EpaperLHR_22-5-23

Monday, 23 May, 2022 I 21 Shawwal, 1443 I Rs 40.00 I Vol XII No 323 I 48 Pages I Lahore Edition

Imran Khan to lead long march on may 25 g

khan seeks immediate dissolUtion of assemblies, date for next general elections

PESHAWAR

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Mian abrar

ormer prime minister and chairman Pakistan tehreek-iinsaf (Pti) imran khan on sunday announced to lead a long march towards islamabad for the country’s “battle for real freedom” on may 25. addressing a press conference after his party’s core committee meeting held here, the former prime minister said the main demands for the march to the capital were the immediate dissolution of the national assembly and a date for the next general election to be held in transparent manner. he also told the military to stick to its stated stance of being “neutral”. “today we held our core committee meeting and made [important] decisions,” imran, flanked by the who’s who of the Pti leadership, said at the start of his press conference.

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Urges military to stick to its stated stance of being 'neUtral'

“the biggest [question] was when to begin the long march, and we have decided. “i want to give a little background of how we reached here. there was a foreign conspiracy against Pakistan from the Us. in this regime change, they used locals — the most corrupt people, who were ready to become part of any conspiracy to save their corruption”. “this conspiracy was hatched eight months ago and i was alerted about it in June, and after august, i fully understood what was happening. We did our best that somehow this conspiracy could be voided but unfortunately we couldn’t stop it.” the Pti chairman explained in detail his allegations of conspiracy as well as the purpose of his march before announcing the date. “on the 25th [of may] i will meet you in islamabad on the srinagar highway,” imran said addressing his supporters and party workers.

“you have to reach there at 3pm. i invite all the women because i’ve seen your anger. i had never seen that before. “i want people from all [walks of life] to come because this is Jihad, and not politics. i’ve decided and told all my team that we have to be ready to sacrifice our lives.” imran indicated that the march would convert into a sit-in and continue until his demands are accepted. “We will never under any situation accept them. no matter how long we have to remain in islamabad we will remain there.”

‘NA dISSoLutIoN, ELEctIoN dAtE MAIN dEMANdS’: he said the march would have two primary demands: dissolution of assemblies and a date for elections. the former prime minister called for fair and transparent elections, adding that if the nation were to bring the current government back into power then he would accept it. “but, no country from outside will [be allowed to] impose them on us,” he added. imran told his supporters to prepare beforehand for factors such as “communication, transport and fuel”, predicting that the government would use various obstacles to impede the march. he stressed that the party had always remained peaceful in its protests, adding that same would be true for the upcoming march, as he called on women, children and families to participate in “Pakistan’s battle for real freedom”. addressing the bureaucracy, imran warned that if any “wrong” actions were to be taken regarding the party’s “peaceful protest”, then that “would be illegal and we will take action against you”.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

Nation to hold Imran Khan accountable for instigating civil war: PM LAHORE staff report

Prime minister shehbaz sharif on sunday said that the Pakistani nation would not spare Pti chairman imran khan if he tried to instigate a civil war in the country. addressing a press conference in lahore after visiting the Pakistan kidney and liver institute (Pkli), the premier criticised the previous Pti-led government and said that instead of working on the development of the country, khan was consumed by political vendetta throughout his tenure. censuring the Pti chairman, the premier said that khan’s only focus was to corner his opponents but he had no time to invest in building hospitals, roads, or work towards the prosperity of the nation. he said that thousands of people lost their means of employment but khan, against his promise of providing 10 million jobs to the masses, could not deliver. “imran niazi had nothing to do except for hurling abuses at his opponents,” he said, adding that the man who claimed of making a naya Pak-

istan could not even provide a single subsidy to the masses. “khan is a cold-hearted man. the kind of language he uses embarrasses everyone,” Pm shehbaz said. “this man destroyed the moral values of society.” speaking about the Pkli, the premier said that it was “regrettable” how this rs20-billion project was “shut down by the Pti government just for the sake of political revenge”. “this hospital will provide paid medical facilities to the affluent class and funds generated from the treatment of rich people will be utilised for free medical treatment of patients belonging to underprivileged backgrounds,” the premier said. the premier announced that the hospital’s board of governors, with dr saeed akhtar as its new chairman, has been reinstated so that the hospital could function smoothly.

Pm shehbaz also expressed his commitment to establishing a worldclass nursing university at the (Pkli) within one year. “strengthening of democracy was the only way for Pakistan to progress,” the premier said.

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Monday, 23 May, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS

Bilawal Calls on China Counterpart on first Bilateral visit BEIJING/ISLAMABAD

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APP

OREIGN Minister Bilawal BhuttoZardari on Sunday held a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in the northwestern city of Guangzhou, after his arrival in China on his first bilateral visit at the latter’s invitation.

According to the media office of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Zardari was holding talks with his counterpart wherein Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar was also present.

Pakistan’s embassy in Beijing shared some pictures of Wang showing Zardari a Pakistan China bilateral ties photo album.

On Saturday, the foreign minister said his visit coincided with the 71st anniversary of the establishment of Pakistan’s diplomatic ties with China.

“Landed in Guangzhou, China on my first bilateral visit. Today also marks [the] 71st anniversary of [the] establishment of

diplomatic ties between Pakistan and China.

Looking forward to meeting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi for in-depth discussions on Pakistan-China relations,” he tweeted after arriving in the southern Chinese city.

The minister left for the two-day visit to the neighbouring nation on Saturday which is the first in-person high-level interaction between the two countries since the establishment of the coalition government in April.

This is Zardari’s first bilateral visit as foreign minister to a foreign country after he took up the office in April.

Extensive consultations were set to be held with his Chinese counterpart, during which the entire gamut of bilateral relations will be reviewed, with a particular focus on stronger trade and economic cooperation between Pakistan and China.

“Fast-tracked progress on the transformational China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of President Xi Jinping’s visionary Belt and

Govt wants three connectivity projects in the next JCC NEwS DESk The Government plans to include three mega connectivity projects during the upcoming meeting of the Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) on ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), according to a report published by Gwadar Pro. The three projects include Mansehra-Muzaffarabad Expressway, Babusar Tunnel, and Zhob-D.I. Khan Highway.

“There three projects should be taken up on priority for inclusion in the upcoming JCC,” Minister of Planning Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal ordered authorities concerned.

He was chairing a preparatory meeting on a joint working group (JWG) on Transport Infrastructure, which was attended by officials from CPEC Authority, National Highway Authority (NHA), Gwadar Port Authority, and Pakistan Railways. Last month, NHA recommended PC-1 for the construction of Mansehra-Muzaffarabad (a link of CPEC) to Executive Committee of National Economic Council (CNEC) for consideration. The estimated cost of the project is Rs. 44.72 billion.

Zhob-D.I. Khan (N-50) Phase one is another project which, according to Ahsan Iqbal, would be recommended during the upcoming JCC meeting.

Under the project, the current 210 km long 2-lane road would be improved and upgraded to four lanes.

PC-1 of the project was approved by ECNEC in 2017. Extra land will also be acquired to upgrade the road to 6-lane in the future. Babusar Top Tunnel is another important connectivity project, which will connect Kaghan Valley with Chilas, Gilgit Baltistan.

The project is aimed to facilitate locals as well as boost tourism in the region. The underground tunnel will even enable people to reach the areas in harsh winter weather. Professor Ahsan Iqbal also asked Railways authorities to speed up the processing of the ML-1 project and to evaluate the cost of the 250 km/hour track for future viability. He emphasized that laying down the Fiber optic cable project should be integrated within ML-1 to economize the project.

The Minister said that Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) is another important mass transit project which should be executed on the same model as Orange Line in Lahore.

Road Initiative, will feature in the discussions,” the statement said.

The two sides will also have a wideranging exchange of views on major regional and international issues, it added.

According to the Chinese stateaffiliated Global Times, the foreign minister’s visit is a part of the high-level exchanges between China and Pakistan, which recently also included the message of felicitations to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif from Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and a telephonic conversation between the two leaders on May 16.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Wang Wenbin said that as allweather strategic cooperative partners, it was necessary for China and Pakistan to improve communication and coordination on major issues to deal with changes in the region and risks and challenges.

“China hopes to use this visit as an opportunity to carry on with the traditional friendship with Pakistan, consolidate strategic mutual trust, and further deepen the

M A NIAZI

I‘m sure all Imran Khan’s well wishers are happy that he will find a career after having been Prime Minister, as a writer of spy thrillers. Or maybe as a script writer for Hollywood. Or maybe he could help revive Pakistani cinema by writing for it.

It started with the brilliant idea of the dastardly American plot to destabilize his government in cahoots with Shehbaz Sharif. Shehbaz would play himself, while the indeterminate American would be played by Khurshid Shah in the blond wig left behind by the late Adeeb, who would

community with a shared future,” the spokesperson added.

President Alvi ‘delays’ appointment of Sindh governor NEwS DESk After Punjab, another dispute has arisen between President Arif Alvi and the federal government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif over the appointment of a new governor in Sindh.

A federal cabinet minister, speaking on condition of anonymity stated that before the formation of the federal government it was decided that the post of the governor in Sindh would be given to the Muttahida Qaumi MovementPakistan (MQM-P).

A constitutional summary nominating Nasreen Jalil for the governorship was sent to the president in the second week of May. However, more than 10 days have passed without a response from the president over the appointment. Neither has Alvi approved the summary nor has raised objections to Jalil’s appointment.

Meanwhile, the premier has apprised the coalition parties about the situation emerging due to the president’s refusal to facilitate the government. The federal government could approach the Supreme Court to end the impasse.

Meanwhile, sources close to the president confirmed that a summary of

seeking the appointment of Jalil as the governor has been received. However, the allegations regarding obstruction in the work of the government were rejected.

An MQM-P leader said that the party was concerned over the delay in Jalil’s appointment as the governor. They said it would be discussed with the prime minister.

After the resignation of Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, Speaker Sindh Assembly Agha Siraj Durrani took over as acting governor. However, after being sworn in as the Governor of Sindh, Nasreen Jalil will assume her responsibilities as the 34th Governor of Sindh. She will also be the second woman governor.

Meanwhile, PM Shehbaz forwarded a second summary to the president seeking the appointment of PML-N leader Balighur Rehman as the governor of Punjab. In his summary, Shehbaz reiterated that Baligh was the most appropriate person for the said job.

The summary came in response to a statement by President Alvi to the premier wherein he asked Shehbaz to reconsider his summary for the appointment of the Punjab governor. In a statement issued by the President House, Alvi maintained that “there is no occasion to propose a new appointment of [the Punjab governor]” as Cheema still held office.

On May 9, President Alvi had “strongly rejected” PM Shehbaz’s advice to remove Cheema, saying that under Clause 3 of Article 101 of the Constitution, “the Governor shall hold office during the pleasure of the President”.

However, the government went ahead and sacked Cheema after the constitutional period of sending the summary to the president for removal of Cheema ended.

Cheema had subsequently challenged his removal in the Islamabad High Court.

IGP for filling vacant posts in Islamabad police NEwS DESk Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad Dr. Akbar Nasir Khan has directed Deputy Inspector General (DIG) headquarters to initiate the process to fill all the vacant posts in the department to minimize shortage of staff.

He passed the directions during an introductory meeting here at police lines headquarters after assuming the charge as Capital Police chief, replacing Muhammad Ahsan Younus the other day.

Senior officers of Islamabad police attended the meeting.

Addressing participants, the IGP asked the force to bridge the gap between police and the public to win the trust of the masses.

He said families of Police martyrs should be treated in the best way and utilize all available resources for their welfare.

“Every officer should treat his subordinates equally, bring smiles to others faces,” said the new IGP also adding that the law of equality is the best law in the

Brave New World CITY NOTES

all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership to build a closer China-Pakistan

have got the role on the strength of the wig.

Iman would play himself, but it would be Sheikh Rashid who would get to dance around a tree with Meera.

Then there is the plot to kill Imran.

Imran has recorded a video giving details of the plot. Thus he has acquired the halo of martyrdom without having to go through the inconvenience of actually getting killed, thus going one-up on Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was actually hanged for the murder of Muhammad Ahmad Khan, father of Ahmad Reza Kasuri, the dissident PPP MNA. Well, Imran should thank his stars that all his dissident MNAs and undefeated dissident MPAs are alive and well, or else he could have been picked up.

As it is, he should examine his past very carefully. I mean, just across the border, they’ve got Navjot Singh Sindhu in the neck for a year in a 1988 road rage case. True, Sidhu only made it to provincial minister, but he is probably the best-known of Imran’s contemporaries to enter Indian politics.

Sidhu had a car crash back in 1988 in his native Patiala, got into a fight with the other driver, who then died. Imran, hopefully, was not involved in any car crashes. And didn’t hit any senior citizens, as Sidhu did.

Though he should be worried about the road, because it hasn’t been very kind to excricketers. Andy Symonds, the Australian

world.

He expressed the hope that the force will put its utmost effort to ensure rule of law and protection of public lives and property.

I am honored to be commanding a very professional force, said IGP and vowed to empower the force further.

Later, IGP Akbar Nasir Khan visited Quarter Guard, Shah Faisal Shaheed Mess, MT and other sections in the police lines, took briefing and listened to police personnel’s problems. He assured them of early redressal of greivences.

all-rounder of yesteryear, died at 46 in a car crash recently. Y’see? Another mysterious death, just after Shahbaz Gill’s lucky escape recently. Or was he doing a bit of car-tasting for Imran?

Imran should have tasters for his food.

I mean, he says he knows the poison used on Dr Rizwan, the IO in the money laundering case against Shehbaz Sharif, a poison he says kills and leaves the symptoms of a fatal heart attack and no other trace.

Frankly, the ‘rare Asiatic’ poison is a trope used by crime writers whenever they found themselves stuck for some way of getting the murder committed.

Well, we can only wait for the next installment. Are we going to be told that the moon is made of green cheese? And further, that the greatest threat to Imran comes from little green men who live on the dark side of the moon?

Are we preparing for Pakistan’s first science fiction movie? Is Fawad Chaudhry going to get the role of the Cookie Monster? Y’know, the one who makes all the cookies disappear in his stomach. Is Usman Buzdar going to snap up the role of the Visitor from Outer Space, or will Umar Sarfraz Cheema?

There are three important roles to be cast, two from the Star Wars universe, another from the Star Trek universe. (It’s obvious that Imran and most other PTI supporters are no longer bound by the present universe).

How Imran plans to play Luke Skywalker and Han Solo as a double role only he knows, but he’ll do it. Darth Vader will be Shehbaz Sharif, of course with Shaukat Tarin as Jabba the Hutt and Shahid Khaqan as Chewbacca. And while Imran will obviously play Capt James T. Kirk, who will play Spock? Hamza Shehbaz?

Monday, 23 May, 2022 | LAHORE

Govt has lost CrediBility and askinG us for help after iMf deBaCle: shaukat tarin

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NEwS DESk

ORMER finance minister Shaukat Tarin on Sunday said the incumbent government has lost “credibility” before the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as it is struggling to strike a deal, claiming “they are now seeking help from us”.

Tarin’s comments come in the backdrop of the coalition government’s ongoing talks with the IMF over the release of a $1 billion tranche under an Extended Fund Facility, a process slowed by concerns about the pace of economic reforms in the country.

Earlier this week, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail had told the IMF — during the talks — that the government understood the

current economic crisis and agreed that it would have to take “tough decisions” while mitigating the effects of inflation on the middle to low-income groups.

At a press conference in Karachi today, Tarin dismissed the claims by the PML-N-led coalition government that the PTI government reneged on its promises made with the IMF. “We, in fact, had renegotiated the deal. But the IMF is not trusting this new government and they are now asking us to help.”

The ex-minister said the PTI wanted a strong interim government to be in place and hold elections. “When the interim government is there, we will help them and show them the way forward,” he added.

