanistan, according to a person familiar with the matter. The Taliban’s seizure of power comes after NATO withdrew its 9,500-strong mission on the back of a decision from US President Joe Biden to pull out his troops. Ahmady went to Twitter to detail his harrowing escape from the country on a military plane on Sunday, after he and his team tried to stabilise the currency amid the Taliban advance towards the capital. Ahmady, who did not say where he was, said the central bank was informed on Friday that “given the deteriorating environment, we wouldn’t get any more dollar shipments,” and he met Saturday with banks and money exchangers to reassure them. “Once (the) president’s departure was

cmYK

announced, I knew within minutes chaos would follow. I cannot forgive him for creating that without a transition plan,” he tweeted Monday. “It did not have to end this way. I am disgusted by the lack of any planning by Afghan leadership. Saw at airport them leave without informing others.” In addition to freezing assets, Washington could also block aid to Afghanistan from multilateral lenders like the IMF and World Bank, as it has with other regimes it does not recognize, like Venezuela. “Afghanistan is tremendously dependent on foreign aid... so access to international economic funds will be crucial,” said Vanda Felbab-Brown, a foreign policy expert at The Brookings Institution. But cutting off funds in an attempt to undermine a Taliban government “has massive humanitarian consequences, and human and economic development consequences,” she told AFP. And there are political calculations as well since other sources of financing like Russia, China and Saudi Arabia will not have the same focus on women’s rights or

human rights as Washington, and may simply focus on extracting an anti-terrorism pledge, she said. The IMF in June released the latest installment of a $370 million loan to Afghanistan approved in November to help support the economy amid the Covid-19 pandemic. At the time, the fund said the government had kept its economic program on track despite the fact “security has deteriorated and uncertainty has risen as the peace talks between the government and Taliban stalled, with the US and NATO troops set to withdraw by September.” The World Bank meanwhile has more than two dozen development projects ongoing in the country and has provided $5.3 billion since 2002, mostly in grants. The United States provide $4.7 billion in aid in the 2019 fiscal year alone, according to government data. “The Taliban government members have no experience as to how to deal with international donors,” FelbabBrown said. “They don’t have any experience with administering large international aid packages.

Thursday, 19 August, 2021

06 COMMENT

With dirty filters oil change not enough

Crimes against women Need for long term measures to counter trend

How the system is made to fail

He last few months have seen a significant rise in crimes against women in Pakistan. In July four persons were arrested in Islamabad for sexually abusing, torturing and blackmailing a couple. Noor Mukadam, daughter of a former diplomat was found decapitated at the house of a family friend in the capital city. In Karachi, Quratulain, a well-educated housewife with children was murdered by her husband. What happened on 14 August, celebrated as the day when Pakistan came into existence, was most shameful. A young woman who was filming a video at the Greater Iqbal Park in Lahore along with six companions was attacked by a big mob. According to a report registered with police the crowd pushed and pulled her, tore her clothes and kept throwing her in the air. Besides being robbed of their mobile phones and money, her companions were also beaten up. What is quite common in this country in such cases is victim blaming. the PM has taken notice of the incident and has reportedly ordered strict action. What needs to be done by the political leaders is to inculcate respect for women among their followers, which has not happened. Last month a PtI Minister talked about battering the face of PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz to make people see how she looked without facial surgery. Women have no place in the list of the country’s textbook heroes. there is no mention of fatima Jinnah, who led the struggle against Ayub’s dictatorship. No place for Asma Jahangir the great fighter for human rights recognized all over the world. Prejudice against women is responsible for not a single woman having been ever appointed as a Supreme Court judge in the country’s history. those behind the August 14 attack need to be punished according to law. But laws alone can’t fix Pakistan’s moral and social degeneration. What needs to be done over a longer period is for the government to take proactive measures to raise the image of women as equal citizens. text books should project women’s achievements. Political parties should issue tickets to women to fight elections instead of being nominated as lawmakers. Any minister displaying misogynist tendencies should be taken to task.

Dr FariD a Malik

He filters of the State of Pakistan have been choked, so a mere oil change is only a short term fix. there is an institutional collapse that has to be addressed. the Prime Minister has repeatedly mentioned the Mafias that are in control. In utter frustration the Punjab Assembly under the stewardship of the Speaker has passed a bill that gives sweeping powers to the legislators to bypass or even punish the bureaucracy. I really do not understand how it will work. Who will handle the paperwork, and so on? In the past the offices of the PM and CM exercised executive authority while the legislature formulated policies but even that system has become non-functional. the bureaucracy within the chamber controls all the bills,and private members are not allowed to vent their concerns. I have personally interacted with several members who seem powerless and helpless. Someone somewhere is trying to save the system or contaminating the fresh oil, which clearly points to filter change. the Sharifs and Chaudhrys have been ruling Punjab for the last 40 years. the PPP was denied the control of the province despite its overall popularity under Benazir. first as Speaker and then Chief Minister Pervaiz elahi carries influence both in the assembly and the civil secretariat. With Shahbaz Sharif’s two continous stints as CM, the influence of the PML(N) runs deep. even the judiciary is full of their appointees. the dismantling of the network of evil has not been attempted. Officers loyal to the fallen emperor continue to hold important positions. the grandson of the first PM, Liaquat Ali Khan, appeared on the

EVMs What is the point if they won’t stop rigging charges?

television with his appeal to the Board of revenue (BOr) to settle their property claims. He was kind enough to mention the plight of the ordinary citizens. Like most departments the BOr is in a big mess. It is headed by a Senior Member (SMBr) who reports directly to the CM. the current head is a member of the PML(N) loyalist family of tarrars. the officer was running the Governor’s House before assuming this position. I sought the help of the Governor in resolving my complaint who then forwarded the same to SMBr hoping for redressal but not a word. reminders, telephone calls all remain unanswered. I then requested the worthy Governor to enact an ordinance to nail them. He told me that he can issue an ordinance only on the advice of the CM for which the starting point is the Law Department. In order to facilitate the issue, I drafted a bill and met the Law Minister and Secretary who were kind enough to forward it to the SMBr for his comments, but again there was no response despite reminders. then I personally met the SMBr, who clearly told me that such bills have no value. Still I did not give up, I approached the Punjab Assembly for presentation of the bill but again no action. Members seem to be helpless, in every session I am told that the bill will be presented for discussion but it is not. Old wine in new bottles has been tried unsuccessfully several times, it is time to change the bottles to get rid of the prevalent intoxication. I remember clearly when the electables started to join Pakistan tehreeke-Insaf, serious concerns were highlighted by the old guard but the Kaptaan insisted that they will have to follow the party policies. So the first to come under attack were the think tanks where policies were being formulated.

It took a while to understand the ‘Negative Stakeholders’. Unfortunately the electables fall into this category. When oil is being drained they hide in the folds of the filters to re-emerge in the fresh environment with new promises that are never met. The next election in 2023 should be focused on filters and not just oil change otherwise it would be business as usual, another futile exercise and waste of resources. The engine of ‘Naya Pakistan’ must be started with new filters and fresh virgin oil

Women’s Dilemma in Afghanistan

He nation is being treated to the sight of the government holding demonstration after demonstration in the hope of electronic voting machines (eVMs) being adopted for the next the general elections, but the an election Commission of Pakistan (eCP) is far from convinced. After the latest demo, conducted by the Ministry of Science and technology, the eCP has ordered the setting up of its own technical evaluation committee. It might be remembered that this process was carried out in India under the guidance and control of its election commission, with the government not playing the lead role. the PtI’s lead role has made opposition parties suspicious about this very enthusiasm, thus making the very purpose of the whole exercise fall down. Official claims about the unhackability of the system are incredible, and the fact that the machines have their software built in rather than fed in, means nothing. the loser of an election, instead of being silenced, would merely have another excuse for losing, thus making the whole exercise futile. Another issue which has not been examined is that of cost. One 2018 estimate was rs 80 billion; a more recent estimate was rs 25 billion. the eCP would look to the government to provide the necessary funding. Where the government expects to produce these kinds of funds is not known. With the IfIs breathing down its neck to raise revenues so as to service the debt it is incurring, there does not seem to be that sort of money available. this is one issue on which the government will have to obtain not just opposition consent, but ownership as well. If the result is that election losses are to be dismissed as because of rigging, or PMs are to have their mandate expected to be rejected as being the result of selection, then there is no point in carrying out such an elaborate exercise, unless there is someone out there who expects to make a killing on the supply of eVMs.

Will the Taliban do things differently this time? aiMen Bukhari

fter the taliban rapidly gained ground and fighting in Afghanistan intensified, with the complete withdrawal of US forces, the taliban control extends to Kabul, but a civil war in Afghanistan looms large. Afghanistan is descended into what the Italian thinker Antonio Gramsci called a state in which “the old is dying and the new is yet to be born; in this interregnum, a great variety of morbid symptoms appear.” And with the taliban emerging (again) as symptoms of a failed system, the future of women in Afghanistan is at a critical juncture. there is no doubt that, when the taliban ruled previously, Afghan women had to deal with the worst of the violence in a conflictual, patriarchal, and unstable state as they got subjected to gender discrimination, violent misogynist practices and gender biases at the hands of radical groups and the men in power. It is, indeed, a complex situation in Afghanistan for women because there are many factors such as religious radicalism, customs, traditions, and social norms that victimize women. Many Afghan women are struggling to reverse this perception as they try to show themselves as not victims. Despite that, women in Afghanistan are experiencing increased violence owing to the aforementioned factors; women are still perceived as victims. they mostly have no agency, and a patriarchal rigid system is set in place that tries its very best to ensure that they do not get any sort of agency. And now with the US withdrawal and the taliban capture of Kabul, the situation of women’s rights in Afghanistan may become worse because the USA was viewed as an outsider by the taliban, and they negatively saw its policies as an agenda to modernize or westernize Afghanistan by targeting its cultural traditions and nationalism. this is the prime reason policies or programmes benefiting women’s issues have mostly been struggling or were met with resistance. However, the taliban political leaders, during their direct talks on withdrawal with the USA and involvement in the intra-Afghan peace talks, have proclaimed a serious pragmatic rethinking in their approach towards violence and governance, especially concerning women. they claimed to have

