CMYK
Wednesday, 4 March, 2020 I 08 Rajab, 1441 I Rs 20.00 I Vol X No 245 I 16 Pages I Karachi Edition
PAKISTAN OR PRISONERS
GhAni throws spAnner in AfGhAn peAce efforts g
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afghan presidenT says Taliban should break Ties WiTh pakisTan if They WanT afghan goVT To release Their prisoners
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pakisTani fm says ghani should ‘ask america for an explanaTion’ of The deal’s clause on prisoner exchange
Taliban exTend condiTional offer To meeT afghan officials shorTly before mullah baradar spoke To presidenT Trump KABUL
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fghan president ashraf ghani on Tuesday linked the release of Taliban prisoners with the group first breaking ties with neighbouring pakistan. addressing a public gathering in the eastern nangarhar province, ghani said the afghan Taliban could not justify their insurgency after inking a peace deal with the us. “you [Taliban leaders] have made peace with the foreigners so what does your jihad mean now … killing of fellow afghans is a crime,” said ghani, who has expressed reservations over the peace agreement. “if the Taliban have set release of their prisoners as a condition for intra-afghan talks, we also have conditions; they should tell me when are they going to leave [break ties with] pakistan.” The landmark deal signed in doha, Qatar on feb 29 lays out a timetable for a full troop withdrawal from afghanistan within 14 months. The agreement is expected to lead to dialogue between the Taliban and the kabul government, seeking an end to the armed conflict that began in 2001. The Taliban agreed to halt attacks in the war-torn country in return for a prisoner swap and the us lifting sanctions against them. ghani has objected to these arrangements that would see the afghan government releasing 5,000 Taliban prisoners as a condition for direct talks between the two sides. The Taliban, meanwhile, announced it was resuming attacks on afghan forces after implementing a 7-day “reduction in Violence” pact last week. Taliban spokesperson suhail shaheen told anadolu agency that the proposed intraafghan talks would only begin once their prisoners were freed.
islamabad, which played a key role in brokering the deal, has urged kabul and the afghan Taliban to show flexibility and move forward with the peace deal. ‘ASK US FOR EXPLANATION ON PRISONERS’: in a statement, foreign minister shah mahmood Qureshi said the afghan president should “ask america for an explanation” of the clause of the deal on the exchange of prisoners. he said the afghan leadership had to take the responsibility to create a “favourable environment” to take intra-afghan talks forward. “it is the responsibility of the afghan leadership to create a favourable environment to take the talks forward,” adding: “pakistan can create a favourable environment, it cannot take [afghanistan’s] decisions [for her],” he said. Qureshi added that as far as he was aware, us special envoy for afghan reconciliation ambassador Zalmay khalilzad “had been apprising the afghan leadership re-
garding negotiations”. “exchange of prisoners has happened in the past. When we move from war towards peace, it needs to be done to show a positive intention,” the foreign minister said, adding that the exchange of prisoners was a two-way process. Qureshi warned things could not move forward if “stubbornness” was exhibited. “This is a logical step that should be taken,” he added. “attitudes will have to be corrected along with deals … those who wanted to create obstacles were present before as well; it is a testament to the excellence of the [afghan] political leadership that they make them unsuccessful.” Qureshi termed the doha peace deal an “important development” and urged all stakeholders to not “waste this opportunity”. “What happened in doha was the first step, the next step is intra-afghan talks … president ghani should move forward keeping his country’s interests foremost and the Taliban should also display generosity.” The foreign minister said the war was not an option as it was not an “easy process”. later in the day, the afghan foreign ministry submitted a formal protest to pakistan, saying it “strongly condemned” Qureshi’s remarks. “The government of afghanistan believes that relying on policies of good-neighborliness, pakistan needs to take practical steps towards enhancing bilateral ties in various areas and refrain from making such irresponsible statements regarding the internal affairs of afghanistan,” it said. TRUMP CALLS MULLAH BARADAR: meanwhile, the Taliban late Tuesday extended a conditional offer to meet the afghan officials shortly before their chief negotiator, mullah baradar akhund, held a phone call with us president donald Trump.
Pakistan confirms fifth case of coronavirus
Who says world in uncharted territory as us virus toll rises to six STORIES ON BACK PAGE
CONTINUED ON PAGE 03
Pakistan writes to British govt for Nawaz’s extradition
govt committed contempt by seeking nawaz's deportation: shehbaz STORIES ON PAGE 03
Aurat March can't be stopped under constitution, LHC rules STORY ON PAGE 02
imf helping put pakistan on right track, says sbp governor g
dr reZa baQir says ‘inflaTion Will go doWn and The general public Will feel The relief’ STORY ON PAGE 12
UN rights body moves Indian SC over contentious citizenship law STORY ON BACK PAGE
Pakistan hopes OIC observers will not disappoint on Kashmir issue
STORY ON BACK PAGE
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Wednesday, 4 March, 2020
NEWS
AurAt MArCh CAn't bE StOPPEd undEr COnStItutIOn, LhC ruLES COURT ORDERS GOVT TO SPEED UP DECISION ON CLEARANCE FOR AURAT MARCH LAHORE
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HE Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday wrapped up a petition against the holding of Aurat March, reiterating its earlier remarks that the gathering could not be stopped under the Constitution, directing the Lahore district authorities to speed up its decision on an application seeking permission to hold the march on Mar 8. The petition, filed by Judicial Activism Council Chairman Azhar Siddique, had claimed “there are various anti-state parties funding the march with the sole purpose of spreading anarchy in public.”
His petition also termed the march “against the norms of Islam” with a “hidden agenda” to spread “vulgarity and hatred”. During today’s hearing, LHC Chief Justice Mamoon Rashid Sheikh said “under the law and Constitution of the country, the Aurat March cannot be stopped” but went on to say that the marchers should “refrain from hate speech and immorality”. Earlier, the police department submitted a written response on the matter and said that the march will be provided foolproof security. But the police did remind the organisers that Lahore’s Mall Road was off-limits for public gatherings of any kind. “Police has heard the objections [on the
ShErry CALLS Out JuI-F LEAdEr FOr OPPOSIng AurAt MArCh NEWS DESK Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman on Tuesday lashed out at critics of the Aurat March, saying “march tou zarur hoga!”. She was responding to a remark by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Senator Molvi Faiz Muhammad who claimed that “mera jism meri marzi azadi nahi, awargi hai” (My body, my choice is not freedom, it is obscenity). “In a democratic society, asking for your rights is not only valid, but also extremely important,” Sherry Rehman said. Demanding respect from the parliament members, she stated that shaming and degrading those who leave the comfort of their homes to ask for due rights, is a way for men to disregard the struggles of women. “I am part of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto’s party, who struggled, and because of whom we are standing here today.” She further called out the hypocrisy and double standards of society who do not put men on the same pedestal.
march] from various civil society members,” the reply read. It said objections did not concern the holding of the march but on the “banners and slogans used in the march”. Reiterating his statement from the previous hearing, the petitioner, Azhar Siddiqui, told the court: “We never wanted for the Aurat March to be stopped.” Nighat Dad – a digital rights expert and activist who is defending the holding of the march in court – told the petitioner: “You wrote in your petition that the march is antistate, which is a very dangerous claim.” “Women are the beauty of our society. Then they talk about slogans like ‘Mera jism, meri marzi’ (my body, my choice). The perception in the world is that we oppress our women,” Siddiqui responded. The chief justice asked how many participants are the organisers expecting to which Dad said they were expecting “at least four to five thousand people including men, women and transgender people will take part in it.” “We are ready to give [a] guarantee that no actions against the law will take place at the march,” Dad said, after which guidelines for participants of the march were then presented in court. After hearing arguments from both sides, the LHC chief justice said: “There are no two opinions about women’s rights and it is the responsibility of the organisers of the Aurat March to ensure that no immoral slogans are raised at the march.” “Under the law and constitution of Pakistan, this march cannot be stopped,” he added. The judge also observed that the petitioner had no issue with the march being held. “The organisers and participants of the march should remain within the ambit of the
law. The police DIG Operations has assured foolproof security for the march,” Justice Sheikh said. Wrapping up the petition, the
ZArdArI dIrECtS SIndh gOvt tO PrOvIdE SECurIty tO AurAt MArCh KARACHI STAFF REPORT
Former president and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday directed the Sindh government to provide security and facilities to the upcoming Aurat March 2020, noting that his party stood strong with the rally. “The PPP offers complete support to the Aurat March,” Zardari said, adding that the party was a guarantor of women’s rights. “The mindset that women are weak and inferior will be defeated.” The Sindh-based party remained steadfast in the philosophy of former prime ministers and late party leaders, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto, the latter of whom thwarted a cruel and merciless dictatorship, he said. Benazir’s was leading role for women, he added. People needed to accept women’s right to equality in the society, Zardari noted, adding that his daughters, Bakhtawar and Aseefa, represented women’s voice and were their power.
Opp senators allege govt concealing wheat crisis probe report ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
Opposition senators on Tuesday demanded the government release the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) report on the wheat crisis, accusing the government of hiding the report in a bid to shield the perpetrators of the artificial crisis. A heated debate in the Senate ensued when Senator Pervez Rasheed asked the government to expose the ‘thieves’ who gave away wheat as poultry feed. “Who are the thieves who gave away wheat, food for human consumption, to chickens. Why is the FIA report being hidden?” he asked. Senator Mushahidullah Khan angered Faisal Javed Khan when he said PM Imran was a prime minister of thieves. “He is not our prime minister, he is your selected prime minister and the prime minister of
thieves,” he said, prompting Faisal to shout at him angrily. Mushahidullah called on the Senate chairman to silence Faisal and let him continue speaking. He then accused PM Imran of pocketing money that he collected for the Shaukat Khanum Hospital.
“The FIA conducted a probe and held three people responsible. Two men and one woman [were named in the report],” he claimed. “The whole world knows who is the sugar and wheat thief,” he added. A few weeks ago, Prime Minister Imran Khan has tasked the FIA to hold a
probe into the wheat and sugar crises. PM Imran had stated in a tweet that he would not relent till those responsible for hoarding, smuggling wheat and sugar to raise prices were punished. On February 24, PM Imran tweeted that he would not relent till those responsible for the wheat and sugar crises in the country were not punished. “As a result of Govt focus on price control, substantial decrease in prices, especially in vegetable prices, can now be seen. I assure our people that I will not relent until all involved in artificially-created price hikes are identified & punished,” he tweeted. Prices of wheat and sugar skyrocketed last month after the food items disappeared from markets across the country. A report forwarded to the prime minister blamed government officials and politicians responsible for the crisis.
IHC rejects petition seeking disqualification of three PTI lawmakers ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday dismissed a petition filed by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MNAs seeking the disqualification of three Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaaf (PTI) MNAs elected on reserved seats for women. IHC’s Justice Aamir Farooq issued the verdict in the case seeking the disqualification of PTI MNAs Kanwal Shauzab, Maleeka Bokhari and Tashfeen Safdar. The three lawmakers were elected on reserved seats for women from Punjab. The petition was filed by PML-N MNAs Tahira Bukhari and Shaista Pervaiz,seeking the disqualification of PTI MNAs under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution. In December last year, Justice Farooq had reserved the judgment after hearing arguments from all sides.
The petitioners in their plea had claimed that Bokhari was not eligible to participate in the general election as she held a dual nationality at the time of submission of her nomination papers. She submitted her nomination papers on June 10, 2018, and left the British nationality on June 11, there she misled the Election Commission of Pakistan and should be disqualified, said the petitioners The petitioner also alleged MNA
CMYK
court directed the Lahore district government to speed up its decision on the organisers’ application to hold the march.
Safdar hid the information related to her dual nationality in her nomination papers. They claimed that the MNA had left the dual nationality in 2013 and in an affidavit had said she neither holds dual nationality nor applied for it, however, the nomination papers told a different story. The petition added third MNA, Shauzab had given wrong information in documents to shift her vote from Islamabad to Rawalpindi.
Court to indict Zardari, others in Park Lane reference on Mar 25 ISLAMABAD: An accountability court will indict former president Asif Ali Zardari and other accused in Park Lane reference on Mar 25. As per details, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Cochairman Zardari skipped Tuesday’s hearing citing health condition and requested an exemption from the court appearance which was accepted by the court. However, co-accused in the reference appeared before the court and marked their attendance. Later, the court adjourned the hearing of the reference and fixed Mar 25 for the indictment. All the accused were directed to ensure their presence in the next hearing. According to NAB, Zardari was allegedly for running a fake front company, Parthenon (Pvt) Limited, as a shareholder in Park Lane properties. A loan worth Rs1.5 billion was taken out from the bank and transferred to the company account in a private bank. It has also been revealed that he had forged documents to comply with the loan policy and coaxed the National Bank into loan approval. STAFF REPORT
SC adjourns PIA CEO appointment case ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday adjourned the hearing in the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) chief executive officer’s (CEO) appointment case till Mar 11. At the outset of the hearing, the additional attorney general requested the apex court that Attorney General Khalid Jawed, who is currently in London, wants to appear in this case before the court. “Currently, the AGP is in London,” he added and pleaded the court to adjourn the hearing. Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed asked Naeem Bukhari, former PIA CEO Air Marshal Arshad Malik’s counsel, that has he asked his client which position he wants to keep with him, referring to an earlier court order where it directed him to choose him in PAF or PIA. Bukhari sought more time from the top court to submit a reply in the court after consulting with his client. The court, while accepting Bukhari’s reply, adjourned the hearing of the case till Mar 11. STAFF REPORT
Wednesday, 4 March, 2020
PAkIstAN WRItes to BRItIsH govt FoR NAWAz’s extRAdItIoN ISLAMABAD
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AKISTAN has formally approached the British government for the extradition of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif, who is currently on bail to seek medical treatment in London. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told reporters on Tuesday that his ministry has written a letter to the British government, however, the details of its contents will be revealed later. Separately, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, while speaking at a press conference, said that the letter was necessary to bring the former prime minister back to the country. She said that it was evident from the uproar over the letter that the PML-N supremo had wanted to remain abroad for an extended period of time. “It has been 105 days since Nawaz left the country. During this time, he has not sent any reports regarding an improvement in his health, nor has he been admitted to any hospital. This means that he has misused the facility that was extended to him,” she said. “The medical board asks you [Nawaz] to give medical reports but you send letters and certificates instead. There is a difference between a report and a letter,” she maintained. She stated that the same board that had allowed Nawaz to travel abroad, was now saying that the recent paperwork submitted showed that he was well. “On the recommendations of the same board, the federal government has decided to bring Nawaz back to the country,” she added. In a reference to the viral photograph
QURESHI SAYS FOREIGN MINISTRY HAS WRITTEN A LETTER TO UK AUTHORITIES TO BRING EX-PM BACK FIRDOUS SAYS PML-N SUPREMO HASN’T SUBMITTED ANY MEDICAL REPORTS IN 105 DAYS DESPITE CLEAR COURT DIRECTIVES
of the former premier at a café in London, she said that it indicated that he did not fulfill the reason for which he was granted special permission. She further said that she felt pity for the workers of PML-N as the leaders had “abandoned them once again”. On Sunday, while addressing a press conference in Sialkot, Dr Firdous had said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had decided to approach the authorities in the United Kingdom (UK) for the extradition of the former premier. The PM’s aide had said that Nawaz, who was allowed to go to the UK for medical treatment, failed to provide his medical reports to the Punjab government despite
the fact that his exit was conditional to his compliance with the local authorities. “Now, the time has come that he should be brought back the country,” she had added. She had also said that the government would write to the British authorities for the extradition of the Sharif brothers and steps would be taken by the concerned authorities in this regard in the coming week. The PM’s aide had claimed that a “section of media had created the perception” that if the PML-N leader was not allowed to leave for treatment abroad then his life might be in danger. Earlier, the Punjab government had asked the federal government to approach the court concerned against the extension
NEWS in the former premier’s bail. “We have sent a letter to the federal government now they will take action,” Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat had said on Wednesday. The provincial government’s stance was supported by Federal Minister of Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry, who termed the decision as a “good step”. The minister had also called for the formation of an independent commission to confirm the authenticity of the PML-N supremo’s previous reports. On February 25, the provincial government had rejected Nawaz’s application for an extension in bail, stating that the former premier had failed to provide the required medical reports. Basharat, while addressing a press conference alongside Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid and Punjab Information Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan, had said that the government had repeatedly asked the PML-N leader to furnish his reports. “He has not been admitted to any hospital since he went to London for treatment. We have repeatedly asked his physician Dr Adnan about the cardiac procedure. Dr Adnan failed to give any particular date,” Basharat said. “The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had given eight weeks to Nawaz. In the last 16 weeks we have not received any new reports from London,” he had added. The provincial law minister had said that a special board was constituted by the chief minister which kept requesting for fresh reports. “After seven to eight observations, the board asked for new reports, however, the response we received from them was that the reports that had already been sent were conclusive and a decision should be taken on them,” he noted. “Since no new reports were sent, the Punjab cabinet reached a decision on them and decided not to extend the bail,” Basharat said. Nawaz went to London in November last year after getting permission from the Lahore High Court (LHC). The government of Pakistan had said that their own investigation proved that the former premier was critically ill and needed urgent treatment.
PM reiterates stern Imran himself sent Nawaz to London, claims Bilawal action against the voice of the parliament, we raised ISLAMABAD our voices. Mian sahab is not in power PPP CHIEF WANTS now so there is no need to oppose him,” profiteers, hoarders Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairhe added. STAFF REPORT
ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed the provincial governments to devise an effective mechanism for measuring demand and supply of edible items in the country to provide relief to the people. Briefing media on the meeting of federal cabinet here on Tuesday, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said that Prime Minister directed the provincial governments to take strict action against the profiteers, adulterers and hoarders and ensure provision of edible items of daily use to people on affordable rates. She said provision of relief to the people is main priority of the government. She said Prime Minister took notice of the reports of corporal punishment to children in schools and directed the minister concerned to devise a course of action to stop this practice. Minister of Energy Omar Ayub Khan presented a comprehensive roadmap on demand and supply of electricity, high rates of utility bills, circular debt and infrastructure and related issues. The Prime Minister appreciated the performance of Energy Minister. It was also informed that an effective legislation is being prepared to deal with power thieves. The prime minister took notice of the fact that big power thieves get away while small fish are caught. He directed for finding out of box solutions for energy losses and power distribution and to set medium and long term goals. He decided that bill on Pakistan Medical Commission be passed on priority basis in cooperation with all political parties. The cabinet was given a detailed briefing on the situation on coronavirus in the country. In all, five cases of coronavirus have been reported so far.
man Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday said that Prime Minister Imran Khan himself sent Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif to London and now is telling lies to the people. Talking to the media in Lahore, he said that the government has adopted a hypocritical behaviour over Nawaz’s health. “How can you say Nawaz is a criminal? If he was a criminal and if [Imran Khan] believes that he is a criminal, then why did he let him escape?” he asked. The PPP chief said the premier should stop pretending to save the government. Bilawal also spoke of the on-
GOVERNMENT TO NEGOTIATE A BETTER DEAL WITH IMF
going cases of corruption against the opposition politicians. “We know that they are not interested in the corruption cases,” he said, adding that the prime minister’s motive was to continue his “puppet-show rule”. “Imran’s puppet-show rule sometimes strangles the media and sometimes usurps the civil society’s the freedom of expression,” he noted. “His system is to defend his puppetshow rule,” the PPP chief said. “When Mian sahab [Nawaz] did not listen to
Bilawal said that his party wants to work with the opposition to put pressure on the government. “PPP is the only party which raised voice for the poor and unemployed in the past. When we were in power, we raised the wages and pensions of the people to enable them to counter economic difficulties,” he said. He also said that people are currently facing economic difficulties. “We do not want the prime minister to commit suicide for approaching the International Monetary Fund (IMF), but rather we want them to go back to the international lender and strike a better deal in favour of the people of Pakistan,” he added.
FIR filed against MNA Ali Wazir over anti-state remarks, desecration of Pakistani flag CHARSADDA STAFF REPORT
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) police on Tuesday registered a case against Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) leader and Member of National Assembly Ali Wazir over hate speech and desecration of Pakistani flag. The case has been registered on the complaint of Charsadda SHO. MNA Ali Wazir is involved in the desecration of Pakistani flag, hate speech and provoked people against the national institutions in his speech at a public gathering, the First Information Report (FIR) reads.
