EpaperLHR_22-1-10

Monday, 10 January, 2022 I 6 Jamadi-al-Sani, 1443 I Rs 40.00 I Vol XII No 193 I 48 Pages I Lahore Edition

InItIal probe Into Murree tragedy fInds fault wIth roads, poor drIvers g

CM Punjab forMs another Probe CoMMittee, vows 'iMPartial aCtion'

LAHORE

I

Staff CorreSpondent

n an apparent bid to help save the skin of powerful bureaucracy, the preliminary investigation report into the Murree tragedy sunday found fault with dilapidated roads in and around Muree and held poor ‘drivers’ responsible for the fiasco. the inquiry report, which was submitted with Chief Minister usman buzdar, who constituted another committee headed by the additional chief secretary for further investigation. the report said that poor conditions of the roads in the hill station and its outskirts was one of the factors that caused the enormous traffic jam, ultimately leaving at least 22 tourists freezing to death in vehicles

trapped by the blizzard. the report submitted to the Punjab government stated that the roads had not been repaired for the past two years and freezing temperatures led to more potholes on the roads, hampering the flow of traffic. the report also blamed the authorities concerned for not removing the snow from the main exit point of the tourist resort town which also contributed to the massive traffic jam. the probe also revealed that the tourists were forced to stay in their vehicles due to prolonged power outages in different parts of Murree. the ban on entry of vehicles was imposed only after the intervention of deputy commissioner and CPo rawalpindi district, read the report, adding that drivers of the machinery to remove snow from the roads

CoronavIrus In

pakIstan

CONFIRMED CASES:

1,304,058

LAST UPDATED AT 7:34 AM ON JANUARY 9, 2022

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

NEW CASES:

7

1,572

RECOVERED:

DEATHS:

1,258,657 28,969 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

486,740

447,530

KPK:

BALOCHISTAN:

181,715

33,658

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

34,702/10,430

109,283

also did not arrive on time. the report also highlighted that there was no parking plaza in Murree where tourists could park their vehicles.

CM Punjab forms another probe committee, vows ‘impartial action’ after going through the probe report, Chief Minister Punjab usman buzdar formed a new committee and vowed to take “impartial action” against all those found negligent in their duties. a notification was issued after names of its members were finalised, according to which additional Chief secretary home Zafar nasrullah has been appointed as the convener.

Provincial secretaries ali sarfaraz and asad Gilani have been named as members of the committee. in addition, assistant inspector General farooq Mazhar has also been named as a member. the notification also listed the terms of reference (tors) under which the committee will operate. according to these terms, the committee will ascertain which government departments were responsible for the crisis situation that unfolded in Murree. it will also assess what measures were taken to control the influx of visitors and vehicles. the committee will look into what precautionary measures were taken by institutions in light of the weather advisory issued by the Met office. it will determine whether a warning was run on media to dissuade people from travelling to the tourist destination. the committee will probe what traffic control measures were taken amid the snowstorm and after reports of the adverse weather conditions were received, what safety measures were implemented. the report as a result of the findings obtained will be submitted to the provincial government in seven days.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

Pakistan’s daily COVID-19 case count crosses 1500 mark for first time in three months LAHORE Staff CorreSpondent

Pakistan has reported 7 deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 1,304,058. the nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 28,969 on sunday. according to the latest figures by the national Command and operation Center (nCoC) 1,572 persons tested positive for CoviD-19 in the past 24 hours.

Punjab remains the worst-hit province in terms of deaths followed by sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. till now 13,079 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in Punjab, 7,681 in sindh 5,942 in KP, 967 in islamabad, 747 in azad Kashmir, 367 in balochistan, and 186 in Gb. furthermore 486,740 coronavirus cases have been con-

Bilawal, Shehbaz to meet next week to plan protests against govt Pakistan Muslim league-nawaz (PMl-n) President shehbaz sharif and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairperson bilawal bhutto Zardari is expected next week, a source revealed on sunday. the meeting would take place in the Parliament house during the upcoming national assembly session and would aim to organise effective antigovernment protests by the opposition. according to details, the PPP and PMl-n are currently in contact at the leadership level. sources maintain that a meeting between the chiefs of both parties is expected in islamabad next week. sources further claim that the meeting between shehbaz and bilawal would discuss the PPP and the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) long march on islamabad, and the PMl-n president on behalf of the PDM will invite bilawal to participate in its march. sources further reveal that if bilawal does not agree to participate in the march, then the PDM will adjust its schedule with the PPP’s march. reports of a meeting came a day after the opposition lashed out at the government

firmed in sindh, 447,530 in Punjab 181,715 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 109,283 in islamabad, 34,702 in azad Kashmir 33,658 in balochistan and 10,430 in Gilgit-baltistan.

Pakistan has so far conducted 23,802,570 coronavirus tests and 49,658 in the last 24 hours. 1,258,657 patients have recovered in the country whereas 604 patients are in critical condition. the CoviD-19 positivity ratio was recorded at 3.16 percent. so far, 99,454,273 people have received their first dose of coronavirus vaccine including 310,114 in last 24 hours. 73,862,234 citizens have been fully vaccinated while 377,912 received their second dose in last 24 hours. the number of total administered doses has reached to 162,115,885 with 706,192 in the last 24 hours.

more inside

Faisalabad Industrial Zone provided electricity, gas supply STORY ON PAGE 02

for its mishandling of the influx of tourists in Murree and inadequate preparations, following the tragedy at the hill station that left at least 22 dead.

PMl-n President shehbaz sharif said he was “heartbroken” over the death of tourists in Murree. “where was the government all the while? what arrangements did it make to deal with such an influx? incompetence is fast turning into criminality. Prior arrangements & round the clock supervision were the normal

soPs in the past.” shehbaz also expressed his condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the departed souls.

PPP chairman bilawal bhutto Zardari also expressed his sorrow over the Murree tragedy, saying that the whole nation was saddened over the incident. “it would have been better if the tourists were informed about the weather in Murree in advance,” he said in a statement issued by his party’s media cell on twitter. newS deSk

no decision on lockdown in sindh, clarifies Murtaza wahab STORY ON PAGE 03 in today’s issue

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02

Monday, 10 January, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS

FaiSalabad induSTrial Zone proVided elecTriciTy, GaS Supply ISLAMABAD

F

Staff RepoRt

AISAlABAD Economic and Industrial Zone has been provided electricity and gas supply. In this regard, a 132KV grid station and a gas supply line at CPEC’s Allama Iqbal Industrial City have been inaugurated by Federal Minister of Energy Hammad Azhar.

On the occasion, Federal Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar said that

Sindh Govt notification on appointment of administrator suspended KARACHI Staff RepoRt

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has suspended the notification of appointment of East District Municipal Corporation Administrator Rehmatullah Sheikh, who is wanted in a NAB reference, on a petition filed against his appointment. A two-member bench headed by Justice Syed Hassan Azhar Rizvi heard the petition filed

by Muhammad Amjad against the appointment of the east DMC administrator. The petitioner argued through his counsel Ghulam Mustafa Baghio that the respondent had issued notification of appointment of East DMC Administrator Rehmatullah Sheikh on November 11, 2021 whereas in a case before the presiding judge of the accountability courts, the east DMC administrator was declared a suspect and his arrest was also shown. Apart from this, the court has also given various orders in different constitutional petitions. Therefore, it is requested that the notification of appointment of the east DMC administrator may be declared illegal. The court issued notices to the Sindh advocate general and other respondents for January 27.

Tourists’ entry banned in Kaghan Valley too

BALAKOT Staff RepoRt

The local administration has banned the entry of tourists in Kaghan Valley until further announcement. Following the tragic incident of tourist families’ deaths, a large number of tourists had turned to Kaghan Valley for their fill of the season’s snowfall. In an attempt to avert a disaster similar to the one that occurred in Murree, travellers are being turned away from the entry point of the valley. When contacted, Balakot Assistant Commissioner (AC) Saddam Memon said that no tourists are being allowed to go beyond Balakot. “It is requested that tourists avoid travelling to Kaghan Valley,” said the AC. “The ban has been placed to ensure the safety of travellers amid heavy snowfall and slick roads. We are trying our best to prevent any unpleasant event that may occur due to the weather these days.” The AC further said that while the authorities are prepared to deal with any untoward incidents, the tourists must prioritise their personal safety over recreation. Meanwhile, the route from Mahandri to Kaghan Valley has also been closed for tourists. Snowfall continues unabated in the region, with Shogran, Kaghan, and Naran having received two feet of snow so far. This has resulted in the closure of communication roads in rural areas and the suspension of power supply in many areas for the last three days.

the current government is trying to solve the problems of the people at their doorsteps, and providing uninterrupted power supply to the consumers is their top priority.

“New grids are essential for the development of domestic industries.

Unemployment will be overcome with the growth and development of the industry. Pakistan’s economic indicators are positive,” he said.

“The pace of economic growth is 5%. The government, aware of the rising cost of living, is working day

and night to tackle it. Faisalabad Industrial Estate Development and Management Company is taking steps to provide facilities to the industries which are commendable,” he added.

Rs.600 million has been spent on the grid station at (M3) industrial Estate, revealed by the Chief Executive Officer Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO) Engineer Bashir Ahmad at the inauguration ceremony.

Chairman of FIEDMC Zafar Iqbal is more optimistic about the

installation of new grid stations.

He said that a gas pipeline was also being laid to cater to the needs of industries to be established in this industrial estate, and now more connections from electricity grid station and gas pipeline would be given to local and foreign investors.

At the Inauguration ceremony Chairman All Pakistan Textile Processing Mills Association (APTPMA) Hafiz Ehtisham Javed, other investors, government officials, and businessmen were also present.

Silk Route revival helps Pakistan increase its exports by 40pc to CARs ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Due to Silk Route Reconnect initiative, Pakistan’s exports to the Central Asian Republics (CARs) in 2020-2021 was increased by 39.42% to reach $145 million, from $104 million of exports in 2019-2020.

Abdul Razak Dawood, Adviser to Prime Minister for Commerce and Investment, revealed these figures in a twitter Message.

He said that Silk Route Reconnect was bearing fruits and added that during July-December 2021 exports were increased by 173% to $134 million from $49 million in same

period of previous year.

Razak Dawood said that the Trade & Investment Conferences were held in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in 2021 where opening of banks in each other’s countries was discussed.

According to him, the PakistanUzbekistan Transit Trade Agreement was signed in 2021 at Tashkent.

“We are negotiating Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) with Flag of Afghanistan Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan,”he said, adding that Transit Trade Agreements are also being negotiated with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. According to the minister, for truck movement, they are now at “advanced stage”.

Sukkur Barrage to undergo rehabilitation with WB’s assistance NewS DeSK Sukkur Barrage, the world’s largest irrigation system of its kind, whose construction started in 1923 and operations began in 1932, will now undergo rehabilitation and modernization as the Sindh Government, with the assistance of the World Bank, has approved a plan to do so.

The legendary artificial barrier which was known as the lloyd Barrage at one point in time, has seven off-taking canals, of which four are situated at its left pocket, while three of them are constructed at its right pocket. The canals situated at the left pocket are Khairpur Feeder East, Khairpur Feeder West, Nara, and Rohri Canal, while the three canals to its right pocket are Kirthar, Rice, and Dadu Canal.

Sukkur barrage, with its seven off taking canals irrigates 8 million acres of agricultural land, a whopping 75% of Sindh’s agriculture land.

Khairpur Feeder East irrigates agricultural land starting from Khairpur city, passing through Kotdiji, Faizganj, and other cities and towns, eventually ending near Shaheed Benazirabad district, which was previously known as Nawabshah district – a small canal, which takes off from Khairpur Feeder East, known as Patni stream, is responsible for the irrigation of lands in Kandhra, Salehpat and Shadi Shaheed.

Its counterpart, Khairpur Feeder West, which also passes through Khairpur city, is responsible for irrigating lands in Pir Jo Goth and Piryaloi.

One of Sukkur Barrage’s largest canals, the Nara Canal, provides water to lands in Mirpur Khas, Sanghar, Tharparkar, and its final destination Umerkot. On the other hand, Rohri canal passes through the main Indus highway and irrigates land in Thehri, Kandiaro, and ends near Hyderabad, which is Sindh’s second-largest city.

The off-taking canal on the right pocket, Kirthar, passes through Garhi Yasin, Shahdadkot and other cities, and concludes its journey in Dera Murad Jamali, in Balochistan, the birthplace of the late Prime Minister of Pakistan,

Zafarullah Khan Jamali.

Rice canal, also on the right pocket of the barrage, is the water body for nonperennial crops, meaning it is open for six months from May to October and is closed for the other six. True to its name, the canal supplies water to rice growing areas in larkana, Khairpur Nathan Shah, and Mehar.

The third off-taking canal of the right pocket, Dadu canal, irrigates land in Naudero, Dadu, and Sehwan, which is its ending point.

The remaining 25% of Sindh’s agricultural lands are watered by the Guddu and Kotri barrages – which goes to show the Sukkur barrage’s mammoth importance to the Sindh’s agricultural economy.

The 1.5 kilometer long Sukkur barrage, has 66 spans and every span is 60 feet in length. After its commission in 1932, studies showed that a heavy amount of silt began accumulating in the right pocket of Sukkur barrage, causing hindrance to the smooth water supply to the right side canals. After thorough research, it was decided to permanently close ten spans, ranging from span 6 to 14, and 23 – which helped in resolving the issue of silt accumulation on one hand but it reduced the capacity of Sukkur barrage from 1.5 million cusecs to 1.2 million cusecs.

Since its construction, the preindependence era barrage has braved more than 50 floods, of which 12 were super floods from a period of 1976 to 2010. According to Abdul Aziz Soomro, incharge of the Sukkur barrage control room, different types of floods have

passed through Sukkur barrage since its commissioning. “A flood carrying around 200,000 cusecs water is called a low flood, while a flood carrying water from 300,000 to 500,000 cusecs is termed as a medium flood. High floods carry water from 500,000 to 700,000 cusecs and very high floods are known to carry water from 700,000 to 900,000 cusecs. Any flood carrying more than 900,000 cusecs of water is known as a flash flood,” he stated.

After celebrating the barrage’s golden jubilee or 50th anniversary, the following year in 1983, one of its flood gates at span 31 developed a crack and the authorities had to take immediate action. Experts and technicians from the Karachi Shipyard were called, who ended up removing gate 31 and replacing it with one of the permanently closed gates – gate 10, thus averting an emergency.

However, that was not the end of the barrage’s troubles. Once again, in 2004, a 50 feet deep pit developed in the pavement of the diversion dam, between gate 1 and 2, after which the Sukkur barrage authorities immediately started stone dumping the affected site, but to no avail. later, consultants who were called in, after a thorough inspection, recommended that the work should be assigned to the Frontier Works Organization (FWO). The FWO constructed a coffer dam near Dadu canal to stop water from flowing and after dewatering, the repair work of the pavements and blocks was done thus saving the Sukkur barrage from a possible disaster.

In 2019 another flood gate, gate 39,

developed a crack, which was immediately welded by the team of Karachi Shipyard. However, during a thorough inspection of the other gates, the team of consultants and engineers recommended replacing six floodgates – 30, 31, 34, 35, 39, and 40. Currently, under the Sindh Barrages Improvement Project, all six of the flood gates are being replaced, while the remaining floodgates of the Sukkur barrage and its off taking canals will be replaced soon.

Every year from January 6 to January 20 all the floodgates of Sukkur barrage are opened to discharge water upstream and only water equivalent to pond level is maintained for the purpose of water supply. During these fifteen days, the pavement and blocks of the main barrage and its canals are inspected thoroughly and if any deficiency is found, it is removed. Besides this, flood gates of the main barrage and all the seven offtaking canals are inspected for any damage and greased properly, because these gates mostly remain under water throughout the year. The Sindh Government in its Environmental and Social Assessment Executive Summary has put forth the Environmental and Social Assessment (ESA), which consultants will adhere to during the rehabilitation and modernization of Sukkur Barrage.

