E-Paper PDF 10 October (ISB)

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Thursday, 10 October, 2019 I 10 Safar-ul-Muzaffar, 1441 I Rs 19.00 I Vol X No 100 I 16 Pages I Islamabad Edition

China reaffirms support to pakistan over Core issues g

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hina President Xi Jinping on Wednesday said his country supported Pakistan over issues pertaining to its core interests, as he called upon india and Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir dispute via dialogue in the light of the United nations resolutions.

The Chinese president made these remarks during a meeting with Prime Minister imran Khan, who’s on a two-day visit Beijing.

The meeting also involved discussions on multiple topics, including bilateral relations, the current state of the region and security and other matters of mutual interest.

During the meeting, Xi said he was watching the situation in Kashmir and would support Pakistan in issues related to its core interests.

The premier thanked the Chinese president and the government for its principled stance on the Kashmir issue and specifically mentioned Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s statement on the issue at the United nations.

Lauding China for supporting Pakistan on every forum, the prime minister also thanked President Xi and maintained that China had firmly stood by Pakistan in sup-

porting Pakistan’s core national interests and played a major role in advancing Pakistan’s economy as well as national development goals. he added that Beijing has supported islamabad without any conditions.

“Prime Minister affirmed that speedy completion of CPEC projects was number one priority of his government and that CPEC, an integral part of President Xi’s visionary Belt and Road initiative, would play a transformational role in accelerating Pakistan’s economic development and promoting regional connectivity and prosperity,” said a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office.

The premier reiterated Pakistan’s steadfast support to China on all issues of its core interest.

“President Xi lauded Pakistan’s efforts in combatting terrorism and maintained that Pakistan through institutional and economic reforms was resolutely and promisingly on the way to substantial economic development,” added the statement.

PM imran also congratulated the Chinese president on the country’s recent 70th anniversary. The Chinese leader appreciated PM imran’s statements in regards to PakChina relations at the Un and said both countries close relations.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 02

Modi to host China’s Xi at summit STORY ON BACK PAGE

JUI-F changes protest date to Oct 31, seeks permission for sit-in Fazl unlikely to come to Islamabad: minister STORIES ON PAGE 02

Maryam sent on 14-day judicial remand

STORY ON BACK PAGE

XI asks IslaMabad, new delhI to resolve kashMIr dIsPute vIa dIalogue

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PM IMran thanks ChIna For ConsIstent suPPort, says CPeC Is hIs govt’s toP PrIorIty

Fo says both leaders agree to ProMote eConoMIC develoPMent In regIon, suPPort aFghan PeaCe ProCess

CMYK Thursday, 10 October, 2019

02 ISLAMABAD

fazl to protest on oct 31 now JUI-F SEEKS PERMISSION TO HOLD SIT-IN AT D-CHOWK ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

AMIAT Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazulr Rehman on Wednesday announced that his party's anti-government 'Azaadi March' to the capital will begin on October 31, instead of the previously announced date of October 27.

Speaking to reporters, he said the party would now join Kashmiris in observing October 27 as a black day across the country in protest against the Indian occupation of Jammu and Kashmir.

Earlier in the day, the JUI-F formally requested the Islamabad administration for permission to hold the anti-government Azadi March at DChowk, located in the Red Zone,. JUIF leader Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, through his counsel Kamran Murtaza, submitted an applica-

tion to Islamabad Chief Commissioner Amer Ali Ahmad seeking permission to hold the march as well as security arrangements for the participants.

According to the application, the JUI-F will be holding the “Azadi March at D-Chowk, Islamabad, exercising its democratic and Constitutional right under Articles 16 and 17 of the Constitution against the incumbent government”. Last week, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had announced to begin the Azadi March on Oct 27 to oust the “incompetent” government of Prime Minister Imran Khan, blaming him for the economic woes of the country.

Fazl had claimed that “all opposition parties had rejected the 2018 general elections” and called for snap elections. “In this regard, the JUI-F and Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) carried out 15 ‘million marches’ in the

country to raise awareness among the people,” he had added.

However, the major opposition parties, PPP and PML-N, have yet to formally announce their participation in the sit-in. It merits a mention here that the two parties had opposed any “solo flight” for the ouster of the government and called on Fazl to hold a conference of all opposition parties to develop consensus among them.

Reacting to the news of the sit-in, Interior Minister Ijaz Shah on Wednesday reiterated that he strongly believes that Fazl “will not come to Islamabad” for the march on Oct 27. “Fazlur Rehman is a seasoned [politician], he remained in politics throughout his life, his father too was a politician. In my opinion, as I say, […] Maulana Sahib will not come because this is [politically] suicidal,” he was quoted as saying.

Plea seeking withdrawal of terrorism provisions from judges’ detention case turned down ISLAMABAD: The court on Wednesday turned down a plea seeking exclusion of terrorism provisions from judges’ detention case against former dictator General (r) Pervez Musharraf. During the hearing, Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Mian Gull dismissed the petition over absence of Pervez Musharraf’s lawyer Akhtar Shah.

Musharraf was declared proclaimed offender for skipping hearings while interim warrants were also against him by ATC. Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) judges case refers to cases pertaining to the high court and Supreme Court judges who took their oath under the Provisional Constitutional Order in 2007. On November 3, 2007, Pervez Musharraf, who was president at that time, declared a state emergency and suspended the Constitution of Pakistan. All high court judges, including the SC justices, were asked to take oath under PCO. Those who didn’t follow the directives were placed under effective house arrest. STAFF REPORT

FAWAD DISQUALIFICATION CASE

Interior minister says Fazl unlikely to come to Islamabad for ‘Azadi March’ ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Federal Minister for Interior Ejaz Shah has said he believes Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman will not come to Islamabad on October 27 to stage an anti-government protest, adding that this is not the ‘appropriate time’ for such protests.

“Nobody can dislodge the elected government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as long as it has the peoples’ support. All is well for the government,” said Shah while talking to reporters here.

“No one will be allowed to enter the capital’s Blue

Area due to imposition of section 144. This is not the appropriate time for such protests. When [prime minister] Imran Khan staged a sit-in in 2014 the situation was different,” he added.

“The PTI government was voted to power by people. No one can damage it as long as people trust us. The JUI-F leader is planning to protest in Islamabad against the interests of the country,” he added. The interior minister said soon young people graduating from religious seminaries will be able to serve the country as doctors and engineers. “We have not revised the syllabus of madrassas. Rather, we have only included books in their curriculum which would help them to become professionals.”

He said the government wants to ensure that seminary students do not necessarily end up as prayer leaders but are also eligible to join any other occupation. “No one is against madrassas or their syllabus,” he said.

He said Imran Khan is the first prime minister who raised the slogan of building Pakistan on the model of the State of Medina. “The syllabus of madrassa is not being changed; rather an effort is being made to raise educational standards. No protest march in this regard is justifiable,” he said.

Shah said his statement that four- five people were responsible for ouster of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was taken out of context.

5.2 magnitude quake jolts parts of kp ISLAMABAD: A 5.2-magnitude earthquake shook parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday, sending people out of buildings and on to the streets. The epicentre of the quake was in the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan, according to data released by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD). The 5.2-magnitude trembler struck at 3:44pm and was at a depth of 180 kilometres, the PMD said.

The tremors were felt in parts of Malakand division including Swat, Dir and other upper districts and in Hazara division, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Peshawar, Charsadda, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera and other cities. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority said it is in touch with the administrations of KP’s upper districts however no losses of life or property have so far been reported. STAFF REPORT

IHC grants both parties three weeks to submit replies ISLAMABAD: While hearing the petition seeking disqualification of Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry, the IHC on Wednesday granted time to both parties to submit written replies and adjourned the case for three weeks. Fawad Chaudhry took the stance that anchorperson Sami Ibrahim conducted programs against him, aired pictures of his wife and daughter, and is running a campaign against him on social media. The PTI leader said he was abused during the program. The case should be concluded by imposing a fine on the plaintiff to put an end to the blackmailing, he stressed. Sami Ibrahim maintained that Fawad Chaudhry slapped him in front of FIA DG Bashir Memon, still an FIR was not lodged against the federal minister. Fawad Chaudhry is calling me a blackmailer whereas he himself is corrupt, Sami Ibrahim affirmed.

IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah remarked that it is inappropriate to conduct such programs and directed the federal minister to create a forum in the parliament to address such issues. Furthermore, the chief justice added that the parliament should itself hold its accountability instead of bring the matter to courts. The hearing was adjourned for three weeks. It is to be mentioned here that the petition seeking Fawad Chaudhry’s disqualification was filed under Article 62(1)(f) for concealing his assets. STAFF REPORT

China reaffirms support to Pakistan over core issues contInueD froM pAge 01 As per the FO press release, both leaders agreed that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan would promote economic development and connectivity in the region while expressing resolve to continue to support the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan.

According to a Foreign Office (FO) press release, the meeting was followed by a luncheon banquet hosted by President Xi in honour of the premier.He was accompanied by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Minister for Planning, Development and Reform Khusro Bakhtiar, Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, Adviser to the Prime Minister for Commerce, Textile, Industries, Production and Investment Abdul Razzak Dawood, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Energy and Chairman Board of Investment

CMYK

Zubair Gillani. Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, DG ISI Lt Gen Faiz Hameed and other officials were also present in the meeting.

IMRAN CALLS ON NPC CHAIRMAN: Separately, PM Imran called on National People’s Congress (NPC) Chairman Li Zhanshu at the Great Hall of the People. During the meeting, the prime minister stressed that completion of CPEC was a top priority of his government and hoped that its Phase-II would pave the way for further socioeconomic development and livelihood opportunities for the people of Pakistan. He was accompanied by the Foreign Minister, Minister for Railways, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Energy and other senior officials.

The prime minister noted that Pakistan wanted to learn from China’s experience of poverty eradication and expressed his determination to reduce

poverty in Pakistan by following China’s model. He also solicited the support of China in improving Pakistan’s agriculture and AI (Artificial Intelligence) sectors.

Chairman Li Zhanshu reaffirmed Chinese leadership’s commitment to support Pakistan on issues of its core national interest. Li, recognizing the promise of Pakistan with its forwardlooking policies, maintained that China would support Pakistan in initiatives proposed by PM Imran Khan.

He also maintained that both China and Pakistan could propose new projects that could be included in the CPEC. Both the leaders agreed to carry forward the momentum of bilateral visits and enhance parliamentary linkages, which would further cement PakistanChina bilateral ties. The prime minister invited the NPC chairman to visit Pakistan, which the latter accepted.

CMYK Thursday, 10 October, 2019

pml-n leaders divided over azadi march t HE Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is reportedly divided over participation in the antigovernment march spearheaded by Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the head of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F). According to reports, the fissures within the central leadership of the party emerged during a meeting of the PML-N Central Executive Committee (CEC) that was held under the leadership of party president Shehbaz Sharif.

Shehbaz, Ahsan Iqbal and Raja Zafarul Haq reportedly opposed participating in the march, said reports.

While, on the other hand, the

leaders that are considered close to supreme leader Nawaz Sharif, such as Javed Latif, Pervez Rasheed and Ameer Muqam have endorsed joining the sit-in. However, the party will approach Nawaz for the last word on the decision.

Earlier in the day, the JUI-F chief changed the date of its Azadi March from Oct 27 to 31st in order to join Kashmiri people in observing 27th as a black day across the country in protest against the Indian occupation of Kashmir.

Earlier on Oct 3, PML-N Spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb had denied news reports regarding the non-participation of Shehbaz

Sharif in the ‘Azadi March’.

She said that during a meeting with Nawaz Sharif at Kot Lakhpat jail, Shehbaz informed him about the consultation done by the party with the Pakistan People’s Party and JUIF regarding the anti-government protest. “The final announcement regarding the PML-N’s participation in the JUI-F-led march will be made by Shehbaz Sharif,” she had then said.

Earlier, a private news channel had reported that Shehbaz Sharif had refused to participate in the ‘Azadi March’ citing health concerns.

According to the channel’s report, Shehbaz informed Nawaz about the decision of the party’s

CEC to not take part in the JUI-F’s protest movement.

According to the report, the former prime minister instructed his younger brother to call an all-parties conference to finalise arrangements for the ‘Azadi March’ along with bringing the PPP chairman on board and consulting with Fazlur Rehman over the date of the proposed march.

Nawaz also urged Shehbaz to take a leading role in the Azadi March to which the former reportedly refused, citing his ailing health condition, and recommended names of national party leaders such as former federal minister Ahsan Iqbal for the task. NewS DeSk

IHC directs Islamabad admin to ensure peace during Azadi March ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday directed the Islamabad district administration to take all necessary steps to maintain law and order, as it heard a petition seeking a restraint order against the ‘Azadi March’ sit-in announced by the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) on Oct 31. The anti-government march was earlier scheduled to take place on Oct 27, but on Wednesday

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman announced that the rallies were being postponed to Oct 31 to show solidarity with the Kashmiri people.

The court maintained during the hearing that formal permission will only be given if the party applies for it fulfilling all the required conditions.

A single IHC bench comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah said that permission for the sit-in will not be granted until the party formally approaches the district administra-

tion in this regard.

The court granted permission to the PTI as per the law when the party held sit-in (in 2014), the bench further remarked. Petitioner Hafiz Ahtisham, while pleading his case in person, requested the court to prohibit Fazlur Rehman from his announced ‘Azadi March’ and the sit-in. The petitioner said that the Supreme Court and the Islamabad High Court earlier ordered that a protest and sit-in should be restricted to a fixed place to avoid any disrup-

tion in routine life.

The petitioner made Interior Secretary, Secretary Education, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Deputy Commissioner Islamabad and Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) a party in the case. The bench told the petitioner that his plea was premature. The petitioner pleaded the bench for permission to appoint a lawyer for pleading his case. The bench granted permission and adjourned the hearing for a week.

Rana Sanaullah’s judicial remand extended till Oct 18 LAHore Staff RepoRt

An anti-narcotics court on Wednesday extended the judicial remand of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Punjab President Rana Sanaullah till October 18 in a heroin smuggling case. The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) submitted a petition in the court to indict Sanaullah and his accomplices in the said case. To which, the court issued a notice to defense counsel and summoned the plaintiff in the next hearing.

Sanaullah was produced before the special court by jail officials after the completion of his initial judicial remand.

During the hearing, the Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) submitted the video of the incident in the court in a sealed envelope and informed the court that the footage has also been preserved on the request of both parties. Following the hearing, the PML-N leader, in a brief media talk, urged Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa to take notice of his case. He said the army officers on deputation in the ANF abused their powers. The former Punjab minister also lashed out at Anti-Narcotics Minister Sheryar Khan Afridi for “blatantly lies which he told in the National Assembly and to the nation”. Referring to JUI-F’s proposed Azadi March, he said every worker from Punjab will come out “if the party decides to participate in the protest”.

Pakistan, China resolve to strengthen strategic partnership ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Pakistan and China on Wednesday reaffirmed their resolve to further strengthen their bilateral strategic partnership. A joint statement issued after the conclusion of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s twoday visit to Beijing said that the two sides reaffirmed their support on issues concerning each other’s core interests. “Chinese leaders expressed solidarity with Pakistan in safeguarding its territorial sovereignty, independence and security. The Pakistan side reaffirmed its commitment to the One China Policy,” the statement said.

The prime minister visited China at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday.

During the visit, the premier called on Chinese President Xi Jinping, Premier Li and National People’s Congress Standing Committee Chairman Li Zhanshu. He also met Chinese entrepreneurs and businessmen. The prime minister attended the closing ceremony of the Beijing Horticulture Expo 2019 as the chief guest. He congratulated the Chinese leadership and people on the 70th foundation anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. He felicitated China for its remarkable growth and underscored that the reform and opening-up process of China was a model for developing countries. “Supporting One Country Two Systems, Pakistan reiterated that affairs of Hong Kong were China’s internal matter and all countries should uphold international law and basic norms of non-interference in internal affairs of other countries,” the joint press release read. The Pakistani side briefed the Chinese side on

the situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir. The Chinese side responded that it was “paying close attention” to the current situation in occupied Kashmir and reiterated that the issue is a dispute left from history, and should be peacefully resolved based on the UN Charter, relevant UN Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements. “China opposes any unilateral actions that complicate the situation,” the statement said, adding that the two sides underlined that a peaceful, stable and prosperous South Asia was in the common interest of all parties.

CPEC: Both sides maintained that the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will promote industrial and socio-economic development in Pakistan. The Pakistani delegation highlighted that the Gwadar Port has been granted various facilities enabling it to become a trade and logistical hub for the region. “The two sides expressed determination to speedily execute CPEC so that its growth potential can be fully realised making it a high-quality demonstration project for the Belt and Road Initiative,” according to the statement. Both sides agreed to jointly study identified projects in power, petroleum, gas, agriculture, industrial and infrastructure sectors. Those projects were entrusted to the concerned Joint Working Groups for deliberation and subsequent consideration by the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC). The two sides held in-depth exchange of views on deepening bilateral cooperation in the areas of trade, investment, finance, defence and security, education, agriculture, social sector, people-to-people contacts and cultural linkages.

They agreed that early implementation of the

second phase of the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement would contribute to an increase in bilateral trade. During the visit, Prime Minister Imran and Chinese Premier Li witnessed the signing of various agreements and MoUs. Prime Minister Imran thanked the Chinese leadership for providing opportunities to Pakistani students to study in China. The leaders reviewed the bilateral defence cooperation and agreed to further strengthen this in the areas of military exercises, training cooperation, personnel exchanges, and equipment and technology cooperation.

Reaffirming that there is no military solution in Afghanistan, the two sides agreed that peace and stability in Afghanistan is vital for regional security and expressed satisfaction at the outcomes of the third China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue held in Islamabad on September 7. The Chinese side appreciated Pakistan’s efforts in promoting peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan. “Both sides maintained that an inclusive, and Afghan-led and Afghanowned peace process would be key to bring peace and stability in the country,” the press release said.

Both sides reiterated their commitment to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, with China calling on the international community to “objectively recognise Pakistan’s contributions to regional peace and security through its success in [the] fight against terrorism”. Prime Minister Imran thanked the leadership and people of China for their hospitality, and invited the Chinese leadership to visit Pakistan at a mutually convenient time.

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NEWS

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pm likely to visit iran, saudi arabia this month Prime Minister Imran Khan is expected to travel to Iran and Saudi Arabia this month as part of efforts to defuse tensions in the Middle East, according to media reports. The dates of the visits are yet to be finalised.

Tensions have been brewing between Tehran and Riyadh since the Saudi oil facilities were struck by missiles last month. Both Saudi Arabia and the United States blamed Iran for the drone strikes — a charge Tehran has strongly rebutted. Yemen’s Houthi rebels have claimed the responsibility. The drone strikes targeting Saudi Arabia oil facilities have raised the specter of direct conflict between Tehran and Riyadh.

Pakistan and certain other countries have been trying to mediate between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Prime Minister Imran himself acknowledged the mediation efforts when he visited New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly session. Imran said President Trump also asked him to help defuse tensions with Iran. Before departing to New York, Prime Minister also made a stopover in Riyadh where he held talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session, the prime minister met Iranian President Hassan Rouhani as part of the diplomatic push to defuse the Middle East tensions. To follow up the discussions, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi thrice met his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif in New York. If PM Imran succeeds in brokering some kind of a deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia that would be seen as a huge diplomatic success for Islamabad.