Tarin also said the government was struggling to run affairs.

He stressed that democracy needed consistency and that people’s will was for five years, saying “if someone disturbs this cycle, there will be a reaction”.

He called upon “powers that be” to allow elected governments to complete their fiveyear term, which he said would be good for the continuity of democracy.

Tarin was of the view that Imran Khan bore the brunt by “refusing to take dictation” for the first time by any leader in 72 years.

Tarin then compared economic figures of the PTI government’s tenure and the PML-N’s five years from 2013 to 2018 and said “the incompetent and the selected government” — an oft-used refrain by PTI opponents to describe it — had defeated its rival on every economic indicator.

Recounting the “feats” PTI achieved during its tenure, he cited the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics as saying the current government had shown the GDP growth rate at 5.97 per cent for the current fiscal year, “while during the corresponding period of the third year of the PML-N’s last government, the growth rate stood at 4.5pc and the next year it had reached 4.6pc.”

He went on to say that exports during the PML-N’s government went below $10bn, and it was at $24bn at the end of the tenure.

“We took them to $32bn.”

He recalled the PML-N leaders were raising complaining that the current account deficit would cross $20bn, however, it is currently at $15bn.

“They had left reserves at $9.8bn and we

NEWS

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left them at $11.4bn and at the time of noconfidence motion, it was much higher.”

The former minister underlined the PML-N had taken a new debt of $45bn in its tenure, while the PTI government took $34bn. “On what grounds do they claim they are better than us?” he asked.

He said India reduced its oil prices by 25pc a day ago after securing a deal with Russia that Pakistan had agreed to before the ouster of Imran Khan. However, the current rulers “don’t have the courage to invite the wrath of Uncle Sam”. He repeated a claim that was made by Imran on Twitter a day earlier.

Tarin also took exception the government’s decision to ban the imports of luxury items deemed non-essential. He said the decision could have been restricted to a handful of items, “But imposing a blanket ban on a wide range of items has left everyone afraid.” “If I was in their place, I would have banned a few items for six months and increased duties on other items including dry fruits, etc.”

He also called for revamping the entire system to take forward the country, saying: “I do not believe that this government is going to provide any relief to people.”

Sharjeel Memon blames IRSA for water shortage in Sindh NEwS DESk Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon on Sunday stated that the provincial government is gravely concerned about the water shortage in the province.

According to the minister’s statement, water scarcity at the Sindh barrages has intensified and the Kotri Barrage currently had a 72% shortage.

“After agriculture and drinking water, it is now feared that water supply to industries may be affected,” Memon said. He claimed that the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) had failed to

uphold its 1999 water provision agreement and that despite the authority’s three-tier formula having no legal status, IRSA had used it for many years to distribute water to provinces.

Memon maintained that the unequal three-tier formula came to the fore in a meeting of the ministerial committee in May 1994 but was declared null and void by then chief executive of Pakistan and the Ministry of Water and Power on October 23, 2000.

“The distribution of water in federal units is conducted under the three-tier formula, which is a clear violation of the water agreement,” he reiterated.

He stated that KPK and Balochistan had been exempted from the distribution of water during the ‘off-season’ and that Punjab took more water than its share during the season. “Sindh has to bear the entire burden of water scarcity,” he said.

The minister demanded that the IRSA flood canal be closed immediately.

“Sindh does not need water from any province, IRSA should ensure equitable distribution under the water agreement,” Memon said.

He maintained that life was being severely affected due to the water shortage in Sindh.

“From Kashmore to Keenjhar,

farmers, women, old people and children of Sindh are on the roads for water”.

Earlier this week, the Sindh High Court (SHC) admitted a petition regarding the water crisis in the province and fixed it for a hearing.

The petition contended that there is a shortage of water in Sindh and the province was not being given its share.

“There is no water for drinking and agriculture in Sindh, while animals are also dying,” the petitioner stated. “IRSA is well aware of this issue but the water supply is still blocked. Millions of people in the province are affected and the land is becoming barren.”

Google celebrates Gama Pehlwan’s birthday with a doodle ISLAMABAD APP

Google today (Sunday) celebrates the 144th birthday of the undefeated Gama Pehlwan, with an artistic doodle. In the Google Doodle, Gama Pehlwan can be seen standing strong, surrounded by the letters of “Google.” In his right hand, he holds a silver mace, bestowed upon him by the Prince of Wales.

Ghulam Mohammad Baksh, later known as Gama Pehlwan or “The Great Gama” — was born on May 22, 1878 in Jabbowal Village in the Punjab Province of what was then known as British India.

He had a tumultuous childhood, moving after death of his father and again when his grandfather passed, ultimately living with his uncle, a wrestler.

Gaining an interest in intense exercise and wrestling from a very young age, Gama Pehlwan entered a strongman competition at the age of 10, earning the top spot among over 400 competitors. From there, his training and interest in wrestling only increased. By some accounts, Gama’s training at one

point consisted of as many as 5000 squats and 3000 pushups per day.

From the 1890s through 1910, Gama Pehlwan went on a streak of undefeated matches against India’s greatest wrestlers, with only his match against the national champion ending in a draw.

Gama then grew his career internationally by challenging and defeating the greatest wrestlers in Britain, resulting in a match against world champion Stanislaus Zbyszko, which also ended in a draw.

Continuing his training, Gama Pehlwan ultimately defeated both of these opponents in rematches, earning himself the titles of Champion of India and World Champion. His career spanned multiple decades and more than five thousand matches, ending undefeated.

In 1947, after the Independence of Pakistan, Gama moved to Lahore and spent the remainder of his days there. He passed away on May 23, 1960.

So if you’re wondering what sort of man gets a Google Doodle for his birthday 144 years after the fact just for being a Wrestler , well now you know.

On the other hand, twittratis paid rich tribute to the

great Gama Pehlwan. Some of the twittratis suggested that if Google can acknowledge this personality his feat should be made into a documentary so that more and more people will get an opportunity to know this great man. They also mentioned of a stone weighing over 1,200 kilograms lifted world-renowned Gulaam Mohammed alias Great Gama Pehelwan back in 1902.

This stone was now lying in Nazarbaug Palace near Mandvi. The stone that has now been kept at Baroda Museum in Sayajibaug is two-and-a-half feet in height and has text inscribed on it. The text says that the stone was lifted by Gulaam Mohammed on December 23, 1902. Gama had visited the then Baroda state to attend a wrestling competition when he achieved the feat. He was the best wrestler in the country in those times and remained unbeaten till he died in 1960.

“The museum register has an entry number 10-10, which states that the stone was brought in the museum sometime after 1912. It is said that the stone was lifted

by Gama on his chest. The stone is of historical value and so we have kept it on display outside the museum,” museum director R D Parmar said.

iran’s revolutionary Guards member assassinated in tehran TEHRAN AgeNcIes

Gunmen shot dead a member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Sunday in the east of the capital Tehran, state news agency IRNA reported. “Sayyad Khodai… was assassinated during a gun attack carried out by two motorcylists in Tehran’s Mohahedin-e Eslam Street,” IRNA said. The agency described him as a “defender of the sanctuary” — a term used to describe anyone who works on behalf of the Islamic republic in Syria or Iraq.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, the ideological arm of Iran’s military, identified Khodai as a colonel. In a statement posted on their website, the Guards also denounced a “terrorist act” they claimed was carried out by “elements linked to global arrogance” — a reference to the United States and its allies. The Guards said they launched an investigation to identify the “aggressor or aggressors”. According to IRNA, Khodai was killed by five bullets as he returned home at around 4:00pm (1130 GMT). The agency published pictures showing a man slumped over in the driver’s seat of a car, with blood around the collar of his blue shirt and on his right upper arm. He is strapped in with his seat belt and the front window on the passenger side has been shot out.

Pak-China to deepen all-round cooperation in energy, industry, agri and IT sectors ISLAMABAD MIAN AbrAr

China and Pakistan vowed on Sunday to further deepen all-round cooperation in areas such as energy, industry, agriculture, information technology and transportation infrastructure.

The agreement was made during a meeting between Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in Guangzhou City, south China’s Guangdong Province.

Noting that this is Bilawal’s first bilateral visit abroad since assuming office last month and also the first offline high-level interaction between the two countries after the establishment of the new Pakistani government, Wang said the visit has further consolidated the traditional friendship between the two countries.

The solidarity and cooperation of the two countries has become an important stabilizing factor in a turbulent and changing world, he said, calling for joint efforts in building a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future. Bilawal, for his part, said Pakistan, as an “iron-clad” friend of China, is glad to see its achievements and is convinced that no force can stop it from moving forward.

The Pakistan-China friendship is the cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign relations, and also the inevitable choice of Pakistan, he said.

The Pakistani side is committed to the one-China policy, and supports China in safeguarding all of its core interests, he added. The two sides also agreed that any terrorist attack against Chinese citizens in Pakistan is unacceptable and any despicable attempt to undermine

China-Pakistan friendship will not succeed.

Three Chinese teachers and a Pakistani national were killed in an explosion at the University of Karachi on April 26, which was claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army. Wang said, China supports Pakistan in speeding up the investigation of the case, finding the perpetrators and punishing them, and will continue to provide support and assistance to Pakistan in its fight against terrorism.

The two sides agreed that the world has entered a period of turbulence and change, and the international community’s call for peace and development has become stronger, he said.

The two sides also agreed that the sound situation of peace, stability, cooperation and development in Asia is

the result of the concerted efforts of countries in the region and should be cherished all the more, he added.

Joint Statement: Per the joint statement, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari held indepth discussions on the entire gamut of bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues of shared interest.

The two sides agreed that amidst profound regional and international changes, the importance of ChinaPakistan strategic relations has assumed even greater significance. As All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partners, China and Pakistan share ironclad mutual trust and friendship, which is a source of peace, stability, and prosperity for the region and beyond.

Both sides reaffirmed their strong support for each other’s core interests and major concerns, and commitment to deepening strategic communication including at the highest political level and practical cooperation, and building an even stronger China-Pakistan Community with a Shared Future in the New Era. The two sides noted with satisfaction the steady growth of economic cooperation between China and Pakistan. In this context, they agreed that ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has effectively improved Pakistan’s infrastructure and boosted its socio-economic development.

Both sides expressed firm resolve to synergizing development strategies, pushing forward all CPEC projects in a safe, smooth, and high-quality manner, promoting cooperation in areas such as economy and trade, investment, industry, agriculture, health, and science and technology, contributing to the peoples’

well-being and delivering greater benefits to local communities.

Noting with satisfaction the record bilateral trade achieved last year, the two sides agreed to work together to make optimum use of phase-II of CPFTA and work together to diversify their trade ties with deepening cooperation in export-oriented sectors in Pakistan and integrating value chains of the two countries.

Both sides also agreed on stronger collaboration in the services sector and skill development in the areas of tourism, education, financial and information technology sectors. The two sides expressed satisfaction at the growing momentum of bilateral defense cooperation and exchanges. They underlined that ChinaPakistan defense cooperation was in fact a factor of peace and stability in the region.

The two sides termed terrorism as the common enemy of humanity. They once again strongly condemned the Karachi University Confucius Institute terrorist attack. Pakistan reiterated that efforts will be made to speed up investigation, hunt down the culprits, and bring them to justice.

Pakistan briefed the Chinese side on its efforts to ensure the safety of all Chinese nationals, projects, and institutions in the country. China appreciated Pakistan’s commitment to the safety and security of Chinese nationals. Pakistan and China will further enhance counter-terrorism and security cooperation. The two sides called on the regional countries and the international community to form synergy and fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. The two sides expressed their determination not to allow anyone to damage China-Pakistan iron brotherhood.

Monday, 23 May, 2022 | LAHORE

04 NEWS

summit of entrepreneurs from Pakistan, turkey mulls boosting bilateral trade ISLAMABAD aNaDolu ageNcy

Entrepreneurs from Pakistan and Turkey came together over the weekend to network in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul to work toward the “prosperity” of the two countries. “Entrepreneurship allows people to think beyond government to create opportunities of employment thus the prosperity of a country,” said Waqar Badshah, an academic from Pakistan, who addressed a boot camp of entrepreneurs at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University (IZU). A group of Pakistan’s entrepreneurs, mostly from the IT sector, have been camping in Turkey for one week and building networks and relations “to help progress the bilateral trade and business relations of the two countries,” said Saad Allahwala, who lead the delegation. While nasuh Uslu, IZU vice rector, urged the entrepreneurs to work toward enhancing bilateral trade between the two countries, Economics professor Mehmet Bulut said the Zaim Tech Park, which opened last year, was open to entrepreneurs from the two countries to start businesses.

Bulut said the young businessmen “should focus on new technologies” to develop the economies. The IZU also hosted a tech summit of Pakistani entrepreneurs last year. Allahwala told Anadolu Agency that during the current trip “Pakistani entrepreneurs individually met Turkish companies and individuals for networking and building relations.” “The digital boom has eroded barriers between owner, company and customer and our two countries should take benefit of such an opportunity,” he said. “One can earn money sitting in Pakistan from anywhere in the world and it is possible because of the boom in the IT sector which has allowed people to earn money and invest in their localities in different developmental projects,” said Allahwala, who is the Karachi chapter director of Startup Grind. “We are here to invite Turkish companies to Pakistan,” he said.

“We are a very welcoming nation.” Talha Akbas, international relations chairman of Young MUSIAD (Turkish business association) Turkey, said: “Young MUSIAD is working with Pakistani counterparts to build relations in different sectors to boost and strengthen our trade.”

‘Pakistan makes progress on broadband service-related projects’ ISLAMABAD

Pak army striving hard to douse raging forest fire: isPr RAWALPINDI

P

NewS DeSk

AKISTAn Army continued its efforts on Sunday to douse a fire in a Pine Forest near Shergali in district Sherani of Balochistan province, Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

The Balochistan PDMA in coordination with nDMA has been carrying out firefighting operation along with relief efforts along with the maximum support from Pakistan Army and FC Balochistan.

According to officials, the fire is mostly on top of the mountain away from population centres but has been raging to spread due to hot weather, inaccessible nature of the terrain and dry winds.

The military’s media wing said that although the population is living eight to 10 kilometers from the fire site, they have shifted 10 families residing in isolated houses to a medical relief camp.

“A FC Wing and two Army helicopters along with local administration and Levies have been employed in firefighting and relief efforts,” ISPR shared details of firefighting efforts and added that a helicopter is being used to drop water and the other is being used to drop fireballs and fire extinguishing chemicals.

It further added that 400 fire balls, 200 fire suits, blankets, tents, mats and fire extinguishing equipment have been provided by nDMA through FC Balochistan. Army has also transported relief equipment from Lahore to Zhob.

Balochistan govt hopeful of dousing forest inferno

QuEttA Staff RepoRt

The Balochistan government on Sunday expressed the hope that the devastating forest fire on Koh-i-Sulaiman range will be put out as the army, provincial and federal disaster management authorities and other officials have ramped up efforts.

Talking to media on Sunday, Balochistan government spokesperson Farah Azeem Shah said all out resources are being utilized to put out the fire. She informed that Army helicopters are being used for dropping water, fireballs and fire extinguishing chemicals in the mountain.

Shah said that the government has formed a task force for a rescue operation in Shirani district, which is the most vulnerable area.

“An emergency has been declared in Zhob and a control room has been established in the forest and wildlife departments. Apart from that, three ambulances, two army helicopters, one fire truck, one van, one satellite vehicle and 15 workers have been dispatched there,” she informed.

The spokesperson said that it took the authorities time to respond to the emergency because of the lack of resources and then went on to thank Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for his “support

and immediate action”.

Farah Azeem Shah said that the fire broke out a week ago after the area was struck by lightning and since then has engulfed hundreds of trees dotting the mountain range, home to the world’s largest pine nuts (chilghoza) forest and connects Balochistan, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

The fire has now turned into a raging inferno, forcing several residents of nearby villages to move to safer locations. Different species of animals and birds are also under threat.