As per the executive summary of the Sukkur Barrage Rehabilitation and Modernization Project, it is a project for rehabilitation of the 89-year old Sukkur barrage to enhance its useful life to safeguard the reliable supply of irrigation water to about 3.33 million hectares of land. The Government of Sindh has requested funding for the project from the World Bank through additional financing (AF) under ‘Sindh Barrages Improvement Project’ (SBIP).

Sindh Irrigation Department (SID) which is the executing agency of the project, prepared the comprehensive ESA for it. Furthermore, mitigation measures are described and included in the Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) to address potential impacts as well as to enhance the environmental and social benefits of the project.

Monday, 10 January, 2022 | LAHORE

no deciSion on locKdown in SindH, clariFieS MurTaZa waHab KARACHI

K

Staff RepoRt

ARACHI Administrator Murtaza Wahab has said that the provincial government has not yet taken a decision regarding a lockdown in Sindh. On Sunday, the coronavirus positivity rate in Karachi crossed 12 percent ringing alarm bells for authorities. According to the health department, Karachi has reported 633 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours.

Experts have blamed the spur in the case on the new Omicron variant. The strain is highlytransmissible. It was first reported in Karachi on December `13. In a bid to counter its spread, the Sindh government, on Friday, made covid vaccination mandatory for students above or of the age of 12 years.

The situation is similar in lahore. It has reported

Six dai’sh terrorists killed in balochistan ibo NewS DeSK Balochistan Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) learned through an IBO that a terrorist namely Asghar Samalani with head money worth Rs2 million rupees as outlined in the Red Book was present along with other terrorists belonging to the proscribed organisation Daesh in the QDA graveyard in Quetta. As per sources, they were moving to attack a sensitive installation when the CTD reached the place and foiled their attempt.

The terrorists were asked to surrender upon which they started indiscriminate firing and lodged grenades at the security personnel, sources stated, leading to counter firing from the CTD. As a result, six terrorists, including Asghar Sumalani, were killed while others managed to escape. Efforts are being made to identify the remaining dead terrorists. According to details, the security officials also recovered one MCIED along with a complete circuit, three SMGs with 200 rounds, two 9MM pistols with 47 rounds, a hand grenade and two motorcycles. It is pertinent to note that an investigation has been launched to arrest the remaining members of the terrorist network while more raids are planned in other areas of the province.

over 200 cases in the last 24 hours of which 21 were of Omicron. The Punjab government has imposed a emergency at hospitals across the province.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has been consecutively reporting more than 1,000 cases every day this week.

The positivity rate, which has shrunk to zero last year, has now reached over 2%.

Health experts and the National Command and Operation Centre have urged people to get vaccinated.

SAPM on Health Dr Faisal Sultan says that’s our only defense against the virus.

Booster shots are now available for vaccinated people over the age of 30 as well.

Those people who got both doses of their coronavirus vaccine at least six months back are eligible for the booster jab.

The vaccine will be administered free of cost. Only Sinopharm, Sinovac, and Pfizer will be given as booster shots. In Sindh, the booster service will be available at only three vaccination centers in Karachi: Dow Ojha Campus, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, and Children Hospital in District Central.

FIA arrests two suspects over Rs200 mn fraud in online business KARACHI Staff RepoRt

Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested two people allegedly involved in Rs200 million scam in the name of the online business.

According to the FIA officials, the corporate crime circle of the FIA carried out a raid in Federal B Area and Gulshan-e-Iqbal and arrested two suspects identified as Owais and Salman.

“Both of them are director and CEO of the online companies used to defraud public,” the officials said.

A case has been registered with the FIA against the suspects for making suspicious transactions of Rs200 million.

Two days back, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) detected an online fraud of USD100 million using a cryptocurrency and issued notice to the local representative of Binance.

Sharing details of the fraud, Additional Director of the FIA cybercrime wing Imran Riaz said that those involved in the online fraud transferred the money abroad via cryptocurrency.

“We launched a probe after receiving complaints regarding a

fraud involving billions of rupees being committed using nine online applications,” he said and added that they had sought answers in this regard from a representative of the cryptocurrency in Pakistan.

He shared that people invested between US$100 to US$80,000 in fraud applications. “Those who developed these apps were linked to

g n i h c n e wr t r a e H t: n e d i c s n i m i e t e c r i r v u f o M stories

cryptocurrency,” the FIA official said. He said that they have sought details of all those linked to the fraud with the Binance cryptocurrency and their crypto accounts would be suspended.

The FIA official further shared that cryptocurrency is being used in money laundering and terror financing.

NewS DeSK At least 23 tourists stranded in their vehicles succumbed to the extreme weather during a snowstorm in Murree on Friday night, according to rescue and government officials.

Among the deceased is an officer of the Islamabad police, ASI M Naveed Iqbal, 49, along with his 43year-old wife and six kids – four daughters and two sons. They were travelling in a car bearing an Islamabad registration number 483.

The deceased include 27-year-old Zahid, son of Zahoor, resident of Kamalabad, travelling in a Bolan carry.

The late ASI was a resident of Dadhial village, Chakwal district, Talagang.

Media reports said that in the last voice note, the ASI pleaded for help to his colleague.

He can be heard asking his colleague to check on the crane, saying he and his family have been stranded for the last 18 hours.

The ASI also said to his colleague in the voice message that they were holding out for cranes to start working and paving the way for stranded cars. “We are worried.”

In a heartfelt statement, the Islamabad IG said the police force stood in solidarity with the family in this difficult time and expressed deep sorrow.

“All possible cooperation will be extended to the family of the late ASI,” he added.

Sohail Khan, another victim captured an impromptu selfie, but the one taken in the final moments of life and under the watchful eyes of death

NEWS

03

nab recovered rs 539 billion from oct 2017 to oct 2021 ISLAMABAD Mian abRaR

Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Mr. Justice Javed Iqbal has said that NAB has recovered Rs 539 billion directly and indirectly from corrupt elements from Oct 2017 to Oct, 2021 which is a record achievement as compared to previous years. In a statement issued here, NAB Chairman said that the performance of the NAB shows a commitment and dedication of NAB officers towards performance of their national responsibilities in eradication of corruption from the country. He said that 1264 corruption cases are under trial in various accountability courts of the country. He said the Bureau had filed references on the basis of solid evidences so that corrupt should be brought to justice as per law. The Chairman NAB said that references are related to corruption, money laundering, assets beyond known sources of income, cheating public at large etc. He said that NAB is absolutely committed for logical conclusion of mega corruption cases and requests are being filed for early hearings of all references. He said that due to vigorous prosecution of NAB, 1194 accused persons were convicted from Oct 10, 2017 to Nov 10, 2021 during the tenure of present management of NAB. Justice Javed Iqbal said that NAB strongly believes in working in accordance with law.

NAB has no affiliation with any political party, group and individual and our affiliation is with state of Pakistan. He said that people who are claiming about their innocence in the media they should better request the concerned learned Accountability Courts to have hearing of their cases on a day to day basis where law will take its own course of action. He said that NAB had constituted a Combined Investigation Team (CIT) to benefit from the collective wisdom of senior supervisory officers which is lending quality. He said NAB was the focal institution of Pakistan under the UN Convention against corruption (UNCAC) and the Chairman of SAARC Anti-Corruption Forum. He said NAB was considered a role model organization in SAARC countries. He said that Pakistan is the only country with whom China has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for eradication of corruption. The performance of NAB is being reviewed regularly on the basis of a monitoring and evaluation system so that it could be improved further. He said that NAB has signed an MOU with Higher Education Commission in order to aware youth about the ill effects of corruption in universities and colleges at an early age. Under this initiative, NAB has successfully established more than 50 thousands Character Building Societies in various universities and colleges besides constituting prevention committees in consultations with respective provincial and federal government departments in order to assist them to identify and plug loopholes in order to check corruption. Justice Javed Iqbal said that as per Gillani and Gallup survey, 59 percent people have shown trust upon NAB. He said that NAB has devised a comprehensive Quantified Grading System in order to further improve the performance of NAB Headquarter and all Regional Bureaus. Under Quantified Grading System, NAB Headquarters and Regional Bureaus are being evaluated on annual and midterm basis at a given criteria which has proved very successful in increasing the performance of NAB. The performance of NAB has been lauded by reputed national and international institutions.

He said that NAB is committed to make Pakistan corruption free. The Chairman said that NAB accords high priority for training of its investigation officers on modern line. Therefore NAB has not only established its own state of the art Forensic lab but also established Pakistan Anti Corruption Academy at Islamabad which will help in further improving the performance of NAB investigation officers in order to plead corruption cases in the Respectable Courts on the basis of solid evidence so that corrupt elements should be brought to justice as per law.

that secretly lurked in the dark clouds of a massive snowstorm.

The vicitm was unaware that he had captured the last freeze-frame of his life, was thrilled to click a selfie with his relatives – Asad, 22, and Muhammad Bilal, 21 – who joined him in a car to Murree. All three of them marched towards a fate they didn’t predict at all.

The next photos, captured by spectators a few hours later, are tragic. The 27-year-old Sohail lies frozen along with his friends, their gleeful faces now bereft of life.

Residents of Taza Gram Mardan, Sohail and his friends were stranded in one of the many ill-fated cars stranded on a snow-covered road that was to take them to the popular tourist town, but instead took their life.

Muhammad Bilal, 24, a resident of Karachi, who was accompanying three ill-fated cousins, was also killed in the incident.

The selfie from the cheers-turned-cries incident has gone viral online with many paying tributes to the victims and their “farewell selfie”.

The nation was left stunned when the news of 22 deaths owing to a deadly blizzard in Murree hit the mainstream and social media on Saturday.

The deaths of the tourists, including women and children who had flocked to the scenic spot to witness the snowfall, were nothing short of a tragedy.

Divisional Emergency Officer Rescue 1122 Dr Rehman, who is heading the rescue operation, said that 22 bodies have been recovered thus far including 10 males, two females, four boys and six girls. It was not immediately clear if people had died from asphyxiation after inhaling fumes in the snowdrift.

Monday, 10 January, 2022 | LAHORE

04

NEWS

Seven exCiSe offiCiALS SuSpended in Kp over ‘negLigenCe’ PESHAWAR

A

sTaff reporT

CTING on the complaints of people, the Department of Excise Taxation & Narcotics Control, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) suspended seven of its officials in Peshawar with immediate effect for showing ‘negligence’ and ‘incompetence’ on Sunday. In its notification, the department has directed the suspended officials to report to the headquarters.

The department spokesman has said that a committee, with Director Narcotics Salahuddin as its head, has been constituted to conduct preliminary inquiry into the charges against these officials and submit its report within 15 days.

Those facing disciplinary action are one inspector, one sub-inspector, two assistant sub-inspectors, one constable, a driver and a Naib Qasid.

Excise Director General (DG) Mehmood Aslam Wazir has made it clear that there is no room for ‘corrupt’ and ‘negligent’ officials in the department.

“Whether they committed a small or a

big mistake, no leniency will be shown towards these officials. Facilitating and serving the masses should be our priority,” he stated categorically.

The DG also told the concerned

SHOs, circle officers and excise & taxation officers in clear and categorical terms that they would not be spared either in case any official was found negligent in their region.

Bitcoin slips to $41,720 with cryptos’ cap nears $2tn mark ISLAMABAD news desk

Another round of Khalistan referendum held in Luton, Leeds ISLAMABAD app

Another round of Khalistan referendum was held on Sunday in Luton and Leeds, United Kingdom. The Sikh community cast the ballot in the referendum from 10 am to 5 pm at Guru Nanak Gurdwada in Luton and Sikh Temple Chapel Town Road in Leeds.

With 20,000 votes in favour of Khalistan state cast by the British Sikh community at four venues on 31 Dec 21, overall figure of votes cast in the Khalistan referendum crossed the 200,000 mark. According to SFJ General Counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Sikhs in Britain have spoken clearly through voting that they want liberation of Punjab from Indian occupation. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said that Indian government had gone out of its way to target the Sikh leaders and especially those associated with Khalistan referendum and Khalistan movement but vindictive actions would fail. Next phase of voting is being held on 9 January 2022 in Leads and Luton.

The referendum kick started from London on 31 October, SFJ’s innovative Khalistan referendum sought votes from the Sikh diaspora on the question of the secession of Punjab and other Sikh majority areas from India. India has tried to portray Sikhs as terrorists but the whole world witnesses that they are peaceful and democratic people who believe in ballots, not bullets, and that’s what frightens India.”

Huge participation of Sikhs in a referendum for their homeland has unnerved India, India tried hard to stop the Sikh referendum exercise in the UK. Khalistan referendum has sent a strong message to Indian establishment to end discrimination against Sikhs and India should be prepared to give Sikhs their birthright of freedom. Findings of Khalistan referendum would be shared with United Nations and international bodies to create wider consensus.

The cryptocurrency market continued with a bearish trend on Sunday, with market capitalisation shedding 2.1 percent to reach $2.06 trillion.

As of 1440 hours GMT, the largest cryptocurrency Bitcoin’s price went down by 0.34 percent to $41,720. With this decrease in price, the market capitalisation of the biggest crypto has reached $789.5 billion.

The world’s biggest digital asset fell for a seventh straight day, marking its longest losing streak since 2018, as the crypto market contends with new strains of Covid-19, inflation and a hawkish turn of the US Fed. The steep sell-off, attributed to these factors, sent Bitcoin plummeting to $40,800 at one point, marking a daily decline of 2.3%.

Ether, the world’s secondlargest cryptocurrency by market capitalisation, tumbled by 2.44 percent to reach $3,112. With this decrease in price, the market

capitalisation of ETH has reached $366.2 billion.

On the other hand, XRP price went down by 2.27 percent to reach $0.748. The market capitalisation of XRP stands at $74.8 billion with this decrease.

Similarly, Cardano (ADA) price lowered by 5.20 percent to hit $1.17.

Its market capitalisation has reached $38.4 billion with this decrease.

Following suit, Dogecoin (DOGE) price remained on the downward slide and shed 3.14 percent to reach $0.151. With this decrease in price, the market capitalisation of DOGE has reached $20 billion.

Bitcoin’s stretch of losses became the longest recorded since the downturn of July 30 through August 4, 2018. Back then, the digital currency slid 17%, with further losses eventually seeing bitcoin tokens flatten out at $3,200 before finding support.

The latest decline in the cryptocurrency market comes as investors’ appetite for riskier assets is

sapped due to signals that the US Federal Reserve is beginning discussions on whether to take more aggressive steps to tackle an inflation rate now at its highest in almost four decades. Bitcoin has reportedly benefited in recent years from the Fed’s ultra-loose, emergency monetary policy since the coronavirus hit the economy, the reversal of which is seen as a new problem for bitcoin.

The latest retreat is attributed to a sudden drop in the global computing power of the Bitcoin network in the wake of Kazakhstan’s internet shutdown, implemented to quell the current uprising. Kazakhstan became home for a growing number of crypto-mining operations after China ordered a crackdown on the practice, ousting most of its crypto miners.

Cryptocurrencies have also been under pressure after minutes from the latest US Federal Reserve meeting, published on Wednesday, flagged the chance of earlier- and faster-than-expected rate hikes. The news has inevitably sapped investor appetite for riskier assets.

Skardu airport becomes operational after heavy snowfall SKARDU sTaff reporT

The Skardu Airport has been made ready for flight operations on Sunday after the central valley of Gilgit-Baltistan received heavy snowfall during the last four days.

The Skardu air facility, located at 7,500 feet above the sea level, is one of the world’s highest airports.

According to details, the runway of Skardu Airport was closed due to heavy snowfall which has now been cleared by the

CAA authorities. The airport became fully operational for the landing and take-off of aircraft.

The airport management said that the runway and upper apron areas were completely closed due to 6 inches of snow at the airport, which have been cleared in eight hours.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is working on an emergency basis at and around Skardu Airport.

CAA staff cleared the runway with tractors. The management added that the airlines

could operate the flight depending on the weather conditions.

More than 18-inch snow had piled up on the airfield, the authority said.

Earlier, the CAA in its press note said the clean-up operation continued throughout the night and the snow was removed from one runway, having 8,000 feet in length, while the clearance work on the second runway of 12,000 feet length was in progress.

The local administration was also helping the CAA in clearing the airfield to resume the regular flight operation at the earliest.