Section 120, 121 and 153 of the constitution has been included in FIR registered by SHO Charsadda police. Talking to a private TV channel, Provincial Minister (KP) for Informa-
tion Shaukat Yousafzai demanded National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser to impose a ban on MNA Ali Wazir from attending NA proceedings. Action must be taken against Ali Wazir over anti-state speech and provoking people against institutions, he added. It may be noted that Ali along with nine others had earlier booked in an attack on an army check post in North Waziristan. The group of attackers was led by PTM leaders and MNAs Mohsin Dawar and Ali. A video of Ali Wazir provoking protesters to attack the check post also emerged.
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govt committed contempt by seeking Nawaz's deportation: shehbaz NEWS DESK Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday called the government’s move to write a letter to British authorities for former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s extradition as an “illogical and unethical step”. In a statement, Shehbaz said the government had no legal authority to write any such letter. “This reflects [government’s] criminal intent and its nefarious designs,” he maintained. The Islamabad High Court, he said, had given Nawaz an eight-week bail and directed him to approach Punjab government for an extension if needed. However, the application for an extension in bail has been rejected by the provincial government, said the opposition leader. “But we reserve the right to approach the IHC against the government’s action as directed by the court in its order,” he maintained. Shehbaz said the government’s move was an open contravention of court orders and contempt of court. “[PM] Imran Khan is stooping to such lows in personal enmity and to politically victimise his opponent… these actions are resulting in making Pakistan a laughing stock,” he remarked. He went as far as claiming that the attempt to create hurdles in Nawaz’s medical treatment in London was tantamount to his murder.
Altaf Hussain is selling his London secretariat: report NEWS DESK: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) founder Altaf Hussain is selling his group’s headquarters on London’s Edgware road for £1,000,000, according to a news report on Tuesday. According to the report, Hussain is selling the MQM’s international secretariat to raise money for his court trial in London on the charges of encouraging terrorism during one of his speeches in August 2016. The trial will begin on June 1. Altaf has been accused of delivering a ‘fiery’ speech while addressing his party workers on August 22, 2016. He allegedly chanted anti-Pakistan slogans and incited the workers to vandalise media offices in Karachi. He was arrested on June 11, 2019 during a raid at his London house for inciting violence through a hate speech he made in August 2016.
Pakistan or prisoners: ghani throws spanner in Afghan peace efforts CoNtINuE FRoM pAgE 01 The foreign minister said the war was not an option as it was not an “easy process”. Later in the day, the Afghan Foreign Ministry submitted a formal protest to Pakistan, saying it “strongly condemned” Qureshi’s remarks. “The Government of Afghanistan believes that relying on policies of good-neighborliness, Pakistan needs to take practical steps towards enhancing bilateral ties in various areas and refrain from making such irresponsible statements regarding the internal affairs of Afghanistan,” it said. TRUMP CALLS MULLAH BARADAR: Meanwhile, the Taliban’s chief negotiator Mullah Baradar Akhund held a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump a few days after the two sides signed a troop withdrawal agreement in Doha, the Taliban’s spokesman said on Tuesday. “The President of the United States Trump @realDonaldTrump held a phone conversation with the Political Deputy of the Islamic Emirate, the respected Mullah Baradar Akhund. Details later,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Twitter, adding in an emailed statement the call lasted more than 30 minutes.
04 KARACHI
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Cabinet approves rs100m emerGenCy fund, 5,000 Coronavirus kits KARACHI
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HE Sindh cabinet has approved purchase of 5,000 Coronavirus testing kits and Rs100 million for adopting preventive measures against the virus. On Tuesday while presiding over the cabinet meeting here at CM House, chief minister Murad Shad said that so far 53 tests of coronavirus in Sindh have been conducted, of them only two tests were found positive. He said isolation wards have been established in nine hospitals with 118 beds. Shah said he has assigned the task to Indus Hospital to look after the Coronavirus issue right from conducting test, keeping the suspects in isolation and providing them treatment, adding provincial government of Sindh has given them a Rs100million grant for purchase of kits and other necessary equipment. The cabinet approved release of Rs100 million grant and purchase of 5000 testing kits. Separately, the local government department presented a draft Sindh Water Act-2020 regarding use of ground and surface water for commercial purpose. The chief minister constituted a committee under him as chairman and chief secretary, minister local government,
minister Irrigation, Minister Agriculture, Minister Public Health as members. The committee would review the draft law and may form a separate body to regulate the matters of ground water. The agriculture department briefing the cabinet said that three phases of tractors purchase on government subsidy have already been completed and the fourth phase had come to standstill when the NAB authorities issued investigation in the matter on charges of fraud and corruption. The government had aleady released Rs450 million to Sindh Bank for subsidy when the phase-IV was halted. Now the NAB has given guidelines under which the cabinet approved to start the phase-IV. The cabinet was told that the balloting for the applicant who had applied for was done when the scheme was launched. The food department briefed the cabinet about wheat procurement plan for crop 2019-20. Under the plan along with fair distribution of bardana among growers, particularly district-wise procurement target would be fixed on proportionate basis. The cabinet also approved to purchase 20 percent jute bags and 80 percent PP bags. It was also decided that functional flour mills would be allowed to retain wheat stock of 90 days as per their sanctioned/grinding capacity. The food department proposed
Rs1400 price of wheat per 40 kg. At this the chief minister said that the federal government has fixed Rs1365 per 40 kg support price and was going to revise it. He directed chief secretary to coordinate with federal government so that center and the province(s) could fix the same minimum support price. He also said that this decision should be taken within next four days because harvesting of wheat has already been started. The Sindh cabinet approved transfer of 1530 acres of land located in Deh Gharo, Dhabeji district Thatta to Sindh Investment Department to establish it as China Economic Zone Dhabeji. The cabinet also fixed the price of the land at 25 percent of the market value of an acre which Investment department would pay to Revenue department and would start development of the economic zone. SMBR and Secretary Investment briefed the cabinet about the rates, development. The chief minister said that the economic zone would open new vistas of employment opportunities and prosperity. The Sindh cabinet after thorough discussion has given another term to eight vice chancellors including Dr S.H Lodhi of NED University, Dr Aslam Uqaili of Mehran University, Prof. Parveen Shah of Shah Abdul Latif University, Prof. Bikha Ram of LUMHS Jamshoro, Prof. Nisar Siddiqui of IBA Sukkur, Prof, Tariq Rafi
of JSM University, Dr Faizullah Abbasi of Dawood University and Dr Madad Ali Shah of BBS University Khairpur. The meeting was told that in Mirpurkhas campus of Sindh University was established in 2009 which was offering bachelor level and master programs. At present, the campus is running nine programs of bachelors and matters with enrolment strength of 1000 students. The chief minister said that as Mirpurkhas division has no full-fledged university; therefore, the Camps may be upgraded to the level of university. He added that Mirpurkhas division has three districts, Mirpurkhas, Tharparkar and Umerkot with a population of 4.5 million. Therefore, such a huge population should have a university. The University & Board presented draft bill of University of Mirpurkhas Act 2020 which cabinet approved and directed law department to vet the draft law and present in the assembly. The cabinet after thorough discussion approved the jurisdiction of Shaikh Ayaz University, Shikarpur. Under the jurisdiction all the degree colleges of Larkana division would be affiliated to the Shaikh Ayaz University. The degree colleges/law colleges of the Larkana division are presently affiliated with Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur which falls in Sukkur Division.
CM reviews 289 development schemes launched in city KARACHI APP
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah in his recently launched exercise of reviewing development schemes going on in different districts, reviewed on Tuesday 289 schemes of Rs56.29 billion started in three districts, Malir, East and Central of Karachi division. The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, provincial ministers, Nisar Khuhro, Shabir Bijarani, Saeed Ghani, Syed Nasir Shah, Murtaza Wahab, Chairman P&D M Waseem, Secretary Finance Hassan Naqvi, Secretary Local Govt Roshan Shaikh, secretary schools and secretary colleges, MD water Board Asadullah Khan and elected representatives, special assistants of the area. The chief minister said that the elected representatives and government functionaries have to monitor the quality of on-going development works and pace so that they could be completed in time. “We have to give ownership to each and every scheme so that they start functioning in the public interest,” he said. There are 123 schemes at Rs19.1 billion are in progress in District Malir, for which Rs 5.54 billion funds have been released
while the utilization is Rs2.25 billion. There are 12 schemes of Rs162.28 million in Malir for which 70 per cent funds have been released in a one go and most likely they would be completed by the end of current financial year. There are nine other schemes at Rs744.97 million for which funds are being released in two installments to complete them during current financial year. The college education has launched four schemes, five health, 12 schemes of
roads of local government, six of water supply, six of PHE, 14 of school education, four of University & Boards and various others. The Sindh government has launched 136 schemes at Rs19.94 billion in East Karachi, against which Rs 6.62 billion have been released while the expenditures are Rs 2.97 billion or 45 per cent of the releases. The school education’s seven schemes have been launched at Rs415.6
million in East district, include universities & Boards nine scheme at Rs 673.8 million, five of health at Rs172 million 27 schemes of local govt roads at Rs 429.57 million, 10 of water supply at Rs 420.8 million, five of mega projects at Rs 1.55 billion five of sports at Rs 135.96 million and others. The meeting was told that eight schemes at Rs 155.64 million for which total funds have been released in a one go would be completed by the end of current financial year. The 15 other schemes at Rs 1.89 billion for which funds have been released in two installments would also be completed in June. There are 81 schemes at Rs17.22 billion in progress at the district Central, against which Rs 4.6 billion or 36 per cent of funds have been released. The meeting was told that 20 schemes in District Central would be completed by the end of June, 2020. The School education has launched six schemes at Rs158.53 million, health six schemes at Rs 253.93 million, five of local government roads at Rs189.1 million two of Karachi mega projects at Rs 440 million, three of social welfare at Rs 47.7 million and two of sports at Rs 46 million.
Govt to impose new tax on underground water usage KARACHI: The government of Sindh on Tuesday decided to impose a new tax on use of water in the province. A draft of law comprising recommendations for the proposed tax has been prepared and the officials of local government department will brief the members of the provincial cabinet over the upcoming Sindh Water Tax Act in a meeting. The draft of the law suggests Rs1 per litre tax on water, sources said. The tax will be recovered from the mineral water companies, according to sources. Proposed tax will also be recovered from the soft drinks manufacturing companies, sources said. The revenue generated by the proposed tax will be distributed among the Karachi Water Board and the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), sources added. STAFF REPORT
PRAyER TimingS FAJR SUNRISE
ZUHR
ASR MAGHRIB ISHA
5:37
12:44
4:57
6:53
6:35
7:51
CORONAVIRUS
Govt issues notices to 70 more schools for ignoring order
KARACHI STAFF REPORT
The registrar of Directorate of Schools on Tuesday issued notices to 70 more schools who did not follow provincial government orders for closure of the schools. Registrar Rafia Javed Malah visited different areas of the city for the implementation on the government ban. Malah said that if the virus can affect children then it also can harm to teachers as well. Hence schools will remain close till March 13. On the other side the Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab through social media post informed the masses that there is not truth that schools will remain close till April 1.
appointments of ombudsman: sHC warns govt, others to submit reply
KARACHI STAFF REPORT
The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday expressed annoyance at Sindh Government and other respondents for not submitting their comments on a petition challenging a law that has given powers to chief minister to appoint provincial ombudsman. A two-member bench of the SHC, headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, heard a petition filed by Pasban Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Altaf Shakoor against Establishment of the Office of Ombudsman for the Province of Sindh (Amendment) Act, 2020. The court annoyed at respondents who did not submit their comments despite court orders. We are giving last warning, if written reply is not submitted then we will pass our judgment, the bench warned Sindh government and other respondents. The court sought reply from Sindh government, Governor Sindh and other respondents till 26th March. The petitioner said in the petition that the Sindh chief minister had taken over the powers of the province’s governor for the appointment of the ombudsman for Sindh and gave him only powers to take oath from ombudsman. He said that it was illegal move to transfer powers of appointing provincial ombudsman to chief minister. The petitioner stated that government had amended in law for providing benefits to favorite people. He prayed the court to declare it as unconstitutional move.
Govt informs SHC about enactment of law on Gutka ban KARACHI: The government on Tuesday informed the Sindh High Court (SHC) that a legislation regarding ban on Gutka and other harmful substances has become a law. The counsel of the government of Sindh submitted a report to the effect in the court. A division bench of the high court headed by Justice Salahuddin Panhwar heard petition against making and selling gutka and other harmful substances. The bench while ordering a continued crackdown against the sale and use of Gutka and other harmful substances, said that after enactment of the law the complaints on the matter should go to a trial court. All cases will now be filed under the new law, the bench ruled. A petition with regard to lack of enforcement of the law could be filed in the high court, the justice said. Muzammil Mumtaz Advocate had filed the petition in the high court on behalf of petitioner Naseem Haider, who was died of mouth cancer during pro-
ceedings of the case in the high court. After his death, Naseem Haider’s sister had informed the bench that her two brothers died painful deaths due to use of Gutka and pleaded for a complete ban over the harmful substance. The court had di-
rected the government in previous hearing to submit its final report over the legislation on March 3. Gutka is a preparation of chewing tobacco made of crushed areca nut, tobacco, catechu, paraffin wax, slaked lime and sweet or savory flavourings. STAFF REPORT
Wednesday, 4 March, 2020
PM equaliSeS SalarieS, PerkS oF Fia and naB eMPloyeeS ISLAMABAD
P
AHMAD AHMADANI
RIME Minister Imran Khan on Monday approved a proposal to equalise the salaries and perks of the employees of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) with that of the employees of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). According to documents available with this scribe, the Finance Division had asked for the withdrawal of a special allowance of 60 per cent of Basic Pay Scale (BPS) granted to FIA’s Immigration Wing. It had proposed that the FIA employees should be granted additional allowances such as 20 per cent of running basic pay, utility allowance of 25 per cent of running basic pay, investigation allowance of 60 per cent of running basic pay and anti-or-
ganised crime allowance of 50 per cent of the running basic pay. The premier had also been informed that the additional financial impact of the new allowances would be Rs2.6 billion per year which would be met from the allocated budget for the current financial year, whereas the funds for the next financial year would be included in the investigative agency’s budget. The documents further disclosed that the matter had been discussed with the FIA DG, who had said that the scope of the agency had increased manifold. Earlier, the Interior Ministry had highlighted the huge disparity between the pay packages of employees of NAB and FIA and had stated the need for revision in the latter’s pay package to bring it at par with the former in order to boost the morale of officers.
Commission on missing persons says 4,476 cases disposed of ISLAMABAD APP
The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIED) has disposed of 4,476 cases by Feb 29, out of a total of 6,556 cases registered by Jan 31. According to an official handout issued on Thursday, a total of 6,556 cases were received by the commission up to Jan 2020 and 48 more cases were registered by the commission in January – raising the total number of cases to 6,604. The commission disposed of 42 cases in Feb 2020 and thus total disposal of missing persons up to Feb 29 is 4,476 and balance as on February 29 is 2,128. The commission has conducted 666 hearings in February, 322 in Islamabad, 208 hearings in Karachi, 68 hearings in Peshawar and 68 hearings in Lahore during Feb 2020.
SC directs SHC to submit details of pending cases regarding WWF ISLAMABAD APP
The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday directed the Sindh High Court (SHC) to submit details of pending cases regarding Workers Welfare Fund (WWF). A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed and comprised Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah heard the case. During the course of proceedings, the counsel for the Punjab government pleaded the court to grant time for return of Rs172 billion to workers’ welfare fund. The court had sought detailed report on workers’ welfare funds from all the provinces. The court also sought details regarding refund of WWF’s Rs1.75 billion. The court said around 8,000 houses built with the funds were still vacant. The court also sought report about houses with photographs. The court also asked how many factories were working in Punjab and how many workers were employed in factories on next date of hearing? The advocate general Sindh said there were 219 cases pending in the SHC and hearing was scheduled for March 16. The WWF also submitted report and said Rs4.88 billion rupees had been given. The chief justice asked where did this money go? The additional attorney general said the money went to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and transferred to the national exchequer. The court asked that had anyone seen this money being transferred to real people? He said there was an authority in WWF. The chief justice asked how Punjab’s Rs1.90 billion were transferred to the Azad Kashmir. The director Punjab Workers Welfare said worker’s children study all over the country. Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan asked how Rs630 million were transferred to the Preston University without certification. The Preston University was not even registered, he added. The chief justice said there were millions of workers in Punjab why the money was being spent on only 2,153. Later, hearing of the case was adjourned for one month.
NEWS
05
Govt committed to building houses for low-income people: PM ISLAMABAD APP
AGP rejects Petro Ministry’s nominee for NSGP project REPORT CLAIMS PM’S ADVISER, OFFICIALS LOBBYING FOR ETK WHILE AGP HAS PUT ITS WEIGHT BEHIND TMK ISLAMABAD ONLINE
The Attorney General for Pakistan’s (AGP) office has reportedly rejected the Petroleum Ministry’s objection to the award of contract to Russian company TMK for the NorthSouth Gas Pipeline (NSGP) project. In response to a letter written by the Petroleum Ministry some months ago, the AGP’s office reportedly stated that it had investigated the ministry’s objection on TMK in consultation with some British and American companies. It added that its probe had found that the ministry’s allegation against TMK were baseless. It may be noted here that the Petroleum Ministry had earlier withdrawn its first letter to the AGP within a week. According to Online, the AGP’s office stated in the letter that it had found TMK capable of executing the NSGP project, whereas another Russian company being recommended by the ministry for undertaking the project, ETK, neither had
the experience nor the capacity to accomplish the task. The report claimed that this development had shocked the officials of the Petroleum Ministry who were allegedly seeking personal benefits from ETK. It alleged that a powerful adviser in the prime minister’s cabinet was also lobbying for the award of contract to ETK. According to the report, Petroleum Adviser Nadeem Babar directed Online to contact the ministry’s spokesperson for official comment. Online claimed that it contacted the ministry’s secretary and the spokesperson for comment but they did not give a clear reply. However, the petroleum secretary in response to a text query sent by Pakistan Today, said that “We have as of yet not received the opinion of AGP office”.
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said it was mission of the present government to construct homes for low-income strata of the society besides allocating hefty amount to health, education, justice and housing sectors. The prime minister was addressing a ceremony for distribution of interest-free loan cheques among the applicants who desired to construct their new houses under Prime Minister’s Low Cost Housing Scheme. Under the scheme Rs five billion interest-free loans will be disbursed through M/s Akhuwat Microfinance among the desired low-income applicants having their own two to five marla plots. The loan will be utilized to construct new houses, additional rooms, kitchen and bath room including renovation and upgradation with loan amount up to Rs one million. The prime minister said it was duty of the government to support the vulnerable segment of society and the biggest quality of a civilized society was that it worked for down-trodden segments of the society. He said as the income of government increases, more funding would be available for housing, education and provision of justice to the poor people. The prime minister appreciated Akhuwat Microfinance for providing interest-free loans to low-income people for construction of houses. He said it was responsibility of the government to create easiness and facilities for its people and that was model of the State of Madina, where the concept of Zakat was introduced to support down-trodden people of the society. Unfortunately, such kind of system was not introduced in Pakistan, where the elites were enjoying all things while there was nothing for the poor and common man, the prime minister said, adding helping poor people and realizing their pains was an investment for the hereafter. The prime minister said due to lack of foreclosure laws, the rate of constructing houses on mortgage was very low in Pakistan, adding in Pakistan it accounted for less than 0.25 percent as compared to 10 percent in India, 30 percent in Malaysia and 80 percent in European countries and United Kingdom. He expressed hope that after a decision by the court, this process would be accelerated. He said it was top most priority of the government to create resources and job opportunities for the people, particularly poor, adding construction of five million housing units would provide job opportunities to millions of people besides boosting 40 other industries which were directly linked with housing sector.