On the other hand, Zhob division commissioner Bashir Baazi said that three Zhob residents have lost their lives trying to douse the blaze, adding that efforts are being made to control the fire. He also expressed the hope that the fire would soon be brought under control.

How did tHe fire start?

Meanwhile, Balochistan Chief Conservator of Forests Muhammad Taj explained that forest fires start when the air rises and a low pressure system develops. “The fire further spread because of dry and drought spells and high wind velocity.”

According to Zhob Division Commissioner Bashir Baazi, the first fire broke out on May 9 in the Mughal Kot area of Koh-i-Sulaiman range and affected olive and chilgoza trees within the

radius of 25 km.

“The fire was barely extinguished when a second fire broke out late Wednesday in the Saraghalai area in Shirani,” he said.

KP GoVt deCLares eMerGeNCY: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government on Sunday declared an emergency following the raging fire at Koh-e-Suleman mountain range located at the border with Balochistan province in the erstwhile Fata.

In a statement, Minister for Local Government Faisal Amin Khan said three people died and four others were injured after being trapped in the fire.

He informed that security forces, rescue organisations and locals have been working to contain the major fire on the Balochistan side while teams and machinery on the KP side are simultaneously also working to create access to the terrain.

The minister said that the lack of water at the site and steep cliffs make it extremely difficult to approach the location.

He said chilghoza, pine and olive trees over 400 acres on the KP side have been affected as the strong winds are enhancing intensity of the fire.

Khan said the chief minister of KP issued instructions to all departments for cross-border support to protect people and natural resources.

MoNitoRiNg RepoRt

Pakistan had made progress in the provision of broadband services under the Universal Service Fund (USF), according to the minister of information technology and telecommunication. Syed Amin-ul-Haque said that over 37 projects worth Rs31 billion have been launched by June 2021 and around 50 to 75 percent of the work has been completed on most of these projects.

He said Rs6.47 billion had been spent on nine projects of optical fibre and broadband services in Punjab, adding that nine other projects worth over Rs8.48 billion were underway for the provision of high-speed internet and laying of fibre optical in Sindh. In Balochistan, 11 projects were being carried out to facilitate 14 districts at an estimated cost of Rs8.43 billion, the minister said. Over Rs7.08 billion had been spent on eight projects of broadband services and optical fibre in 14 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he added. The USF was established to spread the benefits of the telecom revolution, and promote the development of telecommunication services in un-served and under-served areas in the country.

Lahore teenage girl kidnapped at gunpoint in broad daylight LAHORE Staff RepoRt

A 17-year-old girl was seized by armed gunmen in broad daylight as she was going on a motorbike along with her brother to attend a Matric examination near the Shad Bagh neighbourhood in old Lahore, police said Sunday.

CCTV footage of the incident showed the young girl, who is seen clad in a veil, travelling along with her brother when a vehicle, a Suzuki Wagon R, intercepts them. The video shows two armed men disembarked from the car, one of them dragged the girl into the vehicle and the second pointed a gun at her brother, preventing him from rescuing his sister.

The incident reportedly took place on Saturday, Shad Bagh police said.

It further confirmed the registration of a first information report (FIR) against unidentified suspects on the complaint of the girl’s father, Zulfiqar Ali, under Section 365-B (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel for marriage etc) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

Meanwhile, Kamran Adil, a deputy inspector general (DIG) of operations at Lahore police, told the media the police have detained some suspects and were interrogating them.

In the FIR, Ali, the father, said his daughter was kidnapped on the basis of “ill-intention”. According to Adil, One of the suspects seen in the footage was the girl’s ex-fiancé.

Incidents of the kidnapping of young girls have been reported in the past as well. In one such incident, two minor girls were purportedly kidnapped from the

CMYK

Ichhra neighbourhood.

According to their family, the sisters — identified as 11-year-old Ayesha Gulzar and 12-year-old Fatima Gulzar — went to attend the school, however, did not return home in the afternoon.

“One of them is a grade five student and the other is in grade six at a local school in Ichhra,” the

family said.

Police received a formal complaint from the parents and said they would investigate the case from all angles.

DIG Adil also took notice of the incident and directed the Model Town superintendent of police to immediately take action against the suspects and recover the girls.

Monday, 23 May, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS Imran khan to lead long march on may 25 coNtINUeD FRoM pAGe 01 Imran tells military to stick to ‘being neutral’: Regarding the military establishment, he said: “I also say to my army that you said you are neutral so now remain neutral.” However, he said that he wanted to invite everyone to the march, including the families of civil servants, army personnel and ex-servicemen. Imran lashed out at the government’s economic management, saying that the rupee and stock market were seeing rapid declines, which would lead to more inflation. “They don’t have any plan or a roadmap. They can’t take decisions. They fear taking decisions and they don’t want to put a burden on themselves,” he said. The PTI chief’s announcement came after the party’s core committee held a meeting in the provincial capital earlier in the day. Prior to the meeting spokesman for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif said Imran would preside over the meeting and many important decisions will be taken in the meeting. Addressing a public rally in Multan on Friday, Imran had announced that a date for the Azadi March to Islamabad would be decided today during the core committee meeting. He had also announced the expected dates would be between May 25 to 29. The PTI leader had said that besides deciding the date for the long march, the core committee would also discuss the preparations required for the march. “The core committee will also chalk out a plan on how to handle the expected arrests of the PTI leaders and road blockages to stop them from marching on Islamabad,” he had said. Since his ouster as prime minister on April 10, Imran has held a series of large public rallies across the country, terming his ouster a foreign conspiracy and urging the public to prepare for a march to the capital to pressure the authorities into accepting his demand for immediate elections in the country. Govt criticises march: Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb launched a barrage of criticism at the PTI in wake of the announcement. She said that the decision of elections was one for the government and its allies alone. “You no longer have any authority over elections,” she said. Meanwhile, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz said Imran starts attacking the country whenever it is progressing towards prosperity. “Now is the time to stand firm against this enemy of Pakistan,” she said. Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz issued a statement that termed the long march announcement an “Imrani sazish (conspiracy)” against Pakistan. He alleged that Imran and his followers were not “well-wishers” of the public. “Imran Khan cannot hold the whole nation hostage for the sake of his ego,” Hamza added. “Negative attitudes in politics are detrimental to the stability of the country. Characters working against national interests must be stopped by the force of unity,” he said. CM Hamza said that decision making was not done in the streets when the parliament is present for that purpose, adding that the nation would not allow anyone to spread “anarchy”.

cm terms PTI’s march conspiracy LAHoRe APP

Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz has termed the announcement of long march by PTI as a conspiracy against Pakistan saying that Imran Khan and his followers were not sincere with the country. Hamza Shahbaz stressed that it was not a appropriate time for such a long march as the country was passing through multiple challenges, said a press release issued here. The CM underscored that negative attitude in politics were detrimental for stability of the country. He maintained that those indulged in politics against national interests have to be stopped with the power of unity. Hamza Shahbaz lamented that the same characters caused irreparable damage to the national economy through sit-ins and agitational politics in the past adding that decisions should not be made on the roads in the presence of a parliament. The CM highlighted that the politics of stubbornness and obduracy of PTI has fully exposed their undemocratic demeanour adding that the nation will not allow anyone to spread anarchy in the country.

court orders arrest of six police over staged encounter LAHoRe StAff RePoRt

A district and sessions court in Havelian municipality in the Abbottabad district on Sunday ordered the registration of a murder case against, and issued arrest warrants of, six policemen on charges of killing a man in a staged encounter. The police killed Bagga Khan on April 15 in the suburban area of Majhawan and registered a case against the victim’s son and three other unidentified persons. The son was charged with murder under section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

Days later, the family of the slain man moved a petition against the police on April 26 under Section 22-A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). The FIR said Bodla police station Additional Station House Officer (SHO) Muhammad Nazir, Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Shah Faisal, and Diarist Asif Mehmood, among others, shot Khan dead. Haider Ali Awan, counsel for Khan’s son, while talking to the media said the police have nominated the son of the slain to hide their own crime.

05

ImrAn AnnoUnced lonG mArch To SABoTAGe GovT-ImF TAlkS: mArrIyUm ISLAMABAD APP

Federal Minister Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb says Imran Khan can scream, whine and cry as much as wants, but the next general election would be announced by the government in collaboration and consensus with all allies.

Responding to Imran’s announcement of long march and demand for snap polls, Marriyum said Imran had no authority to dictate the dates of the next general election as it was the sole prerogative of the unity government and its allied parties.

He cannot bully the government to announce general elections at a time of his choice with his threats, the minister stressed, adding if Imran was so fond of elections he should have announced them while he was desperately clinging onto power.

She said Imran was returning to Islamabad once again with a new agenda of loot and plunder after looting the country and its people for four years. He is basically coming to Islamabad to apologize to the nation for his destructive failures, incompetence, corruption and disastrous 4-year rule, she added.

“What exactly is this person coming

to Islamabad for? The person who destroyed national economy and impoverished the nation; who stole people’s sugar, wheat, flour, medicine, gas, electricity and LNG; who devalued national currency from Rs 115 to Rs 189; who buried the country under Rs 45,000 billion fresh debt; crushed the nation under inflation and unemployment; mocked them with lies about 10 million jobs and 5 million homes; and who told the nation he did not care if edibles had become unaffordable under 16 percent inflation,” the Information Minister said.

She said Imran’s announcement of the long march on May 25 was a direct effort

to sabotage Pakistan’s negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Earlier, speaking to a news channel, Marriyum said Imran had intentionally announced a bloody-March which showed how desperate he was to create anarchy in the country. This man is so blinded by his lust for power that he did not even care about triggering anarchy in the country if it served his purpose.

She said PML-N and its allies in the unity government had a very good idea regarding the hooliganism and bullying tactics of Imran Khan and they would not let such hooliganism to hold Pakistan and Pakistanis hostage.

Bilawal: Pakistan seeks to broaden ties with US UNIteD NAtIoNS the ASSocIAted PReSS

The foreign minister says the United States and Pakistan must move beyond past tensions over Afghanistan and are entering a new engagement after years of strained relations under former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari spoke in an interview with The Associated Press in New York, where he was attending meetings this week on the global food crisis at UN headquarters. He has also held talks with top diplomats, including a one-hour discussion with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Zardari called the meeting with Blinken “very encouraging and very positive and productive.”

“We believe that Pakistan must continue to engage with the United States at all levels,” he said. “This meeting was indeed an important first step.”

Zardari co-chairs one of the two largest parties in the disparate governing coalition, which spans the political spectrum from the left to the radically religious. The coalition removed Khan in a no-confidence vote on April 10. Shahbaz Sharif, the president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), replaced Khan as prime minister.

US-Pakistan ties deteriorated after Khan accused the Biden administration of colluding with the opposition to oust him, a claim the administration denies.

Afghanistan also raised mistrust between the two countries. Washington felt Islamabad did too little to help ensure peace as the US and NATO withdrew their troops from Afghanistan; Pakistan insists it did all it could to broker peace

and blamed the abrupt US pullout.

During the final weeks of the American withdrawal, the Taliban overran Kabul in mid-August and seized power.

Zardari said the Pakistan-US relationship in the past had been “too coloured by the events in Afghanistan, of the geopolitical considerations, and it’s time for us to move beyond that to engage in a far broader, deeper and more meaningful relationship.”

Under Khan, Pakistan pushed hard for the world to engage with Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers, and Bhutto Zardari said his country continues to do so. “Regardless of what we feel about the regime in Afghanistan,” the world can’t abandon the Afghan people and must immediately address the country’s humanitarian crisis and a crumbling economy, he said.

A total collapse of the Afghan economy would be a disaster for Afghans, Pakistan and the international community, he said, expressing concern that many Afghans would flee the country.

Pakistan is also insisting the Taliban live up to their international commitments that the country not be used for terrorism, that girls and women be able to pursue education, and that they form an inclusive government, he said.

The Taliban, however, have taken a more hard-line turn in recent weeks, imposing new restrictions on women. At the same time, tensions have grown between the Taliban and Pakistan over militants based in Afghanistan carrying out attacks in Pakistan.

Zardari said the more the humanitarian crisis is alleviated and the economy is saved from collapse, “the more likely we are to succeed in our pursuit for women’s rights and the more likely we are to suc-

ceed in our efforts against terrorism.”

He said his focus in talks with Blinken was on increasing trade, particularly in agriculture, information technology and energy. He said he is looking forward to working with the US on an initiative to empower women, including women entrepreneurs.

On economic, defense and military coordination, “if we continue to engage, then we can move forward in a more positive direction,” Zardari said.

Asked about Khan’s anti-US rhetoric, Zardari dismissed the ex-premier’s accusation of American collusion, calling it a “fanciful conspiracy theory based on a big lie” to explain his removal.

“I am particularly anti the politics of hate, division and polarization,” the foreign minister said. “If we consistently pursue the politics of ‘you’re with us or against us,’ whether that’s on an international level or a domestic level, I don’t believe it serves the interests of the people of Pakistan.” He said he believes Pakistanis understand their country needs to engage with the US and all countries, in order to become democratic and progress economically.

Survival of a nation hinges on its culture, says AJ&K president MUZAFFARABAD

President Joe Biden has strengthened ties with Pakistan’s arch-rival India, but Zardari said Pakistan is not “jealous” of their relationship. “We believe the world is big enough for both Pakistan and India,” he said.

Biden will meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leaders of Australia and Japan at a summit in Tokyo on May 24 of the so-called Quad, an IndoPacific alliance that China sees as an attempt to contain its economic growth and influence.

Pakistan has a very close economic and military relationship with neighbouring China, where Zardari is heading to on Saturday. He told the AP he didn’t think the growing relationship with the US would hurt its ties to Beijing.

Pakistan has abstained on UN General Assembly resolutions condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and withdrawal of its troops. Bhutto Zardari said Pakistan used to rely a lot on Ukrainian wheat and fertilizer and has been affected by rising food prices and calls for diplomacy to end the war.

In the interview with the AP, Zardari recalled the legacy of his mother, Benazir Bhutto, and grandfather, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. He called them “towering figures on the world stage,” and said he feels “the burden of history.”

“What motivates and drives me is the pursuit of their unfulfilled mission,” he said. “I hope that we live up to the expectations of the people of Pakistan” who have longed for true democracy and struggled for their economic, political and human rights.

“These are the ideals that we hold dear and we work towards every day,” Bhutto Zardari said.

The World Games to commence from July 7 in Birmingham USA BIRMINGHAM

APP

Stressing the need for the promotion of cultural activities in the state, Azad Jammu and Kashmir President Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry said the culture play a crucial role in shaping a society.

The president was addressing an inaugural function of the annual Besakhi Mela in Khuiratta town of Kotli district late Saturday.

Speaking on the occasion, Chaudhary said steps were needed to be taken both at the government and private levels for the promotion of cultural activities like festivals.

Besides providing entertainment to people, events like Besakhi were pivotal for the promotion of indigenous culture, traditions and social values, he said. The president praised the organizers for arranging this wonderful event.

“A nation stays alive when its culture stays alive”, the president added.

Referring to the abysmal political and human rights situation on the other side of the Line of Control (LoC), Chaudhry said the government of Narendra Modi in India was engaged in conspiracies to take hold of the entire territory and grab it completely. In this regard, he said, “India has issued fake domiciles to 4.2 million non-Kashmiris to change the proportion of the population in occupied Kashmir, while more than 4,000 local investors are being allotted land under the guise of investment.”

Similarly, the president said that redrawing of political map and constituencies in occupied

cMYK

INP

Kashmir were part of the Modi government’s long-term plan to install a Hindu chief minister in the Muslim-majority state.