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recently the unified primary curriculum has been implemented. the first policy draft was prepared by the Islamabad think tank, followed by Lahore and then finally Karachi. Shafqat Mahmood as the federal education Minister very skilfully obtained consensus from the provinces before implementation. Several other policy frameworks were prepared which never saw the light of day mainly because of the electables who managed to surround the PM. the fresh oil that the party introduced has been subjected to these old and dirty filters, impeding its effect. the ‘Mafias’ reside in these filters to contaminate the fresh oil intake. Despite honesty, integrity and hard work the impact has not been felt at the ground level as the dirty filters are in place. every department that I had the chance of running, I had to go after these entrenched evil forces. In Project Management, focus on ‘stakeholders’ is emphasized but recently the group has been divided into both positive and negative, those who are to benefit and those who end up losing control. It took a while to understand the ‘Negative Stakeholders’. Unfortunately the electables fall into this category. When oil is being drained they hide in the folds of the filters to reemerge in the fresh environment with new promises that are never met. the next election in 2023 should be focused on filters and not just oil change otherwise it would be business as usual, another futile exercise and waste of resources. the engine of ‘Naya Pakistan’ must be started with new filters and fresh virgin oil.

adopted a moderate Islamic thought process contrary to what they had in the 1990s when their Islamist rule was encompassed with violence and restrictions on women’s education and their outside presence without a male companion. for example, in his op-ed in The New York Times, Sirajuddin Haqqani, the deputy leader of the taliban, explicitly stated that they will have a system where the rights of women are guarded, including their right to education. But the evidence suggests otherwise. the interviews at different newspapers such as The Guardian and VOA with the local residents of the taliban-controlled territories are claiming that these are the ‘same old’ taliban and they were every bit as brutal as in the 1990s. the Human rights Watch published a 32-page document that indicated that with the rise of the taliban, women were more vulnerable to violence and prone to sexual abuse and oppression. the report focuses on the difficulties Afghan women have to face in pursuing justice against those responsible for the violence. Subsequently, many residents of Balkh, a district in northern Balkh province, have confirmed that the taliban have been distributing leaflets with the same restrictions or orders for women that were imposed in the 1990s: cover themselves from head to toe and not leave the house without a male counterpart. this is an indication that the taliban may not allow women to work outside their homes which will force around 30% of female civil servants in Afghanistan out of work. furthermore, the United Nations Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported in its Afghanistan Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict update that in the first half of 2021, 1,659 civilians were killed and 3,254 were wounded, showing a 47 percent increase as compared to the same period last year. UNAMA stated that the May-June period wit-

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The writer is ex-Chairman, Pakistan Science Foundation. He can be contacted at: fmaliks@hotmail.com. nessed more casualties compared with the first four months of the year, and women and children made up nearly half of these (46 percent). It is clear that the resurgencee of the taliban in the May-June period has come with unprecedented violence against women and children and it is highly likely to continud for the rest of the year if the situation is not handled properly. However, the fighting may have been erupted due to the offensive taliban advances but the taliban were responsible for 39 percent of the casualties; other responsible elements were different non-state actors and pro-government security forces. It is apparent that the future of women in Afghanistan is bleak. It is not a new scenario, every year in Afghanistan outrageous cases of violence against women occur. Women and female children are forced to marry, forced to be submissive, forced to kill themselves or be subjected to many other inhumane practices. But the issue is that it is not seen as a crime. even when such cases become popular, in most cases family privacy or its honour is protected instead of women’s rights. they achieve this honour by killing the woman or forcing her to kill herself. the Afghan Independent Human rights Commission estimates that 80 percent of suicide attempts in Afghanistan are by women. Here it must be noticed that many cases go unreported because violence has become so mainstream it has become normalized. So, for there to be a transformative improvement in women’s rights in Afghanistan, the issue must be catered at the grassroots with a more direct focus on gender relations. to target women’s subordination and vulnerability in Afghanistan, all factors such as outdated or radical social, cultural, and religious norms must be dissected and targeted. Only when ideologies that become a hurdle for women and their liberation are countered with effective policies, awareness and educational initiatives can the women truly enjoy independent survival, better opportunities, and access to resources.

Only when ideologies that become a hurdle for women and their liberation are countered with effective policies, awareness and educational initiatives can the women truly enjoy independent survival, better opportunities, and access to resources

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The writer is a freelance columnist

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Thursday, 19 August, 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

My City After all the struggle and voices, the tharushah to Nusharo froze link road is now under construction. the long-standing dilapidated condition of the road claimed many lives, caused several injuries and procrastinated emergency cases from addressing them. the shabby road would also impede speedy traveling taking more than half an hour for an 8-minute drive. Discussing delay in construction or other things which had occurred in the past would be nothing but a never-ending debate that, of course, is a waste of time. the best way forward is to appreciate the speedy construction of the road. this is the fruitful result of those who raised their voices, held protests or made a bulk of complaints for its immediate construction and more praises to those who lead them. Sarfraz ali Soomro Tharu Shah

Full-time Culture Minister needed

SDGs and the global reset Sustainable development goals need funding

Mishal-e-noor

e are living in the age of global development agendas where socio-economic convergence of developed and developing countries is looked at through the lens of SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) and MDGs (Millenium Development Goals). However, the pandemic acted as a global reset and a structural break that not only slowed down growth process but also calls for revision of the SDGs in the light of the change in economic indicators the pandemic has brought about. Pakistan holds the 134th position on the SDG index of 157 countries compared with Bangladesh’s 109th and India’s 117th position. As per estimates, Pakistan needs to allocate 10 percent of its GDP per annum to realize the SDGs. However, despite the release of initial funds of rs 594 million for Sindh, rs 600 million for KP, rs 500 million for Balochistan and ample resources being made available for Punjab under NfC, PSDP and PMSDGP, these funds largely remained unallocated. ggravating the situation further, the pandemic largely switched national priorities from development to health care and maintenance. Since there does not exist any data to categorize economic indicators in the light of SDGs, measuring their progress is difficult. therefore, given below is the list of SDGs with their progress reflected through certain available proxies. No poverty (SDG-1):60 percent of the population of Pakistan earned around $3 per day in 2019 and the country was able to reduce poverty by 40 percent in the last two decades. However, the pandemic is projected to bring a reversal in these statistics by pushing 40 percent of the Pakistanis below the poverty line (UNICef). Zero hunger (SDG-2): 40 million people of the country were suffering from food insecurity in 2019 whereas the pandemic has increased this figure to 42.25 million people. Good health and wellbeing (SDG-3): there are only 1279 hospitals in Pakistan where 4.2 million new births take place annually and one out of every 10 infants die each year before reaching the age of five. Despite this abysmal state of health care facilities, the country has been very fortunate to survive the pandemic. the number of confirmed covid-19 cases is less than other countries, even developed ones. Quality Education (SDG-4): 35 percent of

the children attending school attain minimum learning proficiency by age 10 (ASer) which means only a small proportion of children learn the basics of what is taught in early grades. the unexpected switch of classroom teaching into online teaching, as a consequence of the pandemic, has made both teachers and students to face technical glitches in conducting online classes, consequently multiplying the learning loss manifold. Gender equality (SDG-5): the pandemic has widened the gender gap by 0.7 percent and the country has been declared as the sixth most dangerous country in the world for women. Clean water and sanitation (SDG-6): Nearly 40 percent of the population of Pakistan is deprived of clean drinking water and the country is projected to face acute water scarcity by 2025 and absolute water scarcity by 2040. furthermore, 10 percent of the population lacks access to toilets, 22 million people are living without basic sanitation and 70 percent of the households drink contaminated water because of which 53,000 children under age five die of diarrhea each year. Approximately 60 million people are at risk of being affected by high concentrations of arsenic in drinking water which is considered as the biggest mass poisoning in the history (Guglielmi 2017).In other words, more people are dying because of contaminated water than of covid-19. Affordable and clean energy (SDG-7): 99 percent of the population had access to electricity in 2016 compared to 59 percent in 1990 but the country still experiences load shedding for six to eight hours daily. As a result, 66.7 percent of businessmen report electricity shortage as the major factor slowing down their production process. the energy supply remained almost unaffected during the pandemic. However, the prices are constantly rising since the outbreak of the pandemic. Decent work and economic growth (SDG8): the GDP growth rate of Pakistan was 1.91 percent in 2019 which contracted to –0.39 percent in 2020. However, the economy is reviving in 2021with a growth rate of 3.94 percent, nullifying IMf and World Bank projections of Pakistan’s growth rate that were between 1.3 percent and1.5 percent. Industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG-9): A growth rate of 3.57 percent is observed in the industrial sector of Pakistan in 2021 compared with -3.77 percent in 2020. Reduced inequalities (SDG-10): the income share of the top One Percent of Pakistan was 30.2 percent in 2019 and they were enjoying privileges equivalent to 7 percent of GDP (NHDr, 2020).Moreover, the overall share of richest income quintile was 37.2 percent as op-

posed to 14.2 percent of the poorest quintile. the pandemic has further reduced average income by 42 percent which presents evidence of a further increase in inequality. Sustainable cities and communities (SDG11): the construction sector witnessed a growth of 8.7 percent in 2021 compared with 2.4 percent growth in 2017. Responsible consumption and production (SDG-12): Pakistan is a consumer economy and production and consumption has been on constant rise. However, this has been followed by an unprecedented price hike as well. Climate action (SDG-13): Nine cities of Pakistan were listed in the world’s 250 most polluted cities in 2019. the pandemic did not bring any reduction in the pollution index, rather Pakistan was declared the world’s second most polluted country in the world in 2020 in terms of air and water pollution.As per WHO estimates, 200 deaths per 100,000 population annually are attributed to environmental factors in Pakistan. these deaths are way more in number than those caused by the pandemic. Life below water (SDG-14): estimates show that 40 to 45 tons of fish die each year because of polluted water. Moreover, industrial waste flows to the sea via the Lyari river in Karachi and there is no accountability on that. Life on land (SDG-15): As per estimates, only 5.7 percent of the land of Pakistan is covered with forests which should ideally have been 8 percent to 10 percent. this has not only led to extinction of various species of birds and animals, but has also exposed human beings to natural threats such as flooding, land sliding and degradation, soil erosion, desertification. Peace, justice and strong institutions (SDG-16): the number of terrorist incidents has declined from 4000 in 2013 to 319 in 2020, thus reducing the number of deaths involved in such incidents from 2700 in 2013 to 169 in 2020. Partnership for the goals (SDG-17): Various development partners such as World Bank, ADB, USAID, UN etc have launched numerous development initiatives in Pakistan. the SDG units established across Pakistan should be supported by their provincial counterparts to accelerate development. the implementation of SDGs requires an integrated approach that simultaneously incorporates social, economic and environmental dimensions of development alongside managing their inter-linkages. Additionally, in order to create momentum for the SDGs goals, there is a need to strengthen the national data sources so as to guide and launch corrective public policy measures.