Observers believe that the fact Prime Minister Imran is visiting both Iran and Saudi Arabia suggests that there must have been some ‘positive movement’ with regard to Pakistan’s mediation efforts. The New York Times recently reported that Saudi Arabia and Iran have taken steps towards indirect talks to defuse tensions in the Middle East, with Riyadh asking Iraq and Pakistan to speak with the Iranian leadership about de-escalation. The NYT said Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman asked the leaders of Iraq and Pakistan to intervene in the wake of the attacks on two Saudi oil facilities on September 14. The report also said the Saudi crown prince asked Prime Minister Imran Khan that he wanted to avoid war with Iran NewS DeSk

sindh information department told to clear media dues KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) has ordered Sindh Information Department to negotiate with Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) for payments of outstanding dues must be paid before October 30 with the compliance report to this court. This was directed by two members division bench, comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Faisal Agha, while hearing the contempt of court petition filed by CPNE against non-compliance of Court order dated 30.05.2019, regarding payment of outstanding dues to media houses. CPNE Secretary General Dr. Jabbar Khattak apprised the court that partial payments had been made so far but huge amount of advertisements issued directly as well as through advertising agencies was still outstanding. Director (advertisement) Sindh Information Department Zulfiqar Ali Shah assured in reply that remaining payments would be made very soon. Court ordered director advertisement to liaison meetings with CPNE for resolving the issue and ensure the payment of dues before next hearing. “Reconcile payment details with CPNE and clear dues accordingly followed by submission of compliance report on 30th October” Court further directed. Staff RepoRt

04 LAHORE

Thursday, 10 October, 2019

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Kidnappings galore as police snore AT LEAST 93 ABDUCTION FOR RANSOM AND MISSING CHILDREN CASES REPORTED OVER FOUR MONTHS IN CITY LAHORE

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fida huSSnain

T least 93 incidents of kidnapping for ransom and cases of missing children were reported from various parts of the city in the last four months, however the city police has failed to submit challans in a majority of cases despite its claim of recovering several missing and kidnapped children, Pakistan Today has learnt.

Informed sources claim that several suspects were still in police custody due to non-submission of chargesheets, which was causing delay in dispensation of justice.

According to details, two children — 11-year-old Arzoo and 12-year-old Usman — were kidnapped in June while three others including eight-year-old Abeera, nine-year-old Shumaila and 13year-old Sana were also abducted in the same month.

The incidents occurred despite claims

by police that it had arrested over 20 suspects linked with kidnapping gangs.

On June 17, five children including Rizwan, Ghazal, Noor Fatima, Amina and Asima went missing from various parts of Lahore. CIA police, on the other

cM inaugurates sehat insaf card programme CHAKWAL Staff RepoRt

hand, claimed that it recovered a missing child from Hafizabad but failed to nab the accused. On July 10, Muhammad Saleem was killed by his kidnappers for not returning a loan of Rs1.5 million.

A minor, Suleman Ali went missing

Zaka Ashraf presides over Petaro reunion in Lahore LAHORE pReSS ReleaSe

A reunion of former students of Cadet College Petaro was held in Lahore.

The function was presided over by President of the Association of exCadets Muhammad Zaka Ashraf and Petarians from various cities across the country including Multan, Faislabad, Sialkot, Gujrat and Islamabad participated in the event.

The function started with the recitation of the Holy Quran and prayers were offered for armed forces Shuhada.

Participants also expressed their full support for the newly appointed president of the association, Zaka Ashraf.

from his home in July while another 10year-old was found dead in Batapur area after being reported missing. On July 16, police recovered a missing child from Tibbi City area, while a polio worker was killed after being kidnapped in Manawan area.

The culprit was subsequently arrested.

On July 23, Malik Tahir – a resident of Shahdara area was killed by unknown assailants. On July 25, 10-year-old Abdul Subhan was kidnapped and murdered. A girl went missing from Shadbagh area on August 3 while minors Rubab and Khadija of Sanda area went missing on August 5.

Similarly, a woman — Nazia was kidnapped from Sunder area along with her three children but was later recovered.

Likewise, one Farqan Arshad disappeared from Hanjarwal police precinct who was later found and handed over to his family.

Police further said that two persons were kidnapped from Satukatla and Qilla Gujar Singh areas. 11-year Adeel was

Price control task force reviews prices of essential items LAHORE Staff RepoRt

Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar inaugurated the Sehat Insaf card programme for the districts of Chakwal and Jhelum at a ceremony held here on Wednesday and distributed Sehat Insaf cards among the deserving people of both the districts.

Earlier, the Chief Minister inaugurated Government Degree College for Women, Bhagowal, which has been constructed with an amount of Rs11.18 crore. He laid the foundation stone of entertainment park and water sports project at Dhoke Tahlian Lake which will be completed at an amount of Rs100 million.

He laid the foundation stone of BS Block at Government Postgraduate College Chakwal. This project will be completed with an amount of Rs16 crore.

Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone of construction of link road and resort at Dharabi Lake in Chakwal. Rs8 crore will be spent on it.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Usman Buzdar said that he is feeling contended over fulfilling yet another promise of public service adding that Sehat Insaf card is a mega project which will enable the deserving patients to get treated up to Rs7.20 lakh and this amount could be given again to the deserving people in case of need.

Giving details, he said that more than 436 thousand deserving people will be facilitated through Sehat Insaf Card scheme in Chakwal. 29 percent population of Chakwal and 27 percent of Jhelum district will get health cover, he added. More than three lakh and thirty thousand deserving people will be covered through Sehat Insaf Card scheme in Jhelum, he added.

kidnapped from Ghulshan-e-Ravi area on August 22 while two more persons were kidnapped from Kot Lakhpat and Manga Mandi areas on August 23.

Seven persons including children went missing on August 24; six of them disappeared on Sept 7, while one went missing on Sept 12.

Six people were reported missing on Sep 21. On Oct 8, 18-year-old Jannat and Atif Amin were kidnapped in separate incidents.

When contacted, Investigation Police Wing said that 70 children went missing during the last four months but not all were cases of kidnapping.

“We shared a video stating that it was unlikely that all cases of missing children were kidnappings,” said an official, adding, “Most minors, especially girls, are runaways.”

DIG (Deputy Inspector General) spokesperson also disputed these figures saying, “I think just one or two cases of kidnapping for ransom took place in the city. All other incidents including girls who went missing from their homes actually eloped and were later found by police.”

POLICE HAS FAILED TO SUBMIT CHARGESHEETS IN COURTS DESPITE ITS CLAIMS THAT IT HAS SOLVED MAJORITY OF CASES

Provincial Industries Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal presided over the maiden meeting of the task force for price control at Civil Secretariat on Wednesday.

The meeting reviewed the prices of 18 essential items and took important decisions to stabilize their prices in the markets.

The meeting also decided to provide training to price control magistrate as well as to expedite crackdown against hoarders and illegal profiteers.

It was decided to ensure strict monitoring after fixing prices of

essential items in Lahore, Gujranwala, Multan, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi initially and later on, this price control mechanism will be implemented across the province.

A 20kg flour bag will be sold at Rs808, sugar at Rs72 per kg, red chilli at Rs325 and the rate of milk will be Rs80 per litter in these cities. The prices of vegetables, fruits and other kitchen-items fixed by the market committees will also be ensured in open markets on a daily basis.

The meeting decided that the price of 100 gram Roti will remain fixed at Rs6 and revision in Roti prices will be made after

the survey and report from special branch.

Addressing the meeting, the minister said that the sale of essential items at the exorbitant rate is cruelty with the people as well as the failure of the concerned institutions.

He said that line departments should realize about their responsibilities so as to provide relief to the common man. He said that an increase in prices by the district administration without taking the line departments into confidence is deplorable and made it clear that if anybody does so in future, he would be personally responsible for it.

Two more cases of sexual abuse surface in Kasur KASUR Staff RepoRt

Two more cases of sexual abuse of boys surfaced in Pattoki Tehsil of Kasur on Wednesday.

According to police, Junaid, a resident of Pattoki Tehsil, filed a case that his brother was molested by Ramesh, Ashfaq, Nazim, and others. He said the suspects also made objectionable videos and took photos of his brother and were blackmailing him.

Police have arrested the three suspects and recovered the videos. However, the search for the rest of the suspects is still underway.

In another case, police arrested a suspect for allegedly abusing a sevenyear-old child from the Mandianwala neighborhood of Pattoki Tehsil.

Fisheries Dept misses targets in south Punjab LAHORE Shahab omeR

Fisheries project development in ‘saline and brackish waters’ of southern Punjab by the Department of Fisheries Punjab could not achieve its stated targets despite completion of the project, whereas a high percentage of fish mortality (snakeheads/shrimps) was observed, Pakistan Today has learnt reliably.

According to sources, “The project was started in August 2014 and ended in June 2018. The main objective was to conduct survey and studies of saline/brackish waters in select districts for categorization of saline water areas, keeping in view their suitability for fish culture since around 6.52 million acres land in Punjab is affected by saline and brackish waters and has marginal productivity resulting into low income for the farmer.”

Sources told Pakistan Today that the project was aimed to enhance productivity of such areas through culture of fish species having higher salinity tolerance.

It was also envisaged that successful implementation of the project would result in enhanced farming and aquaculture activities in saline and brackish water bodies in targeted areas with the help of studying physiochemical properties of the surface and subsoil waters with aim to get additional fish production to the tune of 300-400m tones in public and private sectors annually.

Directorate General Monitoring and Evaluation (DGM&E) prepared a report over the project which revealed

that only partial targets were achieved.

The report observed that before launching such a project, the department should conduct trial studies on smaller scale to overcome hurdles during implementation.

While giving its observations the report states, “The project was approved without proper projection of RBM Indicators (Result Based Management) to assess the efficiency, sustainability and status of farming at pre and post project stage. The project was revised three times but the physical activities and expected financial gains of project interventions were not projected in PC-I. The project is deficient of FCR (Feed Conversion Ratio) values and economical model, carrying technical aspects. There is also absence of rele-

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vant data/literature/trials regarding introduction of alien species into local environment without any prior studies on smaller scale. The fish seed production/rearing facilities were generated under the scheme but their targets were not projected in the PC-I. Three project directors were changed during project execution stages”.

The report further states, “A high percentage of mortality of fish (Snakehead)/shrimps was observed in the project which should not be overlooked. No investigative research/report on mortality of prawns/shrimp/fish was carried out. Department reported that an amount of Rs1.918 million was generated through sale of fish but there are also fluctuations. There is great heterogeneity in the saline lands/waters

viz saline, saline-sodic, sodic and normal. It was planned to categorize the saline waters on the basis of tests viz dissolved oxygen, total alkalinity, hardness, pH, TDS, CO2 etc of targeted districts and their classification for suitability of different fish species but the requisite compilation is lacking. Fish farming area in targeted districts especially Muzaffargarh showed an upward trend”.

The report recommends, “Before launching such projects, the department should conduct trial/experimental studies in tanks, aquariums or small ponds to assess the survival/mortality/morbidity rate and its impact on environment, rather than conducting trials directly into ponds.

Department should focus on provision of qualified technical assistance to farmers at their door steps.”

“Effective plans should be formulated by the department to provide training to farmers which should include efficient economic role models and usage of modern techniques to trigger the aquaculture practices. The department should also consider on spot/farm workshops for dissemination of technology in addition to indoor workshops. Efficient record keeping is an important tool to identify the progress and problems in the project for further planning and development of similar projects”.

Assistant Director Fisheries Department Mushtaq Qureshi rejected the report and said, “All documents and data were provided to the DGME.” “The project is functioning without any hurdle,” he added.

Thursday, 10 October, 2019

MUlTIPle MoUs sIgNed beTweeN ChINA ANd PAKIsTAN: FM

F

OREIgN Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that Pakistan had shared its assessment and feedback regarding Indian occupied Kashmir with the Chinese leadership, reported on Wednesday.

He said both Pakistan and Kashmiris have rejected the Indian move while China has also shown its concerns over it.

The foreign minister informed that both sides discussed the Afghan peace process and said China, Russia, and other regional countries want peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan and development in the region for which Pakistan is playing its role.

He apprised the attendants about the Afghan Taliban delegation which has recently visited Pakistan and briefed about the several rounds of talks with the US authorities.

He said the Chinese leadership has been taken into confidence on all issues of note, adding, the lead-

ership of the two countries hold frequent exchanges and discussions and adopt unanimous strategy on regional and international issues.

He said both Pakistan and China adopted a joint strategy at the United Nations general Assem-

NA body discusses doubling FATA reserves seats, students quota

bly (UNgA) and in geneva Human Rights Council meeting.

At UNgA, Prime Minister Imran Khan raised the Kashmir issue during his address and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also showed concerns over Kashmir’s situation in

his address to UNgA as China has a clear position on Kashmir issue.

About Chinese President Xi Jinping forthcoming visit to India, he said President Xi is leaving for an informal and short visit to India and he wished to take Pakistani leadership into confidence about his visit.

MOUS SIgneD: FM Qureshi further entailed that both countries had signed wide-ranging memorandums of understanding (MOUs) on a plethora of matters.

China and Pakistan have agreed on setting up a jointly produced desalination plant in Pakistan, the plant will also benefit the city of gwadar, revealed FM Qureshi.

He further stated that MoU’s had also been signed in the discipline of Education, along with one on the betterment for those with physical disabilities. MoU’s have also been signed in the field of narcotics control. NEwS DESk

ATC adjourns hearing of Baldia factory fire case till Oct 17

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Meeting of National Assembly Standing Committee on States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) was held at MoSFR on Wednesday with MNA Mr. Sajid Khan in chair. The Committee discussed the issue of doubling of FATA reserved seats in Educational and Health Institutions throughout the country as decision made by the Federal Cabinet in its meeting held on 2nd March, 2017. The relevant part of the decision is reproduced as under:“Quota of FATA students in education and health institutions in other Provinces should be doubled and retained for 10 years integration with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa” The Members of the Committee expressed their grave concern on non compliance of Cabinet decision regarding doubling of FATA reserved seats in the medical/dental colleges throughout the country after laps of two and half years of Cabinet decision made in its meeting held on 2nd March, 2017 which is tantamount to injustice with the students of merged districts (Erstwhile FATA). The Committee was informed by the Registrar, PMDC that at present the PMDC Council is incomplete due to which an Advisory Committee of the Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination (NHSR&C) on PM&DC has been constituted to advise the Ministry of NHSR&C on the affairs of PM&DC till the completion of Council. He further informed that the issue of doubling of reserved seats for FATA students and the allocation of medical and dental seats for the students of Balochistan and FATA under the project for opportunities of higher education by the HEC would be discussed in the meeting of the Advisory Committee scheduled to be held on 11th October, 2019 in the M/o National Health Services Regulations and Coordination and the Committee would be informed accordingly. Thereafter the Committee directed the Secretary M/o SAFRON to coordinate and hold meeting with the Secretaries of Health Departments of all the Provinces to implement the decision of the Federal Cabinet regarding doubling reserved seats for FATA students at the earliest in order to save the future of FATA students. The Committee was also briefed by the Secretary Agriculture Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on the funds released for reclamation and leveling of land in merged districts (Erstwhile FATA) and the recruitments made during last five years in Agriculture Department of merged districts and future Agriculture and livestock development programs in merged districts in detail.

News

05

Police start preparations to handle JUI-F protests The police forces have commenced preparations for upcoming protests and sit-ins of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) in the federal capital Islamabad likely on October 31. The personnel of the Anti-Riot Unit (ARU) of the Islamabad police department participated in training sessions held in two shifts at Police Line headquarters. Special sessions were organised on a daily basis to train police officers for handling crowd to void any uncertain situation. Police officers instructed the personnel to ensure their own safety during the mass gatherings and sit-ins besides barring those trying to disturb law and order situation. It is pertinent to mention here that Islamabad police department summoned additional contingents comprising 20,000 officials from other provinces for security measures of the federal capital. NEwS DESk

Mishal urges UN to take notice of worsening humanitarian crisis in IoK Drawing attention of the international community towards grave human rights violations in occupied Kashmir, Mishal Malik, the wife of Hurriyat leader Yasin Malik, on Wednesday, urged the United Nations to take notice of worsening humanitarian crisis in the held valley. Talking to journalists, Mishals said that people were facing acute shortage of food and life-saving drugs owing to inhuman curfew and communications blackout in the besieged valley. She maintained that Indian brutalities could not suppress the freedom movement of Kashmiris and added that their struggle will bear fruit soon. Mishals said that Yasin Malik is a name of a movement and added that he would not bow down to Indian tactics. Earlier on September 13, Mishal Malik, the wife of Hurriyat leader Yasin Malik had expressed grave concerns over the disappearance of thousands of people in held Kashmir at the hands of Indian occupation forces. Talking to journalists, Mishal Malik had said that his husband, Yasin Malik, was kept in death cell at New Delhi’s Tihar Jail. Malik had said that she could not talk to him for last six months owing to the restrictions by the jail authorities. She had said that Yasin Malik’s health condition was deteriorating day by day. NEwS DESk

AJK president warns of nuclear catastrophe

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Karachi on Wednesday issued a notice to a senior police officer Sajid Sadozai in order to record his statement in the next hearing of Baldia factory fire case.

The anti-terrorism court conducted the hearing of the factory fire case where prime suspects, Rehman alias Bhola and Zubair alias Charya, were produced before the court.

The lawyers of the prime suspects completed cross-examination of a witness, Inspector Jahanzeb, during the hearing. The court later issued a notice to senior superintendent police Sajid Sadozai in order to record his statement in the next hearing.

Special Public Prosecutor Sajid Mehboob told media that the case has entered into its conclusion

phase as only two witnesses, Inspector Janagir and SSP Sajid Sadozai, will have to record their statements before the court. The prosecutor added that a total of 768 witnesses exist in this case.

Later, the court adjourned the hearing till October 17.

The blaze at Ali Enterprises factory in Baldia Town of Karachi on September 11, 2012, had killed at least 258 people in one of Pakistan’s worst industrial disasters.

The case took a new turn in February 2015 when Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, submitted a joint investigation team (JIT) report in the Sindh High Court (SHC), which revealed that the factory was set on fire after its owners failed to pay protection money. NEwS DESk

ISLAMABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Masood Khan on Wednesday warned that any military combat or limited war will turn into a full-fledged nuclear war. Addressing ‘Kashmir Conference’ in Islamabad, Masood Khan said that threat of another Indian attack on Pakistan could not be ruled out. He said that He said that Pakistan had fought four wars against India for the independence of Kashmiri people. Masood Khan maintained that the entire Pakistani nation stood firm with Kashmiris and hailed the role of Prime Minister Imran Khan for raising the longstanding Kashmir issue before the world. He said that Pakistan was fighting Kashmir case at the international forums. Speaking on the occasion, the president said that India was hatching conspiracies to create differences between Pakistan and Kashmiri people. Masood Khan underscored the need for unity to foil the Indian nefarious designs. Earlier on October 1, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Masood Khan had warned that any military exchange between India and Pakistan will not remain limited and added that it would escalate to nuclear level. In an interview, Masood Khan had said that the deteriorating security situation in occupied Kashmir had the potential to escalate into a nuclear conflict. STAFF REPORT

Nimrita died due to suffocation: report . Nimrita Chandani, a medical student who was found dead in her Larkana university’s hostel room, died due to suffocation, according to the histopathological examination report.