He said the people of the occupied Kashmir were not alone in their struggle. “The people of Azad Kashmir stand shoulder to shoulder with their brethren in Kashmir,” he maintained.

Earlier, the president was accorded a warm welcome on his arrival in Khoirata. On this occasion, Chaudhry inspected various stalls set up by various departments and civil society organisations. The festival would feature javelin throwing, Kabaddi, horse dancing and other cultural programs. On the occasion, Health Minister Dr. Ansar Abdali also presented a special shield to the President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Barrister Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry.

Meanwhile, President Chaudhry visited Dargah Aghar Sharif and offered prayer.

He also visited the residence of former District Council chairman Raja Iqbal Sikandar, late Zia Hameed and former Kotli Additional Advocate General Chaudhry Razzaq and offered his condolences to the bereaved family.

The World Games would commence in US city of Birmingham from July 07 to July 17, 2022 under the supervision of International World Games Association. As many as 3,600 athletes from over 100 countries will participate in the event. According to details, the 16-year-old Pakistani snooker champion, Ahsan Ramazan will also participate in the games. The World Games event is organized after every four years and this year 3,600 athletes, hailing from over 100 countries, would try their destiny. According to the Birmingham Games Organizing Committee, during the 10-day, contests of 34 games for 213 medals would be held. Pakistani snooker champion Ahsan Ramzan, marshal art jiu-jitsu team would take part in the event while Pakistani Tenpin Bowling and Alpine clubs are also likely to attend the contests. The World Games include the games which were not included in the Olympics.

Competitions of the 34 games, including Air Sports, American Football, Archery, Baseball – Softball, Billiards Sports, Boules Sports, Bowling, Canoe, Dance Sport, Fistball, Floorball, Flying Disc, Gymnastics, Handball, Ju-Jitsu, Karate, Kickboxing, Korfball, Lacrosse, Life Saving, Muaythai, Orienteering, Powerlifting, Racquetball, Roller Sports, Sport Climbing, Squash, Sumo, Triathlon, Tug of War, Underwater Sports, Waterski and Wakeboard, Wheelchair Rugby and Wushu would be held during the TWG 2022.

06-07 Comments - 23rd May 2022_Layout 1 5/23/2022 12:02 AM Page 1

Monday, 23 May, 2022

06 COMMENT The arrests are not stopping

Developing countries facing a very difficult economic situation The pandemic, the Ukraine war and supply chain blockages all came togeher

W

HY is no one ready to claim ownership of the arrest of former Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari, in a case involving her father, when she was a minor? Even Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz has not only denied having ordered her arrest in a case so cold that it was not closed in the years she was a minister, and her party was in office in Punjab, but he ordered her release. He was been to this by the Islamabad High Court, whose Chief Justice granted bail when approached at night, something which will not be mentioned at PTI rallies, where the opening of the courts on the night of the vote of no-confidence is so loudly decried as evidence that the judiciary was part of the alleged anti-PTI conspiracy.

There are many depressing conclusions to be drawn from Dr Mazari’s episode, but perhaps the most depressing is that those forces which were at work during the previous regime, are still at work. Dr Mazari’s tweets about the establishment’ support of the present government, were both plentiful and close to the bone.

Sadly, she is not the first person to suffer at the hands of the police in this fashion, though when she was a Cabinet member, critics of the establishment were similarly picked up, again because they had criticized the establishment, often enough for supporting the PTI government.

If such behind-the-scenes manipulation is to continue by members of the establishment who feel the need to thus lash out at criticism, it will cause second thoughts among all those who supported the ouster of the PTI. The present government is committed to pursuing the cases of missing persons (which Dr Mazari, though Human Rights Minister, was unable to dispose of, mainly under the pressure of the Baloch parties which are its components. How will it fulfil this commitment if such disappearances are to recur? The temptation may be there to let the matter drop now that Dr Mazari is free, but there must be a thorough investigation of the whole incident, and if anyone has acted beyond his legal authority, that person or persons, must be penalized. Of course, the federal and Punjab governments may prefer the alternative, which is to keep quiet, in exchange for support. However, that will mean abandoning the rule of law and the supremacy of the Constitution, just as it accused the PTI’s government of doing.

Dr Omer JaveD

D

URING its peak, the pandemic caused recession, and recession-like economic situation, in most parts of the world. Vaccine inequality, lack of debt moratorium/relief, little allocation of SDRs and overall financing, and lack of climate finance all meant that the developing countries– even after more than two years into the Covid pandemic, along with global commodity supply shock, and the accentuating effect of war in Ukraine by Russia– are still struggling to get their economic growth, and macroeconomic stability on track on any sustained basis.

At the same time, developing countries were already facing a rising debt situation before the pandemic, which has only become more unsustainable in many developing countries, and with rising import costs, and interest rates globally at the back of mainly supply shock led high inflation – and in the case of developed countries overall, over-board stimulus injection causing demand-pull inflation, in addition to supply-side, costpush inflation – foreign exchange reserves, and local currency have come under serious pressure at many places, including Pakistan, where recently the rupee crossed Rs 200 against the dollar. A recent Bloomberg published article ‘Pakistan Rupee drops past 200 a dollar as IMF bailout uncertain’ pointed out in this regard ‘Pakistan’s currency plunged past 200 a dollar for the first time ever as a shortage of dollars threatens to spiral into a fullblown crisis. … Policy makers are in talks with the International Monetary Fund to revive a stalled loan program. Key conditions would require Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to raise fuel prices, which risks stoking public anger with inflation already at 13%. …

The rupee may drop as low as 210 a dollar if the uncertainty isn’t resolved, according to Samiullah Tariq, head of research at Pakistan Kuwait Investment Co. The nation’s benchmark KSE-100 index has declined for past five straight weeks.’

While an interest rate hike is important for curtailing high level of inflation in many developed countries, yet they appear to have taken a stricter monetary policy stance than warranted, given there is also a significant role of cost-push inflation at the back of global commodity supply, with impact all the more accentuated in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. While this is likely to have stagflationary consequences for these developed countries as well, lack of a soft approach of interest rate hike, and the signal in terms of the extent it is likely to be increased, has led to significant leakage of otherwise much needed foreign portfolio investment (FPI) from developing countries overall, and including Pakistan, adding to their already difficult balance of payments situation.

Moreover, the risk of default is also rising in many developing countries. For instance, in Pakistan import cover– the number of months of imports that can be

Gujrat double murder Police must up its game

T

HE desperate hunger for a path to permanent residence abroad, which has led to many young Pakistanis marrying much older women abroad for their citizxenship, has led to the hawking of young women born abroad for their citizenships. This is the apparent cause of the Gujrat tragedy, which led to the murder of two sisters, Anisa and Urooj. who had been married to their cousins here in Pakistan, in Gujrat, so that the young men could get Spanish visas, on the basis of their wives’ citizenship. Unfortunately, the girls did not cooperate and instead demanded divorces soon after they arrived in Pakistan.

Whether or no they wanted to get married in Spain, it is clear that the great attraction was their ability to get visas for their husbands. This should not be a motive for marriage. The families which have daughters abroad cannot really be faulted for wanting their daughters to meet Pakistani standards, but cannot expect them not to be affected by the country of their birth and upbringing.

Objections to grooms from a village in Pakistan, whom they may have never seen before, should not be ascribed to a bad character, or improper raising, but might simply be because of a natural antipathy.

An important factor is preventing recurrence. The case of Anisa and Urooj was not the first, and will probably not be the last as more and more girls are born in the Diaspora, and more and more uncles and aunts see them as passports for sons. (The girls’ uncle, Hanif Goga, is among the accused.) Gujrat, a centre of migration, is also likely to remain a focal area. The police generally, but the Gujrat police particularly, must up its game, and become more approachable for such potential victims.

Such family dramas never lack warning, but potential victims fear that typical Punjab Police cops will do less to help them than the other side. If approached, the police can do much. Like preventing the crime, instead of nabbing the culprits.

UN conflict and food security conference Why is the Chenab River not as clean as the Vltava River?

Shazia anwer Cheema

I

follow international forums raising concerns about global warming, population growth, and its implications and I can cite several reports indicating Pakistan would soon face food security and drinking water issues, resulting in malnutrition in our coming generations, famines, and deaths.

On May 19, the UN Security Council held a very important session on “Conflict and food security” to review a sharp increase in global food insecurity that threatens to destabilize fragile societies and worsen armed conflicts and regional instability. This conference for me had two major interests; the vision Pakistan would show and tha this was the first visit of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari as Foreign Minister to the USA in the backdrop of dragging the USA into Pakistan’s politics for domestic gains by the former government of PTI. Attending online sessions of the conference was an opportunity to know the realities humanity is facing and to know ways to mitigate these impacts, including bolstering the global food supply. I remember in December 2021, the UN body (the Office for the coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) estimated that up to 811 million people are undernourished and 43 million people would fall into famine or famine-like conditions.

The annual publication of the Global Hunger Index (GHI), indicates that the chances of hunger in Pakistan before 2030 are categorized as “serious”.

Ground realities for Pakistan are alarming and we have to not only secure our water sources, build new dams, and revamp irrigation networking but also control our population and I know population planning is a sensitive issue in Pakistan due to certain social norms.

With the constant increase of population with a two percent annual growth rate, crossing the figure of 223 million, I doubt Pakistan can attain food security even if we do everything to avoid hunger. The population

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made with available foreign exchange reserves– has fallen well below the minimum desired level, as per international best practices, of 3 months, to only a little over 1.5 months of import cover! Having said that, Sri Lanka has already defaulted on its debt payments, but many developing countries face a similar difficult situation. A recent article ‘Sri Lanka is the first domino to fall in the face of a global debt crisis’ published by The Guardian, pointed out in this regard ‘The departure of Sri Lanka’s prime minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, follows weeks of protest and a deepening crisis. There is no bankruptcy system for states but if there was then the south Asian country– down to its last $50m (£40m) of reserves– would be first in line to use it. A team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) this week started work with officials in Colombo over a bailout that will include a tough package of reforms as well as financial support. But as the IMF and its sister organisation, the World Bank, know full well, this is about more than the mismanagement of an individual country. They fear Sri Lanka is the canary in the coalmine. Across the world, low- and middle-income countries are struggling with a three-pronged crisis: the pandemic, the rising cost of their debt, and the increase in food and fuel prices caused by Russia’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.’

UNCTAD reportedly indicated that the developing countries needed financing to the tune of $2-$3 billion up till December 2020, while it is already late May 2023 and the financing needs have most probably increased, since no significant financing or debt relief has been received by developing countries as such up till now. In the absence of the needed level of financing for providing required level of stimulus, and making essential public health- and overall development expenditure, lack of inclusive growth in particular, and with overboard increase in the interest rate and rising cost-push inflation further diminishing prospects for greater inclusion of small and medium enterprise in terms of share in economic growth, has overall resulted in likely increase of poverty and inequality.

The rising level of economic stability in developing countries overall, has also led to greater political instability in many countries, for instance, Sri Lanka to much greater extent, and Pakistan to a relatively lesser level but still quite high. So when the world needed to unite against the existential challenge of climate change, and likely more pandemics in the future, lack of a global economic thinking – for instance, of no vaccine apartheid, and a greater level of debt relief and financing provided to developing countries– has left the world starkly divided between developed countries– overall facing a difficult economic situation in terms of years of perpetuation of neoliberal assault, and with consequences in the political domain as well, for instance in terms of rising level of politics of fear, and the greater role/influence of moneyed interest over public policy– and developing countries– overall suffering as well from starker consequences of neoliberal policies, given a weaker economic and political institutional base

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density in Pakistan is 287 per squarekkilometre with a median age of 22.8 years. Youth that has no open spaces and healthy activities and gets busy only with their cellphones. Is it not a horrific picture of our future?

The other issue that interested me was the performance of our new foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. His performance feels like a cool breeze, unlike our previous government his representation feels like somebody is representing Pakistan and representing us as a nation. The embarrassing monologue of me, I, my, mine, and the damage it inflicted to the Pakistani Foreign Office are more likely to be mitigated with the holistic approach Bilawal is taking.

During his entire visit, his conduct was of a mature diplomat who knows the aftermath of his personal conduct and discourse. He defended the Pakistan Foreign Office and its foreign policy, with no blame game, no conspiracy theories. Although the waters he decided to swim in are at high tide due to the unfavorable winds, he managed well.

As a young politician, cleaning the mess of predecessors is a risky and tiring exercise. He talks sense and he talks substance; he chose to change the trajectory to see our current political chaos and divert international attention toward issues such as global hunger crisis, climate, drought, and water. Instead of playing the victim and becoming part of the problem, he decided to become part of the solution.

It could have been much easier for him to blame the previous government and he could dwell on more talks about him and his utopian unachievable vision, but this self-obsessed narcissistic frame of reference has already cost us global isolation. He could have avoided the difficult questions related to the previous government’s half-baked policies, just by blaming them instead he behaved and acted like a leader who knows when to detach his ego from his higher goal and how a diplomat must represent his country and his nation.

I have written several times that not only PTI officials are totally unaware of diplomatic norms but also, they are least bothered about the consequences of their high-headed early morning tweets. They are

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to start with, and lack of capacity to provide large stimulus injections, as against the developed countries.

Years of practice of neoliberalism in general globally, resulting in weak regulatory frameworks checking the ‘profit-over-people’ mindset of global supply chains, in addition to the negative impact of pandemic in causing supply shock, invasion of Ukraine by Russia, and climate change, have all added to the risk of serious food crisis globally. Already, decade-high food prices are badly hurting developing countries in particular, in terms of negatively impacting their import cover, and also in the shape of rising level of imported inflation component in overall inflation.

For instance, climate change has already reportedly somewhat affected wheat production in Pakistan, while the war has meant that wheat prices have also risen significantly, which on one hand may lead to making greater imports, and on the other buying at a higher rate.

A recently published article ‘The coming food catastrophe’ by The Economist, pointed out in this regard ‘The war is battering a global food system weakened by covid-19, climate change and an energy shock.

Ukraine’s exports of grain and oilseeds have mostly stopped and Russia’s are threatened. Together, the two countries supply 12% of traded calories. Wheat prices, up 53% since the start of the year, jumped a further 6% on May 16th, after India said it would suspend exports because of an alarming heatwave. …António Guterres, the UN secretary general, warned on May 18th that the coming months threaten “the spectre of a global food shortage” that could last for years. The high cost of staple foods has already raised the number of people who cannot be sure of getting enough to eat by 440m, to 1.6bn. Nearly 250m are on the brink of famine. … All this will have a grievous effect on the poor. Households in emerging economies spend 25% of their budgets on food – and in sub-Saharan Africa as much as 40%. In Egypt bread provides 30% of all calories.’

Some of the main steps that rich, advanced countries, and multilaterals need to take for instance, is to quickly initiate a meaningful debt moratorium/relief process for improving an otherwise difficult debt situation of developing countries overall, and include private sector at a very early stage of such discussions, since over the decade, the proportion of private sector debt has increased significantly in the overall debt portfolio of developing countries.

At the same time, the IMF should play a greater role in getting the enhanced SDRs allocation from last August, most of which went to developed countries, to be relocated from the rich, advanced countries to developing countries. Moreover, the rich, advanced countries should look to come good on providing a lot closer, if not completely, the full pledged amount of climate finance to the tune of $100 billion annually to developing countries. Also, the IMF, and other multilaterals need to understand that the economic situation of developing countries– which significantly feeds into political instability in general as well– requires practising counter-cyclical policies, and that the above steps, among others, should be taken at the earliest to enable developing countries provide needed level of stimulus, and practice much-needed counter-cyclical policies. unable to gauge the amount of embarrassment they orchestrate for us as a nation just to get domestic political mileage.

