E paper pdf 9th november (isb)

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thursday, 9 november, 2017 i safar-ul-Muzaffar 19, 1439 i rs 19.00 i Vol Viii no 131 i 16 Pages i islamabad edition

graft references

‘ONe MANifeSTO, ONe SyMBOl, ONe PArTy’

Nawaz alleges prejudice as court biNs plea

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

O

uSTed prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday accused the superior judiciary of being prejudiced and “filled with anger” against him, as the accountability court hearing corruption cases against the Sharif family rejected an application filed by the disqualified premier for clubbing together the three references filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), and indicted him separately in each of the three references.

Pleading “not guilty” to all the charges, Nawaz expressed his concern that since the Supreme Court (SC) had given a six-month deadline for the references to be wrapped up, deciding four refer-

ences in this period would mean each case gets just 1.5 months.

However, Judge Muhammad Bashir observed that the cases could conclude within the timeframe if heard simultaneously.

Nawaz also said that he was denied the right to a fair trial and his basic rights were not protected. He claimed that the cases are politically motivated.

When asked by the judge if he had received copies of the indictment, the former premier nodded in the affirmative. He also signed copies of the indictment.

After the indictment, the court revived summons for the prosecution witnesses — Sidra Mansoor of the Securities and exchange Commission of Pakistan (SeCP) and Jahangir Ahmed of federal Board of revenue (fBr) — for their presence in the next hearing.

The court had reserved its ruling on Sharif’s application on Tuesday after hearing arguments from both the defence counsel and the NAB prosecutor. The court will now take up the case again on Nov 15.

Nawaz Sharif along with his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Captain (r) Mohammad Safdar appeared before the accountability court as hearing resumed into the references filed under the directives of the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers case verdict. naWaZ says Was aLreaDy aWare Of DecisiOn: Speaking to reporters as he left the court, Nawaz Sharif said he already knew that the accountability court’s decision would not be in his favour, suggesting that the trial court was influenced by the SC’s detailed judgement on the review petitions filed against the Panama Papers case verdict.

“These judges are full of grudge... their grudge and anger has come out in words,” he said, commenting on the strong words used in the detailed order.

“This grudge, anger and words will become a dark chapter of history,” he added.

Nawaz said the judiciary had penned several dark chapters in Pakistan’s history during dictatorial rules and the judgement on the review petition would be “written in dark letters” as well.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 03

PML-n rejects sc’s verdict, Sharif family’s terms it ‘awful example of sugar mill next prejudice, bigotry’ target of NAB STORY ON PAGE 03

STORY ON PAGE 03

‘Bhais’ reunite

Musharraf hails political treaty between MQM, PSP STORIES ON PAGE 02

Deadlock persists over fresh delimitation of constituencies STORY ON PAGE 04

15 dead as bus falls down bridge near Talagang STORY ON PAGE 02

saudi arabia makes further anti-graft arrests STORY ON PAGE 05

iqBaL Day sPeciaL

ON PAGE 14

02 news

Thursday, 9 november, 2017

‘ONE MANIFESTO, ONE SYMBOL, ONE PARTY’

KARACHI

‘BhAIS’ reUNITe

sTAFF RePORT

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N a bid to consolidate control over Karachi, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) have announced a merger of both parties and have decided to contest the General Elections 2018 under “one name, one symbol and one manifesto”.

The decision was announced at a joint presser on Wednesday by MQM-P chief Farooq Sattar and PSP Chairman Mustafa Kamal. The duo said that they had reached a consensus on keeping their differences apart to ensure that the vote bank from Sindh and Karachi was not divided. The announcement comes a year after the two political factions announced complete disassociation from their former leadership based in London. Addressing the press conference at Karachi Press Club, Farooq Sattar said, “We will contest the upcoming elections under one name and symbol.” He added that the political alliance has been formed for the betterment of all and “it is the need of Karachi, Sindh, and Pakistan”.

The MQM-P chief said the new name and electoral symbol, under which the newly-formed alliance will contest the general elections, will be mutually decided in meetings to be held between the leadership of the two parties in the coming days. He said that it is the duty of the party’s leadership to take its workers onboard with the decision as they want to return Karachi’s government to the people of the city.

The MQM-P chief urged to shun poli-

tics of confrontation and requested workers of both parties to play their part in working towards a common goal. He also stressed that the process of recovering the missing workers should move forward, and appealed that the party’s offices, which are legally its property, be reopened. Raising concerns on the recently conducted census, Sattar said that his party wants to ensure that the citizens of the metropolis are properly counted and represented. He also thanked the workers and supporters of the party for making the November 5 rally a success.

Speaking on the occasion, Mustafa Kamal endorsed MQM-P’s announcement

to continue the joint struggle under one name and symbol and ruled out that the new party will operate under the name of ‘MQM’. “Whatever our identity will be, it certainly won’t be MQM because that name will always belong to the party’s founder [Altaf Hussain],” the PSP chairman said.

He said that both the parties will work together to bring betterment to the country.

The PSP chief said that if a Muhajir is not ready to embrace others as a leader, he will encourage more hatred against the Muhajir community. This has been the reason why Karachi has been so wracked by violence. “It is for the sake of Pakistan;

for the sake of the Muhajir community that I do not want my politics to be solely about Muhajirs. There should be no areas in the city that are inaccessible to members of one ethnic group or the other,” he said. Lamenting that Karachi had been treated unfairly in the recently conducted census, he rejected the census results and claimed that every concerned citizen, including retired judges and intellectuals, agrees with them on it. Referring to the allegedly missing workers, the PSP chief said, “I ask the government to forgive the children of Karachi, in the same manner they forgave Balochistan’s children.”

MUShArrAf hAIlS PolITIcAl TreATy BeTweeN MQM, PSP APML LEADER AMJAD SAYS MUSHARRAF CAN LEAD FORTHCOMING PARTY dUbAI/KArACHI: Former president Pervez Musharraf has welcomed the formation of a political alliance between the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP). In a video message on Wednesday, he shared his opinion even before the alliance was formally announced. The video message was shared on social media from the official account of Musharraf's political party — All Pakistan Muslim league. The MQM and PSP leaders set aside their bitter rivalry to announce that they were gearing up for the eventual consolidation of their political forces. “The modalities of this alliance will be decided in the days to come,” Dr Farooq Sattar said along with PSP chairman Mustafa Kamal. Musharraf started the video message by expressing his delight on the merger of political forces representing what he said the ‘Mohajir’ community. However, he was quick to clarify that he had no sympathy for MQM and didn’t see any future of that party, but it was necessary for the community under one political umbrella.

MUSHArrAF MAY LeAd: APML leader Mohammad Amjad told a press conference in Sindh capital that if the MQM and the Pak Sarzameen Party become part of their alliance, then Musharraf may assume the role of their leader. He recounted that Musharraf had advised them to work together and change the name of the MQM and serve everyone. “Musharraf conveyed this message before and it is still there today,” he said, adding that doing so will help the MQM get into the national fold. The APML leader said that the former president was offered to lead the MQM in the past, but he declined to assume leadership of the MQM and PSP. “They (MQM and PSP) should change their respective names and form a new party,” Amjad suggested. “Everyone knows what compelled the two parties to unify today,” he said, adding that if they become part of their alliance, then the former president may assume role of their leader. AGeNCIes/sTAFF RePORT

Ahsan fails to convince Senate over NIC issued to slain Taliban leader ISLAMABAD sTAFF RePORT

Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal in written a reply to Senate rejected that Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mansoor had been in possession of Pakistani passport and National Identity Card, while maintaining that the card had been issued to a man named Muhammad Wali, son of Shah Muhammad.

Ahsan apprised the house on Wednesday that the enquiry against the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) officials involved in issuing the fake NIC had been completed, and in the light of the report at least three officials had

been handed a “major punishment” — removal from service. He further said that the judicial proceeding against the accused were underway.

However, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Farhatullah Babar—showing dissatisfaction with the minister’s assurances—said action had only been taken against lower-level NADRA employees.

He said, “This is not the solution to the problem”, adding that the government should investigate who gave the orders for the card to be issued, if it was not already doing so. The Senate was further informed that a total of 65,003 ‘fake’ identity cards had been found circulating in the country, of which Punjab accounted for

15 dead as bus falls down bridge near Talagang CHAKWAL: At least 15 people died and many others injured when a bus fell down a bridge on late Wednesday evening. Rescue sources said that a bus carrying 60 members of Tableeghi Jamaat from Kohat to Raiwind fell down a bridge in Talagang area of Chakwal district. However, a private channel reported that due to the absence of rescue services, people resorted to self-help in shifting the injured to the hospitals. Moreover, the hospital reportedly lacked basic health facilities, due to which it was feared that the death toll could rise. Following the reports of the accident, Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed a deep sense of sorrow and grief over the loss of human lives. He extended heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families and directed the administration to provide best healthcare facilities to the injured. The bus met the accident when it was on the way to Lahore to take part in a religious congregation in Raiwind. The first phase of Raiwind Tablighi Jamaat Ijtima concluded on Sunday. Thousands of people attended the congregation and participants departed for their homes after the concluding session. INP

20,865; Sindh for 15,579; Balochistan for 11,859; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for 10,884; FATA for 3,834; Islamabad for 1,087; Azad Jammu Kashmir for 832; and Gilgit Baltistan for 63.

PrOSCrIbed OrGANISATIONS: Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry informed the upper house that a total of 65 organisations were on the government ‘proscribe list’ while six are under observation. Commenting on the changing of names by the Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) and Falaah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), he said the organisations changed their names to reenter the mainstream, following which they had been included in Schedule 2.

“Taking action against proscribed organisations is the responsibility of the provincial governments,” he said, adding that “the ministry receives reports on the activities of these organisations, and it duly apprises the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) and provincial governments of any concerning developments”.

Ghani phones Abbasi to condole official’s killing ISLAMABAD

Key US congressmen call for close engagement with Pakistan WASHINGTON: Continuing his outreach to key members of Congress, Pakistani Ambassador to the United States Aizaz Chaudhry had meetings with Senator Joni Ernst (Republican), Congresswoman Karen Bass (Democrat) and Congressman Chris Stewart (Republican). Senator Ernst is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, while Congresswoman Bass and Congressman Stewart sit on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and House Appropriations Committee, respectively. In back-to-back meetings, Ambassador Chaudhry updated the members of Congress on recent developments in the context of Pakistan-US relations. He briefed them on Pakistan’s perspective on the region, including the situation in Afghanistan. Noting the two countries’ common aspiration for peace and stability in South Asia, Ambassador Chaudhry said it was important for Pakistan and the United States to work together for a political settlement in Afghanistan.

Ambassador Chaudhry informed the US legislators that Pakistan had successfully turned the corner in its fight against terrorism. Pakistan’s improved security environment was paying economic dividends, as evidenced by the country’s status as an emerging market.

The ambassador said greater economic cooperation between the US and Pakistani corporate sectors would generate jobs and prosperity for both countries. The members of Congress appreciated Ambassador Chaudhry’s briefing. They concurred with the ambassador’s assessment of the need for close engagement between the United States and Pakistan in the pursuit of their common goals in the region. INP

Nation celebrates Allama Iqbal Day

sTAFF RePORT

Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday made a phone call to Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to express condolences on behalf of the government and people of Afghanistan on the assassination of Nayyer Iqbal Rana, a diplomatic official serving at Pakistan’s Consulate General in Jalalabad.

The prime minister conveyed to the Afghan president that people of Pakistan were deeply saddened at the killing of the diplomatic official in Jalalabad.

Thanking Afghan leader for condolences on this incident, he said that Pakistan expected urgent steps by the Afghan government to apprehend the culprits of this crime and bring them to the justice at the earliest possible.

He underlined the need for

Both the leaders said they wanted to salvage the Muhajirs and make sure that they are not left uncounted or unrepresented.

At the end of the press conference, Kamal said, “If I have ever offended or hurt any member of the MQM with anything I said in the past, I apologise profusely for it.”

ALI rAzA AbIdI qUITS MqM-P: Soon after Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) and Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) announced the merger, MQMP lawmaker Ali Raza Abidi announced that he was quitting the party as “it was not something he believed in or stood for”. In a tweet on Wednesday, he also announced resigning from his seat in the National Assembly from Karachi (NA-251).

PredICTION COMeS TrUe: Meanwhile, MQM-P’s Deputy Convener Amir Khan, in a conversation with a private news channel, expressed his concerns over the recent development between his party and PSP. “The mandate given to our colleagues was different from what has come forward,” he said and added, “This is not what we agreed upon.” However, MQM-P leader Khawaja Izharul Hassan while speaking to the media had shared that Amir Khan was onboard the present developments and they were in contact with him. Moreover, Sindh Minister for Industries and Commerce Manzoor Wassan said that he had predicted that this development would take place. He had also predicted that MQMP and PSP will now be led from Dubai.

Commenting on the predictions of Manzoor Wassan, former Sindh governor Ishratul Ibad said, “If Wassan had a dream then he would have also seen the person,” and added that he would not have been the person Wassan had seen. The former Sindh governor also denied rumours about the possibility of being appointed as the leader of the merged MQM-P and PSP. “I appreciate the decision of the parties to meet and do away with the rifts because divisions will never benefit the city,” he said, adding that he had not played any part in this development, at least in the recent days.

thorough investigation by the Afghan government to expose the forces behind this abhorrent act. He emphasised the need to promote harmony and cooperation among the two countries through sustained engagement. To realise this objective, he said that it was important to collectively work for deepening the conducive environment of relations between the two countries.

Appreciating the steps taken so far by the Afghan government to apprehend the perpetrators of

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this sad incident, PM Abbasi requested President Ghani that the security of Pakistani nationals in Afghanistan including diplomats and diplomatic premises may be strengthened. The Afghan president assured that the Afghanistan would undertake thorough investigation into the incident to bring the perpetrators to the justice and would take all possible measures to ensure safety and security of Pakistani diplomats and nationals working in Afghanistan.

Pakistan celebrates Iqbal Day today to mark the birth anniversary of Allama Muhammad Iqbal, ‘spiritual father of Pakistan’, with traditional zeal and fervour.

Iqbal, the national poet, philosopher, and politician, played a key role in the Pakistan Movement alongside Muhammad Ali Jinnah. In line with media reports, special prayers will be held in the mosques for the peace, national integrity, prosperity and development of the country. Iqbal Manzil’s caretaker told Online that the main birthday cake cutting ceremony would be held at the Iqbal Manzil where people from all walks of life will participate and the students of different schools and colleges and their teachers will visit the Iqbal Manzil where Kalaam-eIqbal and speech contests will be held.

Iqbal was born on 9 November, 1877, in Sialkot, within the Punjab Province of British India (now in Pakistan). He died on 21 April, 1938, in Lahore, Punjab, British India. Pakistan government officially declared him the national poet. News Desk

Thursday, 9 november, 2017

ShArIf fAMIly’S SUGAr MIll NexT TArGeT of NAB NAB SUMMONS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF ABDULLAH SUGAR MILL ISLAMABAD

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AHMAD AHMADANI

HE National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has extended the scope of its investigation to the Sharif family’s sugar mill—Abdullah Sugar Mill Ltd— over the allegations of creating a monopoly in the market, taking advantages from the Punjab government, and causing heavy loss to the national exchequer, it was learnt.

NAB, in this regard, has so far summoned chief executive officer (CEO) of the Abdullah Sugar Mills Ltd and is likely to summon more of its staffers, besides thorough scrutiny of the mill’s record in the near future.

Informed sources also told Pakistan Today that Abdullah Sugar Mills allegedly caused more than Rs 510 million heavy losses to the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) by not supplying sugar; despite making all-out efforts, the TCP could neither obtain sugar nor the said amount from the mill.

NAB’s call-up notice, copy available with Pakistan Today, stated that Abdullah Sugar Mills CEO was asked to appear before the bureau, and present complete record of participation and performance of TCP tenders NO.SPB1/2007.SPB-3/2007.SPB-4/2007 along with a complete and detailed map of Abdullah Sugar Mills Ltd, as in 2007 to 2011. The bureau also wanted list and record of all the pledges, hypothecation or other charges the mill entered into, from 2006 to 2010.

NAB notice further reveal that CEO

PTI will not hand development funds to MPs as their job is lawmaking: Imran CHITrAL: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday vowed that when his party comes to power, he will not allow development funds to be transferred to party’s members in the National Assembly and provincial assemblies. Addressing a public gathering in Chitral’s polo ground, Imran said that all across the world, the job of MNAs and MPAs is to make laws and not get involved with development funds.

He also alleged that incumbent Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had distributed Rs94 billion among the lawmakers of Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N). The PTI chief said that the lives of the people could only be improved if a local government system functions well, adding that the leaders of the local government are from among the people who elect them, thus enabling them to reach to the grassroots. Talking about his plans when his party comes to power at the centre, Imran said that his government would impose four emergencies, first being that of education. Although he lauded the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government’s work in the field of education, the PTI leader said that the province still has ghost schools and is struggling to improve attendance of teachers at the schools, just like in other parts of the country, despite education emergency imposed by the KP government.

The second emergency, Imran said, would be of the environment. He added that the environment has been polluted a great deal as around 200 billion trees were cut down during the tenure of Awami National Party and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). The third emergency would be imposed to eradicate corruption from the country and rid it of the loans, the PTI chief said. The burden of debts has caused an increase in taxes due to which poor were becoming poorer, to which he vowed that his party-led government will not increase prices. The fourth emergency on the list is to streamline administrative affairs in the country, he said.

Imran Khan was also accompanied by KP Chief Minister (CM) Pervez Khattak and other party leaders. Speaking on the occasion, CM Khattak said that thieves were being tried for accountability in Pakistan, in an apparent reference to the ruling PML-N leaders and the ongoing graft investigations against them. sTAFF RePORT

was asked to provide complete detail and record of delivery of sugar to TCP or its nominated persons/organisations in pursuance of above-mentioned tenders of the TCP. Similarly, the bureau asked for a list of cases, surveyors and other persons appointed by the TCP as a result of the afore-mentioned tenders.

All/any other document related to the above-mentioned matter in support of your plea, said the call-up notice.

“You are advised that failure to comply with this notice may entail penalty consequences as provided at serial No.2 of the schedule of NAO, 199.”

The sources further said that NAB headquarter had allegedly pressured the officials of the bureau whosoever dared to initiate an enquiry against the sugar mills of Sharif family in the past.

“In past, the officials who tried to pursue enquiry against the mill were pressurised by the NAB headquarters, which subsequently resulted in their transfers,” the source said, adding the things were different this time as the NAB DG Saleem Shehzad advised the officials to initiate enquiries against the accused with no fear.

The sugar mill owned by the Sharif family has also come under scrutiny for gaining favours from the provincial government and creating a monopoly in the market that caused heavy losses to

the national kitty, the source said.

They stated that NAB officials were mulling to launch an enquiry against issuing no objection certificates (NOCs) to the five sugar mills of Sharif family for shifting them to new locations in south Punjab.

It is pertinent to mention that audit officials have already raised the matter of loss to the national exchequer by Abdullah Sugar Mills Ltd in the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Expressing grave concerns, the PAC advised the trade ministry to take up the matter in the meeting of next economic coordination committee (ECC). The PAC also advised the ministry to recommend a collection of amounts worth in millions of rupees from the aforementioned mills.

This comes as another to blow to the Sharifs, as Nawaz Sharif, along with sons and daughter, had already been indicted by an accountability court yesterday (Wednesday) in the three NAB references. Following the disqualification of Nawaz in the July 28 judgment, the NAB had filed three references against the Sharif family on the directions of the apex court. The former premier and his sons, Hassan and Hussain, have been named in all three NAB references, while Maryam and husband Safdar have been named only in the Avenfield reference.

PML-N rejects SC’s verdict, terms it ‘awful example of prejudice, bigotry’ ISLAMABAD sTAFF RePORT

The ruling Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) on Wednesday rejected the detailed verdict of the Supreme Court (SC) in the Panama Papers review case, terming it an “awful example of prejudice, bigotry, anger and provocation”.