The SDG units established across Pakistan should be supported by their provincial counterparts to accelerate development. The implementation of SDGs requires an integrated approach that simultaneously incorporates social, economic and environmental dimensions of development alongside managing their inter-linkages.

The writer is a freelance columnist

BeSIDeS economic sector revival and development of other priority sectors, there is also dire need for promotion of art and culture in the country in furtherance of projection of soft, positive and progressive image of Pakistan and its peace loving people within the country and also in foreign countries. this is to request Prime Minister Imran Khan to induct a whole time Culture Minister in his cabinet with immediate effect to ensure promotion of art and culture of Pakistan within the country and abroad. Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) and other public sector art and culture related bodies are currently being looked after by the federal education Minister who is holding additional charge of the National History and Literary Heritage Division under whose control PNCA falls. Because of his heavy commitments as the education Minister,he is not finding enough time to visit the PNCA regularly to set its house in order and also ensure promotion of art and culture. It is also submitted for the kind information of the Prime Minister that the interest of the minister holding additional charge can very well be judged by the bitter fact that on his express directions the organizers of first-ever international Islamabad Art festival held last month had paid money to PNCA for use of its space while all other facilities and places were provided free . this just one instance in the larger interest to ensure promotion of art and culture should be enough to convince the worthy prime minister that the country direly needs a full time culture minister at the earliest possible lest the PNCA and other public sector cultural bodies start crumbling due to lack of interest at the appropriate higher levels. thanks. muhammaD murTaza lahorE

Urban flooding in Karachi HAVING ruled for twelve years in Sindh,Karachi’s serious problems are not fixed yet by PPP.Provincial and local governments are at conflict with each other.Deliverable municipality in Karachi seems to be far cry.the current monsoon spell ‘Sagaar’ has brought heavy rains in Karachi.Lowlying areas have turned into rivers. Additionally,main roads and highways are terribly flooded.three to four feet accumulated-water can be seen most parts of metropolian city,Karachi. residents face difficulty in reaching their destination.Heavy rains are multiplying their worries and in some areas rain-water has entered residential areas which carried away their utensils and other things which were kept at their homes.Government has disappeared from the scene and seems unwilling to pay heed to people’s grievances.Declaring rain emergency is not the solution to deep-rooted problems but fixing the problems is. QaSim Jan TurbaT

Beggars on road AS traffic increases by the day, it is necessary to manage it safely. One important task to achieving this is to curb the presence of beggars at every signal. they create major traffic hazards, endangering their lives and those of others. In Pakistan, begging has become a profession. Almost at every traffic stop, one is greeted by beggars. they gather around a car as soon as it stops at a signal. the most awful thing is that they encourage their children to also beg and most of them are physically fit to work. they can do manual labour if they so desire. Instead, women carry their babies and beg while making emotionally blackmailing statements as if they are well trained in the art. Healthy beggars should be made to work and the disabled should be maintained at state expense. the authorities should take steps and save the people from this nuisance, not to mention the hazards at traffic signals. aaShir SalEEm Karachi

Senseless education system A trend has begin that the private sectors demanded for the fees after reopening the institutions. As there were lockdown due to Covid-19 it took about 7 months to take off everything. So, isn’t it a foolish question that parents should submit the fees of the off-days, as there wasn’t anything to learn? then why demanding the fees? Don’t you know that Balochistan, being the poor province, that there people can’t even afford three times fOod well, but the greedy principals demand what their need is, they are blind to see the parents who were not able to pay the fees before as being in their workshops then how they can submit even through there wasn’t any job or work during Covid-19. It’s not only my request, it’s the humble request of all the parents who seriously want PSA JAr KeCH to take an action to the greedy institutions that they shOuld stop the new trend of taking fees. zahra baiG hoTh TurbaT

Thursday, 19 August, 2021

08 WORLD VIEW

RegIonal geoPolITIcS TakeS oveR afghanISTan THERE WILL LIKELY BE A RETURN TO A MUCH MORE HISTORICALLY NORMAL STATE OF GLOBAL AFFAIRS IN WHICH MULTIPLE PLAYERS ARE ENGAGED

responsible statecraFt

Graham E FullEr

He final end of the government in Kabul is at hand as the inexorable logic of regime collapse gains momentum. it seems more of a surprise to current policymakers than to those many observers with a long-time familiarity with the country’s dynamics. it will not be pleasant to watch, but it has long been inevitable given the utterly unrealistic ambitions and poor policy execution that Washington has maintained in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, those darker, but more insightful views on the entire enterprise have long been largely stifled by our media. The neo-imperialist neoconservatives all argue that the American departure and the subsequent collapse of the Kabul government are deeply destructive to American “credibility” as a superpower in the world. The underlying ideology of this view is of course the cherished concept that the United States must serve as global policeman everywhere and that a failure to do so is a sign of weakness and decline. This line of thinking is precisely backwards: it is the overall decline of America domestically and geopolitically that is the telltale sign of its deeper weakness; there is an increasing international belief that the United States is living inside a fantasy bubble of denial about maintaining its global hegemony. if the 20-year

U.S. military presence in Afghanistan had actually ever shown any serious concrete advancement towards concrete goals, that would be one thing. But the neocons are ever content to throw good money after bad in the blind pursuit of hegemony — even in the very heart of “the graveyard of empires.” on a human level, of course, it indeed matters what fate the Afghans will meet under a new Taliban government. The Afghan people have been suffering under repeated and constant warfare and military intervention since 1978, starting with a domestic coup by Afghan communists, followed by the Soviet invasion, the subsequent years of fighting to expel the Soviets by U.S.supported mujahedin groups, the subsequent civil war among the mujahideen that followed and to which the Taliban finally put an end by restoring national order and discipline — with a rough and ready kind of justice. But Washington’s focus on Afghanistan in reality has had very little to do with establishing a better and more equitable society for the Afghans. The ostensible impulse for the American invasion was nominally to destroy the presence of Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. But the deeper and more profound reason for the American invasion and lengthy occupation was more pointedly to establish a military and geopolitical foothold in Central Asia on the very borders of russia and China. That ambition was never nakedly articulated but was clearly understood by all regional forces. The “nation-building and humanitarian” aspects of the American occupation were largely window dressing to cover Washington’s geopolitical ambitions. Those ambitions still have not fully died among American neocons and liberal interventionists. Like it or not, a key feature of the new “post-American geopolitics” will be a return to a much more historically normal state of global affairs in which multiple players are engaged. And in this case, multiple players will also have the greatest influence over Afghanistan’s future — probably for the better. The reality is that all

three countries which the United States perceives as enemies – iran, russia, and China — actually all share with Washington the same major goals for Afghanistan’s future: stability and an end to bloodshed and jihadism. But all three of these countries also unite in vigorous opposition to American intervention and dominance in Afghanistan and Central Asia. While in another era, the Taliban might have cared little about the views of these neighboring countries, today Central Asia is a different place. Afghanistan is in tatters, and no matter what the social policies of the Taliban are, they also need to restore the country to a minimal degree of prosperity and peace. China, in particular, has the greatest political and economic leverage to assist in Afghanistan’s future. Afghanistan figures in China’s ambitious and visionary plan of the Belt and road initiative across Central Asia in a re-creation of an economically linked Central Asian that has not been so linked since the days of Genghis Khan. China will make great efforts to try to ensure that the Taliban maintain stability and avoid any support to radical movements which not only hugely affect China in Xinjiang, but also affect russia in the Caucasus and Central Asia, and the security of Shi’ite iran — a regular target of Sunni jihadi ideology. none of these states — iran, China, or russia — wishes to see the United States establish itself militarily in the heart of Central Asia and are thus happy to see Washington floundering in that occupation. once U.S. military influence is removed from the heart of Central Asia, a prosperous and stable Afghanistan is in the interest of all. Pakistan remains something of a wild card, but Pakistan’s dominant interest is to ensure that its eastern border with Afghanistan remains safe and friendly. especially since Pakistan’s western neighbor — india — poses the greatest strategic threat to islamabad. Pakistan cannot tolerate unfriendly powers on both borders. it will do whatever it takes to maintain decent working relations with Kabul. And, of course, China has Pakistan’s back

as a key link in the eurasian Belt and road initiative. Pakistan must also be attentive to the Pashtun character of the Taliban movement; after all, there are more Pashtuns in eastern Pakistan than there are in Afghanistan itself. And resurgent Pashtun nationalism poses a constant concern to islamabad as well. Washington will have to lick its wounds in departing Afghanistan in defeat after 20 feckless years of occupation but cannot persist in a costly and losing policy. And only a fool would try to ward off the geopolitical power of russia and China, and even iran, across the vast stretches of eurasia. Furthermore, while Washington has essentially employed military instruments to attempt to impose its hegemony around the world, Moscow and Beijing are working the diplomatic route — with far greater success. What might be the nature of a Taliban-dominated government in Afghanistan? Hard to say, but this is a new generation of Taliban leaders who have traveled, seen the world, and dealt with many other governments. one would hope they have learned something in the course of their exile; they have little other option than to recognize the reality of now living in an international environment of mainly of non-Muslim powers. And if Taliban social policies are distasteful to Americans, they might wish to reflect upon Saudi Arabia in the same context. of course, riyadh and Saudi money still seem to enjoy vast influence in Washington that the Taliban cannot exert. President Biden deserves at least some measure of credit in finally closing the spigots on U.S. blood and treasure in Afghanistan after 20 years. Hopefully it is the beginning of a sign of greater realism on the part of Washington’s geopolitical thinkers about the new limits of American power. And the need for a far more modest vision of what truly comprises American interests. Graham E. Fuller is a former senior CIA official and author of numerous books on the Muslim World.