The report, compiled by the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences in Jamshoro on September 26, was handed over to Larkana police on Wednesday.

It indicated that Chandani died due to asphyxiation — or lack of oxygen.

The report claimed that the medical student did not die by unnatural causes or being poisoned since that would have showed changes in her body parts.

However, there were no unusual symptoms in her heart, kidneys, lungs or liver, it added.

Police, on the other hand, said the report did not mention the cause of Nimrita’s death and maintained that the evidence indicated she committed suicide. There was no proof that she was murdered, they added.

On Sept 16, the Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University’s (SMBBMU) Bibi Aseefa Dental College — where Nimrita studied — had said she was found dead and that she had al-

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legedly committed suicide by hanging herself from the ceiling fan in her room in the university’s hostel number 3.

A day after her death, her brother Dr Vishal had alleged that his sister was

murdered and noted that she had no troubles at home nor was she facing any financial problems.

Almost a week later, police claimed that Mehran Abro — one of the accused arrested in connection with the case — had conceded that the two were romantically involved.

Abro had said Nimirita discussed the possibility of marriage with him, they added, noting that he had also revealed that he rejected her marriage proposal.

Reports had indicated that the friendship between Abro and Nimrita started at least four years ago and the former initially wanted to marry her. Another accused, Waseem Memon, was also interested in marrying her.

Police had also claimed to have recovered sleeping pills from Kumari’s bedroom and that the deceased used them during her anxiety. Officials had said they were still working to identify the exact cause of the alleged suicide or murder. NEwS DESk

Thursday, 10 October, 2019

06 WORLD VIEW

‘The only game in Town’: pRogReSS Seen in FRench iniTiaTive FoR US-iRan TalkS A FRENCH INITIATIVE TO DE-ESCALATE US-IRAN TENSIONS HAS DEVELOPED A FRAMEWORK FOR BROADER TALKS TO RESOLVE REGIONAL TENSIONS

al-Monitor

e

Laura rozEn

vEN though the Iranian and US presidents did not meet or share a phone call during the UN General Assembly meetings in New York last month, the French say that important progress has been made on a substantive framework for possible talks, and it is largely a matter of sequencing — and overcoming mistrust — to see if the parties can get to the table.

“The conditions to start those discussions were there,” a French diplomat, speaking not for attribution, told Al-Monitor. “One key issue is sequencing though, and there is probably a problem of trust.”

“I think … that the conditions have been created for a swift resumption of the negotiations,” French President Emmanuel Macron told journalists at a press conference in New York Sept. 24, after noting that he had held multiple discussions with Donald Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani over the previous days and identified four points to serve as a framework for negotiations.

The four points Macron described are: n Ensuring that Iran would never acquire nuclear weapons; n Redoubling efforts to end the Yemen war as a near-term priority to defuse a critical regional flashpoint; n The building of a broader regional security plan.

This might also address the issue of ballistic

missiles, which Iran says it needs to defend itself, including from the advanced arsenal the United States and Europe sell to its Gulf rivals and Israel; n And, paramount for Iran, the lifting of economic sanctions.

“It’s now up to Iran and the United States of America to look at these conditions and work together to reactivate a process,” Macron said. “I say this very humbly and cautiously because all this is still fragile, but I think the discussions we’ve had and the initiatives taken have created the conditions for a swift return to dialogue and the negotiations, while allowing us to build an agenda of long-term security and stability for the region.”

Both Iran and the United States apparently gave their provisional ascent to the framework — or “package” — that the French initiative helped develop as a basis for possible negotiations, said Ali vaez, director of the Iran program at the International Crisis Group. The challenge is sequencing, he said.

“It is reality that both sides believe that the package Macron put together was workable,” vaez told Al-Monitor. “It is a question of sequencing. Both sides were interested and comfortable with the elements that were in the package.”

“Again, the only problem was choreography, and that is why both believe that this is not the end of the road,” vaez said. “The concept of the package remains viable.”

In New York, the sequencing conundrum manifested itself in no Trump-Rouhani encounter.

Diplomats said, in essence, the Iranians would not agree to a meeting with Trump without the United States offering in advance some assurance on sanctions relief. Trump was open to a meeting, but without preconditions — in other words, without of-

fering assurances on sanctions relief first.

The sequencing conundrum could be heard referenced obliquely in a video of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson teaming up with Macron to persuade a smiling Rouhani to meet Trump before he left New York.

“You need to be on the side of the swimming pool and jump at the same time,” Johnson could be heard telling Rouhani Sept. 23, replete with body motions pantomiming jumping into a pool.

“The Iranians are not willing to meet without getting something … some form of relief on economic sanctions,” said Quentin Lopinot, a French foreign policy expert serving as a visiting scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS. “I think this is where we might need to be a bit creative.”

“On specific issues, can you create space for negotiation,” continued Lopinot, the author of a new CSIS paper on how Europe can de-escalate US-Iran tensions in the Persian Gulf. Potential relief “will have to be matched with something from the Iranian side, some form of concession. … We need a couple of sparks [to ignite the engine] to get to direct dialogue.”

“There is no silver-bullet solution to this,” Lopinot said. But despite the lack of a Trump-Rouhani encounter, “things have moved forward a bit.”

In the runup to the G-7 summit that Macron hosted in Biarritz, France, in August, the French had been working on a more narrow cease-fire plan. But between the Biarritz summit and the UN General Assembly meetings in September, Trump indicated to the French that he was interested in a broader, “grander bargain” over a narrow cease-fire plan, said the Crisis Group’s vaez.

“The idea initially was basically to reach a ceasefire agreement in which the US would stop imposing sanctions on Iran and provide it with some economic

RSS Replay Editorial The BJP won a second term with a larger mandate, its government is putting in motion its core ideological projects, Article 370 has been abrogated — and yet. A summary of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s Dussehra speech this year would have to begin with the “parantu (but)” he inserts into his address after acknowledging, and owning, the ModiBJP’s triumph. “Parantu is sukhad vatavaran mein alsa kar hum apni sajagta va apni tatparta ko bhula dein… aisa samay nahin hai”, this is not the time to be lulled into complacence, he says. The rest of the speech is mostly a bristling statement of the dangers and spectres that ostensibly afflict and confront Hindutva and the “Hindu Rashtra”, as the RSS and its chief have always defined, and continue to define, the nation. “Hamaare saamne kuch sankat hain jinka upaay hamein karna hai”, we are faced with dangers we must resolve. These, in Bhagwat’s telling, are visible but also hidden, more internal than external — “kuch sankat saamne dikhayee dete hain, kuch kuch baad mein saamne aate hain”. They are born of India’s diversities, which, he says, are manipulated to widen cleavages and fault lines. They come from attempts to defame Hindus, as in the case of lynchings, which, he says, are communal problems that are not one-sided, “dono taraf se aaroppratyarop chalte hain” (there are allegations and counter-allegations).

In a speech that paints a state of siege, from family to nation, Bhagwat’s description of lynchings stands out for its stark denial of a brutal reality.

That these incidents of violence, most often in the name of the cow, have seen the targeting of poor and vulnerable Muslims, is documented in the videos shot and publicised by the perpetrators themselves. That such mob violence and vigilantism is emboldened by a mix of religious passion and cold calculation of impunity, a majoritarian triumphalism, is there to see. For Bhagwat to suggest otherwise may be predictable, but it is still chilling.

The RSS chief’s inward-looking tone on the economy is disquieting.

Even as he acknowledges the economic slowdown, albeit by attributing it to global currents, and while defending the Modi government’s efforts to find a way out of it, he returns to the RSS’s pet themes of “swadeshi”, “swavalamban” and “swanirbharta” (self-reliance). In times when the BJP government is faced with the challenge of reviving the economy by resuscitating trade and investment, Bhagwat’s articulation is a worrying reminder of the pressures an insular RSS vision can bring to bear on a government it calls its own. Bhagwat takes this theme forward — “swa bhasha (indigenous language)”, “swa bhoosha (indigenous attire)”, “swa sanskriti (indigenous culture)”.

These formulations — purveying spectres, imposing sameness — are, of course, ill fitting in a diverse democracy. They are also a retreat from what seemed to be the RSS chief’s own breakthrough moment a year ago. During a chintan shivir in September 2018, Bhagwat had suggested that the RSS may be rethinking its certitudes and prejudices — most notably, by urging that Golwalkar’s anti-Muslim formulations be seen in the context of their time. This harking back puts a question mark on that step forward.

Laura Rozen is Al-Monitor’s diplomatic correspondent based in Washington, DC. She has written for Yahoo! News, Politico and Foreign Policy.

A new India is emerging, and it is a country ruled by fear

In a speech that paints a state of siege, from family to nation, Bhagwat’s description of lynchings stands out for its stark denial of a brutal reality IndIan ExprEss

reprieve,” vaez said. “In return, the Iranians would stop their escalation both in the nuclear realm and in the region. That was the idea.”

“But then the president [Trump] appeared more anxious for a grander bargain,” vaez said. “And so the French proposal turned into something that amounted to a much more substantive deal than was initially imagined, which would get the US to go back to the status quo ante back in May 2018,” before Trump exited the nuclear deal.

“And so this would … open the way for the US to come back to the P5+1, and to engage in broader negotiations,” vaez said, referring to the acronym for the permanent five members of the UN Security Council plus Germany that negotiated the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.

In many ways, a joint statement issued by the leaders of the E3 — the UK, France and Germany — on Sept. 23 — suggests that the E3 are trying to revive an effort undertaken by the United States and E3 from January to May 2018 to address the issues unresolved by the nuclear pact-sunsets, ballistic missiles, regional threats and the Iranian interest in sanctions relief.

“Conscious of the importance of collective efforts to guarantee regional stability and security, we reiterate our conviction that the time has come for Iran to accept negotiation on a long-term framework for its nuclear program as well as on issues related to regional security, including its missiles program and other means of delivery,” the E3 leaders’ statement said. “We urge Iran to engage in such a dialogue and refrain from further provocation and escalation.”

“I think both the Iranians and the Trump administration … understand that there are not a lot of different formulas that would help them avoid further escalation that could easily spin out of control,” vaez said. “That is why they are not keen on new initiatives to mediate between them. … The French initiative remains the only game in town.”

Guardian amIt ChaudhurI

Four months have passed since Narendra Modi and the BJP came back to power in India, and more seems to have happened there than in the last 40 years. The sense of severance that many experience today, of being divorced from the workings of the nation, exceeds even the helplessness felt during the suspension of civil liberties in the emergency of 1975 to 1977 and the political traumas that followed.

This is because – without the matter being explicitly articulated – citizen has been set against citizen: not just Muslim against Hindu or, say, Kashmiris against the rest of India, but those who subscribe to the BJP’s new conception of the nation against those who do not, leaving one without trust in the other.

How to judge these past four months? A series of disruptions has dwarfed the now distant seeming upset of Modi’s economically disastrous demonetisation programme of 2016. In August there was the abrogation of article 370 of the Indian constitution, which granted “special status” to Indian Held Kashmir in acknowledgment of its contested history. This was followed immediately by the “house arrest” of elected Kashmiri leaders and the imprisonment of thousands of others.

What we saw was the attempt to take a difficult and divisive issue and simply place it to one side by an act of will, so that it requires no further discussion. There is the impression that not just the Kashmiris’ but all our fates are now being decided for us.

The home minister, Amit Shah, would have us believe that the “restrictions’” in Indian Held Kashmir are all in the mind. I asked a Kashmiri how she interpreted this.

She speculated that what was being implied was that the lack of protest in Indian Held Kashmir was equal to normalcy. But a lack of protest in a democratic country is strange, and a sustained lack of protest alarming. Is this the normalcy that Indians wish to be bestowed on them by their government?

Then there is spectacle of a different sort: of the government borrowing an unprecedented sum of money from the Reserve Bank

of India; of it failing to pay the Central Reserve Police Force; of the economy tanking, of Modi pronouncing that India is in the ascendant. We live simultaneously in disparate realities: a “normal” Indian Held Kashmir, an abnormal country; a bankrupt economy; a rising India – competing scripts, none of which acknowledge the existence of the other, as distant as countryman has grown to countryman.

If asked what this government’s one great recent achievement is, some people might draw attention to the number of toilets built in a country with poor sanitation. Others, whose experience of the new India is different, would say that its greatest success has been in creating a climate of fear. As a consequence, dissent has a purer form now.

It’s no longer, as it was once, preaching to the converted. It’s not even the pointing out of unpleasant facts. It’s simply a demonstration that dissent continues to be possible.

India has not, outside of Indira Gandhi’s declaration of emergency, been in this place before, and certainly not with the degree of popular support we see now, which can only be characterised as a form of inebriation. The judiciary, the police and other law enforcement agencies are all seen, rightly or wrongly, to “belong” to the government, and many high-profile lawbreakers seem to be those who, coincidentally, disagree with the BJP. The number of cases of “sedition”, a charge left over from colonial India, has risen dramatically.

Of course, the erosion of institutional independence didn’t happen overnight. Over the last 30 years all governments in India, state and central, have had limited respect for civil liberties and democracy: Indian parties are only fervent democrats when they’re in opposition.

But no government has been as openly and robustly punitive towards dissent as this one.

Could this ferocious and successful discouragement of dissent herald the achhe din (“good times”) Modi has advertised to Indian voters at his rallies? A dissent-free country is a “normal” country; a dissent-free political environment constitutes a “good time” for its rulers. I myself have first-hand experience of this. I recently signed a letter of protest addressed to the prime minister, drawing attention to increased religious violence. My co-signatories were 48 of India’s most eminent film-makers, academics, activists, artists and writers. In response to a petition in Muzzafurpur, Bihar, a court has now asked the

police to open a case against us.

Then there’s the National Register of Citizens (NRC), a central government-backed project in the state of Assam aimed at uncovering and expelling “foreigners” (that is, Muslim refugees from Bangladesh who don’t have the relevant documents, though the reality has turned out to be far messier, and the majority of those now deemed “foreigners” have turned out to be Hindus). Many are threatened with being uprooted, and others in the region are being asked to help uproot their neighbours.

These extraordinary developments got me thinking about ethnicity and citizenship. About the trajectory of Indians in the 20th century: of Gandhi’s relocation to England and then to South Africa, where, made conscious of his race and colour, he first moved towards politics; of Sikhs settling en masse in Canada after murderous violence against them in 1984; of Bengalis departing a declining Kolkata in the 70s.

Indians are a many-sided people: they are entrepreneurial, curious, cultured, openminded, adventurous. They have great writers, scientists, businessmen; they have Gandhi.

They’re also great migrants: they’ve gone to and worked and settled in every part of the world. They know the pain of discrimination and upheaval intimately. In this context, the fraught rhetoric surrounding the NRC, where “illegal migrant” is time and again conflated with “Muslim”, and “Muslim” with “foreigner”, shows a disconnect between what Indians have historically known, felt and achieved as migrants, despite hostility and opposition, and how, at home, they perceive those they suddenly decide are the “other”.

It’s odd that our past hasn’t given us a more immediate sense of the value and inevitability of plurality, of accommodating difference. Instead, many of us have refashioned ourselves as north Indian Brahmin manqués, wanting Hindi as the official national language, wanting to be what we’re not, wanting our nation to be what it can’t be. Only a determined abstention from self-inquiry could have got us here. Rather than accepting an India where lack of dissent is expected, it is time to look inward: to recollect the journeys we’ve made, and assess whether we’ve ended up where we wanted to be.

Amit Chaudhuri is professor of contemporary literature at the University of East Anglia and an author.

Thursday, 10 October, 2019

repUBlican-led proBe finds rUssia helped trUmp in 2016

WASHINGTON

a

Agencies

Senate Republican-led investigation said in a report Tuesday that Russia indeed sought to help President Donald Trump in the 2016 election, contradicting persistent White House claims to the contrary.

The Senate Intelligence Committee’s 2016 election investigation report said a sweeping social media manipulation cam-

paign by the St. Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency (IRA) represented “overt support of Russia’s favored candidate in the US presidential election.”

“The committee found that the IRA sought to influence the 2016 US presidential election by harming Hillary Clinton’s chances of success and supporting Donald Trump at the direction of the Kremlin,” it said. “IRA social media activity was overtly and almost invariably supportive of then-candidate Trump,” it said.

The committee, led by Republican Senator Richard Burr, issued its report as Trump continues to insist that the story of Russian meddling is “fake news” and a “Russian witch hunt hoax” peddled by Democrats.

Trump and allied Republicans meanwhile are pressing an unsubstantiated theory that Ukraine colluded with Democrats to undermine Trump in 2016.

The collision of the two versions of what happened in the 2016 vote are at the center of the newest allegations that Trump has sought Ukraine’s help to find dirt on his possible 2020 Democratic election challenger Joe Biden.

Trump is facing possible impeachment in the House of Representatives for seeking to involve Kiev in next year’s election, and allegedly holding up military aid for the country to induce its help against Biden.

Democrats called the moves a repeat of 2016, when Trump’s campaign allegedly sought Moscow’s support to defeat Democrat Clinton.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into that election found numerous instances of attempted collusion between the campaign and Russians, but inadequate evidence of an illegal conspiracy to do so.

The committee warned of a possible repeat of Russian meddling in next year’s election.

“The executive branch should, in the run up to the 2020 election, reinforce with the public the danger of attempted foreign interference in the 2020 election,” the report said.

Irish border residents worry about future if no-deal Brexit GREENORE Agencies

The small ferry moves gently across the calm waters of Carlingford Lough, connecting the picturesque hamlet of Greencastle in Northern Ireland with the village of Greenore, a mile and a half away in the Republic of Ireland.

It began sailing a little more than two years ago, saving farmers, commuters and tourists an hour-long drive inland to the nearest bridge.

The service is another sign that the border has all but vanished since the Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998, ending decades of sectarian violence and creating a quiet sense of normality that older generations cherish and younger people may take for granted. But if the U.K. leaves the European Union on Oct. 31 without a Brexit divorce deal, this local boat could find itself plying an international border.

“We don’t know what to expect,” said Paul O’Sullivan, the ferry company’s managing director. “Brexit has resulted in chaos for our company.”

With both in the EU, the border barely resonates. As members, both the U.K. and Ireland have to abide by the rules of the club — the free movement of goods, services, capital and people. In a no-deal Brexit, that all goes and the border — the only land bor-

der between the U.K. and the EU — will resonate once again.

Little wonder then that it’s been the most intractable issue in the Brexit negotiations over the past three or so years since the U.K. voted to leave the EU in June 2016.

With little more than three weeks to go before the scheduled Brexit date of Oct. 31, the two sides have failed to agree on a plan to ensure the border remains open, without the checkpoints that were magnets

for violence during three decades of conflict. More than 3,500 people died during “The Troubles.”