A resolution, adopted during a high-level huddle of the party chaired by ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif at Punjab House, stated that the apex court had attempted to influence subordinate courts through the judgement. “The language used in the detailed verdict was also not up to the judicial standards,” said the communiqué. In the verdict issued on Tuesday, the apex court had declared that Nawaz Sharif tried to fool the people, parliament and the court in the Panama Papers case.

“He (Sharif) tried to fool the peo-

ple inside and outside Parliament. He even tried to fool the court without realising that ‘you can fool all the people for some of the time, some of the people all the time but you cannot fool all the people all the time’.

Refuge in evasive, equivocal and noncommittal replies does not always help,” says the 23-page judgement authored by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan on the dismissal of the review petitions filed by Nawaz Sharif, his children, and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar. Lambasting the wordings of the verdict that used Urdu poetry to describe how the country was looted by ‘rulers’, the statement said that threetime prime minister’s struggle for the supreme judiciary was the part of history. It was same civilian leadership that turn the nation into a nuclear power, it added. “Therefore, it’s not a question of rulers but the justice.”

Reason behind the damages to the state was questionable judgments is-

sued under ‘doctrine of necessity’ that allowed ‘bandits’ to rule the country, it said, adding that civilian rulers on the other hand were appearing before the courts and presenting themselves for accountability.

Earlier on Wednesday, an accountability court dismissed Nawaz’s plea asking for the clubbing together of three references against him into one. About the accountability court’s decision, the PML-N president complained, “The anger and grudges of judges have come out in their words”.

He said that the court’s decision would be written as a dark chapter in the country’s history, adding that he had already known that the decision would not be in his favour. The accountability court also formally framed charges against Nawaz in person during Wednesday’s hearing. Previously, the former premier had been represented by his attorney during his indictment on Oct 19 and 20.

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‘contacting Nawaz would be tantamount to betraying country’ ISLAMAbAd: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday came down hard on Nawaz Sharif following the latter’s statements against the country’s judiciary and said that Sharif had unveiled his “undemocratic” agenda. Speaking to media after chairing a meeting of PPP in Islamabad, the former president said that contacting Nawaz Sharif in these circumstances would be tantamount to betraying the country.

Zardari claimed that Sharif had presented his “unknown agenda” in front of everyone after belittling the Supreme Court and accountability court judges. “Nawaz is following the agenda of certain international powers”, Zardari alleged, adding that PPP would never let Nawaz succeed in his plans. Zardari went on to add that an attack on judges was equal to an attack on Constitution which was the same as an attack on democracy. Nawaz considers himself above law and accountability, he said. “The nation knows that I will never become a part of any conspiracy against the democracy,” Zardari added. Attacking the deposed prime minister further, Zardari accused him of trying to make the Pakistan Army his slave and of blackmailing judges. sTAFF RePORT

Govt decides to cut down security provided to Panama JIT members ISLAMAbAd: State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Wednesday said that the government was cutting down the security detail being provided to the members of the joint investigation team (JIT) which had probed allegations of financial misappropriation and money laundering against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif and his family. “Rangers’ vehicles accompany even the children of the JIT members when they go to buy vegetables,” Chaudhry said.

“The JIT members will be provided only with necessary security,” the minister added. “The SC has had a lot to say with regards to the JIT members: they are being provided with a lot, in accordance with the Supreme Court’s observations,” Chaudhry said, taking a snipe at the apex court. The members of the JIT had faced at least one open threat while they were conducting their investigations into the Sharif family’s business dealings. Senator Nehal Hashmi had delivered an incendiary speech in May, an apparent outburst against the judiciary, that cost him his membership of the ruling PML-N. The suo moto notice of Hashmi’s speech was taken by the chief justice, which had also led the former PML-N leader to resign from the Senate.

Later, however, Hashmi had retracted his resignation. During a hearing of the case against Hashmi in the SC, the court had compared the government to the Sicilian mafia. sTAFF RePORT

Nawaz alleges prejudice as court bins plea ContInueD fRoM pAge 01 FOrGerY CHArGeS deLeTed: During the hearing on Wednesday, the court also decided an application filed by Maryam and her husband Safdar for deletion of a charge related to the use of Calibri font.

The accountability court had on Oct 19, indicted Maryam and Safdar in the Avenfield reference related to London properties. Besides other charges, the court also charged Maryam with signing a document in Calibri font in February 2006 when that font did not exist.

Announcing its judgement, the court decided to delete Section 3(a) of National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999 dealing with forgery from the charges against the couple. The charge could be reinstated in case the prosecution comes up with solid evidence against the accused related to forgery.

The application filed by Advocate Amjad Pervez had pointed out that “as

per mandatory provision envisage by Section 30 of the NAO 1999, the cognizance of an offence of false evidence committed in the course of the investigation or trial is to be taken upon pronouncement of judgement”.

It appears that NAB filed the references against the ousted prime minister and his children in ‘haste’ as the prosecution told the accountability court on Tuesday that NAB was still waiting for key evidence from other countries.

Special prosecutor Wasiq Malik during the course of arguments had opposed Sharif’s application for clubbing together the three references and said that NAB under the Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) was seeking key evidence from other countries on the basis of which the number of accused persons might increase in each of three references. “If we could get any tangible evidence, we will be in position to implicate other accused persons as mentioned in the July 28 verdict of the

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Supreme Court,” Malik had said.

Advocate Khawaja Haris, counsel of Sharif, had pointed out that NAB should have waited for evidence before filing of references. “They should have completed the investigation and would file the reference after receipt of evidence,” he had argued. The counsel had argued that the offences against Sharif in all three references were identical and same in nature. He requested the court

to club the references for a joint trial of all the accused persons.

Deputy prosecutor general Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi, however, had opposed clubbing of references, pointing out that the SC had passed specific directions for filing of three references against the Sharif family and one against Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in its July 28 verdict.

He said that the Section 234 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and Section 17-D of the NAO was for single accused where as in all the three references, there was a set of accused persons in each reference.

He said that the references, including Flagship Investment Co, were related to the private firms established by Hassan Nawaz in the UK, Al-Azizia reference was about the companies owned by Hussain Nawaz in Saudi Arabia whereas the Avenfield Properties reference alleged all the Sharif family members of purchasing four flats in Park Lane, UK, without legitimate financial means.

04 NEWS Pakistan Navy fully prepared to safeguard maritime frontiers: PM ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, while reposing complete trust and confidence in the professional capabilities of the Pakistan Navy, said the force was fully prepared to defend country’s maritime frontiers. During his visit to the Naval Headquarters (NHQ) on Wednesday, the prime minister said he fully realises the importance of maritime sector; it has great economic potential and Pakistan’s progress was dependent on the development of the sector. Expressing satisfaction over the resilence of the naval force, the PM remarked that the naval force was fully prepared to safeguard national maritime interests, defend its sea frontiers and provide security to the Gwadar Port and the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The PM assured that the government would provide full support to the Pakistan Navy in order to ensure that the force remains effective in meeting the future challenges. Earlier, detailed briefings were given to the visiting dignitaries on “Maritime Security Challenges to Pakistan and Development of Maritime Sector” and “Requirement of Additional Shipyards”. Senior officials from relevant ministries also attended the briefing. The PM also visited Command Operation Center where he was briefed on the ongoing operational activities. Earlier upon arrival at the NHQ, the premier was received by Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi. APP

Thursday, 9 November, 2017

DeaDlock Persists over fresh DeliMitatioN of coNstitueNcies ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

HE parliamentary committee formed to evolve consensus on a constitutional amendment to delimit constituencies based on the recently held population census on Wednesday failed yet again to reach an agreement on the issue.

“The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has said that it will go to the Supreme Court (SC) for directions if the parliament fails to decide on something, but we hope to resolve the matter amongst ourselves,” National Assembly (NA) Speaker Ayaz Sadiq told reporters after a meeting with parliamentary leaders.

Sadiq said that though a consensus had not been reached regarding the amendment, there was an agreement over holding elections in a timely manner.

However, he dismissed NA Opposition Leader Khursheed Shah’s suggestion that the elections be held based on the previous census, saying the law and the constitution did not allow for it.

The NA speaker also denied reports of a heated argument between Awami Muslim League (AML) Chairman Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai and said that everyone had

presented their point of view in a cordial environment.

Speaking to journalists, Federal Minister for Law Zaid Hamid stressed the importance of having the constitutional amendment passed as the government could approve the provisional census results using a simple majority vote but a constitutional amendment — which requires a two-third vote to be initiated — is required for delimitation of constituencies to take place.

Speaking to journalists earlier, Sheikh Rasheed had said that the government does not have the numbers for a constitutional amendment. “The meeting of parliamentary leaders has failed,” he said.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that he did not foresee the Pakistan People’s Party’s reservations being addressed.

Speaking to the media, ECP Director General Arshad Khan said that the election watchdog had asked the government to pass the amendment by Nov 10. However, he said that even if the government is able to do it within the next 10 days, the ECP can begin its work on time.

He said that the ECP requires four months to complete the process of delimitation of the constituencies and added that the elections can be held on time if the commission is timely provided with

the provisional census report. “If a decision is not made in time, holding the elections [according to the schedule] will become difficult,” he added.

The law minister had introduced the constitutional amendment bill in the NA on Nov 2 after an “agreement” among all factions was reached after a two-day meeting of all parliamentary leaders.

But soon after the introduction of the bill, PPP’s parliamentary leader Syed Naveed Qamar had declared the move “unconstitutional”, alleging that the government had ‘tricked’ them by saying that the bill was being moved in the light of the decision of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) though it was not the case.

Similarly, MQM parliamentary leader Dr Farooq Sattar had also criticised the government’s move to introduce the bill without taking any step to allay the concerns of Sindh. He said the MQM had serious concerns over the census results and suggested delimitation on the basis of number of voters, instead of the population.

The PPP has since demanded that the amendment be approved by the CCI before being brought to the parliament while the MQM has suggested that the delimitation of constituencies be based on voter lists rather than the recentlyheld census.

Pak-India relations face many challenges: former Indian high commissioner LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, Gautam Bambawale, said on Wednesday that the two countries' relationship witnessed several challenges in the last two years. Bambawale made the comments while exiting the country via the Wagah Border crossing. The diplomat claimed that he is satisfied after "having done a lot" during his stint in Islamabad. He added that he hopes to come back to Pakistan but cannot say when that will happen. During Bambawale’s tenure, Pakistan-India relations witnessed several lows, with the most notable being the arrest of Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav from Balochistan in 2016. Moreover, the repeated cross-border violations from India in Kashmir, as well as the Working Boundary, have marred relations between the two countries. The diplomat was recently posted as the Indian ambassador in China. Ajay Bisaria will now take over as India's new high commissioner to Pakistan. Bisaria was serving as Indian's envoy to Poland.

Court to ‘diagnose’ Dar’s illness when he appears in person ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The accountability court on Wednesday dismissed Finance Minister Ishaq Dar’s plea seeking exemption from personal appearance and ordered his guarantor to appear in person and ensure that Dar also appears before the court at the next hearing in connection with the graft case against him.

The minister, who is said to be in London for heart treatment, is accused by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) of possessing assets disproportionate to his declared sources of income.

During the hearing, Ishaq Dar’s secondary counsel, Ayesha Hamid, requested the court to grant her client exemption from appearance on medical grounds and argued that the court should continue the case by approving the appointment of a legal representative.

Interestingly, Dar nominated Zafir

Khan as his pleader, the same person who pleaded on behalf of Nawaz Sharif while he was in London attending to his wife. After initially reserving its judgement on the application, the court declared that Dar must appear in the court himself and he could then file an application stating he wants to be represented by a pleader.

The court upheld the bailable arrest warrants previously issued against Dar and doubled the surety ordered against the warrants from Rs1 million to 2m.

The hearing of the case was adjourned until November 14. The judge observed that when the minister appears next, the court will have a separate medical examination conducted to ascertain the nature of Dar’s ailment.

The court further ordered Dar’s bail guarantor to ensure the minister’s presence at the next hearing, warning that the surety bond of Rs 5 million would be confiscated in case of a no-show.

DAR MAY NOT RETURN: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had earlier told journalists that Ishaq Dar may not return to Pakistan in the near future.

Earlier, the anti-graft watchdog’s Lahore office had ordered all departments concerned and banks to freeze Dar’s accounts as well as any moveable or immovable assets that he owns in Pakistan and had also issued arrest warrants against him for not appearing before the court. The Supreme Court (SC), in its Panama Papers case verdict, had ordered NAB to investigate the accused named in the report filed by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT).

The JIT had pointed out an exorbitant increase in Dar’s assets from 2008 to 2009. NAB authorities summoned the minister but he did not appear for investigation, arguing that NAB could not investigate him as he had filed a review petition in the apex court.

No record of Rs695mn spent during PTI, PAT protests in 2014, PAC told ISLAMABAD INP

During a session of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) held on Wednesday, an audit report provided by the Interior Ministry revealed that Rs695mn spent during the 2014 Islamabad sit-in by the Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) had not been recorded in the government's cash book.

According to the report, the money was drawn through 30 cheques in the name of a Drawing and Disbursing Officer; however, there was "no acknowledgement available in the

CMYK

record" of the sums withdrawn.

The audit report stated that the capital's administrators had reasoned that the political protests had resulted in an "emergency situation ... regarding law and order" because of which they had to request supplementary grants from the Finance Department through the Interior Ministry.

"All sanctions in this regard were issued by the DFA [financial adviser] for advance withdrawal of funds required to meet the emergency situation," the audit report recounted.

The city's administrators further assured audit officials that "each and every receipt [was] verified by the Ad-

ditional Inspector General and Superintendent of Police (Headquarters) of the ICT police" and that funds were "utilised properly".

However, when asked whether an emergency had actually been declared in the capital, Islamabad's chief commissioner said there was no need for an official declaration.

The revelation also sparked a furious argument between PTI's Arif Alvi and the PML-N's Mian Abdul Manan, with the former claiming that the protests saved "billions of rupees", while the latter demanding an explanation for how the expenditures could be justified.

Thursday, 9 November, 2017

sauDi arabia Makes further aNti-graft arrests RIYADH

s

Trump said those arrested had been “‘milking’ their country for years”.

But some Western officials expressed unease at the possible reaction in the opaque tribal and royal politics of the world’s largest oil exporter.

Saudi Arabia’s stock market continued to fall in early trade on Wednesday because of concern about the economic impact of its anti-corruption purge. The Saudi index .TASI was 1.0 per cent lower after half an hour of trade. Shares in companies linked to people detained in the investigation slid further. Late on Tuesday, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Saudi central bank sought to ease worries about the probe.They said that while individuals were being targeted and having their bank accounts frozen, national and multinational companies - including those wholly or partly owned by individuals under investigation - would not be disrupted. Anti-corruption authorities have also frozen the bank accounts of Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, one of the most senior members of the ruling Al Saud, and some of his immediate family members, the sources added.

Prince Mohammed, or MbN as he is known, was ousted as Crown Prince in June when King Salman replaced him with the

AGENCIES

AUDI Arabian authorities have made further arrests in an anti-corruption crackdown on the kingdom’s political and business elite, sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

An Azeri news agency reports citing Reuters that dozens of royal family members, officials and business executives have already been held in the purge announced on Saturday and face allegations of money laundering, bribery, extortion and exploiting public office for personal gain. But the sources, speaking on Wednesday, said a number of additional individuals suspected of wrongdoing have been detained in a continuation of the crackdown.

A number of those held most recently include individuals with links to the immediate family of the late Crown Prince and Defence Minister Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz who died in 2011, the sources said.

Others appear to be lower-level managers and officials, one of the sources said.

Many Saudis have cheered the purge as an attack on the theft of state funds by the rich, and US President Donald

then Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the man behind the anti-graft drive.

Since Sunday, the central bank has been expanding the list of accounts it is requiring lenders to freeze on an almost hourly basis, one regional banker said, declining to be named because he was not authorized to speak to media.

MURDOch DYNASTY LOSES SUppORT: An arrested Saudi prince who helped the Murdoch family maintain its grip on their media empire has offloaded his stake in 21st Century Fox, leaving them more vulnerable to pressure from restless shareholders. Days after it was revealed that Fox held talks about selling the bulk of its business to Disney, it has emerged that Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is no longer a shareholder in the company.

Alwaleed was among the biggest names arrested in Saudi Arabia’s crackdown on its wealthy elites at the weekend. As a global media investor he has been a key ally of the Murdochs and helped them see off shareholder protests over their dominance of Fox and its strategy.

The family control 39pc of the voting rights in Fox despite only holding a 17pc financial stake, thanks to the company’s controversial two-tier stock structure.

Pakistan to fund ‘Jinnah Chair’ at LSE LONDON AGENCIES

The London School of Economics (LSE) has welcomed Prime Minister (PM) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s announcement of establishing the Jinnah Chair under the LSE South Asia Centre which would be funded by the government of Pakistan.

LSE has confirmed that PM Abbasi made the commitment during his recent visit to the university to attend the Future of Pakistan Conference 2017 organised by LSE Pakistan Development Society in collaboration with South Asia Centre and Communication Research Strategies, Islamabad. LSE officials said that the Jinnah Chair will become the first-ever, dedicated and focused research

agenda on Pakistan at a world-class higher education institute and become the first such research programme on Pakistan in the world.

It said that the research agenda will explore Pakistan’s constitutional democracy and focus on major aspects about Pakistan independent of relations with India or the war on terror. The announcement of the establishment of the Jinnah Chair has been welcomed by the LSE Director Minouche Shafik and the LSE South Asia Centre Director Dr Mukulika Banerjee.

LSE Pakistan Development Society President Omer Azhar Bhatti was the lead organiser of the Future of Pakistan Conference. He said that the Prime Minister’s visit will go down in history books because this is the first time that the sitting PM of Pakistan has spoken at a truly world-class institution like LSE.

‘Pakistan, Iran want Afghan development’ ISLAMABAD: Iranian scholar Dr Saadullah Zarei has said that both Pakistan and Iran wants peace and development in Afghanistan.

He was addressing the round-table conference on Iranian perspective on Iran-Pakistan relations and regional security organised by the Centre for International Strategic Studies (CISS) here in Islamabad on Wednesday.

Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) Chairman and former Ambassador to Iran Khalid Mahmood chaired the conference.

Centre for International Strategic Studies (CISS) Executive Director Ambassador Ali Sarwar Naqvi hosted the key speakers. Dr Zarei said that Pakistan and Iran along with China, Russia and Turkey wants peace and development in Afghanistan and want to play

their positive role for its development.

Although Iran has good relations with India but it has also supported Pakistan on international level, he said. “Being Muslim country, Iran has strong relations with Pakistan over India,” he added. Answering a question, Dr Zarei said that Iran don’t want Pakistan to limit its relations with Saudi Arabia whereas Iran wants more strong relations between them, as regional cooperation is very important for the security. INP Defining the security, he said that meaning of security was changed now. In the past, “meaning of security was to protect yourself against your enemy but now security is more like cooperation. A county has more cooperation with other countries is more secured,” he said. INP

‘Nawaz facing courts unlike others’ ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Marriyum Aurangzeb, talking to the media outside the accountability court here on Wednesday, said that Nawaz Sharif, who had elevated Pakistan to the prestigious status of a nuclear power and protected the judiciary, was today sitting in the court to uphold the sanctity of law and constitution, while those who sabotaged the constitution, attacked the judiciary and the parliament and abused the constitutional institutions were roaming around freely. Referring to the mention of a caravan in the Supreme Court decision on the review petition of Sharifs, she said that history was witness to the fact that caravan of Pakistan was vandalised only when the judicial system became subservient to the dictatorship.

She said that it was a historical reality that people had invariably given their own verdicts whenever a popular leader was ousted through the sword of law. She said that the people of Pakistan had thrice given their verdict in favour of Nawaz Sharif, who now had been disqualified on the basis of Iqama. AGENCIES

NEWS

05

SC says beneficiary of property cannot become its owner ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The Supreme Court (SC) observed on Wednesday that a beneficiary of some property cannot become its owner, as it sought an explanation whether Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Jahangir Tareen was required to disclose the trust property under the law.

The three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar and comprising Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Faisal Arab gave this observation as it continued hearing of a petition filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hanif Abbasi seeking the disqualification of PTI Chairman Imran Khan and Jahangir Tareen over the alleged non-disclosure of assets, existence of offshore companies, as well as receiving foreign funding for their party.