The nagging question in the Indo-Pacific EVERYONE IN THE REGION IS AT LEAST THINKING ABOUT AN ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH THE US ISN’T ON TOP Geopolitical Futures

PhilliP Orchard

enior US diplomats were fanned out across the indo-Pacific last week. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin toured Southeast Asia, outlining to circumspect U.S. partners a vision for “integrated deterrence” and, in Manila, tending to a festering wound at the heart of U.S. regional strategy. This followed Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman’s visits to Seoul and Tokyo, indispensable U.S. allies whose resentment for each other is a big problem for the U.S. alliance structure. Her boss, Antony Blinken, dropped by india to continue transforming the “Quad” from a reluctant talk shop to a coalition with teeth. Meanwhile, at home, the annual bureaucratic donnybrook over the Pentagon’s budget is in full swing, with profound debates over how best to sustain U.S. naval supremacy in the indo-Pacific (How many ships? What type? What role for unmanned ships?) appearing nowhere close to resolution. The flurry of activity can be tied to a single, nagging question: Can China win? or, can China’s developing capabilities – hypersonic missiles, warships, cyberweapons, space and information domain assets, and so forth – nullify Washington’s naval superiority, particularly in China’s front yard? What happens if China succeeds simply in making it too costly for the U.S. to risk a fight? in truth, the question will probably never be fully answered. it would take a war to do so, and war would be disastrous for everyone involved. Yet the uncertainty itself will be a defining feature in the regional landscape likely for decades to come. THE US NAVY’S DOMINANCE: it’s hard to imagine how the latter half of the 20th century would have played out had the U.S. navy faced a comparable rival. its dominance allowed europe to eschew cyclical conflict for economic and political inte-

gration, and it allowed Japan to maintain a largely pacifist posture for nearly half a century. it helped keep the Cold War from turning hot. it allowed the U.S. the domestic security and economic vitality to play a proactive offshore balancing role, discouraging far-flung emerging powers from becoming regional hegemonies. And, for better or for worse, it allowed the U.S. to play the role of global policeman. Perhaps most important, it guaranteed the security of international sea lanes, unleashing the unprecedented boom in maritime trade and fundamentally rewiring the global economy. Still, it’s reasonable to wonder just how good the U.S. navy actually is. For all its experience supporting combat operations against weaker powers in the Middle east and elsewhere, it hasn’t fought a conventional naval battle since 1944. The gap between the U.S. navy and those of its potential rivals was so large, and so expensive to narrow, that no potential rival, not even the Soviets, ever really tried to match it. in other words, the main success of the U.S. navy was in making it so it would never have to really fight. But there’s only so much a fighting force can learn about its capabilities and vulnerabilities from war games, computer simulations (in which the U.S. hasn’t exactly lived up to its reputation recently) and supporting roles against land-based foes. And the risks of a dominant navy becoming overconfident and blind to its own vulnerabilities have been borne out repeatedly throughout history. Moreover, U.S. naval dominance is under pressure from multiple directions. The U.S. military’s misadventures in the 1990s and 2000s made the U.S. at once overstretched and underweighted in the region that would matter most in the 2010s onward. it now seems to understand that it needs to adopt a more subtle strategy of bending global affairs to its interests and avoiding the temptation to be everywhere at once. The U.S. navy is, of course, still vital in this regard; no component of the U.S. military is more important to sustaining the flexibility to project power decisively from a smaller footprint. But it’s enough to compel farflung allies, particularly those in the Western Pacific and eastern indian ocean, to take

CHINA’S RISE: The main threat to U.S. dominance, of course, is China. over the past 20 or so years, Beijing has embarked on a long-term campaign to develop its maritime forces, and the resulting challenge is unlike anything the U.S. has ever faced. (even the Soviet Union, which had a greater geographic and strategic imperative to focus primarily on controlling the eurasian landmass, could rely more on the force of its ideology, its long-range nuclear arsenal and its talent for trapping the U.S. in proxy conflicts.) For the first time in its history, China has an imperative to become a maritime power. its biggest strategic dilemma is its need for secure access to the Pacific and indian oceans, access that could be severed by foreign navies around a series of chokepoints running from the Senkakus to the Malacca Strait. And China has the economic dynamism, industrial capacity and technological growth needed to make it happen. its naval buildup has thus been remarkable in its scale and speed. in terms of fleet size, the People’s Liberation Army navy (PLAn) is nearing parity with the U.S. navy. Moreover, the Chinese navy is bolstered by thousands of paramilitary vessels from the coast guard and the maritime militia – lightly armed fishing vessels that report directly to the PLA – that can act as force multipliers in China’s littoral waters. Already, they are the vanguard of Beijing’s efforts to enforce its territorial claims and intimidate other South China Sea claimant states into seeing China’s regional supremacy as inevitable.

with all dimensions of China’s rise, trajectory is more important than the current balance of forces. China has quickly weaned itself off foreign components and technology. in 2015, the Pentagon rated 70 percent of Chinese submarines (both nuclear- and diesel-powered), destroyers and frigates as being of “modern design,” compared to 3040 percent just a decade earlier. Moreover, its ability to play catch-up in technologies with potential “dual-use” commercial-military applications – cyberspace, artificial intelligence, telecommunications and outer space – shouldn’t be dismissed. Plus, if the U.S. and China go to war in the foreseeable future, China would almost certainly be fighting with home-field advantage, allowing it to structure its defenses in a way that offsets its weaknesses and amplifies its strengths. it couldn’t do that if it tried to take on the U.S. navy in the middle of the Pacific. Beijing understands as much, and though its long-term strategic plans call for its capabilities to dominate distant waters, its overwhelming focus for now is on creating a “fortress fleet” to establish a gradually expanding protective buffer in its littoral waters. The goal here is to make the price too high for an outside navy to threaten the mainland or intervene on Taiwan’s behalf, to persuade weaker regional states that their best bet is to ally with Beijing, and to project enough force to be able to secure its maritime chokepoints. And its prospects for success here are growing. China’s buildup of anti-ship missiles alone could very well diminish the operational value of the cornerstone of the U.S. navy – the aircraft carrier strike group – to the point of being obsolete.

CHINESE CLAIMS IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA: This doesn’t mean the PLAn would stand a chance against the U.S. fleet in a conventional naval battle in open waters. Fleet size and composition tell us only so much about a navy’s capabilities. Technological sophistication, fleet composition, training, operational experience and logistics support networks are also all key – and in most of these areas, the Chinese navy is widely believed to still be decades behind the U.S. Still, the U.S. should be concerned. As

KING OF THE SEAS: of course, the same strengths that allowed the U.S. to achieve naval dominance in the first place haven’t gone away. its technological base is unmatched, putting it in a reasonably solid position to stay a step ahead and parry whatever China comes up with. The U.S. economy may prove far more resilient than China’s, allowing it to sustain funding for these sorts of next-generation capabilities – not to mention to engage in economic warfare to potentially kneecap China’s ability to sustain its trajectory.

on greater responsibility for regional security burdens.

Moreover, the U.S. has spent more than a century building its alliance structure, and China will have an enormously difficult time building its own. Beijing hopes that its neighbors will eventually see that accommodating Chinese regional hegemony is in their own interest, but in the meantime, it’s largely compelling them to look for ways to sustain the balance of power. Some, like Japan, are clearly bulking up for a fight. At minimum, China’s buildup will continue to induce tighter military cooperation among regional powers such as Japan, Australia, india and Singapore, as well as some enterprising europeans. To sustain its edge and maintain the ability to operate in the face of China’s anti-access/area denial buffer, the U.S. will need a more decentralized force posture featuring counterstrike batteries and rapid deployment positions across the first island chain. At present, it’s struggling to persuade regional partners to give it the access needed for this; given the uncertainty, most regional states are hedging their bets. But the U.S. is still far more likely than China to get the regional support it needs. even so, history has shown repeatedly that dominance the likes of the U.S. navy can’t last forever and that the downfall is typically preceded by technological shifts, domestic rot, inertia and strategic arrogance. The development of carrier-based air power and long-range submarines ended the primacy of battleships. The next great power war will hinge on which side is bestequipped to blind the enemy, and thus command of the sea will soon hinge on command of the space and cyber realms. For all its strengths, U.S. dysfunction at home warrants real skepticism about its ability to harness its resources and execute a steady, comprehensive strategy in these domains. if the U.S. repeats the age-old mistake of preparing to fight the next war as if it were the last, it may very well lose even before shots are fired. Given its economic and political fragility and geographic vulnerabilities, China may prove to be a paper tiger. But its prospects are strong enough that both the U.S. and its friends in the region, for the first time in several generations, are thinking seriously about how to adapt to an environment in which the U.S. is no longer the unquestioned king of the seas. Phillip Orchard is an analyst at Geopolitical Futures.