“People in their 40s and 50s and older, we remember The Troubles very well,” said 51-year-old Patrick Robinson, a member of Border Communities Against Brexit. “What started off as border troubles exactly like what is going to happen now escalated into what became known effectively as the civil war in Northern Ireland.”

FOREIGN NEWS 07

Kurds mobilize in Syria as Turkey poised for imminent attack BEIRUT Agencies Warning of a “humanitarian catastrophe,” Syrian Kurdish forces who are allied with the United States issued a “general mobilization” call on Wednesday in northeastern Syria, along the border with Turkey, as Ankara threatened an imminent invasion of the area. The Turkish operation would ignite new fighting in the war-ravaged country’s eight-year-old war, potentially displacing hundreds of thousands of people. Turkey has long threatened an attack on the Kurdish fighters in Syria whom Ankara considers terrorists allied with a Kurdish insurgency within Turkey. A Syrian war monitoring group, the Britainbased Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, reported Wednesday that people were fleeing the border town of Tal Abyad. AP journalists on the Turkish side of the border overlooking Tal Abyad saw Turkish forces crossing into Syria in military vehicles Wednesday, though there was no official statement from either side that the offensive had begun. Expectations of a Turkish invasion rose after President Donald Trump on Sunday abruptly announced that American troops would step aside ahead of the Turkish push — a shift in U.S. policy that essentially abandoned the Syrian Kurds, longtime U.S. allies in the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria. But Trump also threatened to “totally destroy and obliterate” Turkey’s economy if the Turkish push into Syria went too far. Turkey has been massing troops for days along its border with Syria and vowed it would go ahead with the military operation and not bow to the U.S. threat over its plans against the Kurds. A senior Turkish official said Wednesday that Turkey’s troops would “shortly” cross into Syria, together with allied Syrian rebel forces to battle the Kurdish fighters and also the Islamic State group. Trump later cast his decision to pull back U.S. troops from parts of northeast Syria as fulfilling a campaign promise to withdraw from the “endless war” in the Middle East. Republican critics and others said he was sacrificing a U.S. ally, the Syrian Kurdish forces, and undermining American credibility. Fahrettin Altun, the Turkish presidency’s communications director, called on the international community in a Washington Post op-ed published Wednesday “to rally” behind Ankara, which he said would also take over the fight against the Islamic State group. Turkey aimed to “neutralize” Syrian Kurdish militants in northeast Syria and to “liberate the local population from the yoke of the armed thugs,” Altun wrote. Turkey’s defense Hulusi Akar told state-run Anadolu Agency that Turkish preparations for the offensive were continuing.

In its call for mobilization, the local civilian Kurdish authority known as the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, also urged the international community to live up to its responsibilities as “a humanitarian catastrophe might befall our people” in the region.

“We call upon our people, of all ethnic groups, to move toward areas close to the border with Turkey to carry out acts of resistance during this sensitive historical time,” it said. The statement said the mobilization would last for three days. The Kurds also said that they want the U.S.-led coalition to set up a no-fly zone in northeast Syria to protect the civilian population from Turkish airstrikes.

Iraq’s uprising an open crisis with no known path forward BAGHDAD Agencies

Iraq has been plunged into a new cycle of instability that potentially could be the most dangerous this conflict-scarred nation has faced, barely two years after declaring victory over the Islamic State group in a war that left much of the country in ruins and displaced tens of thousands.

The latest bloody confrontations have killed more than 100 people in less than seven days. But this time, the clashes do not pit security forces against Islamic extremists, the country’s Sunnis against Shiites, or insurgents against occupation forces. Instead, Iraqi security forces have been shooting at young Iraqis demanding jobs, electricity and clean water — and an end to corruption.

It’s still unclear why the government chose to exercise such a heavy-handed re-

sponse to a few hundred unarmed demonstrators who first congregated last week on social media to hold a protest. But analysts say the violence has pushed Iraq toward a dangerous trajectory from which it might be difficult to pull back.

As the spontaneous protests — with no apparent political leadership emerging — continued to clash with security forces in Iraq cities and towns, the government appeared unapologetic and failed to offer solutions to entrenched problems, raising fears that yet another Arab nation will be mired in a long-term crisis without a path forward.

“The use of force coupled with cosmetic concessions will work to temporarily ease pressure but will not end the crisis,” wrote Ayham Kamel, Middle East and North Africa head at Eurasia Group.

“This cycle of protests could be contained, but the political system will con-

tinue to lose legitimacy.”

In their demands for better services and an end to corruption, the protesters are no different from those who rioted in

he southern city of Basra over chronic power cuts and water pollution last summer. Or in 2016, when angry demonstrators scaled the walls in Baghdad’s highly

secured Green Zone and stormed Iraq’s parliament, shouting “thieves!”

But unlike in 2016 when the protests were led by populist Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, today’s protests have not been co-opted by any political party.

Most are young men in their twenties.

They do not have a clear list of demands or a program, nor do they have a spokesman to speak on their behalf. Some are teenagers or fresh university graduates unable to find jobs in a corruptionplagued country that sits on some of the world’s biggest oil reserves.

Their movement — if it can be called that — has no clear contours, nor any quick solutions. The protesters say they are fed up with the entire post-2003 political class which profiteers on kickbacks, nepotism and corruption while ordinary Iraqis drink polluted water and endure massive unemployment.

Thursday, 10 October, 2019

08 COMMENT

The speech and beyond

JKLF march Kashmiris peaceful protest against illegal annexation

Fifth-generational methods may be needed

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rIMe MInISter Imran Khan telephoned several world leaders to condemn Indian atrocities and its change of Indian-occupied Kashmir’s status in violation of Un resolutions and India’s own undertakings the PM also took up the matter with US President Donald trump, asking him to arbitrate in the dispute. Finally he highlighted the plight of the Kashmiris on the other side of the LoC in his address at the Un General Assembly. the government seems to have exhausted whatever options it had in mind to internationalise the Kashmir issue and shake the world’s conscience over India turning the Valley, inhabited by over 12 million human beings, into a virtual prison. on Saturday the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, a Kashmiri political party operating on both sides of the LoC, started what it called the Freedom March, in protest against India’s moves. Mr Khan meanwhile warned that anyone crossing the LoC from AJK to dispense humanitarian aid or support for the Kashmiris’ struggle will provide India an excuse to blame Pakistan that it is sending terrorists. the marchers have consequently been stopped a few kilometers from the LoC by putting containers, concertina wire and electric poles to bar their way. the marchers then decided to hold a sit-in till they were either allowed to proceed or Pakistan’s Foreign office called representatives of the Un Secretary General and the P-5 to allow them to present their charter of demands before the world’s movers and shakers. the marchers are now protesting in the open in weather that is turning increasingly cold. With hundreds of protesters blocking the roads, the population in the area is also facing problems. the prolongation of the peaceful protest might be distressing for the marchers and make life inconvenient for the population in the vicinity, but it is bound to draw the world’s attention. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and PM Imran Khan would do well to meet the protesters who think that since the PM’s efforts have failed to bring any change in India’s Kashmir policy, the Kashmiris must come forward to draw the world’s attention to the plight of their brethren across the LoC. the marchers need to be provided all possible diplomatic help by Pakistan’s Foreign office.

Doubts about the March Interior Minister showing signs of impatience

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nterIor Minister Brig (retd) Ijaz Shah does not approve of JUI(F) chief Maulana Fazlur rehman’s intention of holding a Million-March on Islamabad, and in an interaction with the press after inaugurating the Police Facilitation Centre in Islamabad on Wednesday, he made his feelings clear. However, he also made clear that his grounds for opposing the March did not rise above the partisan. He said that unjustified demands could not be the basis for removing the government. He is right, but who determines that grounds are unjustified? not one of the interested parties, surely?

He also said that the timing of the March was wrong.

While comparing it to the sit-in by Imran Khan in 2014, he said the situation was entirely different. He might find that any attempt to find any difference might end with casting a lurid light on where the 2014 protesters drew their strength, a light for which they would not be grateful. He also said that Section 144 had been imposed in the red Zone and no one would be allowed to take the law into their own hands. that is valid, but to go from there to predicting that the Maulana would not come to Islamabad on the 27th would be to predict that law and order might break down. As the Interior Minister, he would surely not want that to happen, as it would if the contingency plan the Maulana has already spoken of, had to be implemented. However, how can he predict the movement of any citizen unless he already intends to ensure his arrest? He should not forget that the imposition of Section 144, with its concomitant ban on gatherings of five persons or more, has time and again proved a law with which the judiciary has been uncomfortable.

Brigadier Shah should realise that he no longer serves a military ruler, as he did as DG Intelligence Bureau for Gen Pervez Musharraf, but an elected Prime Minister, and is responsible for keeping the peace while allowing the freedoms of movement and expression allowed in the Constitution. the essence of democracy is to allow free competition, not to maintain the government of the day in office.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

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AskAri rAzA mAlik

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n expectant nation waited for days before PM Imran Khan’s maiden speech at the Un General Assembly. A young anchorperson said that towards the end his eyes were filled with tears. So many others expressed the same emotion. the speech was hailed as “historic” by many a media house in Pakistan. From that young anchorperson, to the ‘Chairman Standing Committee of the Senate on Foreign Affairs’, Mushahid Hussain, and a well-known commentator, everyone seemed visibly moved by the speech. the heartrending story of the oppressed Kashmiris suffering untold atrocities at the hands of the Indian occupation forces was bound to stir those emotions.

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill on taking over had warned the world about the nazis who were not only a threat to england, but to the entire humanity including a far-flung USA. He was right. Imran Khan did the same. His speech was not a piece of hate-spewing, war-mongering rhetoric. He was expressing a genuine worry, a global concern posed by another fascist. Modi’s arrogance continues unabated. that is pushing us to the edge of the precipice. A war between two nuclear powers is very much a possibility with its infinite repercussions for the entire world. that is what the PM said and said it with all the sincerity.

Some avowed IK antagonists did murmur disagreement, meek and apologetic. Perhaps they, according to Hazarat Ali (rA), were compelled to speak the language of the wealth that controlled their pens and tongues. Similarly, the

political opposition on the whole lacked passion and conviction and was found even below par its usual mediocrity. Bilawal has a subtle sense of humour. He made everyone smile by saying that he was not satisfied with the speech. the rest, including the Indians’ counter speech at the UnGA, were a mere routine. the most important aspect is the impact a speech creates. the experts say that it is not the knowledge that a speaker gives but what his audience perceive that matters. this impact is unpredictable and unquantifiable, an intangible like honour or peace and calm. this intangible is also controlled by God. “oh Allah…You honour whom You will and You humble whom You will”. (3:26) All those who pursue a normal career and achieve a position that is not inherited know that success does not result from hard work alone.

Destiny or luck plays a predominant role in shaping careers of successful men and women. It is that invisible hand that seems to move ahead clearing all the minefields, removing all the obstacles and bridging all the gaps in the way of the ultimate. this is neither predestination nor luck. these are the mysteries of the spiritual. no ‘luck’ by astrological definition can remain constantly favourable. It is the grace of God that bestows power and honour and makes people rise beyond their potential. those who realize this truth and are grateful to God while in power, acquit themselves with honour. the ungrateful meet with repentance and disgrace. In some professions people become consciousness of the ultimate power sooner than in others. Soldering during conflict is one. Professional sports are another. one is constantly on trial. every moment of consequence seems to open new vistas of belief and wonder. other professions also have the element of the unknown, but it requires greater wisdom and sensitivity to realize the truth. Small warning signs escape attention and often it is too late in the day to make amendments. that is why soldiers and sportsmen seem addicted to exclamations like ‘Insha Allah’, ‘God willing’ and ‘if everything went according to the plans’, etc., more than a politician or a diplomat.

It is because they learn that ‘if you want to make

God laugh, tell Him your plans and if you want to further amuse Him, tell Him how strong you are’. the power of the intangibles makes the wise conscious of their limitations. the wise is always alive to the powers of God. He constantly invokes His blessings and never sounds as cocksure as the ordinary often do; like someone saying, ‘we will kick this government out’. God is God, the statement will not fail to amuse even a poor mortal.

Like the physical laws that govern the functioning of the universe, the spiritual laws based on ethics, morals and scruples play an equally important role in the life of individuals and nations. those who ignore the spiritual come to grief. ‘there is no God but God’, is a conviction that is universally admitted as an indomitable and unparalleled motivating factor. It turns man into a true vicegerent of God on earth, fearless, independent truthful and honest. IK’s strong expression of his beliefs inspires the people of Pakistan. the crucial question is, what next? the veteran soldiers rule out the use of force because of our obvious disadvantages in the conventional comparative strength ratios. Pakistan’s strategy is defensive. But if provoked we will respond strongly. However, the existence of a nuclear arsenal on both sides cannot be easily brushed aside.

At the same time men in uniform have known other covert and overt methods to put physical pressure on the enemy. nothing stops Pakistan from adopting one or more of such methods. exterior manoeuvres built on diplomacy, and techniques of fifth generation warfare is a viable option. there is no ready-made roadmap so to speak. the government will have to create a think-tank, in or outside the Foreign Affairs Division based on genuine intellectuals, similar to the one established by the British navy in World War two to find an answer to the menace of German U-Boats. Modi’s fascism needs to be countered with more than conventional mechanism.

Askari Raza Malik has served Pakistan Army as Major General. He is author of book “Pakistan in Search of a Messiah”. He can be reached at ask7121@gmail.com

E-commerce in Pakistan How to take the country into the modern world AmjAd Ali

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ItH the advancement of technology and the availability of the fastest internet connections at our disposal, the entire world is virtually at our fingertips. Due to these innovations, the concept of globalisation emerged and the world is getting more and more integrated with every passing day, so that we are now the citizens of the global village. this integration process with the help of these technological tools gave rise to the e-commerce, a virtual space where buyers and sellers exchange goods and services. on the one hand, this market is booming in different countries, on the other, it has not yet realised its full potential in Pakistan.

In advanced countries, e-commerce has almost replaced the traditional markets by offering online goods and services. For instance, Alibaba, Amazon, etc. are connecting buyers and sellers by providing them space at their platforms, which has also facilitated the consumers to seek the products of their choice at the most competitive rates and even without physically visiting the markets. More often than not, the consumers have to struggle to find the products of their choice keeping in view the variety, price and quality. they run up to many shops and markets in search and procurement of that article. thus, e-commerce has facilitated acquiring that product with one click on our computer screens or by one phone call, as e-commerce and tele-business are interlinked. not to speak of saving-time.

After all, “time is like money or even more precious than that”. this writer also has a satisfactory experience with the mushrooming e-commerce industry.

Lately, I purchased a tablet from Saudi Arabia which had not been launched in Pakistan by then.

For the safety of tablet, I embarked on a journey to search for a foldable protective cover. After searching few famous markets, I abandoned asking for the tablet cover shop after the stop from the bustling streets of Karachi, as it was a very exhausting exercise. Convinced that my issue could be remedied by an online search, I came across the famous Alibaba which offered unique Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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options. though hesitant as it was my first expe- unexploited market. there are many reasons for rience with online purchasing, I ordered and sur- this underutilisation, such as lack of awareness prisingly received the product of the standard amongst the masses, trust-deficit between the cusquality. thereafter, I have been convinced no one tomers and owners of e-commerce brands, government’s disregard to promoting it, apart from others. can stop the thriving e-commerce juggernaut. notwithstanding these issues, it is incumbent In addition, recently a friend of mine took me to visit young entrepreneur Mr. Javed at hiss on the government to promote and encourage enUrban tailor House, which offers home pick-up trepreneurs like Mr Javed for many reasons. and delivery tailoring services. During the visit, Firstly, it helps in facilitating the people to get my friend asked Mr. Javed how he got this idea. their desired goods or services at their home without much trouble. SecHe responded that he got ondly, with the help of ehis inspiration from the epurchases, people may find commerce giants such as the products at the competAlibaba, Amazon, Daraz, It is high time that the itive prices. thirdly, it can and so on, as they are also government promotes also be a source of employoffering similar services, ment generation as a large choose-order-delivery of e-commerce for the number of people can be the product. Similarly, his adjusted in this field. start-up Urban tailor benefit of the citizens, Fourthly, exportable prodHouse is following their entrepreneurs and ucts can fetch dollars for footsteps by picking up the the cash-starved national unstitched clothes, after boosting the crippling kitty. Lastly, it boosts ecogetting them stitched from his dynamic team accordeconomy. The government nomic activity which needs the country most. ing to the wishes of the should make necessary It is high time that the customer such as designgovernment promotes eing, are delivered back to efforts for ensuring that commerce for the benefit of the customers within the citizens, entrepreneurs stipulated time at reasonthe buyers are provided the and boosting the crippling able service charges. I was economy. the government surprised to see that the with the best quality of should make necessary efyoung entrepreneur is ofgoods and services forts for ensuring that the fering the innovative idea buyers are provided with that we may get our clothes the best quality of goods stitched with one click or and services. For this purcall. this has made me repose my confidence in the positive use of tech- pose, legislation can be introduced that in case a nology. While visiting the website, I came across customer finds quality of the product as substanshopping bags and the owner apprised that these dard then the seller will be made liable to refund shopping bags are in compliance with environ- the principal accrued amount. Bridging the trust mental standards and are bio-degradable. We ap- gap between the buyers and sellers would be anpreciated his vision and care for the environment other such step in the right direction. Above all, and his unique idea of home-pick and delivery it is state’s responsibility to provide the opportunities to the citizen’s for tapping the emerging eof tailor-services. though there is a vast scope of e-commerce commerce market and utilise it to the optimum in Pakistan, it remains an untapped resource. Ac- level in the globalised world. cording to the Pakistan telecommunication AuAmjad Ali is a development sector thority (PtA), there are 162 million mobile and 71 and can be reached million 3G/4G subscribers in Pakistan. Despite practitioner these staggering figures, e-commerce remains an at amjadsiyal@hotmail.com

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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Thursday, 10 October, 2019

COMMENT 09 Editor’s mail

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

E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan today exclusively

Tax burden I am writing this letter to you as a concerned member of this society. I belong to a middle class family, therefore increasing inflation, falling incomes, rising taxation is one of the matters of great concern. recent increase in the tax and rising petrol prices have made it difficult to meet the end meets. rising petrol prices have made the public transport more expensive. Government should burden the business community or the ones at the top of the chain rather than a middle class person. Considering that you voice the opinions of commoners in your newspaper, I would be very grateful if you would transfer this message.

AdEEL TAMIMI Lahore

Ban plastic bags I want to request the sindh government to put ban on the plastic bags.earlier, federal government also imposed a ban on the plastic bags in the federal captial and now Punjab government has also banned the use of polyethene bags in the province.but Sindh government has not shown any concern regarding this issue.Due to the usage of plastic bags,there is a problem of rising ocean temperatures and the plastic itself is killing fish life and other mammals.Plastic harms the wildlife because of the element of the toxic chemicals in the plastic it harms the environment when burned and when tried to recycled.I request the sindh government to take action on this issue and introduce cloth bags in the province like the federal government introduced in islamabad and put a ban on usage of plastic bags.