CJP Nisar, while referring to the Panama Papers verdict, observed that the main issue in the case was the source of money which was used to purchase the UK properties. According to the trust deed present in the court, Tareen is discretionary lifetime beneficiary of his UK properties.

The three-judge bench also maintained that avoidance of tax through legal means is not considered dishonesty. On this, Abbasi’s lawyer Azid Nafees said that the court, while deciding the issue of honesty, should examine the conduct of the candidate. Nafees alleged that the documents submitted by Tareen in the court concerning 18,500 acres of contracted land were forged. He ar-

gued that the PTI leader has adopted varying positions regarding the aggregate agricultural income he declared in his 2013 nomination papers.

The lawyer said that, in a written response submitted before the court, the PTI leader adopted the stance that he was not liable to pay tax on the contracted land.

Later, the position was adopted that there was no column on the nomination papers for Tareen to declare the income he earned from the land. "The documents regarding the contract are fake," the lawyer alleged.

"Jahangir Tareen did not pay any tax on his agricultural income," the lawyer further told the court, adding that the leased land is not registered with the Department of Finance. "Registering the land was the land owner's responsibility," Justice Arab said.

"If Tareen was paying such a large sum for the land, he should have had it registered," the lawyer argued. "We will have to see if the documents presented by Tareen prove dishonesty," the chief justice said.

TRUST DEED: Completing his arguments regarding the contracted land, Abbasi's lawyer shifted his attention to a trust through which Tareen had bought property in Britain.

The lawyer recalled that Tareen, in a response submitted to the court earlier, had said that his children are the actual beneficiaries of the trust, not him. However, the lawyer argued, according to the trust deed submitted before the court, Tareen is the beneficiary of the trust, along with his wife and children.

‘Lack of will among India, allies threatens UNSC reform’ UNITED NATIONS APP

Pakistan has told the United Nations General Assembly that lack of political will on part of India, Brazil, Germany and Japan, known as G-4, continued to threaten efforts to reform the Security Council, warning that the resulting inertia risked jeopardising the 15-member body’s credibility and that of the entire UN system.

“These countries seek a privileged and unequal status for themselves, anchored in power politics, which is in sharp contradiction to the democratic spirit of our times,” Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi said while referring to the G-4’s push for permanent membership in an expanded Security Council.

In this regard, she reaffirmed Pakistan’s consistent opposition to the creation of new permanent seats, as they contravened principles of democracy, accountability and transparency. She said that such a measure would promote the self-serving interests of a few and would compromise the council’s efficiency and effectiveness.

She also said that Pakistan favoured expansion in the non-permanent category of membership, based on equitable geographic distribution, as the natural starting point for any reform of the council. Currently, the Security Council is composed of five permanent members, Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, and 10 non-permanent members that are elected in groups of five to two-year terms.

SC orders AG to respond to IHC judge’s plea seeking open trial in SJC ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf Ali to submit a written response to Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui’s plea for an open trial of a reference pending against him before the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), within two weeks.

Justice Siddiqui had sought an open trial after a complaint alleging professional misconduct was filed against him by a retired employee of the Capital Development Authority (CDA). The CDA employee had raised issue over money spent on the refurbishment of the senior

judge’s official residence beyond what he was entitled to.

A five-member bench of the apex court ─ headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmed ─ also appointed Advocate Shahid Hamid and Munir A Malik amicus curiae (friends of the court) for the proceedings.

During the hearing, Justice Ijazul Ahsan observed that the case was one of public interest. "This is a unique case and will have far-reaching consequences," the judge said.

"We do not want to bury this case; we want to solve this matter," Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed concurred. "We have to determine the boundaries between an independent judiciary and the accountability of judges," he added.

The hearing of the case was adjourned indefinitely.

In the previous hearing of the case, the apex bench had dismissed Justice Siddiqui's request to suspend the SJC's proceedings against him until the court decides upon his plea for a public trial.

However, later in the day, Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar stayed the proceedings of the SJC in view of the pending proceedings in the apex court.

Justice Siddiqui's petition has questioned paragraph 13 of the SJC Procedure of Inquiry, 2005, which deals with incamera proceedings, and argued that the section is in violation of Articles 4, 10A, 18 and 25 of the Constitution because it does not allow trial before the council to

take place in accordance with the law and is detrimental to the life and liberty of the one facing trial.

The petition has argued that the SJC had erred by observing that it was on account of the sanctity of the institution and the dignity of the applicant and other judges whose matters were enquired into by the council that in-camera proceedings were expedient.

“It is in the larger interests of the judiciary that the proceedings are not conducted in open court as the issues brought before SJC and the allegations levelled may ultimately be proved to be false, frivolous and vexatious,” the council had held in its order.

But the petitioner judge had argued

that the sanctity of no institution can be protected by making it a cloistered virtue.

“There is no greater protection than free speech and a free press for the independence of the constitutional institutions,” the petition argued.

Moreover, the petitioner has nothing to hide and his dignity is not compromised if the proceedings are held in the open, the petition said, adding that it was not in the interest of the judiciary if the proceedings of the council were held incamera because it would damage the image of the institutions.

“The very guardians of justice cannot deny their brethren the protection of a public hearing due process,” the petition emphasised.

06 ISLAMABAD

WEATHER UPDATES THURSDAY

Thursday, 9 November, 2017

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Banned cleric leads protest procession into capital TLYR LEADERSHIP PRESSURES GOVERNMENT TO ACCEPT THEIR DEMANDS ISLAMABAD

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FARID SABRI

WO religious clerics, who had been banned from entering Islamabad by Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration, not only managed to successfully enter the capital but were also able to hold separate protests on October 23 and November 7 respectively, Pakistan Today has learnt.

Dr Asif Ashraf Jalali and Maulana Khadim Hussain Rizvi were among a number of religious scholars and sectarian agitators whom ICT administration banned from entering Islamabad on September 21 for two months to maintain peace during the month of Muharram.

Due to the protest led by Maulana Khadim Hussain Rizvi on Wednesday,

the citizens of twin cities Islamabad and Rawalpindi faced severe road blockages on the Islamabad Highway, the 9th avenue and Blue Area’s Jinnah Avenue. Alternative routes announced

by Islamabad traffic police were also choked by late Wednesday evening.

The protestors, belonging to the Tehreek Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLYR), arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday and demanded that the government identified and punished the persons responsible behind the recent change of wording in the declaration of finality of prophethood in election laws. More than 3,000 protestors participated in the rally and staged a temporary sit-in in Faizabad.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday evening, Maulana Rizvi said that they wouldn't leave Islamabad until their demands were met.

An official of the administration complained, “It is sheer negligence on Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration’s behalf that a banned cleric was able to enter into the capital and make demands from the federal government. The Islamabad police and administration seem to have lost their writ since a group of people ‘managed’ to choke the capital

twice in a week.”

According to sources, district administration and local police have made arrangements to prevent the protesters from entering the Red Zone. All entry and exit points of the Red Zone including D Chowk have been completely sealed. District administration and the police are also in contact with Rawalpindi administration for joint security arrangements.

Meanwhile, the capital’s roads face severe blockages and diversion plans are in effect. Under these, Kalsoom plaza, Jinnah Avenue and Punjab Express Chowk will remain closed on both sides for traffic, while commuters would be able to use Fazle-Haq, Nazim-ud-Din and Margalla roads instead. Similarly, the road from State Bank Chowk to Radio Pakistan would also remain closed while commuters would be able to use Embassy Road and Margalla Road instead. The road from Kurianwala Chowk to Dhokri Kashmir Highway would also be closed for traffic.

According to sources, the protestors are presenting six demands for the government. These are the ending of restrictions of the registration of FIR under 295/C, hanging of all cul-

prits involved in blasphemy, taking action against those involved in amending the affidavit of finality of prophethood, abolishing the loudspeaker act, ending cases against leaders and workers of the Tehreek Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah and including Islamic teachings in the curriculum which were previously excluded.

When contacted, an official of district administration said that there was no deadlock between the Tehreek and government, adding that there was hope that an understanding between the two parties would be reached as early as Thursday. However, the government is also fully prepared to deal with any untoward situation and has about 10,000 lawenforcers deputed for the purpose.

This was the second of two rallies conducted for similar purposes by two factions of Tehreek Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah. The Khadim Hussain Rizvi faction of the Tehreek had dissociated itself from Dr Asif Ashraf Jalali’s Tehreek Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah, which ended its six-day sit-in in Lahore and Islamabad a few days back (Sunday). The earlier rally had failed to attract a lot of attention due to its small number of participants.

HEC departments running headless ISLAMABAD HAMID KHAn WAzIR

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) is facing severe management and policy issues, because of the non-appointment of heads of various departments, Pakistan Today has learnt reliably.

HEC is an independent, autonomous, and constitutionally established institution responsible for primary funding, overseeing, regulating, and accrediting Pakistan’s higher education.

Sources privy to the development told Pakistan Today that various departments of HEC were functioning without heads, due to which the commission was facing severe management and pol-

icy issues. They said that positions for information technology director general (DG), research and development DG, services DG, and quality assurance agency DG were among a few important posts which were lying vacant.

The sources said that in the absence of officials occupying these positions, other officials were assigned additional charges. This not only caused frustration among these officials but also badly disturbed the working of the commission. They added that the commission is receiving complaints from people on a regular basis mainly due to non-appointment of heads of various departments.

The HEC is responsible for formulating higher education policy and quality assurance to meet interna-

tional standards, as well as accrediting academic degrees, development of new institutions, and uplifting existing institutions in Pakistan, therefore, the vacant posts should have been filled long ago, the sources added.

A senior official said that HEC had launched a number of initiatives, such as an online degree attestation system, adding that the commission has created a new portal, through which applications for degrees attestation can be submitted. He added that the system was designed to facilitate degree-holders to save them from waiting in long queues to have their documents attested.

However, the official said that the students pass through a great ordeal because the link of the portal is frequently not working and despite receiving

complaints on a daily basis, no action has been taken to fix the problem.

He also said that HEC has started another good initiative called Education Testing Council (ETC) which conducts free of cost tests for various posts, but all such good moves prove counter-productive due to ill-planning as several universities are yet to conduct testing through ETC. The official lamented that the situation is similar in all departments which are running without a headperson.

Hence there are resentments among officials because some unqualified officials have been given additional charges.

When contacted, HEC Director (Media) Ayesha Ikram said that the vacancies for the posts have been advertised.

AIOU holds seminar on healthy lifestyle ISLAMABAD: A national seminar was held here on Wednesday at Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) to create awareness for promoting a healthy lifestyle and to develop environmentfriendly cities and towns. The seminar was aimed at drawing the attention of the people towards the importance of urbanisation and healthy environment to ensure a better life. The seminar was the part of the series, undertaken on the initiative of Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Shahid Siddiqui to provide research-based academic input to the society in addressing socio-economic issues. The university is encouraging and motivating academicians to focus on linking their research-study with the general development of society. The speakers at the seminar included Education Dean Dr Nasir Mahmood, Department of Home and Health Sciences Chairperson Professor Dr Nomana Anjum, and Health Sciences Assistant Professor Dr Hajra Ahmed.

The speakers called for greater focus on urbanisation and prevalence of chronic diseases and urban health through sustainable urban planning. APP

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JUI-F calls protest agaInst Voa pUshto radIo statIons PESHAWAR SHAMIM SHAHID

Accusing Pushto radio stations associated with the Voice of America (VoA) for spreading negative propaganda, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) directed its affiliated organisations throughout Federally Administrative Tribal Areas (FATA) to stage protest rallies and demonstration.

In this respect, the first demonstration will be arranged by Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba Khyber Agency, affiliated with JUI-F, at Bab-i-Khyber on Thursday, followed by similar protest processions and rallies to be held in the other six tribal agencies and frontier regions. In South Waziristan Agency, protest rallies in Ahmadzai Wazir and Mehsud dominated areas will be held on two different days.

The protests are scheduled to be held over about three weeks and will conclude with a rally at Dera Ismael Khan on November 30.

The JUI-F accused the United States (US) media organs like Deewa Radio, Mashaal Radio and Radio Azadi for insulting and making jokes about Islamic norms, working against Pakistan’s solidarity, launching negative propaganda against security and defence organs and propagating a one-sided narrative against political future of FATA. The JUI-F directed its affiliated organisations to stage demonstrations and processions, and to set ablaze effigies of the American organs, with an aim to make the Pashtoon community aware of their “nefarious designs”.

In reaction, the FATA Reforms Movement assured the media organs of its whole-hearted support and denounced the JUI-F and its affiliated organisations’ move. When contacted by Pakistan Today, FATA JUI-F chief Mufti Abdul Shakoor confirmed calling organisations affiliated with the party to arrange protest processions and rallies. He said that the US had for several years been involved not only in acts against Islamic countries but also killing innocent people, especially tribesmen, through drones. On such grounds, he said that the protest scheduled against Pushto channels of VoA was justified.

The Tribal Union of Journalists leader Qazi Fazlullah denounced JUI-F’s move, calling it uncalled for. He said that the JUI-F leaders wanted to curb press freedom and pressurize media people in tribal areas, adding that they would not be allowed to “harm press freedom or terrorise fellow journalists”. He said that the tribal union of journalists would approach journalist organisations from all over the country in this connection.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Federal Union of JournalistsBarna group (PFUJ) through a press statement also denounced the move and urged the JUI-F leaders to call back its protest. He added that in case the political party failed to do so, journalists from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA will be justified in the steps they take for their safety and press freedom. PFUJ senior vice president assured FATA journalists of whole-hearted support in this respect and demanded of the government to a take notice of JUI-F protest schedule.

Jirgas infuriated over tribesmen’s forced displacements PESHAWAR SHAMIM SHAHID

Many elders and representatives from different clans of Mehsud tribe from South Waziristan grieved over the shifting of around 1174 families from Boobar and Shaktoyee of Ladha region to Bakakhel camp near Bannu.

In this respect, the elders held a jirga at political administration camp office in Bannu on Tuesday and another jirga at Haq Nawaz Shaheed Park Dera Ismael Khan on Wednesday. The elders expressed severe concerns over the tribesmen’s expulsion from their homes and their forced movement from their villages to Bakekhel camps.

The majority of these people have arrived in camp but there are a few, including women and children, who are bringing goats and sheep with them and are still on their way.

The personnel of security forces provided transport facilities to some of the elderly, women and children but the large majority of them were forced to walk.

A human rights activist from South Waziristan Mr Manzoor Ahmad Pashteen told media that the tribesmen were directed to walk towards Bakakhel camp immediately and were not allowed to collect even basic necessities such as warm clothes, blankets etc before leaving. He said that over 1000 families have reached in Bakakhel and are facing severe hardships.

A large number of them have not been provided with tents, blankets, plastic sheets and other items yet, he added.

The elderly from all clans and sub-clans

of Mehsud tribe are infuriated over the forced shifting of these people from their homes to tent villages, Mehsud said. The elders approached political agents of South Waziristan to arrange shelters for the displaced people, in response to which, the political agents assured them that their requests would be conveyed to Peshawar and Islamabad.

Although an official statement has not been issued, the political administration informed media that a military operation was going to be conducted in the area connecting Razmak town of North Waziristan with Makeen town of South Waziristan.

The two areas are adjacent to a part of the mountainous area of Shawal, which is mostly under the country’s security forces’ occupation and which connects South Waziristan, North Waziristan and Afghanistan’s province Paktya.

The tribesmen of the two villages were first made to abandon their homes when armed forces embarked on military action Raah-i-Nijaat in 2009. They returned to homes on completion of the military action but were forced to evacuate again when armed forces started operation Zarb-i-Azab in June 2014. They returned to their homes in 2015-2016.

Since 2009, almost all members of the Mehsud tribe have been displaced due to terror and military action. These displaced tribesmen never remain in camps, choosing to move to rented houses and, when they can, with their relatives and friends. Many Meshud tribesmen also have houses in Tank and Dera Ismael Khan districts of Khyber Agency in addition to their houses in South Waziristan.

Thursday, 9 November, 2017

US ShoUlD StiCk to iran nUClear Deal: eU BRUSSELS

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AGENCIES

HE European Union's top diplomat said on Tuesday the bloc is working with Congress and the Trump administration to ensure America's new policy toward Iran doesn't lead it to violate a landmark nuclear deal.

Federica Mogherini said that in meetings in Washington this week she had stressed the importance the EU places on upholding the agreement.

Under the 2015 accord, Iran curbed its nuclear program in exchange for an easing of international economic sanctions.

Mogherini allowed that it is “a delicate moment” for the deal since President Donald Trump refused last month to certify Iran's compliance, saying the

benefits Tehran is getting from the deal are not proportional to its concessions.

She said she is hopeful the US would continue to meet its obligations.

“We want to see the United States continue its implementation in the future,” she told reporters at a news conference. “The EU has a security interest in keeping the deal working.”

She declined to comment on whether legislation pending before Congress that would attach additional conditions for US sanctions relief would violate the deal, saying it was a domestic US political matter.

However, Mogherini said she had gotten a “clear indication that the intention is to keep the US compliant”. She did not elaborate.

The European diplomat's reticence to delve into the messy US political fight was echoed by Yukiya Amano,

Philippines scraps sandbar plan after China anger: defence chief MANILA AGENCIES

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered troops to scrap plans of building a fishermen’s shelter on a sandbar in the disputed South China Sea after Beijing complained, his defence chief said Wednesday.

The military in August brought bamboo and palm roofing materials to one of three sandbars that emerged near one of their garrisons in the Spratlys archipelago in the contested sea, Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said. “We tried to put some structures (on) one of the sandbars near our island and the Chinese reacted,” Lorenzana told a regional security forum. “And so the president came to know about this and he said: ‘Let’s pull out’.”

The apparent reversal comes at a time of improving relations between China and the Philippines, which until recently had bitterly contested their overlapping claims to the sea. Lorenzana later told reporters that Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano advised Duterte there was an agreement between the two nations not to put up structures on new South “We did not occupy it but some of our fishermen would like to establish a shelter there. They (China) saw it and they complained, so we had to pull out,” Lorenzana said. China claims most of the strategically vital sea, through which $5 trillion in annual shipping trade passes, and which is believed to sit atop vast oil and gas deposits.

It has been turning reefs in the sea into islands, installing military aircraft and missile systems on them.

China’s sweeping claims overlap with those of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, as well as Taiwan. The Philippines had for many years been one of the region’s strongest opponents to Chinese expansionism. A United Nations-backed tribunal ruled last year that China’s territorial claims in the sea were without legal basis. But the Philippines, under Duterte, decided not to use the verdict to pressure China, instead electing to build closer ties in return for billions of dollars in investments and aid.

Lorenzana said the sandbar the military had planned to build the shelter on was a 500square-metre (5,382-square-foot) outcrop located 4.6 kilometres (2.9 miles) from Philippine-held Thitu island. Thitu is located about 26 kilometres (16 miles) from one of the artificial Chinese islands.

Philippines’ Duterte warns of ‘revolutionary government’ Lorenzana said the sandbars were now empty and that Manila was not worried China would occupy them in turn. Nevertheless, he said he was concerned over the potential for future confrontation as Chinese fishing fleets escorted by maritime patrol vessels showed up in waters considered a traditional Filipino fishing ground.

the International Atomic Energy Agency chief, who was in Washington meeting with US senators and top members of the Trump administration.

“This is a domestic US issue. We do not intervene,” said Amano, whose agency is charged with monitoring and verifying implementation of the nuclear deal. Amano said since the US remains a party of the agreement, his agency's work is unaffected by the political machinations in Washington.

Amano, in an Associated Press interview, said Iran's leaders had reiterated to him during his recent visit to Tehran that they remain committed to implementing the deal “under the existing framework”. He said the Iranians had pledged they won't be the first ones to “walk away” from the deal.

“They are watching very, very carefully,” he said.

FOREIGN NEWS 07

Mogherini repeated the long-held EU position that the agreement cannot be reopened for negotiation, a stance also held by Iran and the other signatories.

“If you reopen one part of it, the entire agreement is reopened,” she said.

“Renegotiating part of the agreement is not an option.”