Zulfi thinks it would be foolish to evacuate Pakistani students in China NEWS DESK Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Overseas Pakistanis Zulfikar Bukhari said Tuesday it would be “foolish” to evacuate Pakistani students stuck in China till the situation on coronavirus remains unclear. Bukhari spoke on the evacuation of Pakistani students stuck in Chinese city of Wuhan to reporters after attending a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development. The SAPM said Coronavirus situation was evolving daily, while citing the examples of cases reported in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Iran. He also spoke about the number of quarantine days being changed every day for patients diagnosed with the disease. “If we bring the kids and people back at once and keep them in quarantine for 14 days. And then we learn that three months of quarantine was required or this will spread, then who will be responsible,” Bukhari asked. The SAPM said the government was closely monitoring the situation and would take a decision of evacuating the students in China as soon as they “know the fixed number of days of keeping a person in quarantine”. “It’s an evolving situation, which is changing day by day, and taking a decision on it at once would be foolish,” remarked Bukhari.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Athar Minallah is hearing a petition filed by the parents of the Pakistani students stuck in Chinese city of Wuhan due to coronavirus outbreak. In a hearing last week, Justice Minallah had remarked that it was the government’s responsibility to decide about Pakistani students who are trapped in Wuhan as the “situation is serious”.
The students’ parents had told the court multiple times that the government was not providing them with any answers. “This is a serious situation and the government of Pakistan needs to make a decision on this,” the IHC’s top judge had remarked. In January, a group of Pakistani students had demanded the government to make efforts to rescue them from the coronavirus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan, accord-
ing to a video uploaded on social media. Wuhan has been under a virtual lockdown for days, with transport suspended and citizens told to stay home as the death toll from the viral epidemic that originated in the city soars. According to a student from the Wuhan University of Science and Technology, there are about 200 Pakistani students in the institute, and a total of 2,000 in other universities of the city.
Wednesday, 4 March, 2020
06 WORLD VIEW
Delhi violence: ‘This is our version of The coronavirus. We are sick’ ALL THE DEAD, WOUNDED AND DEVASTATED, MUSLIM AS WELL AS HINDU ARE VICTIMS OF THIS REGIME HEADED BY NARENDRA MODI, OUR NAKEDLY FASCIST PRIME MINISTER
SCroll.in arundhati roy
Beloved friends, comrades and my fellow writers,
T
HIS place where we are gathered today is only a short bus ride away from where four days ago a fascist mob, fired up by speeches made by members of the ruling party, backed up and actively assisted by the police, assured of round the clock support by a vast section of the electronic mass media, and comforted by the belief that the courts would do nothing to come in their way – mounted an armed, murderous attack on Muslims in the working class colonies of North East Delhi. the attack had been in the air for a while, so people were somewhat prepared, and so defended themselves. Markets, shops, homes, mosques and vehicles have been burnt down. the streets are full of stones and debris. the hospitals are full of the wounded and dying. the morgues are full of the dead. Both Muslim and Hindu, including a policeman and a young staffer of the Intelligence Bureau. Yes. People on both sides have shown themselves capable of horrifying brutality as well as unbelievable courage and kindness. However, there can be no equivalence here. None of this alters the fact that the attack was begun by lumpen mobs chanting “Jai Shri Ram” backed by the apparatus of this now nakedly fascist state. Notwithstanding these slogans, this is not what people like to label a Hindu-Muslim “riot”. It is a manifestation of the ongoing battle between fascists and anti-fascists – in which Muslims are the first among the Fascists’ “enemies”. to call it a riot or a “danga”, or “Left” versus “Right” or even “Right” versus “Wrong” as
many are doing, is dangerous and obfuscatory. We have all seen the videos of the police standing by and sometimes participating in the arson. We have seen them smashing CCtV cameras, just as they did when they vandalised the Jamia Millia Islamia University library on December 15. We have seen them beat wounded Muslim men as they lay piled up against each other and force them to sing the national anthem. We know that one of those young men is dead. All the dead, wounded and devastated, Muslim as well as Hindu are victims of this regime headed by Narendra Modi, our nakedly fascist Prime Minister who himself is no stranger to being at the helm of affairs in a state when 18 years ago a massacre on a much larger scale went on for weeks. the anatomy of this particular conflagration will be studied for years to come. But the local detail will only be a matter of historical record because the ripples based on hateful rumours fuelled on the social media have begun to eddy outwards and we can already smell more blood on the breeze. Although there have been no more killings in North Delhi, (February 29) saw mobs of people in Central Delhi chanting the slogan that built up to the attacks: “Desh ke Gaddaron ko, Goli maaron saalon ko.” Only a few days ago. the Delhi High Court Judge, Justice Muralidharan was furious with the Delhi Police for having taken no action against Kapil Mishra, former BJP MLA candidate who had earlier too used it as an election slogan. On the night of February 26, the judge was given midnight orders to take up his new assignment in the Punjab High Court. Kapil Mishra is back on the streets chanting the same slogan. It can now be used until further notice. Fun and games with judges isn’t new. We know the story about Justice Loya. We may have forgotten the story of Babu Bajrangi, convicted of participating in the killing of 96 Muslims in Naroda Patiya, in Gujarat in 2002. Listen to him on Youtube: He’ll tell you how “Narendra bhai” got him out of jail because of “set-
ting” the judges. We have learned to expect massacres such as this one before elections – they have become a sort of barbaric election campaign to polarise votes and build constituencies. But the Delhi massacre happened just days after an election, after the BJP-RSS suffered a humiliating defeat. It is a punishment for Delhi and an announcement for the coming elections in Bihar. Everything is on record. Everything is available for everyone to see and hear – the provocative speeches of Kapil Mishra, Parvesh Verma, Union Minister Anurag thakur, Chief Minister of UP Yogi Adityanath, the Home Minister Amit Shah and even the Prime Minister himself. And yet everything has been turned upside down – it’s being made to appear as though all of India is a victim of the absolutely peaceful, mostly female, mostly – but not only – Muslim protestors who have been out on the streets for almost 75 days, in their tens of thousands, to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act. the CAA, which offers a fast-track route to citizenship for non-Muslim minorities, is blatantly unconstitutional and blatantly antiMuslim. Coupled with the National Population Register and the National Register of Citizens, it is meant to delegitimise, destabilise and criminalise not just Muslims but hundreds of millions of Indians who do not have the req-
uisite documents – including those who are chanting “Goli Maaro Saalon Ko” today. Once citizenship comes into question, everything comes into question – your children’s rights, your voting rights, your land rights. As Hannah Arendt said, “citizenship gives you the right to have rights.” Anybody who thinks this is not the case, please turn your attention to Assam and see what has happened to twenty lakh people – Hindus, Muslims, Dalits, Adivasis. Now trouble has started between local tribes and the nontribal population in the state of Meghalaya. there is curfew in Shillong. the state borders are closed to non-locals. the sole purpose of the NPR-NRC-CAA is to destabilise and divide people not just in India but across the whole subcontinent. If they do indeed exist, these phantom millions of human beings who India’s current Home Minister calls Bangladeshi “termites”, cannot be kept in detention centres and cannot be deported. By using such terminology and by thinking up such a ridiculous, diabolic scheme, this government is actually endangering the tens of millions of Hindus who live in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who they pretend to be concerned about, but who could suffer the backlash of this bigotry emanating from New Delhi. Look where we have ended up. In 1947, we won independence from
colonial rule that was fought for by almost everybody with the exception of our current rulers. Since then all manner of social movements, anti-caste struggles, anti-capitalist struggles, feminist struggles have marked our journey up to now. In the 1960s, the call to revolution was a demand for justice, for the redistribution of wealth and the overthrow of the ruling class. By the 1990s, we were reduced to fighting against the displacement of millions of people from their own lands and villages, people who became the collateral damage for the building of a new India in which 63 of India’s richest people have more wealth than the annual budget outlay for 1,200 million people. Now we are reduced to pleading for our rights as citizens from people who have had nothing to do with building this country. And as we plead, we watch the state withdraw its protection, we watch the police get communalised, we watch the judiciary gradually abdicate its duty, we watch the media that is meant to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted do the very opposite. today is the 210th day since Indian held Kashmir was unconstitutionally stripped of its special status. thousands of Kashmiris including three former chief ministers continue to be in jail. Seven million people are living under a virtual information siege, a novel exercise in the mass violation of human rights. On February 26, the streets of Delhi looked like the streets of Srinagar. that was the day that Kashmiri children went to school for the first time in seven months. But what does it mean to go to school, while everything around you is slowly throttled? A democracy that is not governed by a Constitution and one whose institutions have all been hollowed out can only ever become a majoritarian state. You can agree or disagree with a Constitution as a whole or in part – but to act as though it does not exist as this government is doing is to completely dismantle democracy. Perhaps this is the aim. this is our version of the coronavirus. We are sick. there’s no help on the horizon. No wellmeaning foreign country. No UN. And no political party that intends to win elections will or can afford to take a moral position. Because there is fire in the ducts. the system is failing. What we need are people who are prepared to be unpopular. Who are prepared to put themselves in danger? Who are prepared to tell the truth? Brave journalists can do that, and they have. Brave lawyers can do that, and they have. And artists – beautiful, brilliant, brave writers, poets, musicians, painters and filmmakers can do that. that beauty is on our side. All of it. We have work to do. And a world to win. The author addressed a gathering at Jantar Mantar in Delhi
What now after the US-Taliban deal ACCEPTING A PROLONGED CONDITION OF CIVIL WAR (AS WASHINGTON HAS DONE WITH SYRIA) SO LONG AS IT REMAINS AT A TOLERABLE LEVEL WILL LIKELY LEAD THE CONFLICT TO SPILL OVER INTO PAKISTAN AND THE BROADER SOUTH ASIAN REGION Centre for Global PoliCy Kamran BoKhari
t took the trump administration 17 months to clinch a preliminary agreement with the taliban – a first step toward ending more than 18 years of U.S. military intervention in Afghanistan. the deal is not so much a peace agreement as it is a way for Washington to manage conflict in the southwest Asian nation in the aftermath of the American withdrawal, which is supposed to be finalized by May 2020 (assuming the taliban uphold their end of the bargain). the United States will be relying heavily on the Afghan jihadist movement to ensure that the country does not become a springboard for transnational jihadist activity. For this to work, Washington will need to ensure that Afghanistan’s civil war does not reach levels that groups like al Qaeda and the Islamic State could exploit to their advantage, and that the taliban themselves will not shelter transnational militant groups. THE PURPOSE OF THE PACT: U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and senior taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar signed the Agreement to Bring Peace to Afghanistan on Feb. 29 in Doha. A little over three pages in length, the four-part document is a major step toward the taliban’s gaining international recognition as a legitimate Afghan national movement. the first three parts deal with Washington’s committing to the removal of all remaining 13,000 troops within 14 months in exchange for a taliban pledge to deny individuals and groups that threaten the security of the United States and its allies the space to organize. the fourth part, which deals with a permanent cease-fire between the current Afghan state and the Islamist militia and negotiations toward a powersharing settlement, is seriously lacking in details. this preliminary agreement underscores the U.S. recognition that an end to the civil war, which has been
I
raging for more than 40 years, is not attainable in the foreseeable future. In fact, it illustrates Washington’s efforts to try and ensure that the intra-Afghan conflict remains within tolerable parameters so that transnational jihadist actors like the Islamic State (an opponent of the taliban) and al Qaeda (a taliban ally) are not able to benefit. After the United States toppled the taliban regime in the fall of 2001, Washington hoped to create an Afghan state strong enough to absorb the taliban insurgents and serve as a bulwark against transnational jihadist entities. However, the democratic political dispensation the United States created remains fragile even after nearly a generation since its inception. the Afghan state has proven incapable of imposing order in the country; on the contrary, its writ has receded significantly over the past eight years. Between a weak, factionalized republic and an increasingly potent taliban insurgency, the risks of the re-proliferation of transnational jihadist entities had increased sharply. the American moves to negotiate with the taliban since 2009 have been geared toward getting the jihadist movement to help realize the strategic objective behind the U.S. military intervention in the country following the attacks of September 11, 2001. the U.S. strategic interest in Afghanistan is about denying sanctuary to international terrorist entities. that goal has remained constant, but Washington’s method of pursuing it has evolved. the current expectation is that the taliban would prove more capable than the Afghan state in containing transnational jihadist activity in the country. Put differently, the strategy has been to align with the nationalist jihadists against transnational ones. thus, the taliban have been given the task that the Afghan state has not been able to deliver on. For many years, Kabul has been deeply concerned that this approach was akin to facilitating the rise of a parallel governing body in the country. Indeed, the taliban refuse to recognize the U.S.-supported Islamic Republic of Afghanistan as a legitimate authority and continue to refer to themselves as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. the title of the Feb. 29 deal clearly states that it is an agreement
“between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the taliban and the United States of America.” this phraseology is repeated multiple times throughout the document. STABILITY REMAINS ELUSIVE: Of course, Washington cannot afford to withdraw from the country and leave the Islamic emirate versus the Islamic republic struggle to sort itself out, though the text of the agreement clearly states that the United States and its allies will “refrain from the threat or the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Afghanistan or intervening in its domestic affairs.” this would explain the lack of details pertaining to the intra-Afghan negotiating process that ideally would lead to a new constitutional framework. But the problem is that the current Afghan state is extremely weak and incapable of absorbing the taliban movement. Even as the intra-Afghan talks are supposed to start on March 10, Kabul remains divided between the Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah factions, with both claiming victory in the presidential elections held in September 2019. the Ghani-Abdullah rivalry actually goes back to the previous election in 2014. After Abdullah disputed the results, which favored Ghani, then-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry came up with a temporary solution by getting Abdullah to recognize Ghani as president in exchange for Ghani’s accepting Abdullah as chief executive. It was meant to be an arrangement for only two years, during which the Afghan Constitution was to be amended to create the post of prime minister. this amendment never happened, and both men de facto continued in their positions. the opponents of the taliban who are for a democratic Afghanistan cannot even agree to disagree. this bodes ill for the likelihood that they could arrive at a power-sharing settlement with the taliban, who seek a more austere Islamic polity. In fact, the taliban hope to be able to leverage the weakness of their opponents to dominate a post-American Afghan regime. through this agreement, they are trying to minimize external efforts to thwart their ambitions. the taliban know that the United States is more con-
cerned about foreign fighters reorganizing in their country under the banner of al Qaeda or the Islamic State or other similar entities that may emerge in the future than it is about the nature of the Afghan government in a postAmerican era. Washington also takes comfort from the intelligence assessments that it has sufficiently decimated al Qaeda prime, headquartered in Afghanistan-Pakistan. Moreover, the taliban are deeply at odds with the Islamic State and thus are very motivated to not let the latter gain sanctuary on their soil. However, not paying sufficient attention to the intra-Afghan process risks creating circumstances where al Qaeda can resurge and the Islamic State and its ilk could find greater space to operate. therefore, the trump administration must resist the temptation to declare “mission accomplished” in its efforts to bring an end to a seemingly endless war. Not only should Washington calibrate the withdrawal of its military and intelligence assets, it also must increase its diplomatic efforts and leverage its economic clout to ensure that the intraAfghan process does not break down even if it does not produce the desired results. Accepting a prolonged condition of civil war (as Washington has done with Syria) so long as it remains at a tolerable level will likely lead the conflict to spill over into Pakistan and the broader South Asian region. thus, the United States should be prepared for a long-term diplomatic engagement with Afghanistan, which will involve simultaneously strengthening the country’s political mainstream and integrating the taliban within it. Dr. Kamran Bokhari is the Director of Analytical Development at the Center for Global Policy (CGP). Dr. Bokhari is also a national security and foreign policy specialist at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute. Bokhari has served as the coordinator for Central Asia Studies at the State Department’s Foreign Service Institute (FSI) in 2019. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not an official policy or position of CGP, FSI, the U.S. Department of State, or the University of Ottawa.
Wednesday, 4 March, 2020
EU diplomats hEad to tUrkEy amid migrant crisis PARIS
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OP EU diplomats headed to Turkey on Tuesday amid concern over a fresh migrant crisis, as Austria accused Ankara of trying to “blackmail” the bloc by opening its borders to thousands of refugees seeking to flee to Europe. Rights groups also slammed Turkey for using the refugees as a bargaining chip by pushing them towards the Greek border. Thousands of migrants and refugees have arrived at Turkey’s border with Greece since President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced last week that it would no longer stop them trying to enter Europe. After fierce clashes with Greek police at the official border crossing over the weekend, migrants said they were being dispersed along the narrow Evros river that separates the two countries. Braced against the winter cold, many wandered the fields along the water’s edge looking for a safe space to cross. They have faced tear gas and stun grenades from Greek police, while unconfirmed videos appeared to show coastguards beating and shooting near migrants packed on to boats. One Afghan migrant, 21-year-old
Sinan Yilmaz, said a friend had managed to reach Greek soil, but was quickly picked up by police. SMUGGLERS SLASH PRICES: “They took everything: their money, their shoes, and sent them back here. That’s why we don’t consider it, unless the doors open,” he said. Turkish smugglers told AFP they are now allowed to operate freely, meaning that prices have dropped fast. “It has become something allowed from our Turkish side. In the past, we used
to get them across for $200 or $300 per person and now we do it for $15,” said one people smuggler, who gave his name as Semih. Erdogan claims “millions” of refugees could soon be heading from Turkey into Europe, but this is widely seen as a bid to pressure EU leaders into supporting his military offensive in Syria. Turkey already hosts some four million refugees and faces another huge influx from Syria where the regime, backed by Russian air power, is pressing a violent offensive to retake the last rebel-held
FOREIGN NEWS 07
province of Idlib. EU High Representative Josep Borrell and Commissioner Janez Lenarcic will spend two days in Turkey for “high-level” meetings on the Syrian crisis and the migrant row. European leaders have insisted Turkey abide by a 2016 deal to stop migrant departures in exchange for six billion euros in assistance. Re-opening the door for migrants “is an attack by Turkey against the European Union and Greece,” said Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. “People are being used to pressure Europe.” Rights groups meeting in Istanbul on Tuesday said: “Migrants should not be used as a negotiating tool and the government should stop directing them to unsafe crossing points.” But they also criticised Europe for “endangering the lives of hundreds of thousands of migrants” by closing its borders. SYRIAN JET DOWNED: Tensions have soared over the past week in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province — where Ankara backs certain rebel groups and has military observation posts — after 34 Turkish soldiers were killed in an air strike blamed on Damascus. A Turkish fighter jet downed a Syrian warplane on Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said — the third in three days.
Netanyahu ahead in Israeli election, but still lacking governing majority TEL AVIV AGENCIES
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu led on Tuesday in a tight election in Israel, but was still short of a governing majority in the third national ballot in less than a year, partial results showed. Netanyahu, head of the right-wing Likud party, claimed victory in Monday’s vote over his main challenger, former armed forces chief Benny Gantz of the centrist Blue and White, after exit polls projected his party had come out on top. But with nearly three-quarters of the votes counted, Netanyahu appeared three seats short of a majority in Israel’s parliament, a gap signaling there may be deadlock yet again. A win for Netanyahu, 70, after inconclusive ballots in April and September, would be testimony to the political durability of Israel’s longest-serving leader, who fought the latest campaign under the shadow of a looming corruption trial. It would also pave the way for Netanyahu to make good on his pledge to annex, after the election, Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, and the region’s Jordan Valley, under a peace plan
presented by U.S. President Donald Trump. Palestinians have rejected the proposal, saying it was killing their dream of establishing a viable state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, territory Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war. With about 72% of votes counted, Likud led Blue and White by 35 seats to 32. Together with right-wing and religious parties, Netanyahu could build a 58-seat coalition, short of a majority in the 120seat parliament. Unless things shift as the remaining votes are tallied, another round of complicated political negotiations awaits. In the previous election, in September, Blue and White edged past Likud, taking 33 seats to its rival’s 32, but Gantz, like Netanyahu, was unable to put together a ruling coalition. The mostly Arab Joint List party again emerged as the third-largest party, apparently growing to 17 seats from 13 in the last election. During an acrimonious campaign which focused more on character than on policy, right-wing and religious parties had pledged to join a Likud-led government. Netanyahu campaigned vigorously on his strongman “security-first” platform, fa-
Us votes in crucial primaries after ex-rivals back Biden WASHINGTON
putin wants constitutional ban on russia handing land to foreign powers MOSCOW AGENCIES
President Vladimir Putin wants to amend the constitution to make it illegal for Russia to give away any part of its territory to a foreign power, a proposal likely to irritate Japan and Ukraine that have territorial disputes with Moscow. The amendment is one of an array of constitutional changes proposed by Putin as part of a shake-up of the political system that critics say may be designed to keep him in power after he is due to leave the Kremlin in 2024. Putin, who has dominated Russian politics for two decades, submitted his proposed amendments to parliament on Monday. If adopted, the territorial amendment would make it unconstitutional for Putin or any of his successors in the Kremlin to give ground in territorial rows with Japan and Ukraine without first changing the constitution. Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. It has also been in a decades-long dispute with Tokyo over ownership of a chain of islands in the Pacific that Moscow seized from Japan at the end of World War Two. Russia has moved to integrate Crimea into its economy and infrastructure, though the peninsula is still widely recognized internationally as Ukrainian territory and Western governments have said Moscow must give it back.
pope tests negative for coronavirus, italy report says VATICAN CITY AGENCIES
miliar to Israeli voters over decades, and his loyal base of blue-collar voters has stood firmly behind him throughout, seemingly unfazed by his imminent trial. “What a joyous night,” a beaming Netanyahu told a cheering crowd in a speech at Likud’s election headquarters in Tel Aviv. “This victory is especially sweet, because it is a victory against all odds … We turned lemons into lemonade.” Gantz, in an address at his party’s elec-
tion headquarters, stopped short of conceding defeat, saying the election could result in another deadlock. “I will tell you honestly, I understand and share the feeling of disappointment and pain because it is not the result we wanted,” he said. A Likud spokesman said he expected Netanyahu would manage to gain a governing majority and establish a coalition government by getting lawmakers from the opposing camp to cross sides.