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Crude oil prices rise up to 8.85pc for third straight week ISLAMABAD TLTp

Crude oil prices rose for the third straight week up to 8.85 percent after 2.15 percent and 4.13 percent increases in the preceding weeks, reaching a twomonth high.

According to details, the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) reached $78.90 from $75.21, up by 4.91 percent during the week. The lowest closing for the week, $75.90, remained on Monday while the highest closing for the week was on Thursday at $79.46.

Similarly, Brent, the international benchmark for twothirds of the world’s oil, increased 5.10 percent during the week to reach $81.75 from $77.78 a barrel. The lowest closing for the week was $75.95 on Monday while the highest closing was observed on Friday at $81.75.

During the week, the price for Opec Basket surged 8.85 percent from $74.23 to $80.80 a barrel, Arab Light price increased 6.10 percent to reach $82.27 from $77.54 and the price of Russian Sokol jumped 7.05 percent to $83.36 from $77.87 a barrel.

The oil demand remained steady despite a high number of Covid-19 infections and amid tight supply due to operational disruptions in some oil-producing countries. Oil prices continued to climb at the end of the week as unrest in Kazakhstan and lower output from Libya further hamper producers’ ability to gradually return to pre-pandemic levels.

Protests broke out last week in Kazakhstan, an important oil producer and Opec+ member, over a fuel price increase. This led to large-scale violence across the country. On the other hand, production in Libya, also an Opec member, dropped due to pipeline maintenance works that have contributed to higher crude prices. The current strength in energy prices can be largely attributed to the overall supply tightening narrative.

On the other hand, Opec+, which is led by Russia and Saudi Arabia, decided to add another 400,000 barrels of oil per day to the market in February as the group expects continued demand for crude. Last month, Opec raised its global oil demand forecast for the first quarter of 2022 but left its full-year growth projection unchanged as it expected the Omicron variant to have a mild impact on demand.

The Opec+ expects crude demand to average 99.13 million bpd in the first quarter of 2022, up 1.11 million bpd from its forecast in November. World oil demand growth remained unchanged at 4.2 million bpd for the full year and total global consumption stood at 100.6 million bpd.

Monday, 10 January, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS

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POlItICal StabIlIty muSt FOR SuStaInEd ECOnOmIC gROwtH: SaaRC CCI iSLamaBad

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sTaff reporT

RESIDENT SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) Iftikhar Ali Malik on Sunday said that political stability is inevitable for sustained economic growth to cope with the multiple challenges in the country.

He said that at this crucial juncture, Pakistan’s economy can neither endure political turmoil nor afford political instability.

He said that politics of confronta-

tion, agitation, protest, violence and agitation is not the solution. He said time has changed as now the influential nations were paying more attention to financial warfare to continue their dominance.

These countries were successfully using their weapons of economic destruction to weaken economics of poor nations to achieve their unholy designs while Pakistan’s economy was not strong enough to withstand economic terrorism.

Iftikhar said it was indeed important to increase our exports and for that pur-

pose they needed to reduce our cost of doing business so that products could remain competitive in the world markets.

He said trade facilitation was the key to promote industries and they needed to remove all the obstacles and create the culture of trade facilitation.

“Our Country has tremendous potential as we have enormous talent. What we need is consistency in the government policies and a clear roadmap to move forward,” he added.

He was of the view that all the sectors including the industrial sector should discharge their national obligations and

play their key role in strengthening the economy while the government should introduce reforms and control the smuggling of raw material and finished goods.

Malik urged the government to conduct market research to find out new foreign destinations for the Pakistani products which were the best in the world as far as quality and price was concerned.

He asked the Pakistani missions abroad to introduce Pakistani products to the foreign buyers and ensure dissemination of trade related information so that Pakistan entrepreneurs could avail trade opportunities to the maximum.

Pakistan Navy flotilla visits Oman during overseas deployment iSLamaBad sTaff reporT

FESCO sanctions purchase of equipment worth Rs.6.1 billion faiSaLaBad pr

Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO) Board of Director (BOD) has sanctioned the purchase of transformers, electricity poles, wires and other gadgets with an estimated cost of Rs.6.1 billion to improve the transmission and distribution system during the year 2021-22. The FESCO Board of Directors (BOD) sanctioned this amount to purchase 82 hundred new transformers of different capacities, wire conductor of different types for 11KV with length of 8350KM, 7 Lac 15 thousand new meters, 500 steel structures with length of 58 feet and 23000 dropout cutout to bring a qualitative improvement in overall system.

Similarly, 30000 AMI meters would also be procured in order to launch automation system in the company while all commercial meters above load of 15KW would also be replaced.

Syed Husnain Haider Chairman FESCO (BOD) said that protection of consumers' interest is top priority of the board and BOD has allowed to spend huge amount to improve the quality of service in the company. Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) FESCO Engr. Bashir Ahmed has appreciated the prudent decision of BOD and said that after this sanction, the delivery of material has been started and installation of new connections will be expedited during this month. He said that all pending applications of new connections would be disposed of. Similarly, replacement of old lines, old transformers and faulty meters has further expedited and all give targets would be achieved before the onset of summer season. He said that this procurement will not only facilitate the consumers but also help FESCO to further cut down loses and get more revenue from the sale of the electricity.

Pakistan Navy Ships RAH NAWARD & MADADGAR along with PN Submarine HAMZA visited Port Sultan Bin Qaboos of Oman as part of overseas deployment.

Upon arrival at port, Pakistan Navy Flotilla was received by Defence Attaché of Pakistan at Oman and officials from Royal Navy of Oman (RNO). During the visit, Commander Pakistan Fleet Vice Admiral Ovais Ahmed Bilgrami and Mission Commander called on Chief of Sultan’s Armed Forces and Commander Royal Navy of Oman.

During the interactions, matters of mutual interests were discussed and enhancement of bilateral ties in all spheres was re-affirmed. Commander Pakistan Fleet conveyed good wishes of Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi for the people of Oman

in general and the Royal Navy of Oman in particular.

Mission Commander along with Commanding Officer also called on Commander Said Bin Sultan Naval Base and DG Ops and Plans of Royal Navy of Oman.

During the port stay, various bilateral activities including exchange visits onboard afloat units, orientation visits of military installations and coordination meetings were undertaken.

Upon completion of port visit, PNS RAH NAWARD participated in sailing exercise with Royal Navy of Oman Sail Training Ship, RNOV SHABAB. The event provided a unique training opportunity for onboard trainees of both navies.

The port visit of PN Flotilla to Muscat, Oman is expected to further enhance existing close diplomatic ties and cordial relations between the two countries.

Initial probe into Murree tragedy finds fault with roads, poor drivers continued from page 01 Earlier, Buzdar issued a statement on Twitter to announce a series of measures being taken by the Punjab government to institute permanent solutions to longstanding issues in the tourist destination.

He said that the government’s foremost priority had first been to complete rescue operations.

Thereafter, a “long consultative session” was held in Murree accompanied by a “detailed briefing”.

“Some important decisions have been taken so that with short term and long term solutions, a permanent solution to longstanding issues can be arrived at,” the chief minister said. Buzdar said that in seven days, a probe committee supervised by the additional chief secretary for the Punjab home department, will submit a report and “indiscriminate action” will be taken against those found negligent in their duties.

Measures for Murree developMent: The chief minister said that a decision “in principle” has been taken to give Murree the status of a district.

“We will immediately appoint officers of the ranks of superintendent of police and additional deputy commissioner in Murree,” he added. Buzdar said that two new police stations will be established in the city.

In addition, two new parking plazas will be constructed in Sunny Bank and Jhika Gali and a shuttle service will be run between these points.

In a statement, Buzdar said that there were a total of 33,745 vehicles in Murree till last night, much higher than what the hill station can accommodate.

The chief minister in his statement today said that Rescue 1122 staff will be provided trail bikes and wireless communication systems.

Furthermore, under a new traffic management system, new connecting roads to Murree will be constructed.

IHC toes SC directives to refuse bail in absentia iSLamaBad TLTp

Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir of the Islamabad High Court has revoked the pre-arrest bail order of an accused as he failed to justify what was the reason behind non-prosecution in the first pre-arrest bail application before Additional District & Session Judge Islamabad (West).

Police Station Golra Islamabad had registered a criminal case against an accused over alleged charges that he dishonestly issued a cheque of Rs585000 in term for accounts payable but the concerned bank dishonoured the instrument. Upon which the complainant got a First Information Report registered with the police station.

Invoking the jurisdiction of Additional Session Judge, Islamabad (West), the accused filed first pre-arrest bail application in October 08, 2021 but failed to pursue the same due to which the subordinate court judge turned down the application for nonprosecution.

Again, the accused approached the Additional Session Judge, Islamabad (West) seeking pre-arrest bail in the matter, however, the judge rejected the application on merit in December 8,2021. Upon which the accused was granted pre-arrest bail.

Taking up the matter, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir of the IHC said in the order, “The second pre-arrest bail application of the petitioner as well as the instant petition are accordingly dismissed, on account of his conduct of misusing the process of court and failure to furnish explanation of his absence before the court in his first bail petition. Consequently, ad-interim prearrest bail granted to the petitioner vide order dated 22.12.2021 is recalled”.

It is pertinent to mention that top court has held in a case, “if a pre-arrest bail petition is dismissed for non-appearance of the petitioner under Section 498-A Cr.P.C, the second pre-arrest bail petition is maintainable only if the petitioner furnished satisfactory explanation for his absence in the first petition. Only if the explanation is found satisfactory can the Court proceed further and decide the second petition on merits. However, if the explanation is found to be unsatisfactory, the second petition is not maintainable and is liable to be dismissed without going into the merits of the case.”

After revoking the pre-arrest bail facility in the case, single member bench of the Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir also directed to office to circulate the order to all the judicial officers of both the district of Islamabad Capital Territory (EAST & West).

“Office is, therefore, directed to place the matter before my lord, the Hon’ble Chief Justice, for his gracious approval on the administrative side, if deemed appropriate, for circulation of this order in the subordinate Courts”, the order concluded.

Hybrid rice seeds availability likely in three years iSLamaBad sTaff reporT

Shahzad Ali Malik, chief executive officer of Guard Agri and Guard Group of Companies director, claimed that the growers of the basmati rice are likely to get the much-awaited hybrid seeds in the next two to three years.

The hybrid seeds are capable of doubling the yield compared to the available varieties of seeds.

“Guard is the pioneer in introducing hybrid coarse rice. Our researchers started working in collaboration with the Chinese scientists to introduce hybrid basmati varieties with the same traits, as basmati is known for better per acre yield. We developed one seed after seven years of research and the same was put on trial a year ago,” he said as reported by a private television channel.

“On completion of a two-year field trial, the results will be placed before the variety evaluation committee (VEC) working under

the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) for getting recommendations for the commercial marketing of the hybrid basmati seed,” he was quoted as saying by a private television.

“In just two years after completion of the process, the hybrid seed would be made available to the growers for cultivation,” Malik added.

Sharing results of a one-year trial, he said an extra-long grain hybrid variety with average grain length of 8.2mm has given more than 70 maunds/acre yield. The present non-hybrid basmati varieties are not producing more than 35 maunds to 40 maunds/acre, posing a threat of invasion by the hybrid coarse rice onto the basmati areas due to higher yield.

“Hybrid varieties of the coarse rice had already made their mark, especially in Sindh, where the growers are getting 130 to 140 maunds/acre. As such, there was a threat of invasion of the coarse hybrid varieties on

core basmati grown areas,” he said.

“Our research was aimed at avoiding such scenarios in the core basmati grown areas. Now, the hybrid seed of basmati has given encouraging results,” Malik said, adding that two more basmati seeds had also been chosen for two-year field trials.

“These two varieties are 8.2mm and 8.3mm of average grain length having the potential of giving 80-90 maunds/acre yield.

Both these varieties could be available for cultivation just one year after the commercial marketing of the first one,” he said.

To a question about the presence of traditional basmati aroma in the newly-developed hybrid variety, Malik said that this quality was not a major demand of the consumers these days.

“People demand extra-long grains of nonsticky rice. Aroma is not a major issue, as most people prefer biryani and pulao. To get a specific traditional fragrance, you need to boil rice,” he said, adding that there was aroma in

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the new variety, though not that much, compared with the present non-hybrid varieties.

He also refuted the claims that hybrid rice needs more water, compared with the traditional varieties, saying the situation was entirely opposite.

“The gap between the sowing and harvesting of traditional varieties is 120 days.

For the hybrid rice, it is 90 to 100 days. As such, you need fewer watering days, while cultivating hybrid rice,” Malik said.

Liu Linhui, in-charge of the Longping High-Tech Agriculture Company for the Pakistani market, expressed the hope that the hybrid basmati would bring revolution in the core basmati grown areas in Punjab like the coarse varieties did in Sindh and south Punjab.

“The results of a one-year field trial of the hybrid basmati are encouraging. We hope that the variety would get a recommendation of the variety evaluation committee for enlistment soon after completion of the twoyear field trials,” he said, adding that the

variety would be made available to the growers for cultivation in two years after the enlistment.

Sharing details of the process for the commercial marketing of the locally-produced seeds, Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department regional director Muhammad Azam Khan said that the variety evaluation committee formulated recommendations for the enlistment of a variety after evaluating the results of two-year field trials.

“The PARC enlists a seed for the commercial marketing on the recommendations of VEC, having due representation of different departments and agronomists,” he said, adding that the enlistment was a government goahead for the sale of a locally-produced seed.

The Guard Agricultural Research and Services (Guard Agri) has already started field trials for its ‘hybrid basmati’ seed to provide disease-resistant, long-grain, non-sticky aromatic traditional variety with a higher per acre yield to paddy growers of Punjab.

06-07 Comments - 10th January 2022_Layout 1 1/9/2022 10:40 PM Page 1

Monday, 10 January, 2022

06 COMMENT

Murree Tragedy: Natural disasters take place when human failures are not checked

The Omicron attack The omicron variant has pushed infection rates relentlessly

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HE omicron variant of the coronavirus is already proving more vicious than previous manifestations, as it is reaching a heightened level of infection that is causing more and more people to fall sick. the positivity rate, which had been falling, is now ticking upward once again. it is not as deadly as the dreaded delta variant, but the country miraculously escaped the sort of impact that was seen only in neighbouring india, where the dead were left in the streets while awaiting cremation. not knowing what saved the country means not knowing what we did right and thus that positive experience carried no lessons for the present. this raises the unpleasant prospect of the omicron variant doing what the delta variant was unable to do, which is to force the health system to collapse. the omicron variant is less vicious than the delta variant as it is less fatal. However, it is still bad enough to make a victim seriously ill. if enough ill people turn to the health care system for treatment, and if the health system thereby collapses, the illness will lead to death, including among those who could have survived. Perhaps the most unwanted phenomenon, the one most likely to make the disease spread the fastest, is the unseemly wrangling between federal and provincial governments. People paid the price for this at the beginning of the covid-19 outbreak almost two years ago, and are again witnessing it, as the Pti’s federal government and the PPP’s sind government apparently devote more energy to showing that the other was more responsible for mishandling the outbreak than it, than in helping it to combat the outbreak. there is a brief window of opportunity here, when the variant is not fully upon us, but has hit us sufficiently hard for us to know that it has struck. the opportunity is to do such unglamorous things as increase our preparations in hospitals, as well as our vaccinations. Luckily enough, though developed for earlier variants, the vaccine does seem to give protection against it, and thus the vaccination drive must be kept going. there is no point in merely in throwing up one’s hands and relying on some kind of divine intervention. Besides, there has been a worrying increase in delta variant cases. that danger is not over, that the new one is upon us.

Why no punishment for the ACs?

Shazia anwer Cheema

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akistan is situated in the world’s most beautiful region, having sea, sand dunes desert, mountain, forest five ancient rivers with ancient civilizations, etc, and the bleak picture portrayed by Western media is wrongfully propagated, the safety concerns sprouted by twisted media are false, a tourist is always welcomed and safe in Pakistan.

People like me living abroad always market Pakistan as “the Best Destination” to foreigners around me in the love of my country. Even last summer, i was luring my class fellows to visit Pakistan where according to me, “all is well” for tourists.