MuHAMMAd RAzA Karachi

Myth of police reforms Policing should focus on the investigation FAisAl Ali rAjA

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He police reform agenda is often marred by self interest and sustaining control over police operational command structure. the trinity of reform elements includes public, police force and accountability mechanism in the organization. often the issue oscillates between the department and its oversight, thus overlooking conveniently people’s aspirations and desires on the subject. thus whatever translates into action is a small percentage of what has been conceived on paper. there is an anti-police-sentiment in the air nowadays. the electronic media is splashing news about police brutality, highhandedness and lackadaisical attitude of the force on daily basis. It seems as if the whole police department has ceased to function properly. though there are areas in police organization which warrant immediate intervention and reforms, the whole force should not be blamed for the slackness of a few police officials. the real culprits are those who have introduced cosmetic measures to sustain their positions in the name of police reforms. Apart from a few interventions, the bulk of police reforms have been focused on establishing parallel systems to police working and bypassing police stations in public service delivery matters. If the real malaise lies in police stations then the majority of experiments have been aimed at ignoring the root cause of the problem and tried to create units operating independently and without any cooperation and coordination with local police. the functional specialization was introduced under Police order 2002 at police station level but the police department could not execute it wholeheartedly and with full vigour.

A police commander at district level and his counterpart in investigation usually lock horns in a futile battle for command and supervision over investigation matters. the investigation funds are distributed in such a fashion that most of the investigating officers submit the case-related bills either at the end of a financial year or after the completion of investigation and submission of challan. the investigating officers rarely receive the money as they have already greased the system through the ‘cooperation’ of parties involved in cases during different stages of investigation, which ranges from registration of First Information report (FIr) to apprehension of accused and from taking physical remand of a culprit to effecting recovery from him or her in a case. Hence, as the concept of separation of investigation is introduced at police stations, Station House officers (SHos) become detached and indifferent to the investigating matters, even those which are di-

rectly related to law and order situations. their is the leading cause why an error is committed main concern is that they have been weakened again and again after certain period of time. the way out of the present situation is difand reduced to a position where their role is limited to registration of cases. Such thinking ficult but not impossible. First, we need to achas not only created divisions at police stations tivate Public Safety Commissions (PSCs) at but the force also has started losing its coher- various levels as envisioned in Police order ence and cogency. Similarly, the introduction 2002. Here it should be kept in mind that its of homicide units at police stations has never members should not be politicians of the localbeen seriously executed and majority of these ity since it will make the whole body heavily units still lack proper human and material re- politicized. We should also desist from appointing the Deputy Commissioner (DC) as its head sources in Punjab.

Moreover, no proper performance evalua- since it will recreate dyarchy system which the country has already expetion mechanism was enrienced for past many visaged to monitor the years. Since the District output of the specialized and Sessions Judge is alinvestigation units at police station level. even the The police should desist ready heading the Criminal Justice Coordination front desk system whereby from keeping anyone in Committee (CJCC) hence a civilian interface has the most viable option is been created at every poillegal custody or using that the latter be made its lice station to ease public head, or the Local Body grievances and complaints any form of torture to (LB) system of any shape is kept out of reach of the effect recovery in any and structure might elect Station House officer, members and chairperson thinking that the system case. The investigating of the commission. Sechas better chances for ond, the police should deservice delivery if the inofficer must collect the sist from keeping anyone charge of the police staavailable evidence and put in illegal custody or using tion is detached from it. form of torture to efSuch actions created furthe culprit before court for any fect recovery in any case. ther fissures and ruptures investigating officer at the police station conviction stating clearly the must collect the available which has been slowly leading towards underwhy no recovery is made evidence and put the culprit before court for conmining its working during the investigation. viction stating clearly and performance. Such a no recovery is made situation has also comNo undue pressure from why during the investigation. promised the police no undue pressure from command structure in any quarter should be any quarter should be acautonomy and independaccepted during the cepted during the course ence. of investigation for rethe investigation is course of investigation covery. third, senior suthe principal area of repervisory officers must sponsibility of a police for recovery develop a bond with the department. During any junior colleagues so that investigation a comtheir problems and hurplainant has to go dles during investigation through an enormous ordeal while pursuing his or her matter till final- may be resolved at subdivision or district level. ization of the case and the starting of trial in a It will automatically strengthen their morale court of law. there are various stages during and enhance their monitoring as well. Fourth, an investigation when a complainant feels that all resources should be given at the disposal of the system is supporting the culprit instead of SHo to face variegated challenges every day. the aggrieved person. the complainant has to Lastly, any public humiliation or assault on potake the lead to set the system into motion. lice force should not be tolerated at any cost.

We must strengthen our police stations and However, in certain cases a supervisory officer may also become a traction factor to expedite protect our police force against unnecessary an investigation. the system creates an envi- public and media bashing. It is time to develop ronment in which an investigating officer com- a culture in police which limits personality cults mits acts in a way bordering on illegality to and promotes discipline and control in the force. benefit one of the two parties involved in a Faisal Ali Raja is a Senior Superintendent case. the failure to put the system on automatic working on account of multiple factors of Police

Foreign relations SInCe coming into power last year, the PtI government has been cultivating strong ties with the Arab countries,including Saudi Arabia, United Arab emirates and Qatar.But, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have long maintained a strong,strategic relationship.the both countries have worked together very closely within the framework of several bilateral,regional and global forums.the history books show that Pakistan-Saudi Arabia relations are rooted in the pre-partition period of British-ruled India.Presently, PM Imran Khan during a telephonic conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stressed that developing relations with Saudi Arabia was a top priority for Pakistan.In fact,the premier described Saudi Arabia a trustworthy friend of Pakistan and thanked the crown prince for his efforts and support to Pakistan and its interests.the distinguished relations between the two countries was praised by the crown prince also.We hope the relations benefit both Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and continue further.

IMRAn RASHEEd Kech

Climate change LASt Friday, the public marches were held in as many as 30 cities of Pakistan to draw attention towards climate change emergency. though Pakistan contributes little to the world’s carbon footprint, it is unfortunately eight on the list of the countries most affected by climate change.

In 2012, Pakistan was the first country to establish a Climate Change Ministry, and framed, later on, Climate Change Policy. But the former remained dormant and the latter was not implemented properly.

According to a 2012 report of the World Wildlife Fund, owing to Pakistan’s geographical location, the overall temperature increase in the country is much higher and faster than the global average, causing record-breaking temperatures, heat waves, long-drawn-out droughts, unpredictable rain patterns and recurrent flooding etc. Besides, climate change has had a number of adverse impacts in the country. the Global Climate Index report, 2018, states that more than 10,000 people have died in Pakistan during the past 20 years out of approximately 140 extreme weather events that also incurred losses of almost $4bn. the concerned authorities, therefore, need to act—now, least it is too late.

RIAz AHMEd SOOMRO Shikarpur

Clean up time ALL the garbage you see across the city and at garbage dumps Kachra Kundi is somehow self created problem, if tackled smartly it can be managed. Solid waste is generated as a natural consequence of human life. Approximately 12000 tons of waste is produced in Karachi on a daily basis, which keeps piling up for days or weeks within the city. It is then transported to dump sites. Solid waste which is not recycled is burnt or thrown away resulting in blockage of drainage system, causing severe damage to environment and raising health issues. From transportation to disposal or dumping all involves a big cost and capital investment.

Unfortunately, this is lacked by local government, from the Mayor of the city to other concerned authorities all seemed to be making the cry for non availability of funds. As a consequence we all witness Karachi in knee deep trash. there is a desperate need to reduce our garbage generation. It should be considered as a primary goal. Public awareness must be built up for achieving this goal. Solid waste generation at the point of the source must be restricted.

ASHAR AHMEd FAROOquI Karachi

Thursday, 10 October, 2019

10 FOREIGN NEWS

UK says chances of Brexit deal slim; eU chides ‘Blame game’ LONDON

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Agencies

RITAIN and the European Union traded ill-tempered barbs Tuesday as the U.K. said a Brexit deal might be impossible, while insisting it was still working for one with just over three weeks until its scheduled departure from the bloc.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office said EU intransigence had led to a breakdown in negotiations, prompting a top European leader to warn against playing a “stupid blame game” — and chide Johnson in Latin. Johnson’s office gave a gloomy assessment after his call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday morning.

In a statement to British media, Downing Street said Merkel had told Johnson that “a deal is overwhelmingly unlikely” unless the U.K. agreed to let Northern Ireland continue to follow EU customs rules in order to maintain an open border with EU member Ireland.

That is something the British government says it can’t accept. Downing Street said that “if this represents a new estab-

White House spurns House impeachment probe as illegitimate WASHINGTON Agencies

The White House declared it will halt any and all cooperation with what it termed the “illegitimate” impeachment probe by House Democrats, sharpening the constitutional clash between President Donald Trump and Congress. Trump attorneys on Tuesday sent a lengthy letter to House leaders bluntly stating White House refusal to participate in the inquiry that was given a boost by last week’s release of a whistleblower’s complaint that the president sought political favours from Ukraine. “Given that your inquiry lacks any legitimate constitutional foundation, any pretense of fairness, or even the most elementary due process protections, the Executive Branch cannot be expected to participate in it,” White House counsel Pat Cipollone wrote. That means no additional witnesses under administration purview will be permitted to appear in front of Congress or comply with document requests, a senior official said. The White House is objecting that the House has not voted to begin an impeachment investigation into Trump. It also claims that Trump’s due process rights are being violated. House intelligence committee Chairman Adam Schiff tweeted in response that Trump’s refusal to cooperate with the inquiry signals an attitude that “the president is above the law”. “The Constitution says otherwise,” he asserted.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has insisted the House is well within its rules to conduct oversight of the executive branch under the Constitution regardless of a formal impeachment inquiry vote. “Mr President, you are not above the law,” Pelosi said in a statement Tuesday night. “You will be held accountable.” The constitution states the House has the sole power of impeachment, and that the Senate has the sole power to conduct impeachment trials.

It specifies that a president can be removed from office for “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors,” if supported by a two-thirds Senate vote. But it offers little guidance beyond that on proceedings. The White House letter marks the beginning of a new all-out strategy to counter the impeachment threat to Trump. Aides have been honing their approach after two weeks of what allies have described as a listless and unfocused response to the probe. The president himself is sticking with the same Trump-as-victim rhetoric he has used for more than a year.

lished position, then it means a deal is essentially impossible not just now but ever.” How people and goods will move across the Irish border is the main sticking point to a deal.

The German government confirmed that Merkel and Johnson had spoken but declined to comment on the substance of “confidential conversations.”

European Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva said “the EU position has not changed. We want a deal. We are working for a deal with the U.K.” European Council President Donald Tusk tweeted testily that “what’s at stake is not winning some stupid blame game.”

“At stake is the future of Europe and the UK as well as the security and interests of our people,” he said, addressing Johnson. “You don’t want a deal, you don’t want an extension, you don’t want to revoke, quo vadis?” — a Latin phrase meaning “where are you going?”

Despite the grim mood music, British officials insisted they still hope to strike a deal before Britain’s scheduled Oct. 31 departure date — although Johnson has also said the U.K. will leave even if one is not struck. “We’ve moved — it is now time for the EU to move too,” said Michael Gove,

the minister in charge of Brexit preparations. “If it does, then there is still every chance we can leave with a new deal.”

Downing Street said Johnson spoke by phone to Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar on Tuesday afternoon, and

“both sides strongly reiterated their desire to reach a Brexit deal.” It said the two leaders hoped to meet in person later in the week.

EU leaders have demanded more “realism” from Britain in response to a

Brexit plan proposed by Johnson. The bloc says the proposals — which would require customs checks on some goods moving between Northern Ireland and Ireland — don’t fulfill the U.K.’s commitment to a frictionless Irish border.

An open border is key to both the regional economy and the peace agreement that ended 30 years of conflict between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is part of the U.K. but shares an island — and a land border — with the Republic of Ireland.

“It’s not just about trade, it’s about so much more than that, and anybody who understands Ireland and the politics of this island understands that,” said Irish Deputy Prime Minister Simon Coveney.

French President Emmanuel Macron has said the EU will assess by Friday whether a deal is possible.

Johnson’s opponents in Britain accused the government of deliberately undermining the Brexit talks.

“Boris Johnson will never take responsibility for his own failure to put forward a credible deal. His strategy from day one has been for a no-deal Brexit,” said Keir Starmer, Brexit spokesman for the main opposition Labour Party.

US curbs China officials' visas, demands end to Uighur 'repression' WASHINGTON Agencies

The United States on Tuesday said it would curb visas for Chinese officials until Beijing ends its “repression” of Uighurs and other Muslims in the western region of Xinjiang, a day after imposing commercial restrictions.

The one-two punch by President Donald Trump’s administration marks the most forceful attempt by a foreign power to address what some rights groups call a historic crisis in Xinjiang, and comes amid a range of feuds between the United States and China.

“China has forcibly detained over one million Muslims in a brutal, systematic campaign to erase religion and culture in Xinjiang,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote on Twitter. “China must end its draconian surveillance and repression, release all those arbitrarily detained and cease its coercion of Chinese Muslims abroad,” he said.

In an accompanying statement, Pompeo said that the State Department would restrict visas granted to government and ruling Communist Party officials involved in “detention or abuse” of Uighurs, Kazakhs or members of other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups in Xinjiang. The order will also affect their family members, including children who may be seeking to study in the United States.

The State Department said it could not specify which officials were affected due to US confidentiality laws.

But lawmakers have specifically asked for action against Chen Quanguo, the Communist Party chief for Xinjiang.

Reputed within the party for his handling of minority groups, he earlier led iron-fisted policies aimed at crushing dissent in Tibet.

DEFYING CHINA PROTESTS: China voiced anger at the move, denying any human rights abuses in Xinjiang and accusing the United States of

using “made-up pretexts for its interference”. “The counter-terrorism and deradicalization measures in Xinjiang are aimed to eradicate the breeding soil of extremism and terrorism,” the Chinese embassy in Washington said on Twitter.

“They are in line with Chinese laws and international practices,and are supported by all 25 million people of various ethnic groups in Xinjiang,” it said.

The visa step came hours after China issued a similar protest over action by the US Commerce Department.

It blacklisted 28 Chinese entities including video surveillance firm Hikvision and artificial intelligence companies Megvii Technology and SenseTime over their involvement in Xinjiang. Rights groups say more than one million Uighurs and other Muslims are being held in a vast network of camps in Xinjiang aimed at homogenising the population to reflect China’s majority Han culture.

Witnesses say that China has

sought to force Uighurs to drop core practices of Islam such as fasting during Ramazan and abstaining from alcohol and pork. China, after initially denying the camps, describes them as vocational schools aimed at dampening the allure of extremism and violence.

Authorities have cracked down especially hard since 2009, when nearly 200 people died in riots in Xinjiang’s capital Urumqi, which has seen an influx of Han Chinese. The violence was sparked by news of a factory brawl in southern China in which two Uighur migrant workers were killed.

Pompeo has previously called China’s treatment of Uighurs one of the “worst stains on the world” and likened the camps to actions by Nazi Germany.

But few Muslim leaders have spoken out against a rising China with the exception of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, which has linguistic and cultural connections with the Uighurs.

US pullback could boost Islamic State group revival in Syria BEIRUT Agencies

The American pullback from parts of northeastern Syria could help breathe new life into the Islamic State group if fighting erupts between the Kurds and Turkey. Syrian Kurdish authorities are already struggling to guard IS fighters captured during the long U.S.-backed campaign against the militants and to keep a lid on IS supporters and family members thronging displacement camps. Their hold will suffer even more if they are fighting Turkey.

The White House has said Turkey will take over responsibility for the thousands of imprisoned fighters. But it is not clear how that will happen, if it all, given that the Kurdish forces are Turkey’s nemesis.

Turkey is sending troops along the border in preparation for an offensive against the Syrian Kurds. Ankara has said it wants to impose a zone of control potentially 30 kilometers (19 miles) deep that would stretch the length of the border. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have vowed to fight back.

Here is a look at what is at stake and why IS stands to gain.

MILITANTS IN DETENTION: Angered by the sudden pullback of U.S. troops, Kurdish officials sounded the alarm that, to fight any Turkish assault, they will have to divert their forces away from guarding IS prisoners. That raises security concerns at a time when the Islamic State group’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, has called on followers to do all they can to free captured fighters held in jails and families living in camps.  Kurdish authorities run more than two dozen detention facilities, scattered around northeastern Syria, holding about 10,000 IS fighters. Among the detainees are some 2,000 foreigners, including about 800 Europeans.

Most of the facilities are unidentified and unmarked, some of them set up in abandoned or repurposed buildings; others are mobile “pop-up prisons.”

Some are reportedly close to the border, which may make them vulnerable to being hit in clashes or bombardment.

Guarding those facilities has long been a strain on the Kurdish-led Syrian

Democratic Forces as it juggles multiple tasks in the volatile area. The U.Sled coalition has said the force doesn’t have the capacity to detain thousands of fighters on its own — and the coalition may be helping to hold some of the most high-level militants.

Handling the prisons while defending against Turkish troops will be even more difficult. “How will I even protect these facilities?” Abdulkarim Omar, a senior Kurdish official, said.

“The Turkish attack is an existential threat. (The Kurdish) forces will be busy with fending it off.”

At least two prison facilities, including a former government prison, are located in Qamishli and Hassakeh, where Syrian government forces maintain a presence, even though the cities are largely administered by the Kurdish-led group.

Turkish-backed Syrian fighters who will likely join any Turkish offensive may have links or sympathies with the local IS detainees. The Rojava Information Center, a pro-SDF research group based in the Kurdish-held areas, said it has documented at least 40 former IS

fighters now in the Turkish-backed forces. Foreign fighters who joined IS originally found their way to Syria through Turkey, and it was widely believed Turkish authorities turned a blind eye at the time.

FAMILIES IN DISPLACEMENT: An outbreak of fighting would also likely mean laxer control over the three Kurdish-run camps holding IS families and die-hard supporters that are potential engines for recruitment for the group. The Kurdish-led forces have already been struggling to secure them and provide humanitarian aid in the often chaotic camps.

The camps are farther away from the border and outside the safe zone Turkey wants to create, so it is not clear how Turkey would take control of them. It is highly unlikely the Syrian Democratic Forces would coordinate with Ankara to hand them over.

The largest, al-Hol, houses nearly 70,000 people, including over 11,000 foreign women and children from 40 different countries. Two smaller camps, Roj and Ain Eissa, house just over 2,000 foreign women and children.

Thursday, 10 October, 2019

BUSINESS 11 WB reiterates commitment to institutional reforms in Pakistan World Bank Country Director for Pakistan Patchamuthu Illangovan has reiterated his commitment to helping Pakistan in furthering the pace of institutional reforms already being undertaken by the government in different sectors of the economy. He was talking to Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance & Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh on Wednesday. The WB official apprised the adviser of various ongoing and upcoming projects of the World Bank for the socioeconomic development of Pakistan. The adviser underscored the importance of technical and financial assistance from the World Bank to further strengthen its growth-oriented objective and developmental goals in different sectors of the Pakistan economy. BUSINESS DESK

OGRA increases RLNG price by $0.66 per mmbtu ISLAMABAD: The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) on Wednesday notified revised prices of Regasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG) for the SNGPL and the SSGC for the current month.