Pope Francis, who cancelled a Lent retreat for the first time in his papacy because he is suffering from a cold, has tested negative for coronavirus, the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero reported on Tuesday. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said he had no immediate comment on the report. The 83-year-old Roman Catholic leader, who had part of one lung removed because of an illness decades ago, also cancelled most audiences last week. Francis was to have taken part in the week-long retreat with senior Vatican officials that began on Sunday night at a Church residence south of Rome. But in a surprise announcement hours earlier, he said he would be following it from his residence in a Vatican guest house.
Handshake? No thanks: Coronavirus changes global habits WASHINGTON
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Americans vote Tuesday in primaries that play a major role in who will challenge Donald Trump for the presidency, a day after key endorsements dramatically boosted Joe Biden’s hopes against surging leftist Bernie Sanders. The backing of Biden by three of his ex-rivals marked an unprecedented turn in a fractured, often bitter campaign. The Democratic establishment is desperate to unite around a moderate candidate who can triumph over frontrunner Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, and face President Trump in November. Voting begins as early as 6:00 am (1100 GMT) in some areas. As the five remaining Democratic candidates made their final pitch to voters in 14 states, Biden was capitalizing on momentum he seized at the weekend with a blowout victory in South Carolina. The 77year-old former vice president is consolidating support among moderates eager to blunt the advance of Sanders, who could take a potentially insurmountable lead in the all-important delegate count after Super Tuesday. Biden has been riding high with key endorsements that built into a political crescendo on Monday. He took the stage at a rally in Dallas, Texas joined by Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, who told the crowd she was ending her campaign and endorsing Biden for president.
Say no to a handshake, refuse every peck on the cheek and definitely avoid hugging. Instead, try a direct gaze, or maybe a hand gesture. Around the world, people are changing their habits at work, home and in worship to reduce the risk of contracting the new coronavirus and prevent it from spreading any further. AFP looks at changes in behavior due to the coronavirus, which has killed more than 3,000 worldwide. CHINA: In Beijing, the capital of the country where the outbreak began, red hoardings tell people not to shake hands but to join their own hands together in a sign of greeting. Loudspeakers tell people to make the traditional gong shou gesture — a fist in the opposite palm — to say hello. FRANCE: Newspapers have been filled with advice on how to replace kissing on the cheek — an everyday greeting in France, even between people who have only just met — and handshaking, a com-
mon formality at work. Etiquette expert Philippe Lichtfus, who has been widely cited in the media, says handshakes are a relatively recent development that began in the Middle Ages. He says simply looking into a person’s eyes can suffice as a greeting. BRAZIL: Brazil’s health ministry has recommended that citizens not share metal straws used to consume the caffeine-rich South American drink mate, also known as chimarrao. Meanwhile, a kiss — even if not on the mouth — is totally advised against as a greeting. GERMANY: In a sign of the times, Germany’s Interior Minister Horst Seehofer rebuffed Chancellor Angela Merkel’s attempt to shake hands with him on Monday, smiling and keeping both his hands to himself. They both laughed and Merkel threw her hand up in the air before taking a seat. SPAIN: The outbreak could hit one of Spain’s most cherished traditions — the kissing of sculptures of the Virgin Mary in the week leading up to Easter. With just a month to go before the
week starts, the ritual could be banned. “It is one of the measures that is on the table,” said national health official Fernando Simon. During the holy week, the faithful queue up to kiss the hands or feet of sculptures of Mary and the saints, seeking their protection. ROMANIA: Romania’s Martisor festival marks the beginning of spring when talismanic strings and flowers are handed out, often from men to women. But the government has passed on a message to people urging them to hand over the flowers and talismans without the accompanying kiss. “Let’s give the flowers but not the kiss,” said Nelu Tataru, state secretary at the health ministry. POLAND: In Poland, one of Europe’s most Catholic countries, the faithful are allowed to take “spiritual communion” instead of consuming the communal bread — or it can be taken in the hands rather than the mouth. The faithful have also been asked not to dip their hands in holy water when going in and out of the church and instead make the sign of the cross. IRAN: Is the footshake the new handshake?
In Iran, where 66 people have been killed by the virus, a video has gone viral showing three friends meeting — hands in their pockets, with two of them wearing masks — tapping their feet against each other as a greeting. A similar video in Lebanon shows singer Ragheb Alama and comedian Michel Abou Sleiman tapping their feet against each other while making kissing noises with their mouths. NEW ZEALAND: Some educational institutions in New Zealand have temporarily abandoned the Maori greeting known as the hongi — which involves two people pressing their noses together. Wellington polytechnic WelTec said that instead of staff greeting new students with a hongi, its welcome ceremony would instead include a waiata or Maori song. AUSTRALIA: New South Wales Health Minister Brad Hazzard urged Australians to kiss with caution and suggested a pat on the back instead of a handshake. “It’s a very Australian thing to put your hand out to shake hands, for example. I would be suggesting to the community… it’s time that Aussies actually gave each other a pat on the back for the time being — no handshaking,” he said. “There are other things that can be done — I’m not going to say don’t kiss, but certainly you could be exercising a degree of care and caution with who you choose to kiss.”
Wednesday, 4 March, 2020
08 COMMENT
Trump in India
Afghan Taliban vs Kabul Administration Pakistan as a bystander
A boon or a bane?
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HE us-Afghan Taliban deal announced at Doha on saturday required, inter alia, the release of 5000 Taliban prisoners. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has however refused to implement this part of the agreement. Apparently he wants to keep the prisoners as bargaining chips for extraction of concessions during the intra-Afghan talks scheduled to begin from March 10 in Oslo. But will the talks take place on the date? As things stand, the truce is practically is in tatters. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has made it known that after the violation of an important clause of the Talibanus agreement, the period of reduction in violence has ended and operations against the security personnel loyal to the Kabul administration will continue as before, though there would be no attacks on the foreign troops. The sunday terrorist attack during a football match in Khost shows that the civilian population too would be targeted by the Taliban to build domestic pressure on the Ghani Administration. As PM Imran Khan has reminded us several times, Pakistan was made part of the Afghan imbroglio against the country’s interest first by Gen Ziaul Haq and then by Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf. In over four decades of involvement Pakistan had to host millions of refugees. The country also lost tens of thousands of civilians and soldiers in terrorist attacks by groups trained in Afghanistan. Despite the sacrifices, there is little to show that we have any role in the endgame in Afghanistan. In us secretary of state Mike Pompeo’s Doha address, there was no recognition of Pakistan’s sacrifices or the unique role claimed by the establishment. The country was seen as just one of Afghanistan’s neighbours who were bracketed together for a pat on the back with the reminder that they needed to do more to promote peace. A single line from Taliban negotiator Mullah Bradar noted Pakistan’s efforts, work and assistance. The accord took place in Qatar rather than Islamabad; the intra-Afghan talks will be held in Norway. Distrustful of Pakistan, Kabul is unwilling to resolve its differences with Islamabad bilaterally. It wants mediation by the usA, which has readily accepted the role, leaving Foreign Minister shah Mehmood Qureshi to lodge an impotent protest. Pakistan has been brought to a cul-de-sac by its ultimate policymakers.
aMjed jaaved
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s President Donald Trump received an over-ebullient welcome in India. An ostensibly private trust, the Donald Trump Nagarik Abhinandan samiti (Donald Trump Welcome Committee) organised Trump’s welcome in Gujarat at cost of rs 1.2 billion. India has for long been a champion of the NonAligned Movement. It is now hankering after politico-strategic alignments for short-term gains. In so doing, it is unmindful of the pitfall that it is falling into the us ‘sphere of influence’ (sOI). The Monroe Doctrine postulated much of central and south America, and Japan in the us sOI (Australia, Philippines, south Korea, and Vietnam are additions). China’s sOI includes North Korea. Kautliya also propounded a similar concept, mandala (interreltionships or circles), akin to the sOI. susanna Hast, in her book Spheres of Influence, thinks though sOI are unacceptable from international norms, they serve as a “device” for limiting the danger of armed conflict between superpowers. Howeve I believe that the sOIs have pushed the PostCold-War world closer to a confrontation. Through the sOI, the usA is trying to forestall China’s rise as a rival power by 2027. China is weary of its encirclement by the us network of allies like Australia, Indonesia, Japan, singapore, south Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. China’s strategy is to prevent us forces from effectively operating near over China or the East or the south China sea. The senkaku group of five disputed islands is at the heart of the sino-Japanese sovereignty dispute. Three of the component islands (uotsurishima, KitaKojima and Minami Kojima) were privately owned by Kurihara family. Japan bought them for 2.05 billion yen ($26 million). After a few years of stasis, punctuated by domestic protests, Beijing began escalating its intrusions into the sea around the islands. The Natuna Islands off Indonesia are another apple of discord. Chinese coast guard vessels have been escorting dozens of their fishing boats into the exclusive economic zone around the Natunas. Natuna represents the southern edge of the south China sea dispute between China and a number of southeast Asian nations. Indonesia deployed warships, submarines and fighters until the intruding vessels pulled back. It invoked the uN Law of the seas as part of a concerted
Petroleum price cut Unjustifiably inadequate
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reduction in fuel prices would be considered quite a relief in the current economic climate where disposable incomes have significantly shrunk due to high inflation. The rs5 per liter cut in the prices of POL (Petroleum Oil Lubricants) products however has been met with much criticism, and rightly so. There has been a 30 percent reduction in global oil prices, which translates into, on average, close to a rs15 per liter downward revision in POL prices in Pakistan. Therefore, a partial benefit of this massive decrease has been passed on to consumers. simultaneously, taxes on POL products (petroleum levy) have been increased by a whopping 106 percent; an increase that essentially compensates for the gap between what the market-driven cut in petroleum prices should have been and what has actually been finalized. OGrA had in fact forwarded a summary recommending a cut close to what the international oil prices reflected; apparently it was the Petroleum Ministry that influenced the final decision that was taken. The allegation put forth by PPP senator sherry rehman, that the government ‘laid down the groundwork for the levy increase by introducing the POL price decrease first’, therefore makes sense. The PTI government is stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one hand it has promised to control prices to ease the burden on the common man but on the other it has to satisfy the IMF by meeting tough conditionalities that includes achieving a massive tax revenue target of rs5.2 trillion while also hiking up energy tariffs. Facing a revenue shortfall of over rs 480 billion, a sort of bait and switch maneuver has been attempted. This isn’t a particularly new or ingenious strategy; the PML(N) government had also, in its five years, frequently plugged budgetary gaps in similar ways. But that was then. The PTI defeated, what it called the ‘status-quo’, on the premise that they would do things differently with transparency. That they are running more or less the same playbook suggests that there was more hot air in their sloganeering than concrete planning to actually execute what they had promised. Prime Minister Imran Khan last year expressed his frustrations about not being ‘given’ a good team. This was a depressing departure from what he had been saying almost throughout his political career, that he had the best people lined up. Clearly there are multiple players in this ‘regime’ and the one with the least control over important matters is the Prime Minister himself.
Torturing the Talent The Case of Pakistani Graduates Mohsen ejaz
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urs is the country where manpower resources are abundant and increasing, but unfortunately they lack proper utilization and adjustment. Talent is a peerless asset, but this mandates its appropriate and meaningful utility. The talented graduates continuously encounter the employment problem, low wages and unnecessary workplace stress. In the top ranking field of doctors, 55 percent of whom would prefer to stay in a country other than Pakistan and facing the problem of being over-burdened, in response to a survey 59 percent of physicians showed their unhappiness and dissatisfaction. Moreover, the 2019 report of the Pakistan Engineering Council revealed that around 50,000 engineers were unemployed. Furthermore, the statistics Division’s report in the National Assembly in January 2018 uncovered about 500,000 graduates who were unemployed. It is solely one issue, for even after getting the job, there exist torturing trends and poor workplace attitudes towards them. Therefore, these unplanned and unfriendly approaches toward graduates ultimately result in stress and psychological traumas. In addition to this, the case of schoolteachers bears significance in this context. Many of them even come after obtaining MPhils and PhDs. Firstly, they should have been accommodated in conformity to their education. secondly, matter becomes worse when they are subjected to overwhelming workplace torture by administration which look on schooling as a business. A teacher has to go for six to seven lectures, and even to eight, every day, excluding other unnecessary work. The wages for all this are paltry, around rs 15000-25000 a month. In the private sector, teaching has become nothing but psychological torture, and exploitation of the highly learned graduates who find no other opportunity to correspond to their qualification. The rising unemployment, inflation and economic degradation are hardly considered in ‘workplace policies. Although most of the policies of institutions in Pakistan, especially those of govern-
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sectors, eastern western and the middle. The border dispute relates only to the western and eastern sectors. Western sector covers 4000 kilometers. Half of this boundary separates disputed Kashmir from China’s north-western province, the Xinjiang uighur Autonomous region. In the undefined northern part of the frontier, India claims that an area equivalent in size to switzerland under China is actually part of Indian union Territory of Ladakh. Besides, India claims a use of lawfare to hem in China. Chinese controlled territory that was debatably ceded Malaysia, has filed new maritime territorial to China by Pakistan in the northern sector. Furtherclaims with the united Nations, immediately trigger- more, shakasgam Valley was claimed by India but ing a response from Beijing. later happened to be shown as Chinese territory in the To enhance its maritime movement, China has es- China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement of 1963. tablished its first foreign military-base in the East China claims an Indian-controlled area three African nation of Djibouti, another in Mombasa, and times bigger, including most of Arunachal Pradesh. a third, debatably, at Vanuatu. China never ratified the McMahon Line. Even if India falls since the inclusion of firmly into the usA’s sOI, Tibet in China, Arunachal some problems will rePradesh is a buffer bemain intractable. These intween Tibet and India’s clude installation of six India is wooing the USA to win her north-eastern region. nuclear plants by Westingdisputes the Inblinkered support on Kashmir issue dianChina house, now bankrupt, in claim that the India. Trump’s son-in-law Tawang region is a part of and repression of religious has a shady involvement Indian Territory, shown as in the deal. minorities. Duplicity in India’s foreign such in the McMahon India is now the Line. China says Taiwang policy is the greatest obstruction to had historically been a eighth-largest trade partner of the usA. The number of Tibet. By corollary peaceful resolution of her disputes itpartis ofa part Indian students in the usA of China. The and the number of us sino-Indian dispute with her neighbours companies active in India began from the Taiwang have both grown. For most region. In view of India’s us-based tech giants, India hardline position, China is now one of their top began to claim whole three customer bases. Yet, the usA has declared India state of Arunachal Pradesh as its territory. ineligible for the generalised system of preferences, a India is wooing the usA to win her blinkered market access vista. Besides, there are differences over support on Kashmir issue and repression of religious e-commerce, data localisation and digital payments. minorities. Duplicity in India’s foreign policy is the Pramila Jayapal, Indian-American Congress- greatest obstruction to peaceful resolution of her diswoman from Washington state, has criticised India’s putes with her neighbours. violation of minorities’ right to religious freedom, its she never tangibly objected to Chinese control of Kashmir policy, and the Citizenship Amendment Act Tibet or construction of communication links in the and the National register of Citizens. Democratic area. Never invoked intervention by uNO on this matpresidential nomination frontrunner Bernie sanders ter. Yet, she sheltered Dalai Lama, and sent patrols into demanded, “Instead of selling $3 billion in weapons to Chinese territory, leading to the 1962 India-China War. enrich raytheon, Boeing and Lockheed, the us should India considers Kashmir issue to be a bilateral be partnering with India to fight climate change.” dispute. Yet she does not like to sit eyeball-to-eyeball The usA wants to take advantage of low-ebb with Pakistan on the dialogue table. sino-Indian relations. The last coffin in the relations she boasts of friendly relations with Bangladesh. is India’s cartographic aggression of amending maps But simultaneously accuses it of providing sanctuarto show Chinese territories as Indian. India has sev- ies to Indian ‘terrorists’ and ‘insurgents’ in its terrieral boundary disputes with China. They include a tory. About Bhutan, the Indian strategic analysts say, hypothetical McMahon Line, Arunachal Pradesh, if India does not annex it, China will. Twang region, and Aksai Chin, an uninhabited area of Ladakh in disputed Kashmir state, close to the The writer is a freelance journalist, has served Azad Kashmir area. After taking back Aksai Chin in the Pakistan government for 39 years and holds from India in 1962 War, China built its Highway219 degrees in economics, business administration, and to connect it with its eastern province of Xinjiang. law. He can be reached at The sino-Indian boundary is divided into three amjedjaaved@gmail.com.
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career of his choice. Government policies and lack of incentives also increase the state of suffering of the highly qualified graduates. The Higher Education Commission has an employment programme for fresh PhDs, namely the Interim Placement of Fresh PhDs (IPFP), launched in 2009, which aims at providing one-year contractual ment and private schools, link themselves ith nation- placement of PhD holders to universities. The HEC, alism or patriotism, unfortunately they don’t accom- in its vision 2025, aims at employing 38,000 PhD modate the dwindling national trends and their scholars in public and private universities, which unfortunately has not yet been that much on track, as in consequences on employees. The annual increment, like facilitation, hardly september 2018 around 720 PhDs rushed towards takes in account the national dwindling economy, and HEC for the redressal of their grievances. In context rising inflation. It rather is subject to ‘boss-employee’ of IPFP placement, Assistant Professor Dr Waheed Chaudhry, of the Quaid-erelations and the former’s Azam Anthropolgy Dedomain of pleasure obpartment said: “No tained from the latter. comprehensive homeMoreover, the gain that The problem of graduates being work was done on how comes after graduation is many PhDs were required in the form of insecure unemployed and under stress in the in which discipline”. Furprivate employment. This lacks job security , and is workplace is a serious issue that the thermore, quoted here is the case of the Danish ever insecure. talented manpower resources schools, Punjab, where Even short-term conremained tract employment should cripplingly face. The stakeholders, recruitment banned for around one be discouraged. Almost 95 percent of private instiespecially those in the government, and half year and further came a cut in students extutions are run without isfrom rs suing contracts, where must implement the IPFP programme penditures 16,000 to rs 8,000 per employees can be fired at and further the government should student. This is how the any time without any 2018 change of governsolid deficiency. such terput in practice the employment laws ment, the reversal of preminations and being fired, vious government policies and set up strong checks and further, leave negative and lack of attention, put psychological impacts, balances in both private and graduates in problems. adding salt to wounds. problem of gradThe meagre number government institutions to provide a uatesThebeing unemployed of employed graduates and under stress in the further become subjected ‘stress free’ environment to the workplace is a serious to workplace oppression talented national assets issue that the talented and the giving of unnecesmanpower resources cripsary stress by the seniors plingly face. The stakeand self-enhancementholders, especially those centered bosses. Their right to grow in the workplace is arrested, as many of in the government, must implement the IPFP prothe organizations discourage their employees’ efforts gramme and further the government should put in to get other good employment. They can be termi- practice the employment laws and set up strong nated and fired at any time but are discouraged to checks and balances in both private and government look for better opportunities while staying in the or- institutions to provide a ‘stress free’ environment to ganization as it is perceived to be harmful to the so- the talented national assets. called ‘professional adaptability’. This is how a ‘dog Mohsen Ejaz is Research Scholar at the in the manger’ policy is pursued by the private organizations, even though it seems to be a violation of Department of English, International Islamic basic human rights that allows everyone to pursue the University, Islamabad.