Our current government has made tourism its priority, by envisioning the scope of it in terms of economic, public, and cultural diplomacy, and until yesterday i was the biggest self-claimed goodwill ambassador of Pakistan tourism in Europe, convincing anyone who gavethe slightest hint of being ready to listen on the subject. the problem with the self-claimed unofficial, motherland propagandist like me is always that our state does not miss any chance to blow the facade we are putting on.

Just in two days more than 20 people died at our one of the biggest tourism landmark. People died of cold and hunger inside their vehicles after utmost incompetence of district government. the army had been called in for the rescue, though the district gov-

Afghanistan imbroglio As the crisis worsens, the Taliban seem as obdurate as ever

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itH the humanitarian crisis in afghanistan only getting worse as winter enters its most hostile phase, the taliban seem not to let up in their pursuit of righteousness and purity, even if it is precisely the kind of behaviour that got their previous government ousted, and which is creating such difficulties at present. While the majority of the population goes in danger of starvation, the taliban seem to view with supreme indifference their fate, and refrain from meeting any of the benchmarks set by the international community for beginning the delivery of aid. the taliban may have realized that capturing kabul also means ruling the whole country, but they do not seem to have realized that appealing for humanitarian assistance, especially from outside powers whose withdrawal they had forced, meant meeting some of the benchmarks they had set. the international; community has set certain benchmarks for recognition, and would be willing to accept progress on them as sufficient to commence delivering aid, with the recognition issue held back for the time being.

Unfortunately for the afghan people, the taliban do not seem to have made any progress in any direction. there have been reports of the previous government’s employees being executed, while girls have not been allowed to resume an education interrupted by the closure of their schools. the kabul government does not show the kind of inclusiveness of ethnic minorities, and the allegations of involvement by afghan radicals in the kazakhstan show that there is a lack of satisfaction with its anti-terrorism credentials. Pakistan could add to its list of violations by mentioning the dispute over border fencing, or the tehrik taliban Pakistan whose people have taken refuge in afghanistan since the time of the previous regime. the taliban drive of ideological purity should not put the lives of so many at stake. Governance implies doing what it takes. at the moment, while the taliban seem to have realized the need for outside assistance to tide the country this winter, they have yet to realize the need to do what outside powers want to get this assistance.

A make-or-break year nazim Uddin

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HE year 2021 has been depressing for a great number of people across the globe.

From the suffering of the Palestinians despite israeli PM Benjamin netanyahu’s exit, a taliban takeover in afghanistan, and the arrival of hardliners in iran to the new Cold War made global headlines. Of course, the pandemic seemed untamed, which in effect not only shaped the year, but its manifest disasters also left no stone unturned. in other words, the pandemic seeped into society like air in the atmosphere. Despite poor spending on the social sector, Pakistan till now has done well as far as the pandemic is concerned. the year 2022 will be dominated by five fault lines for Pakistan, nevertheless.

On the economic front, Pakistan’s record has been one of the worst in its entire history. Enormous deficits have shaped virtually all sectors. to cope with these hydra-headed deficits, the only strategy of the government is to hope that the global oil and commodity prices go down. it shows how troubled the country is. according to the state Bank Reports, Pakistan’s yearly inflation shot up to 12.3 percent in December. the way the government handles affairs, it’s anything but difficult to predict that inflation will prevail throughout the year in one form or the other. if that is not enough, the iMF conditions have denuded Pakistan of its fiscal as well monetary sovereignty. in short, inflation will be a new normal this year.

While half of Pakistanis find it hard to put food on the table, the arrival of new afghans can be potentially unsustainable. Of course, Pakistan should host as many afghans as it can— there are 1.5 million registered afghan refugees in Pakistan— but the fact is that the cost of such actions is borne by common Pakistanis. Given that in afghanistan, half of the population lives below the poverty lines, 23 million find it hard to eat and drink, and children and women are starving en masse, it seems impossible that Pakistanis can slam their door for their brothers. neither it is humane nor is it possible. the taliban, against all the rosy pictures they portrayed at the beginning, are playing with the lives

Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor

Yousaf Nizami M. A. Niazi

Umar Aziz

Joint Editor

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

jams and even videos of the situation were excessively being posted on social media? i request followers of the government please do not troll me for this simple and innocent question. after the historic disaster in Murree, the interior Minister informed people that he was himself supervising relief and evacuation activities and also asked the locals to come forward for the help of stranded tourists who were in dire need of blankets and food.

My last question is where was the national Disaster Management authority (nDMa) and its provincial wing when this disaster was reported on social media? i did not see news of this disaster in governmentfriendly media till such time as the army was called in so it looks that this news of the failure of district administration was either censored or deliberately placed as “not important”. the magnitude of mismanagement Pakistan has witnessed during the past three years cannot be put into the basket of the previous government; the debate why the civil government is unable to handle disasters is answerable but how the civil government is engineering disasters is a new phenomenon in Pakistan, which Murree has not witnessed in its last 50 years’ history so far.

How can a wishful thinker like me convince a foreigner to visit when the safety of a domestic tourist is not ensured? the previous corrupt government at least did not halt the state pillars by jeopardizing them in order to follow personal self-obsessed agendas. at least the bureaucracy, judiciary, and armed forces were working on auto mode, and the coming and going of regimes does not pause their working but Pakistan’s history is experiencing a total halt for the first time in its entire history.

How can a wishful thinker like me convince a foreigner to visit when the safety of a domestic tourist is not ensured? The previous corrupt government at least did not halt the state pillars by jeopardizing them in order to follow personal selfobsessed agendas.

The writer is a Prague-based foreign affairs expert who writes for national and international media. She is a doctoral student. Researcher in semiotics and philosophy of communication at Charles University in Prague. She heads the DND Think Tank. She can be reached at her: Twitter @ShaziaAnwerCh Email: shaziaanwer@yahoo.com

Challenges for Pakistan in 2022 and ahead

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami

Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

ernment was equipped with the latest machinery during the previous government which the current government is even unable to utilize. at the time of writing, the civil administration under the Pti government has already collapsed, but then we find hundreds and hundreds of justifications from Pti supporters and ministers and they continue their mantra that previous governments were corrupt and they corrupted the civil administration. What happened in Murree needs immediate sacking of assistant Commissioner Rawalpindi, assistant Commissioner Murree, and assistant Commissioner abbottabad who did not stop traffic flow towards the city. i had been staying in Murree in the past and i know the Murree administration has state-of-the-art machinery for road clearance in winter like ice removing mechanical shovels procured by previous governments. there is a total administrative structure including Police, traffic Police, district administration, local government etc and they all waited to let people die in their vehicles from hunger and cold.

What a barbaric response of the civil government! if the civil government totally depends on the army then it should have informed the army swiftly that it had failed in Murree and the army could be called a little earlier. Why did the civil government take three days to make the situation so grave? i watched a video of interior Minister sheikh Rasheed recorded on the third day of the crisis in which he said that the administration of Rawalpindi and islamabad put in untiring efforts to deal with the situation; however, a huge influx of tourists had already been witnessed in Murree, Galiyat, and Barian making it difficult for them to clear the roads. sheikh Rashid told that now all roads towards Murree had been blocked and they had decided to seek the undeclared help of the civil armed forces. Why then did assistant Commissioner Rawalpindi, assistant Commissioner Murree, and assistant Commissioner abbottabad not stop traffic flow towards Murree when the situation started aggravating with huge traffic

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Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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of not only hapless afghans but the future of the country and the region as well. Economically bankrupt, socially chaotic, and politically barbaric and tactless, the ragtag group has no idea of modern statecraft, let alone a fully functional polity. they would go to any extent to implement their version of islam, which can render the whole region a battleground of various crimes— militancy, drug trafficking, religious-based killings to name a few. these will eventually spill over into Pakistan for obvious reasons. another fault line for Pakistan emanates from its newly unhappy marriage with the militant groups.

For the record 2021 saw a 56 percent rise in terror attacks in Pakistan in which no less than 850 people lost their lives. Of course, the uptick in crimes went up owing to the rise of the taliban, but the state’s checkered history coupled with the ambivalence about calling a spade a spade cannot be overstated. it was our PM who said that the taliban had “broken the shackle of slavery,” and later approached their cousins— the ttP and the tLP, whose hands are stained with Pakistanis blood— to bury the hatchet. While the pyrrhic victory of the taliban gave encouragement to other militant groups in Pakistan whose attacks are in full swing, the upcoming year may give us security threats, thanks to our leaders’ appeasement of these militant groups.

Politics in Pakistan’s history had been anything but stable, but the Pti has exacerbated the whole situation. Year after year, political witch-hunt, intimidations, and political ravage have defined this regime. this year will show us the old wine in new bottles. nawaz’s comeback, the PML(n)’s resurgence, PDM’s inflation March, and the future of Pti will be political hot potatoes in Pakistan. additionally, political parties will enter into election mode. in this backdrop, it will be interesting to see which way the camel— the establishment— sits.

Whatever happens, political instability will prevail or rather metastasize to another level. although the government has tamed the virus to

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

some extent, with its new variant, the deadly virus can overwhelm the country in no time. at best, Pakistan will grapple with the situation; at worst, like india, if vaccination doesn’t go unabated and the newer variant shows its invincibility, there can be a heavy cost. Most probably the former will be the case. in one way or the other, the pandemic will remain here in the milder form at least. if the past year gave us Goosebumps, this year will not take them away. Pakistan has structural issues which can’t be solved at the drop of a hat. sadly, this country is going down the road to self-harm. Our elite has no idea of how much the country, its poor and middleclass pays for their lavish or rather complacent lifestyle in a country in which nothing is functioning. On the one hand, there is a dichotomy on each front; on the other, this balkanization goes unaddressed with the passage of time. For instance, for 70 years both liberals and fundamentalists debate on the way Pakistan has to be. By the same token, each group picks its own heroes and villains. add to these the unending economic experimentations we’ve had for the last five decades. Without cost-benefits, one system is supplanted with the other at the whim of a ruler, which has taken us to a dead-end from which only suicide seems inevitable. Worse so, our dictators try to seem democratic, but our so-called elected leaders find any democratic value like freedom of speech or media freedom an anathema to their rule.

One thing is for sure. Letting things go like today doesn’t seem sustainable. 140 million youth can go bonkers if they find it hard to live decent lives. For the ruling class and the elite, it seems a far-stretched forewarning, every change had come uninvited, unpredicted, and all of a sudden. it is about time the elite class and the ruling class caters to the needs of Pakistan and Pakistanis, otherwise, it would be too late and they will lose everything they have and care for.

One thing is for sure. Letting things go like today doesn’t seem sustainable. 140 million youth can go bonkers if they find it hard to live decent lives.

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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The writer is a freelance columnist

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

06-07 Comments - 10th January 2022_Layout 1 1/9/2022 10:40 PM Page 2

Monday, 10 January, 2022

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

Afghanistan quagmire

Democratic Aspirations in China: Exceeding Expectations The Chinese model is showing better results than the Western model

dr rajkUmar Singh

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inCE its establishment on 1 October 1949, the form and content of administration in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), remained a matter of serious concern across the globe due to reasons well known to all of us in last several decades and now is the time to re-evaluate the whole thing in context of democratic theme and prevailing values that make a life full of joyful moments and freedom for the individual and the society as well.

From the beginning the focal point of difference between the PRC and other countries of the world including the Usa, were on emphasis: while the Usa, being a superpower and having enough wealth tagged itself a model of political and democratic privileges with the utmost amount of freedom for all, the PRC, a newlyborn baby nation with lot of problems that normally a developing country faces, made itself more dependent on economic resources and arrangements and adopted a one-party system along with dominance of the Communist Party of China for the time to come. in the last seven decades, the People’s Republic of China has also registered tremendous developments in every field and from the recent past its economy has begun challenging the Us power and influence in many sectors, including the economy. simultaneously, the coming of modernization, the spread of democratic values with rising incomes and information have further paved the way to move China in a democratic direction. the deep and close relations between PRC and taiwan also works as an additional force in pushing China toward a limited set of democracy because the Chinese system itself is aware about the dangers that led to the downfall of the old UssR under the reign of Mikhail Gorbachev. in present circumstances there is no hope of China becoming an electoral democracy, it may ease some individual restrictions and other limitations which work as an exit points for public grievances.

Established more than seven decades ago, the People’s Republic of China, under the full control of Mao Zedong, country’s first Communist leader, began a new experiment in both politics and economy jointly and proved the fact over the years and decades about them to know and understand the world in a better way. the state of the time, keeping in view the economic vision, took control of the factories, businesses, the land and so on, on peoples’ behalf with no private ownership. after the death of its first leader China began to move towards economic liberalisation under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping in 1978 and as a result China became the world’s fastest growing nation in context of economy with average rate of 10 percent, including four top competitive financial centres of the world: shanghai, Hong kong, Beijing, and shenzhen. in addition, it is the largest manufacturing economy and exporter of goods along with being the largest trading nation in the world which plays a significant role in global trade, becoming an active member of the World trade Organisation since 2001.

Like this, in politics China has evolved a unique three-fold model of democracy which comprises: a. the party leadership, b. the people as the masters of the country, and c. rule of law. in Chinese perception, while the first makes people mastesr of the country, the second and third works as a guarantee of the first. the trace of this unique tradition can be found in the concept of 221 B.C. relating to “unified ruling entity”. in recent decades, the People’s Republic of China has proved its model of democracy a success in view of its strong decision-making process and efficiency of policy execution as well as being a more responsive form of government in comparison to other prevailing forms of democracy. in the Chinese political system, the Communist Party of China has been playing a pivotal role from the very first day and over the years and decades it has also transformed itself into a popular and legal entity in the country. China, being the most populous country of the world, has maintained its annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth at around 10 percent and above and left several developed countries behind in respect of economic growth and life comfort commodities at regional and global levels.

its development registered a surprising growth, particularly after 1978 when it moved seriously on the path of economic liberalisation and globalisation with special focus on professional and technical education which provided a boost in its economy in general. the new impetus over the years made available the public abundance of consumer goods which helped improve China’s standard of living and set the stage for the further take-off at the national level. the Party has kept a close eye on rules and procedures of implementing the ’Rule of Law’ which needs strict observance of the Constitution and adherence to fundamental principles of the economic system. the Party at large believes in public ownership and many-fold diverse forms of ownership which maintains a fine balance between public property rights and private property rights in the nation’s interest. thus, the root of the Chinese concept of democracy lies in economic prosperity and balance of its management in the benefit of the general public and indirectly it guarantees public welfare and participation in different levels of party and administrative structures and in this way the PRC claims to be a People’s Democracy even in the era of globalisation. the narration of Western and Chinese democracy draws a thick line between the two in respect of their bases, political as well as economic. While democracy in Western countries and elsewhere has grown out of political rights and its provisions of respective constitutions, the emergence of democracy in China owes itself to its sound economic system and its successful management at national and international levels. in addition, the third World countries where democracy was begotten due to political themes are still struggling for their economic well being and finding hard to meet the challenges, but China despite being the most populous country of the world, is not only satisfying the public needs and aspirations, but also posing a robust competition among the nations of the world.

In addition, the Third World countries where democracy was begotten due to political themes are still struggling for their economic well being and finding hard to meet the challenges, but China despite being the most populous country of the world, is not only satisfying the public needs and aspirations, but also posing a robust competition among the nations of the world.

The writer is head of the political science department and dean of the Social Sciences faculty of the B.N.Mandal University, Madhepura, Bihar, India. He can be reached at rajkumarsinghpg@gmail.com

LiFE was never easy for the afghans. it has only become harder after the change of guards in kabul. While the taliban have taken over power in afghanistan without any bloodshed and pandemonium their inability to win international recognition for their rule is putting ordinary afghans through a situation they have not experienced for almost 20 years. the formal recognition is being withheld mainly because the taliban regime is not seen as a satisfactory guarantor of human rights for its people —particularly women and religious minorities. this leads to a number of problems: taliban officials cannot travel abroad freely — except for a small group allowed to fly between kabul and Doha; they cannot take part in global forums and international events, such as the United nations General assembly and the Conference of Parties (COP) being held in Glasgow to mull over climate change. the biggest impact of this non-recognition is that afghanistan remains under de facto economic sanctions that rather than weakening the taliban are hurting the afghan people. the main components of these sanctions include: Punjab health minister Dr Yasmin Rashid tests positive for COViD-19 1) the freezing by the United states of nearly $9.5 billion in assets and bank accounts that afghanistan has abroad; 2) the de-linking of the afghan banking system from the rest of the world; 3) the deferment of foreign aid and loans for development activities; and 4) the refusal by Poland and France to print afghanistan’s currency, afghani, which they were doing before the taliban takeover.