Trump administration officials have said that in order for the US to remain in the agreement it must be fixed to remove so-called “sunset clauses” under which certain restrictions on Iran's activities expire. Deal opponents say those clauses provide a pathway for Iran to resume atomic development that could lead to the production of a bomb.

Mogherini said that despite the expiration of those limits, Iran is obligated under the agreement to never develop nuclear weapons.

Trump warns North Korea's 'cruel dictatorship' against underestimating the US SEOUL AGENCIES

President Donald Trump warned the "cruel dictatorship" of North Korea against underestimating the United States on Wednesday, but offered leader Kim Jong-Un a better alternative if he gives up his nuclear ambitions.

In an address to the South Korean parliament — the first by a US president for 24 years — Trump painted a dark picture of Pyongyang as an oppressive, despotic regime.

He called on the world to act, specifically singling out the North's allies China — where he was headed for later on Wednesday — and Russia. "North Korea is a country ruled as a cult," the US leader declared, a year to the day after his election victory.

"At the centre of this military cult is a deranged belief in the leader's destiny to rule as parent protector over a conquered Korean peninsula and an enslaved Korean people."

South Korean lawmakers applauded as the US president, whose tour of Asia has been dominated by fears over the nuclear-armed North, vowed not to be intimidated and warned Pyongyang that it should not test American resolve.

The North carried out its sixth nuclear test in September, by far its most powerful to date, and has fired dozens of missiles in recent months.

Two have overflown key US ally Japan, and Pyongyang says it can mount a nuclear warhead on a rocket with the US mainland within range.

Trump, who previously vowed a North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capability "won't happen", again warned Pyongyang not to strike.

"We will not permit America or our allies to be blackmailed or attacked," he said, or "allow American cities to be threatened with destruction".

Ahead of his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump called on the world to unite against the threat from North Korea.

"You cannot support, you cannot supply, you cannot accept," he said, urging China and Russia to fully implement UN sanctions, downgrade diplomatic ties, and sever all trade and technology ties.

"To those nations that choose to ignore this threat, or, worse still, to enable it, the weight of this crisis is on your conscience," he added ahead of his trip to China which is responsible for about 90 percent of the North's commerce.

DMZ NO-GO: Earlier, Trump was forced to abandon a surprise visit to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that divides the two Koreas because of bad weather, leaving him "pretty frustrated" according to the White House.

South Korean President Moon

Jae-In, who had flown earlier before fog closed in, was left waiting for him at a guard post on the border, which bristles with electric fences, minefields and anti-tank barriers.

In his speech, Trump described the DMZ as "the line that today divides the oppressed and the free", where "the flourishing ends, and the prison state of North Korea sadly begins".

The North's ruling Kim dynasty has led the impoverished, isolated country with an iron fist and pervasive personality cult for three generations, showing no tolerance for political dissent.

The regime has for decades been criticised for a range of rights abuses including torture, rape and execution of perceived critics or those trying to flee the country.

It is also known to operate prison camps where hundreds of thousands languish under forced labour, and its 25 million people are barred from contact with the outside world such as foreign television or internet access.

While Trump condemned the authorities, he also made overtures to leader Kim Jong-Un, who has overseen rapid advances in its weapons technology.

In what he said was a direct message to the country's young leader, he told him: "The weapons you are acquiring are not making you safer. They are putting your regime in great danger.

Schools shut as toxic smog hits Delhi NEW DELHI AGENCIES

Authorities shut all schools in the Indian capital on Wednesday as pollution hit nearly 30 times the World Health Organization's safe level, prompting doctors to warn of a public health emergency.

Dense grey smog shrouded the roads of the world's most polluted capital. Many pedestrians and bikers wore masks or covered their mouths with handkerchiefs and scarves.

The US embassy website showed the concentration of PM 2.5 -- the microscopic particles that are the most damaging to health -- topped 700 early on Wednesday morning, 28 times the WHO guidelines.

"Due to the deteriorating air quality in Delhi, the health of children cannot be compromised," tweeted Manish Sisodia, Delhi´s deputy chief minister.

"We have ordered the closure of all the schools in Delhi until Sunday."

An estimated five million students are enrolled in nearly 6,000 government and private schools in the capital, according to official data.

The Indian Medical Association warned of a public health emergency and urged administrators to "curb this menace", while the Environment Pollution Authority warned that things were set to get worse in the coming days.

"When I came to Delhi in 1984, the air in the city was clean. But today when I left at 4 am for work I could barely see anything," said Jeevanand Joshi, a roadside tea seller.

"This is not fog, this is smoke, and it is certainly making us sick."

The city of 20 million has the unenviable distinction of being the world's most polluted major city, often surpassing Beijing.

Since 2014, when WHO figures showed the extent of the crisis, authorities in Delhi have closed power plants temporarily and experimented with taking some cars off the road. But the temporary measures have had little effect.

Delhi's air quality typically worsens before the onset of winter as cooler air traps pollutants near the ground and prevents them from dispersing into the atmosphere, a phenomenon known as inversion.

High levels of moisture in the air and a lack of wind meant emissions had become trapped in the environment, according to India´s Central Pollution Control Board.

Firecrackers set off to celebrate last month's Diwali festival of lights in the city added to the toxic mix created by pollution from diesel engines, coal-fired power plants and industrial emissions.

The problem is further exacerbated by farmers who burn crop stubble after the harvest in northern India, a practice that remains commonplace despite an official ban.

On Tuesday the Environment Pollution Authority, which was set up by the Supreme Court to tackle the issue, ordered the closure of dust-spewing brick kilns and an increase in parking fees to encourage the use of public transport.

"In terms of air pollution, things are expected to get much worse in the coming days," Bhure Lal, head of the agency, said in a statement late Tuesday.

Saudi arrests could be more about power politics: HRW DUBAI

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AGENCIES

AUDI Arabia's arrest of prominent royals and businessmen under the banner of battling corruption could, in fact, be more a case of internal power politics, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday.

Late Saturday, authorities in the Gulf powerhouse launched what they said was an anti-graft drive which netted dozens of high-profile businessmen and politicians.

Those detained included billionaire Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal and

the head of the national guard, Prince Miteb bin Abdullah.

Powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was behind the arrest orders after he became head of the Anti-Corruption Committee created earlier the same day.

"The middle-of-the-night simultaneous establishment of a new corruption body and mass arrests over corruption raise concerns that Saudi authorities detained people en masse and without outlining the basis of the detentions," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at the New York-based HRW. "While Saudi media are framing

these measures as Mohammed bin Salman's move against corruption, the mass arrests suggest this may be more about internal power politics," she said.

HRW said the mass arrest of princes, current and former government ministers and officials, as well as prominent businessmen, raises human rights concerns.

Saudi authorities should immediately reveal the legal and evidentiary basis for each person's detention and ensure that each can exercise due process rights, it said. Riyadh has defended the arrests as legal, saying that the suspects had been subjected

to extensive investigation.

The authorities also said they were freezing the bank accounts of the accused and promised they would be tried in a court of law.

"It's great that Saudi authorities are declaring that they want to take on the scourge of corruption, but the right way to do that is through diligent judicial investigations against actual wrongdoing, not sensationalistic mass arrests to a luxury hotel," Whitson said.

The Ritz Carlton hotel in Riyadh is rumoured to be the site where many of those arrested are being held.

08 COMMENT

Thursday, 9 November, 2017

Why do politicians hate technocrats?

Nawaz Sharif and the Supreme Court

Introduce skilled professionals in govt, give them autonomy to work and the required results will follow

A blunt answer to ‘Why have I been removed?’

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AWAZ Sharif, already disqualified by the Supreme Court from holding public office, faces corruption references now that can land him to jail. Sharif’s confidence in his mechanism of control over NAB and other accountability related agencies led him to reject the opposition’s offer to resolve the Panama case through parliament. Sharif decided instead to take the case to the Supreme Court.

None in the family could imagine that the apex court would seek the help of the two prime security agencies under the army’s control which maintain updated records on the sleazy affairs of those who matter. The way ISI and MI readily accepted the assignment led Nawaz Sharif to ascribe it to some sort of collusion between the army and the apex court.

Sharif made an attempt to wriggle out of the situation by recourse to public pressure. The tone and tenor of the fiery addresses during the Islamabad to Lahore rally wherein Sharif questioned the reasons for his disqualification backfired. Important PML-N leaders opposed the policy of confrontation with the establishment.

A later move, within the system this time, to amend Articles 62 and 63 to reduce Sharif’s disqualification period was foiled by the opposition parties.

Nawaz had been repeatedly asking why he was ousted. he has got the reply he was asking for. The remarks in the Supreme Court verdict rejecting the review pleas are highly damaging. “he (Sharif) never came forth with the entire truth” and “tried to fool the people inside and outside the parliament,” says the judgment as it spells out in detail the reasons behind Sharif’s disqualification. The verdict has elicited a strong reaction from Nawaz Sharif and daughter Maryam, the first accusing the judges of being full of grudge and anger and the later calling it ‘travesty of justice’ resulting from ‘immense pressure’ on the judges. Facing a relentless court and an opposition unwilling to lend a helping hand, Nawaz Sharif is finally at the end of his tether. What perturbs many is that the grip of the elected government on the affairs the state has continued to weaken.

Fruitful talks with Iran But where is the civilian input?

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OAS Qamar Javed Bajwa’s three day visit to Iran concluded on an overall positive note with both countries agreeing to support each other “within the framework of strengthening regional security and stability” in addition to respecting each other’s territorial integrity.

Iran’s predominant grievance with Pakistan is exCOAS General Raheel Sharif being allowed to serve as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Saudi-led Islamic Military Alliance. Naturally Iran takes exception to the formation of the IMA which consists of Sunni-only countries with Riyadh as its headquarters and is sceptical of its actual purpose.

What assurances Gen Bajwa has been able to give Iran remains unclear, perhaps an agreement that Pakistani soldiers will not form an active part of the alliance? Nevertheless, the visit has provided a muchneeded thaw in uneasy relations with a strategically crucial neighbour. Multiple meetings were held between the COAS and Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan before Gen Bajwa’s departure as preparation.

US President Donald Trump has taken a harder line against Pakistan with the provocative inclusion of India as an important stakeholder in its latest Afghan policy while simultaneously aborting the Iran nuclear deal which was a tough fought win for the Obama administration.

Both these strategic shifts under Trump make it all the more logical for Pakistan and Iran to bolster their relations and safeguard their respective interests.

Both countries also have legitimate concerns over border security that were discussed during the visit as well. Indian spy Kulbhushan Yadav entered Pakistan via the Iranian border while Sunni militant groups are able to infiltrate Iran via Pakistan’s border and kill their soldiers - the latest incident took place in April this year when 10 Iranian border guards were killed. Cooperation leading to better border management will benefit both countries in protecting their respective territories.

That issues related to mutual relations are being discussed with the leadership of Iran and Afghanistan by Pakistan’s military chief rather than its civilian leaders is against the democratic norms and strengthens the perception of the army calling the shots which is not a good sign.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor

Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad Joint Editor Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

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NaDeeM Ul HaqUe

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heNeveR ‘elected’ dynastic governments start to unravel the myth of a technocratic government backed by the army is rolled out by politicians and sympathizers of their misrule.

Myths about ‘technocrats’ ‘Technocrat’ is anyone “not in bureaucracy or army, not in politics and somewhat educated.”

In an age of specialization, all semi-well clad, reasonably well-read people who are outside the government are regarded as power hungry connivers looking for an in with the army. All retired bureaucrats or army generals are technocrats as are all businessmen even if their own businesses are not growing or successful.

This definition is very different from what the rest of the world thinks. Technocrats is more or less an obsolete term used to describe technically capable people who could provide research, managerial, and other technical skills towards the making of a better society and government.

The emphasis was on the need for specialized skills in areas such as the management and development of energy, transport, environment, economics, education health and many other increasingly technical subjects as societies and economies get more complex.

All army coups are backed by and staffed by technocrats. Review the evidence and you will see that this myth is based on the definition of technocrat as a dilettante.

It is true that dictators make an effort to find some professional people for better governance and policy. After an initial 2-3 years, their cabinets contain the usual politicians. even the early

technocratic cabinet had businessman and retired bureaucrats in cabinet positions and not necessarily highly skilled professionals matched to the right positions.

The truth is that the invisible bureaucrat— the powerful mafia in control—has run all systems through both martial law and democracy even when occasionally a few technocrats are allowed into the periphery. They thrive on the notion that any bureaucrat with no specialized training is very well-equipped to revolve between managing and making policy in education, health energy, railways, and all other technical positions in government and even outside.

Democracy is incompatible with technocracy. Recently the Interior minister wrote an oped arguing that the issue was “democracy vs technocracy.” Civil servants, columnists and anchors all point out that policy and projects are whims of politicians with no need for technical scrutiny. Politicians love this arbitrary power that is handed to them and argue vociferously against technical skills in government. Sympathizers especially the civil servants have a vested interest in decrying special skills in government.

Government only needs politics and no technical skills. elected governments revel in bad appointments and their supporters don’t seem to mind.

Yet modern governance—whether martial law or democracy—requires that key positions— management of public sector agencies as well as the development of policy—should be staffed by the best available professionals. Regulatory agencies—SBP NePRA, PeMRA, SeCP, OGDC etc.—should be deeply staffed with the best professionals and be given the widest possible autonomy to do their job. Similarly, universities, hospitals, utilities and many public service provision agencies should all be professionally staffed and with autonomy from politics.

Why would elected governments not be competent in government?

We elect an imperial Prime Minister. The Urdu word ‘hakumat’ helps create this erroneous impression. They want the PM to have unbridled power and everyone should be ‘under him.’ Most commentators believe that elected leaders have a ‘divine right to rule.’

People elect representatives asking them to frame laws and influence policy in line with mandate from the election. elections don’t give

the right to rule the country whimsically, signing foreign deals at will, initiating projects as they like, spending public money without check, and gifting state land and contracts to favorites.

The role of elected leaders Consider how a corporation is run. Shareholders elect the board of directors to oversee the running of the company who in turn hire the best professional managers to execute the policies approved by the board. even the policies of the corporation don’t come only from the board. Most often they are well-researched proposals from the management and staff that the board considers and approves.

We should think of the elected parliamentarians and the cabinet as board members. They are there for oversight and decision-making not to run the government. Ministers should not be running executing agencies for public service provision. Cabinets and parliaments review reports and policy proposals arising from agencies. Ministries monitor and develop reports on public service provision and occasionally propose required policy changes.

Good governance arises through such checks and balances and specializations of role.

Professionalizing government is no longer an option. For too long, dilettantes have had their whimsical ways and have refused to succumb to discipline. All positions everywhere—government agencies, universities, police, journalism and Tv—should be filled with competent professionals of a high quality.

Continuous attacks on professionals must be understood as means to preserve status quo of arbitrary rule. Democracy versus martial law and throw in technocrats on the side of the army merely suggests that democracy wants an Imperial Prime Ministry which is totally undemocratic.

Let us also stop talking of obsolete terms like technocrats that lump all manner of skilled professionals into one vague category.

Politicians must stop dumping on knowledge and skilled people. Instead they need to develop a healthier relationship with learning and professionals.

Nadeem Ul Haque is former deputy chairman of the Planning Commission. He can be reached at: Twitter @nadeemhaque; Email: nhaque_imf@yahoo.com. He blogs at: http://development20.blogspot.com/

How elections are stolen A weak election commission can never execute free and fair elections

Dr FariD a Malik Those who cast ballots change nothing Those who count them change everything

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he ‘Bolshevik or Soviet Revolution’ is being discussed after completing its century (1917 – 2017). Marshal Stalin’s approach of stealing ballots was perhaps the biggest disservice to the movement. For long term sustainability of a country or organization people’s participation is a requirement otherwise it becomes a farce and everything collapses.

There is famous verse in Urdu Poetry that says:

(Dying only once was not that bad) Dying again and again is like repeated executions or leaving the body hanging on the gallows.

As a nation our mandate has been repeatedly stolen through ten farce elections and two fake national referendums between 1977 to 2013. In 70 years there has been only one free and fair election in 1970. We have been robbed ten times of our most valuable asset called ‘leadership’.

On reading the statement of the interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal in which he claimed that the parliament was a very credible institution, I did not know whether to laugh or to cry. My friend Dr. Kamal Monnoo the economist has claimed in his article ‘Was Plato thinking today’s Pakistan’ that on the net currency conversion basis the average wage level of a Pakistani parliamentarian and government servant is the highest in South Asia and significantly higher than our friend China, the emerging superpower of the world.

It does not end here. Pakistan also has the world’s richest Generals, Scientists and even Judges while the nation continues to languish.

Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9 Fax: 021-35381208

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There seems to be an unholy alliance against the masses, people’s verdict is repeatedly manipulated to derail change and strengthen status-quo. This has led to widespread frustration amongst the youth who see no light at the end of the tunnel.

In hte NA-125 constituency of Lahore, Khawaja Saad Rafiq stole the election back in 2013. There was a spontaneous dharna at Lalik Chowk, DhA, Lahore by the first-time voters.

Pakistan is a young nation where over 50% of the population is consists of the youth whose future is in a phase of change rather than statusquo. A vast majority of them voted for PTI, yet PML-N won. The election tribunal de-seated Saad Rafiq who then got a stay from the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP). Only a few months remain in his term of office yet there seems to be no urgency in containing and then correcting this blatant electoral manipulation.

The electoral contest in NA-122 should have been an eye opener as it was held in the home ground of Sharifs from where they emerged in 1985. Gawalmandi of Lahore is an old neighbourhood. Next to the ‘Baans Bazar’ and not too far from Islamia College Railway Road, the area is thickly populated.

There have been mass recruitments from the area in all government departments from Police to Patwari - no government function has been spared.

Loyalty to the house of Sharif’s ensures rapid promotion and unlimited favours. The 56 public sector corporations established by the Punjab Government are infested with selected favorites. The Lahore high Court (LhC) is currently hearing cases of misappropriation of funds reported around Rs 80 billion, with the ‘Saaf Paani’ Company being the biggest disaster of them all.

Several public-sector companies were set up by the truly elected government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (ZAB) in the seventies to improve governance. Technocrats were appointed from the private sector to head these corporations. Syed Babar Ali headed the National Fertilizer Corporation (NFC), Dr. Bilgrami was the MD of Resource Development Corporation to name a few.

Today the scenario is totally different. LhC should seek a list of all the CeO’s of these public sector enterprises together with their qualifi-

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

cations and salaries. Loyal bureaucrats have been posted at exorbitant salaries thereby defeating the basic purpose of forming these entities while drawing millions in salaries with very little output. It has been reported that a Grade 20 officer who was DG LDA is drawing a monthly salary in excess of Rs 2 million in glaring violation of rules.

In a network of loyalists paid through the public exchequer the evil empire is untouchable.

Ballot boxes can be stuffed, voters list manipulated, families scattered and harassed, development projects launched/stopped, opposition punished, Police unleashed, property ownership disputed through ‘Patwaris’, tax notices served; there is an apparatus of coercion that can violently tame defiance of the citizen.

No country can survive without functional institutions each operating in its own orbit under a constitutional framework. Luckily in our struggle for democracy we were able to formulate a unanimous constitution in 1973 that has ensured survival of the federation despite several onslaughts. But the election Commission has not succeeded in holding a credible ballot since 1977 which is why the entire electoral process needs a major overhaul together with organizational restructuring. Judges of the Superior judiciary are poor managers, the same mismanagement has been carried over to the commission. A national election calls for major administrative acumen that has not been seen. Same irregularities are repeatedly reported yet there is no correction only blames. “ ” (People’s verdict) will only be possible if the Mafia Networks of ‘Siasis’ and ‘Sarkaris’ are shattered. Casting not counting of ballots by unscrupulous elements should be decisive for democracy to survive and flourish. In the words of ZAB, “elections rock a nation”; which should be for the nourishment of a masses not their exploitation and demise as has been the case since 1977 with ten farce elections and two fake referendums.

Dr Farid A Malik is ex-Chairman, Pakistan Science Foundation. He can be contacted at: fmaliks@hotmail.com. http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk I

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

COMMENT 09

Thursday, 9 November, 2017

Editor’s mail

Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan.