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Wednesday, 4 March, 2020
COMMENT 09 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
Future of democracy in Pakistan
US Taliban deal a springboard for peace The deal long in the making
Malik MuhaMMad ashraf
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fTer months of tenuous negotiations between Taliban and the USA, the two sides have finally struck a deal—signed on Saturday 29 february at Doha—- which paves the way for eventual peace in Afghanistan that has remained elusive for the last four decades, more so after the US blitzkrieg in 2011. The deal signed in the presence of leaders from 50 countries, including Pakistan, binds the USA to pull out all its troops as well as of its allies within 14 months. The drawdown process will begin with the USA reducing its troop level to 8600 in the first 135 days and pulling out its forces from five bases. The rest of the forces will be withdrawn in the next nine and half months. Under the agreement Afghan government will release 5000 Taliban prisoners in exchange for 1000 personnel of the Afghan Security forces, and the Taliban will severe all links with terrorist entities and would not allow the Afghan soil to be used against the USA and its allies. The USA has made a commitment not to intervene in the internal affairs of Afghanistan in future. The agreement binds the Taliban to start an intra-Afghan dialogue from March 1st. A similar agreement was also signed on the same day in Kabul between Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and US Defence Secretary Mark esper which endorsed all the points of the deal between Taliban and the USA. This plan is contingent upon the Taliban fulfilling its commitments under the US-Taliban agreement. The foregoing developments could not have been possible without the role that Pakistan has played under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan in bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table so that they engaged with the USA to find an everlasting peace in Afghanistan which was not only in the interest of the warring parties and Afghanistan but also the countries of the region, including Pakistan, which had suffered in varying degrees due to the continued conflict in that country and the phenomenon of terrorism. When US President Donald Trump announced his policy on Afghanistan and South Asia, suggesting a military solution to the conflict and also accused Pakistan of playing a du-
plicitous role, things looked really gloomy as far fall out for the neighbouring countries, especially as finding a solution to the Afghan conundrum Pakistan. Whether President Trump took this step went. It sent the relations between Pakistan and due to the reason enunciated in his tweet or in the the USA into a nosedive . Prime Minister Imran backdrop of reports of refusal by the US Secretary Khan not only out rightly rejected the policy an- of State to sign the agreement and the dissatisfacnounced by President Trump but also firmly tion shown by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on held that there was no military solution possible the contents of the deal, the development did not to the conflict in Afghanistan in view of the fact augur well for peace in Afghanistan and the rethat the USA had failed to subdue the Taliban in gion. President Trump also hinted at the possibility the previous 18 years with the use of military of US withdrawal even without a deal which was force and repeating the same mistake would not an ominous proposition. Doing so, without a deal between the Taldeliver the desired results. He also committed Pakistan’s continued support for a negotiated iban and the USA on drawdown of US troops settlement between the USA and the Taliban and and the firming up of the future political set-up promoting intra-Afghan dialogue, fully backed in Afghanistan through intra-Afghan dialogue, by the military leadership of the country. Not would surely have plunged the country into unonly that, he also declared in unequivocal terms ending turmoil with devastating impact on that Pakistan would no more fight others’ wars. Afghanistan itself and the countries of the region. That indeed was Thanks heavens a dreadful prospect. that the firmness with Behind-the-scenes which Pakistan stuck to diplomatic efforts by its declared stance The Afghan government, the Pakistan succeeded in made the US President convincing both parties to change his outlook Taliban and other stakeholders to re-start the dialogue, on Afghanistan and he which has culminated came to realize imporwill have to exhibit the utmost into the much needed tance of Pakistan’s role sagacity and foresight in arriving agreement to end the in the fight against terconflict paving the way rorism, and of her efat a consensus on the future of for US withdrawal forts to facilitate a from Afghanistan. It is negotiated solution to Afghanistan. As rightly pointed pertinent to point out the conflict and proout by Pakistan, there are still that the efforts made by moting an Afghan-led Pakistan in this regard and Afghan-owned some elements who would like to were repeatedly acreconciliation in knowledged and appreAfghanistan. That realsabotage the process and all ciated by President ization was instrumenTrump and he paid tribtal to put the relations stakeholders need to thwart utes to Prime Minister between the two counthose machinations Imran Khan as a vitries on the path of a resionary statesman. newed bonhomie. During his visit to India Pakistan was asked to recently he made it a facilitate talks between the USA and the Taliban. Through the efforts of point to dilate on the USA’s good friendly relathe Prime Minister supported by the military lead- tions with Pakistan and her efforts in fighting terership, the two parties finally agreed to start a di- rorism which indicates the success of the policies alogue at Doha where the Taliban had their pursued by Pakistan and her efforts to facilitate a political office. But as they say, there is many a negotiated solution to the Afghan conflict. It is also noteworthy that on the eve of the slip betwixt cup and lip, and just when the two parties seemed to have made considerable signing of the deal, representative of the Taliban in progress and the vibes emanating from Doha sug- his remarks thanked Pakistan for the role that it had gested the signing of the deal soon, President played in facilitating the interaction between the Trump pulled the plug on the talks over the killing two parties. even the Afghan President speaking at a ceremony held to sign a deal with the USA on of an American soldier in an incident in Kabul. Pakistan felt really dismayed over this sud- the same day could not help appreciating the conden disruption. However it urged the stakehold- tribution made by Pakistan in this regard; a welers to re-engage, maintaining that there was no come departure from his anti-Pakistan rhetoric in military solution to the conflict and that Pakistan the run-up to the dialogue. The deal between the looked for optimized engagement following ear- USA and the Taliban is a springboard for peace in liest resumption of talks. It also reminded them Afghanistan. However the Afghan government, the that Pakistan had been facilitating the peace and Taliban and other stakeholders will have to exhibit reconciliation process in good faith, and as a the utmost sagacity and foresight in arriving at a shared responsibility encouraging all sides to re- consensus on the future of Afghanistan. As rightly pointed out by Pakistan, there are still some elemain engaged with sincerity of purpose. The sense of concern shown by Pakistan over ments who would like to sabotage the process and the disruption of the peace process was irreproach- all stakeholders need to thwart those machinations. able in view of the fact that it had the potential to Malik Muhammad Ashraf is an academic. push Afghanistan into an un-ending political crisis and perennial factional conflict, with debilitating He can be contacted at: ashpak10@gmail.com.
PAKISTAN has seen many ups and downs when it comes to continuing of democratic set-up in country. This is mainly due to Civil-Military tussle and power politics between different political parties. equilibrium of Civil-Military relations have always been subject of discussion in Pakistan. In other countries domain of military usually remains with respect to security of borders but in Pakistan military is involved in every aspect of life. This is mainly due to historic and geographic compulsions. Historically, just after independence first PM of Pakistan was killed by an Afghan mercenary which initiated a phase where political factions started a power struggle against each other that created power vaccuam in the country this power vaccuam was filled by military, had military hadn’t fill it ,external forces would have grasp the opportunity that would have left Pakistan as a client state. Geographically, Pakistan is situated at the centre of convergence of interests of real politiks.In terms of geoeconomics, geopolitics and geostrategic importance country’s significance is undeniable. More than that it’s eastern neighbor India which is five times bigger than Pakistan makes the situation even worse, that compels the military to interfere in multiple civil domains, due to this reason Pakistan has seen four martial laws in different occasions of its history. These martial laws didn’t give space to democracy to even creep for almost 35 years which is more than half of its history, but now ball seems to spin as we have seen last two governments have completed their tenure and handed over power to third democratic successor. Although democratic set-up is fragile but given constant struggle by democratic powers and seeing will of the people in favour of democracy by participating in electoral process in such a huge numbers makes it clear that country demands democracy. But for strong democratic set-up Pakistan needs strong democratic institutions which works under guidelines set by the constitution of the Pakistan, any institution which breaches constitution would be a threat to future of democracy in Pakistan therefore country needs to make its institutions transparent and ensure meritocracy which will help it to establish rule of law and finally upholding of constitution. for e.g recent restrictions on media and social media demonstrated we are moving opposite to any such process which helps us to strengthen democracy of Pakistan instead it will weaken it because access to information is democratic, fundamental and constitutional right of the people. Secondly, political instability due to inconsistent accountability processes has turned masses against democracy furthermore, anti-people economic policy has fuelled anger of people even more. Such political instability and economic outlook certainly effects National security of the country which is compelling non democratic forces to interfere in civil domains like the economy to ensure national security of the country. for future of democracy in Pakistan, accountability across the board is need of the hour ,which does not apartheid in any class or creed,then political leaders will have to shed their political rivalries and will have to show some patience by not creating obstacles for functioning of government, last but not least media has played vital role in face of authoritarianism any steps against media would dent this struggle for future of democracy in Pakistan. Withdrawal of recent law apropos to curbs on social media can be a first step towards struggle for democracy in Pakistan. AdnAn SHAH Khairpur
Misuse of tariffs
MANy agriculturists have constructed commercial swimming pools near their tubewells in central Punjab where they charge rs.100-200 per person for swimming and bathing for a couple of hours. every second day, the pool is filled with fresh water by using the cheap electricity. It is used to earn millions of revenue during peak summer season. families and groups can also book these swimming pools by paying the fee upfront. DISCOS have a clear policy on such misuse of tariffs and penalize by charging a detection bill on complaint. I had filed a complaint with the fIA after feSCO Chiniot Division confirmed the misuse of tariff by an influential family for the last 5 years. I request the Minister for energy, as it is need of the hour, that Section 39 of the electricity Act be amended by adding imprisonment and fines for blatant misuse of tariff by these agriculturist businessmen. TAnwEEr AHMAd HArAL Lahore
Effects of media ACCOrDING to world health organization in the year of 2020, approximately 1.5million people will commit suicide. Suicide and social media have become relatively new phenomenon, it is influencing suiciderelated behavior. Social media is changing human behavior especially affecting teenagers. Suicide has been influenced by media now a day’s peoples are mostly busy in their online world which cause mental and emotional issues leading them to depression social media is promoting different kinds of pro-suicidal sites, message boards, chat rooms and forums. our youth has completely lose their self control they have become poppet of social media their minds are under control of media influencers their thinking power has finished, first media was in our control but now we are controlled by media children’s are spending their time on social media and have no time for their family which is really serious issue. They feel happy in the fake world of the internet and cut off from the real life they start living in the world of fantasy which later on result mental health issues. Parents should look after their children, it’s their responsibility to check their children’s activities on social media. They should be aware of everything about their children. They should tell their children that life is not a bed of roses, and take them out from the world of fantasy named as social media. I also request that the authorities should ban such sites which affect our behavior, mental health and ethics, otherwise the result will be really worse for our future. SHAHZAdI HUSSAIn Karachi
Wednesday, 4 March, 2020
10 FOREIGN NEWS
US To redUce chineSe employeeS aT media companieS; china hinTS of reSponSe WASHINGTON/BEIJING
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AGENCIES
HE United States on Monday said it was slashing the number of Chinese nationals permitted to work at the US offices of major Chinese state-owned media outlets to retaliate against Beijing’s “longstanding intimidation and harassment of journalists.” Describing the latest US move as political oppression of the Chinese media, Beijing on Tuesday signalled that it intends to respond to the measures which it said have seriously harmed bilateral relations. Citing a “deepening crackdown” on all forms of independent reporting inside China, Trump administration officials said Beijing’s attacks on free speech were worse than they were a decade ago, comparing them to those of the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War. Effective March 13, Washington will cap the number of U.S.-based employees of Xinhua News Agency, China Global Television Network, China Radio International and China Daily
Distribution Corp at 100 from 160 currently. Beijing’s UN ambassador said the move was not “appropriate”. China last month revoked the visas of three Wall Street Journal reporters in Beijing after the newspaper declined to apologize for a column with a headline calling China the “Real Sick Man of Asia”. Another reporter with the paper had to leave last year after China declined to renew his visa. “For years, the government of the People’s Republic of China has imposed increasingly harsh surveillance, harassment, and in-
timidation against American and other foreign journalists operating in China,” U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement. Monday’s decision was not particularly linked to the Wall Street Journal case nor the content the Chinese outlets in question produced, senior State Department officials told reporters, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “We’ve been imploring the Chinese for years and years now to improve their treatment of journalists in China. So, this is
World finance officials to consider how to cushion economies against coronavirus
BEIJING AGENCIES
G7 finance officials will on Tuesday discuss ways to bolster their economies against the impact of the spreading coronavirus outbreak, but are not expected to specifically call for new spending or coordinated interest rate cuts, a G7 official said. Finance ministers and central bank governors from the group will hold a conference call at 1200 GMT to discuss the outbreak. But according to the official, who declined to be identified, a statement they are crafting does not detail any fiscal or monetary steps Global stocks and oil prices have made some recovery afters policymakers indicated willingness to help ease the economic fallout from the coronavirus, while worries about the outcome of the Group of Seven heads’ discussion kept a lid on gains. “This is a tug of war between hope and fear. Central banks are giving hopes with their potential stimulus,” said Vasu Menon, senior investment strategist at OCBC Bank Wealth Management. “The question is what they will do? Monetary policy is already very loose and interest rates are very low,” he said. Global stocks suffered a rout last week on growing fears that the disruption to supply chains, factory output and global travel caused by the epidemic could deal a serious blow to a world economy trying to recover from the U.S.-China trade war. The G7 official, who has direct knowledge of the deliberations, told Reuters the officials would pledge to work together to mitigate the damage to their economies from the fast-spreading epidemic. The language of an expected state-
ment was subject to change as it was under discussion, the official said. The coronavirus, which emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, has spread rapidly around the world over the past week, with more new cases now appearing outside China than within. There are more than 90,000 cases globally, with more than 80,000 of them in China, and infections appearing in 77 other countries and territories, with Ukraine the latest country to report its first case. China’s death toll is at 2,943 with more than 75 deaths elsewhere. New cases in China have been falling sharply, with 125 reported on Tuesday, thanks to its aggressive measures to stop the spread of the disease. After what critics said was an initially hesitant response to the virus, China imposed sweeping restrictions, including suspensions of transport, sealing off communities affecting tens of millions of people, and extending a Lunar New Year holiday across the country. QUARANTINE ORDERS: Now China is increasingly concerned about the virus being brought back into the country by its citizens returning from new hot spots elsewhere, and authorities on Tuesday asked overseas Chinese to reconsider or minimize their plans to travel home. All travellers entering Beijing from the hot spots of South Korea, Japan, Iran and Italy would have to be quarantined for 14 days, a top city official said. Shanghai has introduced a similar quarantine order. The most serious outbreak outside China is in South Korea where President Moon Jae-in declared war on the virus, ordering additional hospital beds and more face masks as cases rose by 600 to nearly 5,000. Thirty-four people have died in South Korea.
not linked to any one particular incident,” one US official said, but added that the expulsion of Journal reporters was a “fairly egregious” example. At a briefing on Tuesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters that Beijing resolutely opposes the latest actions by Washington and said it has never restricted the number of U.S. media outlets or journalists allowed to operate in China. “China reserves the right to make a response and implement measures,” he said, adding that Washington is in reality “expelling” Chinese journalists. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying took to Twitter with a more strident message that appeared to threaten retaliation. “Now the US has kicked off the game, let’s play,” she wrote. While the US officials said the move was not an expulsion of these Chinese nationals, they acknowledge that the people whose visas are contingent on their ability to work in the United States may be forced to leave the country. The four outlets were among five designated by the United
States as foreign embassies earlier this month, as a first step of this move. FURTHER ACTION: Tensions between the two superpowers have escalated since President Donald Trump came to office three years ago, with disputes over issues ranging from trade to accusations of Chinese spying in the United States and to U.S. support for Taiwan. On Monday, the Foreign Correspondents Club of China said in a report that the Chinese government has “weaponised” visas as part of a stepped-up campaign of pressure on foreign journalists. “It is our hope that this action will spur Beijing to adopt a more fair and reciprocal approach to US and other foreign press in China,” Pompeo said, while State Department officials said Washington was ready to take further action if Beijing retaliated. “If in fact, they decide to take this in a further negative direction however of course…all options would be on the table. I can’t tell you what in particular we would do, but we’d sit down review the circumstances and then consider all of our options,” the official said.
Tornadoes rip Tennessee, leaving at least 19 dead, many missing TENNESSEE AGENCIES
At least 19 people were killed early on Tuesday after powerful tornadoes ripped through Nashville and other parts of Tennessee, flattening buildings and leaving tens of thousands of people without power, authorities said. The death toll, provided by the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, may rise given the number of people who remain missing statewide, Governor William Lee said at a news briefing. Rescue teams were going door-to-door, searching damaged structures for trapped or injured individuals, the Nashville fire department said. “At least 30 people were injured in Nashville, the state capital, and least 48 buildings were destroyed, with many more damaged,” the fire department director Chief William Swann said. Tennessee is one of 14 states that will be holding primary elections on Super Tuesday. Despite the widespread destruction, polling sites at schools and elsewhere will be open for voting unless otherwise noted, officials said. “We want people to exercise their rights and get out there and vote,” Lee said. Lightning that accompanied the tornado lit up the darkened sky as the storm rumbled through central Nashville, video posted on Twitter showed. At daybreak, video footage on local television revealed leveled houses and crumbled businesses in Nashville, a city of 691,000. Crushed vehicles, piles of debris and power lines snapped in two were strewn about, and rescue vehicles blocked streets as residents carried their belongings away from their destroyed homes.