Thursday, 19 August, 2021

BUSINESS 09

LAHORE

MASSive incReASe in PAk-AfghAn tRADe AS tAliBAn tAkeS chARge PESHAWAR

Pakistan’s Airlift claims to bag $85m in Series-B round IF TRUE, TOTAL RAISED BY AIRLIFT WILL AMOUNT TO $109.M IN DISCLOSED FUNDING, MAKING IT THE MOST WELL-FUNDED PAKISTANBASED STARTUP RIGHT NOW

AZIZ BUNERI

RAFFIC on both sides of the Torkham border on Wednesday increased massively as cargo trucks continued to cross the border, contrary to fears of a reduction in PakAfghan trade and transit traders due to the changing situation in Afghanistan. While repatriation of stranded Afghans also begun, customs officials reported that trade on the Pak-Afghan border has almost doubled since the Taliban seized control of the Afghan capital. According to Customs Clearance Agent Fazlullah, who works at Torkham border, there has been a huge increase in bilateral trade contrary to fears and expectations. Fazlullah said that earlier the number of imports in 24 hours did not consist of more than 60 to 70 vehicles as the former Afghan government agencies did not want better trade relations between the two countries; however, as many as 270 cargo trucks were cleared within 24 hours of the Taliban taking charge

REDUCTION IN CUSTOMS DUTIES ON VARIOUS ITEMS ANNOUNCED IN AFGHANISTAN of what is the largest border crossing between the Pakistan and Afghanistan. Traders said that it is not yet clear how much of the prices announced by Taliban will be implemented whereas the people will set their own prices until a formal government is formed. Traders also remarked that the Afghan currency has depreciated sharply since Ashraf Ghani fled the country in haste, prompting traders involved in Afghan trade to avoid ordering goods to avoid any possible misfortune. Meanwhile, the Taliban has decided to reduce customs duties on 159 items in Afghanistan, most of which are food items, leading to a 50 to 90 per cent drop in prices. The list released by the Afghan Taliban on

Wednesday shows that the price of flour, oil, rice, vegetables, fruits, and other food items have witnessed a decrease in prices after the reduction in customs duty. The list also includes construction items such as cement, steel, glass, plastic, petrol, diesel, foam and others. According to Afghan businessman Hekmatullah, the reduction in customs duties will reduce the prices of food items as well as other items, including construction materials and electronic products, which were overpriced mainly due to the high customs duty. He said that the reduction in customs duty will also benefit traders, adding that all these announcements are specific to the law and order situation in Afghanistan. "If the situation improves, the confidence of traders and the general public will be restored," he said. However, he said that a although a favourable business environment will create more job opportunities, it would be without a conducive environment; neither the traders nor the general public will benefit from such announcements.

LAHORE TAIMOOR HASSAN

Pakistan’s Airlift Tuesday claimed to have raised $85 million in a Series-B round to scale its grocery delivery platform Airlift Express. The round was co-led by USbased angel investor Josh Buckley of Buckley Ventures, and British investor Harry Stebbings. Other major participants include executives and co-founders of prominent tech companies. Twitter and Medium cofounder Biz Stone, former YCombinator president Sam Altman, and former Disney CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg. Transferwise founder and CEO Taavet Hinrikus and Seve Pagliuca, co-chairman, Bain Capital participated in the round. Pakistan’s Fatima Gobi Ventures, led by Ali Mukhtar, also confirmed their participation in Airlift’s Series-B round. If true, the Series-B financing could be the largest in the MENA region. Sources, however, claim that the amount raised by Airlift is spread over two Series-B rounds, and the total raised is in the vicinity of $30-40 million, which is less than half the amount that Airlift claims to have raised. It could be that Airlift planned to raise $85 million and received $30-40 million till now and more could have been committed to the startup. But the team at Airlift has refused to share any documents to verify if their claim was true. Moreover, Airlift also refused to disclose the numbers of monthly grocery delivery orders they deliver to substantiate the strong foundations and success of their grocery delivery business that enabled the startup to raise a mammoth amount. It is pertinent to mention that startups have earlier shared their confidential documents with us to prove their claims of funding amounts. Co-founded by Usman Gul, Ahmed Ayub, Awaab Khaakwany, Meher Farrukh, Muhammad Owais, and Zohaib Ali in 2019, Airlift launched as a mass-transit startup, connecting users with buses at subsidised rates. In March 2020, the transit operations were shut owing to the pandemic and Airlift moved into the grocery delivery business with $10 million in funding, under the brand name Airlift Express. The core transit operations still remain shelved. In its press release, Airlift said that they operated in eight Pakistani cities that they expanded into in a matter of a little over a year for grocery delivery operations, and after the new round of funding, they are eyeing international expansion. Airlift moved into grocery delivery last year with $10 million in Series-A1 round. It has earlier raised $2.2 million in seed round and $12 million in Series-A round for its transit operations. If the $85 million claims are true, the total raised by the startup will amount to $109.2 million in disclosed funding, making it the most well-funded Pakistan-based startup right now. In an interview with an international media outlet, Airlift has also claimed a valuation of $275 million after its latest funding round. In rupee terms, that implies a valuation of Rs45 billion, which is bigger than the valuation of large publicly listed companies in Pakistan. The Series-B round of Airlift comes during a momentous year, with a record $120 million raised by Pakistani startups during the first six months of the year. Within the grocery delivery space, Airlift’s competitor GrocerApp announced a $5.2 million funding in a SeriesA round. Another e-Grocer, 24seven.pk also raised an undisclosed amount. Within the B2B eCommerce space, startups connecting retail karyana stores with distributors have announced raising $33.7 million between four startups. Bazaar announced $6.5 million in funding this year, Taajir $17 million, Retailo $6.7 million, whereas Dastgyr claimed raising $3.5 million.

OGRA allows hike in gas prices for Sui companies ISLAMABAD AGENCIES

The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has allowed an increase in gas prices by up to 14 per cent or Rs87 per unit for consumers of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and 7pc or Rs55 per unit for those of Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) to meet their revenue shortfalls during the current fiscal year (FY22). The regulatory body has sent both determinations to the federal government for receipt of category-wise natural gas sale price advice as required under Section 8(3) of the OGRA Ordinance after determining the Estimated Revenue Requirement of SNGPL and SSGCL for FY22 under Section 8(1) of Ogra Ordinance, 2002, vide its decisions dated Aug 17, 2021. The summary of revenue re-

quirement determination, as claimed by SNGPL vis-à-vis that allowed by OGRA for FY22 includes he financial impact of SNGPL’s previous years’ shortfall of Rs254,108 million i.e. Rs669.75 per mmBtu has been referred to the federal government for an appropriate policy decision and is, therefore, not made part of the instant determination. A comparison between SSGCL’s demand and that allowed for FY22 is as follows: The Ogra has reduced the gas companies’ demand for increase in gas prices for FY22. Moreover, taking cognisance of high pendency of gas connections in gas utilities’ system, besides many incomplete development projects, the authority has directed Sui companies to immediately proceed for installation of all ongoing or incomplete projects, as previously authorised. Furthermore, taking cog-

nizance of high pendency of gas connections in gas utilities’ system besides many incomplete development projects, the authority has directed sui companies to immediately proceed for installation of all ongoing and incomplete projects, as previously authorised. In respect of SSGCL, the company has specifically been directed to immediately proceed effectively and rigorously against a significant number of gas pilferers and non-consumers, located in its franchise area so as to bring down its ever-increasing Unaccounted for Gas (UfG). Through the above determination, the federal government has been requested for advice on category-wise sale prices. Any revision, as advised by the federal government, shall be accordingly notified by OGRA. Till such time the existing categorywise natural gas sale prices shall continue to prevail.

FDI slides by 38.7pc to eight-month low in July Foreign direct investment fell sharply by 38.7 per cent during the first month of the new fiscal FY22 compared to July FY21, following the declining trend noted in the previous fiscal year. According to data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), net FDI in different sectors of Pakistan’s economy like energy, telecom and banking sectors slowed down to an eight-month low at $89.9 million in July. The central bank's latest data issued showed that the country received only $90 million as FDI during July against an inflow $128.7m in the same month of the previous fiscal. Singapore emerged as the single largest investor in Pakistan in July. It invested net $16.4 million in the month compared to net $2.3 million in the same month last year, according to SBP. United States appeared as the second largest investor with net $14.9 million in the month under review compared to net $11.5 million in the corresponding month last year. United States emerged as the second leading foreign investor in Pakistan as its net direct investment into Pakistan amounted to $14.9m in the month of July, followed by Hong Kong with $12.3m, UK with $9.1m, and China with $6.6m. To note, FDI inflows from the China fell to $21.9m in July’21 from $48.5m in July’20, depicting a decline of 55pc YoY.

UAE appeared as the largest contributor in portfolio investment with $2.6m during the month. Earlier on Monday, Pakistani dollar-denominated bonds fell by 1.6 per cent in a single session as the investors fear that Pakistan may receive spillover impact due an uncertain situation in Afghanistan. Trading with Afghanistan has already come to the lowest level during recent weeks. On the other hand, Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI), which represents an investment in the equity market shown a negative picture, as net FPI outflows stood at $1.1m in July '21. Sweden emerged as the biggest withdrawal of portfolio investment during the month, as it withdrew $4.8m during July last year. MONITORING REPORT

Development package worth Rs4.5bn prepared for Mohmand Dam affectees PESHAWAR AZIZ BUNERI

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister (CM) Mahmood Khan has announced a special development package worth Rs4.5 billion that has been finalised for Mohmand and other adjacent districts affected by the project. In this regard, a high-level meeting was held here on Tuesday. Peshawar Corps Commander Lt. General Nauman Mehmood, Additional Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah, Principal Secretary to CM Amjad Ali Khan, administrative secretaries of concerned departments and others attended the meeting. The meeting was given a detailed briefing on various aspects of the special development package prepared for the areas affected by the dam project. According to details, a share of 86 per cent of the total development package has been allocated for Mohmand district, while 8pc for Bajur district, 3pc for Malakand, and 3pc has been allocated for Charsadda district. The allocation of the share is as per the share of land of the districts affected by the hydropower project. The proposed package includes several public welfare development projects in different sectors and would facilitate more than 150,000 population in the area at a total cost of Rs175m. Similarly, Rs700 million would be spent on the widening and rehabilitation of a 30 km long road in Tehsil Prang Ghar while a 6km long road would be constructed at the cost of Rs75m in Tehsil Pindiali of the Mohmand district. Under the package, different projects worth Rs236m would be initiated in the education sector whereas Rs135m would be utilised for health sector schemes in the district. Various projects costing Rs60m have also been proposed in the sports sector for the district. Furthermore, a 132kV grid station would be constructed in the area at an estimated cost of Rs700m. Additionally, a few quick impact projects are also part of the development package. The meeting apprised that all the developmental schemes included in the package had been finalised in consultation with elected public representatives and local elders of the affected areas. It was decided to constitute a Joint Steering Committee to be headed by the additional chief secretary to ensure quick implementation of the developmental package. Moreover, the provincial chief minister directed the quarters concerned to prepare a comprehensive action plan along with realistic timelines to ensure timely progress on the developmental schemes. “All concerned departments will have to ensure visible progress on their respective projects as per the stipulated timelines so that the people can reap benefits of package without any delay,” he concluded.