According to a notification, there is $0.66 per mmbtu (Million British Thermal Unit) increase in the sale price of imported RLNG on the system of Sui Southern Gas Pipelines Company (SSGC) for the month of October as compared to September 2019.

The new price of the RLNG for SSGC system has been fixed at $10.7105 per mmbtu, which was $10.0457 last month. Similarly, there is a $0.64 per mmbtu increase in the sale price of imported RLNG on the system of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Company Limited (SNGPL) for the current month as compared to the corresponding month. The new price of the LNG for SNGPL system has been fixed at $10.7230 per mmbtu, which was $10.0751 in September. APP

CORPORATE CORNER

TRAdeRs ANNOuNCe COuNTRyWIde sTRIkes ON OCTOBeR 28, 29 FBR oFFicials decline to Revoke oRdeRs that RequiRe tRadeRs to pResent a copy oF theiR cnics FoR sale and puRchase oF goods ISLAMABAD

A

GHULAM ABBAS

S the government is reluctant to backtrack from its commitment to implement the CNIC condition, the traders’ representatives on Wednesday announced countrywide shutter down strikes on October 28 and 29.

The decision to hold shutter down strikes was made after the talks with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) failed to yield any positive results. The FBR officials declined to revoke the orders that require traders to present a copy of their CNICs for the sale and purchase of goods. The

officials, however, said that they were willing to listen to the justified demands of the traders.

Earlier today, hundreds of traders staged a demonstration in Islamabad to protest the recent tax reforms introduced by the government. The All Pakistan Traders Association organised a march from Rawalpindi to Islamabad in which a large number of businessmen and traders participated.

The representatives of the trade bodies tried to stage a protest in front of the FBR against its imposition of conditions regarding sales tax registration by big retailers, provision of

‘Five-year comprehensive textile policy to be announced by year-end’ LAHORE STAFF REPORT

LAHORE:Uber, the global ride-hailing giant connecting riders to drivers, has partnered with the Technical Education & Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) to support the Government of Punjab’s objective of creating economic opportunities. PR

KARACHI: The Sindh government has signed an memorandum of understanding with Aman Healthcare Services (AHCS) for sponsorship of Sindh Rescue and Medical Service (SRMS). PR

Task Force on Textile Chairman Ahsan Bashir said on Wednesday that a comprehensive textile policy to increase the country’s exports to $26 billion by 2024 would be finalised by December this year. Talking to media at the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association’s Punjab office, the newly-appointed chairman said the share of Pakistan in the $450 billion world garment exports is 1.5pc which needs to be increased through investment in the garment sector. Adviser to Prime Minister on Information Firdous Ashiq Awan, APTMA Chairman Gohar Ejaz, APTMA Punjab Chairman Adil Bashir and a large number of textile millers were present on the occasion.

“The exports can never touch the magical figure of $50 billion unless Pakistan promotes and

KARACHI: In anticipation of the Global Hand Washing Day, Dettol educated the kids of SOS Hermann Gmeiner School on the importance of healthy habits and ensuring personal hygiene, especially hand washing. The interactive session was part of the year-round school program Dettol conducts with over 2 million school going kids every year. PR

develops its small and medium (SME) sector,” said Bashir, who was also the former chairman of APTMA. “The task force will focus on facilities and incentives to attract investors to this sector.” He said APTMA has been a proponent of documentation of the economy, as running a business without documentation would be difficult in the future. The task force will also work on the development of genetically-modified cotton seed in collaboration with the government.

APTMA Chairman Gohar Ejaz on the occasion appreciated Prime Minister Imran Khan for appointing former APTMA chairman Ahsan Bashir as the chairman of the Task Force on Textile and hoped that the task force would ensure consistency in the government policies towards businesses. “As a result of the progressive policies and personal interest of the PM, especially through the provision of regionally competitive energy tar-

SECP’s risk-based approach improves reporting of AML/CFT ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Indus Motor Company CEO Ali Asghar Jamali, along with women employees of the company, participates in IMC’s ‘Million Tree Drive’. PR

CNIC and a fixed tax regime for small shopkeepers. However, they were not allowed to enter the Red Zone by police, as all connecting roads remained blocked.

A few enraged protesters tried to cause damage to public property and vehicles parked nearby. This prompted the law enforcers to baton-charge the protesters.

The protesters said that the demonstration would continue until their demands are met, adding that the “FBR chairman should come himself to hold a dialogue”.

Talking to media, the leaders of

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan’s risk-based approach for effective implementation of AML/CFT regulatory framework ensued significant improvement in filing of Suspicious Transactions Reports (STR) with Financial Monitoring Unit. To align itself with FATF's standards (40 recommendations), SECP developed a single set of regulations namely SECP AML/CFT Regulations in June 2018.

SECP also developed a comprehensive guideline to help regulated persons in creating an effective AML/CFT risk assessment and compliance framework. Since the promulgation of consolidated AML/CFT regulations, the financial institutions have generated a total of 219 STRs, as compared to only 13 in the last eight years. The SECP conducted 167 inspections focusing on AML/CFT compliance in the cases of 72 securities brokers, 27 NBFCs, 13 insurance companies and 55 high risk NPOs. Significant penalties have been imposed for non-compliances with the said regulations. Financial institutions have undertaken remedial measures to ensure effective compliance with the said regulations. Automated screening software has been deployed by many financial institutions to screen the proscribed persons. The regulated entities now also have access to GoAML system of the FMU for online filing of STR. The SECP successfully made transition from one-size fits all to a risk based approach

to implement a consolidated AML/CFT regulatory framework in its regulated financial sector comprising of stock and commodity brokers, NBFCs, Modarabas and the Insurers/Takaful operators.

Further to effectively identify assess and understand the ML/TF risks that Pakistan faces, a National ML/TF Risk Assessment was undertaken in 2019 to assess ML/TF vulnerabilities that are inherent within the financial sector including banking, NBFC, brokers and insurance.

NRA aimed to put in place actions and control measures to mitigate those risks. FMU led the task in collaboration with stakeholders including ministries, law enforcement agencies, SBP and SECP. The risk assessment and understanding enabled SECP and the regulated entities to implement the much needed control mechanism to check potential abuse by money launderers and terrorist financiers. Subsequent to NRA, SECP embarked on a comprehensive awareness raising program to develop the risk understanding and AML Obligations of the regulated sectors and shared the NRA 2019 with its regulated sectors.

SECP’s continuous efforts have resulted in improvement in compliance level of the regulated entities and effective control measures are now implemented to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. The SECP has also revamped its overall risk based supervisory mechanism and works closely with national stakeholder’s inter-alia FMU, SBP etc. for mutual peer review and evaluation of SECP’s regulated financial sector.

the protesting traders’ community claimed that the FBR “is not ready to listen” to their demands and that that they “will not pay unjust taxes”.

The traders reiterated their stance that the business community will not accept the CNIC condition.

“We pay taxes on the purchase of goods at the factory level and there is no need to document further details of the traders,” they added.

The protestors hoped that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government will reconsider their demands and provide them with a fixed tax scheme.

It is pertinent to mention that the trading/business community had threatened to hold protests, long march on Islamabad from October 9 (today). Despite the traders’ hue and cry, the FBR official claimed that they would accept the demand for relaxation on CNIC provision on purchases of Rs50,000 and above.

The relaxation given to the business community by the FBR for taking no adverse action under the Income Tax Ordinance 2001 and Sales Tax Act, 1990 against traders on the basis of information emanating from providing of CNICs had expired September 30.

iffs, the textile industry has become viable after a gap of 10 long years,” he added. The APTMA chief said the textile industry has witnessed a record 26pc growth in quantitative terms. “This is not directly reflected in the dollar amounts due to a substantial worldwide decrease in textile prices.

But if this increase in quantity was not achieved, the exports would have been less than $8.5 billion,” he stated, adding the the international prices have recovered now. He said the industry was thankful to the prime minister for having taken personal ownership and stewardship of the industry and for chairing over a dozen meetings with the industry during this year to resolve their issues.

Meanwhile, the Advisor to Prime Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan congratulated Gohar Ejaz for increasing the volume of textile exports, saying that the prime minister has himself stepped forward and ensured ease of doing business to promote business activity in the country. “The PM has given a new life to the textile industry.”

She said the textile sector growth is an answer to those who ask that what the government has done for the promotion of domestic industry.

Pakistan, China finalise $8.2bn ML-I project: minister ISLAMABAD APP

Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said on Wednesday Pakistan and China have finalised the Main Line (ML-I) project – a dual railway track that would significantly reduce travel time from Peshawar to Karachi.

During meeting with Chinese Minister for Transport Li Xiaopeng, he said the project would prove to be a milestone and open up new vistas of opportunities and progress for Pakistan, a press release received from Beijing said. The minister said China’s investment of billions of dollars in Pakistan was a great example of trust between the two countries. During the meeting, matters of mutual interest came under discussion and ways to improve the system of Pakistan Railways were also discussed at length.

Paying tribute to Prime Minister Imran Khan on taking keen interest in the ML-I project, Sheikh Rasheed said Chinese government and companies were playing vital role to put Pakistan Railways on the path of progress and prosperity.

“The railway line would be completed under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

He said a 1,872-kilometer dual track would be laid between Peshawar to Karachi under ML-I project and the speed of the train would be enhanced to 160km per hour.

Thursday, 10 October, 2019

12 BUSINESS

PAkIsTAN fALLs TO 110 IN GLOBAL COMPeTITIveNess RANkING among south asian countRies, pakistan has Been placed at the Bottom

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AKISTAN'S ranking on the influential Global Competitiveness Index of the World Economic Forum (WEF) has slipped by three spots to 110, out of 141 countries.

According to WEF's Global Competitive Report of 2019, the country fared poorer than last year on indicators of freedom of press and corruption but significantly improved its ranking on reducing organised crimes and ensuring judicial independence. The life expectancy has gone down by six months to 58 years.

One of the surprising outcomes of the report was that Pakistan remained at the bottom of the index of terrorism incidences despite marked improvement in the country's security situation and no major terror attack in the past one year. Islamabad also remains on the bottom of the South Asian na-

tions, according to the new report that compared governance, innovation, productivity and human development in 141 countries this time as opposed to 140 in the previous year. The report, which the WEF's local partner Mishal released on Wednesday, ranked Pakistan at 110th this year as compared to 107th position last year.

This year, among 103 global competitiveness indicators, Pakistan showed improvements on 42 key indices, whereas on 39 indices the country lost its previous position. In 10 indices, the position remained the same as last year while 12 new indices were introduced this year. On the institution pillar, Pakistan improved two ranks and stood at 107 this year. The labour market efficiency ranking also improved by one notch to 120 but it was still closer to bottom 20 nations.

On the market size pillar, there was

improvement of two points and the ranking stood at impressive 29. Similarly, on the pillar of business dynamics, the country’s position jumped by 15 notches to 52. The maximum deterioration was on the pillar of macroeconomic stability where Pakistan lost 13 ranks and stood at 116 due to marked deterioration in indices of inflation and debt dynamics.

On the infrastructure pillar, Pakistan’s position slipped by seven notches to 105, on ICT adoption it lost four positions and slipped to 131 – among the bottom 10 nations.

"Pakistan needs to bridge the digital divide between citizens’ demand for governance and governments’ ability to deliver services through digital and e-governance platforms," said Mishal Pakistan Chief Executive Officer Amir Jahangir. "The public policy agenda should have ICT adoption as one of the key drivers for transforming the economy to succeed in the fourth industrial revolution era." On both the pillars of the human capital, the country fared poor. Its position on health pillar

slipped by six notches to 115 and the ranking remained unchanged at 125 on the skills pillar.

On the pillar of products market, Pakistan’s position was 126 – four positions lower than the last year. On the pillar of financial systems, the ranking deteriorated by 10 points and stood at 99. On the pillar of innovation capability, Pakistan secured 79th position – four notches below the last year's level. Compared with its regional peers, Pakistan ranked at the bottom.

Among the five surveyed nations, India was still at top on 68th position despite losing 10 positions compared with last year. Sri Lanka at 84th position was the second most competitive economy in South Asia, followed by Bangladesh 105 and Nepal 108.

Meanwhile, the United States fell to second place behind Singapore in the report, with the slippage linked in part to President Donald Trump's trade wars. The Netherlands overtook overtaken Germany to become the most competitive country in Europe .BUSINESS DESK

ptcl’s failure to deliver smart tv set-top boxes irks customers ISLAMABAD SYEDA MASOOMA

Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) had heavily advertised its Smart TV service towards the end of the last month (September).

This was a major campaign for PTCL that offered free Smart TV devices for existing PTCL customers who were using 8Mbps and above broadband packages. Despite the usual sentiment of slow services synonymous with PTCL, this campaign appeared to have been well received.

The results of this new demand, however, still skewed towards a considerable number of dissatisfied customers. One customer Jawad Zafar told Pakistan Today that PTCL team took five days to install its services, while another customer complained that "it took a month and several calls to helpline, giving them order numbers again and again, asking their cus-

tomer services department to connect me with floor manager, complaining yet again about the delay.” He said that he was told it was due to “system delay” first and then “demand-supply issues” later. Other PTCL customers, including Farrukh Naseem, Naveed Malik, Kashif Munir Butt, Muhammad Arsalam Ahmed, Mashar Khan and Muhammad Saqib Mughal had similar complaints that despite placement of their orders in the last ten days of September, the service were not provided until the end of the month.

PTCL customer Sadiya Babar said, "I placed my order on 19th September, and since then I have been calling them (PTCL officials) only to hear that they will get it done in five days, or their team will be at our house in 48 hours, and so on. No one ever shows up." She continued, "Despite the fact that the PTCL services are not the best in the world, we have been using their telephone and internet for ages now, and yet they treat us like this. I have

stopped calling now."

When the PTCL management was approached for a response over the issue, three regional managers from Karachi and Lahore, as well as the communications department, all had the same response that “it must be individual cases”.

"There is no shortage of supply at our end and the services are also being provided on time," said PTCL's official statement to Pakistan Today.

Despite this, as per the customers that reached out to this scribe, the Smart TV services have yet to reach most of the customers who are either already PTCL’s customers or only chose to apply for the service because of the latest advertisement offering free set-top boxes only at the cost of the services. Whatever the reason may be, PTCL still has a long way to go in fulfilling its promises to customers and rebuilding its reputation as the national communication organization.

MARKET DAILY KARACHI Investors of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a volatile session on Wednesday, as bulls and bears locked horns, particularly in the second half, amid range-bound trading. Foreign investors bought shares worth $1.84 million on Tuesday.

The KSE-100 index benchmark marked its intraday low at 33,339.32 during initial hours. However, it managed to recover the loses and recorded it's intraday high at 33,604.16. The index closed higher by 47.12 points at 33,523.74. The KMI-30 Index clenched 18.37 points, ending at 53,487.97, while the KSE All Share Index gained 37.06 points, closing at 24,187.77. Out of the total traded scripts, 179 advanced and 122 declined.

The overall market volumes remained low as compared to the previous session and were

recorded at 237.68 million. Lotte Chemical Pakistan Limited (LOTCHEM +6.91pc), Unity Foods Limited (UNITY +4.48pc) and The Bank of Punjab (BOP +2.30pc) remained the top traded stocks of the day. The scripts had exchanged 27.07 million shares, 26.07 million shares and 14.03 million shares respectively.

The sectors that swung the index in the negative territory included cement (-47.59 points), engineering (-12.09 points) and automobile assembling (-7.55 points). On the other hand, the sectors that helped the index accumulate gains included pharmaceutical (+27.53 points), oil and gas exploration (-22.52 points) and banking (-16.78 points).

The pharmaceutical sector gained 3.59pc in its cumulative market capitalization following the news of a hike in the prices of medicines. GlaxoSmithKline (Pakistan) Limited (GLAXO +4.99pc),

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Japan are looking to increase bilateral cooperation in the agriculturalbased industry and value addition, as the latter has already announced a grant to enhance the former’s productivity and capacity in relevant agricultural fields. "Recently, Japan announced a grand aid of $5.2 million to support agro-industry development in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan through the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)," Embassy of Japan in Pakistan Deputy Head of Mission Yusuke Shindo told APP on Wednesday. "This amount will be utilised for enhancement of productivity and capacities of relevant sectors in the cattle meat value chain in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Abbottabad, Kohistan and D I Khan) and apple value chain in Balochistan (Quetta, Killa Abdullah and Pishin)." Replying to a question, he said that Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is already working on the potential agrobased regions of KP, including Hazara, Swat and Chitral, to promote innovation and value addition culture in these areas. He said that through JICA, the Japanese government is also working on cold storage facilities for the preservation of apple, apricot and other perishable fruits. On another question, he said that Japanese companies are interested in establishing industrial units of auto parts in Pakistan so as to provide employment opportunities to the local people. APP

AdB to provide $2.7bn to Pakistan in 2019 KARACHI: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Wednesday announced that the regional bank will provide $2.7 billion in approved financing to Pakistan during the outgoing calendar year. Taking to the social networking website Twitter, the international development finance institution also announced that under the recently approved Country Operations Business Plan (COBP) 2020-2022, it will increase average lending to the country to $2.4 billion a year – showing a whopping increase from the $1.4 billion on average from 2015 to 2018. According to the ADB, it will leverage the country's lending through the mobilisation of co-financing and funding from other sources, including regional concessional resources.

"The new COBP will support Pakistan’s development goals and complement efforts by other development partners,” it added. Earlier on October 7, the Manilabased lending agency had approved additional funds of $200 million to the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP). The funding was provided to help support the government’s flagship social protection programme, which supports more than 5 million eligible families across the country through over $3.6 billion in total cash transfers disbursed so far. INP

Govt urged to resolve oil transportation issues

kse-100 ends flat amid volatility STAFF REPORT

Japan committed to developing Pakistan’s agro-industry: envoy

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Limited (GSKCH 5.00pc) and Ferozsons Laboratories Limited (FEROZ +5.00pc) all touched their upper caps.

The All Pakistan Oil Tanker Owners Association (APOTOA) representatives called on Energy Minister Omar Ayub Khan on Wednesday to apprise him about their issues related to oil transportation.

The minister said that the problems being faced by oil tanker association would be resolved in an efficient manner. He directed the officials concerned to chalk out a comprehensive plan for oil transportation with the assistance of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority. "Steps for improvement of the fuel transportation system should be expedited while keeping in view international protocols," the minister maintained. The association members requested the minister to extend the deadline for revamping of complainant oil tankers by two years so that the standards set by OGRA and National National Highway Authority could be met. The deadline is expiring on 26th October 2019. BUSINESS DESK

SBP governor says economic reforms ‘painful but necessary’ ‘the centRal Bank is moving towaRds digitalisation and pRoactive engagement so that majoR issues could Be addRessed systematically’ KARACHI PPI

The reforms undertaken by the government to address the macroeconomic challenges faced by the economy are now beginning to bear fruit and improvements in the external sector have become visible, State Bank of Pakistan Governor Dr Reza Baqir claimed, adding that restoration of stability will help attract investments in the country.

In an interactive session with leading foreign investors at the Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI), the governor noted that the bold measures taken in the recent past were “painful but necessary”.