Fax: +92-42-32535230 E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively

The review petition verdict

Balfour: the shame and dangers of ignoring Arab opinion and rights Illegitimate boundaries drawn by imperialists have left an entire region in a state of perpetual conflict

Washington Watch

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Dr JaMes J Zogby

N 1919, following the first World War, the victorious Allied Powers met in Paris to remake the world. The prime ministers of Italy, France, and Great Britain as well as U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, collectively known as “The Big Four,” were the decisive diplomatic players at the meeting. Under their leadership, the lands of the defeated Central Powers were picked apart. The Austro-hungarian empire was dissolved into smaller central european nations. Germany lost territory and was served with an extremely punitive and expensive peace treaty. In several cases, the triumphant Big Four parceled out bits of land to themselves.

It was in this context of post-war imperial conquest that the fate of the Arab lands of the defeated Ottoman empire was decided.

During WWI, the Allies had overcome the Ottomans with the important assistance of local Arabs who had rebelled against Turkish rule.

Among these formerly Ottoman subjects was emir Faisal, the son of Sharif hussein of Mecca. Faisal arrived in Paris seeking assurance that the British would honor the commitment they had made to his father: post-war independence for all the Arab lands that had been liberated from Turkish control.

The conference also heard from Chaim Weizmann, a leader of the British Zionist movement. Weizmann argued for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in the Arab territory known as Palestine. During his presentation, Weizmann cited in its entirety the Balfour Declaration –the 1917 promise made to the Zionist movement by British Foreign Secretary, Lord Balfour, stating that the British government favored the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine.

It was exactly this conflicting maze of treaties and agreements that led to the outbreak of the World War. And it was with the very aim of preventing another such calamity that in 1919 Woodrow Wilson proposed the foundation of a League of Nations—a body designed to bring international diplomacy into the light of day and rule of law. Wilson believed that by promoting

international agreement and democracy, sover- tions, the King-Crane report made a series of eignty, liberty, and self-determination, an envi- suggestions. With regard to the fate of Palestine, ronment for a lasting peace would be created. they suggested that the Zionist project, to which Wilson, therefore, did not arrive in Paris with an they had been initially sympathetic, should be agenda of expanding U.S. territory in the east, dramatically scaled back—both by limiting Jewbut with the idea that a lasting peace was achiev- ish migration and by dismissing the eventual goal of a Jewish state in Palestine. able and the best outcome.

The report’s suggestions continued on for So when the Ottoman question arose, Wilson made a proposal in keeping with his ideal of self- pages on certain specific issues, but strikingly, determination: Ask the people who live there what comes across is the recognition that local, what they want. This was, of course, an idea in this case largely Arab, opinions mattered. Like completely alien to the imperial ambitions of Wilson, King and Crane fully accepted that imFrance and Britain and certainly out of place at posing policy against the will of the population the Paris conference, where the unofficial motto would generate massive resistance. however, the was “To the victor belong the spoils.” Yet Wilson British and French—old hands at the colonial was not daunted by the radical nature of his sug- game—were undeterred.

Lord Balfour, for one, sharply rejected the gestion. Instead, he declared that the newly liberated Arabs should shape their own destiny and Wilsonian approach. “In Palestine,” he declared, that any settlement “of territory [or] of sover- “we do not propose even to go through the form eignty [should be determined on] the basis of the of consulting the wishes of the present inhabifree acceptance of that settlement by the people tants of the country, though the American commission has. [. . .] Zionism, be it right or wrong, immediately concerned.”

With that, Wilson commissioned the first good or bad, is...of far profounder import than the desire and prejudices of survey of Arab opinion. In the 700,000 Arabs who June of 1919, an American now inhabit that ancient commission, led by the land.”

President of Oberlin ColLord Ballege, Dr. henry King, and At the time, the population of fourInhadthehisend, way. Instead of a businessman and diploindependence, boundaries mat named Charles Crane, the region in question was were drawn, dismembering arrived in the Mediter3,247,500, of whom 2,365,000 the Arab east and creating ranean coastal city of Jaffa British and French spheres to begin the first-ever Arab were Muslim, 587,560 were of influence over the newly public opinion survey. The Commission traveled Christian, 140,000 were Druze created states of Lebanon and Syria (France) and throughout what was then and 11,000 were Jewish. trans-Jordan and Iraq known as Greater Syria, (Britain) as well as Palesincluding modern-day tine (also to the British, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, with the understanding that and Palestine. They visited it would become the “Jewthree dozen towns, met with representatives of 442 organizations and re- ish homeland”).

These deplorable actions by the imperial ceived nearly 2,000 petitions. At each stop they tried to ascertain what the local population powers set the stage for the multiple conflicts wanted for their political future—to be inde- that have plagued the region ever since. As pendent or placed under the mandate of a foreign British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told the power. They asked how the people viewed New Statesman in 2002: “A lot of the problems British and French plans to divide their region. we are having to deal with now, I have to deal They also questioned local populations about with now, are a consequence of our colonial Britain’s intention to support the Zionist goal of past […] The Balfour declaration and the cona “Jewish homeland” in Palestine. At the time, tradictory assurances which were being given the population of the region in question was to Palestinians in private at the same time as 3,247,500, of whom 2,365,000 were Muslim, they were being given to the Israelis - again, an 587,560 were Christian, 140,000 were Druze and interesting history for us but not an entirely honourable one.”

11,000 were Jewish.

And so, the 100th anniversary of the BalThe results were particularly adamant on certain issues. Among them: “The non-Jewish four Declaration is not cause for celebration. population of Palestine – nearly nine-tenths of Rather it should prompt us to recall the grave the whole – are emphatically against the entire injustice that imperial acquisitiveness and racist Zionist program […] There was no one thing insensitivity have done to an innocent Arab naupon which the population of Palestine were tion. Their rights and opinions were ignored more agreed than upon this.” This feeling was and as a result the last 100 years have been also shared by the broader population of the en- marked by unceasing conflict and suffering. tire Arab east: “Only two requests – those for a This is the shame of Balfour. united Syria and for independence – had a larger Dr James J zogby is President, Arab support,” continued the King-Crane report.

Based on the responses of the local popula- American Institute.

SUPReMe Court on Tuesday released a detailed judgement on the review petition filed by the Sharif family against Supreme Court’s July 28 Panama case verdict.

While this verdict is more damning than the one before, this verdict has completely diminished all the doubts about the failings of the previous verdict. however, the tone of the judgement is harsh and full of revenge. As if the judges have been watching the media campaign run by the family against them. however, this is not how judgements usually are. Did we see the judges using flowery language in the Mumtaz Qadri murder case?

The use of such language hints towards a certain bias, which shouldn’t be displayed unabashedly. The courts should observe caution in such situations specially whenever a politically motivated case is brought forth. What these judges say in court will become a news headline in the ever-growing news media of the country. So, the question arises whether these judges say such things for mere publicity.

In a country where political news is the bread and butter of most newsmen, the panama case is one of the most widely covered cases in the country’s history and the mere remarks given by judges in courts have great significance.

Such language might also feel derogatory and in the game of politics, and in a nation where leaders are usually voted to the throne through rural areas, there is a need throw caution to the wind and refrain from using such language.

This might give a person more political significance or make him lose voter support.

I also believe that the courtroom coverage of media channels is farce and leaves a lot to be desired.

Sensationalizing news and spinning remarks at crucial stages of the cases leaves an adverse effect on the case. We don’t usually learn from our mistakes; therefore, this only paints a blurry picture of the future.

MINAHIL SHAHAb Islamabad

Revival of film industry PAKISTAN’S film industry has seen a revival over the past few years with the production of several films. however, when it comes to the actual revival, and films based on compelling stories, Shoain Mansoor gets all the credit. his back to back hits in Khuda Kay Liye and bol have been supreme hits and have attracted critical praise. Now he is b,ack for another film Verna which is highlighting another important issue, the problems faced by women in Pakistan. After a long time we are seeing a movie where a female is given the lead role. Woman’s portrayal in the Asian film industry, here and abroad, has usually been extremely submissive. however, this movie seems to break that barrier and allows us to think beyond a woman who only gets stay at the house.

Pakistan’s cinema requires a push through films which project different issues that are usually swept under the carpet due to the politics-only media channels. Moreover, such movies help in creating awareness in the masses. I remember when bol came out, some of my friends who used to make fun of the transgender community, stopped doing that. After that particular film, the focus of advocacy and human rights group shifted towards the rights of transgenders. Moreover, the way Verna is being marketed is also a first in a country where filmmakers can’t go beyond their financial woes. A film is usually not marketed in multi mediums and as a result films don’t attract enough audience. Moreover, films should also hit the diverse demographics across the country, which usually depends on the clarity that they offer.

Mahira Khan who has been in the news for the past month will now be starring in her second Shoaib Mansoor film. These films don’t just serve as pastime for people, but also serve as an educational tool for a generation that usually consumes foreign content on a typical movie night. having said that, I think there is a need for the state to support the film industry in order to improve the reach of such cinemas.

HAIDEr ALI GArDEzI Islamabad

Wolves guarding sheep The list of Off-Shore account holders in Panama followed

by Paradise Leaks are people involved in either tax evasion, tax avoidance or those allegedly involved in laundering their black money. The irony is that sitting Finance Minister and Special Adviser on Revenue are both on this list. how can anybody expect revenue generation through direct taxation or a documented economy by men at helm in Finance Ministry, who themselves are involved in resorting to technicalities for either evading or avoiding taxes and even worse money laundering?

Mr Omar Cheema the ICIJ representative in a recent television talk show narrated the incidence of NAB probing foreign exchange valued at over Rs 70 Crores being remitted from abroad to family bank account of Special Adviser, who has no declared sources of foreign earnings. This is just like Wolves Guarding Sheep. Names of retired Khakis like Mirza Aslam Beg, Mansoor ul haq, Zahid Ali Akbar, Fazal haq etc have brought shame and ignominy to an institution which can proudly proclaim to have valiant sons of this soil like Shaheed Aziz Bhatti, Shaheed Shabbir Sharif etc. Now that a good and healthy precedent has been set where an elected PM has been disqualified for irregularities and unethical practices, it is time to have an across board accountability of all cadres.

A CHANDIo Sukkur

10 BUSINESS

Thursday, November 9, 2017

FBR eyeIng 1.4mn FIleRs thIs yeaR, haRoon tells nmC PaRtICIPants ISLAMABAD

Inquiry ordered into Rs2.45bn loss by Jamshoro Power Company ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Taking serious notice of Rs 2.45 billion loss allegedly registered by the Jamshoro Power Company (777 MW Jamshoro Power Plant) in the financial year 2016, Power Division Federal Minister Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Laghari has ordered immediate inquiry and fixation of responsibility.

The minister ordered the inquiry in a meeting held here to evaluate the GENCOs and way forward. The federal minister also took stern notice of decline in profit from Rs 1.469 billion in the finical year 2014 to Rs 751 million in 2015 and Rs 780 million (unaudited) in 2017 by the Jamshoro Power Company and ordered to investigate the reason in the same inquiry report.

The Jamshoro Power Company registered a loss of Rs 2.453 billion during the financial year ending June 30, 2016. The same company, however, earned a profit of Rs 1.469 billion in the financial year ending June 30, 2014, a profit of Rs 751 million in the financial year ending June 30, 2015, and a profit of Rs 780 million in the financial year ending June 30, 2017.

The minister has directed the GENCO Holding Company CEO to conduct the inquiry into the accounts of the company for the last four year and ascertain the reasons of mismatch in profit and loss of the company within 15 days. He further directed that strict action will be taken in the light of inquiry against the officials, said energy ministry in a statement issued on Wednesday. The federal minister also directed that in case of failure to complete the inquiry within time, an external inquiry will be conducted. Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Laghari said that transparency in all types of transaction will be ensured and the Power Division will go to any extent in this regard. He emphasised that transparent transactions are bound to produce good results.

The federal minister further directed the Power Division to figure out the role of the GENCOs in the country’s energy plan for the future, keeping into consideration the supply, demand and emergency scenarios. This exercise would help GENCOs to evolve a future strategy of either modernisation of exit for better utilisation of resources, added the minister.

s

STAFF REPORT

PECIAL Assistant to the Prime Minister on Revenue Haroon Akhtar Khan has described the state of the economy as "healthy and stable" with most of the economic indicators showing positive growth trends as evidenced by stable ratings regularly given to Pakistan by international agencies monitoring our economic performance.

He was speaking to the participants of the 107th National Management Course (NMC) during their visit to the FBR House on Wednesday. FBR Chairman Tariq Mahmood Pasha, National School of Public Policy Dean Naeem Aslam and members of the FBR were also present.

Giving an overview of the state of the economy and the growth trends on the revenue generation front, Haroon said the country was well on its way to achieving 6 per cent GDP growth during the ongoing fiscal as compared to 5.3 per cent growth recorded last year.

He said a similar growth trajectory was visible in the revenue collection which had gone up from Rs 1946 billion in 2013 to Rs 3362 billion in 2017, recording an overall 73 per cent growth in the last four years.

He said FBR was looking at Rs 4000 billion revenue target for the ongoing fiscal and even though it was a humongous task, efforts made in recent years had paid dividends and made it possible for the government to give away an additional Rs 3500 billion to the provinces under the NFC

which would not have possible without optimal resource mobilisation.

"We have shown results despite a marked decrease in the inflation which is around 4 per cent currently as against 9 per cent in 2013 and almost 25 per cent in 2008-09.

Haroon Akhtar also dispelled the impression created about the accumulation of government debt which stands at 61 per cent of GDP while it was 60 per cent of GDP in 2013. He said that the external debt was 21 per cent of the GDP in 2013 and it is now 20 per cent of the GDP. The Special Assistant to the PM on Revenue conceded the country's imports had gone up to $ 53 billion but "they reflect on the consumption capacity and strength of our economy. The situation is obviously

Volkswagen gears up to enter the auto fray in Pakistan PM MEETS VW HEAD HONCHOS AS TWO OTHER GLOBAL GIANTS PLAN TO INVEST IN PAK ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Wednesday while welcoming the decision of Volkswagen to invest and undertake business venture in Pakistan, assured all possible facilities and support to the company.

He was talking to Volkswagen Board of Management Member Dr Joseph Baumert who called on him here at the PM Office.

The prime minister highlighted the strengths of the Pakistani economy and said that the economic turnaround in the last four years is due to the investor-friendly policies of the current government. He also added that the security situation has improved and huge incentives are being offered to investors in the international business community.

He said with enhanced road networks; in view of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor project and greater spending on communication infrastructure, Pakistan offers great opportunities to the international automobile companies to fill the gap between demand and supply through local production.

The Prime Minister also highlighted various features of the Auto Policy; 2016-2021 that offers tax and

other incentives to the new entrants to enable the introduction of new brands, develop market share, and create distribution opportunities, and after-sales service networks besides a parts-manufacturing base.

Profit reported back in February that Volkswagen was in its final round of talks with Premier Systems Private Limited, the authorised importer of Audi vehicles in the country, to set up a manufacturing and assembly plant for its Amarok and T6 (transporter range) models in Pakistan.

Amarok is a direct competitor to Toyota’s Revo and the T6 is a multiseat passenger van. The officials believe robust vehicles such as Volkswagen are a must in a country like Pakistan. It was also learnt that the company aims to develop a large dealership and the target is to have 40 dealerships nationwide.

The prime minister expressed the hope that Volkswagen’s production in Pakistan would provide quality vehicles compliant with international

standards to the Pakistani consumers. Dr Joseph Baumert also expressed the hope for a successful business venture in Pakistan.

This development within the auto industry is encouraging for the consumers and the business community in Pakistan. The recent reports follow multiple announcements of various carmakers to penetrate into the Pakistan automobile industry. Recently, Nishat Mills, a textile giant, announced a joint venture agreement with Hyundai to assemble vehicles in Pakistan. Similarly, Lucky Cement had already announced to collaborate with Kia Motors to set up an assembly plant in Pakistan.

Overseas Production Head Andreas Sprindler, Asia Pacific Head Oliver Glaser, International Policy Foreign and Governmental Relations Klaus-Bo Steindorff and CKD Head Yuri Konushin, Premier Systems Pvt Ltd CEO Syed Arshad and Board of Investment Secretary were all present during the meeting.

challenging and we must do a lot of work to increase our exports.”

Tariq Mahmood Pasha also spoke on the occasion and briefed the participants about FBR's efforts for broadening of tax base which he identified as the key area his team had selected to work on to promote tax compliance and enhance the tax-to-GDP ratio. Earlier, separate presentations were given by FBR Member Operations Kh Tanveer Ahmad and FBR Member Customs Zahid Mahmood Khokhar on the working of Inland Revenue Service and Pakistan Customs Service.

Towards the end, NSPP Dean Naeem Aslam thanked the FBR management for hosting the participants and giving them an insight into "a real government at work".

Shields were also exchanged.

Pakistan signs $5mn grant agreement with WB ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The government of Pakistan signed a grant agreement with the World Bank amounting to $ 5 million for “Multi-Sectoral Action for Nutrition (MSAN) Project” for Sindh in Economic Affairs Division (EAD).

The project development objectives are to increase the dietary diversity and improve sanitation and hygiene practices in targeted project areas in Sindh Province. The project will contribute to improving the underlying conditions leading to chronic malnutrition through a sanitation intervention focusing on behavioural change to improve hygiene practices and achieve open defecation-free villages, and an agriculture intervention to introduce production of nutritious food for consumption through homestead gardening practices and increasing household knowledge of food and nutrition.

MSAN is financed by a grant from the Pakistan Partnership for Improved Nutrition (PPIN) trust fund administered by the Bank in an amount of $ 5 million (with a total commitment of $ 17.56 million which will be disbursed in tranches). The grant has following three components: • Support to Saaf Suthro Sindh • Agriculture for nutrition • Project management, monitoring, and coordination The grant agreement was signed by EAD Secretary Arif Ahmed Khan on behalf of the Government of Pakistan and World Bank Country Director Patchamuthu Illangovan. The government of Sindh Agriculture Secretary Supply and Prices Department Sajid Jamal Abro signed the project agreement on behalf of the government of Sindh.

Punjab’s chambers, trade associations demand withdrawal of RD, WHT LAHORE STAFF REPORT

All Punjab Chambers of Commerce and Industry and trade associations have demanded the government to withdraw Regulatory Duty, withholding tax on bank transactions and FBR’s discretionary powers immediately or, otherwise, “we would gather outside the Parliament if our genuine demands are not accepted”, they said.

At a convention organised by Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry here on Wednesday the participants issuing a joint communiqué pledged for defending the rights of the business community by asking the government for its action promptly and resolve these issues without further delay ‘of a single moment’.

The LCCI President Malik Tahir Javed presided over the convention while the LCCI Vice President Zeshan Khalil, former office bearers Sheikh Muhammad Asif, Mian Shafqat Ali, Shahid Hassan Sheikh, Muhammad Ali Mian, Sohail Lashari, Abdul Basit, Aftab Ahmed Vohra, Syed Mahmood Ghaznavi, executive committee members, office-bearers and representatives of Chambers and trade and industrial associations spoke on the occasion.

They condemned imposition of Regulatory Duty on hundreds of items through SRO 1035(I)/2017 by October 16 and demanded its immediate withdrawal.

They also demanded the withdrawal of withholding tax on bank transactions with immediate effect. Chambers and trade associations urged the government

to withdraw the draconian provisions and laws giving immense discretionary powers acquired through last four finance bills to the officers of Inland Revenue and field formation which is the core issue and resulting in hardship, loss of productivity and mental torture to the business community.

“These laws have kept a large number of potential taxpayers out of the tax regime. In fact, they said that these laws are a deterrent to broadening of the taxbase’, they added. While strongly denouncing the misuse of discretionary powers by the officers of Inland Revenue under sections 38-A, 38-B, 40-A, 40-B, 176, 177, they urged the government to withdraw these sections immediately.

The LCCI President Malik Tahir Javed said that withholding tax on cash

withdrawal is related to the Income Tax Ordinance 236-P and 231-A. He said that withholding tax has not only hit the business community hard but also affected the banking sector as people have started using other medians for handling financial transactions.