Oil steadies, Delta outbreaks cloud demand prospects LONDON AGENCIES

Oil prices steadied on Wednesday after four days of declines with investors still worried about the outlook for fuel demand as the use of rail, air and other forms of transport remained constrained amid surging COVID-19

cases worldwide. Brent crude was up 70 cents or 1% at $69.73 a barrel by 0649 GMT. US oil gained 54 cents or 0.8% to $67.13 a barrel. "In the short-term, the oil market may be volatile with frequent pull-backs as crude prices are beginning to struggle as demand in Europe and India faces headwinds," said Avtar Sandu, senior manager, commodities

at Phillip Futures in Singapore. A stronger dollar was also hitting commodities across the board, with metals and precious gold in particular as "equally fragile" as oil, ANZ Research said in a note. Crude is typically priced in dollars so a stronger greenback makes oil more expensive, hitting demand.

In the United States, more supply is set to hit the market if official forecasts prove right. US shale oil production is expected to rise to 8.1 million barrels per day (bpd) in September, the highest since April 2020, according to the government's Energy Information Administration's monthly drilling output report. US crude oil and gasoline inventories fell

last week, according to two market sources, citing American Petroleum Institute figures on Tuesday, while distillate stocks rose. Financial markets overall are turning sour in response to the Delta variant's progress, softer US economic data, and a sombre reflection on what is going on in Afghanistan, ING analysts said in a note.

Thursday, 19 august, 2021

10 foreign news

lahore

HAiti quAke survivors cry For HeLp As deAtH toLL neArs 2,000 LES CAYES

ReuteRs

URvIvORS of the earthquake that killed at least 1,941 people in Haiti clamoured for food, shelter and medical care on Tuesday as search and rescue efforts resumed after a tropical storm lashed the Caribbean nation with rain, causing dangerous flooding. Quake damage to several major hospitals hampered humanitarian efforts, and doctors in makeshift tents outside battled to save the lives of the many injured, including young children and the elderly. But they could not help them all. “There weren’t enough doctors and now she’s dead,” said Lanette Nuel, sitting listlessly next to her daughter’s body outside the main hospital of Les Cayes, one of the towns worst hit by both the tremor and the storm’s heavy rains and winds. The 26-year-old deceased woman, herself a mother of two, had been crushed by debris during the magnitude 7.2 quake. Now she lay under a white sheet on the floor. “We came in yesterday afternoon, she died this morning. I can’t do anything,” her mother said. Saturday’s quake knocked down tens of thousands of buildings in the poorest country in the Americas, which is still recovering from a temblor 11 years ago that killed over 200,000 people. Aside from the dead, the latest quake also injured at least 9,915, with many people still missing or under the rubble, the civil protection service said on Tuesday afternoon. Relief efforts were already complicated due to political turmoil and difficult road access from the capital to the south due to gang

control of key points. Flash flooding and landslides in the wake of Tropical Storm Grace, which by Tuesday afternoon had continued on past Jamaica, exacerbated the situation. “Countless Haitian families who have lost everything due to the earthquake are now living literally with their feet in the water due to the flooding,” said Bruno Maes, a United Nations Children’s Fund representative in the country. “Right now, about half a million Haitian children have limited or no access to shelter, safe water, healthcare and nutrition.” The United Nations said it had allocated $8 million in emergency funds to provide relief for affected people. Latin American countries including venezuela, Chile, Mexico, Panama, Colombia and the neighbouring Dominican Republic sent food, medicine and supplies. The United States also dispatched supplies and search and rescue teams. Although criminal gangs have been blocking access roads for months, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs said “successful negotiations” had made it possible for a convoy to reach Les Cayes. The hospital in Les Cayes, about 150 kilometres (90 miles) west of the capital Port-au-Prince, was, even more, overwhelmed on Tuesday than before as patients who had been camping outside moved indoors to escape the tropical storm. Director Peterson Gede said medics were doing the best they could. “We couldn’t handle all the patients,” he said. “And we have been receiving supplies, but it’s not enough.” At a tent city in Les Cayes containing many children and babies, over a hundred

people scrambled to repair makeshift coverings made of wooden poles and tarps that were destroyed by Grace overnight. Some took cover under plastic sheets. Mathieu Jameson, deputy head of the committee formed by the tent city residents, said hundreds of people there were in urgent need of food, shelter and medical care. “We don’t have a doctor. We don’t have food. Every morning more people are arriving. We have no bathroom, no place to sleep. We need food, we need more umbrellas,” said Jameson, adding the tent city was still waiting for government aid. SMELL OF DECAY: Haiti’s latest natural disaster comes just over a month after the country was plunged into political turmoil by the July 7 assassination of President

Jovenel Moise. US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday it was too early to gauge the impact of the quake on Haiti’s political process and that the United States, the country’s main donor, had no current plans to deploy its military there. Rescue workers have been digging alongside residents through the rubble in a bid to reach survivors. On Tuesday morning, 16 people were recovered alive alongside nine dead, Haitian civil protection authorities said. But hopes were fading, and a smell of dust and decomposing bodies permeated the air. “We came from all over to help: from the north, from Port-au Prince, from everywhere,” said Maria Fleurant, a firefighter

California wildfire crisis escalates amid extreme winds POLLOCK PINES ReuteRs

California's wildfire crisis escalated on Tuesday as resurgent strong winds fanned the state's biggest conflagration, drove flames from a separate, smaller blaze into a rural mountain community and prompted widespread precautionary power shutoffs. Already the second-largest California wildfire on record, the Dixie fire raging since mid-July in the rugged Sierra Nevada range northeast of San Francisco had charred 604,000 acres of drought-parched timber and brush as of Tuesday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). That tally was up 34,000 acres from the day before, marking one of the fire's biggest 24-hour growth spurts since its earliest days last month. Doug Ulibarri, a spokesman for the Dixie incident command, attributed the surge to extreme winds that blew up across much of northern California Monday night. But he said containment lines carved by strike

teams around nearly a third of the Dixie's perimeter largely held up overnight, despite enlargement of the fire's overall footprint. Some 1,200 homes and other structures have been lost to the fire, but another 16,000 buildings were listed as threatened, with evacuation estimates ranging from 12,000 to 28,000 residents. The Dixie is the biggest by far among scores of fires roaring across the Western United States in a highly incendiary summer that experts see as symptomatic of climate change. A much smaller blaze emerged Tuesday as one of California's leading wildfire threats this week when high winds pushed flames from the so-called Caldor fire, about 65 miles east of Sacramento, into the El Dorado County mountain hamlet of Grizzly Flats. Cal Fire said two civilians suffered serious injuries during hasty evacuations of the area early Tuesday and that an unspecified number of structures were seen going up in flames. The Sacramento Bee reported that property losses in Grizzly Flats, a community of about 1,200 resi-

dents, included an elementary school, a church and a post office. The California Governor's Office of Emergency Services put the overall number of people displaced by the Caldor fire at more than 11,000 as of Tuesday night, with mandatory evacuation orders posted for several communities, including Pollock Pines and Somerset. The flare-ups of the Dixie and Caldor blazes came as the state's largest utility, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), initiated deliberate power shutoffs across northern California to reduce wildfire risks posed by possible wind damage to transmission lines. The company cited forecasts of sustained winds reaching 40 miles per hour, with higher gusts in foothill and mountain areas, as well as tinder-dry vegetation and low humidity levels. The precautionary blackouts were expected to disrupt electricity service to 51,000 homes and businesses scattered across 18 counties, PG&E (PCG.N) said. The company said it expected winds to abate Wednesday, allowing service to be restored within the following 24 hours.

from northern Haiti. Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who was sworn in less than a month ago after Moise’s assassination, vowed to disburse humanitarian aid better than in the wake of the 2010 quake. Though billions of dollars in aid poured into Haiti after that quake and Hurricane Matthew in 2016, many Haitians say they saw scant benefits from the uncoordinated efforts: government bodies remained weak, amid persistent shortages of food and basic goods. “The earthquake is a great misfortune that happens to us in the middle of the hurricane season,” Henry told reporters. He said the government would not repeat “the same things” done in 2010.

First Lufthansa plane with Afghanistan evacuees lands in Germany BERLIN ReuteRs

The first Lufthansa plane carrying evacuees from Afghanistan landed in Frankfurt early on Wednesday with about 130 people aboard, the airline said. The Airbus A340 picked up passengers who had been taken by Bundeswehr flights from the Afghan capital of Kabul to the Uzbek capital of Tashkent. As part of an airlift effort in coordination with the German government, further special flights from Tashkent, Doha or other neighbouring nations in the next few days will evacuate more people from Afghanistan. Germany, which had the second-largest military contingent in Afghanistan after the United States, wants to airlift thousands of German-Afghan dual nationals, rights activists, lawyers and people who worked with foreign forces. After dramatic images of throngs at Kabul airport trying to flee after the Afghan capital fell to the Taliban, US forces have secured the airport and started an airlift to fly out diplomats and civilians.

Girls return to school in Afghanistan city after Taliban takeover KABUL AFP

Girls wearing white hijabs and black tunics crammed into classrooms in the western Afghan city of Herat just days after the Taliban’s takeover. As the school opened its doors, the students scurried down corridors and chatted in courtyards, seemingly oblivious to the turmoil that has engulfed the country in the past two weeks. The scenes — which many feared would be banned under the Taliban — were filmed by an AFP cameraman this week, just days after fighters from the hardline group took the city following the collapse of government forces and the local militia. “We want to progress like other countries,” said student Roqia. “And we hope the Taliban will maintain security. We don’t want war, we want peace in our country.” With its close proximity to the Iranian border, the ancient Silk Road city of Herat

has long been a cosmopolitan exception to more conservative centres. Women and girls walked more freely in the streets, attending schools and colleges in huge numbers in a city famed for its poetry and arts. Its long-term future remains uncertain, however. Under the hardline version of sharia law that the Taliban imposed when they controlled Afghanistan in the 1990s, women and girls were mostly denied education and employment. Full-face coverings became mandatory in public, and women could not leave home without a male companion. WHAT LIES AHEAD: Public floggings and executions, including stoning for adultery, were carried out in city squares and stadiums. What lies ahead for women with the Taliban back in power remains unclear. Publicly, the Taliban are attempting to push the narrative that they have watered down some of their more extreme positions, with their spokesman late Tuesday announcing an official pardon for “everyone” in-

volved in the war. During the group’s first official press conference in Kabul since retaking power, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the erstwhile insurgents were “committed to letting women work in accordance with the principles of Islam”.