He elaborated that the average monthly current account deficit, which has been a prime concern for the economy, has halved, while export volumes have been growing, non-borrowed foreign

exchange reserves have stopped falling and in fact begun to grow, and pressures on inflation are expected to recede from the second half of the current fiscal year.

OICCI President Shazia Syed, Vice President Shazad G Dada and Secretary General Abdul Aleem on the occasion highlighted the significant economic contribution of foreign investors at OICCI, who are among the largest economic stakeholders and have invested over $13 billion in the past seven years and continue to have a positive view of the opportunities for investment despite the ongoing challenging economic environment in the country. The OICCI members shared with Dr Reza Baqir the key highlights of its annual survey on remittances

and complimented the governor that despite extreme pressure on the forex reserves in the past 12 months, the SBP did not delay the remittance of profit, which was appreciated by the foreign investors.

However, concerns on some other areas were raised and the overseas chamber sought the governor’s support in facilitating different matters in the light of its policies towards improving “ease of doing business” in Pakistan.

The OICCI members presented a comprehensive list of recommendations to facilitate businesses in Pakistan, including proposal for doing away with additional approvals for remittance which are as per registered contract, and proposed that an online portal be established,

allowing the banks to upload the request and supporting documents.

Dr Reza Baqir appreciated the contribution of OICCI members to the national exchequer and announced various measures to further streamline the processes for improving ease of doing business.

“SBP is moving towards digitalisation and proactive engagement that will address the major issues systematically,” informed the governor.

He promised to consider various OICCI recommendations and agreed on the need for continuous dialogue with the OICCI members, inviting the managing committee to meet the SBP’s leadership at regular intervals for timely resolution of issues.

in Conversation with

Fatima on Piloxing

By Mehrunisa Malik www.scaryammi.com Born in New York to an interracial couple, Fatima Sarmad was raised to be very proud of her African American heritage. Her many achievements include a double masters in international relations and applied psychology and being certified as an ICF life coach. In addition to her enviable skill set she is also an American boardcertified Nero-linguistic practitioner as well as a UK certified counsellor and an intraining Psychotherapist.

Phew!!! We know it sounds like A LOT. More recently she has been certified as a Pilates trainer and as the first and only Piloxing SSP (sleek, sexy, powerful) instructor in Pakistan. She has been personally trained by the pioneers of Piloxing SSP: Vivica Jensen and Courtney Gornall.

While juggling all these roles, Fatima is also the mother of two young daughters: Alara and Irene.

1

HOLLYWOOD BOLLYWOOD

What is Piloxing and what inspired you to introduce this fitness program in Pakistan?

Piloxing SSP is one of the few programs that Vivica Jensen has created. SSP stands for Sleek, Sexy and Powerful! It is a nonstop cardio fusion of standing Pilates, boxing and dance.It combines the speed, power and agility of Boxing with the targeted sculpting and flexibility of Pilates. The dance moves help to tone the muscles, burn fat and increase stamina. The workout requires weighted gloves to further tone the arms and improve cardiovascular health.

Presently in Pakistan, there is no such form of exercise that blends the best of both worlds together. Pilates and boxing are on two opposite ends of the fitness spectrum. Bringing them together creates a fun masterpiece!

5

Why did you choose Piloxing?

It's simple: I love the message that Piloxing conveys to women!

“Women should feel feminine when they work out, yet powerful” Women often feel like a workout can’t be empowering and sexy at the same time; but piloxing makes the powerful feel sleek and sexy too! In piloxing you have the power of Boxing coupled with the grace of a dancer and the femininity of Pilates. It’s a beautiful way to empower women!

COKE STUDIO TO OPEN SEASON 12 WITH “WOHI KHUDA HAI” PERFORMED BY ATIF ASLAM!

6

You have accomplished many things in your life. Which achievement do you value the most?

With my first daughter I suffered a serious case of postpartum depression. With no one to understand or take it seriously, I realized how important it is to highlight the importance of mental health for women in our country.

Hence, my journey began as a life coach, therapist and psychologist. However; I feel that being a life coach is the best way to make an impact as people are often hesitant to approach me if they find out I'm a psychotherapist. “Life coach” has a more positive and motivating ring to it. I’d say my own experience overcoming Post Partum Depression, becoming a Life Coach and the birth of my daughters are my greatest accomplishment.

2

What are some advantages Piloxing has over other exercises such as zumba or kickboxing?

Boxing, Pilates and dance are popular fitness programs all over the world. A simple google search will reveal that all the top Hollywood and Bollywood celebrities are into pilates or piloxing. Prominent examples include Jennifer Anistone and Deepika Padukone .

Piloxing brings the best of both forms of exercise together and incorporates it into one programme. Therefore, clients get to burn between 900 -1200 calories in an hour while toning their muscles and getting a good cardio workout.

3

Who is Piloxing suitable for?

Piloxing is suitable for all ages. It helps to decrease stress levels, boost immunity, aligns your posture, and helps increase balance and stabilisation. It even prevents bone damage and deterioration in the long run and above all gets you a sleek sexy and powerful image!

4

Who has been your biggest support throughout this?

My husband. His unconditional support and belief in me is the reason I have been able to achieve so much. Without him, nothing would not have been possible.

7

Being a life c o a c h what is one piece of advice you could offer that you feel people often need to hear.

“It’s ok to fall again and again and again. Just don’t stop getting back up!”

8 10

Who is the person you look up to or be considered your role model? oprah...She’s my guru

Where are y o u r classes taking place?

Piloxing classes start on 14th october at Such Chain and 19th october at Route2.

The first classes at both locations are free introductory classes. Feel free to drop by for a fun high energetic Piloxing class at either of the two venues. Come and see for yourself what all the hype is all about!

9

What is your motivation to push yourself to go from strength to

strength?

I believe empowered women end up empowering other women. In a country like ours a lot of women need empowerment and need to be told that it’s ok to be you! My work mostly deals with helping women. I’m currently working on starting a small project that will facilitate women from lower socioeconomic classes to help them find employment.

Apart from that I’m trying to raise awareness about how important it is to keep a check on our mental health as well as our physical health.

The two go hand in hand. If one is not up to the mark, our whole system suffers. A balance is what we need to strive for and this ridiculous taboo surrounding seeking support for one's mental health needs to be changed! And last but not the least my daughters Alara and Irene are my biggest motivators. I want to be their superhero so that they can look up to me.

Hasbro Star Wars NYCC 21019 Reveals Zack Snyder Reveals Harry Lennix As Includes 'Rise of Skywalker' Martian Manhunter For Justice league Hasbro revealed a bunch of new Star Wars action figures and products at the recent New York Comic-Con which includes The Rise of Skywalker that gets released in December.

Check out images and product information for several Hasbro Star Wars reveals, featuring new premium collectible Star Wars products from lines such as The Black Series and The Vintage Collection, and figure 2-packs from the brand new Skywalker Saga collection.

Many of these items are now available for pre-order at their appropriate retailer.

Fans and collectors can imagine scenes from the STAR WARS Galaxy with this premium STAR WARS: THe BLACk SeRIeS 6-INCH FIRST oRDeR JeT TRooPeR figure, inspired by STAR WARS: THe RISe oF SkYWALkeR. This figure, which features premium deco and 4 fully articulated limbs, comes with a FIRST oRDeR JeT TRooPeR-inspired accessory, making it a great addition to any Star Wars collection.

Includes figure and accessory. Available at most major retailers.

Director Zack Snyder takes to the Vero app to reveal something many fans have thought all along, which is that Harry Lennix actually was going to be the Martian Manhunter.

Snyder released what appears to be a Justice League storyboard involving a scene between Lois and Martha, where Martha is really the Martian Manhunter and then becomes General Swanwick.

"This is something that you probably didn't know," Snyder posted. Following Man of Steel, many fans thought Harry Lennix was playing Martian Manhunter due to two scenes. one scene involved Superman getting interrogated where he breaks the handcuffs, and interestingly enough, Swanwick is the only person not to get scared and take a step back. Swanwick also remarks about Superman having revealed his true identity to Lois Lane, and asks, "Why won't you do the same with us?"

Superman then replies back as he breaks the cuffs, "Let's put our cards on the table here, General." It's possible Superman was implying that he knew Swanwick's true identity as well.

CMYK

C

oke Studio is all set to open Season 12 with the hamd, “Wohi khuda Hai” in the vocals of Atif Aslam. Wohi khuda Hai will be released on 11th october 2019.

Penned by Muzaffar Warsi, the lyrics of Wohi khuda Hai are a praise of GoD as the one Creator of a system that runs and maintains an order of the universe in balance and harmony. The piece goes on to describe this in the various experiences of the human connection with the Divine; through the seen and unseen and, ultimately, with one’s heart and soul. A piece that was originally made iconic in the vocals of Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali khan, Wohi khuda Hai remains a national favorite, as a composition that has been etched into our cultural framework. It has been sung and covered countless times across the globe, taking on different colors, profoundly impacting audiences with the universal appeal of its poetry.

This season at Coke Studio, the rendition presents Atif Aslam in a space that offers an exploration of the essence of the hamd, by witnessing the play of a soundscape that serves the contemplative nature of the verses. etched into the framework of Pakistan’s cultural memory, Wohi khuda Hai is an exploration of wonder and awe at the capacity and ability of Creation and a means to reflect on its beauty.

For this season, Atif Aslam brings to the canvas of Coke Studio an experimentation of ambient and introspective discovery - once again exploring the melodies hidden in his voice and showcasing his versatility with genres that are new to his repertoire.

Ranveer Singh takes Akshay Kumar’s Bala challenge, dances like crazy to Shaitan Ka Saala Akshay kumar surprised his fans by dancing like a mad king in his new Housefull 4 song, Shaitan ka Saala. The actor had appeared in a bald avatar at the song launch and asked his fans to take The Bala Challenge by doing his signature step. And among the first ones to nail the moves was none other Ranveer Singh.

In a video shared by Nadiadwala Grandson entertainment’s official Instagram account, Ranveer can be seen performing Akshay’s trademark step with all his energy. Producer Sajid Nadiadwala can also be seen performing the step alongside him.

Ranveer’s fans were impressed by his move and showered him with praise. A fan wrote, “He’s powerhouse!” Another commented, “Awwwwwwww.” earlier, Ayushmann khurrana had shared a video of his performance to the song. The actor is currently shooting for his film Bala, in which he plays a bald character. He had posted the video on social media with the caption, “Bala ko pukara #Bala aa gaya! Best of luck @akshaykumar sir. Hum bhi jald aa rahe hain.”

Thursday, 10 October, 2019

14 SPORTS

StoKES CALLS ALLEgAtIonS oF PHySICAL quArrEL wItH wIFE 'IrrESPonSIbLE' LONDON

b

AGENCIES

EN Stokes has labelled allegations that he and his wife Clare were involved in a physical altercation at an awards ceremony as “totally irresponsible”.

The all-rounder played a starring role in England’s maiden World Cup win in July before repeating his heroics to help salvage an Ashes draw with Australia.

The 28-year-old Durham player was honoured for those achievements when he was named players’ player of the year at last week’s Professional Cricketers’ Association awards in London.

On Tuesday, pictures emerged of Stokes and his wife seemingly involved in a physical confrontation at the event.

Clare Stokes defended her husband in a Twitter post which included a photo of her pushing the cricketer’s face, in apparent mockery of the images that surfaced from the awards night.

“Unbelievable what nonsense these people will make up!” she said.

“Me and Ben messing about

squishing up each other’s faces cos that’s how we show affection and some pap tries to twist it into a crazy story!

And all before we then have a romantic McDonalds 20 mins later!”

The New Zealand-born cricketer responded to his wife’s tweet with a face blowing a kiss emoji.

Stokes later responded with a state-

ment to the Daily Mirror newspaper in which he paid tribute to the “wonderful relationship” he and his wife enjoy.

“I have become used to people making stuff up about me, but of all the topics not to mess with, domestic abuse has to be at the top of the list,” he said.

“It’s an incredibly serious issue for thousands of women — and men —

who do suffer domestic abuse.”

“To falsify and spread these kind of allegations so willingly is totally irresponsible,” he added. “The way that this has come across is so far removed from what it was.”

England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Tom Harrison said in a statement: “We have spoken with both Clare and Ben, as well as others in attendance, who have all clarified the innocent context behind the still photographs taken at last week’s PCA awards.” Last month Stokes condemned as “utterly disgusting” a frontpage story in the Sun newspaper reporting on a family tragedy from more than three decades ago.

He said it touched on “deeply personal and traumatic events” involving the deaths of members of his New Zealand-based family more than 30 years ago. In August last year, Stokes was found not guilty of affray following a brawl outside a nightclub but was charged by the ECB with bringing the game into disrepute and subsequently banned for eight games, all of which were deemed to have been served.

Tsitsipas reins in social media, primed for 'pain, hype' BEIJING AGENCIES

Ex-Liverpool star Alonso in Madrid court for fraud MADRID: Former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso appeared in a Madrid court on Wednesday, facing charges of tax fraud to the tune of two million euros, a court spokesman said. At the two-day hearing, the 37-year-old was quizzed over allegations he used a company based on the Portuguese island of Madeira to avoid paying taxes on his image rights to the Spanish authorities. If convicted, the former Spain international risks up to five years behind bars for the alleged fraud which prosecutors say took place between 2010 and 2012 when he was playing for Real Madrid.

They are also asking that Alonso, his tax advisor Ivan Zaldua and the Portuguese company manager Ignasi Maestre pay a fine of 4.0 million euros ($4.4 million), and that the outstanding tax to be paid, with interest.

The investigation was initially opened in 2015 but shelved, only to be reopened at the end of 2017 after a court found the allegations against the player were “sufficiently substantiated”. AGENCIES

Rising tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas said on Wednesday that he is reaping the benefits on and off the court of staying away from social media.

The 21-year-old Greek was speaking after defeating another promising talent, the 19-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime, to reach the last 16 of the Shanghai Masters.

Tsitsipas, who has won two titles this year but lost Sunday’s China Open final to Dominic Thiem, still has accounts on Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

But he now lets someone else run them. “I feel much more connected than before with people that I care about, I spend more quality time,” said the seventh-ranked Tsitsipas. “I feel more human and more like me than ever before.

“I feel like I can also concentrate more in the sport that I play, in a way trying to spend more hours on the court instead of my phone.

“I also feel very attached to the people that I talk to, and I always try to get the best out of it and not think too much of my other life, the social media life, which at the time before

took a lot of my thinking, a lot of my concentration.”

Wednesday’s tough 7-6 (7/3), 76 (7/3) victory was the first time that Tsitsipas had beaten the Canadian Auger-Aliassime in matches stretching back to when they were juniors.

Tsitsipas, who plays Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz next, said he will face more struggles if he is to challenge the established trio of Novak

Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer for Grand Slams.

“At some point we will see change — it can’t be that Rafa, Roger and Novak win everything,” he smiled. “I know that in order to see my name among these titles I’m going to have to go through a lot of pain and a lot of hype and struggle.

“I’m honestly excited, I’m excited by the idea of trying to get there.”

FIFA fines Hong Kong after fans whistle Chinese anthem BEIJING: FIFA fined the Hong Kong Football Federation on Wednesday after local fans booed and whistled the Chinese national anthem at a World Cup qualifier against Iran. The Disciplinary Commission of world football’s governing body handed the federation a 15,000 Swiss francs (13,700 euros) fine, reprimanding Hong Kong fans for “disturbance during national anthems; use of objects to transmit a message that is not appropriate for a sports events.” Hong Kong fields an independent team but because it is an administrative region of China, the Chinese national anthem is played before matches. The territory has been engulfed by anti-Beijing demonstrations for months and China’s national anthem, ‘The March of the Volunteers’, was whistled by fans on 10 September, before Hong Kong lost 2-0 Iran, FIFA said. Hong Kong is third in Group C of the Asia zone and after playing in Iraq on Wednesday, their next home game is against Bahrain on 14 November. AGENCIES

Fallen giants AC Milan turn to Pioli MILAN: Fallen Italian giants AC Milan have appointed Stefano Pioli as their new coach a day after his predecessor Marco Giampaolo was sacked after just seven games in charge. The 52-year-old former Inter Milan boss arrives on a two-year deal, reported to be worth in the region of twomillion euros ($2.2 million) a season. “AC Milan announces the appointment with immediate effect of Mr Stefano Pioli as the new coach of the first team … on a two-year agreement,” the former seven-time European champions said in a statement.

Pioli, who most recently coached Fiorentina, becomes the eighth coach to sit on the Milan bench since Massimiliano Allegri led the club to their last Serie A title in 2011. Giampaolo’s reign lasted just 111 days after he took over from former Milan hero Gennaro Gattuso, who resigned after missing out on Champions League football last season with a fifth-place finish. But after a run of four defeats that includes a 2-0 derby defeat to Inter the seven-time European champions are just three points above the relegation zone. It is hoped Pioli, whose resigned as Fiorentina coach last April, can bring some stability to the cashstrapped club, who surrendered their Europa League berth this season after breaching UEFA’s financial fair play rules. Pioli has spent his entire 16-year coaching career in Italy with clubs including Bologna, Lazio, Inter and Fiorentina, but has never won any trophies as a coach. AGENCIES

Messi says tax problems made him want to leave Barcelona LONDON AGENCIES

Lionel Messi has admitted he wanted to leave Barcelona when he was under investigation from the Spanish tax authorities but insists now he intends to finish his career at the club.

In an interview with Catalan radio station RAC1, Messi also said he had expected Neymar to sign for Real Madrid last summer after Barca failed to strike an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain.

Messi and his father Jorge were found guilty of defrauding Spain of 4.1 million euros in taxes between 2007 and 2009, for which they paid close to 10 million euros and Messi was handed a 21month suspended prison sentence.

Asked on Tuesday night if he had ever wanted to leave Barcelona, Messi said: “In 2013-14, when I started having the tax problems, it was very difficult for me and my family.”

“My children were young and we had a very bad time. At that time, I had it in

mind to leave, not because I wanted to leave Barca but because I wanted to leave Spain. I felt mistreated and I didn’t want to be here anymore.”

The 32-year-old’s current contract expires in 2021 and Messi believes extending his deal “will not be a problem”.

“Today it is clearer that my idea is to finish here,” Messi said. “For how I am at the club, for what I feel, and for the family and the children and how settled we are in this city. I would not like to disrupt that.

“Of course anything can happen but in principle, the idea is to stay here.”

Messi began playing football aged six for Newell’s Old Boys, the Rosario club he supports in Argentina. “I always dreamed of being able to play again for Newell’s and to have the experience of playing football in Argentina,” he said.

“But I have already told them that sometimes you have to think about what is best for your family.”

No RIft wIth GRIEzMANN: Messi was keen to be reunited with Neymar last summer but Barcelona were un-

able to agree a fee with PSG. “I honestly thought at one time, especially in this market, that if he did not come here, he would go to Real Madrid Madrid because I thought he wanted to leave,” Messi said. “I wanted Ney to come because as a footballer, he is one of the best in the world. He is unpredictable, different and having him in our team would have given us more options.”

Barcelona did sign Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid, despite him rejecting the Catalans the year before.

Messi denies suggestions of a rift between him and the Frenchman.

“The first year when we wanted to sign Griezmann, I said he was one of the best and that the best are always welcome,” Messi said. “I have never had problem with him coming. So it’s a lie.”