Pakistanis like me who study abroad with the commitment to soon go back to their motherland have different kinds of attractions for their country. They wish they will find a better, cleaner, and more operational country to live in. When our politicians behave well as Bilawal did, they feel proud of their country but some realities are painful as I mentioned above that my country would face disastrous environmental and social impacts of what we have done with our natural resources.

We have eaten up agricultural lands so as to develop horizontal cities, we have polluted our sweet rivers with filth and industrial acids and we are stabbing the chest of mother nature every passing day.

Sitting at the bank of the Vltava River, I always curse why the Chenab River that goes through my city is not as clean, as beautiful, and as calm as the Vltava is. Chenab river was looking like a dead river when I was passing through this April while going back to the airport. It was barren, empty, and polluted.

My land, which is known as the Land of Five Rivers, is facing critical food security and one of the reasons is the lack of sweet water. India built several dams over rivers flowing into Pakistan but India never barred Pakistan from building dams. However, we did not build them due to reasons best known to those who had been decision-makers.

Sindh had serious reservations over building dams in the past and now the situation is horrific when 62 percent water shortage has been recorded at all three barrages of Sindh last week. Alas, we could have built dams in the 1980s over the Indus River but it is too late now.

We read loaded statements that future wars would be fought over water disputes but we waste five litres of water in the washbasin while shaving and 100 litres of water while taking bath under a western shower instead of using an old-style bucket. Are we really serious to survive in the next decade? I doubt so.

The writer Shazia Cheema is an analyst writing for national and international media outlets. She heads the DND Thought Center. She did her MA in Cognitive Semiotics from Aarhus University Denmark and is currently registered as a Ph.D. Scholar of Semiotics and Philosophy of Communication at Charles University Prague

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

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Monday, 23 May, 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

French presidential elections EMMANUEL Macron comfortably and decisively defeats Le Pen in the French presidential elections. This brings a fortunate pause, if not a full stop, to the far right and nationalist tendencies which have been sweeping the elections all over the world over the past one and half decades. Be that Modi’s coming to power with a bang electoral win in India, be the Conservatives’ regaining and retaining the floor in the last British general elections in England and earlier the British electorate’s voting for Brexit, it has been observed with concern that stirring the nationalist sentiments, propagating far-right tendencies and resorting to conservatism, chauvinism and narrow nationalism has remained the major contributing factors in their electoral success.

It seemed as if narrow nationalism, xenophobia and conservatism had gained the currency and had become the recipe for electoral success all over the world and it appeared as if the days of moderation, peaceful coexistence and harmony among various ethnicities and cultures were fast departing.

However, from this episode where the people of France have shown tremendous sagacity and have rejected Le Pen, the grand priestess of fear, one really may heave a great sigh of relief. One can foster optimism that this episode proves to be a new beginning and sanity starts prevailing.

The people advocating peaceful coexistence, tolerance, cooperation and mutual respect among various communities, ethnicities and faiths get to the helm of affairs and who then could nurture and nourish these very qualities in the masses, the qualities which are fast waning in the society all over the world.

TASAWAR BOSAL MANDI BAHAUDDIN

Bringing the moon to Earth for Greek Prince The man who was showered with favours a Letter from Prometheus agha iqrar harOOn

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HATTERING about early general elections is of course consolidating the demands of former prime minister Imran Khan who still looks like the most fortunate person in the history of Pakistan because whatever he says, angels come down on earth to follow his instructions.

There is a strong group within Pakistan that actually dislikes if not hates the parliamentary system and the 1973 constitution. Having an exceptional power of maneuverability, a bible in the hand of political tricks, and a cyclostyled sheet of allegations of being corrupt and causing economic meltdown in their hands against politicians, this group does sleep ever. The political activism of non-political groups we have already seen during the last tenure of PPP and PML(N) rule is one of the ingredients of the recipe to write the political governments out of the operations. Soon political parties will feel fatigued and would be ready for early elections though the parliamentary committee of the multiparty government had decided to stay in power till the expiry of the current tenure of the National Assembly in August 2023.

The country that was handed over to a multiparty government is already on the verge of a financial collapse that was intentionally or unintentionally engineered by the PTI government during its 42 months of rule.

Background conversations with politicians in Parliament House confirm that the PML(N) and JUI (F) are in favor of early elections but other allied parties like the BAP, ANP, MQM, and PPP are of the view that early elections would be disastrous for the country without going through electoral reforms, without holding new census, without completing the strength of the Election Commission of Pakistan, all after taking Pakistan out of the economic death cell where the PTI left it one and a half months ago.

Political parties do not feel a threat from the public meetings former Prime Minister Imran Khan is holding but the establishment looks erratic, because it is the prime target of his indecent, unfounded, and self-assumed allegations and he wants to come into power at any cost to appoint the next Chief of the Pakistan Army which is due in November but the announcement would be around September or so.

I believe Imran Khan, who said that families of military men would march with him to Islamabad, is still pampered and protected by many who crafted him as the cleanest man, uncorrupted, anti-Parliament, anti-Constitution, and readily available statesman: an investment of over 11 years must not go down the drain indeed.

I personally believe that a multiparty government must complete the tenure of this assembly while sitting in power because any early

elections would further increase the social, economic, and political polarization that has been injected by Imran Khan. However, I have some serious fears. Since Imran Khan has been and is still a blue-eyed boy of many, therefore fulfilling his desires is the foremost duty of those who pampered him for years, so early elections would be another pre-election engineering as he is pulling crowds now but we know this is not sustainable for a long period.

The first important issue is holding a new census which is the must requirement for delimitation of constituencies. Almost all political parties of Sindh believe that a new census that is due in 2022 would be held and then the delimitation process would start without further delay.

Urban and rural division is a very important issue for Sindh and urban parties know that delimitation after the census would increase urban seats in the Provincial as well as in the National Assembly.

Moreover, the ECP is presently without full representation of provinces.

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan deliberately did not fill seats from Punjab and KPK where he had provincial governments, and the reason was to keep ECP as a controversial body to mitigate the adverse impact of the Foreign Funding Case that was under hearing for eight years and which Imran Khan used all available techniques to delay. If the decision comes against him, he would say that ECP is a half operational body and he does not accept the decision of a body that is not fully operational.

Moreover, the PTI has already decided to go against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja in the Supreme Judicial Council, claiming he has biases against the PTI. Imran Khan wants a new ECP and a new CEC. Without this, he would not accept any election results unless he would get a two-thirds majority. We have already seen that Imran Khan believes only in what gives him fruits. For him everything like ECP, Judiciary, Army, Constitution, and Parliament are useful if they go in his favour, otherwise they all are conspirators against him. He had gone on head-on-collision with the chief of the Pakistan Army because Imran said the COAS refused to help him against “international conspiracy” and then he is continuously building the narrative through his team that the COAS was also an indigenous part of a conspiracy against him.

Another very important issue is holding elections without going through to Electoral Reforms. Controversial steps taken by the previous

PTI government are unacceptable for all political parties except the PTI. The electronic Voting Machine (EVM) system is one of the core points of controversy. The ECP had categorically said that it would not hold general elections through Electronic Voting Machine unless dozens of flaws found in testing were not rectified before their usage in the next elections. The ECP in November 2021 accused the PTI of bullying it and rushing the process of floating tenders to acquire electronic voting machines (EVMs) without following procedures.

Another point raised by the ECP was the technical issues related to the overseas voting process and Overseas Voting Technical Committee was formed to review the technical glitches.

We must remember that the ECP is an independent constitutional institution that carries out its duties within the constitutional framework.

I consider voting rights for Overseas Pakistanis who have attained dual nationalities to be unjustified. They send remittances to their families for their bread and butter, not to the state to run the country. They are loyal to the rules of the countries where they live and they have taken the oath of allegiance of the Queen and American Constitution if they will in Europe and North America.

Giving voting rights to overseas Pakistan would bring an actual “imported regime” because over 50 constituencies of the country including over 20 from central Punjab would be affected by this decision. We have recently seen that a Pakistani-American delegation visited Israel last week to promote IsraeliPakistani relations.

Such groups would be in a better position to manipulate the decisions of political parties of their choice because they would be their voters.

If we talk about the political impact of the announcement of early elections, the foremost issue is that will Imran Khan accept the election results if he fails to get a two-thirds majority? I think he would never.

He has already shown his no-confidence over ECP, and the Pakistan Army, and even his criticisms of the superior judiciary are on record. He does not trust CEC Sikandar Sultan, he alleges COAS was part of a conspiracy against him and he left ECP a half operational body. Will any election that is held with the current strength of ECP under the current CEC and under the current COAS be acceptable for Imran Khan? Not likely.

If we talk about the political impact of the announcement of early elections, the foremost issue is that will Imran Khan accept the election results if he fails to get a two-thirds majority?

Agha Iqrar Haroon is an international award winning journalist who has been in the field since 1988 and appears in national and international media as analyst and political scientist.

Timely initiatives THE visit of newly elected Prime Minister Mr Shahbaz Shareef to Quetta is a good sign to address the long-standing issues of Balochistan province.

Furthermore, Balochistan is the biggest province of Pakistan by land area and is full of natural resources. Because of its proximity to Gwadar port, Balochistan is called the “Gateway to Central Asia and the Middle East.” It is considered one of the lesser developed provinces among the four federation units of Pakistan. N-25 National Highway connecting Quetta to Karachi is the most dangerous highway in Pakistan due to its single lane.

So many fatal accidents take place every day on the N-25 highway, resulting in the loss of precious lives. Furthermore, the insurgency is the most disturbing element in the development of Balochistan. The current visit of the Prime Minister to Quetta is a positive initiative by the current coalition government to focus on the province. The announcement of the N-25 Double road is a good sign towards reducing the accidents and also reducing the travelling time between Quetta to Karachi and will hopefully increase economic activities in the province.

In addition, the announcement of the new Technical University in Quetta will open new vistas in the field of modern technology. The announcement of the Metro bus service in Quetta will increase connectivity in the city and provide a good transportation system for the commuter. Moreover, providing laptops and scholarships to the students of Balochistan will bring them to par with other provinces of Pakistan.

Bringing half a million needy people into the social safety net will help them to sustain above the poverty line. There is a dire need to bring the people of Balochistan into national unity and provide them opportunities for higher education, good health, a business environment and decent jobs according to their needs for the betterment of the country. Furthermore, it’s the responsibility of the newly elected prime minister to complete the development projects all over the country on an equal basis. It is the perfect time to complete the neglected M-6 motorway from Sukkur to Hyderabad and the KCR project may be completed on a war footing so that Pakistan can come on the track to economic development.

ABDUL KHALIQUE KARACHI

Political climate PAKISTAN’S current political situation is one of the worst that the country has ever faced in its history. The current government’s lack of opposition appears unreal. It’s similar to an exam where no instructor is present to provide checks and balances and each student is free to do whatever they want. The current government’s solution to this crisis should be to implement political reforms and hold elections as soon as possible.

The only solution to Pakistan’s current political quandary and future political future is to hold elections.

MEHTAB RASOOL CHINIOT

The blessings of Allah BLESSINGS are assets, gifts and important commodities of Allah. Our entire earth is teeming with countless endowments. These bounties are of the utmost importance because they help live a comfortable life.

Additionally, they make our life complete and productive. Apart from that, our life is quite difficult and taxing if these valuable entities are not available nearby us. Moreover, the gifts are also inside the belly of land named minerals. Minerals are vital for many key purposes. Firstly, minerals enormously contribute to the prosperity of the nation. The economy of a nation/country is weak if its minerals are limited and scarce. Pakistan ranks at the top regarding the amount of mineral availability. Despite the teeming blessings, resource management is seriously poor in Pakistan. It severely impairs the country thriving capacity. Likewise, the leaders are immensely incompetent and corrupt. They embezzle due funds and misuse them for personal usage. Resultantly, people’s confidence in the state hugely declines. The citizens resort to unfair and immoral practices which are hazardous to the nation’s stability. Additionally, the crime rate and anarchy significantly rise in such countries. This situation is fatal to the overall progress. Every country chiefly relies upon the up-gradation of people, nations and countries. However, these corrupt practices negatively impact the survival of the country. In a nutshell, Pakistan is massively full of countless endowments of Allah. However, their just use is colossally missing. Most of our leaders are biased and scoundrels. They usurp significant budgets and misapply to individual purposes.

MUHAMMAD AFZAL GAMBAT

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Monday, 23 May, 2022

08 WORLD VIEW

No more NATo expANSioN NATO HAS ALREADY BECOME WHAT MICHAEL KIMMAGE HAS REFERRED TO AS A “LOOSE AND BAGGY MONSTER” WITH 30 MEMBERS

anTiwar.Com DAniEl lARisOn

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INLAND and Sweden have broken with their longstanding traditions of neutrality to seek NATO membership, and the U.S. and most other allies are eager to accept them. Like previous rounds of NATO expansion, this one is proceeding without any serious consideration of the possible costs that come from adding new allies. The last thing that the US needs more than thirty years after the end of the Cold War is to be devoting more attention and resources to european security when european countries are more than capable of providing for their own defense. Adding two

more security commitments in europe makes no sense for US interests. Doing this will also discourage european allies from taking greater responsibility for themselves. There ought to be no further NATO expansion in any direction, and the US should be shifting the burden for european security to the wealthy allies that can easily afford it.

The odd thing about the sudden clamor for admitting Finland and Sweden is that they are far more secure today than they were at any point during the Cold War. Whatever threat they might have faced from Russia is much smaller than they previously thought.

If Russian forces have had this much difficulty in Ukraine, Finland and Sweden are in no immediate danger and don’t need alliance protection. Given Russia’s evident weakness, further NATO expansion isn’t addressing a real security problem in europe. NATO doesn’t need any new members, and Finland and Sweden don’t need to be part of NATO, but that hasn’t stopped a surge in support for this completely unnecessary change.

NATO has already become what Michael Kimmage has referred to as a “loose and baggy monster” with 30 members. The alliance has expanded in fits and starts over the last twenty-five years to give the organization something to do when it wasn’t bombing

What is Human rights Watch really watching?

Global Times Xin Ping

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he US has long used human rights issues to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs and advance its foreign policy objectives. It has devised tools that could serve as a facade for its hegemonic political agenda, and human Rights Watch (hRW) is one of them.

Despite its appearance as an impartial NGO, hRW is devoted to producing ideologically biased and politically motivated reports on the human rights situations of other countries. Instead of promoting the great cause of human rights, it has been playing dirty tricks to stoke instability and confusion worldwide.

MEDDLING HAND: Following the death of Venezuela’s President hugo Chávez in 2013, hRW immediately issued a report calling Venezuela one of the most abusive nations and accusing the Chávez government of restricting press freedom. While leveling these allegations, the report deliberately ignored the fact that owners of private media in Venezuela used their vast resources to defend their own privileges by undermining the government at every opportunity. hRW also failed to report on the $4 million in funding provided by the US government to anti-Chávez journalists and media outlets from 2007 to 2009.

It repeated the same old trick in hong Kong in 2019 by issuing groundless reports whitewashing the rioters as peaceful protesters, while accusing the hong Kong police of using excessive force when in fact they had exercised great restraint in countering the riots and violence. The organization also sent its employees to aid and abet those plotting violent criminal acts and inciting separatist activities for “hong Kong independence.”

DOUBLE STANDARDS: hRW has constantly pointed fingers at the human rights records of countries that disagree with the US and its Western allies, while remaining silent about human rights violations by Western governments.

In February 2013, hRW condemned the Syrian government’s illegal use of missiles in the civil war, yet it played deaf and dumb when, six months later, the US attacked Syria with missiles in violation of international law. hRW’s executive Director Kenneth Roth even questioned whether a simply “symbolic” bombing would be enough, as he asked on Twitter: “If Obama decides to strike Syria, will he settle for symbolism or do something that will help protect civilians?” The executive Director of the

MIT’s Center for International Studies John Tirman swiftly denounced the tweet as “possibly the most ignorant and irresponsible statement ever by a major human-rights advocate.”