Air pollution 'pandemic' shortens lives by 3 years, study reveals MAINZ AGENCIES
A ‘pandemic’ of air pollution shortens lives worldwide by nearly three years on average, and causes 8.8 million premature deaths annually, scientists said Tuesday. Eliminating the toxic cocktail of molecules and lung-clogging particles cast off by burning oil, gas and coal would restore a full year of life expectancy, they reported in the journal Cardiovascular Research. “Air pollution is a larger public health risk than tobacco smoking,” lead author Jos Lelieveld of the Max Planck Institute in Mainz, Germany told AFP. “Much of it can be avoided by replacing fossil fuels with clean renewable energy.” Compared to other causes of premature death, air pollution kills 19 times more people each year than malaria, nine times more than HIV/AIDS, and three times more than alcohol, the study found. Coronary heart disease and stroke account for almost half of those deaths, with lung diseases and other non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure accounting for most of the rest. Only six percent of mortality stemming from polluted air is due to lung cancer. “Our results show there is an ‘air pollution
pandemic’,” said senior author Thomas Munzel of the Max Planck Institute’s departments of chemistry and cardiology. “Both air pollution and smoking are preventable, but over the past decades much less attention has been paid to air pollution than to smoking, especially among cardiologists.” The worst-hit region is Asia, where average lifespan is cut 4.1 years in China, 3.9 years in India, and 3.8 years in Pakistan. In some parts of these countries, toxic air takes an even steeper toll, other research has shown. In India’s Uttar Pradesh — home to 200 million — small particle pollution by itself slashes life expectancy by 8.5 years, while in China’s Hebei Province (population 74 million) the shortfall is nearly six years, according to the Air Quality Life Index, developed by researchers at the Energy Policy Institute of Chicago. African lives are also foreshortened by 3.1 years on average, with people in some nations — Chad, Sierra Leone, Central African Republic, Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire — losing 4.5 to 7.3 years. Among wealthier nations, the Soviet Union’s former satellite states have the deadliest pollution, especially in Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania. “We show that about two-thirds
of premature deaths are attributable to human-made pollution, mainly from fossil fuel use,” Munzel said. “This goes up to 80 per cent in high-income countries,” he added. “5.5 million deaths worldwide a year are potentially avoidable.” IMPACT ‘SIGNIFICANTLY UNDERESTIM AT E D’:Unavoidable excess mortality stems from natural dust storms, such as in central Asia and northern Africa, along with forest fires, though both phenomena are being amplified by manmade climate change, according to climate scientists. The least-impacted regions of the world are the Americas, western and northern Europe, and small island states. The figure of 8.8 million premature deaths from outdoor air pollution each year is double estimates from World Health Organization (WHO). “The impact of air pollution on cardiovascular and other non-communicable diseases was significantly underestimated,” Lelieveld explained, echoing a conclusion from other recent research. Air pollution causes damage to the blood vessels through greater oxidative stress, leading to increases in blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, heart attacks and heart failure.
australia's newswire axed amid pressure from digital giants CANBERRA AGENCIES
Australia’s only national newswire will be shuttered after 85 years of operation, with around 180 staff told Tuesday their jobs will end in June. Staff gathered on the newsroom floor at Australian Associated Press’ headquarters in Sydney were told a drop-off in subscribers in the face of free online content meant the company was “no longer viable.” “This decision’s been made with very heavy hearts. It’s been made on an economic and financial basis,” chief executive Bruce Davidson said following the announcement. The newswire will close at the end of June while its subediting business Pagemasters is set to close at the end of August. The decision to close the wire needs approval from its owners Nine, News Corp Australia, The West Australian and Australian Community Media. The announcement prompted concern about whether there would still be adequate scrutiny of democratic institutions. “All news outlets have relied on AAP’s network of local and international journalists to provide stories from areas where their own correspondents couldn’t go, from the courts to parliament and everywhere in between,” said Alexandra Wake a journalism expert at RMIT University. People took to social media to express their concern while there were tributes in parliament. “They have a wonderful history in this place and when you have such an important institution such as AAP coming to an end that is a matter of real concern,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said to journalists sitting in the press gallery at federal parliament. Members of the opposition party held up signs emblazoned with: “Thanks AAP” while their party leader read out the names of the Canberra team. “You will leave a massive void,” opposition leader Anthony Albanese said. Originally founded by media baron Keith Murdoch in 1935, AAP became a central source of news for major outlets in Australia and overseas. But speculation about the wire’s future has persisted in recent years, following several major staff cutbacks and the closure of the company’s New Zealand arm in 2018. A merger between Nine and Fairfax further centralised the country’s media which is dominated by a handful of companies, including News Corp Australia.
Wednesday, 4 March, 2020
BUSINESS 11
PAMA oPPoSES forMulAtion of ‘loCAl StAndArdS’ for vEhiClES
CORPORATE CORNER
ISLAMABAD
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KARACHI: LRBT Tertiary Teaching Eye Hospital, the largest eye hospital in Pakistan, has recently reached another milestone by treating 1,648 patients in a single day. p RE SS REl EA SE
Microsoft launches Global Social Entrepreneurship programme Microsoft, through its Microsoft for Startups initiative, has announced the launch of its Global Social Entrepreneurship programme. The programme has benefits aimed specifically at elevating startups addressing an important social and/or environmental challenge through their products, services or operations. “Solving global social and environmental challenges requires synergy of the right technology, partners, conducive environment and technology. When startups work together with investors, enterprises, governments, non-profits and communities, we are able to unlock new potentials,” said Microsoft4Afrika Director AmroteAbdella. This global initiative is designed to help social enterprise startups build and scale their companies to do good globally. Microsoft believes in providing the foundational building blocks to help social entrepreneurs create companies that can achieve worldwide impact. Social enterprises that become part of the Global Social Entrepreneurship programme will receive access to free Microsoft cloud technologies, including up to $120,000 in Azure credits, along with technical support and guidance. BUSINESS DESK
Cotton arrival registers 20.2pc drop LAHORE HASSAN NAQVI
Seed cotton equivalent to 8.565 million cotton bales reached the ginning factories across the country from February 15 till March 1, as compared to 10.741 million bales reaching the ginning factories during the same period last year (2019). According to figures shared by the Pakistan Cotton Ginners' Association (PCGA), a shortfall of 2.176 million cotton bales was recorded during the period under review, which was equivalent to a decrease of 20.26pc. In Punjab, 5.91 million bales reached the ginning factories as of March 1, which was 22.77pc less than last year (6.592 million bales). Similarly, during the period under review, as many as 3.474 million bales reached the ginning industries of Sindh, as against 4.149 million bales reaching the same during last year, registering a decline of 16.27pc. "A total of 8.552 million knots of cotton were produced from 8.565 million cotton bales, which, after undergoing the ginning process, reached the ginning factories from across the country," a PCGA official told this scribe. According to figures, out of 8.552 million cotton knots, the textile sector purchased 7.929 million knots. Trading Corporation (TCP) did not purchase cotton knots during the cotton season 2019-20. It is pertinent to mention that around 31 ginning factories were currently operational in the country, of which 24 ginning factories were operational in Punjab, producing 5.81 million cotton knots. As many as 0.577million cotton knots were still lying with ginneries as unsold stock.
GHUlAM ABBAS
tug of war has started between the Ministry of Science & Technology (MoST) and manufacturers/assemblers of vehicles, as the auto industry has opposed framing local standards for vehicles being produced in the country, sources informed on Tuesday. While S&T Minister Fawad Chauhdry had given three months to Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) and auto sector stakeholders to frame a uniform "automobile standard" in the country, the manufacturers have opposed the move, saying that the government should adopt international standards instead of formulating a new one. Following the ministry's direction with regard to new auto standards, its attached department, PSQCA, had recently arranged a meeting with the representatives of Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association (PAMA) and Pakistan Automobiles Dealers Association (PADA). The meeting was chaired by Fawad Chaudhry and attended by officials of Engineering Development of Pakistan (EDB), MoST and PSQCA. According to MoST officials, the minister during the meeting had expressed concerns over the manufacturing of sub-standard vehicles in Pakistan, saying that there were "no checks on the quality and safety of vehicles in the country because standards were not being followed". Fawad Chaudhry stressed the need for standardi-
zation and regulations on automobiles in Pakistan and called for developing and implementing a uniform "automobile standard" across the country. The minister emphasized that PSQCA, being a national body, shall formulate the standards based on regional and international research, through various technical committees/national standards committees, consisting of relevant stakeholders i.e. manufacturers, academia and consumers. "Once these standards are regulated and implemented, they will bring an end not only to sub-standard vehicles being manufactured in Pakistan, but will also ensure a strict check on vehicles being imported into the country," the minister said while directing PSQCA to expedite the standardization process. Earlier, the minister had informed the meeting regarding his plan to develop state-of-the-art vehicle testing facilities in collaboration with the private sector. He also directed PSQCA and MoST to prepare expression of interest for automobile testing labs on a public-private partnership basis and asked the industries to extend their help in this national cause. Although the manufacturers were willing to implement government regulations and standardization in the automobile industry, PAMA opined that the process would put "a new burden on manufacturers". "It is imperative for Pakistan to adopt European Standard 'WP29' because the local standards, without recognizing the international norms/regulations, will roll back the existing content level and will make them techno-economically unviable," PAMA Director General Abdul Waheed had said after at-
Cement companies report significant drop in half-year revenue
tending the meeting. "Adoption of WP29 is the only way to obtain global recognition of Pakistani products – that they are made in compliance with European standards; hence the government needs to provide sustainable quality conformance and upgrade PSQCA testing facilities to supplement support to the national economy, which to date PSQCA has failed to build." He said in case local standard making was pursued without ensuring mutual recognition with WP29 signatory countries, and if any government agency was unable to perform compliance testing locally, the local manufacturers would have to check compliance with overseas standards. "Due to higher testing charges and low volumes, the certification will become unviable." Moreover, he said, it would put stress on foreign currency reserves, as cost of local products would increase further, which would ultimately reduce the government's revenue. "Besides, the devising of local standards will stop export potential while the import bill [due to the imports of parts] will increase substantially," reasoned the PAMA DG. It is pertinent to mention that the Engineering Development Board EDB had already given a detailed briefing to the cabinet about government progress on adopting the WP29 standards. According to an EDB official, that cabinet has approved the accession plan of European automotive regulations i.e. WP-29 agreement. Pakistan is expected to get its membership by the end of this year.
MARKET DAILY
Bears back in control as index closes in red
LAHORE
KARACHI
SHAHAB OMER
ARIBA SHAHID
Cement companies have declared a significant loss in their profit during the first six months (Jul-Dec) of the ongoing fiscal year (2019-20) owing to the high cost of production, record interest rate and an overall economic slowdown. In a letter to the Pakistan Stock Exchange, Fecto Cement Ltd declared a loss of Rs299 million ($1.48 million) for 6MFY20 as compared to a profit of Rs105 million in the same period of last year. The losses were attributed to a slide in net turnover, which decreased by 22.91pc to Rs1.91 billion (Rs2.28 billion in 6MFY19). Similarly, Power Cement Ltd reported an aftertax loss of Rs365 million ($2.366 million), as compared to a profit of Rs9.7 million in the corresponding period of last year. The major factors responsible for the fall included reduced earnings and higher expenses, coupled with expensive financing during this accounting period. Maple Leaf Cement Factory Ltd (MLCF) announced a net loss of Rs1.76 billion ($11.41 million) for 6MFY20 as compared to a profit of Rs1.33 billion last year. The 32.5pc fall was attributed to an increase in the cost of sales and a massive surge in financial cost. Meanwhile, Gharibwal Cement Ltd (GWLC) incurred a net loss of Rs245 million ($1.58 million) as compared to a profit of Rs593 million last year. The company’s sales also decreased by 6.2pc to Rs5.16 billion from Rs5.51 billion last year. Dewan Cement Ltd (DCL) reported a net loss of Rs172 million ($1.15 million) as compared to a profit of Rs328 million last year. The losses were attributed to a drastic fall in net sales and a modest increase in distribution and administrative expenses. The company’s sales decreased by 37.1pc
to Rs4.04 billion from Rs6.42 billion in the same period last year. Moreover, Flying Cement Company registered a loss after taxation of Rs293.4 million ($1.9 million) during the half-year ended 31 December 2019 (+Rs77.7 million last year). The key factor behind this loss was the high cost of sales and reduced revenue. Dandot Cement Co reported a whopping loss after taxation of Rs383 million during 6MY19, compared to a loss of Rs177 million in the corresponding period of last year. The major factors responsible for the loss included lower sales and higher financial cost. Lastly, Pioneer Cement Ltd (PIOC) posted a loss after taxation of Rs111.66 million ($0.72 million) compared to a profit of Rs526.96 million in the corresponding period of last year. The major factors behind the loss included lesser revenue, fall in cement export, followed by paying a significant amount under federal excise duty. Separately, Pioneer Cement also informed PSX that Sajid Feroze has been appointed as the company’s CEO in place of Arif Hamid Dar.
The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) failed to carry forward its bullish momentum from the previous session, with the indices ending in the red amid volatility. Foreign investors continued to offload equities on Monday, taking their three-month net sale to $72 million. On the economic front, Commerce Secretary Ahmed Nawaz Sukhera has claimed that the country's exports surged 13.6pc on a yearly basis to $2,137 million, whereas its imports fell 4.56pc during the same period to $3,954 million. "As a result, Pakistan trade deficit has shrunk by 19.67pc." The KSE-100 Index jumped 570.16 points to mark its intraday high at 39,66.46 earlier in the session. However, failing to sustain gains, it slipped 238.77 points to mark its day low at 39,057.53. The index finally ended lower by 96.62 points at 39,199.68. The KMI-30 Index contracted by 318.75 points, while KSE All Share Index ended flat, down 4.45 points. Of the total traded scrips, 150 advanced, 163 declined while the value of 233 remained unchanged. The overall market volumes were recorded at 225.28 million, with cement sector contributing 28pc (63.29 million shares), followed by oil & gas marketing sector followed with 26.45 million exchanging hands. Among the companies, Maple Leaf Cement Factory Limited (MLCF +1.19pc) and Unity Foods Limited (UNITY +2.99pc) led the volume chart, exchanging 20.91 million and 20.50 million shares, respectively. Meanwhile, in a letter to the exchange, Cherat Cement Company Limited (CHCC +6.96pc) stated that the company has started receiving gas supply from Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited. This would help reduce the production cost of the company, it added.
‘Pakistan to come out of FATF grey list in June’ ISLAMABAD App
Leader of the House in Senate Syed Shibli Faraz said on Tuesday that owing to timely policies of the government, the country's already stabilised economy was now steadily moving towards growth. In an exclusive interview with APP, Faraz hoped that Pakistan would come out of the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF) grey list in the global watchdog’s June session. "The country has already completed 14 out of 27-point FATF Action Plan, while work on the remaining points is continuing expeditiously. I hope the country meets all FATF requirements before the next session." He said that India had miserably failed
Shibli Faraz laudS improvement in eConomiC indiCatorS, SeeS reduCtion in intereSt rate aFter June 2020 in its efforts to drag Pakistan in the FATF blacklist, adding that the government should be lauded for its diplomatic endevours at international level. To a question, he maintained that the incumbent government had received economy in a very shabby condition. "However, it is improving, as indicated by many indicators, including declining inflation and rising exports." In addition, he said, the current condition at the external front has also turned favourable for Pakistan, as the oil prices in
the international market were declining, providing a cushion for the government to provide relief to the masses. He said the decline in oil prices would also create fiscal space for the government and reduce hardships for the common people, as it would help further reduce inflation, which had already decelerated to 12.4pc in February. Faraz pointed out that the country's exports were rising, which he thought was a good sign for the economy. "It is true that the
coronavirus outbreak has caused huge damages, but it has also helped Pakistan to attract many export orders." On reduction in State Bank of Pakistan's discount rates, the Senator said if the downward trend in inflation continues, there would definitely be a cut in interest rate. He said that higher interest rates were also affecting stocks as the investors prefer to keep their money in banks instead of venturing into businesses. “As things are moving in the right directions, I expect the SBP to reduce interest rates after June 2020.” To exploit the conducive export environment, he said that there was a dire need for the country to increase its industrial production. He said owing to sound economic policies of the government, the country's exports
had increased in the last eight months whereas the trade deficit had also declined. Talking about government priorities, he said a two-pronged policy -- revenue growth and austerity – was adopted by the government to decrease the financial deficit. To a question on Geographical Induction Law (GIL) for proper international branding of agriculture items including rice, salt and other food items, he said that a law on this had already been approved by Senate and was pending with the National Assembly for approval. He said that Generalized System of Presences (GSP-Plus) with European Union was a success, which helped enhance the country's exports to EU by 40pc in the last eight years.
Wednesday, 4 March, 2020
12 buSineSS
IMF PUTTIng PAKIsTAn on PATh To ReCoveRy: sBP goveRnoR ISLAMABAD
TDAP, exporters to hold consultations on Pak-UK trade enhancement LAHORE SHAHAB OMER
The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) has prepared an eight-point agenda to capture the United Kingdom market and in this regard, consultative meetings with local exporters will be held in March. TDAP has also issued invitation letters to the Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce (FPCC), Karachi Chambers of Commerce and Industries (KCCI), 13 trade bodies and associations, and 38 companies from different sectors. The first consultative meeting will be held in Karachi on March 5. A similar meeting will be organised in Lahore on March 9, Faisalabad March 10 and Sialkot March 11. TDAP’s consultant on GSP, Kamal Shahryar, informed this scribe that the UK is preparing its own scheme for the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP/ GSP Plus) and is developing a similar arrangement which will become effective from the start of 2021 after completion of the transition period for Brexit. “The Department for International Trade (DIT) and the Department for International Development (DFID) of the UK are seeking inputs from Pakistan for designing of the new scheme which, according to them, will maintain the current level of preferential access available to Pakistan under the EU’s GSP/GSP Plus scheme,” he added. “While working with the DIT/DFID, the TDAP is holding consultative sessions with the stakeholders (trade bodies/ exporters) in key export cities with the objective of gathering information for making the new UK scheme more user friendly, improving trade between the UK and Pakistan, and address any issues being faced on the Pakistan side under the current EUGSP scheme,” he added. “As part of the exercise, the UK is also undertaking a review of its current MFN tariff regime for its rationalisation/refinement. Accordingly, during the planned consultative sessions the TDAP would like to seek stakeholders’/exporters’ input in the following areas relevant to the GSP/ GSP Plus regime as well as overall cooperation between the UK and Pakistan,” Shahryar said. “The points would serve as a reference for gathering of information by the TDAP during the consultative sessions it is planning to hold on the subject with the trade bodies/ exporters,” Shahryar added. According to agenda the exporters will able to discuss and give their suggestions about the origin certification system that whether the REX system is preferred by exporters over the previous system? If yes, why? The UK reverting to the conventional system in the future is also a possibility. Similarly, the Rules of Origin (ROO) will discuss in the sessions that exporters may have for making the existing product specific ROO for EU-GSP more objective and user friendly for the UK scheme or addressing any imbalances/issues being faced by Pakistan/exporters at present. The exporters will also give the suggestions for improving UK’s new GSP/GSP Plus scheme for increasing Pakistan’s exports to the UK, or improving eligibility, compliance and operational aspects (e.g. qualifying criteria, conventions, regulations, procedures, etc.) of the GSP/ GSP Plus scheme from the point of view of beneficiary countries/ exporters. According to TDAP, during the sessions the suggestion and recommendations for protecting the interests of Pakistan’s exports/exporters in view of intended MFN tariff rationalisation by the UK, or assisting the UK in their effort to rationalise their MFN tariff regime for improved simplicity and effectiveness. Identification of any technical, administrative or compliance issues being faced by any products from Pakistan for their entry to the UK market along with recommendations/possible solutions (e.g. compliance to standards, registrations, certifications, memberships, customs clearance, packaging/ labelling, etc. requirements) will also discuss.
STAFF REPORT
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TATE Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Dr Reza Baqir said on Tuesday that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was the government's partner in reforming the country's current economic system. In a briefing to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which was chaired by Rana Tanvir Hussain, the SBP governor said that Pakistan's relationship with IMF was based on mutual interest. He assured the house that in the coming days, "inflation will go down and the general public will feel the relief". Baqir noted that the SBP's monetary policy committee, in its last sitting, had decided to keep the
policy rate unchanged at 13.25pc. "The MPC views the current monetary policy stance as appropriate to bring inflation down to the medium-term target range of 5-7pc over the next six to eight quarters." He said a cut in interest rate would affect the people who have kept their savings in the banks, but admitted that higher interest rate created difficulties for the borrowers. "National savings rate is already very low and if the people are discouraged, then the country will have to borrow the required money from international agencies, and that will raise our current account deficit," he added. Responding to a query, he said the main focus of the SBP was to maintain the volume of foreign exchange reserves in the country, which currently stood at $12.5 billion ($4 liability) as against $7 billion of
PM calls for facilitation of sick industrial units, SMEs BUSINESS DESK A delegation of prominent bankers of the country called on Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad on Tuesday. Adviser to PM on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Adviser to PM on Institutional Reforms Dr Ishrat Hussain, State Bank of Pakistan Governor Syed Reza Baqir and other senior government officials were present during the meeting. The bankers apprised the prime minister about the issues concerning the banking sector in terms of financing to accelerate economic activities aimed at wealth creation. They also presented various suggestions to overcome issues being encountered. Prime Minister Imran Khan welcomed the proposals of the banking community, particularly those related to the revival of the sick industrial units. He stated that the government was working relentlessly for economic growth and sustained positive sentiments, booth domestically as well as externally. He also highlighted the human resource potential of the country. “With enterprising
youth in majority, we need to channelize their energies through skill development, thereby enabling them to contribute towards economic development.” The PM said that the present government was focused on reviving sick industrial units and promoting the SMEs, as they were essential for wealth creation and generation of employment opportunities. The PM appreciated the proposals of the delegation and assured maximum facilitation. The meeting was informed that Corporate Restructuring Company has been established to take over sick industrial units for the purpose of reviving the commercially or financially distressed companies, thereby making them profitable in consultation with all the stakeholders.