One of the most obvious consequences of these sanctions is that the taliban government is unable to pay salaries to its civil servants because it does not have enough afghanis in its coffers. another major problem arising out of these is that afghanistan does not have any dollars to pay for the electricity it imports from its neighbouring countries—iran, turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and tajikistan. the financial problems have been made worse by the massive brain drain that afghanistan has suffered since the fall of the Ghani government. some estimates suggest that as many as 120,000 people have been evacuated from the country through airlift operations carried out by the Western governments. the evacuees included many of the most qualified professionals in civil service, law, medicine, finance and engineering. also among them were aid workers and development practitioners. With their absence, international aid agencies have lost local bases to support the population. all this leads to a foregone conclusion, as enunciated by the World Food Programme’s executive director, David Beasley, that afghanistan is now among the world’s worst humanitarian crises—a situation that it is unequipped to handle on its own. the United nations is already ringing the alarm bells. in a recent statement, it has warned that millions of afghans could face starvation in the coming winter. its estimates suggest that around 23 million people in afghanistan—more than half of its total population—are already facing acute food insecurity. all this should be enough to give sleepless nights to Pakistani policymakers since its ripple effects are already being felt strongly on this side of the border. For one, the pressure on the Pakistani rupees has increased because of the smuggling of foreign currency, particularly american dollars, from Pakistan to afghanistan. a few weeks ago, Prime Minister’s advisor on Finance shaukat tareen put the volume of this smuggling at around $15 million a day.

USAMA MUGHAL SINDH

Plastic bottles aLtHOUGH plastic bottles have made mineral water and other drinks easily accessible and portable, the price we have to pay for this luxury is extremely high. Plastic bottles are one of the major contributors to plastic pollution throughout the world. the manufacturing process of plastic water bottles itself releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which contaminates the oxygen. Resultantly, it is difficult for people to breathe. not only do plastic bottles litter the landscape but the plastic does not decompose and remains in the soil for decades eventually disintegrating into microparticles. the microplastic particles are polluting the ocean and threatening marine life and biodiversity. Plastic waste is either consumed by seabirds, seagulls, and marine mammals, or they get entangled in the waste. it is estimated that 20% of sand is composed of microparticles across the world’s beaches and approximately 46,000 pieces of plastic are floating in the ocean. some plastic waste also ends up in landfills and is responsible for chemical leakages, disruption of ecosystems, etc. i request the government of Pakistan to either switch to glass bottles or implement strategies to reuse plastic bottles. to ensure that it is effective, people should be given an incentive to return plastic bottles to retailers. Companies should be encouraged to reuse bottles by thoroughly sterilising them. also, companies should be told to collect nonusable or damaged plastic bottles that can be converted and used to manufacture other items. Given the deteriorating environmental conditions, the use of plastic bottles must be drastically reduced.

SHAHRYAR KHAN PESHAWAR

Outdated examination system tHROUGH your esteemed newspaper, i want to highlight that our education and examination system are extremely outdated and outpaced.

Our education system is considered one of the most underdeveloped systems. Our course contents, especially till secondary education even after that, are extremely outdated and need to be revised at almost all levels. it is based on things that are either condemned right now or are too primitive. they are not idea-inspiring, research-based and don’t require critical thinking. no one talks about ideas related to green engineering or other needs of the hour technologies. Lack of policymaking and implementation is a huge cause of it. We lack the quality of the teachers as well. there is no such criteria for the selection of them especially at the lower levels of education. nowadays, our education system is synonymous with the business system. Day by day new institutions are opening not to provide quality education but to benefit from the lack of schools by the government and earn a huge amount by charging very high fees.

HAFIZ HANZLA BIN NASIR LAHoRE

08 WORLD VIEW 10th January 22_Layout 1 1/9/2022 8:32 PM Page 1

Monday, 10 Janauary, 2022

08 WORLD VIEW

The silence — or worse — of huMAn righTs hAwks on us sAncTions AgAinsT AfghAnisTAn WHEN OPPOSING THE WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN, DC HAWKS CROWED ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS. WITH US SANCTIONS CAUSING STARVATION? NOT SO MUCH

Intercept Murtaza hussain

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OnTHS after the U.S.-backed Afghan government fell to the Taliban, ordinary Afghans now face what could be their direst winter in decades. Thanks to the economic collapse that accompanied the U.S. military withdrawal, coupled with the imposition of sanctions and the cessation of much humanitarian aid, millions of Afghans must contend with the very real prospect of starvation. Some will die. Many will lose their lives to preventable deaths.

While limited humanitarian exceptions for trade have been carved out in recent weeks, the World Health Organization has already warned that up to 1 million Afghan children may die as a result of malnutrition over this winter if drastic steps are not taken. Children are already bearing the brunt of the humanitarian catastrophe, punctuated by horrifying stories of kids being sold to pay for food. And the country’s notoriously harsh winter is already taking a toll: Afghans are freezing to death as they flee the country with their families.

U.S. sanctions policy is directly to blame, pushing Afghans over the edge as they already struggle to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic and the political upheaval created by the collapse of the central government. As Paul Spiegel, director of the Center for Humanitarian Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, wrote this December, after returning from a trip to Afghanistan

on behalf of the WHO, “I can clearly state that if the United States and other Western governments do not change their Afghanistan sanction policies, more Afghans will die from sanctions than at the hands of the Taliban.”

The deaths will be brought about as a result of deliberate policy decisions made in the U.S. Alongside new sanctions imposed after the Taliban takeover, the U.S. froze nearly $10 billion of Afghanistan’s central bank holdings here. The Biden administration refuses to release the funds despite ongoing public protests by Afghans.

As all of this plays out, the clamor of voices criticizing the U.S. military withdrawal this summer on humanitarian grounds has gone deadly silent. After the withdrawal, many commentators and political leaders claimed that there was a humanitarian imperative behind the conflict, particularly the protection Afghan women. Many of the humanitarian and feminist arguments had been used for years to help justify a military occupation that was often despised by the same people it was ostensibly defending.

In contrast, ending the current sanctions regime and releasing funds owned by Afghans actually would do something unambiguously positive for civilians there, including women and children who are particularly at risk.

The cognitive dissonance on display is perhaps best underlined by Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

This summer, McCaul decried the fate of Afghan women. “We’re seeing this nightmare unfold — unmitigated disaster of epic proportions,” he said in an interview. “And what I really worried about the most are the women left behind and what’s going to happen to them.”

When the Biden administration then put sanctions exemptions in place to allow some humanitarian aid, McCaul then turned around to condemn the limited relief — even as news reports described the economic collapse wreaking havoc on the lives of Afghans, including

IT SEEMS UNLIKELY THAT SANCTIONS WILL DO WHAT 20 YEARS OF WAR COULD NOT: BUILD A STABLE GOVERNMENT THAT KEEPS THE TALIBAN OUT OF POWER

women and children. With this new nightmare unfolding, the concern shown in August has largely faded.

MANY FAILURES OF SANCTIONS: Sanctions are one of the bluntest coercive tools in the U.S. foreign policy toolkit — and happen be a favorite of policymakers, even as they rarely produce political results. Afghanistan is just one example of a mindlessly cruel sanctions regime that wreaks havoc on entire civilian populations without accountability. For decades, Iranians have been subjected to some of the most crushing sanctions on earth. Obstacles are erected against even the most anodyne business ventures. young people there are unable to envision a fruitful life in the country. The sanctions on Iran were intensified under the Trump administration but have continued under President Joe Biden, as part of a desperate effort to force a total capitulation over Iran’s nuclear program.

Even Cold War-era sanctions on countries like Cuba continue to remain in effect to this day, absent any compelling geopolitical reasons. In a recent example that underlined the parodic nature of the Cuba sanctions policy, the rental company Airbnb was hit with a fine for doing business on the island and allowing Cubans access to its accommodation services. This was just the latest limitation on ordinary Cubans’ ability to conduct basic economic transactions or engage in trade with companies headquartered abroad and thus at risk of U.S. sanctions.

Despite being in place for years and making life hard for Cubans, the sanctions have done little to further U.S. foreign policy objectives.

“The sanctions on Cuba have been completely ineffective in achieving their policy goals,” said William LeoGrande, a government professor at American University and an expert on the Cuban sanctions regime.

“They haven’t brought about regime change. All they’ve done really is inflict pain on the Cuban people.”

The situation in Afghanistan may yet stand out as one

of the deadliest instances of violence against civilians inflicted by U.S. sanctions. The Afghan government that was built over two decades of American occupation was created to be wholly dependent on foreign support, particularly its health care system. With the abrupt withdrawal of aid and the imposition of sanctions, millions of Afghans, including women and children, are now at risk.

More stories of starvation, death from the cold, and families broken apart by economic need are likely to result from the present approach of preventing access to funds owned by the Afghan government and denying aid.

And it seems unlikely that such measures will do what 20 years of war could not: build a stable government that keeps the Taliban out of power.

Though sanctions on Afghanistan won’t achieve U.S. political aims, they are, as in so many other countries, succeeding in visiting cruel consequences upon the most vulnerable. House Democrats have called on Biden to release funds owned by Afghanistan’s central bank, but the administration has so far been resistant to this step. One reason could be that reversing course would reveal the brutality of the underlying policy — employing sanctions to deny foreign nations’ central banks access to their funds — which the U.S. government continues to do in other cases. Meanwhile, the broader sanctions regime on Afghanistan remains in place, with ordinary Afghans bearing the brunt.

“To help Afghanistan make progress on the humanitarian front, it is simply not enough to just give aid to Afghanistan. Washington’s financial warfare against the country must end,” wrote Giorgio Cafiero, CEO of Gulf State Analytics and an adjunct fellow at the American Security Project. “Those in the West who voiced so much concern about the lack of freedom for Afghan women under the Taliban ought to also care about their survival this winter.”

The meaning of good governance in the Arab world THERE ARE SOME CORE TRUTHS THAT WE OUGHT TO EMBRACE IF WE WANT TO BETTER OUR LIVES: NOBODY POSSESSES THE ULTIMATE TRUTH; THE SANCTITY OF LIFE IS ABSOLUTE; ALL HUMAN BEINGS HAVE EQUAL RIGHTS; HUMAN RIGHTS ARE INALIENABLE; SCIENCE IS KEY TO PROGRESS; POVERTY IS A FORM OF VIOLENCE; COMPASSION AND TOLERANCE ARE THE ESSENCE OF HUMANITY Al JAzeerA MohaMed elBaradei

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y work as a diplomat and an international civil servant necessitated spending many years away from home. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel around the world and become familiar with many cultures and peoples.

Perhaps one of the most important lessons I learned that shaped my vision and my thinking is that – contrary to conventional wisdom – we are one human family. Our hopes and apprehensions are the same. Our joy and grief are also the same. Our basic values of justice, equality, and solidarity do not differ, regardless of creed, ethnicity, language or colour.

Ask people anywhere about their fears and aspirations, and their answer will be identical except for a few minor differences. If this simple yet profound truth were genuinely accepted, we would not be witnessing such violence, persecution, misery and endless tragedies. In other words, if we understood that equality, justice and solidarity are the way to our salvation, the world would be a different place, whether it is in the relations between states or among peoples everywhere or within each state.

ARAB CAUSES LOST IN TRANSLATION: When I look at the impact of the absence of equality, justice and solidarity on our Arab causes, including the injustice suffered by the Palestinian people and the threat posed by the Israeli nuclear weapons programme, I often wonder whether the world’s attitude regarding our regional issues would have been different if our concept of national security was informed by the public good and not subject to personal whims.

I also ask myself whether the international community would have reacted differently to our legitimate concerns, had our relations with each other been constant and not

subject to seasonal changes – if what we said in public was the same as what we did behind closed doors, if our peoples were considered a source of strength, not a liability we must contain, and if we grasped that most disagreements end in reconciliation which means that no matter how bitter the enmity we should not burn our bridges.

I also wonder whether things would have changed if our decisions were based on an accurate assessment of our common interest and a national security policy that takes into account our soft and hard power capabilities and the importance of timing in our strategic decision making.

If we want the world to care about us, we must care about the world. On many of the global issues including the nuclear arms race, climate change, the technology revolution, and women’s rights, we are not active participants in the ongoing debate, unless we believe that it impacts us directly. And even when we do participate, it is often from a narrow regional perspective and in a language that the rest of the world does not understand.

THE MEANING OF EQUALITY AND JUSTICE: If we examine all the Arab uprisings during the last decade, we will find that the quest for equality and justice has been the driver of all those revolts where the system did not tolerate any other means to bring about change. Despite relentless efforts in the region to portray the Arab Spring as a conspiracy and a harbinger of chaos, I have no doubt it will make a comeback in one form or another, as long as its root causes have not been addressed.

Tunisia and Sudan are current cases in point.

The meaning of equality expressed by the Arab uprisings in different ways can be summed up as follows: We are all equal in our “belonging to the homeland” which entitles us to be partners in its governance; the principle of justice must be upheld and the rights of every human being respected without discrimination.

Participation in governance means a system of good governance that guarantees equality, pluralism, transparency, accountability, rotation of power, an independent judiciary, robust civil society and free media.

Democracy is not a perfect system, but it is the best that our contemporary world has come up with to attain

human dignity.

A democratic system is by no means limited to the ballot box; it is a comprehensive paradigm based on institutions, not individuals. It requires a civil society to raise awareness of the culture of democracy and consolidate its practices. However, it primarily requires a genuine consensus on a social contract, which guarantees freedom, equality and dignity for all.

Democracy will always be a work in progress that should be adapted to experience on the ground. There are different models for its application but there is, nonetheless, minimum criteria for what can be called a “democratic system”, most notably freedom of expression and belief, guarantees to exercise civil and political rights including establishing parties and independent unions and associations.

When we attempt to simulate democracy in our region, we often jump to elections before building the necessary framework and institutions that guarantee their freedom, fairness and true representation. We usually put the stamp of our “unique” culture on our brand of democracy, which translates into crushing any and all opposition.

By doing so, we end up fooling ourselves but not the world. Considering differences of opinion as a “threat” and those who dissent as “enemies” that must be eliminated with vengeance is a zero-sum game where everyone loses. The “battle” of ideas is the way to encourage creativity and progress. Different visions are essential and healthy.

UNDERSTANDING THE RULE OF LAW: And what about justice? It should be understood as abstract rules issued by a freely elected legislature and applied to everyone without exception. Laws should be anchored in justice and not tools in the service of power. The experience of most Arab countries shows that we still have a long way to go before we reach the “rule of law” as universally accepted and defined.

With regard to respect for human rights, we still do not see the symbiotic relationship between freedom and human dignity. In addition, we should understand that empowering people is the basis of security, stability and progress.

We need to accept that the political, civil, economic, social and cultural rights enshrined in international human rights conventions are universal, indivisible and non-negotiable. We also need to acknowledge that no region is “unique” and that human rights should not be used as a bargaining chip in geopolitics. Human rights are rights for each and every human being.

These are some of the basic concepts that are in decline in large parts of our Arab world despite being key to our “renaissance”. The nexus between good governance and progress is unmistakable.

There are some core truths that we ought to embrace if we want to better our lives: nobody possesses the ultimate truth; the sanctity of life is absolute; all human beings have equal rights; human rights are inalienable; science is key to progress; poverty is a form of violence; compassion and tolerance are the essence of humanity; and in the end there is no alternative to living together.

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IS A MUST: These values and core truths should be our compass at home as well as in our interactions with the rest of the world. This means coming together to address the global challenges we face, including climate change, weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, pandemics, organised crime and cyber security. Cooperation in a globalised world is a practical necessity as much as an ethical imperative since no country, no matter how powerful, can cope with these dangers on its own.