Asked what the difference was between the movement ousted 20 years ago and the Taliban of today, he said: “If the question is based on ideology, and beliefs, there is no difference […] but if we calculate it based on experience, maturity, and insight, no

doubt there are many differences. “The steps today will be positively different from the past steps,” he added. Still, people have been entering public life cautiously, with women largely absent from the streets of Kabul and men trading their Western clothes for more traditional Afghan garb. There remains massive concern globally about the Taliban’s brutal human rights record — and tens of thousands of Afghans are still trying to flee the country as the group settles into power. After just days at the helm, it remains unclear if there is any official education policy or whether talks with schools have been held by the Taliban. However, during an interview with Britain’s Sky News this week, another Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen offered assurances on the topic. Women “can get education from primary to higher education — that means university”, he said.

Thursday, 19 August, 2021

LAHORE

HalEp Earns injury coMEback win; GauFF to FacE osaka s CINCINNATI AFP

IMONA Halep earned her first victory since last May's calf injury pause as the three-time finalist defeated Magda Linette 6-4, 3-6, 61 on Tuesday at the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters. American teenager Coco Gauff lined up a contest with second seed Naomi Osaka through a 6-1, 6-2 hammering of Hsieh Su-Wei. On a day when rain forced a reorganisation of the afternoon and evening schedule, women's top seed Ashleigh Barty and Olympic gold medalist Alexander Zverev never made it onto court. Halep only returned to the Tour last week in Montreal, losing in the opening round. She remained confident that progress was not far away after her injury in Rome three months ago. The Romanian defeated her Polish opponent for a second time, taking just over two hours. "It was a strong match. In my opinion, both of us played really well," the 29-yearold said. "Maybe the rain delay helped me a

little bit to find energy. I was a little bit stronger physically and mentally in the third set. "It means a lot, I'm really happy to win. It's always important to have victories when you come back from an injury. "This was the first time in my life that I've had this kind of problem, and I didn't re-

ally know how to manage it. But I'm happy to be back, happy to play pain-free. I'm just trying to build my confidence back." The 12th seed, a former number one, played Cincinnati finals in 2015, 2017 and 2018. She dominated her 44th-ranked opponent with 11 aces and four breaks of serve.

Gauff won her last match with four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka at the Australian Open last year. Gauff, 1-1 in the series, will play Osaka for the first time outside of a Grand Slam. "I've learned (from their past matches) to just focus on me and not on the expectations of others," she said of the high-profile meeting with the former number one. Montreal champion Camila Giorgi fell 6-2, 6-2 in her opening match to Jessica Pegula in a re-run of the pair's semi-final last Saturday in Canada. Hopes ended for Britain's Johanna Konta in a 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 loss to Czech Karolina Muchova. Konta has now lost in the Cincinnati first round in three of her last four appearances at the tournament, reaching the semi-finals in 2020 when the event was staged in New York under strict Covid-19 protocols. In the men's draw, Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini returned from a thigh injury layoff but only just managed a 6-7 (57), 6-3, 7-5 defeat of Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas. The Italian fifth seed showed rust after last playing the All England Club final

Ronaldo set to stick around to spearhead Allegri 2.0 mission ROME REUTERS

Cristiano Ronaldo has been linked with a host of clubs this summer but he seems set to stay put at Juventus, tasked with an even more important role in revitalising the Italian giants. Be it a return to boyhood club Sporting Lisbon, a move Ronaldo’s own mother suggested was a possibility, or another shot at the English Premier League with Manchester United, the 36-year-old has been subject to much transfer talk. This week, Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport – Stadio reported Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes has offered his star client to English champions Manchester City, while Spanish TV show El Chiringuito claimed a return to Real Madrid could happen. After Juve stuttered to a fourth-place finish last season and were knocked out at the last 16 stage of the Champions League, Ronaldo, in the twilight years of his career, could be forgiven for seeking pastures new, to better his chances of further silverware before retiring. But, as yet, no such move has materialised, with Real coach Carlo Ancelotti distancing himself from the man who won four Champions League winners medals in the Spanish capital. “Cristiano is a Real Madrid legend and he has all my love and respect,” Ancelotti tweeted on Tuesday. “I have never considered signing him. We look forward.”

Ronaldo, therefore, appears likely to remain at Juve as they look to win back the Scudetto from Inter Milan, with last season’s top goalscorer in Serie A the focal point of the club’s title tilt once again. New coach Massimiliano Allegri, back at Juve for a second spell in charge, has in fact called on Ronaldo to offer even more this season. “Ronaldo is an extraordinary player

and an intelligent guy,” Allegri told a news conference last month. “We talked as we talked with other players and I told him that it will be an important season, he will have a completely different and greater responsibility than three years ago. “He can’t just be a goalscorer, I expect him to take responsibility as the man he is, given we have a lot of younger players

in the team. “I can only imagine the difficulties that have been here over these two years.” ALLEGRI’S CHANGE OF HEART: Coming into last season on the back of nine successive Scudetti, Juve looked well set to make it 10 titles in a row under the tutelage of rookie coach Andrea Pirlo. While Pirlo lacked managerial experience, he understood the demands of the club, having won four league titles with Juve as a player between 2011 and 2015, and was expected to bring a more attractive brand of football to the team. Allegri’s five seasons at the helm from 2014 to 2019 brought five league titles, four Coppa Italia wins and two runnersup finishes in the Champions League. However, Juve decided after winning the 2019 Scudetto at a canter that it was time to evolve from Allegri’s effective but often unattractive football towards a more progressive style. Two unsuccessful attempts to do that later, after Maurizio Sarri and Pirlo both lasted one season each, Juve are back where they started. According to reports in Italian daily La Repubblica, upon his departure in 2019, Allegri told Juve chairman Andrea Agnelli to move Ronaldo on, as his large wages and influence on the side was holding them back. But Ronaldo has remained as Allegri gets back to work on what he started, where he will instead look to the veteran superstar to take his young team forward.

SPORTS 11

against Novak Djokovic, But he prevailed after saving five break points in the final set to end it on a drop shot winner on match point. "I knew it would be tough, but I'm really happy - as much with the mindset as with the tennis," Berrettini said. Last week's Toronto quarter-finalist Gael Monfils was untroubled by Serb Dusan Lajovic in a 7-6(7/0), 6-2 win in 91 minutes as the Frenchman overcame nine double-faults. Grigor Dimitrov advanced to the second round as he eliminated 13th seed Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3, 6-4. American Sebastian Korda won his 23rd match this season as he quickly brushed aside Serb Laslo Djere 6-4, 6-4 to line up against second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. Weekend Toronto semi-finalist John Isner was bothered by back pain throughout but relied on his huge serve to wrap up a 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 comeback over Brit Cameron Norrie. Isner finished off with his 26th ace as Norrie lost in a first round for the second week in succession. The 36-year-old American moved into the second round to play Italy's 11th seed Jannick Sinner.

Mercedes to leave Formula E after 2022 STUTTGART REUTERS

Formula E champions Mercedes will withdraw from the all-electric series at the end of the Gen2 era in 2022 to concentrate on Formula One, the carmaker said on Wednesday. The announcement comes three days after Dutch driver Nyck de Vries won the Formula E world championship title after finishing eighth in the season's final race in Berlin, with Mercedes also winning the teams' title after Stoffel Vandoorne's third place. "Mercedes-Benz today announced that it will conclude its ABB FIA Formula E success story as a team entrant and manufacturer at the end of Season 8, in August 2022," the manufacturer said in a statement. "Moving forward, the company will concentrate its works motorsport activities on Formula 1, reinforcing the sport’s status as the fastest laboratory for developing and proving sustainable and scalable future performance technologies." In December, German manufacturers Audi and BMW confirmed they would exit Formula E at the end of this year. Mercedes announced a new strategic direction for its brand in July, with the aim of going allelectric by the end of the decade. "As part of the new strategic direction, the brand has deliberately chosen to shift resources for this accelerated ramp-up of electrification, including the development of three electric-only architectures to be launched in 2025," the carmaker said. "Therefore, Mercedes will reallocate resource away from its ABB FIA Formula E World Championship programme and towards applying the lessons learned in competition to product development in series."

Lewandowski scores twice as Bayern beat Dortmund in Super Cup BERLIN AFP

Robert Lewandowski netted twice as Bayern Munich retained the German Super Cup with a 3-1 win at Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday in a high-tempo encounter. Lewandowski put Bayern ahead with a bullet header at Signal Iduna Park before Thomas Mueller doubled the visitors' lead to make it 2-0 just after the break. Dortmund captain Marco Reus pulled a goal back when he curled a superb shot inside the post before Lewandowski settled the match. The 32-year-old has now scored 24 goals in as many games against Dortmund, where he spent four years from 2010-2014. Bayern have now won all of

their last six matches against Dortmund. It was a welcome victory for Bayern, who were winless in four pre-season friendlies before drawing last Friday's opening game of the new Bundesliga season 1-1 at Borussia Moenchengladbach. New coach Julian Nagelsmann has earned a trophy, which Bayern also won last year against Dortmund in Munich, with his first win in charge. Erling Braut Haaland and 16year-old Dortmund striker Youssoufa Moukoko each had goals ruled offside either side of half-time. Both teams wore black armbands out of respect for legendary Bayern striker Gerd Mueller, who died Sunday aged 75. During the warm-up, the Bayern squad wore shirts with

Mueller's name and number 9 on the back. Steady rain did little to dampen the electric atmosphere as tempers quickly became frayed, with three yellow cards dished out in the first half. Dortmund had the best early chance when England midfielder Jude Bellingham threaded a pass through the defence to Reus on 20 minutes, but Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer blocked the shot with his foot. Moukoko then had the ball in the net on 36 minutes from a Haaland pass, only to be denied by an offside flag. Lewandowski put Bayern ahead four minutes before the break, perfectly timing his run into the box to head home a pin-point Serge Gnabry cross.