Sanofi Aventis posts 75pc decrease in profit LAHORE HASSAN NAQVI
The Board of Directors of Sanofi Aventis Pakistan Limited (SAPL) met on Tuesday to review the company's performance and announce its financial results for the year ended December 31, 2019. As per financial results, the pharmaceutical company declared a profit after tax of Rs154.836 million as compared to Rs612.792 million, showing a decrease of 74.73pc. The company announced a final cash dividend of Rs8 per share i.e.80pc for the year ended December 31, 2019. Thus, the total dividend out of profits would amount to Rs77.158 million. The company’s sales stood at Rs14.501 billion, showing an increase of 11.88pc from the
Rs12.961 billion for the same period last year. SAPL’s gross profit was reported at Rs3.725 billion as compared to Rs3.947 billion during the same period last year (-5.6pc). The company’s operating profit decreased by 34.2pc from Rs940.638 million in 2018 to Rs618.751 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The company’s earnings per share stood at Rs16.05 per share as compared to Rs63.54 per share during the same period last year, showing a decrease of 74.74pc. The company stated that the share transfer books of the company should remain closed from April 16, 2020 to April 23, 2020 (both days inclusive). Transfers received at the close of business on April 15, 2020, will be treated in the time for the purpose of payment of dividend.
forex reserves ($8 billion liability) in June last year. Bariq noted that people's trust in the exchange rate was growing and that they were converting their dollar accounts into Pakistani currency. If the foreign reserves would grow, Pakistan would not have to approach international agencies for borrowing, he maintained. The SBP governor said due to higher interest rates in the past, manufacturing had almost ended, but after reforms carried out by the incumbent government, manufacturing activities were again on the rise despite higher policy rates. "The present government did not take loans from the SBP due to which inflation is now being controlled. However, the state bank, at the same time, is making efforts to restore the confidence of foreign and local investors."
CDWP approves seven projects worth Rs12.23bn ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on Tuesday approved seven projects worth Rs12.23 billion and recommended five projects worth Rs158.230 billion to the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) for consideration. The CDWP meeting, which was presided over by Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan, reviewed projects related to energy, higher education, information technology, science & technology, transport & communications and water resources. The CDWP approved an energy sector project titled 'Evacuation of Power from 660MW Lucky Electric Coal-Fired Power Plant at Port Qasim'. The project was worth Rs1,315.15 million. Meanwhile, two projects related to higher education; 'Establishment of National Centre of Industrial Biotechnology for Pilot Manufacturing of Bioproducts Using Synthetic Biology and Metabolic Engineering Technology', worth Rs1,439.775 million, and 'Smart University Transformation through Smart Classrooms [Phase-1])', worth Rs2,330.56 million were also by the CDWP. In addition, the working party approved a project related to information technology namely 'Extension of Islamabad Hospital HMIS (Hospital Management Information System) and Networking Facilities to Children Hospital', worth Rs59.732 million. Two projects related to science & technology were presented during the meeting. The first titled 'Advanced Skills Development through International Scholarships (phase-1) -- Prime Minister Knowledge-Economy Task Force Initiatives', worth Rs12,460 million, was recommended to ECNEC, whereas the second project titled 'Pak University of Engineering & Emerging Technology (PIEET)', worth Rs3,281.00 million, was approved by the CDWP. Five projects related to transport & communication were presented in the meeting. The first project 'Construction of Road from Nagar Sharif to Suntsar (54km), worth Rs1,256.97 million, was approved by CDWP, whereas the second project 'Dualization and Rehabilitation of DG Khan-DI Khan Section (208.19km)', worth Rs53,354.46 million, was referred to ECNEC. The last three T&C projects; 'Construction of Rajanpur-DG Khan Section as 4-Lane Highway of N-55 (121.59km), worth Rs33,946.670 million, 'Indus Highway (N-55) Additional Carriageway Project (Shikarpur- Rajanpur Section) Length 221.95 km', worth Rs47,512.860 million, and 'Operationalization of Green Line BRTS and Installation of Integrated Intelligent Transport', worth Rs10,956.16 million, were referred to ECNEC for consideration. A project related to Water Resources titled 'Increasing Storage Capacity and Improvement in Command area of Tanda Dam District Kohat', worth Rs2,545.55 million, was approved by CDWP. Five concept clearance proposals were also considered and cleared for donor financing.
Fed cuts benchmark rate by 50bps as coronavirus spreads ARIBA SHAHID AND MEIRYUM ALI The United States Federal Reserve slashed the benchmark US interest rate by half a percentage point on Tuesday, which marks the biggest cut since the global financial crisis following a unanimous vote by Fed leaders in favour of the rate reduction. As per analysts, this is a sign from the Fed that will trigger action from central banks to act fast in order to curtail and manage the economic fallout and repercussions of coronavirus. This reduces the interest rate to 1.25pc down from 1.75pc. This emergency rate cut is not unprecedented, but it has not been witnessed since 2008. This follows after President Trump
called for a "big" rate cut. President Trump tweeted on Tuesday stating that the Fed was not lowering its benchmark interest rates fast enough. "The coronavirus poses evolving risks to economic activity. In light of these risks and in support of achieving its maximum employment and price stability goals, the [Fed] decided today to lower the target range for the federal funds rate by 1/2 percentage point," the Fed wrote in a statement. Fed Chair Jerome Powell is to hold a conference at 11am to further comment on the move. Many experts believe that coronavirus is the biggest threat to the global economy after the 2008 financial crisis. With an already slow-
ing global economy owing to previous trade disputes, production slowdowns, and lack of strong reactions to central bank stimulus, the virus has weighed heavily on the economy. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development states that the virus has now spread to 60 nations in Europe, the US, Latin America, and Asia. The virus holds the potential to cause the world economy to shrink this quarter for the first time since 2008. As a result, the OECD has downgraded its forecasts by half a percentage point to 2.4pc and commented that it may go as low as 1.5pc, if not tamed. Analysts, however, believe that this emergency rate cut may not attain the desired results. With interest rates already at a
low, it remains unlikely that people will want to step out and spend due to fears of catching the virus. Production is also likely to remain dampened due to supply chain disruptions. In spite of China being the origin of the virus, Chinese markets have managed to perform better than other markets. Meanwhile, the Group of Seven (G7) has pledged to use "all appropriate tools" to deal with the spreading coronavirus. While the statement lacks any announcement of immediate actions, it can be said that the US has already acted upon using its tools. The G-7 has issued similar joint statements during periods of extreme market turmoil, such as the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the 2008 financial crisis.
“Given the potential impacts of COVID19 on global growth, we reaffirm our commitment to use all appropriate policy tools to achieve strong, sustainable growth and safeguard against downside risks,” the G-7 said. Speaking to Profit, Sami Tariq, Head of Research at Arif Habib Limited states, “Global central banks are reducing interest rates to combat the negative impact of coronavirus. This might also persuade our central bank to cut the discount rate in the upcoming monetary policy.” Citing a report released on 28 February by AHL, Tariq believes that the SBP can afford to cut rates considering how inflation is tapering off, oil prices are down globally, and domestic bond yields have declined.
Sharmeen Obaid-ChinOy releaSeS the Sixth film frOm hOme1947 titled Weaving memOrieS
Danceathon 2.0 Organized by AimFit and Scaryammi at Nishat Hotel By Rohama Riaz HOME1947 is a deeply personal exploration of the lives and stories of the millions that were displaced in 1947 during the creation of two new independent states, India and Pakistan.
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OC Films releases the sixth shortfilm from HOME1947 titled Weaving Memories. Indeed, HOME1947 Series is a deeply personal exploration of the lives and stories of the millions that were displaced in 1947 during the creation of two new independent states, India and Pakistan. The sixth film of HOME1947 series, Weaving Memories is recitation of a poem that evokes memories of the simple joys that give life meaning, such as playing hopscotch with a friend. However with the change of times, everything is but a distant memory as life becomes unpredictable. HOME1947 is a series of 7 short films
conceptualized and produced by SOC Films, which recreate the long-lost sights and sounds of what millions once called home and explores this world not through the words of historians and politicians, but through the eyes of those who lived through it. HOME1947 Series was first premiered as part of the HOME1947 Exhibition at the Manchester International Festival in the UK followed by exhibitions in Mumbai [India], Lahore and Karachi. HOME1947 has been co-commissioned by the British Council in Pakistan in collaboration with the Manchester International Festival and Super Slow Way.
Danceathon 2.0 organized by Scaryammi and AimFit was a MEGA event planned at the Nishat Hotel in Johar Town. More than 600 women took part in this high intensity, diverse and super fun workout which included dancing to popular tracks like Muqabla, Laal Ghaghra and many others. All the women were decked up in glow paint and event t-shirts. The event was sponsored
by Ghar Par and Nestle Purelife Active Water. The decor & setup was done by the House of Shazia Cheema. The purple carpet was hosted by Amna Kardar. In a city which is mostly about food, it was certainly the healthiest way of spending the weekend and accompanied by their kids, women were quite motivated to participate in such activities in the future as well. The event ended with a scrumptious hi-tea.
THE FINEST QUALITY EMERALDS ARE MORE VALUABLE THAN DIAMONDS.
HEARING IS THE FASTEST HUMAN SENSE. A PERSON CAN RECOGNIZE A SOUND IN AS LITTLE AS 0.05 SECONDS.
HOLLYWOOD BOLLYWOOD
It's hard to clean up the ocean without knowing why and how it gets polluted in the first place.
Chris Hemsworth on injuring Randeep Hooda Kangana Ranaut’s sister Rangoli wants to take Raveena Tandon experiments with new during Extraction: ‘Felt very embarrassed over PM Narendra Modi’s social media handles hairstyle as she waits for flight to take off Avengers star Chris Hemsworth says he was “blown away” by the on Women’s Day Bollywood actor Raveena Tandon is quite a diva and her latest In-
welcome he received in India while shooting for his upcoming action drama Extraction, which is predominantly set in the subcontinent. Hemsworth, who enjoys a huge fan following in the country thanks to his portrayal of God of Thunder Thor, had shared videos of hundreds of people who had lined up the streets of Ahmedabad and Mumbai to watch him shoot the film. The fan mania and logistics were partly responsible for the production to be shifted to a quiet suburb near Bangkok, Thailand, but Hemsworth has fond memories of the time he spent in India. “We had such a great time in India. People were beyond welcoming. I’ve never had that kind of response. I was blown away. I thought I was Beatles or something,” the actor told PTI during an interaction with select international media on the sets of the Netflix film. “It gives you a false sense of security. I felt more important than I was. When I go back to Australia, no one really cares,” the 36-yearold actor added. Hemsworth plays Tyler Rake, a black market mercenary in the film.
After Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that his social media accounts will be taken over by a select few inspirational women on Sunday, Kangana Ranaut’s sister and manager Rangoli Chandel expressed her interest in the same. She replied to his tweet, requesting access of his social media accounts, so that she could give his detractors a piece of her mind. “Modi ji me pls me, aapke aalochakon ko kuch khari khoti sunane ka mann hai pls mauka do (Modi ji, please give me a chance. I really want to give your detractors a piece of my mind),” she wrote. On Tuesday afternoon, Narendra Modi tweeted that on International Women’s Day (March 8), his social media accounts will be handled by “women whose life & work inspire us”. He wrote, “This Women’s Day, I will give away my social media accounts to women whose life & work inspire us. This will help them ignite motivation in millions. Are you such a woman or do you know such inspiring women? Share such stories using #SheInspiresUs.”
stagram video is proof - even as she waited for her flight to take off, the actor shot a video with her stylist making braids, trying a new hairstyle. Raveena’s flight was apparently delayed because the captain was late. Raveena is cool as she poses for the video while getting her braids done and she also suggests fellow passengers to chill. Sharing the video she wrote, “Heading for a shoot.Waiting to take off. . All on board except the captain ! while some other passengers are getting annoyed and giving the crew a hard time @shurabhavinofficial and I doing some “timepass “ and experimenting with hairstyles. Sometimes chalta hai@yaar . Chill maarne ka.” Filmmaker-choreograoher Farah Khan was quick to respond with, “Only U can do this.” Raveena is currently working on KGF: Chapter 2 that will also feature Sanjay Dutt and is set to release worldwide in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi. Raveena’s role in the film is that of Ramika Sen, a character rumoured to be modelled on former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Wednesday, 4 March, 2020
14 SPORTS
Tokyo could lose olympics if noT held in 2020, minisTer says TOKYO
T
AEGNCIES
OkYO risks losing the Olympics if they're postponed later than this year over the new coronavirus, a government minister said on Tuesday, adding that May looks
like the deadline for the decision. The contract for the Games says the International Olympic Committee can withdraw hosting rights if they're not held in 2020, Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto told parliament. Japan's government, Tokyo organisers and the IOC have all pledged to hold the
Games on schedule from July 24, but the fast-spreading virus continues to raise concerns. "Looking at the contract once again, it says in Article 66 that the IOC holds the right to cancel the Games by deactivating the contract if... the Games are not held in 2020," Hashimoto said. "At this moment, the Tokyo 2020 com-
mittee, the IOC and Tokyo (city government) are doing their best to make sure the Games will be held from July 24," she added. "The government will fully support that." COVID-19 has been detected in 76 countries, killing 3,116 and causing chaos as governments clamp down on travel. A long list of sports events have been cancelled or postponed to avoid spreading the virus. Hashimoto added that May looked like an "important benchmark" for deciding whether the Games go ahead as scheduled. "An IOC member has said the end of May is the final deadline for making the decision," she said, referring to remarks by senior IOC member Dick Pound. "So I think the end of May is an important benchmark," Hashimoto said. "We're making utmost efforts so that the IOC can be convinced that the Tokyo Games can be held safely." Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has stepped up national measures to contain the virus, urging schools nationwide to close for several weeks and calling on organisers of large events to consider cancelling or delaying them. Everything from football matches and music concerts have been affected, while sumo's spring tournament will be held behind closed doors. Also on Tuesday, a wheelchair rugby test event for the Paralympics, which are scheduled to start on August 25, was cancelled over the virus. "Tokyo 2020 nevertheless will carry out the wheelchair rugby test event in some form in April, after ensuring a safe and secure environment," an organising committee statement said.
Italy's football bosses take to name-calling over virus ROME AEGNCIES
Italy's football schedule has been thrown into disarray by the new coronavirus and its bosses are taking out their frustrations via social media and calling each other names. The football-mad Mediterranean country has borne the European brunt of the COVID-19 disease now sweeping across much of the world. More than 2,000 people have tested positive and 52 have died from the virus in Italy since February 22. The big problem for football is that the Italian epicentre of the outbreak is in the northern part of the country where many of the big teams play. Milan's Lombardy region has recorded 38 deaths and its western neighbour Piedmont -- home to Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus -- has also been heavily hit. Now the bosses of Inter Milan are lashing out at league president Paolo Dal Pino for what they view as completely random scheduling decisions that favour specific teams. Inter's Chinese chairman Steven Zhang posted a somewhat extraordinary missive on his verified Instagram account Tuesday calling Dal Pino a "clown".
"Playing around (with) the calendar and always putting the public health as secondary consideration," Zhang wrote in English. "You are probably the biggest and darkest clown I have ever seen." Zhang then posted what a "face vomiting" emoji to illustrate the strength of his feelings about Dal Pino's scheduling moves. "How about we don't protect our players or coaches and ask them to play for
you 24/7 nonstop?" he somewhat rhetorically asked. "Yes, I am speaking at you. Our Lega President #PauloDalPino! #shameonyou." 'Playground squabbling': Zhang and other Italian football bigwigs could be forgiven for being a little upset. Inter have not played in Serie A since losing to surprise league leaders Lazio on February 16. They trail second-placed Juventus by
six points but have a game in hand. But it is far from clear just when that game might be played. Their home match against Sampdoria and last weekend's title clash with Juventus were both postponed. Inter wanted the Juve match played behind closed doors so that players did not lose form. Their last meaningful match was against Bulgaria's Ludogorets in the Europa League last week. It was a drab affair they won 2-1 at an empty San Siro stadium in Milan. All the postponements have created massive confusion and a logistical nightmare. Some of the matches are being rescheduled for May 13 -- theoretically the time the Italian Cup final should have been played. Inter could be in that final if they manage to overturn a 1-0 deficit away to Napoli in the return leg of their semi-final tie on Thursday. That match is still scheduled to go ahead. Inter chief executive Beppe Marotta called Dal Pino's various scheduling moves "impractical and almost provocative". "You find teams that haven't played for two weeks, others that play continuously," Marotta fumed in a separate TV interview. Dal Pino has not said much in self-defence and largely avoided the media.
nBa warns players over interactions with fans LOS ANGELES AGENCIES
Fist bumps are in, but high-fives are out -NBA stars have been given a series of recommendations as the league attempts to limit the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the sport. ESPN reported on Monday that a memo sent to teams had outlined short-term measures aimed at protecting players from exposure to the virus, which has left six people dead in the United States so far. The NBA memo recommends that players interacting with fans should bump fists rather than high-five. The league also advises players to avoid taking items such as pens, balls and jerseys to autograph. "The health and safety of NBA players, coaches, staff, and fans is paramount," the NBA and NBA Players Association said in the memo. "We are consulting with infectious disease experts, including the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and a world-renowned infectious disease researcher at Columbia University. "We are also in regular communication with each other, NBA teams including team physicians and athletic trainers, other professional sports leagues, and of course, many of you." Some players have already taken steps to limit their exposure to the virus. Portland Trail Blazers star C.J. McCollum said Saturday he was no longer signing autographs because of the outbreak. "Make sure y'all washing y'all hands with soap for 20 or more seconds & covering ya mouths when you cough," McCollum wrote on Twitter. "I am officially taking a break from signing autographs until further notice." Other players were more circumspect. Boston's kemba Walker said he would continue to sign autographs but added: "Maybe I'll just walk around with my own marker." ESPN noted that NBA teams were also studying the impact the crisis could have on events such as pre-draft combines, on-site workouts and international scouting events.
Coronavirus casts potential cloud over Euro 2020 with 100 days to go PARIS AGENCIES
This Wednesday marks 100 days to go until the start of Euro 2020, but as preparations are fine-tuned for the first European Championship to be played across the continent, the coronavirus outbreak could pose a potentially serious threat to the tournament itself. The decision to stage the second 24-team Euros in 12 different cities in 12 different nations, from as far apart as Baku to Dublin and Glasgow to Rome, was certainly an ambitious move. UEFA say all venues and transport links are ready, that demand for tickets is through the roof, and there are no obvious security worries. Except for the coronavirus outbreak, with its unknown potential consequences, which could cast a shadow over the entire event. Most matches in Italy's Serie A were called off at the weekend with the country the hardest hit by the outbreak in Eu-
rope, with 52 deaths and more than 2,000 cases as of Monday. Meanwhile, neighbouring Switzerland - with 24 confirmed cases -- on Monday announced the postponement of all games in its top two divisions until the end of March. "The health of persons is much more important than any football game," insisted FIFA president Gianni Infantino at the weekend. "I think we all hope that this can be contained, but of course we will take advice, but it's got to be health first, sport second," Football Association of Wales chief executive Jonathan Ford told the Uk's Press Association. Wales are due to play Italy in Rome at the Euros. The coronavirus crisis was raised at an executive committee meeting of European football's governing body in Amsterdam on Monday, but UEFA is remaining calm over the possible repercussions for Euro 2020. "UEFA is in touch with the relevant international and local authorities regarding
the Coronavirus and its development," it told AFP. "For the moment, there is no need to change anything in the planned timetable. The issue will be kept under constant scrutiny." The opening match is due to take place in Rome on Friday, June 12, with Italy facing Turkey. UEFA says it has received more than 28 million requests for match tickets, a figure it says is more than double the number for Euro 2016. However, if the outbreak continues to spread, some fans may think twice about travelling to games, even if everything is ready to welcome them. Of the 12 venues, only the Puskas Arena in Budapest has been newly built, the stadium in the Hungarian capital officially opening in November. Wembley in London will be the venue for the semi-finals and final. On the field, the carrot of playing in the final on home turf is dangling over England, with Gareth Southgate's side among the tournament favourites.