In its reports on Cuba, hRW made zero recognition of the root cause of Cuba’s economic plight, namely US sanctions, nor did it acknowledge the country’s achievements in ensuring the economic and social rights of its citizens.

In 2012, hRW reported on the labor violations at Jadawel International, a construction company founded and owned

by Saudi Arabian billionaire Al Jaber.

Soon after that, hRW admitted that it received a considerable donation of $470,000 from Al Jaber’s UK-based charitable foundation. What hRW really cares about is not human rights, but political and economic interests.

REVOLVING DOOR: hRW’s true colors are reflected in its close links with the US government. In 2014, Nobel Peace Prize laureates Adolfo Perez esquivel and Mairead Maguire sent a letter of protest to hRW titled “Close Your Revolving Door to US Government,” signed by 131 experts and scholars criticizing the organization’s close relationship with the US government. Before Tom Malinowski took the job of hRW’s Washington advocacy director, he was a special assistant to former US president Bill Clinton and a speechwriter for late secretary of state Madeleine Albright. In 2013, Malinowski left hRW when former secretary of state John Kerry nominated him for the position of Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, human Rights and Labor. The Vice Chair of hRW’s Board of Directors, Susan Manilow, described herself as “a longtime friend to Bill Clinton,” and helped manage his campaign finances. hRW asserts that it does not accept private donations lest they compromise its objectivity and independence, while boasting that it does not advocate any political agenda. however, George Soros, founder and chairman of the Open Society Foundations, announced a grant of $100 million over 10 years to hRW in 2010. This very person also plotted and sponsored almost all the coups and “color revolutions” in the world with “moral” and monetary support to socalled pro-democracy groups.

With all its hypocrisy and political manipulations, hRW has demonstrated what it is really watching, and human rights is probably not one of those things.

The author is a commentator on international affairs, writing regularly for Global Times, China Daily etc. He can be reached at xinping604@gmail.com.

countries that posed no threat to it, and it is on the cusp of doing it again. each time that the alliance seems to have reached its limit, it keeps looking for excuses to expand. each new round gives encouragement to other aspirants that they will one day be allowed to join. Bringing in Finland and Sweden will likely lead to more irresponsible talk about adding Georgia to the alliance as well. european autonomy in providing for their own security is something that the US has consistently opposed, but it would be in the best interests of all concerned if european states no longer depended on US guarantees. expanding NATO again undermines the cause of european autonomy just as some major european governments seemed ready to pursue it. The loss of Swedish and Finnish neutrality is also unfortunate for those countries, since membership in NATO will one day drag them into the alliance’s “out of area” interventions that their governments will feel obliged to support.

The Turkish government has stated its opposition to membership for Sweden and Finland, but this is probably only temporary.

Turkey objects to Swedish and Finnish membership because of their obsessive hatred of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), some of whose members have found refuge in Sweden

and Finland. Since Ankara considers the group to be a terrorist organization, they say that they won’t let the new applicants join the alliance until they extradite PKK members and lift arms export bans against Turkey. Assuming that Sweden and Finland are willing to make these concessions, we won’t be able to count on Turkey to derail the expansion.

The US has never considered defending Sweden and Finland to be among its vital interests, and it strains credulity to claim that it is now imperative that the US should be willing to go to war for these countries.

There is no compelling reason to make these commitments now, and it is doubtful that there ever will be. While it is unlikely that these countries will be threatened in the near term, we know that the US almost never ends alliance commitments once they have been made. If the US agrees to Finnish and Swedish membership, it will be on the hook for guaranteeing their security for decades to come. Once these commitments have been

made, there will eventually be demands in Washington and in allied capitals that the US deploy more forces to europe to back up its increased commitments. None of this will make the US more secure, and it will be another unnecessary drain on our resources.

No one expects a serious debate about any of this in the Senate, which has always served as a rubber stamp for adding new members to the alliance. Our government has made a habit of making major commitments that bind the US to go to war for other countries without carefully weighing the costs and benefits of these pledges. One day, the US will be called on to honor commitments that were carelessly made, and we will all come to regret that no one bothered to consider the costs.

Daniel Larison is a contributing editor and weekly columnist for Antiwar.com and maintains his own site at Eunomia. He is former senior editor at The American Conservative.

What did we learn from South Africa’s exhaustive state capture commission?

ConversaTion DiRK KOTZEMAY

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OUTh Africa’s judicial commission into state capture, known as the Zondo Commission, recently handed over the fourth part of its voluminous and scathing findings to President Cyril Ramaphosa. As a factfinding commission, it had to determine if there were facts that were relevant for prosecutorial purposes related to “state capture” and corruption during the reign of former president Jacob Zuma.

The commission was recommended by the former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela in November 2016 to complete her “State of Capture” report. Now at the end of its fouryear long investigation, how can the commission be assessed?

For years many of the leading figures in “state capture” tried to vilify investigative journalists, NGOs and researchers who exposed their actions. The Zondo Commission, however, followed procedures of formal investigations, leading evidence, interrogating the almost 300 witnesses, and allowing for responses by the those implicated.

Cross-examination was used to test the evidence. All of this was done under the authority of then Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo. Though not a court of law, it is difficult to challenge the credibility of the commission’s procedures and its outcome.

Following the work of the commission, South Africans can no longer claim not to know what happened during former Zuma’s ruinous reign (2009-2018). The financial price paid for it, the decay within state institutions, and demise of ethical public service are all products of this era. Those implicated can’t credibly claim that state capture was merely an imagination or a concocted political campaign against them. The public nature of the commission’s daily broadcasts for almost four years contributed to the public now having a much clearer understanding of corruption in the country. Whether or not the implicated persons are prosecuted and sentenced, the commission ensured that, morally, they will be held responsible.

Similar to the earlier Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), however, which investigated human rights abuses during apartheid, many South Africans will be sceptical about whether the commission can make a difference. Like the TRC, this process will probably receive more accolades from outside than inside the country.

CLARIFYING STATE CAPTURE: During

the Zuma years, “state capture” as a concept was often discredited by Zuma and his supporters. More recently, Zuma dismissed it as a political campaign against him. It is, therefore, important that the commission’s terms of reference included in-depth investigations to reveal the nature and scope of “state capture”.

“State capture”, the commission in the end conceptualised, was not only corruption in the public sector or the relationship between Zuma’s family and the Guptas, Zuma’s friends behind the capture of the state. It was also about infiltration of the governing African National Congress (ANC) politicians into state institutions and state-owned enterprises.

It was about how the politicians used their positions in these institutions to develop a corrupt relationship with private sector, both local and international, and share the material gains. They included Bosasa, KPMG, McKinsey, Trillian Capital, Bell Pottinger, and several South African banks. The commission also exposed how these politicians appointed supporters to key criminal justice, revenue service, and intelligence institutions.

These operatives, police and investigators would protect the politicians against investigations and also be used to discredit Zuma’s opponents in the ANC. Corruption became, therefore, a means towards the political end of state capture. Without the Zondo Commission’s prolonged public hearings, the South African public would not have understood what the capture of their state entailed.

ANC FACTIONS: Though the commission did not investigate it intentionally, the evidence it heard confirmed a symbiotic relationship between state capture and factions in the ANC. Zuma emerged as the main protagonist.

When he was subpoenaed to appear before the commission, his refusal to comply became the rallying point of his “radical economic transformation” faction in the ANC. It underscored his efforts to politicise the judiciary and claim that it was under the influence of President Cyril Ramaphosa against him.

Zuma used his incarceration by the Constitutional Court for contempt of court, after his refusal to appear before the commission, to present himself as the sacrificial political prisoner. It might become evident in future that without the commission’s determination, it would have been unlikely for Zuma to be imprisoned at any time.

The legacy of this state capture history is a deeply divided ANC. The Zondo reports present vivid pictures of how it evolved, whether in the form of cabinet reshuffles, emasculating the South African Revenue Service, or using the media (such as the Sunday Times, New Age and ANN7) to discredit

political opponents in the ANC. EROSION OF STATE CAPACITY: The daily displays on live TV also showed how parastatals were systematically infiltrated and milked of their resources. Critically important infrastructural enterprises like eskom, the power utility, the transport entities Transnet, Prasa and SA Airways (SAA) were eroded of their capacity.

Institutional decay in the form of loss of experienced employees, a decline in services such as passenger and freight rail-transport, unreliable electricity and water supply, erratic revenue collection and the decline of local governments, all meant not only that the state worked for other interests, but also very ineffectively.

In future it might become clear whether this process contributed towards a paradigm shift in the government’s economic philosophy. More recently, South African Airways has become partly “privatised”. eskom is unbundling into three companies, and power generation in future will include a substantial private component. Transnet will soon allow for private passenger and freight railway services. Without the public outrage and pressure encouraged by the commission’s hearings, it might have taken longer to reach this point.

THE COMMISSION PART 5: Part 5 of the commission’s report is still pending. In the first four parts, a number of recommendations were made. In the first, procurement procedures in the public sector were addressed and a new dispensation proposed. The result is that government procurement services are now set to become more professional.

Regarding state owned enterprises, the appointment procedures and individual requirements of their board members and senior executives will also be addressed.

Numerous recommendations about further investigations or prosecutions of implicated individuals and private business entities are also included. But is this enough?

South Africans want guarantees to prevent a repetition of state capture or extensive corruption in future. Ideally, the commission ought to present policy and institutional designs as such guarantees. The proposed national charter against corruption is one such recommendation, but more comprehensive designs are unlikely. early-warning systems to detect a possible recurrence, and deterrence to make the risks and cost of corruption too much, could be the starting point. The Zondo commission has done its work. Was it worthwhile? For an answer, ask if it is possible to imagine a rehabilitated South Africa without the commission. My answer is no.

Monday, 23 May, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS

corporate corner foodpanda pakistan partners with City traffic police for license renewal of riders Reinforcing its commitment to continue serving the community, foodpanda Pakistan collaborated with City Traffic Police for the license renewal of its riders at the riders hubs in Lahore. The license renewal drive was spread over two days where riders got their relevant documents validated according to applicable traffic guidelines. Few new riders were also issued learner licenses that can be converted to permanent ones after a period of 45 days.

The drive will continue in other cities as well with support from relevant local authorities. foodpanda has always been at the forefront of revolutionizing the segment that it serves and the driver license renewal campaign is another symbol of continuous efforts being made towards fulfilling this objective. foodpanda takes pride in being a responsible corporate entity that ensures compliance to local laws, rules, regulations and community guidelines. With driving license being an essential part of the work that foodpanda riders carry out, having them equipped with valid documents is given utmost priority by the organisation. Pr

three including junk dealer held for stealing parts from stationary bogies

China grants over 5b Yuan for soCioeConomiC uplift of gwadar ISLAMABAD

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news desk

HINA has granted more than 5 billion Y RMB in Gwadar on several socioeconomic projects during the last 7 years to improve the living standard of local populationunder Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Initiatives.

This was revealed by Chairman China Overseas Ports Holding Company (COPHC) Zhang Baozhong during a two-day conference on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Initiatives held in Gwadar.

He pointed out that the grant is dedicated to New Gwadar International Airport (NGIA), East Bay Expressway, 300-bed China-Pakistan Friendship Hospital, China-Pakistan Vocational and Technical Training Institute, China-Pakistan Gwadar Faqeer Middle School, China-Pakistan Fraternity Emergency Center, and the 1.2 MGD desalination plant so far.

“NGIA will have the longest run-

way, 3.78 km, in the region, equipped with a capacity to handle the largest aircraft. The tourism sector will inevitably boom,” Mr. Zhang said. With its operationalization, new resorts will be established attracting many tourists from China and other countries, he added.

While speaking at length about the experiences of his 7 years’ stay in Gwadar, the COPHC chairman said: “We are cognizant of the fact that Gwadar deserves more rapid development to live up to the expectations of the local people. There is no denying the fact that it has developed much during the past 7 years.” He stated three reasons for the promising prospects of Gwadar: the cooperation of the Gwadar people, its vast resources, and its strategic location. “The inhabitants of Gwadar deserve respect and development”, Mr. Zhang undercored.

Mr. Zhang made it clear that Gwadar port is fully functional. Some problems do exist like logistics and lack of market demand, however, development is an evolutionary process and Gwadar is on its way towards in-

dustrialization, he mentioned.

After the completion of M8, he said, cargos will be able to reach Lahore and other major cities, reducing the distance significantly. “4 new Chinese investors are coming to Gwadar to explore opportunities and investment potentials in the refinery, textile, petrochemical and agricultural sectors,” acclaimed the chairman.

COPHC is one of the major players in Gwadar and has undertaken remarkable steps in Gwadar’s development.

“Gwadar is my second home and we are ready to collaborate with local community in educational development. We can offer exchange programs for the students and academics of Gwadar. Through the scientific research laboratory we will impart sophisticated know-how to the local youth”, Mr. Zhang pronounced. It has been observed that for the pursuit of a clean and green Gwadar, more than 50,000 plants were planted, predominantly spearheaded by COPHC. Co-organized by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) Islamabad, Uni-

Preliminary voter lists put on display for verification at 20,159 centres LAHORE: Railways police Lahore division has arrested three men including a junk dealer for stealing railway material from train bogies stationed at Harbanspura Yard.

SHO M. Akram along with ASI Shahbaz Ali on inside information had constituted a special team and raided the shop of junk dealer near Harbanspura graveyard.

After reaching there, the team caught the thieves who were weighing the stolen material on weighing scale in order to sell to junk dealer. The material was laden and carried to the place by a three-wheeler rickshaw.

The accused were arrested on the spot with the stolen railway material of total 146 kg weight, and case has also been registered against them at RPS Mughalpura.

Under the command of IG railways Faisal Shahkar, railways police has scaled-up its efforts to curb the theft of railways property across the country. Pr

ISLAMABAD stAff rePort

Dr Ahmed Javed Qazi, Secretary ICISDD visited TEVTA Secretariat. A comprehensive briefing was given by Sr. Director General TEVTA Akhtar Abbas Bharwana. Asif Ali Farrukh addl Secretary ICISDD, Muazzam Sipra DG PSDA, Dr Abdul Sattar VC PTUT, Dr Rauf Azam VC PUT, were also present there. Pr

09

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has set up 20,159 centres across the country for the public display of preliminary electoral rolls for the next general elections.

According to ECP, as many as 2,037 display centres have been established in Punjab, 3,609 in Sindh, 3,040 in Khyber

Pakhtunkhwa and 1,473 display centres have been set up in Balochistan.

The ECP officials informed that the display centres have been set up in government buildings at district and tehsil level, especially in government-run educational institutions and will remain open to facilitate the general public till June 19, 2022.

The centres have been set up to facilitate unregistered eligible

voters get themselves registered according to permanent or temporary address on their Computerised National Identity Cards.

The name of irrelevant person or deceased person could be removed from preliminary voter lists, besides address written in CNIC could also be corrected in the voter lists.

The government employees and their families can register and transfer their votes to a temporary address.

In addition to display centers, the forms were available with offices of District Election Commissioners, Assistant Registration Officers and on the Election Commission s website at www.ecp.gov.pk.

If anyone wanted to raise an objection over inclusion or exclusion of a name then he or she would have to submit an application through form-16 of the ECP. For correction of address as per CNIC, the voters would have to submit the application through form-17 available at the display centre.

versity of Gwadar, and COPHC, speakers included Commodore Jawad Akhtar, Advisor Maritime Affairs, Chairman COPHC Mr. Zhang Baozhong, Chairman Gwadar Port Authority Mr. Naseer Khan Kashani, Vice-chancellor University of Gwadar Prof. Abdul Razzaq Sabir, and Chairman IPS Mr. Khalid Rehman.