It is unfortunate that often our words do not match our actions. For example, everyone is aware of the climate crisis, but only very few are willing to do what it takes to confront it. Everyone warns of the danger of the pandemic, but at the same time we see toxic nationalism and blatant discrimination in the production and distribution of the vaccine.

Unless we reset our collective mindset and make radical adjustments in the international system to be more just and equitable, I fear we will continue on a path that may lead to our self-destruction.

Mohamed ElBaradei is a Nobel Peace Laureate.

Monday, 10 January, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS

corporate corner Hysab Kytab’s PFM integrated by NdcTech in Bank of Punjab’s Digital App

BANKS ATTRACT RECORD RS21TN DEPOSITS IN 2021 KARACHI

T KARACHI: The Bank of Punjab will be integrating a local FinTech Hysab Kytab’s solution for Personal Finance Management (PFM) into its Digital Banking services. This collaboration will be enabled through NdcTech, an awardwinning regional partner of Temenos. The Temenos leading Digital Banking platform has been acquired by The Bank of Punjab for all its channels across Pakistan.

As part of this collaboration, Hysab Kytab will license their Personal Financial Management (PFM) solution while NdcTech will integrate the solution to provide a next-generation user experience, for mobile & internet users. Once integrated, this App will enable the users to have a 360-degree view of their financial activities, track and record their spending, create budget plans, track saving goals, receive personalized insights, and much more. By using PFM, the users shall be able to make informed financial decisions based on additional analytics available to them. Hysab Kytab’s consumer app has users in over 160+ countries clocking above 12 Million transactions and counting. Commenting on partnership Mr. Yasir Ilyas – Head of Hysab Kytab said that ‘’Hysab Kytab’s Personal Financial Management (PFM) tool will allow BOP’s customers to view their financial information on one big picture. Customers may create budgets and track their expenses, achieve their dreams by creating saving goals, know their net worth and have access to visualization of their category-wise spending, track subscriptions, view trends, have access to their spending and cash flow insights, and much more.’’ Mr. Navaid Kareem, Director Sales and SEVP at NdcTech said that “NdcTech focuses on building Banks of future, enabling them to become digital first. Through Hysab Kytab’s PFM & NdcTech’s extensive expertise in Banking Implementations, The Bank of Punjab will be able to provide its digital users with a holistic view of their finances, empowering them to make sound financial decisions. We look forward to creating an amazing digital user experience.” Mr. Zahid Mustafa, Group Chief Consumer and Digital Banking, at The Bank of Punjab quoted that, “Digital financial services are rapidly becoming a customer lifestyle, our customers expect personalized banking services available to them at their fingertips, round the clock, anywhere and everywhere.

At The Bank of Punjab Our Customer is at the heart of everything we do, all our digital initiatives are built around achieving contextualized and excellent customer experience, Personal Finance Management is one of the key digital capabilities we are set to build for our customers. We are excited to partner with NdcTech and Hysab Kytab to implement their market leading PFM solution embedded in our Mobile app and internet banking solution. Though PFM adoption is generally low in the country, we shall strive to design it in a userfriendly manner in order to enhance adoption.” pr

Total PARCO Pakistan inaugurates Miyawaki Forest at Jinnah Park Gujranwala

GUJRANWALA: Total PARCO Pakistan has inaugurated its first Miyawaki Forest with Park and Horticulture Authority at Jinnah Park Gujranwala. The inauguration event was attended by Parliamentary Secretary Climate Change Ms. Rukhsana Naveed, CEO Total PARCO Mr. Mehmet Celepoglu, DG P.H. A Mr. S.A. Hamid and Commissioner Gujranwala Mr. Zulfiqar Ahmed Ghumman. Total PARCO Pakistan believes in sustainable initiatives that go hand in hand with the vision of greener and cleaner future for Pakistan. pr

staff report

he bank deposits have witnessed a record high and stood at Rs21 trillion by the end of the calendar year 2021. experts attributed the massive growth in deposits to a hike in the interest rates by the State Bank of Pakistan.

Previously, the bank deposits reached a historic high of Rs19.83 trillion by September 2021. The central bank increased the key policy rates by 100 basis points to 9.75 per cent in its policy statement announced on December 14, 2021.

It was the second increase in the interest rates in less than a month. The central bank on November 19, 2021 enhanced the rates by 150 basis points.

Cumulatively, the SBP increased the key policy rate by 2.75 per cent during the last three consecutive policy announcements.

The deposits of the banking system recorded a growth of 214 per cent during the last decade to Rs21 trillion from Rs6.68 trillion by the end of the year 2012.

The advances of the banking system recorded a

19 percent growth to Rs10.15 trillion in 2021, compared with Rs8.49 trillion in 2020.

Analysts at the Topline Securities said that advances recorded the highest growth after 2018. The investment of the banking system witnessed a growth of 22 per cent to Rs14.12 trillion in 2021, compared with Rs11.55 trillion in 2020. earlier last week, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said that banks’ outstanding credit for housing and construction increased from Rs192 billion to Rs355 billion during 2021, showing 85 percent growth.

The SBP in a statement issued on Thursday said that financing to housing and construction and particularly under MPMG has witnessed impressive growth on the back of many enabling regulatory environments introduced after extensive consultation with stakeholders.

Within the housing and construction portfolio, disbursements under the government mark-up subsidy scheme, also known as Mera Pakistan Mera Ghar (MPMG), increased by Rs38 billion, it added.

The statement further said, SBP also advised the banks to increase their housing and construction finance

Customs seizes Rs 130 million smuggled contraband Items at Torkham ISLAMABAD: Intensifying its ongoing crackdown against smuggling and in two back to back successful operations, Pakistan Customs (FBR) at Torkham have seized contraband goods of Rs 130 million. In the first incident, on 8th January and upon credible intelligence, the customs authorities at Customs Station Torkham checked a vehicle bearing registration no. KBL 827. After a detailed inspection, the Customs staff recovered narcotics consisting of 7 kg heroin and 2.5 kg Ice from the fuel tank of the said vehicle.

The approximate value of seized drugs is around Rs.100 million in the international market. The truck driver Mr. Rahem Khan, resident of Afghanistan, has been arrested for further legal proceedings. Likewise, in another incident on 7th January 2022, a vehicle bearing no. 2020-09-0900 loaded with onions came to Pakistan from Afghanistan. pr

AIOU commences exams of overseas students today ISLAMABAD: Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) is commencing online examinations of overseas Pakistanis, enrolled in executive MBA/MPA (face to face program) offered in autumn 2021 semester from today (January 10). University has finalized all arrangements to conduct these examinations online which will be monitored through Microsoft Team cameras to ensure transparency. The university has created LMS accounts of all enrolled students and provided them user IDs and passwords. Date sheet has also been uploaded on the university website (www.aiou.edu.pk). Moreover, university has uploaded the assignment marks of BA and associate degree (AD) programs offered in spring 2021 semester. Students are advised to check AIOU's website. pr

09

portfolios to at least 5 percent of their domestic private sector advances till December 2021, introducing a set of incentives and penalties to ensure compliance.

In the significant growth of housing and Construction finance, habib Bank, Meezan Bank, and Bank Al habib were the top three contributors. Banks also made significant progress in the provision of financing under the MPMG scheme, introduced in 2020, it added.

The banks have received requests for financing of Rs276 billion from potential customers, which indicates that approvals and disbursements will keep growing in the coming months, the statement said.

Bank Alfalah emerged as the leading bank with the highest disbursement of Rs3.3 billion followed by nine banks with disbursements of over Rs2 billion each.

Key initiatives, it said, include allowing acceptance of third-party guarantees during the construction period, waiver of Debt Burden Ratio (DBR) in case of informal income, and the introduction of standard facilities offered by the banks. The State Bank has also advised banks to develop and deploy income estimation models for borrowers with informal sources of income.

Mobile operators start offering free calling in Murree, Galliat ISLAMABAD: In view of emergency situation in Murree and Galliat areas, mobile phone users, currently present in these areas with no balance, have immediately been provided with free on-net calling facility. On the directions of PTA, cellular mobile operators have extended free calling facility on their own network to users with zero balance, stranded in Galliat areas. Users may contact their concerned operators for more info.

Moreover, PTA has also directed all telecom operators to ensure uninterrupted services to users and keep enough back up arrangements in case of power outages. pr

Mari Petroleum mobilizes Food Truck to help stranded tourists in Murree

Slain ASI Naveed Iqbal, family laid to rest Islamabad Police ASI Naveed Iqbal and his family members who were died in Murree tragedy have been laid to rest at their native town Dadhial Talagang. Earlier, the bodies were shifted from Murree to Islamabad by Islamabad Police ambulances where IG Islamabad Muhammad Ahsan Younis along with senior officers visited the house of late ASI and supervised all arrangements. The IG Islamabad offered his condolences to the family of the deceased and said that the Islamabad Police stood by the family of their officer in this hour of grief and would not leave them alone. He directed the senior officers to the family of the deceased should be kept in touch at all times and all possible assistance should be provided to them. pr

Utilizing all available resources to secure human life, property from electricity accidents: IESCO chief Chief Executive IESCO Dr Muhammad Amjad Khan has said that we are utilizing all available resources to secure human life and property from electricity accidents. By following same a very comprehensive campaign is on in which electrical wires crossing over or close to the houses being moved to safe location. According to detail filed formations and valuable customers so far identified 8788 such points out of which 7910 points have been secured with expenditures of 1350.931 Million and being customer friendly and caring company IESCO borned all expenditures. IESCO management requested valuable customer to call relevant SDO office, help line No 118 or on Chief Execuitve Complaint and Monitoring Cell, Islamabad phone number 051-9252933 if such electrical wires are in your surroundings, so that to safe human life and property immediate action could be taken. pr

ISLAMABAD: Mari Petroleum Company Limited Mobilizes its Dastarkhwan Food Truck to help stranded tourists in Murree. Mari Petroleum Company Limited operates Mari Mobile Dastarkhwan in Rawalpindi/Islamabad in collaboration with CDRS. Government has declared emergency in Murree due to heavy snowfall which left many people dead and thousands stranded, stuck in cars. To support the efforts of Pak Army and Local Administration, Mari Mobile Dastarkhwan (food truck) distributed packed meals and necessary supplies at Lower Topa to the tourists who got stuck on the roads due to blockades and congestion.

Large number of volunteers who are part of Mari Mobile Dastarkhwan also traveled from Islamabad to Murree, and reached out to people on foot where there was no access to vehicles. The initiative of MPCL and CDRS intends to facilitate and rescue our people, including women and children who are in dire need of food and shelter. Rescue operation is being carried out by the Government and many lives have been saved. pr

RESCUE AND RELIEF OPERATIONS BY PAF IN FULL SWING AT MURREE AND GALYAT

Jazz announces free on net and PTCL calls for its customers in Murree, Nathiagali

Operations for the evacuation of snow storm stranded tourists in Murree and Galyat are in full swing

by Pakistan Air Force.

During the rescue operations, PAF personnel have shifted more than 100 persons including women and kids at PAF Bases Kalabagh and Lower Topa to facilitate the sufferers during this testing time. Shelter, food and medical facilities are being provided round the clock to the affected families by the rescue teams of PAF officers and airmen. pr

KARACHI: To support rescue missions and help ensure essential connectivity in the calamity-hit areas, Jazz is providing free on net and PTCL calls to all its customers in Murree and Nathiagali. Aamir Ibrahim, CEO, Jazz said, “Jazz stands with the nation during this calamity in Murree. Our teams are playing their part and working in extreme conditions to keep essential communication services switched on to aid rescue efforts and support the stranded with the hope they will be rescued at the soonest.” This also further reaffirms Jazz's commitment to Pakistan and its people. Jazz pledged PKR 1.2 billion support towards COVID-19 relief in the shape short to mid-term initiatives revolving around vulnerable communities, and health and welfare organizations. pr

Monday, 10 January, 2022 | LAHORE

10 FOREIGN NEWS

SITUATIon In KAzAKhSTAn STABILIzed: PReSIdenTIAL offICe

T

news Desk

HE situation in Kazakhstan has been stabilized in all regions of the country, with utilities and life support systems being restored, the press services of the Central Asian country’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Sunday.

Tokayev, during an operational headquarters’ meeting, reiterated his determination to fully restore public order and security.

“Currently, some 125 criminal cases have been initiated, around 5,800 people have been brought to the police, with a significant number of foreign nationals among them,” the press service said.

Violent protests sparked by fuel price hikes have been rocking Kazakhstan for several days, leading to multiple deaths, many injuries and public buildings torched.

The president has declared a day of national mourning on January 10 to commem-

orate the deceased.

“In connection with the death of people as a result of terrorist acts committed in the Republic of Kazakhstan, it is declared that January 10, 2022, will be that nationwide mourning day,” according to a decree released on Saturday signed by Tokayev.

Strategic facilitieS under guard: The presidential office said a number of “strategic facilities” are under the guard of a Russia-led military alliance invited to restore order.

At Tokayev’s invitation, the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) sent troops to restore order. Details of the facilities were not identified by the office. The protests in Kazakhstan also turned against Tokayev’s government and former president of the resource-rich former Soviet republic, Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Nazarbayev, 81, was in office since 1990 until Tokayev took over in 2019.

In response to the protests, Tokayev ac-

cepted the government’s resignation on Wednesday.

Kazakhstan’s former intelligence chief and two-time prime minister Karim Massimov has been arrested on suspicion of treason. Massimov also served as head of the presidential administration under Nazarbayev.

Oil priceS up, bitcOin dOwn and uranium leSS affected: The unrest in Kazakhstan has pushed up oil prices as investors fear supply interruptions.

The country holds a 12th of the world’s proven reserves, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Production by Tengizchevroil, the largest oil venture in Kazakhstan, “has been temporarily adjusted as a result of protests at the Tengiz field,” said Stephen Brennock of PVM brokerage.

But several analysts said there was no indication that oil production had been seriously affected. On Friday, production at

the country’s top three fields was “said to be continuing,” said Brennock. Bitcoin prices went down as Kazakhstan shut down its internet during the uprising.

Kazakhstan last year became the world’s second-largest center for bitcoin mining after the U.S., according to the Cambridge Center for Alternative Finance, after major hub China clamped down on crypto mining activity.

Bitcoin’s hash rate dropped by 12 percent, tweeted Larry Cermak, VP of research at The Block. The downturn of cryptocur-

rency prices was also caused by hawkish Fed minutes.

Kazakhstan is also the world’s second most significant uranium reserves behind Australia, according to the Cyclope annual report on commodities, accounting for 40 percent of the world’s output, according to CRU consulting group.

But the production at uranium mines is “largely unaffected” by the uprising, said Toktar Turbay, an analyst at CRU consulting group, because those mines are located in remote areas of its southern Turkestan region.

Taliban foreign minister in first trip to Iran aFP

Russia rejects ‘concessions’ ahead of U.S. security meeting: deputy foreign minister news Desk Russia will not give in to U.S. pressure or make any concessions ahead of the strategic stability talks set for January 10 in Geneva, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Rybakov told Sputnik news agency on Sunday. “We will, of course, make no concessions under the constant pressure and threats coming from the Western side of the upcoming negotiations,” Ryabkov said, adding concessions under duress were “entirely impossible.” “This would mean going against our own interests, our security interests.” Apart from the security talk with the U.S., a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council is scheduled on January 12 in Brussels, followed by the consultations within the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) planned on January 13 in Vienna. The deputy minister said that Moscow’s main goal in Geneva is to discuss the nonexpansion of NATO and the non-deployment of offensive weapons near Russia’s borders. But the diplomat said Russia is not optimistic about the forthcoming talks as the United States continues to insist that Moscow make unilateral concessions. Later on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also told CNN’s “State of the Union” program that he does not expect breakthroughs in U.S.-Russia security talks but hopes there can be areas where the two sides can agree.