Wednesday, 4 March, 2020
HBL PSL 2020: LaHore QaLandarS get firSt win By defeating Quetta gLadiatorS
B
SPORTS 15
LAHORE
en Dunk and Smit Patel staged a firework display of massive stroke play to hit sparking knocks to set up Lahore Qalandars 37 runs victory against Quetta Gladiators to help the home side to end the victory drought in the HBL Super league here on Tuesday night at Gadaffi stadium. Quetta captain Safraz Ahmad won the toss and put Lahore into bat which supported by superb innings of Dunk and Smit powered its way to 209 for 5 in 20 overs and bowled out Quetta at 172 in 20 overs to finally find winning ways in the event. Man of the match Dunk smashed breezy and entertaining 93 and Patel hit aggressive 71 as both the top scorers set the flow of runs before a charged crowd, hitting rain of sixes and fours to all parts of the ground, setting new innings total record of the event. Both heroes of the day, brought cheers on the face of their team management and diehard fans by showcasing their amazing cricket talent, cracking strokes one after another to post 155 runs for the fourth wicket, steering the team out of early danger which left them at 1/ 36, 2/ 49 and 3/50. At one stage when Lahore middleorder plunged into usual trouble after the departure of opener Fakhar Zaman (15), CA Lynn (27) and Muhammad Hafeez (0) they found it hard to salvage their pride. The duo of English batsmen partnered for the so far the biggest 5th wicket stand of the ongoing event. Dunk created a new record of maximum sixes in an innings by hammering ten sixes laced with three fours off 43 balls and found a perfect partner in Smit who consumed 40 deliveries to force nine fours and two sixes to add to the misery of Quetta’s struggling bowling attack. Wicketkeeper-batsman Dunk was the fourth batsman out at 205 when he went for a big shot and was taken at the edge of the boundary by Ahsan Ali off Muhammad Nawaz. Four runs later Smit departed caught by Nawaz off Cutting. Both Dunk and Smit received a huge round of applause on their way back to the pavilion. Cutting took two for 36, Nawaz, Fawad Alam and Muhammad Husnain got one wicket for 44, 26 and 32 runs respectively. Out of the previous five matches, defending champions Quetta have stamped victory in three games against Islamabad United twice and Karachi Kings losing two matches against Peshawar Zalmi and Multan Sultans. Lahore showing dismal perform-
TODAY’S MATCH VS 7:00 PM iSLamaBad united
LAHORE
LaHore QaLandarS
australia star allrounder Perry out of t20 world Cup
ance suffered defeats in their previous three matches against Multan, Islamabad and Peshawar. Quetta was never in line and the right frame of mind when it started the run hunt. On a lucky day, the Lahore bowling attack showed up a fine performance to make things easier for their side with hostile, tight and accurate bowling, shattering rivals batting from the beginning till the finish. Opener Jason Roy struggling to regain form in the event, continued his poor show making just 12 runs at a total of 28 and one later Ahsan Ali departed as Quetta slipped to 2-29. Bad luck continued to follow Quetta when experienced Safraz Ahmad (9) fell cheaply at 50. The other opener and Quetta’s strong batting hope Shane Watson departed after scoring 23 off 17 balls with one four and two sixes, at a total of 53, and the fourth wicket could add only three runs. The middle-order fall brought a negative impact on Quetta’s batting and most of their batsmen were struggling to stay at the crease, failing to chase to target. Azam Khan 15 was the fifth batsmen out at 79 and at 97 Quetta’s sixth wicket fell as Muhammad Nawaz made
Scoreboard Lahore QaLandarS InnInGS 15 Fakhar Zaman c anwar ali b Mohammad nawaz ca Lynn c †Sarfaraz ahmed b Mohammad hasnain 27 br dunk † c ahsan ali b cutting 93 0 Mohammad hafeez c Watson b Fawad ahmed 71 Sr Patel c Mohammad nawaz b cutting 0 Sohail akhtar (c) not out extras: 3 (lb 2, w 1) ToTaL 209/5 dId noT baT: Muhammad Faizan, S Prasanna, dilbar hussain, Salman Irshad, Shaheen Shah afridi FaLL oF WIckeTS: 1-36 (Fakhar Zaman, 4.4 ov), 2-49 (chris Lynn, 6.6 ov), 3-50 (Mohammad hafeez, 7.3 ov), 4205 (Samit Patel, 19.4 ov), 5-209 (ben dunk, 19.6 ov) boWLInG: Mohammad nawaz(3) 4-0-44-1 4-0-4-0 naseem Shah Fawad ahmed 4-0-28-1 Mohammad hasnain 4-0-32-1 bcJ cutting 3-0-36-2 anwar ali 1-0-19-0. QueTTa GLadIaTorS InnInGS JJ roy b Patel Sr Watson c †dunk b dilbar hussain ahsan ali c Lynn b dilbar hussain
12 23 2
24; Anwar Ali (4) was the seventh batsman out at 116. With Lahore bowlers in complete control, Quetta got the biggest setback with the departure of their top scorer Ben Cutting (53) with three fours and five sixes in 27 balls, which
Sarfaraz ahmed (c) †c Mohammad hafeez b Patel 9 12 azam khan c Muhammad Faizan b Salman Irshad Mohammad nawaz(3) c dilbar hussain b M Faizan 2 bcJ cutting c Mohammad hafeez b Salman Irshad 53 anwar ali c Mohammad hafeez b Muhammad Faizan 4 14 Fawad ahmed b Salman Irshad 7 naseem Shah lbw b Salman Irshad 1 Mohammad hasnain not out extras: (b 2, lb 2, w 7) 11 (all out) 172 ToTaL: (20 overs, rr: 8.6) FaLL oF WIckeTS: 1-28 (Jason roy, 3.1 ov), 2-39 (ahsan ali, 4.1 ov), 3-50 (Sarfaraz ahmed, 5.4 ov), 4-53 (Shane Watson, 6.4 ov), 5-79 (azam khan, 9.3 ov), 6-94 (Mohammad nawaz, 11.4 ov), 7-116 (anwar ali, 13.6 ov), 8159 (ben cutting, 17.5 ov), 9-165 (Fawad ahmed, 19.1 ov), 10-172 (naseem Shah, 19.6 ov) boWLInG: Shaheen Shah afridi 4-0-39-0 Sr Patel 4-0-31-2 dilbar hussain 2-0-11-2 Salman Irshad 4-0-30-4 S Prasanna 3-0-28-0 3-0-29-2 Muhammad Faizan MaTch deTaILS: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore ToSS: Quetta Gladiators , elected to field first PLayer oF The MaTch: Lahore Qalandarsben dunk
left them at 159 for 8. From Lahore, Salman Irshad was the most successful bowler with 4 for 29 and Muhammad Faizan took two wickets for 29, Smit Patel got two for 31 with Dilbar taking two for 11 to lead their side to a fine victory.
Defending champions Australia were dealt a heavy blow Tuesday as star player Ellyse Perry was ruled out of the rest of Twenty20 World Cup with a hamstring injury. The world's top-ranked women's allrounder limped off in pain after attempting a run out during Australia's narrow win over New Zealand on Monday. Cricket Australia said she would miss the four-time champion's semi-final in Sydney on Thursday and the final on Sunday if they get that far. So severe is the injury that she will also be unavailable for Australia's tour of South Africa later this month. "Ellyse sustained a high-grade right hamstring injury that is expected to keep her out of the game for a significant period of time," team doctor Pip Ing said in a statement. "We are currently exploring management options and will continue to support Ellyse through her recovery." Australia's opponents in the semifinal will be determined later Tuesday with head coach Matt Mott saying he was confident they had enough depth in the squad to cover her batting and bowling. "Ellyse is a key member of our squad and has been for a long period of time and on a personal level we're disappointed that she won't have the opportunity to finish the tournament," he said.
SAfrica to face Australia in T20 World Cup semis as rain hits tournament LONDON aGencIeS
South Africa will face defending champions Australia in the women's Twenty20 World Cup semifinals after their match against the West Indies was washed out Tuesday, leaving India to take on England. The Proteas needed to avoid defeat against the already-eliminated West Indies to top Group B and with the match in Sydney abandoned without a ball being bowled, they earned a point to ensure that happened. "I couldn't have asked for better, our first goal coming here was to get to the semi-finals," said skipper Dane van Niekerk. "Generally in these tournaments, we've lost at crucial times, whereas in this tournament, whenever we've been down we've got up again. It's nice that everything is slowly but surely coming together." South Africa have never beaten four-time champions Australia, who suffered a big blow Tuesday with star allrounder Ellyse Perry ruled out of the tournament with a hamstring injury. "What better way to do it (beat Australia) than in a World Cup semi-final. We're not used to the bigger-stage games, but hopefully everything comes together for us," she added ahead of the match in Sydney on Thursday. Group B runnersup England, the 2009 champions, play unbeaten Group A winners India on the same day. Earlier, qualifiers Thailand ended their inaugural World Cup on a high, posting their biggest ever
T20 international score before the heavens opened and their clash with Pakistan was also called off. They had lost all three of their previous games, with a highest total of 82. But, after winning the toss at Sydney Showground, they stunned Pakistan with their aggressive batting approach, racing to 150 for three off 20 overs. Pakistan, who upset 2016 champions West Indies in their opening game before losing the next two, would have needed their record run chase to win but didn't face a ball. "The openers were positive and aggressive and they did very well," said Thai captain Sornnarin Tippoch. "We had an opportunity to come here and play against the big teams. I think it is good for us. We want to keep doing well. People at home will be happy, same as us. They will be cheering." Natthakan Chantam and Nattaya Boochatham posted the second highest opening partnership of the tournament, 93, before Boochatham fell for 44. Chantam made 56 with some late big-hitting from Nannapat Khoncharoenkai and Chanida Sutthiruang ensuring Thailand passed their previous record of 133 for eight recorded against the Netherlands last year. "It gave us the lesson that during cricket no team is bigger or smaller, you have to be on your toes every time," said Pakistan skipper Javeria Khan, adding that overall the tournament had been positive for her team. "We'll walk away with our heads held high and our girls played some good cricket."
Wednesday, 4 March, 2020
NEWS
PakIStan cOnfIrmS fIftH caSE Of cOrOnavIrUS 800 PEOPLE WHO RECENTLY RETURNED TO SINDH AFTER TRAVELLING TO IRAN HAVE BEEN QUARANTINED IN THEIR HOMES ISLAMABAD
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STAFF REPORT
EALTH authorities on Tuesday confirmed the fifth case of the deadly coronavirus in Pakistan after a 45-year-old woman from GilgitBaltistan was diagnosed with COVID-19. State Minister for Health Dr Zafar Mirza confirmed the case on Twitter. The woman had arrived from Iran recently. Mirza assured that the patient is stable and being taken care of, and requested the media to respect the privacy of the patient and his family. The patient is being treated at a hospital in Gilgit and her family members are being tested for the virus. Local schools have also been closed till March 7 following the confirmation of the infection. It also emerged that three of the five Pakistani patients belong to Gilgit-Baltistan while the rest to Karachi. According to health officials, samples of at least 12 suspected patients have been sent to the NIH Islamabad for the coronavirus test. The GB health department lacks facilities to conduct such tests. Meanwhile, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has said that passengers with novel
AL DOBEAY SAYS OIC HAS ALWAYS STRONGLY SUPPORTED RESOLUTION OF KASHMIR ISSUE ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
Pakistan has informed the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) that it has certain expectations from the forum and hoped that it will not disappoint the country. The remark was made by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi during a joint press conference with OIC’s Special Envoy for Jammu and Kashmir Ambassador Yousef M. Al Dobeay here on Tuesday. The special envoy is part of a six-member delegation that reached Pakistan on Monday for a five-day visit to witness the destruction and sufferings caused by ceasefire violations by Indian troops along the Line of Control (LoC). The foreign minister also expressed the hope that Al Dobeay will “make [the
WHO says world in uncharted territory as US virus toll rises to six
coronavirus symptoms from China, Iran and other virushit countries will be quarantined for 15 days. The NDMA spokesperson said the quarantine centre will be ready in one week, and lodging facilities, a dispensary, a cafeteria and other recreational facilities will be available within the premises. The spokesperson stated that the quarantine centre has been set up as a precautionary measure to manage the outbreak of the coronavirus. In addition, the NDMA has also established a modern quarantine centre with 300 beds in Islamabad and has obtained three modern scanners – worth Rs20 million – to identify individuals showing higher body temperature on arrival in Pakistan. 800 PILGRIMS QUARANTINED IN SINDH:
Meanwhile, Sindh health officials said that more than 800 people who have recently returned home after travelling to Iran have been quarantined in their homes as part of measures to contain coronavirus in the province. Meeran Yousuf, media coordinator to the health and population welfare minister, said the families quarantined in their homes in various parts of Sindh had returned from Iran but did not exhibit symptoms of COVID-19. She said these residents will remain in home quarantine for the recommended isolation period of 14 days from their respective date of arrival in the province. Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, who was chairing a meeting of the task force on coronavirus, was informed on Tuesday that a total of 2,534 pilgrims had left for Iran via Karachi airport and the Taftan border. Of these, 764 people, who returned to their
GENEVA AGENCIES
homes in Sindh during the last 14 days but did not show any symptoms, were kept in quarantine. “Presently, 557 have been quarantined at their homes while 1,213 are yet to be traced whether they have returned or [are] still in Iran or at Taftan,” the chief minister’s office said in a statement. Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan at Chaman was closed on Monday as a precautionary measure against the spread of the deadly coronavirus. The Ministry of Interior issued an official notification on Sunday, announcing closure of the border initially for seven days. All business and trade activities at the Chaman border remained completely suspended. Offices of immigration, customs, transports and other relevant establishments remained closed. Security forces deployed at the border closed the Friendship Gate and tightened security at the border its adjoining areas.
Pakistan hopes OIC observers will not disappoint on Kashmir issue organisation] more aware [about Kashmir] and tell them the expectations of the Pakistani people” after his tour of the country. Qureshi said that during his meeting with Al Dobeay, he made him “aware of the expectations the people of Pakistan have from the OIC and the importance they give to it.” “Pakistan is one of the founding members of the OIC. We were convinced of its importance before and we are convinced of it today.” Qureshi revealed that he had told the Saudi foreign minister during an earlier meeting that “the [Kashmir] matter is so serious and it has such importance that an extraordinary session of the foreign ministers should happen. We believe this is the minimum requirement keeping in view the conditions.” He expressed the hope that when the special envoy would go back and brief the secretary general about these meetings
Imran telephones Erdogan, condoles Idlib losses
and “the sensitivity of this issue, then they will create room for our expectations in the plan [the OIC] is forming as to how to move forward regarding this issue.” He expressed the hope that the OIC would not disappoint Pakistanis. “When there are raised hopes, there is also increased disappointment when there is no progress … [people] also have complaints.” The foreign minister informed the media that the OIC’s special envoy had been briefed about the importance and need for implementing the resolutions of the [UN] security council on the [Kashmir] issue. “[Al Dobeay] was made aware of the threat this problem poses to peace and security … it is in front of you, a small demonstration of which you saw in February 2019 when two countries faced each other. “The special envoy was also told
about the discriminatory laws [in India] and our concerns about them specifically the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens. Besides us, there is an atmosphere of protest against them by minorities other than Muslims and various people who believe these laws are discriminatory and inappropriate including several prominent members of the Hindu community who have raised a firm voice against this law through their statements and interactions,” Qureshi said. The foreign minister said the OIC’s envoy was also made aware of the protests in Delhi which claimed the lives of 46 people, while numerous people were injured and are in hospitals, mosques were burnt, and other acts that “have hurt Muslims”. He also reminded Al Dobeay that the mandate of his organisation is the defence of the rights of Muslims.
The world has entered uncharted territory in its battle against the deadly coronavirus, the UN health agency warned, as new infections dropped dramatically in China on Tuesday but surged abroad with the US death toll rising to six. Globally, the virus has killed more than 3,100 people and infected over 90,000 even as a clear shift in the crisis emerges, with nine times as many new cases recorded outside China as inside, according to the World Health Organization. China has imposed draconian quarantines and travel restrictions to keep large swathes of the population indoors — a strategy that appears to have paid off as new cases have been generally falling for days. While Italy has locked down towns, other countries have stopped short of imposing mass quarantines and instead have discouraged large gatherings, delayed sporting events and banned arrivals from virus-hit nations. Twitter told staff across the world to work from home. South Korea, Iran and Italy have emerged as major COVID-19 hotspots, which emerged from a market that sold wild animals in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. With concern growing about the impact on the global economy, G7 finance ministers and central bank chiefs will hold talks on Tuesday. South Korea, the biggest cluster outside China, reported 851 new cases, its biggest daily increase, sending its total past 5,000 while its death toll rose to 28. “The entire country has entered a war with the disease,” South Korean President Moon Jae-in said. By contrast, China reported 125 new cases Tuesday — its lowest daily increase in six weeks — with all but 11 infections in Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital. The nationwide death toll rose to 2,943 with 31 more deaths, with some 80,000 total cases. China has even confirmed 13 imported infections, including eight Chinese nationals who worked at the same restaurant in northern Italy’s Lombardy region. Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong province are imposing 14-day quarantines on people arriving from countries with a severe epidemic. “We are in uncharted territory,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday. “We have never before seen a respiratory pathogen that is capable of community transmission, but which can also be contained with the right measures.” Community transmission means infections within a population are not imported from another virus-hit area. The US is now facing a potential epidemic, with six people dying in the northwestern state of Washington, where officials warned residents the battle against the disease was shifting from containment to mitigation. Five of the deaths were in King County, which has more than two million residents and is home to Seattle, a major commercial and transportation hub. US EYES TREATMENT: The White House, which has been accused of downplaying the threat from the virus, struck a bullish tone.
UN rights body moves Indian SC over contentious citizenship law
ISLAMABAD
NEW YORK/NEW DELHI
STAFF REPORT
AGENCIES
Prime Minister Imran Khan spoke to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan via telephone on Tuesday to express grief over the death of several Turkish army men in an attack that took place in Idlib. “In this time of distress, Pakistan stands with Turkey,” he said, adding that “We stand with you in the war against terrorism.” Turkey launched Operation Spring Shield in Idlib, the country’s defence minister, Hulusi Akar, announced late Sunday, days after airstrikes killed 33 of its troops in the Syrian city. Two Syrian Army airplanes were downed during Operation Spring Shield, whereas one of its own drone aircraft was shot, the minister said, adding that the Damascus government forces, as well as their allies, would be targeted. Talks with Russia were ongoing in this regard, Akar noted, adding that Ankara hoped Moscow would help mount pressure on Syria to stop attacks by its army. A monitoring group, on the other hand, said the drone attacks had killed 74 Syrian soldiers and 14 of the allied forces. Earlier, Akar had confirmed that the attack occurred despite coordination with Russian officials on the ground and that they continued after a warning being made. Some 309 Syrian government’s soldiers — backed by Moscow — were killed in retaliation, he had said, as per state-owned Anadolu news agency.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Michelle Bachelet has filed an intervention application with the Indian Supreme Court against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, the Indian Ministry for External Affairs said on Tuesday. The petition by the United Nations came amid ongoing protests in India against the CAA — which was enacted in December last year. The protests took a turn for the worst last week in Delhi, where over 40 people were killed in communal violence in various parts of the city. “Our Permanent Mission in Geneva was informed yesterday evening by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights that her office had filed an Intervention Application in the Supreme Court of India with respect to CAA,” India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in a four-point statement. In his response to the application, Kumar said the citizenship law is an internal matter of India “and concerns the sovereign right of the Indian Parliament to make laws”. He further said that the Indian government “strongly believes” that no foreign party has the capacity to call for action on issues pertaining to India’s sovereignty. He further said that the CAA meets all requirements of India’s constitution and thus is constitutionally valid. “It is reflective of our long-standing national commitment in respect of human rights issues arising from the tragedy of the Partition of India,” he said. “India is a democratic country governed by the rule of law,” the spokesperson said while adding that the
country has “utmost respect for and full trust in our independent judiciary.” He said that the government is confident that their “sound and legally sustainable” position will be proved right by the Indian Supreme Court. Last week, Bachelet had also expressed concern over police inaction during the communal violence that took place in the Indian capital. Then too, the Indian government had said that the CAA was an internal matter of India.
Last year, at the 42nd session of the council in Geneva, Bachelet had expressed she was “deeply concerned” after India initiated its clampdown in occupied Kashmir. India’s move to annex Jammu & Kashmir through revocation of the region’s special status and the imposition of a communications and travel lockdown was also strongly criticised by independent UN experts who termed the moves as “collective punishment” for the entire population.
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