The conference was followed by a round-table discussion and a detailed question and answers session. Representatives of Gwadar civil society probed into the CSR initiatives undertaken by Chinese enterprises in Gwadar which were satisfactorily responded to by the authorities of COPHC. Eventually, the media team visited China-Pakistan Vocational and Technical Training Institute and other sites under CSR to witness the pace of progress. They interacted with the local students to observe their views. The visitors were appreciative of the efforts of Chinese companies in overhauling the healthcare and education systems and in providing job opportunities to the locals of Gwadar.

prices of basic food items see surge in Kp PESHAWAR: The district administrations failed to control prices of essential food items across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as the traders have raised the prices in violation of officials price list. But the Peshawar district administration claim that on the instructions of provincial government, action is being taken against the vendors over price-hike and artificial shortage of food items. but the price-hike in Peshawar could not be curbed and it continues tease consumers. Consumers complained that in recent days, the price of ghee and chicken have increased manifold in Peshawar and other parts of the province. The price of ghee has gone up to Rs 500 per kg while chicken has gone up to Rs 321 per kg. According to Muhammad Hussain, a resident of Peshawar, prices of flour, ghee, vegetables, fruits, meat and chicken have been steadily rising despite no increase in petrol prices by the government. In the open market, the price of first grade ghee has increased from Rs 450 to Rs 500 per kg. Similarly, the prices of vegetables and pulses have also increased during the last week. The price of chicken has gone up by Rs 26 in a single day and now it is available at Rs 321 per kg. Consumers demanded that a concrete plan is needed to control food inflation. They urge the government to take an effective action against hoarders of essential food items. Aziz Buneri

Agricultural sector in Sindh, Punjab badly affected by Covid-19: ADB Survey ISLAMABAD GhulAm ABBAs

COVID-19 pandemic and disruption of movement have negatively affected the marketing of vegetables, fruits, and milk in both Punjab and Sindh.

According to a fresh report of Asian Development Bank (ADB) although marketing conditions have improved, the proportion of farmers producing high-value agricultural products has declined in Sindh. It is likely that farmers are still wary of market disruptions, as they had experienced in 2020 and 2021.

To encourage farmers to produce highvalue agricultural products, the national and provincial governments in Pakistan need to ensure market access for farmers.

The Governments need to review the exemptions under movement restrictions to minimize disruption to the food supply chain under the exemption policy. This action is important to prepare for the emergence of a new COVID-19 variant or another pandemic.

As per the ADB data, which were gathered from ADB surveys of farm households

in Sindh and Punjab as the main agricultural areas in Pakistan, it is evident that food systems were significantly affected in spite of exemptions imposed on them during lockdowns and travel restrictions in the country during 2020–2021.

Although conditions have since improved, the agriculture sector still needs the support of the national and provincial governments to rebound from the decline in production and supply due the pandemic.

The Government of Pakistan allowed exemptions on food systems during the lockdown and movement restrictions caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. However, disruptions in food supply chains persisted in 2020 and 2021.

In 2021, some farmers in Sindh Province became wary of growing high-value crops for fear of prolonged market disruptions.

This calls for support from the government in terms of ensuring that farmers have market access for their production of high-value agricultural products.

COVID-19 resulted in the national lockdown imposed by the Government of Pak-

istan from 1 April 2020 to 9 May 2020. Initially, mobility declined by 60% in Sindh and 40% in Punjab but gradually recovered to the pre-pandemic level.

However, mobility was subject to large fluctuations in 2021 as additional movement restrictions were imposed due to COVID-19 variants. Thus, the risk of supply chain disruption remained throughout the year.

As per the report during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the ADB conducted two mobile phone surveys on farm households in Punjab and Sindh (map). The main agricultural production areas of Pakistan are located in these two provinces.

Respondents of the May–June 2020 survey were 839 farmers from 10 districts. On the other hand, the April–May 2021 survey completed interviews with 744 out of the 839 farmers that were contacted.

According to ADB survey, the COVID19 pandemic continued to hurt rural households in 2021. In Punjab, one-third of farm households experienced losses in wages and farm income in 2020 and 2021.

In Sindh, the same proportion declined

from 37% to 26% over the same period. The percentage of rural households reporting lower food consumption declined from 58% in 2020 to 21% in 2021, and the percentage of households reporting lower nonfood expenditure decreased from 45% to 34%.

The survey results indicate that there were some improvements eventually, but respondents from Sindh still experienced hardships.

In 2020, 94% of Sindh farmers who grew

tomatoes reported that they had difficulty selling tomato crop or could not sell it at all.

In 2021, this percentage dropped to 69%.

Due to marketing difficulties and low prices, two-thirds of farmers in 2020 and about half in 2021 plowed their tomato crop as green manure without harvesting it completely.

Other high-value products, i.e., vegetables, fruits, and milk, continued to experience marketing difficulties in 2021.

Monday, 23 May, 2022 | LAHORE

10 FOREIGN NEWS

SAUdi crown prince SignAlS fAmily UniTy AS SUcceSSion loomS RIYADH

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AgeNcies

N unlikely royal joined a Saudi delegation to the UAE this week, and readers of the Kingdom’s political landscape are viewing the move as a message of family unity from its de-facto ruler after fractious years spent building his power base.

Prince Abdulaziz bin Ahmed is the eldest son of Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, the detained brother of the Saudi monarch, and has no official post.

Yet his name topped the Saudi state media’s list of delegates accompanying Crown Prince and heir apparent Mohammed bin Salman to pay respects to the new United Arab Emirates ruler.

Known as MbS, Prince Mohammed had held off heading to the UAE until his father King Salman, 86, left hospital after a week-long stay that refocused Saudi watchers’ and analysts’ attention on issues of succession.

“Having the son of Prince Ahmed sitting next to him in Abu Dhabi is a strong message to local and international public opinions, especially with the succession looming,” said one Saudi source familiar with the royal family’s workings, declining to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.

More broadly, the delegation represented a careful balancing by MbS of figures from different branches of the family,

said Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, a political scientist at Rice University’s Baker Institute in the United States. “(This) perhaps was designed to demonstrate a show of unity within the Al Saud family that has been under strain from issues such as the detention of Prince Ahmed and Mohammed bin Nayef,” he said.

The Saudi government did not respond to a request for comment on the delegation or signals its composition might have sent.

COUNTERBALANCING: In a rapid ascent to power, Prince Mohammed has cracked down on perceived rivals and crit-

ics since replacing Mohammed bin Nayef (MbN), the king’s nephew, as crown prince in a palace coup in 2017.

Having been endorsed by the Allegiance Council that same year, MbS’s accession is automatic and not expected to be challenged. He is also defence minister and tightly controls state security services.

But diplomats have identified the March 2020 detentions of MbN and Prince Ahmed as a sore point between Riyadh and Washington, whose ties have been strained since the 2018 murder in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Saudi authorities have not commented on the detentions, which several sources said at the time were on charges of treason and depicted as a preemptive effort to ensure compliance within the Al Saud family.

Before his detention, Prince Ahmed had kept a low profile since returning to Riyadh in October 2018 following a trip to London during which he appeared in online footage to criticize the Saudi leadership.

The Abu Dhabi trip was not the first time MbS has elevated relatives of royals previously out of favour, including those netted in an anti-corruption purge.

MbN was replaced as interior minister in 2017 by his nephew Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef. In 2018, Prince Turki bin Talal was appointed deputy governor of Asir region as his brother Alwaleed bin Talal, detained during the purge, was negotiating a release settlement.

As he empowers younger royals in positions of authority, Prince Mohammad’s actions also signal a definitive passing of the baton from the generation of King Salman and Prince Ahmed – surviving sons of King Abdulaziz, who founded modern Saudi Arabia and was followed by six offspring as monarchs.

“Mohammed bin Salman has been counterbalancing resentment from some senior members of the ruling family by courting younger princes,” said Kristin Diwan, senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.

Australia’s Labor to retake power after nine years, independents may hold sway SYDNEY ReuteRs

US envoy presses Taliban diplomat for women’s rights in Afghanistan The US special envoy to Afghanistan met with the Taliban’s chief diplomat and underscored international opposition to the group’s treatment of women and girls.

Since surging back to power last year, the Taliban have imposed a slew of restrictions on civil society, many focused on reining in the rights of women and girls.

Earlier this month, Afghanistan’s supreme leader ordered women to cover up fully in public, including their faces, ideally with the traditional burqa. “Girls must be back in school, women free to move & work w/o restrictions for progress to normalised relations,” US Special Representative on Afghanistan Thomas West wrote on Twitter of his meeting in Qatar with the Taliban’s foreign minister Amir Khan Mutaqi. The two also discussed economic stabilisation in Afghanistan and concerns over attacks on civilians, West added. The country is teetering on the verge of economic disaster, after various nations froze Afghanistan’s assets held abroad and cut off aid. “Dialogue will continue in support of Afghan people and our national interests,” West said in his post. News Desk

Australia’s Labor Party will form the country’s next government on Monday, as unprecedented support for the Greens and climate-focused independents ended nearly a decade of rule by the conservative coalition.

Centre-left Labor remains four to five seats short of a majority of 76 in the 151-seat lower house with about a dozen electorates too close to call, television channels reported on Sunday.

Labor may need the support of independents and smaller parties to return to power for the first time since 2013.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese said he will be sworn in as the 31st prime minister on Monday along with four senior party members, before heading to Tokyo to attend a “Quad” summit on Tuesday with U.S. President Joe Biden and the prime ministers of Japan and India.

“I do want to change the country. I want to change the way that politics operates in this country,” Albanese told reporters after leaving a cafe in his Sydney suburb, where he was seen taking pictures

with supporters.

Several world leaders, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and neighbouring New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern, congratulated Albanese on his win.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s Liberal Party was toppled in several urban strongholds by independents, mostly women, who campaigned for more action on climate change, integrity and gender equality. The independents and a strong showing from the Greens also ate into Labor’s vote share in many seats.

“I feel like now maybe is the time for us to do something different, and if we can get action on climate change, then that’s going to be quite exciting,” voter Mark Richardson in Sydney’s Wentworth electorate told Reuters.

Wentworth is among the traditional Liberal seats snatched by an independent this election.

Morrison, who will step down as leader of the Liberal party, was shown in TV footage at his church on Sunday morning.

You’ve given us a great foundation from which we could walk … (in) what has been a very diffi-

cult walk … over the last almost four years,” a visibly emotional Morrison told fellow worshippers.

RECORD POSTAL VOTES: Official results could take several days, with the counting of a record 2.7 million postal votes to begin Sunday afternoon, two days earlier than prior elections.

If a hung parliament emerges, independents will hold considerable weight in framing the government’s policies on climate change and the efforts to set up a national anti-corruption commission.

Deputy leader of Labor Richard Marles said the party could still get enough seats to govern on its own.

“I think there is a bit of counting to go, and we are hopeful that we can achieve a majority in our own right,” Marles told ABC television.

Barnaby Joyce, the leader of the Liberals’ junior partner, the National Party, said Australia needed a “strong government,” which must be supported and also held to account.

“So you have to go from a good government to a good opposition,” Joyce told Sky News on Sunday.

Taliban orders female Afghan TV presenters to cover their faces on air KABUL AFP

Women presenters on Afghanistan’s leading news channels went on air Sunday with their faces covered, a day after defying a Taliban order to conceal their appearance on television.

Since seizing power last year, the Taliban have imposed a slew of restrictions on civil society, many focused on reining in the rights of women and girls to comply with the group’s austere brand of Islam.

Earlier this month, Afghanistan’s supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada issued a diktat for women to cover up fully in public, including their faces, ideally with the traditional burqa.

The feared Ministry for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice ordered women TV presenters to follow suit from Saturday.

But the presenters defied the order and went on air with their faces visible, only to fall in line with the directive on Sunday.

Wearing full hijabs and face-covering veils that left only their eyes in view, women presenters and reporters aired morning news bulletins across leading channels like TOLOnews, Ariana Television, Shamshad TV and 1TV. “We resisted and were against wearing a mask,” Sonia Niazi, a presenter with TOLOnews, told AFP. “But TOLOnews was pressured and told that any female presenter who appeared on screen without covering her face must be given some other job or simply removed,” she said.

“TOLOnews was compelled and we were forced to wear it.”

Women presenters were previously only required to wear a headscarf.

TOLOnews director Khpolwak Sapai said the channel was “forced” to make its staff follow the order.

“We were told ‘You are forced to do it. You must do it. There is no other way’,” Sapai told AFP. “I was called on the telephone yesterday and was told in strict words to do it. So, it is not by choice but by force that we are doing it.”

‘Not against women presenters’ On Sunday, male journalists and employees of TOLOnews wore face masks in the channel’s offices in Kabul in solidarity with women presenters, an AFP correspondent reported.

Other women employees of the channel continued to work with their faces visible.

Ministry spokesman Mohammad Akif Sadeq Mohajir said authorities appreciated that media channels had observed the dress code.

“We are happy with the media channels that they implemented this responsibility in a good manner,” he told AFP. Mohajir also said that the authorities were not against women presenters working in the channels.

“We have no intention of removing them from the public scene or sidelining them or stripping them of their right to work,” he said.

US-Indo Pacific strategy is bound to be a failed one: Wang Yi The US-Indo Pacific strategy is causing more and more vigilance and concern in the world, especially among the countries in the AsiaPacific region, said Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday.

He made the remarks during a joint press conference with Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in Guangzhou City, south China’s Guangdong Province.

The White House said US President Joe Biden will announce the launch of a new regional initiative, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), during his visit in Japan.

The strategy seeks to erase the cooperation architecture that has worked well in the region, as well as the achievements and momentum of peaceful development created by the concerted efforts of all countries in the region over the past decades, he said.

Noting that the trend of the times in the Asia-Pacific region is to advance regional integration and build an Asia-Pacific community

with a shared future, he said the region has maintained overall peace and stability, with GDP growth reaching 6.3 percent in 2021 against the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Indo-Pacific Strategy concocted by the U.S. is called “freedom and openness”, but is keen on forming cliques; it claims to “change China’s surrounding environment” in an attempt to contain China, he said.

Facts will prove that the so-called Indo-Pacific strategy is in essence a strategy to create division, to incite confrontation and to undermine peace, he added. He stressed that like other countries in the region, China welcomes initiatives that are conducive to strengthening regional cooperation, but opposes attempts to create division and confrontation.

Which category does the U.S. Indo-Pacific Economic Framework fall into, he asked.

Conducive initiatives should promote free trade and not engage in disguised protectionism, he said, adding that Asia is a region with

high acceptance of globalization and free trade and has gained outstanding achievements.

In line with WTO rules, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement (RCEP) has been launched, a regional cooperation platform with ASEAN at the center has been set up, and all these have greatly promoted regional trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, he said.

Conducive initiatives should contribute to world economic recovery and not undermine industrial chain stability; they should promote openness and cooperation instead of creating geopolitical confrontation, he added.

Highlighting China advocates, promotes and upholds cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, he said that the country has no geopolitical self-interest, only sincerity for solidarity and cooperation.

China has become the largest trading partner of most countries in the region, and its interests are deeply intertwined with those

of other countries in the region, he said.

China’s huge market of 1.4 billion people will continue to be fully opened up to

countries in the region, and the road of mutual benefit and win-win outcomes will be even broader, he concluded. AgeNcies

Monday, 23 May, 2022 | Lahore

sPorts 11

PCB SummOnS FOur CriCkEtErS FOr ‘SurPriSE’ FitnESS tEStS On may 25

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NEWS DESk AKISTAN Cricket Board (PCB) has summoned four cricketers for the fitness Tests on May 25.

Umar Akmal, Sohaib Maqsood, Haris Sohail and Sharjeel Khan are the cricketers called for fitness Tests in the hot weather of Lahore.

According to sources, the players were first asked for a physical assessment by the board.