Chinese foreign minister in Sri Lanka to discuss Belt and Road Initiative agencies Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was in Sri Lanka on Sunday seeking to advance China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, as the island nation looked to Beijing for help as it tries to rescue itself from a foreign currency and debt crisis. Wang arrived in Sri Lanka on Saturday from the Maldives on the last leg of a multi-city trip that also took him to Eritrea, Kenya and Comoros in Africa. In Sri Lanka, Wang was scheduled to meet President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. Later, Wang and Prime Minister Rajapaksa were to speak at Colombo’s Port City, a reclaimed island developed with Chinese investment. The diplomatic visit comes as Sri Lanka faces one of its worst-ever economic crises, with foreign reserves down to around $1.6 billion, barely enough for a few weeks of imports. It also has foreign debt obligations exceeding $7 billion in 2022, including repayment of bonds worth $500 million in January and $1 billion in July. The declining foreign reserves are partly due to infrastructure built with Chinese loans that don’t generate revenue. China loaned money to build a sea port and airport in the southern Hambantota district, in addition to a wide network of roads. Central Bank figures show that current Chinese loans to Sri Lanka total around $3.38 billion, not including loans to state-owned businesses, which are accounted for separately.

The Taliban’s foreign minister visited Iran on Saturday to discuss Afghan refugees and a growing economic crisis, in the first such trip to the neighbouring country since the Islamists seized power.

Iran, like other nations, has so far not recognised the new government formed by the Taliban after it took power amid a hasty withdrawal by US-led foreign forces in August.

“The visit aims at discussions on political, economic, transit and refugee issues between Afghanistan

and Iran,” the Taliban foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said on Twitter.

Already host to millions of Afghans and fearing a new influx, Tehran has sought to sketch a rapprochement with the Taliban.

The Taliban delegation led by Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has already held a preliminary meeting with Iranian officials, he said.

Iran, which shares a 900-kilometre border with Afghanistan, had not recognised the Islamist movement’s rule during their 1996 to 2001 stint in power.

It is still to recognise the Islamists’ current govern-

China, Maldives pledge cooperation on BRI Mian abrar China and the Maldives have pledged to work together to push for the stronger development of their relations.

While meeting with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday, Maldivian President Ibrahim Solih said his country and China had reached an important consensus last year on consolidating ties and broadening pragmatic cooperation.

The president thanked China for its tremendous contribution to his country’s socio-economic development, the firm support given to his country’s vaccination campaign against COVID-19, and its reduction and suspension of the Maldives’ debt within the framework of the G20.

The Maldives firmly upholds the one-China policy, and their sound bilateral ties and solid mutual trust are rooted in the long and traditional friendship and adherence to the principles of sovereign equality and mutual respect, the president stressed.

Expressing his confidence in the future development of bilateral ties, the Maldivian president said his country is ready to seize the opportunity of the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries to deepen mutual understanding and mutually beneficial cooperation so as to push for the stronger development of bilateral ties. For his part, Wang said this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Maldives, which have withstood the test of international vicissitudes and become more mature, thus contributing to regional peace and stability.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) speaks to Maldivian President Ibrahim Solih in Male, Maldives, January 8, 2022. /Chinese Foreign Ministry The most precious experiences from the five decades’ exchanges between the two countries are the mutual respect, equal treatment as well as unity and mutual help which have consolidated the political foundation of the bilateral ties, Wang noted.

Appreciating the Maldives’ firm support on China’s core interests, Wang said China has always supported the Maldives in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity, seeking a development path suited to its own national conditions and pursuing an independent foreign policy, Wang said.

China is willing to expand cooperation with the Maldives in all fields and back its efforts to push for the strategy of diversified development, he said, hoping that a free trade deal between the two countries will be approved at an early date so as to facilitate the economic transformation and upgrading of the Maldives.

Wang also noted that the COVID-19 pandemic is the common enemy of mankind, and China will continue to uphold the vision of a global community of health for all and fight the virus side by side with the Mal-

dives.

China is willing to continue providing the Maldives with anti-virus supplies including vaccines as needed, he said.

The two sides also exchanged views on strengthening coordination on international affairs.

On the same day, Wang also met with his Maldivian counterpart Abdulla Shahid, with both sides pledging to jointly build the Belt and Road and focus on postpandemic recovery.

Wang said that, when looking back at the past 50 years since China and the Maldives established diplomatic relations, one can see that the two countries have always been mutually respectful, treating each other equally and sincerely, and firmly supporting each other on issues of core interest.

The two sides will continue to build the Belt and Road with a high quality, actively push for key projects in basic infrastructure, houses and the around-the-island power grid, as well as sea water desalination so as to offer impetus to the Maldives’ post-pandemic economic recovery, Wang said.

For his part, Shahid said the joint construction of the Belt and Road has borne fruitful results and has completely changed the Maldives’ society. China has offered a large number of materials and vaccines to his country to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, playing a key role in the 80-percent high vaccination rate in the Maldives. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) meets the press alongside his Maldives counterpart Abdulla Shahid in Male, Maldives, January 8, 2022. /Chinese Foreign Ministry The Maldives is willing to deepen pragmatic cooperation with the Chinese side, the foreign minister stressed. Wang said he is glad to see Shahid will attend the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games in his capacity as president of the United Nations General Assembly, and the latter said he looks forward to attending the event and believes the games will be a great success.

After the meeting, the two sides signed cooperative agreements on mutual visa exemption, economic technology, infrastructure, sea water desalination, medicine and public health, among others.

Later, the two diplomats met the press together, where Wang said that his country supports the Maldives in advancing social and economic development.

The Chinese diplomat hailed the relationship between the two countries, calling it a model for countryto-country exchanges and win-win cooperation.

He listed the assistance China has provided the Maldives over years, including the expansion of the country’s Velana International Airport, the construction of China-Maldives Friendship Bridge and the over 10,000 houses built to improve locals’ living conditions.

ment, insisting that the Taliban form an inclusive administration.

“Today, we are basically not at the point of recognising” the Taliban, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told a news conference earlier this week.

The Taliban have formed an all-male cabinet made up entirely of members of the group, and almost exclusively of ethnic Pashtuns.

They have further restricted women’s rights to work and study, triggering widespread international condemnation.

Afghan professor arrested for criticising Taliban, calling intelligence chief ‘stooge of Pakistan’ aFP A prominent Afghan university professor who openly criticised the Taliban’s hardline regime has been arrested in Kabul, a spokesman for the government said. Professor Faizullah Jalal has made several appearances on television talk shows since the previous US-backed government was ousted in August, blaming the Taliban for the worsening financial crisis and criticising them for ruling by force. Since returning to power, the Taliban have cracked down on dissent, forcefully dispersing women’s rights protests and briefly detaining several Afghan journalists. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted that Jalal had been detained on Saturday over statements he made on social media in which he was “trying to instigate people against the system and was playing with the dignity of the people”. “He has been arrested so that others don’t make similar senseless comments in the name of being a professor or scholar that harm the dignity of others,” he added.

Mujahid shared screenshots of tweets he claimed had been posted by Jalal, which said the Taliban intelligence chief was a stooge of Pakistan, and that the new government considers Afghans as “donkeys”. In one television appearance, Jalal called Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem who was also participating — a “calf”, a grave insult in Afghanistan. Clips of his passionate criticism went viral on social media, sparking concern he risked Taliban retribution. Jalal’s wife Massouda, who once stood as Afghanistan’s first woman candidate for the presidency, posted on Facebook that her husband had been arrested by Taliban forces and detained in an unknown location. “Dr. Jalal has fought and spoken out for justice and the national interest in all his activities pertaining to human rights,” she said. A long-time professor of law and political science at Kabul University, Jalal has long had a reputation as a critic of Afghanistan’s leaders. On Twitter, rights group Amnesty International condemned the arrest of the lecturer “for exercising his freedom of expression and criticising the Taliban”, calling for his immediate and unconditional release. The Taliban have formed an all-male cabinet made up entirely of members of the group, and almost exclusively of ethnic Pashtuns. They have further restricted women’s rights to work and study, triggering widespread international condemnation.

Monday, 10 January, 2022 | LAHORE

SPORTS 11

The Ashes: eNglANd dig iN To sAlvAge heART-puMpiNg dRAw iN 4Th TesT

B

AgENcIEs

ATTLE-WEARy England dug in for a gripping draw with just one wicket left to deny dominant Australia a 4-0 series lead in the fourth Ashes Test in Sydney on Sunday.

Number 11 batsman James Anderson safely played out a tense 102nd and final over from leg-spinner Steve Smith in deteriorating evening light as England ended on 270 for nine chasing a 388-run target in a heart-pumping finish.

It all came down to the last six balls at the Sydney Cricket Ground with eight fielders crowding around the bat as Anderson fended off Smith’s part-time leg-spin.

Australia had dominated the majority of the match, declaring twice and turning every apparent setback they faced into an advan-

tage. Man of the Match Usman Khawaja came into the side of his first Test in more than two years and scored centuries in both innings as a middle order replacement for Travis Head, who had tested positive for Covid-19.

Australia had looked set to pull off a thrilling victory when they claimed the ninth wicket with Jack Leach caught in the slips

by David Warner off Smith for 26 to spark jubilant scenes. But Anderson and fellow veteran paceman Stuart Broad played out the remaining two nail-bitingly tense overs to give the beleaguered tourists a morale-boosting fighting draw after losing the Ashes series 3-0 inside 12 days.

Ben Stokes with a gutsy 60, his second half-century of the match, and first-innings centurion Jonny Bairstow’s 41 held up the Australian victory charge.

But once both departed after tea, the Australians were relentless in taking the struggle down to the final over.

Brave Bairstow: The draw means that Australia no longer have the chance of a 5-0 series clean sweep with the fifth and final Test to be played in Hobart, as a daynight match, getting under way on Friday.

Bairstow’s brave effort came to an end with 10.4 overs left when he was caught close in by Marnus Labuschagne off Scott Boland. Bairstow, who batted with an injured thumb, backed up his first innings century with a determined 105-ball knock and was England’s last recognised batsman to fall. Nathan Lyon made a key breakthrough with the wicket of Stokes, who defied the Australians for 123 balls. It was Lyon’s 16th wicket of the series, the most among the Australian bowlers. Lyon got extra bounce,

Stokes, troubled by a side strain injury, was in two minds and couldn’t get his bat out of the way and was caught by Smith at slip.

Pat Cummins produced a big inswinger to trap Jos Buttler lbw for 11, confirmed on a review, to get into the English tail as the overs counted down. Mark Wood lasted just two balls before Cummins snared him lbw for a duck, again after a review, the inswinger hitting his front foot on the toes.

Phenomenal Boland: Boland earlier removed England captain Joe Root caught behind off a tantalising outswinger

for 24 to break up his stubborn 60-run partnership with Stokes. Boland has had a phenomenal introduction to Test cricket since his debut in last month’s Melbourne Test where he was man of the match with 6-7 in the second innings and so far he has taken 14 wickets in the series at 8.64.

Cameron Green grabbed the biggest breakthrough of the morning with the wicket of Zak Crawley, who had made 77, just as the English opener was looking like he would score a hundred in a flowing performance.

Benzema, Vinicius help Madrid beat Valencia MADRID News Desk

Rafael Nadal beats Cressy to claim Melbourne title MELBOURNE News Desk

Top seed Rafael Nadal beat American qualifier Maxime Cressy 7-6(6) 6-3 to win the Melbourne Summer Set 1 ATP 250 event and build up momentum heading into the Australian Open. The Spaniard, playing his first competitive tournament since August, was largely untroubled as he wrapped up the win in an hour 48 minutes. Cressy was put under serious pressure by Nadal from the off, having to defend three break points in his first service game, but there was little to separate the two for the rest of the first set, which required a tiebreak. Nadal stepped on the gas late in the tiebreak, saving a set point at 5-6 down and then earning a set point of his own with a forehand winner, which he converted to take the first set 7-6(6).

Cressy responded by breaking first in the second set to take a 2-1 lead, but Nadal immediately shut down a potential comeback with a break of his own to bring the set back on serve. The Spaniard then broke again to lead 5-3 and held serve to claim the title. “I’m coming back from some challenging moments and injuries, so it means a lot to be here,” the 20-times Grand Slam champion said, before praising his opponent. “Congratulations Maxime, it’s a great start to the season. I wish you all the very best for the rest of the season and your career.” Earlier on Sunday, former world number one Simona Halep stormed past Veronika Kudermetova 6-2 6-3 at the Melbourne Summer Set 1 final to claim her 23rd career title. Kudermetova began the contest strongly, breaking Halep’s serve to take a 2-1 lead in the first set, but the two-times Grand Slam champion broke right back in the next game and then twice more to clinch the first set 62. The second set unfolded in a similar fashion, with Kudermetova taking the lead and Halep rallying to level the set at 2-2. Halep broke a few games later to make it 5-3 and then held to love to secure the win. American Amanda Anisimova battled through injury to beat Aliaksandra Sasnovich 7-5 1-6 6-4 and claim her second WTA title in the Melbourne Summer Set 2. Anisimova, who took a medical timeout for treatment on her left thigh in the second set, showed great resolve to fight back from 3-0 down in the deciding set and break twice, before sealing the win with an emphatic ace.

Karim Benzema passed 300 goals for Real Madrid and Vinicius Junior produced another moment of magic as La Liga’s run-away leaders sailed past Valencia 4-1 on Saturday. Benzema and Vinicius both scored twice at the Santiago Bernabeu to send Madrid eight points clear of second-placed Sevilla, who have two games in hand, the first coming against Getafe on Sunday.

Benzema’s 300th goal arrived from the penalty spot before Vinicius bamboozled five Valencia defenders, via a one-two with his French teammate, to add a brilliant second early in the second half. Vinicius then headed in a third and Benzema added a late fourth, either side of Goncalo Guedes converting a penalty for the hosts.

Benzema now has 17 goals this season and Vinicius 12, their combined 29 more than the entirety of 13 teams in the division, including fourth-placed Real Sociedad.

“I feel very good with Vinicius,” Benzema said. “I’m always here to help him, I know his potential, I think he can reach an even higher level. He is a fantastic player for us.” Benzema’s triple century came after 584 appearances for Real Madrid. He is the fourth player in the club’s history to reach the milestone, joining the esteemed trio of Cristiano Ronaldo, Raul, and Alfredo di Stefano.

Barcelona and Real Madrid will face off in the semi-finals of the Spanish Super Cup on Wednesday but the Catalans must look on with envy now at the class Madrid possess in attack. A lack of punch had earlier cost Barca dear in a 1-1 draw with Granada that saw them miss the chance to move into La Liga’s top four. Instead they stay sixth, level on points with Atletico Madrid, who are still to face Villarreal on Sunday. Real Sociedad sit fourth after they had earlier won 1-0 at home to Celta Vigo.

Luuk de Jong headed Xavi Hernandez’s side into the lead at Los Carmenes, only

Franchises make their picks in supplementary draft for PSL7 LAHORE News Desk

Team officials looking to further boost their squads for the seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) on Saturday participated in the supplementary and replacement player draft for the tournament through a virtual session.

Franchises submitted their partial replacements for the players unavailable for the initial few matches. suPPlementary category round 1 The 2020 edition’s champions Karachi Kings, as decided through a random draw, had the first supplementary pick, and they added Sahibzada Farhan, winner of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Domestic Cricketer of the year Award 2021, to their squad.

The Lahore Qalandars, who had the second pick in the first round, picked pacer Mohammad Imran Randhawa.

Psl 2022: Franchises make their picks for players in supplementary draft In the next four picks Islamabad United added pacer Musa Khan, who played for them in 2019, 2020 and 2021 seasons; Quetta Gladiators reserved their pick; Multan Sultans picked England pacer David Willey; and, Peshawar Zalmi picked Mohammad Umar. suPPlementary category round 2 The second round followed a reverse order in which Peshawar Zalmi,

the winners of the second edition of PSL, going first, reserved their pick.

Defending champions Multan Sultans picked Rizwan Hussain, 2019 edition’s Quetta Gladiators picked Ghulam Mudassar, two-time champions Islamabad United plucked Zahir Khan, Lahore Qalandars further boosted their pace department with the addition of Akif Javed and Karachi Kings bagged Jordan Thompson.