Messi also offered his support to Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde, who has been under pressure after a bumpy start to the season followed the team’s Champions League collapse against Liverpool in May.

CMYK

“It was not the coach’s fault but it was also not my decision for him to stay,” Messi said. “The club decided Valverde would continue and for me that was a joy, good for stability and he is a coach we support and love. “If another coach comes, we will be with him. To achieve success, we all have to be united.”

Messi scored his first goal of the season in a 4-0 thrashing of Sevilla on Sunday, after two months spoiled by calf and thigh injuries. “I’m still a bit short but I’m feeling better,” Messi said.

“My legs hurt against Sevilla but it’s what happens when you come back. I’m getting closer.”

Thurday, 10 October, 2019

SPORTS 15

SmitH, WaRneR make t20 RetuRn aS auStRalia eye WoRld CuP SYDNEY

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AGENCIES

Teve Smith and David Warner completed their return from the wilderness Tuesday when Australia recalled them to a 14-man Twenty20 squad to play Sri Lanka and Pakistan with a firm eye on next year s World Cup. The star batsmen were both banned for a year for their roles in a ball-tampering scandal but have returned to Australia s Test, one-day and now Twenty20 sides.

“We are delighted to welcome Steve

Smith and David Warner back into the T20 international fold,” chief selector Trevor Hohns said. “Steve is a worldclass batsman in all formats, while Warner is Australia s highest ever T20I runs scorer. He was also the leading runs scorer at this year s Indian Premier League with Sunrisers Hyderabad.”

The Twenty20 squad named Tuesday will face Sri Lanka and Pakistan in coming weeks but Hohns said the focus was firmly on next year s World Cup, which will be held in Australia.

“It is almost a year to the day until Australia hosts the men s Twenty20

World Cup and we have selected this squad with that in mind,” he said.

“We have looked to put a squad together that we think can take us through to that tournament.”

Despite their success in other formats, Australia have never won a Twenty20 World Cup, with an appearance in the 2010 final their best showing. They are currently ranked fifth in the world but will be desperate to succeed on home soil in October-November next year.

Aaron Finch retains the skipper s armband, with wicketkeeper Alex Carey and paceman Pat Cummins sharing vice-

captain duties. Ashton Turner returns from a finger injury to bolster the batting, while Adam Zampa edged out Nathan Lyon as the preferred spinner.

Cummins and Mitchell Starc will likely open the bowling attack, backed up

by Andrew Tye, Kane Richardson and Billy Stanlake. The three-match series against Sri Lanka will begin in Adelaide

on October 27, followed by another three Twenty20s against Pakistan opening on November 3 in Sydney. ausTRalIa: Aaron Finch (capt), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, David Warner, Adam Zampa.

Iran women allowed into football stadium for first time in decades TEHRAN AGENCIES

First football match with floodlights held in Chitral Islamabad: A football match was held between the Imran Khan Foundation School and Centennial Model High School at the Chitral Football Stadium in the center of the city.

This momentous occasion marked the first official match played in the region of Chitral under floodlights, as no other football pitches in the region ever had such facilities.

Centennial School won the match 2-0, and around 500 people attended the match played in the evening. Sehat.com.pk organized the event as a part of their #SehatCares CSR initiative, and distributed prizes and trophies to the winning team and runners-up. Notable figures were present at the football match, including DFA Chitral President Zafar Ali Shah, DFA Chitral Patron-in-Chief Hussain Ahmed, and the principal of the Centennial Model High School who served as the Chief Guest of the occasion. This marks yet another milestone in football for DFA Chitral, who had already sent a team to play in Spain through the Atletico Madrid Academy in Pakistan, and who have provided a multitude of talent for selection in the national football team of Pakistan. Hussain Ahmed quoted saying “Chitral is a region whose football talent is definitely recognized but sadly neglected by the higher football authorities in the country. They haven’t sent scouts nor have held official camps or trials in the region but have done so in other regions. We certainly hope this facility that has been created can spearhead football in the region and invite teams from other parts of the country to compete against our local footballing talent”. PrESS rElEASE

Holding backs full return of int’l cricket to Pakistan Islamabad: West Indies fast-bowling legend Michael Holding has endorsed the full return of international cricket to Pakistan saying the security here was fantastic. The 65-yearold Holding visited Pakistan as a special guest of philanthropist and entrepreneur, Dr Kashif Ansari, for Pakistan’s three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. “Nothing has changed in Pakistan. The love for cricket attracts me to visit this country,” Holding said. Holding said the security in Pakistan was fantastic. “I hope that more international teams would consider playing cricket in front of an enthusiastic crowd,” he said. He said if he had any apprehension or fear of security, he wouldn’t have come to Pakistan. “I have no problem here. It was good and encouraging news that the Sri Lankans were playing international matches here,” he said. AGENCIES

Sordo extends at Hyundai Rally for 2020 madRId: Spanish driver Dani Sordo has extended his contract with Hyundai for another year but will only drive in seven of the 14 races on the 2020 calendar, the team announced on Wednesday. The other races are likely to be filled by ninetime champion Sebastien Loeb who is contracted for 2019 and 2020. “I am delighted to continue with Hyundai Motorsport for a seventh consecutive season,” said the 36-year-old who has had nine podiums since joining the team in 2014. “The team has truly become like a family to me, and we have shared some fantastic moments together. AGENCIES

Iranian women fans are free to enter a football stadium Thursday for the first time in decades, after FIFA threatened to suspend the Islamic republic over its controversial male-only policy.

Iran has barred female spectators from football and other stadiums for around 40 years, with clerics arguing they must be shielded from the masculine atmosphere and sight of semi-clad men. World football’s governing body FIFA last month ordered Iran to allow women access to stadiums without restrictions and in numbers determined by demand for tickets.

The directive came after a fan dubbed “Blue Girl” died after setting herself on fire in fear of being jailed for dressing up as a boy in order to attend a match. Women were quick to get their hands on tickets to attend Iran’s 2022 World Cup qualifier against Cambodia at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium on Thursday. The first batch sold out in under an hour, and additional seats were also snapped up in short order, state media said.

A sports ministry official said the 100,000capacity stadium — whose name means “Freedom” in Farsi — was ready to host even more women. One of the 3,500 women to have secured a ticket was Raha Poorbakhsh, a football journalist. “I still can’t believe this is going to happen because after all these years of working in this field, watching everything on television, now I can experience everything in person,” she

told AFP. ‘blue gIRl’: But Poorbakhsh said she was aware of many other women without tickets and some were expected to travel from as far away as Ahvaz in southern Iran in the hope of still getting one.

Those lucky enough to attend will be segregated from men and watched over by 150 female police officers, according to Fars news agency. People on the streets of Tehran said they supported the decision to allow women into stadiums. “I would like there to be freedom for women, like men, to go freely and even sit side by side without any restrictions, like other countries,” said a woman who only gave her name as Hasti. Nader Fathi, who runs a clothing business, said the presence of women could improve the atmosphere in stadiums.

But he said “they will regret it” if they are exposed to “really bad swear words” and “bad

England prepared to walk off if they are racially abused, says Abraham

LONDON AGENCIES

Tammy Abraham says england are prepared to defy UeFA rules on racism and walk off the pitch if they face abuse during euro 2020 qualifiers.

Gareth Southgate’s team travel to the Czech Republic and Bulgaria for back-to-back matches on Friday and Monday. The second game, in Sofia, will be closely watched as the hosts will be playing in the vasil Levski National Stadium, partially closed as a sanction following previous incidents of racism. england’s players received similar abuse in their qualifier against Montenegro in Podgorica earlier this year, where they stayed on the pitch and won 5-1. Southgate has said england will follow UeFA’s three-step protocol for racial abuse.

The first step is for the referee to made aware of any racism and halt the game for an announcement to be made. If the abuse continues, the referee will suspend the game for a period of time. The third and final step will see the official abandon the game. But Abraham, 22, suggested that if england’s players believe someone is not comfortable, captain Harry Kane could lead them off the pitch before the three steps are played out if they are not working.

“We’ve touched base on how to deal with the situation,” said the Chelsea forward. “Harry Kane even said that if it happens and we’re not happy with it, we speak to the player and if he’s not happy, we all come off the pitch together. “It’s a team thing. Don’t isolate one person, we’re a whole team. If it happens to one of us, it happens to all of us.” Defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, 21, believes the protocols will be followed but that in any potentially threatening situation a different course of action may be appropriate.

“We need to be professional athletes,” said the Liverpool player. “We have an obligation to follow the protocols, that’s what we need to do. If it does get to the extreme, maybe different action might be taken.” Ashley Young was subjected to monkey chants in Sofia during an england game in 2011. The Bulgarian Football Union was fined 40,000 euros (£36,000) by UeFA for “discriminatory” chanting and for the lighting and throwing of fireworks.

behaviour”. The bumpy road Iranian women have travelled in order to gain free access to stadiums has not been without tragedy.

Sahar Khodayari died last month after setting herself ablaze outside a court in fear of being jailed for attending a match.

Dubbed “blue girl” because of the colours of the club she supported, esteghlal FC, she had reportedly been detained last year when trying to enter a stadium dressed as a boy. Her death sparked an outcry, with many calling on FIFA to ban Iran and for fans to boycott matches.

Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein esmaili at the time dismissed reports she had been told she would be jailed for six months as “fabricated rumours and hearsay”. And Khodayari’s father told Mehr news agency that she did not “sacrifice” herself for any cause. shadOw Of fIfa:Ahead of Qatar 2022, Iran has come under pressure from FIFA to allow women to attend this round of World Cup qualifiers. The ban on women in stadiums is not written into law or regulations, but it has been strictly enforced.

Since the 1979 Islamic revolution, women have only had rare access to stadiums in Iran.

About 20 Irish women attended a World Cup qualifier in 2001, and four years later a few dozen Iranian women were allowed to watch the national “Team Melli” take on Bahrain.

In October, as many as 100 Iranian “handpicked” women entered Azadi for a friendly against Bolivia.

Japan super typhoon at weekend could hit Rugby World Cup, Grand Prix TOKYO: A super typhoon among the most powerful in decades was set to hit Japan this holiday weekend, weather officials warned Wednesday, and could severely disrupt both the Rugby World Cup and Formula One Grand Prix. Typhoon Hagibis, currently classed as “violent” — the top end of Japan’s storm scale — is on track to directly hit part of Japan’s east coast, possibly barrelling straight into Tokyo on Saturday, although it may weaken significantly by then. It could wreak havoc on the Rugby World Cup being hosted in Japan, potentially washing out several key games. Practice for the Japan Grand Prix also starts Friday in the western city of Suzuka. An official from Japan’s Meteorological Agency (JMA) said the storm is currently as strong as four of the biggest typhoons to hit Japan in recent decades, including Faxai, which struck the Tokyo region last month causing widespread damage in the Chiba area. Hagibis “will have a power that matches these four typhoons, and we expect maximum wind speeds of 45 metres per second (162 kilometres/100 miles per hour)” on Saturday, the official said at a briefing. “The typhoon will bring heavy rains to a wide area… strong winds will come first, followed by rainstorms,” he added. AGENCIES

Thursday, 10 October, 2019

NEWS

Modi to host Xi at suMMit with ties strained by held KashMir NEW DELHI

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Agencies

RIME Minister Narendra Modi is all set to host Chinese President Xi Jinping for the second round of an informal summit later this week, the Indian foreign ministry said, with the talks coming at a time when ties have been strained following the Indian annexation of occupied Kashmir.

The meeting, scheduled to be held in the southern Indian city of Chennai on Oct 11-12, is aimed at enhancing the rapport formed by the two leaders when they met in the Chinese city of Wuhan last year to “help stabilise ties” after a standoff in another contested section of their long border, far removed from Kashmir.

But New Delhi’s decision in August to withdraw special status for occupied Kashmir drew sharp condemnation from Pakistan and its all-weather ally China, which took the matter to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Just a few days before the visit, the Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing asserted that Beijing would support Islamabad for the resolution of the Kashmir issue.

Jing had said that China is “working for Kashmiris to help them get their fundamental rights and justice. There should be a justified solution to the issue of Kashmir and China will stand by Pakistan for regional peace and stability”.

New Delhi viewed his comments as interfering with India’s “internal

matter” and “not keeping in spirit” with Xi’s visit.

“The forthcoming Chennai Informal Summit will provide an opportunity for the two leaders to continue their discussions on overarching issues of bilateral, regional and global importance and to exchange views on deepening IndiaChina Closer Development Partnership,” the Indian foreign ministry said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

India insists its revocation of the special status of Muslim-majority occupied Kashmir is an internal matter and aimed at faster economic development of the Himalayan territory. China said it believed India and Pakistan must refrain from tak-

ing unilateral action in Kashmir and has expressed concern over human rights violations in the territory. India has dismissed those concerns.

“The second informal meeting as such is significant given these ominous signals at bilateral, regional and global levels,” said Srikanth Kondapalli, professor of Chinese studies at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University.

“Stabilizing relations is important as both are seized with a number of issues – domestic as well as regional,” he said.

Ahead of Xi’s high-staked trip to India, China invited Prime Minister Imran Khan for talks on bilateral issues.

China supports Pakistan in safeguarding

its independent sovereignty and territorial integrity, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Tuesday as he met Imran.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Tuesday said President Xi had “taken Pakistan into confidence over his upcoming trip to India”.

“The nature of our relations is such that we take each other into confidence at every step,” Qureshi said.

India and China lay claim to territories thousands of miles to the east along the Himalayas and fought a brief border in 1962. In recent years, India has drawn closer to both the United States, with which it has built closer military ties and Japan.

During Xi’s visit, Modi is expected to raise economic issues, including India’s $53 billion trade deficit with China in 2018/19, and the smaller presence of Indian companies in China compared with other major economies.

China, for its part, is expected to urge New Delhi to take an independent decision on telecom equipment maker Huawei’s bid for India’s proposed 3G network and not be swayed by US pressure that it was a security risk.

Sources had told Reuters in August that Beijing had warned of “reverse sanctions” on Indian firms engaged in business in China should India block Huawei Technologies because of pressure from Washington.

During the upcoming meeting, officials said Modi and Xi will tour the coastal town of Mamallapuram, near Chennai, home to an 8th-century temple.

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Indian troops on Wednesday martyred two Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district in Indian occupied Kashmir (IOK). According to Kashmir Media Service (KMS), the troops killed two boys identified as Ufaid Farooq Lone and Abbas Ahmad Butt during a search operation in Awantipora area. Meanwhile, violent military operations have continued in Ganderbal, Bandipore, Kupwara, Baramulla, Srinagar, Islamabad, Kulgam, Shopian, Ramban, Doda, Kishtwar and other parts of the occupied territory for the past 12 days. Daily life has been seriously affected in the valley and the Muslim parts of Jammu, with reports pouring in of night raids, arrests and killings amid the ongoing military clampdown coupled with the communications blackout. People in IOK are facing a serious shortage in essential commodities as all major markets remain shut while public transport remains prohibited. An Indian online news portal, NewsClick.in, has criticized the Indian Supreme Court over its silence, inaction and indifference to a number of petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370. The web portal cited United Nations experts that the blackout is a form of collective punishment for the people of IOK and remarked that concerns raised by experts has failed to awaken the constitutional conscience of the Supreme Court.

It is worth mentioning here that India’s top court has adjourned hearings on these petitions till November 14.

At least 30 civilians died in May US strikes in Afghanistan: UN probe

2 killed in shooting in eastern Germany near a synagogue

KABuL Agencies

BERLIN Agencies

Two people were killed Wednesday in a shooting in the eastern German city of Halle and the assailants are on the run, police said. Local media reported the shooting took place near a synagogue. Several shots were fired and the suspected assailants then fled in a car, police said in a tweet. They urged residents to stay in their homes or indoors.

They didn’t give any further information, but said officers were out in force in the city hunting down the suspects. The Bild and Mitteldeutsche Zeitung newspapers reported that the shooting took place near a synagogue.

The railway station in Halle, a city of 240,000, was closed down as a precaution amid the police operation.

Indian troops kill two youth in IOK

ISLAMABAD: Traders take to streets to protest FBR's ‘harsh and arbitrary’ taxation measures leading to a clash between the police and traders as the protesters try to cross the hurdles outside the FBR headquarters in Islamabad.. inp

At least 30 civilians were killed when the US bombed several drug-making facilities in western Afghanistan in May, a UN agency said in a report Wednesday, though the US military immediately disputed the findings. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) conducted an investigation over four months looking into what happened May 5 when the US military bombed dozens of sites it had identified as Taliban methamphetamine labs. In a statement, UNAMA said it had “verified 39 civilian casualties (30 deaths, five injured and four undetermined), including 14 children and one woman, due to the 5 May air strikes”. The agency went on to say that it had also received “credible information” about an additional 30 deaths – mostly women and children – and was working to further verify these claims.

Maryam sent on 14-day judicial remand LAHORE stAff RepoRt

An accountability court in Lahore on Wednesday extended judicial remand of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) Vice President Maryam Nawaz and her cousin and Sharif Group’s managing director Yousaf Abbas for 14 days in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills (CSM) case.

During the hearing presided by accountability judge Jawad-ul-Hassan, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) requested the court to extend judicial remand of the two suspects, which the court accepted.

On Aug 8, an anti-graft team had arrested Maryam outside the Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore for skipping appearance in Chaudhry Sugar Mills case over a meeting with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

NAB claims that Maryam was unable to account for the foreign investment in sugar mills where she was a “partner or majority stakeholder”.

She also failed to satisfy the bureau regarding the money used to purchase the shares, said NAB. The bureau also said that three foreigner investors had transferred 11,000 shares worth millions of rupees on Maryam’s name.

Following her detention, the daycare centre at NAB’s Lahore headquarters was declared sub-jail while women police and anti-corruption personnel were deployed on the premises.

On Sept 25, Maryam was sent on judicial remand after the court rejected further physical remand.

As at outset of the court proceedings, NAB prosecutors Hafiz Asadullah Awan and Haris Qureshi had presented their arguments seeking an extension in the physical remand, saying that the case required further investigation.

The accountability watchdog had arrested Maryam and her cousin on Aug 8

in the said case. Since then, their physical remand has been repeatedly extended.

During the proceedings, the NAB prosecutor had said that during the investigation of two they had found out about an agreement for the division of the family’s assets.

A total of 14.5 million shares of the mills were divided among former PM Nawaz Sharif, former Punjab CM Shehbaz Sharif, their brother Abbas Sharif, sister Kausar Bibi and mother Shamim Begum, it had said.

The shares of the mills were 26.2 million in 2008, as per the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pak-

Published by Arif Nizami at Plot # 7, Al-Baber Centre, F/8 Markaz, Islamabad. Ph: 051-2204545. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk

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istan’s (SECP) record, they said, adding that there was a difference of 11.6 million shares and these were not included in the assets of the Sharif family, they had added.

They had argued that Maryam Nawaz’s assets did not correspond to her income in 2008 and Sharif family members had to be summoned for investigations in the matter.

However, defence counsel Amjad Pervaiz had opposed the remand plea, saying that the bureau had already taken remand of the accused on the same grounds: agreement for the division of the family’s assets.