After confirming their availability, players received a surprising message about the fitness tests from

the board.

This fitness test involves completing a two-kilometre run in seven and a half minutes with various physical exercises. All four players are not currently part of the conditioning camp.

The players are of the opinion that no one takes fitness tests in such weather. Cricketers, part of the conditioning camp, also didn’t undergo the fitness. The board must have called them directly into the camp first.

It must be noted that all the above-mentioned cricketers are not part of the national team.

Umran earns maiden India call up for SA T20s; Pujara back for England Test Humna secures 2nd position in Egyptian Ladies Golf Open 2022 NEWS DESk Pakistani golfer Humna Amjad secured second position in the Egyptian Ladies Amateur Golf Open 2022 in Hurghada on Sunday.

Morocco’s Sofia Essakali won the tournament, in which top golfers from 10 countries, including Canada, Jordan, Korea, Morocco, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Tunisia, UAE and Egypt, participated.

This was the first time that Pakistan had been invited to participate in this prestigious event.

Humna secured second position after a ’battle royale’ with Sofia spread over three days and 54 holes.

Although Humna was the joint leader with Sofia with a score of 71 at the end of the first day’s play, her game suffered due to windy conditions on the second and third days, causing her to achieve scores of 77 and 78.

However, through sheer determination and application of her golfing skills, Humna managed to sink 8 birdies and 32 pars over the 54-hole tournament to end up as a runner up for the trophy.

It is pertinent to mention that this was the best result earned by a Pakistani lady golfer in an international championship in recent years.

Parkha Ejaz, the other Pakistani golfer, also put in her best and achieved scores of 76 and 75 on the first two days. However, her game suffered considerably due to the strong windy conditions on the third day, taking her score to 82. She managed to achieve the fifth position in a field of 17 participants.

Amber Javed, the manager of Pakistani team, played an exceptional role and kept encouraging her players during the event.

It merits mentioning here that PGF’s committee for development of ladies golf has been working hard under the leadership of PGF Ladies Golf Chairperson Dr Asma Afzal Shami for developing ladies golf in the country.

Batsman Cheteshwar Pujara’s redhot form for Sussex earned him a place in the India squad on Sunday for the one-off Test against England in July.

India were 2-1 ahead when the final Test at Old Trafford in September was cancelled following COVID-19 cases in their camp.

Edgbaston will host the match from July 1.

Pujara, dropped after India’s tour of South Africa this year, was picked in the 17-member squad

after his four 100-plus scores, including two double hundreds, in five county championship division two matches.

All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who missed the final Indian Premier League matches with a rib injury, was also picked alongside fellow spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.

India rested several frontline players, including captain Rohit Sharma and batsman Virat Kohli, and put KL Rahul in charge of an 18-member squad for next month’s

home T20 series against South Africa.

Veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik and exciting fast bowler Umran Malik were picked for the five-match series beginning in New Delhi on June 9.

India’s Test squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), KS Bharat (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Prasidh Krishna India T20 squad: KL Rahul (captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik. Agencies

Ponting backs under-fire skipper Pant despite Delhi’s IPL exit NEW DELHI AFP

Coach Ricky Ponting said Rishabh Pant remained his choice as Delhi Capitals skipper, despite blunders from the wicketkeeper-batsman that cost the team a place in the Indian Premier League playoffs.

Pant dropped a catch and failed to review a caughtbehind chance off Mumbai Indians batsman Tim David, who went on smash a match-winning 11-ball 34 on Saturday. Mumbai, the five-time winners who ended bottom of the 10-team table, chased down their victory target of 160 to allow Royal Challengers Bangalore

sneak in to the final four of the Twenty20 tournament.

“Absolutely no doubt in my mind that Rishabh, even the last season, was the right choice for the captaincy,” Ponting told reporters after his team’s five-wicket defeat.

“He is still a very young man. He is still learning about the captaincy side of things. He has certainly got my full backing and looking forward to getting back working with him next year.”

The left-handed Pant made 39 in Delhi’s 159-7 but dropped an easy catch off South African teenager Dewald Brevis who made a crucial 37 off 33 balls in Mumbai’s successful chase.

Lyon win Women’s Champions League TURIN news desk

Lyon won the Women’s Champions League on Saturday after beating Barcelona 3-1 to be crowned queens of Europe for a recordextending eighth time.

First-half goals from Amandine Henry, Ada Hegerberg, and Catarina Macario were enough to take the title from pre-match holders Barca, who pulled one back through captain Alexia Putellas just before half-time.

The expectation was high among Barca fans, who descended in large numbers on the Allianz Stadium in Turin to watch a team who have been tipped to end Lyon’s dominance of the women’s game in Europe.

However, they couldn’t come back from going three goals down in the first 33 minutes.

“I’m super happy to have scored because

it helped us settle in to the match. It will remain engraved in my memory,” said Henry after her blockbuster finish.

“I’m not used to scoring but this will give me even more confidence and more desire to keep playing.”

The damage was done in a whirlwind opening period in which Lyon showed their European pedigree and for large tracts steamrollered Barca.

Henry opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a beautiful strike which came out of nowhere, the France icon picking up the ball way out before letting off a rocket which Sandra Panos could only grasp at in vain.

From there Lyon kicked into gear and Hegerberg had her 59th goal in 60 Champions League appearances in the 23rd minute when she calmly nodded in Selma Bacha’s cross from close range.

Ten minutes later Barca’s heads were spinning after a baffling defensive mix-up left Macario with a tap-in to make it three from almost on the goal line.

Barca looked dead and buried but Ballon d’Or holder Putellas dragged her team back into it four minutes before the break when she saved Caroline Graham Hansen’s miscued cross by lashing home a low first-time finish.

Patricia Guijarro thought she had cut the deficit to just one in the most spectacular way possible when she launched an audacious shot from just after the half-way line which crashed back out from the underside of the bar.

From there Barca were the better team but lacked the killer touch, with Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic volleying a great chance wide with seven minutes remaining highlighting a wastefulness which in the end cost them their European crown.

Sense of normality returns to French Open PARIS ReuteRs

The first Grand Slam tournament without any Covid-19 restrictions since the pandemic started in early 2020 kicked off under menacing skies at Roland Garros on Sunday.

The French Open was the first major to be hit by the pandemic when it was postponed two years ago but all safety measures were lifted for this tournament, giving the fortnight a welcome sense of normality again.

Thousands of mask-free spectators flocked into the stadium before play started at 1100 local time (0900GMT) as Roland Garros opened its gates for the start of the main tournament.

Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur, one of the favourites to win the women’s singles, opened proceedings on the main Philippe Chatrier court against Pole Magda Linette who levelled the match at one-set all by winning the second set tiebreak.

The highlight of the day will be teenage sensation Carlos Alcaraz starting his campaign against Argentine Juan Ignacio Londero in the last match on Chatrier.

The French Open is the only of the four majors to start on a Sunday.

World number one and defending champion Novak Djokovic is due to make his return to Grand Slam action on Monday after he was not allowed to take part in the Australian Open because of his refusal to be vaccinated against Covid-19. The Serbian is bidding to match 13times French Open champion Rafael Nadal’s men’s record of 21 Grand Slam titles and the two are on a quarter-final collision course.

Iga Swiatek, the hot favourite in the women’s draw, is scheduled to play her first match on Monday or Tuesday.

Monday, 23 May, 2022

prayer timings

NEWS

PTI MarChers To FaCe ConsequenCes IF Caused anarChy In IslaMabad: sanaullah

I

nEwS DESk

NTERIOR Minister Rana Sanaullah on Sunday warned the PTI of action if its protesters were to march towards Islamabad with the “intent to cause anarchy”, but also said that the final decision in this regard will be taken jointly with the help of coalition partners.

Addressing a press conference in Bahawalpur, Sanaullah said the government and its allies were mandated to decide about the line of action against the PTI’s planned long march to Islamabad.

“I don’t know what decision the leaders of the coalition government will take, but if they decide [to go for] action, then we will not allow protesters to even come out

Fazl says Imran marching to capital for ‘no reason’ Taking a jibe at PTI Chairman Imran Khan, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Sunday said that the former premier was marching towards Islamabad “for no reason.”

Khan has announced that he will be leading the PTI’s much-awaited long march from Peshawar and will be reaching Islamabad on May 25. He has also demanded a date for the election as well as the dissolution of the assemblies. Addressing a press conference in Peshawar, the PDM chief said that no one could break the record of the long march set by his party, the JUIF, during Khan’s tenure.

“They are coming to Islamabad for no reason. A long march does not even hold the importance of two paisas,” Fazl said, adding that people would be “mad” to respond to the PTI chairman’s call for the long march. Talking about the economic challenges the country was facing, the PDM chief claimed that Pakistan was not heading towards bankruptcy but was already bankrupt because of the policies of the previous, PTI-led government.

“Problems that mounted over the last four years are being asked to be fixed within four days,” said Fazl, adding that the “biggest challenge” before the new government was figuring out how to uplift the economy.

“We need to make such a situation that China gets on board,” Fazl opined, adding that Khan’s economic experts had themselves warned that the rupee-dollar difference would cross the 200 mark.

He also said that this was the impact of Khan’s policies. news desk

of their homes,” the minister told media representatives.

The interior minister was dismissive of the PTI’s march, saying that it would not be much of a bother for the government.

He lashed out at former prime minister Imran Khan for asking his supporters to dub his rivals “thieves and traitors”, accusing him of proliferating “shamelessness and obscenity” in the country.

He also accused Imran of misleading youth for the sake of gaining political mileage.

“Thirty years ago, Hakim Sayed had written in his book that a lobby is preparing Imran Khan and he will destroy Pakistan in future,” the PML-N leader claimed.

Sanaullah also commented on the arrest of PTI leader Shireen Mazari on Saturday, saying that if her

arrest was “inappropriate” then the arrest of Maryam Nawaz in front of her father should also not have taken place.

He also questioned the effectiveness of the cybercrime law in the country. ” A person arrested under the law gets a bail within an hour. Attempts were made to make it stronger, but all such endeavours were based on dishonesty.”

He suggested that the government, opposition and media should decide the matter in a way that it does not gag freedom of speech but also prevents the misuse of the law.

Later in another media interaction, the minister said the PML-N will hold a rally in Bahawalpur on May 28, which, according to him, will “shatter all records of PTI rallies”.

Key session postponed after police seized Punjab Assembly LAHORE staff report

A critical session of the Punjab Assembly — rescheduled from erstwhile May 30 by Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi — was postponed, for a third time, until June 6 after police, ostensibly on the direction of the Ministry of Interior, assumed control of the premises, preventing lawmakers from both sides of the aisle from entering the assembly.

Meanwhile, the no-confidence vote pending against Elahi was dismissed on technical grounds as no lawmaker from the Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N), party which moved the motion when it was in opposition, was present in the House.

However, voting on the motion moved against Mazari, a dissident member of Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf (PTI), by his own party and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) on charges of defection to PML-N will be held on June 6.

The voting will be held through a secret ballot.

Elahi summoned the session on Saturday, a day after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) de-seated 25 dissident legislators belonging to the PTI party who had defected and voted for the PML-N vice president Hamza Shehbaz in the election for the office of Punjab chief minister last month. The reference was filed by Elahi, requesting the electoral body to disqualify them for violating party discipline and deviating from its policy.

With these 25 lawmakers no longer members of

the House, Shehbaz, who won with the help of the dissident legislators, has lost his majority in the Punjab Assembly, raising questions about the status of his government.

The session was scheduled for 12:30 pm but Elahi summoned lawmakers to arrive at the assembly half an hour before.

Security was beefed up outside the assembly and television footage showed a contingent of police equipped with riot control gear outside the gates.

ASSEMBLY SECRETARY ARRESTED: Ahead of the session, a member of the assembly bureaucracy, Rai Mumtaz Hussain Babar, was taken into police custody, according to a spokesperson for the assembly. It was not immediately clear on what charges the civil servant was taken into custody. In a statement, the spokesperson said police entered the official residence of the coordination secretary at Bahawalpur House after scaling the walls.

He said that police also conducted a raid at the home of Assembly Secretary Muhammad Khan Bhatti, and Parliamentary Affairs and Research Director General Inayatullah Lak, but were unable to arrest the two. Elahi condemned the “fascist” police action and claimed that it was being carried out on the orders of the prime minister.

“After violating the sanctity of the House, the government is making use of new tactics,” he said, adding the action against assembly bureaucracy was evidence the government was “panicking”.

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Power crisis worsens as shortfall reaches 5,349MW ISLAMABAD staff report

Electricity supplies to homes, businesses and factories across Pakistan have been cut for several hours a day as the country grapples with a 5,349 megawatts power deficit. The power supply remained at 19,210 megawatts against the nationwide demand of 26,049 megawatts. Currently, the country gets 64 percent of its electricity from fossil fuels, with another 27 percent from hydropower, 5 percent from nuclear power and just 4 percent from renewables such as solar and wind. According to the Power Division that 4,940 megawatts of electricity is being generated from water, whereas, thermal plants are producing another 1,176 megawatts. The total production of the private sector stands at 9,858 megawatts, of the wind power plants at 689 megawatts and of the solar plants at 116 megawatts. The bagasse-based power producers generate 156 megawatts of electricity while 2,276 megawatts are generated through nuclear fuel.

On the other hand, the nation is experiencing a great deal of inconvenience due to prolonged power outages across the country. According to the media, the country is witnessing unannounced outages of 10-15 hours.

“Major urban centres are witnessing load shedding duration of 10 hours while the rural areas are facing power outages of up to 15 hours,” reports citing sources said. Interestingly, only a year ago, Pakistan was generating more electricity than it needed. Largescale construction of new power plants — largely coal-fired ones funded by China — had dramatically boosted the nation’s energy capacity.

Pak-China ties set to reach new heights: PM ISLAMABAD news desk

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has congratulated Chinese President Xi Jinping, the governments and the peoples of the two countries on the 71st anniversary of the establishment of Pakistan-China diplomatic relations.

In his message on the occasion, he said that China and Pakistan are the names of two brothers.

The Prime Minister said that leadership and peoples of the two countries have nurtured this evergreen tree of friendship over the past 71 years, Radio Pakistan reported.

The Prime Minister paid rich tributes to all the leaders of both the countries, who made efforts to transform this unmatched friendship into Cooperative Strategic Partnership and the Iron Brothers relationship.

He said no untoward incident, storm in global politics or jealousy could make any dent to this iron bond (Pak-China Relationship).

He said our Chinese brothers and sisters were recently attacked outside Karachi University. We salute to these and all others who sacrificed their lives for Pak-China friendship, and express grief and sorrow with their families. The Prime Minister expressed commitment to bring the culprits of the Karachi incident to justice.

Shehbaz Sharif said CPEC provides a strong foundation to economic cooperation, poverty alleviation and connectivity not only for the two countries but for other countries of the region as well.

This project is a symbol and guarantee of bright future of the next generations.

He expressed resolve to take this economic bond, cooperation and mutual trust of two iron brothers to new heights.

FIREFIGHTING OPERATION INTENSIFIED: A report regarding firefighting efforts to contain wildfire in Sherani area of Balochistan province was submitted to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, detailing the ongoing operation in the affected area.

During a meeting in Lahore, the prime minister had issued direction to the relevant authorities to accelerate their fire dousing operation in the area and summoned a report in this regard.

According to the report, the contents of which were shared by the PM Office Media Wing in a press release on Sunday said that a team consisting of federal and provincial departments had been formed while a control room was set up by the department of forests and wildlife to monitor the situation, besides an emergency was imposed by the commissioner Zhob in the area.

Under the prime minister’s direction, in district Sherani, a task force under the supervision of the secretary forests and wildlife Balochistan had been constituted.

Besides, a notification related to ‘Village and Area Fire Control’ committees had also been issued.

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