It is pertinent to mention here that each franchise was allowed to pick a maximum of one foreign cricketer out of the two supplementary picks. rePlacement category Psl 2022: Franchises make their picks for players in supplementary draft Making the most of the opportunity to replace those players who were partially unavailable in PSL 7, Multan Sultans replaced Odean Smith with wicketkeeper-batter Johnson Charles and Rovman Powell with Dominic Drakes. Quetta Gladiators replaced Naveen-ul-Haq with Luke Wood, James Vince with Will Smeed, Jason Roy with Shimron Hetmyer, and Afghanistan’s Noor Ahmed with Ali Imran.

Karachi Kings replaced Pakistan U19 captain Qasim Akram, who is on national duty in the West Indies because of the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup, with left-arm spinner Mohammad Taha Khan and reserved their pick for Tom Abell.

Qasim’s teammate Zeeshan Zamir was replaced with Mohammad Huraira, who had a terrific debut first-

for Granada’s Antonio Puertas to equalise in the 89th minute, 10 minutes after Barcelona’s 17-year-old Gavi had been sent off. De Jong nodded in a cross from Dani Alves, the 38-year-old who was making his first La Liga appearance since May 2016.

“We needed to have patience, to keep the ball and play in the opposition’s half, but we lost silly balls, it was our mistakes,” said Xavi Hernandez. Gavi’s mistake gave Granada impetus at a crucial moment but Barcelona’s lack of goals means they are constantly vulnerable to the slightest error. They have won only one game by more than a single goal since October. “Before the sending off we had to kill the game. It should have been 2-0. We have to be self-critical and grow,” Xavi said.

class season stroking a triple-century and finishing as the highest run-getter in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

The unavailability of English wicketkeeper-batter Phil Salt for a few initial matches saw Ben Dunk reuniting with Lahore Qalandars.

Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators reserved their one supplementary pick each, while all five franchises, except Quetta Gladiators, reserved their picks in the replacement round.

The final team roster after all the rounds concluded looked like this: islamaBad united In the supplementary round: Musa Khan and Zahir Khan (Silver).

In replacement round: Mohammad Huraira (Emerging) Karachi Kings In the supplementary round: Sahibzada Farhan and Jordan Thompson (both Silver). in replacement round: Mohammad Taha Khan (Emerging) lahore Qalandars In the supplementary round: Mohammad Imran Randhawa and Akif Javed (both Silver).

In replacement round: Ben Dunk (Gold) multan sultans In the supplementary round: David Willey (Diamond), Rizwan Hussain (Silver).

In replacement round: Johnson Charles and Dominic Drakes (both Silver) Peshawar Zalmi In the supplementary round: Mohammad Umer (Emerging).

Quetta gladiators In the supplementary round: Ghulam Mudassar (Emerging).

In replacement round: Luke Wood, Will Smeed and Ali Imran (all Silver), Shimron Hetmyer (Diamond)

Anisimova battles to Melbourne wTA title in Australian open boost MELBOURNE News Desk

American Amanda Anisimova gave herself a big confidence booster heading into the Australian Open by battling past Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich to clinch the Melbourne Summer Set title on Sunday. The unseeded world number 78 overcame a mid-match slump and treatment to her left leg to win 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 for only her secondever WTA Tour crown. Her previous one came at Bogota in 2019 as a 17-year-old, the youngest American to clinch a title since Serena Williams at Indian Wells in 1999.

“I’m in such a good headspace now after an incredibly tough year,” said Anisimova, who missed the Australian swing last year after testing positive for Covid. “It’s so good to start off the year in a good place and winning a title, I honestly couldn’t ask for anymore.” A win appeared unlikely for the 2019 French Open semi-finalist when she lost the second set and went 3-0 down in the third, but she battled back to deny qualifier Sasnovich her first title. Sasnovich played a beautiful lob to earn her first breakpoint and was rewarded on her second when Anisimova doublefaulted to give her a 3-2 lead in the opening set. She held serve for 4-2 but Anisimova’s powerful groundstrokes were becoming effective and the American broke back for 4-4 with a searing backhand down the line. It went with serve until Anisimova struck again to take the set. But she then lost focus and slumped 4-0 down in the second set, having treatment on a left upper leg issue which appeared to hamper her movement. She looked out for the count when she lost the set then went 3-0 behind in the decider, but against the odds fought back to hold then break and haul herself back into contention.

Monday, 10 January, 2022

PrAyer Timings

NEWS

FAJR SUNRISE

ZUHR

ASR MAGHRIB ISHA

5:35

12:06

2:51

7:01

5:10

6:36

RelIeF opeRatIon ContInueS In MuRRee, MajoR RoadS CleaRed o

FFICIALS on Sunday continued to work on clearing snow from roads in and around Murree a day after 22 people, including women and children, died in their vehicles trapped by heavy snowfall.

In a tweet, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill said that all major arteries to Murree had been cleared for traffic.

“Around 600 to 700 cars were evacuated from the area last night,” he said, adding that Rawalpindi police, the district administration and Pakistan Army soldiers worked through the night.

“Police officials are present on the roads leading to Murree from Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The roads will remain closed for today,” he said.

Providing an update on the rescue operation, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Sunday said “all main communication arteries have been cleared for all types of move.”

The Kuldana-Barian road has also been cleared, according to the statement, which said after the clearance of main roads, army engineers were now focusing on road links.

“Relief camps/medical facilities are fully operating and army transport is plying for moving of stranded tourists to Rawalpindi/Islamabad,” it added.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar ordered a high-level inquiry into the tragic incident and formed a committee headed by the Punjab additional chief secretary (home), tasking it to submit its report within seven days.

The chief minister, who issued the directives while chairing a meeting in Gharial, said indiscriminate action would be taken against those responsible for negligence in the light of the report of the inquiry committee.

Buzdar also announced financial assistance of Rs17.6 million for the heirs of those who lost their lives in the blizzard.

He told the meeting that the financial aid was not a cure for grief “but we share the pain of the bereaved families”.

The meeting also decided that the hill station of Murree would be elevated to the status of a district.

“In this regard, suggestions have been sought from the chief secretary and senior member Board of Revenue,” the chief minister told the meeting.

Buzdar also approved the establishment of two new police stations in Murree, while officers of the ranks of additional deputy commissioner and superintendent of police will be posted in the area with immediate effect.

The chief minister said stern measures would be taken to effectively control the flow of tourists into Murree.

He also directed officials to take action against hotels for overcharging visitors who were stuck due to the snowstorm.

An administrative official in nearby Nathia Gali was also shocked to see such an “unprecedented” snowstorm in the area.

“It was not snow, and not even heavy snow, it was unprecedented… with four to five feet in few hours,” Tariq Ullah, an administrative official in nearby Nathia Gali stated. “(I) never saw such a huge snowstorm in my life. There were strong winds, up-

rooted trees, avalanches. People around were terrified, each having his or her own account of suffering.”

Authorities have also promised an investigation into the incident.

“Our first priority was rescue, which is ongoing, then relief,” Hasaan Khawar, spokesman for the Punjab provincial government, said in a video on his Twitter page on Sunday.

“Then a high-level inquiry will be launched and if there is any kind of negligence, then action will be taken against all those involved.”

Many tourists complained on social media on Sunday that Murree hoteliers and guest-house owners had compounded the problem by price gouging, prompting stranded people to spend the night in their cars rather than pay for a room.

“Things would have been different if local people and hotels were cooperative, but the reputation and conduct of the local people of Murree are very bad in this respect,” a senior government official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

There were also reports, however, of locals throwing open their homes to stranded tourists and offering food and blankets to those caught in the open.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar surveyed the snow-affected areas from his helicopter and also reviewed relief and rescue work.

According to the Chief Minister’s Office, the relief commissioner and the senior member Board of Revenue briefed Buzdar on relief and rescue work.

He was also accompanied by Punjab Law Minister Basharat Raja, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Information and Special Initiatives Hassan Khawar, the chief secretary and the ICP. In an update shared late night on Saturday, the ISPR said that more than 300 people had been provided medical care by a team of army doctors and paramedics.

Meals were served to more than 1,000 stranded people in Jhika Gali, Kashmiri Bazar, Lower Topa and Kuldana, the statement said.

“Stranded people have been accommodated and provided shelter with hot meal[s] and tea at Military College Murree, Supply Depot, Army Public School and Army Logistics School Kuldana,” it added.

A day earlier, the army and the district administration had launched a massive operation to rescue stranded tourists in and around Murree.

To enjoy snowfall, tens of thousands of people thronged Punjab’s hill town of Murree but a large number of vehicles stranded in snow on Friday night and 22 people died. Eight of them froze to death in their cars and others probably died from asphyxiation after inhaling exhaust fumes in snow-bound vehicles.

On Saturday morning, the Punjab government declared the area in and around Murree calamity-hit area. The website of the National Weather Forecasting Centre said heavy snowfall was expected in the area until Sunday afternoon.

Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed sorrow and grief over the tragedy, ordered an

inquiry into the incident and asked the authorities concerned to put in place strong regulation to ensure prevention of such tragedy.

In a tweet, the prime minister said, “Shocked and upset at tragic deaths of tourists on road to Murree. Unprecedented snowfall and rush of people proceeding without checking weather conditions caught district admin unprepared. Have ordered inquiry and putting in place strong regulation to ensure prevention of such tragedies.”

The Punjab chief minister imposed state of emergency in hospitals, police stations, administration offices and Rescue 1122 service, while Pakistan Army troops reached to help with rescue work.

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, in a video message, said tourists had flocked to the hill station in such large numbers for the first time in the last 15 to 20 years which created a crisis.

He said residents of Murree provided food and blankets to stranded tourists, adding that the administration had closed all routes to the hill station and was now allowing only vehicles taking food and blankets for stranded people.

The meteorological department recorded 32 inches’ snowfall in the hill town during the last two days. “It is not unusual snowfall in the area as in the winter, an average 64inche snowfall is recorded in Murree,” said Irfan Virik, deputy director of meteorological department stated.

He said that meteorological department had issued weather advisory and warned the departments concerned. AFP

Govt to move LHC against Shehbaz next week: Fawad month and the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) in March, the minister said that the opposition’s politics lacked any objective. “The so-called long march of the opposition in fact would be a mess.”

He pointed out that ideologies of the PDM President Fazlur Rehman, PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari do not match. “If the opposition came to Islamabad, the government will set up separate tents for them, so that they do not fight with each other,” he added.

Chaudhry said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government wanted uniform local government system, adding however, that the allies had suggested that there should be direct elections at the district level in Punjab. APP

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said on Saturday the federal government would file a case in the Lahore High Court (LHC) next week against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif for submitting a false affidavit.

Addressing a press conference along with Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood and Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Youth Affairs Usman Dar, Chaudhry said that Shahbaz Sharif should go to jail for submitting the false affidavit.

“Shahbaz Sharif should forget about becoming the prime minister. Even he should worry about his [National Assembly] seat because he can not even become an MNA. In this case, there is disqualification

for five years,” Chaudhry said.

The minister said that Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz had been convicted in accountability cases, whereas the cases of Shahbaz Sharif and his son, Hamza Sharif, were in courts. “Within the next six to eight months some big fish will be out of the race in the next elections,” he added.

He said that more than Rs12 billion had been recovered from former president Asif Zardari in the Omni Accounts case, “so the claim that no achievements have been made in accountability process was not a fact”. He added that people’s demand for swift accountability was justified.

Responding to a question about the long marches announced by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) next

FM Qureshi leaves for Romania, Spain on official visit

Federal Cabinet to take up extension case of CEO of EDB on Tuesday

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Sunday left for Romania and Spain on an official visit from January 9-12.

During the first leg of the visit, FM Qureshi will visit Bucharest at the invitation of Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu from Jan 9-10.

He will hold meetings with the Romanian foreign minister and other dignitaries.

Besides focusing on measures to further deepen bilateral cooperation, the two sides will hold wide-ranging consultations on regional and international issues.

Qureshi will subsequently visit Spain on the invitation of Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares Bueno from Jan 10-12.

Besides, meeting with his Spanish counterpart, foreign minister Qureshi will hold meetings with other ministers and members of the Spanish Parliament.

A large Pakistani diaspora in Spain serves as a strong bridge between the two countries. In 2021, Pakistan and Spain celebrated the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

“Romania and Spain are important partners of Pakistan, both bilaterally and in the context of the European Union. The Foreign Minister’s visit will give further impetus to the growing cooperation with these two friendly countries,” the Foreign Office spokesperson has said in a press release.

ISLAMABAD AhmAd AhmAdAni

Federal cabinet on Tuesday is likely to grant its approval on a summary of the Industries and Production Division, seeking extension in the job contract of Raza Abbas Shah, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Engineering Development Board (EDB).

Earlier on 17th December, 2019, the establishment division in a notification said that Raza Abbas Shah was appointed as EDB’s CEO in MP-I scale for a period of two years with immediate effect and until further orders.

The appointment which was subject to termination on one month’s notice by either side was made after a gap of more than two and a half years as the post was lying vacant since March 31, 2017 and the business of the organisation was being carried out on a look-after basis.

According to sources, however, now after the expiry of Raza Abbas Shah’s contract, Industries and Production Division has sought from the federal cabinet to grant extension in the job contract of Raza Abbas Shah as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Engineering Development Board (EDB).

As per details, the federal cabinet is scheduled to be held on Tuesday (11th January, 2022) at the Prime Minister’s Office.

Cabinet will take up summaries of various divisions including Commerce, Foreign Affairs, Finance, Interior, Industries & Production, Power, Revenue, Religious Affairs & Inter-faith Harmony, Science &

Technology, Narcotics, and Cabinet division.

As per agenda, Commerce Division will table a summary regarding the appointment of Chairman and Members of Copy Right Board of Intellectual Property Organization of Pakistan (IPO-P) Cabinet will also take up Foreign Affairs division’s summary seeking the ex-post facto approval for acceptance of award “Noot-ul-Tamreen Medals” by 100 X personnel of PAF by Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Similarly, the cabinet will consider a summary of the Finance Division regarding registration of existing credit guarantee trust fund under Islamabad Capital Territory Trust Act, 2020.

The Interior Division will table a summary regarding a residential project for overseas Pakistanis at Park Road, Zone-4, Islamabad under Roshan Digital Account Incentives. Similarly, the Interior Division will seek approval of CDA budget estimates 2021-22 and revised estimates for the Financial Year 2020-21 Cabinet is also scheduled to take up a summary of Power Division regarding tariff rationalization for power sector quarterly tariff adjustment for 4th quarter FY 2020-21 A summary of the Revenue Division on regularization of non-customs paid vehicles plying in exFATA/PATAs via one time concession in duty and taxes will also be taken up by the cabinet.

Religion Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Division through a summary will seek approval of draft Interfaith Harmony Policy while the division will seek appointment as Member National Commission for Minorities (NCM) from Christian Community.

Calls for Muslim genocide could spark civil war, warns ex-Indian naval chief Former naval chief and senior military commander Arun Prakash has warned that India could descend into civil war as political leadership of the country had failed to condemn the recent genocide calls against Muslims by Hindu hardliners. Leaders of several far-right Hindu groups had called for genocide of minorities in India, particularly country’s 200-million-strong Muslim community at a threeday ‘hate speech conclave’ organised by the controversial Hindutva leader Yati Narsinghanand in December, 2021. In an interview with The Wire, former admiral Arun Prakash said the silence of the country’s political leadership over calls for Muslim genocide and ethnic cleansing is “ominous … (and) there should be outright condemnation and firm action”. He added that if this continues “there’s bound to be a counter” and “the next step could be conflict”. Asked if this meant India could face a civil war, the former admiral replied: “Yes, indeed”. Prakash along with three other former Naval chiefs and a former Indian Air Force chief wrote an open letter to President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 31 about the calls for genocide and ethnic cleansing. When asked if he received any response from either, he replied, “None so far (and) it’s futile to expect one”. The ex-admiral also raised serious questions about the fact that not a single former Indian army chief was willing to sign the letter. The former army chiefs did not sign the letter either “because they believe the call for genocide and ethnic cleansing is something they agree with or because they are apprehensive of the consequences of signing such a letter”. While discussing the impact of such calls of genocide could have on the three services, particularly the army, all of which have Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Sikh soldiers – in fact, soldiers from all the faiths of the country, he said: “Think what goes on in a soldiers mind? Such talk will send a message of deep disquiet to the armed forces.”

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