He said that new Regulatory Duty regime would be hardly doing any service to the economy. Federal Board of Revenue should totally withdraw the recently imposed Regulatory Duty otherwise its destruction would be unimaginable.

The LCCI President said that unjustified levies like withholding tax are discouraging the new taxpayers and obstructing the expansion of tax net. He said that a new strategy will be evolved if these issues are not resolved immediately.

Malik Tahir Javed said that indirect

taxes are being removed gradually throughout the world whereas in Pakistan these are contributing around 60 per cent to the revenue despite the fact that expenses on this practice are higher than the collections. He said that tax collection was increased by around 60 per cent from 2012-13 to 2015-16 but the number of tax filers reduced to 0.9 million from 1.4 million during this period.

The participants of the convention said that there are 3.5 million registered taxpayers out of which only around 1 million file their tax returns. The government should take all mandatory measures to ensure filing of returns by remaining 2.5 million individuals and businesses. The government claims that it always acts as a facilitator but in this scenario, it is entirely the opposite, they added.

BUSINESS 11

Thursday, November 9, 2017

CORPORATE CORNER

CommeRCe mInIstRy FaIls to PRePaRe e-CommeRCe PolICy FRameWoRk dRaFt FBR, JOINT WORKING GROUP YET TO SUBMIT REPORTS

LAHORE: 2nd Annual Conference was hosted on November 4

by Islamic Microfinance Network on Exploring the Role of Islamic Microfinance in achieving the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. PRESS RElEASE

Nestlé Sheikhupura factory first to be awarded AWS certification in Pakistan LAHORE: Nestlé Sheikhupura factory is the first in the country to be awarded AWS (Alliance for Water Stewardship) certification. AWS is a global organisation made up of members from leading businesses, non-profits, public sector agencies and academic institutions with the collective goal of promoting responsible use of freshwater that is socially, economically and environmentally beneficial to all. Only nine sites in the world in seven different countries have achieved AWS certification. Of those, four are Nestlé water facilities: one in Pakistan and three in California. Globally, Nestlé plans to have 20 factories certified by the end of 2020. Nestlé Pakistan is now implementing the AWS standard at its Islamabad site. The company’s goal is to have all four sties certified by the end of 2019. PRESS RElEASE

Sika launches Pakistan’s first ever leeD certified construction chemical plant

ISLAMABAD

m

SHAHZAD PARACHA

INISTRY of Commerce (MoC) has failed to prepare the draft on e-commerce policy framework during the last two years. Senior officials said that Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) could not submit a draft on taxation thus delaying the e-commerce policy.

FBR has yet to submit a report on taxation matters pertaining to e-transactions and financial transactions as Pakistan does not have specific taxation rules defined for such transactions, currently.

Ministry officials said that the commerce minister and IT minister on the direction of former prime minister constituted a Joint Working Group on ecommerce framework in December 2015 and the working group was instructed to submit reports within the due date.

A regulatory framework report from MoIT, e-payment report from SBP, logistic report from communications division and

department.

According to one report, currently, there are more than 30 million internet users in the country and the Pakistani e-commerce market is expected to reach over $ 125 million by 2017. There are four methods of payment in Pakistan which include cash on delivery, bank and wire transfer, EasyPaisa and MobiCash among others and card payments.

Cash on Delivery is the most commonly used payment method in Pakistan. As per estimates, more than 64 per cent of e-commerce users in Pakistan prefer Cash on Delivery (COD) payment model. Meanwhile, very few e-commerce businesses operate on the system of only delivering the product after receiving the amount through a wire/bank transfer.

Furthermore, some e-commerce websites also prefer EasyPaisa for transferring small amounts whereas most of the e-commerce websites in Pakistan have merchant accounts integrated into portals to credit card facilities.

Commerce and Textile Federal Minister Pervaiz Malik while talking to Pakistan Today said that the ministry is working on ecommerce policy and soon it would be completed. “We have signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with AliBaba and with this policy, e-business would flourish in country”, he added.

Market Daily: KSE 100 picks up momentum, gains 209.94 points LAHORE STAFF REPORT

LAHORE: Sika, a swiss construction chemical manufacturing company, expanded the footprints by inaugurating its manufacturing plant in Sundar Industrial Area Lahore. The announcement was made in a press conference held at the Avari Hotel on November 3, 2017. The fully automated manufacturing facility is Pakistan’s first ever LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified construction chemical plant. PRESS RElEASE

input from the private sector has been received so far. These reports suggest incorporating availability and reliability of ICT infrastructure and platforms, development of supportive financial services regulations including laws for e-signature and e-contracting, the official said.

Officials added that the proposed draft suggests development of logistic systems powered by GPS and cell phones, up gradation and integration of Pakistan Post‘s Operations in consultation with the ministry of communications, so that it can be positioned to benefit from development of e-commerce, in addition to this, changing in trade regulations has been proposed so that it can be made more supportive of e-commerce.

The reports also look into the involvement of educational institutions for promoting entrepreneurial and consumer digital literacy, regulation on privacy, consumer protection and conflict resolution, and the institutional arrangement for continuous analysis of e-commerce, ministry officials further added.

It is worth mentioning here that former prime minister had directed commerce ministry to announce the policy in September 2017 but its announcement was extended to December due to delaying tactics of the tax

Trading volumes at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) were extremely low here on Wednesday, however, the market managed to settle in the green, gaining 209.94 points. As uncertainty pertains, market participants continue to stay distant from the market. Foreign investors have also been net sellers for the fourth week a row.

The KSE 100 index with a mere 57.20 million shares traded travelled further over the 41,000 psychological level. The index after marking a high of 41,293.80 ended up 209.94 points at 41,259.16. The KMI 30 index added 366.74 points while the KSE All Share Index was higher by 122.27 points. The advancers to decliners ratio stood at 189 to 142.

The market volumes stood at 97.35 mil-

lion down from last sessions 106.53 million.

Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGC +3.28 per cent) dominated the volume chart with 8.79 million shares exchanged. Post a streak of lower caps, Japan Power Generation Limited (JPGL +17.19 per cent) saw some life. The script added 17.19 per cent to its account with a volume of 7.61 million.

The engineering sector was the top pick of investors and the sector’s cumulative market capitalization swelled up by 3.96 per cent. KSB Pumps Company Limited (KSBP +4.71 per cent), Crescent Steel & Allied Products Limited (CSAP +5.00 per cent), Amreli Steels Limited (ASTL +4.99 per cent) all were seen at the day's maximum possible price.

The automobile assembler sector posted a handsome rise of 2.19 per cent with big names Indus Motor Company Limited

(INDU) inch up by 1.78 per cent, Pakistan Suzuki Motors Company Limited (PSMC) increase by 3.15 per cent and Honda Atlas Cars (Pakistan) Limited (HCAR) appreciate by 2.39 per cent.

Cherat Packaging Limited (CPPL -1.47 per cent) notified the exchange of commencement of operations of its fifth paper sack plant. The plant will enhance capacity from existing 265 million to 400 million. It will help expand product portfolio by producing smaller size bags and other related products besides the production of conventional cement bags.

Despite optimism relating international crude oil prices, oil and gas exploration sector was weak. Pak Petroleum Limited (PPL) lost 1.16 per cent and Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDC) declined by 2.06 per cent.

FBR to approach Dubai’s tax authorities over $8bn real estate investments ISLAMABAD GHUlAM ABBAS

FAISALABAD: Hush Puppies inaugurated its 64th store in Faisalabad here on Wednesday. PRESS RElEASE

OPPO strengthens its position in the Pakistani market LAHORE: OPPO Mobiles launched their brand new phone the ‘OPPO F5’ in Pakistan here on Wednesday. The phone will go on sale from November 5, at a price point of Rs 31,899.On the sidelines of this event, OPPO announced a new brand slogan, “The Selfie expert and leader” consistent with its accomplishments in the Pakistani market. OPPO also introduced Sidharth Malhotra as the new brand ambassador in addition to Deepika Padukone and revealed a new TVC featuring both. Moreover, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Hasan Ali will be the ‘one day celebrity shop managers’ on the first sale activity on November 11, 2017. P RE SS R El EA SE

Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) will approach tax authorities in Dubai to seek information about 100 Pakistanis who invested at least $ 8 billion in the United Arab Emirates through illegal means.

Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), which has prepared a list of 100 Pakistani investors in Dubai, will be sharing details with the FBR to facilitate the latter in taking up every individual case with the tax authorities in Dubai.

The two agencies, which come under fire for not moving forward with the investigation against the illegal investment of billions of dollars abroad, agreed to cooperate and share information about the investors.

During a meeting of National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Finance SubCommittee, which was chaired by its convener Shezra Mansab Khan, representatives of the FIA said the agency had started an investigation into the investment in Dubai August 28, 2015, under Assets Declaration Law 1992. “We have a list of 100 Pakistanis

who have invested in Dubai properties,” said FIA Director Zaheer Ahmed.

However, the agency was facing some legal issues which could better be defined by the ministry of law, he said. Meanwhile, FBR Member (Inland Revenue-Policy) Dr Muhammad Iqbal suggested the FIA share the details about Pakistani investors in Dubai with the FBR so the revenue board could take individual cases with Dubai’s tax authorities.

During the meeting which was to discuss the Dubai Leaks, parliamentarians and members of the committee lashed out at National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for its apparent sluggishness in pursuing the issue.

The FBR official further said that NAB sent a junior officer in the meeting who knew nothing about the issue. “It seems NAB has also been told to avoid moving forward on Dubai leaks,” he said, adding all members of the parliamentary committee and government machinery were showing a lack of seriousness in this regard, despite the fact that $ 8 billion of illegal investment abroad is almost equal to the current trade deficit.

According to the State Bank of Pakistan guidelines, an investment made abroad with-

out prior permission is illegal. The FBR official termed the Rs $ 8 billion investment in Dubai as money laundering, adding that the money flew out from the country through Hawala/Hundi—an illegal method of sending money to other countries.

NAB International Cooperation Wing head Faheem Khan, in previous meeting of the committee, had disclosed that NAB has the right to seek information from foreign authorities in accordance with Section 21 of the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999 or Anti-Money Laundering Act 2010. Subsequently, the committee asked NAB to ask for information from the UAE authorities about the individuals behind the investment. And in this regard, the NAB chairman will also write a letter to the UAE authorities and ask for their support.

Asad Umar lamented that why are we not using the international treaties signed by both Pakistan and Dubai to get the required information regarding illegal investment of Pakistanis?” Asad Umar said.

The committee ended the meeting at this note and decided to take up the issue in next meetings.

12 WORLD VIEW

Thursday, 9 November, 2017

What hariri’s resignation means for Lebanon Foreign aFFairs

o

BILAL Y SAAB

N November 4, 2017, Saad Hariri announced live on Al Arabiya satellite television that he had resigned as Lebanese prime minister. Very few saw it coming, although it wasn’t entirely unexpected. After all, it’s not as if Hariri was overjoyed presiding over a government under the control of his archrival, Hezbollah, the Lebanese political-military party accused of killing his father, Rafik, in 2005.

He wasn’t. But for him to quit now, in the absence of obvious triggers and in such a mysterious fashion, has left Lebanon’s political class—even his own entourage and popular base—scratching their heads.

That Saad told the world about his decision from Riyadh, not Beirut, was particularly revealing. It means that Saudi Arabia, which politically supported and bankrolled the Hariris throughout most of Lebanon’s post-civil war history, is readjusting its policy in Lebanon to more effectively weaken Hezbollah. Saudi Arabia’s standing in Beirut had been taking hit after hit since Rafik’s killing due to the dominance of Hezbollah and its foreign patrons, Iran and the Assad regime.

What this readjustment might practically accomplish, however, is quite uncertain.

The timing of this potential reformulation of Saudi policy in Lebanon is curious. The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has just rolled out an Iran strategy that’s expected to be more aggressive toward Tehran and its activities across the region. There’s also increasing tension between Israel and Hezbollah,

which might lead these old antagonists to return to arms, a scenario the Saudis would cheer. Hariri’s departure does not necessarily make another Israel-Hezbollah conflict more likely, but it does make Lebanon as a whole more vulnerable.

With Hariri out, the Lebanese government’s legitimacy is immediately in question, making it a theoretically easier target for Hezbollah’s foes, including Washington and Tel Aviv, who consider the Shia group a terrorist organization.

But none of this changes the following realities: having just won in Syria, and in Iraq for that matter (now that ISIS is on the run), Iran’s hand in Lebanon and the region has never been stronger. Of course, there are still serious limitations to Iran’s regional influence and Tehran remains vulnerable in multiple areas, but let’s be honest: its regional stock is on the rise.

Moreover, its desire to counter Tehran in the region notwithstanding, Washington’s new Iran policy remains an aspiration. The Trump administration has terminated U.S. support to Syria’s moderate rebels. Washington’s already limited attention on Syria, after whatever is left of ISIS is gone, is likely to disappear altogether. In Iraq, Trump has expressed no desire to keep a large U.S. military footprint in the country, and he doesn’t seem to have a political-economic strategy either, which effectively cedes the terrain to Iran. So for all its bark, Trump’s Iran strategy, for now, has no bite.

So where does that leave Saudi Arabia and its newfound assertiveness in Lebanon? Given the absolute military superiority of Hezbollah over any of its domestic rivals—even the country’s

army—a physical confrontation with the group is out of the question. There is a new, young, and hawkish leadership in Riyadh under the strict control of Crown Prince and soon-to-be-King Mohamed Bin Salman, but it is not suicidal. Moreover, Lebanon’s Sunnis have no interest in getting into a war with Hezbollah, which they know they will lose.

The fight, therefore, will be primarily political, both at home and in international diplomatic corridors. Lebanon’s parliamentary elections are around the corner (assuming they are not postponed).

Hariri’s resignation might mean that he will run as leader of the opposition, an opposition that seems to be growing and

Central Asia could be entryway for Israel to join One Belt, One Road initiative Jerusalem PosT ARIEL BEN SOLOMON

Israeli ambassador to Kazakhstan says that Israeli technologies may well fit in into the concept of the New Silk Road. As US President Donald Trump is in Asia this week, a topic of conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping could be his ambitious multi-billion- dollar plan to create the Belt and Road initiative (BRI) – a modern Silk Road of trade and infrastructure connecting Asia to Europe and the Middle East.

Israel has a great opportunity to expand relations with Central Asian countries, which are the linchpin in the project, to tap into this bonanza.

By expanding Israel’s strong ties with the largely secular moderate Muslim states in Central Asia, and particularly with Kazakhstan, the “buckle in the belt” that serves as a hub through which East-West rail lines run, Israel could tap into this economic epicenter that would be connecting Europe and China.

The planned New Eurasian Land Bridge would be made up of railroads passing from China through Kazakhstan, and could include other countries such as Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The routes then would continue on to Europe and the Middle East through Russia, Iran and Turkey.

For now, Israel’s relations with Turkey are problematic, and with Iran even worse, however, Israel could exploit diplomatic and economic opportunities in Central Asia.

Israel’s relations with Kazakhstan are already flourishing, with great diplomatic, military, medical and economic cooperation, including cooperation in hi-tech and agriculture. As Uzbekistan is opening up under President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Israel also has increasing opportunities there, as well as in gas-rich Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan that are less endowed with mineral riches.

Michael Brodsky, the Israeli ambassador to Kazakhstan, said that “Israel is interested in getting involved in the ‘One Belt One Road’ Initiative.”

BRI has “close relations with Central Asian countries and can provide a unique opportunity for Israeli companies to benefit from huge Chinese investments – mainly in Kazakhstan, which is supposed to receive the lion’s share of these investments,” he said.

“Israeli technologies, especially in the field of security, may well fit in into the concept of the New Silk Road, since providing security of the infrastructure and facilities may become one of the main concerns of the project’s stakeholders,” added the ambassador.

Jerusalem also is interested in strengthening its relations with moderate Muslim countries and already depends on Kazakhstan for around 25% of its oil imports. In addition, Kazakhstan has a small but active Jewish community.

Diplomacy with countries such as Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan in the Caucasus “was effectively a recast of Ben-Gurion’s ‘periphery doctrine,” stated Gil Feiler and Kevjn Lim in a Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies report published in 2014.

This 1950s strategy involved looking for allies beyond the hostile Arab world, in places like Iran and Turkey.

Brodsky also pointed out that the growing demand in China for organic agricultural products could become a serious incentive for the Israelis to get more involved in Kazakhstan’s agriculture.

The Israeli envoy also emphasized that “bilateral relations between Israel and Kazakhstan reached their peak in December last year with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s first visit to Kazakhstan.”

Recently, the two countries celebrated 25 years of diplomatic relations. Asked if Kazakhstan’s role in the Muslim world is hindering ties, the

ambassador responded, “Despite Kazakhstan being part of the Muslim world, it openly maintains close and friendly relations with Israel.”

Furthermore, the ambassador said, “We still have many opportunities to be explored, especially in the economic field. Agriculture, health, telecommunications, security, renewable energy – we can expand and reach a level of strategic partnership.”

Regarding Israeli worries about the fact that Kazakhstan maintains cordial business relations with Iran and plans to sell Tehran 950 tons of uranium ore over three years in a deal that became potentially possible under the famous Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, according to a Reuters report earlier this year, it appears Jerusalem is hoping its close relations with Astana will blunt Tehran’s inroads there.

Israel is now also training the Kazakh military in drone operations.

Samuel Ramani, in an article for The Diplomat in 2016, noted that while uranium sales to Iran have strained relations with the Jewish state, and corruption within the Kazakh military is a factor, “Kazakhstan remains Israel’s most important economic and security partner in Central Asia.”

Israel should advocate for Kazakhstan to limit its relations with Tehran as Netanyahu did during his visit there in December.

Jerusalem should pursue opportunities in Central Asia because it serves two main interests: promoting relations with moderate Muslim countries outside of the Arab world, and boosting the country’s economic interests by taking an active part in what the Chinese leader has called the “project of the century.”

The author is a writer on Middle East affairs. He covered the Middle East for The Jerusalem Post and is now writing a PhD dissertation at Bar-Ilan University on the Islamic Movement in Israel.

could grow even more with financial assistance from the Saudis. Should he win the majority of seats in the next parliament, he might turn the tables on Hezbollah.

But if that’s his calculation, why did he choose to resign from Riyadh? He could have easily declared his entry into opposition politics in Beirut. It’s possible that Hariri was forced to resign by the Saudis, as part of Riyadh’s new anti-Iran approach. After all, Hariri did look particularly nervous while delivering his speech and almost puzzled by what he was reading—a document that contained a heavy dose of vitriol against Iran which only the Saudis are accustomed to using.

Despite his old feud with Hezbollah, his-

tory has shown that Hariri is a political pragmatist. What he displayed on Saudi television was out of character.

Yet even if we assume that Hariri did make his move in partnership with, not out of fear from, the Saudis, it’s still not clear what happens next. For Hariri to form a new, broad-based opposition coalition that would include Christians who are loyal to pro-Hezbollah Lebanese President Michel Aoun, he must return to Beirut. The Saudis must have a clear plan, too, beyond throwing money at Hariri and some strategic patience, neither of which is guaranteed.

Hezbollah’s response to Hariri’s resignation, delivered last night by its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was remarkably calm.

Nasrallah seemed almost sympathetic to the plight of his rival, suspecting, like many others are, that Hariri was compelled to quit. Hezbollah has no interest in seeing Hariri go, because he provides legitimacy to the government it controls and represents, along with Nasrallah, the symbol of Lebanese Sunni-Shia consensus.

But the Shia group won’t cry for Hariri’s departure either. It will struggle mightily in finding a Hariri replacement that would be acceptable to the Sunnis (very few want to take the prime minister job for fear of confronting Washington and Riyadh), but whoever it helps pick, it will make sure not to fall into what it sees as a trap set up by the Saudis: the formation of what essentially would be a “war cabinet” that excludes the Sunnis.

Hezbollah has bigger fish to fry in Syria and Iraq, and serious concerns about a likely war with Israel. The last thing it needs is a distracting domestic confrontation in Lebanon.

The House of Trump and the House of Saud Financial Times EDWARD LUCE

You might say it is a match made in heaven.