Bayern extended their advantage four minutes into the second half when Lewandowski failed to connect with an Alphonso Davies cross and Mueller swept in the loose ball. Haaland beat Neuer three minutes later, but his effort was also chalked off. However, Dortmund pulled a goal back when Bellingham spotted Reus in space and he unleashed an excellent strike into the corner with 26 minutes to go. However, Lewandowski ended the tie as a contest, after Bayern capitalised on a rare mistake in the Dortmund defence. Centre-back Manuel Akanji played a lazy pass which was snapped up and worked to Lewandowski, who slotted home, taking the wind out of Dortmund in the 74th minute.

Thursday, 19 August, 2021

pRayeR timingS

NEWS

PAKiStAN rejectS iNdiA’S ‘UNwArrANted’ remArKS oN rANjit StAtUe vANdAliSm ISlaMabaD

inp

HE Foreign Office of Pakistan Wednesday “categorically” rejected the Indian Ministry of External Affairs’ “unwarranted and gratuitous” remarks on the vandalism of the Maharaja Ranjit Singh statue in Lahore. “It is highly hypocritical of a country that is a purveyor of state-sponsored discrimination against its minorities to pontificate on the issue of minority rights elsewhere,” spokesperson Zahid Hafiz Chaudhri said in a statement. “A mature state would have appreciated the immediate arrest of the accused against whom strict legal action has already been initiated.”

He said the government, legislature, judiciary, civil society and media in Pakistan have always worked for ensuring constitutional protections for members of minorities as equal citizens and their places of worship, whereas in India incidents against minorities take place with state complicity. “Rather than feigning concern for minorities elsewhere, India should seriously introspect, move away from entrenched anti-minority mindset being destructively spawned by the RSS-BJP regime, and discard state-sponsored discriminatory policies,” the statement read. The Foreign Office called upon India to ensure safety, protection and well-being of the minorities, including Muslims, and take effective steps for the protection of their places of worship, culture and heritage sites.

Pakistan asks world to hold Taliban to commitments NEW YORK Staff RepoRt

Pakistan welcomed a Taliban announcement assuring the world that its return to power won’t provide a safe harbour for terrorists nor lead to backsliding on women’s rights but asked the international community to hold the insurgent group that now controls the war-battered country to its assurances. In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Munir Akram, welcomed the assurance that among other commitments announced the formation of an inclusive government and to uphold the rights of its people. Akram observed the Taliban leadership gave those assurances realising the global community was taking note of its actions. “They want recognition and acceptance by the international community, and we should use that leverage in order to ensure good behaviour on their part,” he told the host, Bret Baier. While Baier kept voicing scepticism over the group’s pledges and recalling their history, the ambassador said: “We need to look ahead and see how we can influence and evolve the situation in a direction which serves the interests of Afghanistan, of the region, and of the international community.” In this regard, among the priority

actions were the evacuation of those who want to leave Afghanistan, he said, noting the United States was evacuating its own people and others as well. He further said Pakistan was also helping in the evacuation — taking diplomats, international agencies’ representatives as well as journalists, and “anybody who wishes to leave through Pakistan”. “We also need to encourage an inclusive government in Kabul and there too, the United States, Pakistan and other countries are working in Doha, as well as in Islamabad,”

Akram told Baier. Last week, a political delegation from Afghanistan, led by Wolesi Jirga (Parliament) Speaker Mir Rahman Rahmani, called on Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and top leadership “in order to get an engagement with them and the Taliban in order to evolve, a representative government,” the ambassador recalled. Responding to a question related to the threat of the return of al Qaeda following the arrival of the Taliban, Akram said the insurgent group has “basically been decimated” through the cooperation between the United States

and Pakistan. “We captured and killed over 600, al Qaeda operatives in Afghanistan and in the border regions of Pakistan,” he said. “The group was now a shadow of itself and was not operational.” The real threat now comes from the so-called Islamic State group, an organisation that the Taliban have been fighting. “There are other terrorists who are more dangerous — the TTP (Tehreeki-Taliban Pakistan), which attacks Pakistan and has 6,000 fighters on the Afghan soil — that is what we are worried about,” he said. “So we are worried about Da’esh, we are worried about the TTP, al Qaeda is a shadow, and, of course, we should control it, but the threat is much more multifarious than just that.” Akram said he was looking forward to peace in Afghanistan because this would be good for Pakistan as well. The diplomat said there was convergence among the role of Pakistan and the US in fighting terrorism in the region, and to ensure that there was no militancy arising from Afghanistan since it threatened both the states. “So, we have a common cause, and we need to build an international coalition in order to ensure that that there is no terrorism which emanates from Afghanistan,” he said.

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Human remains found in landing gear of military flight from Kabul: US Air Force WASHINGTON: The US Air Force said on Tuesday that it was investigating the circumstances surrounding human remains that were found in the wheel well of one of its C17s that flew out of Kabul amid the chaos of the Taliban taking over the Afghan capital. Images circulated on social media earlier this week of Afghans desperate to leave Kabul rushing toward a C-17 and clinging to its side. A separate video showed what appeared to be two people falling from a military plane as it flew out of Kabul. In a statement, the US Air Force said that a C-17 aircraft landed at Kabul’s airport on Monday and was surrounded by hundreds of Afghan civilians. Faced with a rapidly deteriorating security situation around the aircraft, the C-17 crew decided to depart the airfield as quickly as possible,” the statement said. It added that the US Air Force’s Office of Special Investigation was reviewing information about the aircraft and the “loss of civilian lives”. At least five people were killed in Monday’s chaos as thousands packed into Kabul’s airport, rushing the tarmac and pushing onto planes in desperate attempts to flee Afghanistan. One witness told Reuters he had seen the bodies of five people being taken to a vehicle. Another witness said it was not clear whether the victims were killed by gunshots or in a stampede. Tolo News reported a higher count with at least 10 people killed and several wounded in the mayhem. It said the casualties were caused both by the warning shots fired by US soldiers in an attempt to control the situation and a stampede that ensued. Meanwhile, senior US military officials said the chaos had left seven people dead, including some who fell from a departing American military transport jet. ReuteRS

UN body to hold session to discuss Afghanistan GENEVA: The UN Human Rights Council announced late on Tuesday that it will hold a special session on August 24 to address “the serious human rights concerns” and the evolving situation in Afghanistan. The hybrid virtual meeting will take place at Geneva’s Palais des Nations, said the council’s statement. It follows a joint request by Pakistan, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) coordinator on human rights and humanitarian issues, and Afghanistan. The call had 89 countries’ support and came a day after the Taliban, designated by the UN Security Council as a terrorist group, seized control of the capital Kabul. To convene a special session, the support of onethird of the 47 council members is needed. The request was supported by 29 members: Argentina, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Gabon, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Libya, Mauritania, Mexico, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Poland, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, the UK and Uzbekistan. Turkey, Albania, Egypt, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Sweden, Tajikistan and the United Arab Emirates are among 60 observer states supporting the session. Shortly before calling the meeting, Karima Bennoune, a UN Special Rapporteur, warned of a “cultural disaster” after Kabul fell and urged states to provide urgent assistance to human rights defenders, those working on women’s and cultural rights, as well as artists, trying to flee. “It is deplorable that the world has abandoned Afghanistan to a fundamentalist group like the Taliban, whose catastrophic […] record, including […] gender apartheid, use of cruel punishments and systematic destruction of cultural heritage when in power, is well documented,” said Bennoune. anadolu agency

Council may rule Afghanistan, Taliban to reach out to soldiers, pilots Kabul ReuteRS

Afghanistan may be governed by a ruling council now that the Taliban has taken over, while the movement’s supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, would likely remain in overall charge, a senior member of the group told Reuters.

The Taliban would also reach out to former pilots and soldiers from the Afghan armed forces to join its ranks, Waheedullah Hashimi, who has access to the group’s decision-making, added in an interview. How successful that recruitment is remains to be seen. Thousands of soldiers have been killed by Taliban insurgents over the last 20 years, and recently the group targeted US-trained Afghan pilots because of their piv-

otal role. The power structure that Hashimi outlined would bear similarities to how Afghanistan was run the last time the Taliban were in power from 1996 to 2001. Then, supreme leader Mullah Omar remained in the shadows and left the day-to-day running of the country to a council. Akhundzada would likely play a role above the head of the council, who would be akin to the country’s president, Hashimi added. “Maybe his (Akhundzada’s) deputy will play the role of ‘president’,” Hashimi said, speaking in English. The Taliban’s supreme leader has three deputies: Mawlavi Yaqoob, son of Mullah Omar, Sirajuddin Haqqani, leader of the powerful Haqqani network, and Abdul Ghani Baradar, who heads the Taliban’s political office in Doha and is one of the founding members of the group. Many issues regarding how the Taliban would run Afghanistan have yet to be finalised, Hashimi explained, but Afghanistan would not be a democracy. “There will be no democratic system at all because it does not have any base in our country,” he said. “We will not discuss what type of political system should we apply in Afghanistan because it is clear. It is Sharia law and that is it.” Hashimi said he would be joining a meeting of the Taliban leadership that would discuss issues of governance later this week. On recruiting soldiers and pilots who fought for the ousted Afghan government, Hashimi said the Taliban planned to set up a new national force that would include its own members as well as government soldiers willing to join.

“Most of them have got training in Turkey and Germany and England. So we will talk to them to get back to their positions,” he said. “Of course we will have some changes, to have some reforms in the army, but still we need them and will call them to join us.” Hashimi said the Taliban especially needed pilots because they had seized helicopters and other aircraft in various Afghan airfields during their lightning conquest of the country after foreign troops withdrew. “We have contact with many pilots,” he said. “And we have asked them to come and join, join their brothers, their government. We called many of them and are in search of (others’) numbers to call them and invite them to their jobs.” He said the Taliban expected neighbouring countries to return aircraft that had landed in their territory – an apparent reference to the 22 military planes, 24 helicopters and hundreds of Afghan soldiers who fled to Uzbekistan over the weekend.

notice The offices of Pakistan Today will remain closed on August 19 on account of Ashura. The paper will not be published on August 20.

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