EpaperLHR_21-08-25

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Wednesday, 25 August, 2021 I 16 Muharram, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 55 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition

Taliban Tell US To compleTe evacUaTionS by aUg 31 deadline g

ZABIhUllAh MUJAhId SAyS US ShoUld SToP evACUATInG SKIlled AFGhAnS

a

Taliban spokesman says the United States must complete its evacuation of people from Afghanistan by the August 31 date the Biden administration set for the withdrawal of all American troops. Addressing a press conference, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that his group would accept no extensions to the deadline. he said life was returning to normal in the country but chaos at the airport remained a problem. Many Afghans are desperate to flee the Taliban takeover of the country. The spokesman said that the US should stop evacuating skilled Afghans, and warned Western forces against extending the Aug 31 deadline for airlifts out of the country. The group said that Americans were taking “Afghan experts” such as engineers out of the country. “They have planes, they have the airport, they should get their citizens and contractors out of here,” said Mujahid. he said that he was not aware of any meeting between the Taliban and the CIA, but he did not deny that such a meeting took place.

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G7 agreed Taliban must allow people to leave after August 31, says Johnson STORY ON BACK PAGE

1,131,659

LAST UPDATED AT 7:18 AM ON AUGUST 24, 2021

4,075

RECOVERED:

DEATHS:

1,015,519 25,094 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

422,418

382,332

KPK:

BALOCHISTAN:

157,721 AJK/GB: 30,865/9,687

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AUS Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) chief William Burns held a secret meeting in Kabul with Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed US officials. The Monday meeting, which if confirmed will have been the highest-level encounter between the Taliban and the Biden administration since the group’s return to power, came as efforts to evacuate thousands of people from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan became increasingly urgent. Burns is one of US President Joe Biden’s most experienced diplomats while Baradar, who headed the Taliban’s political office in Qatar, is one of the top leaders in the regime that has taken power in Kabul. A spokesperson for the CIA would not confirm the meeting to AFP, saying that the agency “never discusses the director’s travels”. The Washington Post, which cited anonymous US sources for the meeting, did not describe the content of the discussions between the Taliban co-founder and the CIA boss. afp

CONFIRMED CASES:

91

have been the highest-level encounter between the Taliban and the Biden administration since the group’s return to power, came as efforts to evacuate thousands of people from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan became increasingly urgent. Burns is one of US President Joe Biden’s most experienced diplomats, while Baradar, who headed the Taliban’s political office in Qatar, is one of the top leaders in the regime that has taken power in Kabul. A spokesperson for the CIA would not confirm the meeting to AFP, saying that the agency “never discusses the director’s travels”. The Washington Post, which cited anonymous US sources for the meeting, did not describe the content of the discussions between the Taliban co-founder and the CIA boss. Separately, speaking about the prospects of peace in an interview with Geo news, he said that it is only possible with punishments handed out to people in line with Sharia law. News Desk

CIA chief held secret meeting with Taliban leader in Kabul: report

pakiSTan

NEW CASES:

SAyS he ISn'T AWAre oF Any MeeTInG BeTWeen TAlIBAn And CIA ChIeF

earlier in the day, the Washington Post reported that CIA chief William Burns held a secret meeting in Kabul with Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar on Monday. The meeting, which if confirmed will

coronavirUS in

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

g

31,865 ISLAMABAD:

96,771

No venue access, air travel for unvaccinated in raft of hard-line measures ISLAMABAD staff report

The government approved on Tuesday a new set of coronavirus restrictions limiting venue access and air travel — both domestic and international — for unvaccinated people, as it tries out a range of policies to push reluctant people into receiving jabs. A meeting of the national Command and operation Centre held under the chairmanship of Minister of Planning and development Asad Umar, who also heads the response to the health crisis, decided to deny access to incoming and outgoing travel to everyone without a Covid-19 vaccine certificate from September 30. The body had announced on July 25 to ban air travel for anyone without a vaccine certificate. however, according to its latest order, a complete twodose vaccination has been made compulsory for passengers by the end of September. Addressing a press briefing following the meeting, Umar, who was flanked by

Pakistan receives additional $2.7 billion in Covid-19 support funds from IMF ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON staff report

The government received $2.75 billion from the International Monetary Fund under a Special drawing rights programme to support low-income countries hit by the coronavirus, the State Bank of Pakistan said Tuesday. The funds, part of a multi-billion-dollar global programme, will shore up foreign reserves, under pressure from a rise in the current account deficit. Pakistan will get an additional $2.7 billion in funding as the International Monetary Fund will distribute about $650 billion in new Special drawing rights to its members, Managing director Kristalina Georgieva said late on Monday. Kristalina Georgieva, the agency’s managing director, had announced a day earlier to distribute about $650 billion to its members, providing a “significant shot in the arm” for global efforts to combat the pandemic. Under the programme, the member countries will receive

Minister of State for national health Services dr Faisal Sultan, said unvaccinated school teachers and staffers won’t be allowed to enter workspaces after october 15. Teachers and students above 18, public transport and retail staff are already required to get vaccinated. he said the centre has also made vaccination obligatory for those employed in various sectors, saying the first vaccine dose should be taken by August 31 and the second by September 30. The nCoC also decided to prevent unvaccinated people from being able to attend hospitality venues such as hotels and restaurants and shopping malls from August 31. It further decided to begin vaccination for people aged between 17 and 18 from September 1 though the risk of death among children verges on statistical insignificance. Immunocompromised people aged above 12 will get a “specific vaccine” at certain centres starting from September 1.

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more inside

Govt decides to debate issues trending on social media to frame policies: Fawad STORY ON PAGE 03

PMl-n infighting intensifies as Shehbaz replaces Maryam to address PdM rally in Karachi STORY ON PAGE 02 Sdrs — the fund’s unit of exchange backed by dollars, euros, yen, sterling and yuan — in proportion with their existing quota shareholdings in the fund. To spend their Sdrs, countries would first have to exchange them for underlying hard currencies, requiring them to find a willing exchange partner country. Countries can use the Sdr allocation to support their economies and step up their fight against the coronavirus crisis, but should not use the fiscal space to delay needed eco-

nomic reforms or debt restructuring, the IMF said in a separate guidance document. The move is aimed at providing a “significant shot in the arm” for global efforts to combat the Covid-19 crisis, Georgieva said. In december 2019, the Fund approved a three-year, $6 billion loan package for Pakistan to rein in mounting debts and stave off a looming balance of payments crisis, in exchange for tough austerity measures.

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‘Indigenously developed’ Fatah-1 guided MLRS undergoes successful testing: ISPR STORY ON BACK PAGE

Pakistan-Afghanistan odI series postponed until next year STORY ON BACK PAGE


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