With their taste in gold elevators, the Trump family and the House of Saud were destined to alight at the same penthouse. But the affinity between Donald Trump, US president, and Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto monarch, goes beyond a shared aesthetic for “dictator chic”. It is chiefly transactional. The US-Saudi relationship is the quintessence of Trumpian diplomacy. Its flowering symbolises the decay in the USled global order.

Mr Trump’s approach to foreign relations is a blend of family and money and a weakness for flattery. Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe pledged $50m to the Ivanka Trump-inspired Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative — the World Bank’s effort to seduce America’s first family. Mr Abe, whose first gift to Mr Trump was a goldplated golf club, hosted Ms Trump in Tokyo shortly before her father turned up. Six months ago, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates became the first donors to Ms Trump’s scheme with a $100m grant. Now it is China’s turn to host Mr Trump. Its president, Xi Jinping, approved a flurry of Ivanka Trump trademarks shortly before he first met her father in Mar-a-Lago earlier this year.

Governments the world over are vying to catch the US first family’s eye. But it is the Saudis who perfected the art. It is no coincidence that Riyadh was Mr Trump’s first foreign destination after becoming president.

His motive was obvious. The Saudis had agreed to unveil a $110bn arms contract with the US — exactly what Mr Trump was seeking. The fact that it consisted of letters of intent, most of which had been signed years earlier, was beside the point. Saudi Arabia is unlikely to pay for any of the big items.

These include US naval vessels that have yet to be built and an anti-missile defence system the Saudis can no longer afford.

Mr Trump’s $110bn triumph was as close as you come to a “fake deal”, says Bruce Riedel, a former senior CIA official on the Middle East. But the Saudis gave Mr Trump what he wanted: an eye-poppingly tweetable shopping list; cash for his daughter’s initiative; a gold carpet welcome; and the mutual goal of erasing Barack Obama’s legacy. Mr Trump is now repaying the Saudis with interest.

Last Saturday, Crown Prince Mo-

hammed, known as MbS, launched a power grab that included arrests of other royal notables, at least one of whom was killed in a dubious accident. Mr Trump tweeted that the crown prince and his father “know what they are doing”.

The purge followed a visit to Saudi Arabia last month by Jared Kushner, Mr Trump’s son-in-law, who stayed up half the night discussing strategy with the crown prince. Mr Trump is also doing his part to weaken Mr Obama’s Iran nuclear deal, which the Saudis detest. He has also backed the crown prince’s Saudi-led boycott of Qatar, partly because of the city state’s close ties with Tehran.

It is unclear if Mr Trump is aware of what he has unleashed — or cares either way.

But his support for MbS betrays two principles of US foreign policy. The first is to stoke a religious war. Mr Trump’s America is now firmly on the Sunni side of the regional Sunni-Shia conflict. The Saudi bombing of Yemen, which has claimed thousands of civilian lives, may be a taste of thing to come. Mr Trump’s US is uninterested in Middle Eastern stability.

The second is to give succour to plutopopulist strongmen. Few more richly deserve a corruption inquiry than the Saudi royal family. Yet the crown prince’s pretext has no more credence than Mr Xi’s equivalent drive in China — or indeed Mr Trump’s vow to “drain the swamp” in Washington.

These are feints to win populist applause while tarnishing rivals. What each shares is a yen to personalise power. Regime labels such as autocracy and democracy offer little guide to their foreign policy. Saudi Arabia, China, Russia, Turkey and others are suffering from leadership cults. It is no surprise they are scratching each other’s backs. The global shock is that America’s leader is among them.

Can the chess board return to where it was? That is doubtful. It is worth noting what Mr Trump did on his way to Asia — his most important trip as president. He could have made a clear statement about America’s values and alliances. Instead, he stopped off at the Trump Hotel in Hawaii, which is “tremendously successful”, the White House spokesperson pointed out.

It showed a president who cannot tell the difference between the national interest and his family business. It was the kind of selfdealing you would expect from a Saudi royal. But I repeat myself.

Thursday, 9 November, 2017

ARTS new york could seek weinstein indictment next week NEW YORK AGENCIES

Manhattan´s district attorney is preparing a criminal case against disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein which he could present to a grand jury as early as next week, US media reported Tuesday.

The reports, quoting anonymous law enforcement officials, came after police confirmed they had a credible rape allegation against the embattled producer and were gathering evidence for a possible arrest warrant. District Attorney Cyrus Vance plans to present the case to a grand jury and wait for an indictment, NBC television and the New York Post tabloid reported. The move could come as early as next week, they reported. His office was not immediately reachable for comment Tuesday. Police referred AFP to the district attorney´s office. "Boardwalk Empire" actress Paz de la Huerta accused Weinstein of raping her twice at her New York apartment in late 2010. Her claims were published in Vanity Fair magazine on Thursday and she has been interviewed by police. "She put forth a credible and detailed narrative to us," NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce told reporters last Friday. "We have an actual case here," he added. "Weinstein is out of state. We would need an arrest warrant to arrest him. So right now we´re gathering our evidence." De la Huerta´s allegations are at least the third Weinstein case to have been investigated by New York police in recent years. Boyce did not rule out others.

13

Texas shooTing ‘TerrorisT acT conducTed by whiTe american man’

LOS ANGELES: “Wrecking Ball” singer Miley Cyrus was slammed on Instagram Monday after she posted about the deadly mass shooting at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas on Sunday, reports Yahoo.com. Devin Kelley opened fire on churchgoers, killing at least 25 people and wounding more than 20. Cyrus deemed the attack a “terroristic act” conducted by a “white American man,” even though authorities did not immediately give a motive for the attack. “My dreams have become nightmares and those nightmares, reality. This isn't fair,” the singer wrote. “This is a TERRORIST act by a WHITE AMERICAN MAN! I am heartbroken and embarrassed. Mortified by our country and its shitty system, lack of control/laws! This does NOT HAVE or NEED to happen!” The post was liked more than 425,000 times by Cyrus’ 72.8 million followers. It generated thousands of comments, where some fans attacked the former Hannah Montana star for identifying the shooter as a terrorist. Others took offence to her labelling the killer by his race and gender. “I am aghast by the reaction of my latest post. It is completely amazing to me how defensive and in denial this country really is!” she said. “You are not focused on the horrific tragedy I addressed but more angered that I am putting a BIG bright spotlight on the fact it was a ‘WHITE AMERICAN MALE’ terrorist that walked in and killed 26 people (including children) leaving 20 severely injured!” When some netizens continued to criticize Cyrus, accusing her of stereotyping, she shared photos of some of her favourite “white American males.” She used a picture of herself with “Achy Breaky Heart” singer Billy Ray Cyrus for the front picture of the post. “I do NOT and refuse to generalize or stereotype! Facts are Facts,” Cyrus said. “You are all correct to believe every human deserves the same respect.” While it’s unclear what motivated Kelley to commit the mass murder, it was reportedly not over racial or religious issues. “This was not racially motivated, it wasn’t over religious beliefs,” Freeman Martin, a regional director with the Texas Department of Public Safety, said at a Monday press conference. “There was a domestic situation going on within the family and the in-laws.” The ages of the deceased ranged from 18 months to 77 years old. One family lost the right of their relatives in the deadly attack. AGENCIES

Chaos confronts Hollywood in aftermath of sex scandals LOS ANGELES AGENCIES

Projects are shelved, film releases cancelled, sets shuttered, studios threatened, the Oscars rattled -- this is the chaos confronting Hollywood following sex scandals that have brought down power players like Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and Brett Ratner.

In the month since The New Yorker and The New York Times published allegations of serial predatory behaviour by producer Weinstein -- some 100 women have now accused him of misconduct ranging from harassment to rape -- people who said they had been victimised have felt emboldened to voice allegations against men who had been seen as un-

touchable.

Spacey, a two-time Oscar winner, and Ratner, a blockbuster director, have also been accused of sexual transgressions, while other actors, managers and agents are in the hot seat as well.

"Who's next?" the Los Angeles Times asked on Sunday.

"There have been scandals in Hollywood since the silent movie age but it was one person or one incident," said Tim Gray, an editor at the entertainment trade magazine Variety.

"I've been at Variety for 30 years, I've never seen something like this," he said.

Every project linked to The Weinstein Company, co-founded by Harvey Weinstein and his brother Bob, is now toxic, whereas a few months ago such a rela-

mahira khan geTs fooled by ice cream seller in Turkey ENTERTAINMENT DESK Videos of a Turkish ice cream seller tricking customers are pretty popular these days.

This is one of the current fads that all tourists want to indulge in once they are in Turkey.

Of course, celebrities are no different! Mahira Khan, who is in Istanbul these days to promote her new upcoming movie 'Verna', recently shared a video on her Instagram account which shows her being tricked by the famous ice cream seller. The video was taken during an earlier trip the actress took and looks fun, to say the least. The actress seems to be having the time of her life in Istanbul. Mahira is playing the lead role in the upcoming movie Verna and has been promoting the movie on her Instagram account.

tionship was a mark of prestige.

Famed director Oliver Stone, who initially defended Weinstein, has with-

drawn from the "Guantanamo" television series that they had been collaborating on.

The first Weinstein Company film to

come out following the scandal, "Amityville: The Awakening," brought in a measly $742 in its one-day theatrical release, according to Box Office Mojo.

Weinstein's company, already weakened by a series of flops, is on the verge of bankruptcy.

Other powerful studios find themselves in turmoil, such the entertainment arm of internet giant Amazon, whose chairman Roy Price resigned last month after he was suspended following an accusation of sexual harassment.

Price's ouster contributed to the collapse of an untitled David O. Russell drama series, set to star Oscar winners Robert De Niro and Julianne Moore, which had been a co-production with The Weinstein Company.

'Gossip Girl' star Ed Westwick denies rape allegations LOS ANGELES AGENCIES

Actress Kristina Cohen has accused Ed Westwick of rape, reports Yahoo.com.

In a lengthy Facebook post shared Monday, Cohen, 27, alleged that the 30year-old Gossip Girl star raped her three years ago at his apartment. Westwick has denied the allegations on Instagram.

“I do not know this woman,” he wrote. “I have never forced myself in any manner, on any woman. I certainly have never committed rape.”

Cohen — who has played minor roles in several movies and TV series — said the alleged rape occurred while she was visiting Westwick with her then-boyfriend, who is not named but referred to as a producer who was friends with the actor.

“Ed insisted we stay for dinner,” Cohen wrote. “I said I was tired and wanted to leave, trying to get out of what was already an uncomfortable situation.

Ed suggested I nap in the guest bedroom.

The producer said we would stay for just another 20 more minutes to smooth everything over, and then we could leave.”

Cohen said she lay down in the guest room, where she eventually fell asleep and was allegedly raped afterwards.

“It was a nightmare,” she continued.

“And the days following weren’t any better.”

Cohen said the producer blamed her, saying she was an “active participant” and couldn’t report the incident because Westwick would allegedly have people “destroy” her and her acting career.

“I now realise the ways in which these men in power prey on women, and how this tactic is used so frequently in our industry, and surely, in many others,” she

said. “I’m sickened to see men like Ed respected in such a public way.”

“How does this end?” she continued.

“Men like Ed using fame and power to rape and intimidate but then continue through the world collecting accolades.”

Cohen said she felt inspired to come forward with her story by the numerous sexual assault allegations currently rippling through Hollywood and society in general. Cohen said that even now, she grapples with “feelings of guilt.”

Thursday, 9 November, 2017

14

IQBAL

DAY

Iqbal — the great phIlosopher and poet

I

QBAL was born in 1877 AD when the inhabitants of India were suffering from miseries and deaths while struggling for the Independence of their country from British rule. The people of Muslim community of India were the worst hit. They were being crushed ruthlessly. At that time Iqbal’s poetry played miraculous role. It awakened the people from slumbering hopelessness, made them stood on their own feet. They were united and then fought courageously for Independence with the result that they achieved a free homeland for them within a few years. creative thinker: This means that despite being a creative thinker, Iqbal was addressing the situation at hand. The ideas he enunciated, though intrinsically creative in themselves and abiding in appeal beyond a particular time and place, were yet primarily meant to salvage the bleak Muslim situation in India and the world at large. This makes Iqbal, in a sense, oriented towards the Indian Muslim psyche and situation.

This framework makes his periodic forays into discussing and suggesting solutions to the problems of the Muslim world at large and his consuming concern with the ‘Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam’ (1930) - a logical extension of his role as a modern Muslim ideologue, attempting to analyze and, see Muslim India’s problems and predicament on a wider canvas and in a total context. After all, Iqbal regarded India, if only because of the Muslim numerical strength, as ‘the greatest Muslim country in the world’, to quote his own words. These tasks, both critical and onerous as they were, he fulfilled squarely.

Political leaders: Iqbal achieved through his poems what a thousand speeches could not. But

for the silence mental preparation that had gone on for long decades, the people would not have responded to the call of political leaders - in this case, especially of Jinnah during the 1937-47 epochal decade. No wonder, the pandals of the League sessions from Lucknow (1937) onwards were plastered with Iqbal’s couplets, calling on Muslims to rise and take their destiny in their own.

Iqbal was quoted oft and on to rouse Muslims to a new awareness of their destiny. All this had an electrifying effect on the audience since Iqbal, though generally complex and couched in an appropriate idiom, was, straightforward and yielded clear guidelines.

Besides being a poet of extraordinary merit, Iqbal was a thinker of a high order. Thus, while Syed Ahmed Khan, Maulana Mohammed Ali and Jinnah provided political leadership to Muslims, Iqbal took upon himself the task of setting the intellectual tone for Muslim thought and action. (Previously, this was done by Sir Syed’s writing and the Aligarh School).

In addressing himself to this task, Iqbal brought a

revolution in Muslim thinking at various levels, he also made a significant contribution to keeping them stolidly anchored to their pristine ideology and historical legacy. new consciousness: His role in awakening the Muslims to a new consciousness began in 1899 when he recited a poem at the annual session of the Anjuman-i-Islam, Lahore. His moving ‘Nala-i-Yatim’ was symbolic of the echoing cry of the faceless masses of the Indian Muslims, who had long felt themselves sidelined neglected.

What pained him most was the impact of nationalism on various Muslim countries, eroding the pan-Islamic concept, enfeebling the Muslim world and laying it open to European aggression and exploitation.

To the ailments the Muslim world was afflicted with, Iqbal found the solution in Islam and its message. In order to reach the innermost recesses of their consciousness, he invoked the past glory of Islam, telling Muslims of the accomplishments of their ancestors. In so doing, he tried to fight off the prevalent slough of despon-

The key point in Iqbal's educational philosophy MUZAFFAR HUSSAIN For any meaningful discussion on Iqbal's educational philosophy it is essential that we should first try to understand his views on man's nature, and his ultimate destiny. According to Iqbal, the "essential nature of man, then, consists in will, and not intellect or understanding". He regards human will as "a germ of infinite power, the gradual enfoldment of which must be the object of all human activity". In his view, "a strong will in a strong body is the ethical ideal of is Islam". Criticising the educational system of his times he says very emphatically: "I venture to say, that the present system of education in this country is not at all suited to us as a people. It is not true to our genius as a nation, it tends to produce an un-Muslim type of character, it is not determined by our national requirements, it breaks entirely with our past, and appears to proceed on the false assumption that the ideal of education is the training of 'human intellect rather than human will."

The key point in Iqbal's educational philosophy, therefore, is the training of human will.

Personality: Man's personality can be defined as a combination of various wills held together by a unity of directive purposes Human personality can, therefore, be conceived as a combination of these forces which admit of various arrangements. These various arrangements/formations of the wills are referred to as Shākila by the Holy Qur'an which determine the value of man's actions: "Every man acteth after his own manner but your Lord knoweth who is best guided in his path'" (xvii. 84).

One definite arrangement in which the transcendental (more specifically, religious) wills assume the governing or directive role is the real personality of man. Such personality is bestowed on man as his potential nature, the actualization of which must be the highest aim of life and hence the ultimate aim of education. To achieve his real personality man has to make effort and various wills have to be arranged in such a manner that the will to love God becomes the supreme overriding will and all other wills are governed and disciplined by it. When a personality with such will-attitudes is constituted, man takes a new birth. In fact, only such a personality is worth the name of personality as the Holy Qur'an warns: "And be not ye as those who forgot Allah, therefore He caused them to forget their souls (personalities)" neomysticism of science: Thus, according to Iqbal, science is important for two reasons: (i) It bestows power on man which enables him to capture the material world, and (ii) it sharpens his insight for a closer and better appreciation of God. Science and technology, therefore, assume an extremely important place in

Iqbal's philosophy of education. He regards the scientific observer of Nature as a kind of mystic seeker in the act of prayer; because scientific observation of Nature keeps us in close contact with the behaviour of Reality."

"The quest after a nameless nothing, as disclosed in Neo-Platonic mysticism—be it Christian or Muslim—cannot satisfy the modern mind which with its habits of concrete thinking demands a concrete living experience of God." The education of science thus become a God-seeking, God-appreciating and God-finding activity in the educational system of Iqbal which "disenthralls man from fear giving him a source of power to master his environment". He, therefore, proposes an educational system in which "religion and science may discover hitherto unsuspected mutual harmonies" and are no longer antagonistic. sPiritual democracy: Iqbal views democracy as the most important aspect of Islam. "Islam," says he, "has a horror of personal authority. We regard it as inimical to the enfoldment of human individuality." According to him, the "best form of Government for such a [Muslim] community is democracy, the ideal of which is to let man develop all the possibilities of his nature by allowing him as much freedom as practicable". He however, confesses that the Muslims with democracy as their political ideal could do nothing for the political improvement of Asia and that their "democracy lasted only for 30 years and disappeared with their political expansion". He pays rich tribute to the British empire which spread this civilising factor with missionary spirit in the political evolution of mankind. But at the same time he also maintains that democracy in Europe could not fully bloom and soon degenerated into an instrument of exploitation.

"The idealism of Europe never became a living factor in her life, and the result is a perverted ego seeking itself through mutually intolerant democracies whose sole function is to exploit the poor in the interest of the rich."

Our educational system must, therefore, provide instruction, training and practice in the Islamic concepts of freedom and equality in order to bring about that kind of "spiritual democracy which is the ultimate aim of Islam."

Briefly speaking, the central theme of Iqbal's educational philosophy is to produce an Islamic type of personality and character through the training of human will so that they can play their destined role in the world in meeting the challenge of this age. According to him, "humanity needs three things today: [i] A spiritual interpretation of the universe [ii] Spiritual emancipation of the individual [iii] Spiritual democracy

dency, raising drooping spirit of Muslims and replacing it with a sense of soaring confidence. message of hoPe: Next, he gave them a message of hope. He told them that they could still redeem themselves if they could only recapture their soul and regain their pristine moral and spiritual values.

He emphasized the imperative need to develop human qualities and the right type of character. He attributed their degeneration to their taking to a life of passivity and resignation for several generations.

That debilitating trend could be reversed by opting for initiative and endeavour which, he believed, Islam stood for. To him, an active, struggling nonbeliever was preferable to a sleeping Muslim. modern muslim: To Iqbal, the task before the modern Muslim is to re-think the whole system of Islam without completely breaking with the past.

And this crucial task he undertook in a series of lectures since compiled as ‘The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam’ (1930). In these he argued that Islam represented a philosophy of action, for faith without action was a life bereft of any significance. Seldom does a poet exert such profound influence on the course of history and in changing the destiny of a nation. But Iqbal did because his accomplishments extended far beyond the realm of mere imagination and into the sphere of objective realities, because in the final years of his eventful life he donned the mantle of an ideologue, besides being a national poet. And, to be sure, all of Iqbal’s efforts throughout the whole span of his active life were directed towards the regeneration of Muslims and the resurgence of Islam.

G SabIR Iqbal aCaDeMY, SCaNDeNwIa

ALLAMA IQBAL AND CLASSICAL MUSLIM THINKERS Iqbal seems to be engaged in constructing his own metaphysical system; he moves all over a vast canvas of the annals of Islam’s intellectual history to seek support and inspiration. His ambitions are noble, and his concerns are invaluable– but what he does philosophically is beset with all kinds of problems.

I feel very strongly that Iqbal’s fundamental identity has been shaped by his poetry, not by his discursive thought. It is in the world of poetry, not of the discipline of philosophy, that he reigns supreme; indeed, it is Iqbal the poet, not the speculative metaphysician, who rules over the hearts of millions and who has gained the grand stature of a global literary colossus.

In what follows, therefore, the focus is very largely, though not exclusively, on this latter work. It is the Reconstruction that serves here as the point of departure as well as the point of return.

The list of classical Muslim thinkers that make an appearance in the work is fairly large– we see some of them appearing briefly, some extensively, and some appearing only once and some repeatedly. In fact, Alessandro Bausani has compiled a complete catalogue of all of these citations and invocations in both the Reconstruction and the Metaphysics, reproducing Iqbal’s text in every case. The Italian scholar has counted some twenty-three classical Muslim sources, both individuals and doctrinal communities, spoken of or directly quoted by Iqbal; furthermore, he classifies these Iqbalian sources very broadly according to their specific intellectual discipline. This classificatory catalogue essentially embodies a mechanical exercise with minimal theoretical discourse or explanatory thrust. And yet, when the two bodies of Iqbal’s writings are viewed not qua collections of fragments as Bausani seems to have done here, but in their wholeness as forming two integrated units, then it becomes possible to generate another classification– a classification not merely mechanical but explanatory, shedding much light on our poet’s speculative methodology as well as the rather personal nature of his interpretive historical narrative Thus, firstly, there are those sources invoked by Iqbal which have influenced him significantly both in the structure and substance of his thought. Quite naturally, such sources are referred to and discussed frequently and at length in his discourses. Then, secondly, there are those thinkers, philosophical groups, and traditions that are cited by Iqbal for the purpose of seeking support for his own ideas and to give these ideas a ring of traditional and established authority; or for the purpose of demonstrating a parallel between classical Islamic thought and modern Western intellectual and scientific developments, emphasizing what he sees as the historical and logical priority of the former in anticipating what was to be discovered by Europe only centuries later. And, finally, Iqbal cites many classical Muslim personages for the embellishment and ornamentation of his own assertions and claims. Less charitably, this last may well be called “name-dropping.” These three categories, however, are not mutually exclusive. Some focused research on this taxonomy would be most fruitful, but it is not undertaken in this article.

—Iqbal RevIew

SPORTS 15

Thursday, 9 November, 2017

ASHES 2017

England lEarn littlE from first tastE of pink ball in australia LONDON

a

AGENCIES

S far as England’s Ashes preparations are concerned, the first day of this pink-ball tour match against a Cricket Australia XI offered little of value for Joe Root and his players.

It wasn’t just the fact that Alastair Cook registered another failure or that out of the top six only Dawid Malan, one of three players to post half-centuries, batted under lights. No, the paucity of this CA XI’s bowling attack meant that even those that did score runs would have learned little about the challenges ahead against Mitchell Starc and company in the Ashes.

There was no pace in either the opposition bowlers or the pitch and no real value in the runs being scored. Only when the second new ball came under lights in the final session did things start happening. Mark Stoneman, with another half-century following his 86 in the opening warm-up game in Perth last weekend, and captain Joe Root, who scoring 58 after making only nine in that first game, will take the runs and at least some confidence too.

But this really isn’t what England needed in terms of getting battle-ready for the start of series in Brisbane on November 23 and the first-ever daynight Ashes Test here in Adelaide early next month. They threw in a late collapse, too, as Chris Woakes, Craig Overton and Malan fell in quick succession to the second new ball under the Adelaide floodlights, the tourists reaching the close on 278 for eight.

This day, though, really belonged to 21-year-old leg-spinner Dan Fallins, who on his first-class debut claimed the

notable scalps of Stoneman, James Vince, Root and Jonny Bairstow to return figures of four for 71. England went into this match knowing that getting their batsmen attuned to the pink Kookaburra ball was their main priority.

Stuart Broad, rested here at his own request so he can play next week’s final warm-up match in Townsville, and Gary Ballance, the batsman dropped, were the only changes to the 12-man team England fielded in their tour opener against a Western Australia XI last weekend.

That match saw both Cook and Root fail in their team’s only innings but both were given another opportunity to get their tour up and running when home captain Tim Paine won the toss and asked England to bat on the first day here. Things didn’t exactly go to plan, Cook departing in the seventh over after edging seamer Jackson Coleman behind.

There was a let-off for England’s other opener on 17, Stoneman dropped by wicketkeeper Paine off the bowling of Gurinder Sandhu. Stoneman and Vince looked like seeing England safely through to tea – remember there is no lunch in a day-night contest. But their stand was broken when Vince was bowled by a full toss from Fallins.

England’s No3, a surprise call into the squad for this tour after he had been dropped following a poor 2016 home summer, made 33. Vince had started his tour with 82 in Perth and although he looked good here again before his dismissal there was still the odd shot outside off-stump he came close to edging.

That was the weakness exposed during his first spell in Test cricket and England will hope he can keep those moments of edginess to a minimum when he comes up against Australia’s attack.

Snooker among cue sports targeting Paris 2024 Olympics SOFIA AGENCIES

Snooker as well as two other cue sports carom billiards and pool - deserves to be part of the Paris 2024 Olympic program, the secretary general of the newly-formed World Snooker Federation (WSF) said on Wednesday. Snooker unsuccessfully bid for a place at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, where baseball and softball, karate, sport climbing, surfing and skateboarding were granted spots as additional sports. “We hope that, with the support of the French (cue sports) federation and the French Olympic Committee, we’ll find a way to bring billiard sports to the Olympics,” Maxime Cassis, who is also the chairman of the European Snooker Federation, said in Sofia. ”First of all, we have to decide if we select only one of the three sports or select the three of them. The plan is not established. We’re ready to support any of the sports and we have to work together. We have to listen to the people who select it.”

Cassis also said that snooker in particular expanded rapidly in recent years, adding its inclusion in the Olympic program would be the biggest achievement of the sport.

Joshua as a wanted man in boxing LONDON AGENCIES

People are conveniently targeting Dhoni: Kohli THIRUVANANTHAPURAM AGENCIES

Livid with constant scrutiny of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s finishing skills, India captain Virat Kohli hit back at the critics for conveniently singling out one man while ignoring failure of other players, including himself.

Dhoni’s 37-ball-49 in the second T20 International that India lost to New Zealand was panned by experts as he played too many dot balls. While VVS Laxman has said that someone younger should be tried in T20s, Virender Sehwag has asked the team management to make the former skipper understand his role in the team.

“I don’t understand why people are pointing him out. If I fail as a batsman three times, no one is going to point fingers at me because I am not over 35,” Kohli’s sarcastic jibe at the post-match media conference was not lost on anyone.

“The guy is fit, he is passing all the tests. He is contributing to the team in every tactical way on the field. With the bat, he did really well against Sri Lanka (away series) and Australia,” the skipper reminded everyone. Kohli said that while being critical

of Dhoni, one needs to understand that how much time he is getting to bat.

“In this series, he didn’t get much time to bat. You have to understand that the position he comes in to bat, even Hardik Pandya could not score in that game so why are we pointing out one man? Hardik as well got out in the last T20 in Rajkot. You are conveniently targeting one man, which is not fair.”

Kohli then elaborately explained how difficult it becomes for Dhoni when he comes into bat. “By the time, he comes in, the run rate is already 8.5-9.5. The wicket is also not the same like when the new ball is being bowled. Batsmen who are set at the top find it easier to strike the ball straightaway compared to guys who come lower down the order. The kind of wickets that we played on, wear and tear has been much more in the latter half,” the skipper said about his predecessor.

“You have to assess everything. As team members and management, we understand the situation when people go in to bat, we don’t get emotional and excited about opinions of people who are looking at things from a different point of view. You understand how the wicket is behaving, in what situation you are in.”

Dhoni had scores of 25, 18 not out and 25 in the three ODIs while he scored 7 not out, 49 and 0 not out in the T20s but Kohli didn’t seem too worried.

“He is doing absolutely fine. He is working hard on his game, understands his role but it doesn’t come off every time. He hit a six in Delhi and it got showed five times in the post-match show and suddenly he doesn’t score in one game and we are after his life,” the India captain said.

Anthony Joshua woke up on Wednesday to find himself more of a wanted man than ever in boxing’s entertaining new era of oldfashioned heavyweight hoopla and intrigue.

The Briton is at the heart of a long-overdue heavyweight revival, the money-spinning focus for three other unbeaten champions who, like him, believe they can unify the division and become undisputed owner of the sport’s most prestigious title. Joshua, who holds the WBA and IBF versions of the crown, was called out by both America’s WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and New Zealand’s Joseph Parker, the WBO holder, on Wednesday as the hype really began to take hold. The pair both see a fight with Britain’s 2012 Olympic champion as their passport to global superstardom while in the background another Briton, Tyson Fury, the unbeaten former three-belt holder, still keeps trumpeting his claims too.

Between them the quartet have had more than 100 professional fights and not lost one. So something has to give once, as seems inevitable in 2018, boxing sees the first punches thrown in a bid to find the first undisputed champ since the WBO was founded in 1988.

CNS GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP 2017

Navy to host three-day amateur golf in Lahore ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA WILL BE CONTESTED OVER THREE ROUNDS WITH 18 HOLES TO BE PLAYED EACH DAY, MAKING IT A TOTAL OF 54 HOLES LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Station Commander Commodore Dr SM Shahzad, who is the organiser and patron of the golf championship, was extremely delighted that this event has become an essential part of the national golf events since its inception six years back in 2011. In this event, the golf players seek participation, joy and glory.

They will come forward and demonstrate their playing skill and ability in the premier activity. In last six years, apart from one of the highest participation of golfers in all categories, they have performed exceptionally well and have produced great scores, which is indeed very encouraging.

Dr Shahzad said that through continuity, this championship has attained an admirable status and is regarded as eminent championship of the national golf calendar. He acknowledged the services of the Garrison Golf and Country Club management and staff for providing full support in organising the event and have prepared the golf course in a way that, participants will be much more comfortable.

He said that fairways were in great shape and accurate hitting will be a pleasure for the participants.

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Zafar Mehmood Abbasi is a sports lover and particularly keen towards

Pakistan Navy is hosting the seventh CNS Amateur Golf Championship 2017 which will tee off from November 10-12 at the Lahore Garrison Golf and Country Club.

The championship – which represents a continuity of effort and devotion by the navy to the cause of promoting golf – has now acquired the status of a premier event and is eagerly sought after by champions of the golf arena, as well as other upcoming and talented golfers who seek elevation of their ranking in the national golf circuit.

From the moment the schedule of the golf championship is announced, there is a craze amongst the golfing community for getting registered as competitors and participants. Only the skilled ones are eligible and an amateur golfer has to be in the handicap 12 and below to get accepted as a participant in the actual championship.

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golf tournaments and he whole-heartedly subscribes to the holding of this national golf event and wishes the best to all the participants.

Eligibility criteria for the main event for amateurs will be contested over three rounds with 18 holes to be played each day, making it a total of 54 holes. Winner in this category will be awarded the title and the trophy and the victorious one will be the competitor with the best gross score. The seniors will compete over a total of 18 holes with 9 holes to be played on November 10 and 9th holes on November 11.

Those eligible to participate must be above 55 years and have a handicap of 14 and below. Ladies contest will be over 18 holes on November 11 and criteria for handicap is 30 and below. The participating ladies are much more spirited about the championship and are eager to display their skills. The last category is of juniors which will be played over 09 holes on November 11.

But then there are some very determined ones who have all the urge to appear as the challengers.

The organising team headed by Dr Shahzad vigorously pursuing the arrangements to ensure that excellence remains the hallmark of the event. As for the playing arena, Lahore Garrison Golf & Country Club has a standing amongst the golf courses and will be a challenge to the competing golfers.

Besides this, the other pull factors are the Pakistan Navy’s hospitality, intrinsic value of the prizes and the heartwarming goodie bags. The navy has provided a splendid occasion to the golf champions.

The management and all sponsors have ensured their all-out support to the organisers of the mega event.

There are many more sponsors in line to extend their support for making the event successful.

SPORTS Thursday, 9 November, 2017

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF HOCKEY

AustrAliA leAve PAkistAn red fAced with 9-1 15 MINUTES IN THIRD QUARTER SAW GREEN SHIRTS AT THEIR BEST

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US WANTS TO HOST TOURNAMENT IN A JOINT BID WITH CANADA, MEXICO MANCHESTER AGENCIES

MELBOURNE AGENCIES

AkISTAN lost their opening match of the International Festival of Hockey against host Australia by a big eight goals in a 9-1 defeat at the State Netball and Hockey Centre here in Melbourne on Wednesday.

Blake Govers scored a hat-trick, while Aaron kleinschmidt hit a double in the comprehensive win over Pakistan, who scored one goal via Abu Bakar strike in the 32nd minute. The 1-9 defeat is Pakistan's worstever in its hockey history. Pakistan's previous worst came when Holland defeated Pakistan 9-2 at the 2006 Champions Trophy in Terrassa, Spain.

Australia, the reigning world champions, dominated the proceedings almost throughout the game. The Australia’s first goal came in the eighth minute, off their first penalty corner, when an excellent top of the circle drill baffled Pakistan's defence and Hayward put his team ahead. Within four minutes, Whetton doubled the advantage.

After robbing a defender, he entered the circle from the left, immediately swerved and rattled the board. The first half's last goal came off a wonderful Whetton assist. His inch perfect ball from the circle's top beat a crowded defence and kleinschmidt easily scored from the middle of the scoring area.

In the first 30 minutes, Pakistan had just one open play attempt, when Arslan Qadir's full stretch effort eluded the target. They also wasted one penalty corner with the score at 30 at the end of the first half. Two minutes into

FIFA demands visa, work permit, tax exemptions

the second half, Abu Bakar’s forceful flick went high into the net off Pakistan's second penalty corner.

Within a minute, the Aussies restored the three goal lead: kleinschmidt had his second of the evening with a superb first time reversehander from the left of circle's edge which went into the roof of the far net. Govers made it 5-1 with a penalty corner conversion with a flat forceful push.

Though Australia had most of the exchanges in the third quarter of the game, it still was the green shirts' best 15 minutes of the game. They had open play opportunities and a couple of penalty corners, and scored off one

of them. Pakistan's sloppy defending seemed to be theme of the day but in the last quarter, it completely melted away and conceded four more goals. Govers completed the tally and also his hat-trick in the last minute when his hard low push went past goalkeeper Amjad's left pad, off another penalty corner. In the four-nation event, Pakistan play Japan, which held a strong New Zealand side 1-1 in their last match, on Thursday (today).

SCORERS: Australia: Blake Govers (3), Aaron kleinschmidt (2), Jeremy Hayward, Jake Whetton, kiran Arunasalam, Tom Wickham Pakistan: Abubakar Mahmood

Mercedes to experiment in last two F1 races UK-BASED TEAM WILL HAVE AN INTENSE PROGRAMME ON NEXT TWO FRIDAYS IN BRAZIL, ABU DHABI TO MAKE OPPORTUNITIES

SAO PAULO AGENCIES

Champions Mercedes plan to use the last two races of the Formula One season to test new ideas and parts for 2018 now that they have won both titles.

The British-based team said in a preview for Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix that, with nothing at stake, they could afford to become a little bolder and experiment in Friday practice. The experiments could also be carried over into the race for newlycrowned four times world champion Lewis Hamilton and team mate Valtteri Bottas.

“These two final weekends are not only an opportunity to test new parts, but also allow experiments for those tasks that the team simply doesn’t have the opportunity to complete during a normal race weekend,” said Mercedes. “The team will have an intense program on the next two Fridays in Brazil and Abu Dhabi to make the absolute most of the op-

portunities that have been afforded by early title success.”

Mercedes won the constructors’ championship for the fourth year in a row in Texas last month while Hamilton, now Britain’s most successful driver of all time, took his fourth title in Mexico.

Mercedes said that they would be using prominent aerodynamic devices, of the type usually seen in pre-season testing and which carry extra weight, in Friday practice.

They will also test some new pit-stop equipment and techniques in live conditions for the first time.

Team boss Toto Wolff said there would be no easing up when it came to racing, however. ”Inside the team, we are looking at the next two race weekends as the first two grands prix of 2018,“ the Austrian said. “We have two races that we are determined to win in order to take that positive momentum into the winter,” it said. “Every time we race, we race to win.

That is the mindset we take to Sao Paulo.”

The United States and other countries hoping to host the 2026 World Cup should provide government guarantees on visa-free travel plus work permit and tax exemptions for their bids to be accepted, according to documents published by FIFA. The US wants to host the 2026 tournament in a joint bid with Canada and Mexico, who would also have to commit to the government guarantees for their proposal to be accepted by soccer’s world governing body. Currently, Morocco is the only other country to have indicated they will bid for the finals, which will be the first to feature an expanded 48-team field.

FIFA wants a visa-free environment, or at least non-discriminatory visa procedures, while the work permit exemptions apply to anyone involved with the World Cup and tax exemptions relate to the soccer governing body and its subsidiaries. While FIFA has asked for – and received – similar exemptions in the past, their inclusion in a revamped World Cup bid process will mean the current US administration of President Donald Trump will need to sign off on the exemptions.

United Bid Committee Chairman Sunil Gulati has previously stated that Trump supports the attempt to bring the World Cup to the US, which hosted the 1994 finals.

FIFA produced new bidding criteria after the organisation was heavily criticised over the selection

process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup finals, won by Russia and Qatar respectively.

Formal submission of the completed bids has to be made by March 16, 2018 and FIFA will decide whether to select one of the candidate bids at their congress in June next year, or re-open the process if none of the bids are accepted.

“It is understood that such ease of access to the host country/countries must by no means adversely affect the national immigration and security standards in the host country/countries,” the FIFA document adds. The document also says a bidding nation’s government is requested to guarantee the issuance of valid work permits unconditionally and without any restriction or discrimination of any kind to people involved in the preparation, organisation and hosting of the tournament.

It adds that the government must grant a general tax exemption for FIFA, the 2026 FIFA World Cup entity, the 2026 subsidiaries (if applicable) and any other subsidiary limited to the period of preparation, delivery and wrap-up of the competition, commencing on the date of appointment of the host country/countries and ending on December 31, 2028.

FIFA’s enhanced bidding guidelines are part of a series of reforms enacted after a corruption crisis in 2015 engulfed the organisation. They include ethics, human rights and transparency commitments plus demands on stadium size and infrastructure.

Federer to face Zverev in ATP Tour Finals NADAL WILL FACE GOFFIN, DIMITROV AND THIEM IN OTHER GROUP LONDON AGENCIES

Six-times champion Roger Federer was paired in the same group as German debutant Alexander Zverev for next week’s ATP Tour Finals when the draw was made in host city London on Wednesday.

World number one Rafael Nadal, who is hoping to recover from a knee injury to play in the season-ending showpiece, heads the other group and will face Belgian David Goffin, Bulgarian debutant Grigor Dimitrov and Austrian Dominic Thiem.

Also in the Pete Sampras group with Federer is Croatian Marin Cilic, the man he beat in this year’s Wimbledon final and American Jack Sock who crept into the tournament after winning the Paris Masters.

Zverev, 20, has taken men’s tennis by storm this year, rocketing up to number three in the world rankings after winning five titles, including two Masters 1000 events.

“It’s an honour to play there in London, it’s my first time and hopefully not my last,” Zverev said in M i l a n where he took part in an exhib i t i o n match at the Next Gen Finals, having dropped out to concentrate on London. “I will try to prepare myself as well as I can and try to win many matches there.”

Published by Arif Nizami at Plot # 7, Al-Baber Centre, F/8 Markaz, Islamabad.

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He is one of three first-timers with Dimitrov finally qualifying after being long-predicted to become a regular member of the men’s elite. Sock is the first American to qualify since Mardy Fish did so in 2011. Goffin has qualified for the first time also, although last year he played a match as an alternate.

The draw, which took place on BBC Radio, was delayed because Boris Becker, who Nadal’s group is named after, was held up by traffic on his way to the studio. Several big names are missing this year through injury including 2016 winner Andy M u r r a y, four-times London w i n n e r N o v a k Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka.