E-Paper PDF 17 October (LHR)

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Thursday, 17 October, 2019 I 17 Safar-ul-Muzaffar, 1441 I Rs 20.00 I Vol X No 107 I 16 Pages I Lahore Edition

GovT proposes, Fazl disposes Talks oFFer g

ForeIGn MInIster QureshI says khattakleD coMMIttee ForMeD to lIsten to juI-F chIeF’s ‘reasonable DeManDs’

ISLAMABAD

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staff report

he Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government on Wednesday decided to engage with Maulana Fazlur Rehman in response to the Jamiat Ulema-e-IslamFazl (JUI-F) chief’s declaration to march on Islamabad on October 31, however the latter has turned down the offer “till a resignation is handed in”.

Addressing reporters after a meeting of the PTI core committee chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that a small political committee has been formed under Defence Minister Pervez Khattak “to get in touch with Maulana Fazlur Rehman”.

“We are a political party and are fully capable and willing to deliver a political solution to political matters,” said Qureshi.

The foreign minister said that if anything the JUI-F chief says during the resultant talks “has political weight, we are ready to listen to it and if a reasonable solution emerges, we will accord that priority”.

“It is not that we have any fear, I must lay

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Maulana Fazl rejects any PossIbIlIty oF talks ‘beFore a resIGnatIon Is hanDeD In’

stress on this.

“If someone thinks that with a dharna, governments can be sent packing then we have a 126day experience in this […] we are not novices in the matter,” said Qureshi, with a slight smile. he reiterated that a political solution to the conflict must be sought, explaining that Pakistan is now fighting for the Kashmir cause on international fora and a unified stance must be presented in that regard. “October 27 is that despicable day on which Indian forces landed in Srinagar and captured Kashmir,” he said, pausing to lay emphasis on the word to highlight the solemnity that must be accorded to the day. he said that the government’s Kashmir Cell had therefore decided to observe the day with due respect and in solidarity with Kashmiris.

“So we have to see whether we harm this larger purpose in pursuit of a narrower, local agenda,” he said.

Qureshi said that the other consideration is that the government had just surmounted a great economic challenge over the past 13 months and brought Pakistan back to stability.

“When our government took over the helm of affairs, all the macroeconomic indicators were

painting a very dire picture, whether it is the fiscal deficit, the current account deficit, the trade deficit, the investment levels, the unemployment figures, exports, imports, or debt servicing capabilities.

“So just now we have begun to witness an economic turnaround, and at this time if there is even a hint of instability, it will adversely affect our economy,” explained the foreign minister. he said that keeping the aforementioned factors in view, the government had decided in favour of political engagement. “Let’s see what response we get.”

FAZL TURNS DOWN OFFER: Meanwhile, the JUI-F chief has rejected the government’s peace overture.

In a press conference in another part of the federal capital, Maulana Fazl outright rejected any possibility of talks with the government “before a resignation is handed in”.

“We have no knowledge of such a committee and neither have we been contacted,” he said.

“Before any talks take place, a resignation is mandatory, so that the situation post-resignation can be debated,” said the JUI-F chief.

“No negotiation can take place on the condition of a resignation.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 02

Islamabad admin responsible for protecting rights of juI-F protesters, residents: Ihc STORY ON PAGE 02

royal couple experience kalash culture, chitral climate change STORY ON BACK PAGE

Modi says work to stop water flow to Pakistan has started STORY ON BACK PAGE

Pakistan's debt to rise to over 78% of GDP, says IMF STORY ON PAGE 11

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02 NEWS Hazara lawyer featured in BBC’s ‘100 Women’ list Jalila Haider, a Hazara human rights lawyer, made it to BBC’s 100 women of 2019 list on Wednesday.

Haider, who is the founder of “We the Humans”, a not-forprofit organisation, is working for the protection of women’s rights in Pakistan and provides free legal services to women belonging to low-income strata across the country. In addition, she is also working with local communities to provide advancement opportunities to economically vulnerable women and children. According to the BBC, in 2018, Haider went on a hunger strike as she demanded the “protection of fundamental rights” of the Hazara community. Taking to Twitter, Haider said it was an “honor for her to represent Pakistan”. “Wow, this is an honor for me that I am among the @BBC100women list 2019 from Pakistan. I want to congratulate Parveen Ahanger @_APDP also to be among the list. More power to the brave women of Kashmir,” she wrote. Wow, This is an honor for me that I am among the @BBC100women list 2019 from Paksitan. I want to congratulate Parveen Ahanger @_APDP also to be the among the list. More power to the brave women of Kashmir.@nighatdad @mariaItarana @BBCWorld @BBCUrdu @IsmatShahjahan https://t.co/xMdFEK2hxc — Jalila Haider (@Advjalila) October 16, 2019 An occupied Kashmir based activist, Parveena Ahanger, the founder of Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons, also made it to the list. NEWS DESK

Seven killed, nine injured in Chitral accident CHITRAL: At least seven people died and nine others sustained critical wounds in an accident on Wednesday when a speeding van rammed into a car near Booni area of Chitral district. Reportedly, the van was on its way to Upper Chitral from Lower Chitral when its driver lost control of the vehicle, collided into a car and fell into a deep gorge. Rescue officials rushed to the spot and transferred the bodies and injured persons to the District Headquarter hospital (DHQ) where doctors declared the condition of three of them to be critical.

Emergency has been declared in the hospital. INP

ISlAMABAd AdMIN RESPoNSIBlE FoR PRotECtINg RIgHtS oF JUI-F PRotEStERS, RESIdENtS: IHC ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

HE Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday disposed of petitions against the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) ‘Azadi March’ and instructed the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration (ICT) to decide on the party’s application which sought permission to hold the march at D-Chowk square. The JUI-F had earlier filed an application with the ICT seeking permission for the anti-government rally on Oct 27, and a protest demonstration in Islamabad.

However, the date was later changed to Oct 31.

After hearing a petition against the march, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah instructed the district administration to look into the matter “as per the law”. During the proceedings, Justice Minallah asked the petitioner what his demand was? To which, Rahi recalled that Fazal had announced a march against the government. “Do you mean he does not have the right to protest?”

inquired the chief justice. “You can protest against [a] policy, not against a democratic government,” Rahi responded.

The chief justice said that protesting was a fundamental right of every citizen and could not be ignored.

The proceedings were briefly adjourned as the court ordered that all petitions against the protest be combined and heard together. Following the break, along with Rahi, another petitioner against the march, Hafiz Ihtisham Ahmed, also appeared

in court. Justice Minallah reminded them that protecting the fundamental rights of citizens was the job of the state. He said that the state should protect the rights of protesters; additionally, he said, the state was also required to protect the rights of those who do not want to protest.

Justice Minallah recalled that in 2014, the same court had allowed the Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf (PTI) to conduct a dharna – which went on for 126 days.

He asked one of the petitioners, Rahi, if he was there on behalf of the government, to which the petitioner said he was only there as an ordinary citizen.

“From your statements, it seems like you are here on the government’s behalf,” remarked the chief justice, noting that Rahi submits “so many petitions, he should one day submit one against corrupt people in the local judiciary [as well]”.

Wrapping up the hearing, the court instructed the local administration to protect the rights of the protesters as well those of those who weren’t protesting.

FO lodges protest against LoC violations with Indian envoy ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal on Wednesday summoned India’s Deputy High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia to condemn the unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Indian forces along the Line of Control (LoC) in Nezapir Sector on Oct 15.

As a result of firing, three residents of village Kirni embraced lost their lives while eight others, including women and children, sustained serious injuries. Indian forces have continuously been targeting civilian neighborhoods along the LoC and working boundary for over three years now. The unprecedented escalation in ceasefire violations

soared in 2017 when the Indian forces committed 1970 violations of the ceasefire agreement.

In meeting with Ahluwalia, Dr Faisal said that the ceasefire violations are a threat to regional peace and security and may lead to a strategic miscalculation.

The spokesperson urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire arrangement; investigate the incidents of ceasefire violations; instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire, in letter and spirit; and maintain peace on the LoC and the working boundary. He urged that the Indian side should permit United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per the UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.

Govt proposes, Fazl disposes talks offer contInueD froM pAge 01 “If any state institution tries to create hurdles in the people’s way then it would be assumed that the institution is not being used for the state but for someone else,” he added. The JUI-F chief also warned against the imposition of martial law in the country. “Let me be very clear. If an institution tries to impose martial law, we will turn the direction of the ‘Azadi march’ towards it,” he said, insisting that he did not want a clash with any state institution. Government sources said that the prime minister was of the view that the JUI-F was being used by other opposition parties to serve their own ends and that the government believed that Fazlur Rehman could still be reasoned with.

Previously, PM Imran had decided to form a mediating team comprising Interior Minister Brig (r) Ijaz Shah, chief ministers of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Minister for Religious Affairs & Interfaith Harmony Noorul Haq Qadri among others. Sources in the federal government claim that the prime minister had reviewed his previous decision to engage the Maulana after some input from ‘concerned quarters’. Reacting to Fazl’s announcement, Defence Minister Khattak said the JUI-F chief must have talks with the government because no one will find anything walking into a street with dead-end. “Peaceful protest is the right of everyone, but action will be taken if it is harm-

ing the country,” he warned. Khattak said that Fazlur Rehman’s one-point agenda is to remove Prime Minister Imran, which is not possible.“Dialogues cannot be held with that attitude and not having talks with the government will be a conspiracy against the country,” he said, adding that dialogue will not tarnish the reputation of Maulana.

PPP BACKS FAZL: In a related development, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said his party has decided to throw its weight behind Maulana Fazl and support his decision to go against the PTI government.Bilawal, while speaking to media in Rato Dero, reiterated: “PPP thinks government will have to go.”He said a lot of people have been rendered jobless under a conspiracy and the government is now planning to deprive more people of employment by closing 400 departments.“Fawad Chaudhry’s narrative is the actual policy of Khan Saheb,” he said in a reference to the science and technology minister’s recent statement.The minister was reported to have said that government was not responsible for providing jobs. But the minister later rejected the reports saying he was talking about government jobs only.

PML-N CALLS FOR FRESH ELECTIONS: Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) leader Ahsan Iqbal said his party supports Maulana Fazl’s demand for the prime minister’s resignation. Calling for fresh election, he said sending the government home was vital to protect the country.

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PEMRA’s limitations defined by NAP: Firdous ISLAMABAD APP

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Wednesday said the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) did not need instructions from the government as it was bound to act in line with security parameters set in the National Action Plan. Flanked by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, she told a press conference here, “PEMRA did not need instructions from her, the ministry or the government for following the parameters of National Action Plan. It is already a consensus agenda and PEMRA is following it.” The special assistant said when the National Action Plan was made and its terms of reference were set, all stakeholders, including PEMRA, were given a 13-point working paper that defined their boundaries. She said the nation will stand united on the black day of Oct 27. Prime Minister Imran Khan as a spokesman, advocate, and ambassador of Kashmiris was engaging the world and sending a message of disunity, chaos and instability in Pakistan was detrimental to the Kashmir cause. She added that the government recognized the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s constitutional right to protest.

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NEWS

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dARk CloUdS oF IRAN-SAUdI WAR dISPERSINg, QURESHI SAyS ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

OREIGN Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Wednesday that Prime Minister’s Imran Khan’s visits to Saudi Arabia and Iran have proven fruitful as differences between the two countries have significantly been mitigated. Addressing a press conference in the federal capital, Qureshi said that the prime minister was able to relay Iran’s sentiments to the Saudi leadership.

He said that the entire senior Saudi leadership, including the foreign minister, minister of state, national security adviser was present during the meetings.

“We presented Pakistan’s standpoint, discussed the region’s needs, and relayed Iran’s sentiments to them,” said the foreign minister.

Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani on the other hand, Qureshi said had expressed a desire to establish peaceful relations with Riyadh. He said that he was hopeful that the regional situation will improve and both countries will agree to decreasing tensions. “I can now see the dark clouds of war and conflict that were looming above our heads slowly dispersing,” said the

foreign minister. “Pakistan’s number one objective was this: that we do not end up suffering another conflict.” We realised there was no easy solution to the conflict, which had seen many interventions from Pak-

istan and the international community in the past, said the minister. “Yesterday’s meeting was very encouraging and I believe the one thing we agreed upon was that a peaceful, diplomatic process will be given preference. And all misunderstandings must be resolved through dialogue,” said Qureshi.

He said that a mechanism for a way forward is currently under deliberation.

Tensions have been building up in the Middle East following missile strikes targeting Saudi oil facilities on September 14. Riyadh and the Washington blamed Tehran but the Rouhani government denied its role.

During his meetings with the Saudi leadership on Tuesday, Premier Imran had reiterated Pakistan’s willingness to facilitate efforts for de-escalation of tensions between Riyadh and Tehran. The prime minister also stressed the importance of avoiding military conflict and the need for constructive engagement of all parties.

“Pakistan will always stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Saudi Arabia,” the premier reaffirmed.

The Saudi leadership also lauded PM Imran’s efforts for promoting peace and noted the impact his initiative could have on the regional situation.

FWO personnel shoot dead three drivers on Karachi Superhighway SC to determine definition of terrorism: CJP ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Asif Saeed Khosa on Wednesday said the Supreme Court would determine the definition of terrorism. A three-member bench, headed by CJP Khosa, heard a murder case that had been defined by the state prosecutor as an incident of terrorism. The case involved the murder of Ghulam Mohammad by Kale Khan on court premises.

During the course of proceedings, the CJP Khosa said every serious crime did not fall into the category of terrorism. He asked the state prosecutor to review the widely accepted definition of terrorism, due to which a huge number of terror cases were being piled up. The chief justice said the murder incident happened because of personal enmity adding many confusions would be removed after the meaning of terrorism became more clearly defined. Kale Khan was sentenced to death by the trial court while the high court converted his death sentenced into life imprisonment. APP

Security forces recover three suicide jackets, cache of ammunition in tribal districts PESHAWAR: The security forces during search and strike operation in merged districts of Bajaur, Khyber and South Waziristan on Wednesday foiled terror bid and recovered huge cached of arms including three suicide jackets. According to ISPR, the security forces conducted a search operation in the area of Khange Qilla in district Bajaur and recovered two suicide jackets and cache of ammunition of HMG. In a similar operation in the area of Gul Kuch in South Waziristan, one APM, one suicide jacket, two 40mm rockets, one 7.62mm rifle, two pistols along with magazines and a number of rounds of 7.62mm rifle were recovered. Meanwhile, in the area of Walu Mela in district Khyber, 252 rounds of 12.7mm, 250 grams explosive, three cassettes and amplifiers and three rounds of 303 rifle were recovered. APP

KArAcHI STAFF REPORT

At least three protesting drivers were killed and another wounded when Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) personnel opened fire to disperse a protest at Superhighway near Karachi on Wednesday.

As per reports, several drivers were shot at during a protest near Kathore. Police stated that fire was opened by personnel of the FWO, the construction wing of the armed forces, to implement a recent Supreme Court judgement. Karachi East DIG Amir Farooqi told media that there was an issue going on between the drivers and the FWO personnel on excel load.

In a judgement, apex court had recently passed a verdict in which some restrictions were imposed on heavy vehicles regarding carrying a certain amount of maximum load. “FWO personnel were trying to implement the SC verdict when drivers of loaded vehicles started parking their trucks on the highway in protest against the move. ,” the DIG told media.

He added that during the protest, some driver also pelted stones at the FWO personnel.

“In response to that, FWO personnel were left with no other option but to resort to aerial firing so that the protesting drivers could be dispersed,” he added. The

wounded drivers were transported to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) where doctors pronounced three of them dead on arrival.

Those killed were identified as Ayub, Niaz Ali, and Rasool Khan. According to Dr Jamali, Ayub and Niaz sustained bullet wounds on their back and chest, respectively. Sindh Inspector General of Police Kaleem Imam took notice of the firing incident and ordered an immediate report from the Malir SSP. “Legal action should be taken against the suspects involved in the incident,” the Sindh police chief said in a statement.

Will never abandon our Kashmiri brothers: COAS Bajwa rAWALpInDI INP

Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Bajwa has reiterated Pakistan Army’s resolve of not leaving Kashmiris alone, who are under Indian oppression since August 5 when New Delhi revoked the occupied territory’s special status. The army chief made the remarks on a visit to the Line of Control (LoC), where he met troops and was briefed on the prevailing situation along the border, India’s ceasefire violations and Pakistan’s response in return. “Kashmiris in IOJ&K are bravely facing Indian atrocities under continued siege,” ISPR, the military’s

media wing, quoted Gen Qamar as saying on Wednesday.

“We shall never leave them alone and play our rightful role at whatever cost.”

Earlier in the day, Pakistan’s Foreign Office summoned India’s top diplomat over unprovoked ceasefire violations by Indian forces.

A 55-year-old man along with two minors was martyred while eight civilians sustained injuries in Indian shelling on Pakistani villages in Nezapir Sector.

Occupying forces along the LoC and Working Boundary have continuously targeted civilian areas, and the violations have particularly increased following a military clampdown in IOK two months ago.

NAB Executive Board approves filing of three corruption references ISLAMABAD: In a meeting, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Executive Board has approved the filing of three corruption references against various individuals for inflicting a loss of millions of rupees to the national exchequer. The approval was granted by Chairman Justice (retired) Javed Iqbal who chaired NAB Board s meeting held in Islamabad on Wednesday. The Board approved a reference against Khawaja Anwar Majeed and others on the allegations of corruption and money laundering, causing a loss of 340 million rupees. The other two references were approved against Syed Arif Khan and others of M/s Canal View for defrauding the general public and former chairman Balochistan Development Authority Sadat Anwar for having assets beyond means. It was also decided in the meeting that three inquires against various people on charges of corruption would also be opened. While addressing the participants of the meeting, NAB chairman said that corruption is like cancer and it is eating the whole country. It is time that this should be removed by surgery and get rid of it for once and all, he added. It’s an honour for the department that the world economic forum acknowledged our efforts, he said. STAFF REPORT

47 deported to Pakistan after illegally crossing Iran border

QUETTA: Pakistani citizens who had illegally crossed the border into Iran have been deported back to the country on Wednesday.

Iranian border officials deported 47 Pakistani nationals who were arrested after their illegal entry in Iran. The Iranian officials handed over the illegal Pakistani entrants to the border officials of Pakistan, sources said.

All deportees have been handed over to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for further investigation. Pakistani citizens, who trespassed into Iran, were wanted to proceed to Europe without proper travel documents for economic reasons. Those handed over to Pakistani border officials were arrested in Iran for staying without valid travel documents. Arrested men are said to be residents of various areas of Punjab province. People in search of green pastures take the route of Iran and Turkey from Pakistan to sneak into European countries. INP

PM Imran Khan to launch ‘Kamyab Jawan Programme’ today ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Prime Minister Imran Khan will launch “Kamyab Jawan Program” on Thursday which will help the welfare of youth in the country, media reported. As per the plan, venu for this ceremony is Convention Centre Islamabad. All the relevant preparations have been finalised in this regard by the federal authorities. Spe-

cial Assistant to the Prime Minister on Youth Affairs Usman Dar has become active for the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) lending programme’s success and held various prominent leaders including Asad Umar, Jehangir Tareen, Faisal Javed and others.

Numerous meetings were held in Islamabad to discuss the final preparations of the inauguration ceremony which is likely to be attended by the

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central leadership of ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), federal and provincial ministers and youth.

Under this two-category program in the first category, the youth will be provided with loans from 100,000 to 500,000 rupees to start their business whilst in the second category, the youth will be provided with loans from 500,000 to five million rupees.

While addressing the media Usman

Dar said that in past no government paid enough attention to the problems of youth or to introduce some strategy under which youth can be provided business opportunities.

“The government has designed the National Youth Development Framework to mainstream the youth on an equal level,” he added. PTI government is working to uplight youth who are future of this country, he added.

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Court rejeCts aCquittal pleas of Khawaja saad, brother in paragon City sCam LAHORE

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STAFF REPORT

n accountability court on Wednesday rejected acquittal pleas of Pakistan Muslim League-nawaz (PML-n) leaders Khawaja Saad Rafique and Khawaja Salman Rafique in the Paragon housing society scam.Earlier on Monday, Judge Jawadul Hassan had reserved the verdict on the applications after defense counsels, Ashtar Ausaf Ali and Amjad Pervaiz, concluded their arguments against the jurisdiction of the national Accountability Bureau (nAB) to form a

reference against the accused.

The defense counsel had argued that disputes regarding a private business did not fall within the domain of the nAB as per the nAB Ordinance, 1999, and said that there was no allegation of corruption or misusing the national exchequer against the petitioners in the capacity of public officeholders. Additionally, they had said that the Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) was the competent forum to look into such matters under the Companies Act, 2017.

They asked the court to set aside the indictment of the petitioners and acquit them of the charges. nAB prosecutor

Hafiz Asadullah Awan had opposed the acquittal applications and argued that there were rulings by the Supreme Court that the trial court could not entertain such appeals after the indictment. He also said nAB powers were protected under Section 18(C) and D of the nAO 1999. According to nAB reference, Khawaja brothers are accused of wrongfully gaining approximately Rs18.2 million from M/S Paragon City (Pvt) Limited in their bank accounts.

Rejecting the applications today, the accountability court summoned witnesses to present their testimonies against the duo in the next hearing. The judicial remand of the brothers was also extended till Oct 30.

Chunian serial killer handed in police custody for another 14 days LAHORE STAFF REPORT

An anti-terrorism court on Wednesday extended the physical remand of alleged serial killer Suhail Shehzad, accused of raping and murdering four minor boys in Kasur's Chunian tehsil. Shehzad had been remanded into police custody on October 2 and on Wednesday a 14-day extension in his remand was given by the court.

Judge Abdul Qayyum Khan, who was presiding over the hearing, asked the suspect "if he had been beat up in custody". "no one beat me up," the suspect replied, adding, "I request the same treatment this time as well." When asked by the judge whether Shehzad's medical exam had been carried out, the investigation officer replied in the affirmative, saying that it had been taken the very day it was ordered. During the last hearing, when Shehzad had been produced before the anti-terrorism court for the first time, the investigation officer

had explained that the suspect had been brought to court in pursuance of an FIR registered against the sexual assault and murder of one of the four boys. The cases registered for the other three boys were being probed by a joint investigation team, he had explained. Today, the officer said that the suspect's DnA had matched in two more cases and that he will soon be brought before the court in pursuance of those cases as well.

During the course of the hearing, deputy prosecutor general Abdul Rauf Watoo presented arguments to the court and a report by the Punjab Forensic Science Agency was also submitted with findings in the investigation thus far.

The police informed the court that the suspect's shoes that he had worn at the scene of the crime had been recovered.

The prosecution's counsel requested the court to grant a 30-day physical remand for Shehzad, but the court granted remand for 14 more days. Shehzad's arrest was announced by Punjab Chief

Minister Usman Buzdar on October 1 via a detailed press briefing in which the methods used to unearth the suspect's identity were disclosed.

The chief minister had confirmed that the suspect was behind all four cases of sodomy and murder which had shaken Kasur last month and shone fresh light on the continued prevalence of child sexual abuse in the country. "The case against him will be pursued in an anti-terrorism court where hearings will be held on a daily basis," he had announced.

Four children — aged between eight and 12 years — had gone missing since June this year with the latest, Faizan, 8, disappearing on the night of September 16.The remains of three of them were found on September 17 from sand dunes near Chunian bypass, sending shock waves among the area residents who held protests to express concern over the continued lawlessness and failure of police to protect the lives of people.

police unleash naked aggression on journalists LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Journalists across the country on Wednesday protested against the police brutality unleashed on a reporter of a private news channel. According to reports, police officials had earlier severely beaten a Geo news reporter for covering the appearance of Pakistan Muslim League-nawaz (PML-n) leader Hamza Shehbaz in court. The policemen not only beat-up the reporter, but also slapped two cameramen for covering the court appearance of Hamza Shahbaz. The brutality did not stop there, but the mobile phone of the reporter was also shattered in the process. Several other journalists were roughly pushed aside to make way for the convoy. When the journalists asked the policemen why they were being subjected to such inhumane treatment, there was no answer forthcoming.

It seemed like Punjab police had a free hand to injure innocent citizens. The journalists afterwards gathered together and protested in front of the court, urging authorities to take notice of the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice.

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Dengue cases decreasing, Dr Yasmin claims LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid has said that a visible decrease has been occurred in dengue cases because of accelerated pace of anti-dengue activities being performed in the province. She stated this while presiding over a meeting of cabinet committee at Civil Secretariat on Wednesday which was attended by Auqaf Minister Saeed-ul-Hassan Shah, Secretary Primary & Secondary Healthcare Capt. (R) Muhammad Usman, Commissioner and DC Lahore and concerned officials. Commissioners and DCs of different divisions and districts and CEOs attended the meeting through video link. Representatives of

Hamza’s judicial remand extended till Oct 30 LAHORE: An accountability court on Wednesday extended the judicial remand of Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Hamza Shehbaz till Oct 30 in Ramzan Sugar Mills and assets beyond means cases. During the proceedings, a nAB official requested the court for an extension in Hamza’s remand which was accepted. Meanwhile, national Assembly Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif’s plea which sought exemption from the hearing

different government departments were also present. Health Secretary Muhammad Usman apprised the meeting about details of different anti-dengue measures.

Dr Yasmin Rashid commended the Rawalpindi administration for their hard work and directed that conduction of zero-period should be ensured in educational institutions to give awareness about dengue. She said that pregnant women could be more affected by dengue; therefore, cleanliness of room coolers should be ensured. She said that more than ten thousand sanitary patrol staff has been recruited in Rawalpindi and other districts and action has been initiated for violation of dengue related SOPs. Investigations are underway against officers for showing negligence, she added.

was also approved by the accountability judge. On June 11, the accountability watchdog had arrested Hamza in the said cases and shifted him to the bureau’s headquarter at Thokar niaz Baig in Lahore as the Lahore High Court (LHC) had turned down his applications for extension in interim bail. In the hearing on June 11, the defense counsel had argued that according to the nAB Ordinance, 1999, the bureau could not issue arrest warrants unless an inquiry over the matter was completed. To which, Justice naqvi had remarked that the judgment would be done according to the constitution, and justice would be ensured. STAFF REPORT

Thursday, 17 October, 2019

IndIa ranks below PakIstan, srI lanka In Global HunGer Index, rePort says NEW DELHI

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aGENCIES

NDIA has ranked 102 among 117 countries in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) – below Pakistan (94), Bangladesh (88) and Sri Lanka (66) – as it continues to slide down the rankings.

In 2014, India was ranked 55 out of 77 countries, India Today reported.

The annual index is designed to measure and track hunger at the global, national and regional levels and to assess progress and setbacks in combating hunger.

According to the report prepared by Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide, India is among the 45 countries that have serious levels of hunger.

“In India, just 9.6 percent of all children between six to 23 months of age are fed a minimum acceptable diet.

As of 2015-2016, 90 percent of Indian

households used an improved drinking water source while 39 percent of households had no sanitation facilities (IIPS and ICF 2017),” said the report.

On the other hand, in stark contrast to the announcement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Oct 2 when he declared rural India ‘Open Defecation Free’ (ODF), the report also suggests that “open defecation is still practiced in India”.

“In 2014 the Prime Minister instituted the ‘Clean India’ campaign to end open defecation and ensure that all households had latrines. Even with new latrine construction, open defecation is still practiced. This situation jeopardizes the population’s health and consequently, children’s growth and development as their ability to absorb nutrients is compromised,” says the report although it does not specify whether the observations are of rural or urban India.

The report also lauds the efforts of two countries in South Asia in fighting hunger – Nepal and Bangladesh.

“Outside of India, two countries in South Asia have made significant advances in child nutrition and their experiences are instructive,” the report added.

Attributing the success in Bangladesh to the steady economic growth, the report said, “The authors conclude that success in this area can be achieved with robust economic growth and attention to ‘nutrition-sensitive’ sectors such as education, sanitation, and health. A 2015 study sought to identify the reasons behind the decline in stunting in Bangladesh at the national level from 58.5 percent in 1997 to 40.2 percent in 2011.”

“The study attributed the decrease primarily to rising household wealth associated with pro-poor economic growth and gains in parental education,

as well as health, sanitation, and demographic factors reflecting decreased fertility rates. The authors conclude that success in this area can be achieved with robust economic growth and attention to ‘nutrition-sensitive’ sectors such as education, sanitation, and health.”

“Nepal’s remarkable reduction in child stunting from 56.6 percent in 2001 to 40.1 percent in 2011 is associated with and likely attributable to, increased household assets (a proxy for household wealth), increased maternal education, improved sanitation, and implementation and use of health and nutrition programs, including antenatal and neonatal care,” the report said about Nepal.

The 2019 Global Hunger Index (GHI) indicates that the level of hunger and undernutrition worldwide based on four indicators: undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting, and child mortality-since 2000.

NEWS

05

Six dead, over 30 injured as passenger bus overturns in Naushahro Feroze NAUSHAHRO FEROZE Staff REpoRt

Six pilgrims of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai shrine were killed and 30 others injured in a road accident in Moro on Wednesday. The pilgrims were returning to Sukkur from Bhitshah in a bus when it overturned after going out of driver’s control. As a result, three pilgrims died on the spot and over 30 were injured, some of them seriously. The bodies and injured were rushed to Civil Hospital Moro for medico-legal formalities and treatment, respectively. Three of the injured expired at the hospital. Four of them were later referred to Nawabshah for further treatment. Those killed were identified as Shaukat Shaikh, Mumtaz Shaikh, Dolan Shaikh, Deedar Abbasi, Ameer Bux and Abdullah. The injured include Haji Abdullah, Farman, Barkat and others.

Punjab IGP orders transfer of six police officers LAHORE Staff REpoRt

UN observers convince JKLF to call of LoC sit-in MUZAFFARABAD Staff REpoRt

The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation (JKLF) has agreed to call off its protest sit-in near the Line of Control (LOC) upon the insistence of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider and the United Nations Military Observer Group of India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) on Wednesday.

Last week, AJK police place containers and patrolled the border town of

Jaskool – eight kilometres from the LoC — to keep JKLF supporters from crossing the border into Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK).

Earlier, marchers had been staging sit-ins on the Muzaffarabad-Srinagar road which has now come to halt.

Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider reached Jaskool to persuade the marchers to end their protest. A delegation led by the AJK PM also met with UN observers in Muzaffarabad, and called for an end to the curfew in IOK.

Speaker AJK Legislative Assembly Shah Ghulam Qadir, Minister Transport Nasir Hussain Dar, Liberation Front’s Abdul Hameed Butt, Saleem Haroon, Dr Touqeer Gillani, Abdul Raheem Andrabi and Raffique Dar were also part of the delegation which held negotia-

tions with UNMOGIP representatives.

The delegation urged the UN to send its fact-finding mission to IOK, pressurize India into restoring the constitutional status of IOK and resolve the Kashmir dispute in light of the will of the people of Kashmir.

The Inspector General (IG) of Punjab Capt (Retd) Arif Nawaz on Wednesday issued directives of transfers and postings of six senior officers. Saqib Sultan Mehmood has been posted as Additional Inspector General (AIG) Inquiries – Central Police Office (CPO) and Ibadat Nisar as AIG Complaints at CPO Punjab. Abdul Malik, Deputy Director Security of South Wing-II in Special Protection Unit (SPU) Lahore, has been transferred to Central Wing-I, whereas the South Wing-II’s position was given to Daud Aslam, who was previously performing duties in South Wing-III. Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Dr Raza Tanveer was given charge of the District Police Officer (DPO) Dera Ghazi Khan City and Deputy Inspector General Zia-ul-Haq was directed to report CPO.

Teenage girl dies in blaze at Gujrat shopping mall A 15-year old girl was killed while dozens of shops and apartments were gutted in a blaze that broke out at a shopping mall in Gujrat on Wednesday. The fire erupted at Alina Shopping Mall, located on Bhimber Road, and soon engulfed over a dozen shops and 60 apartments. At least 20 vehicles were also damaged in the fire. The girl died after being trapped in an apartment part of the shopping complex. At least 14 rescue teams participated in the operation to control the fire. Eight floors were destroyed as a result of the fire which remained out of control for several hours. At least 100 women and children were evacuated from the building. The cause of the fire, which caused losses in millions, was not known at the time of the filing of this report. In 2013, 17 children and a teacher were killed when their school bus caught fire in Gujrat. Seven other children were injured in the blaze which destroyed the vehicle.

NEWS DESK

CMYK

Thursday, 17 October, 2019

06 WORLD VIEW

Is BorIs Johnson actually wInnIng? AT LEAST POLITICALLY, IF NOT DIPLOMATICALLY, THE BRITISH PRIME MINISTER APPEARS TO BE MAKING SOME PROGRESS

AtlAntic

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TOM MCTAGUE

ORIS Johnson has not won a single vote in the House of Commons. He has lost his government’s majority and been accused of lying to the queen to shut down Parliament. He has made an enemy of Europe’s most powerful leader, become entangled in a scandal in which he is accused of directing public funds to a woman he was in a relationship with, and even lost the support of his own brother. His attempted renegotiation of Brexit with the European Union now stands on the brink, with EU officials warning that he may have left it too late to strike a compromise deal in time for this week’s summit in Brussels.

And yet, despite everything, an intriguing question is bubbling up in London, even among some of those predisposed to hate anything Johnson does or stands for: Is he winning?

Johnson became prime minister in July with Britain mired in deadlocked talks over its exit from the EU. He had promised to do something the EU would not do for Theresa May: reopen the painstakingly negotiated withdrawal agreement setting the terms of the divorce between Britain and the EU in order to make it more palatable for his Conservative Party and its parliamentary allies. In fact, Johnson didn’t just want to change the withdrawal agreement; he also wanted to scrap the most contentious part of it, the “backstop,” a controversial legal mechanism that would have seen the whole of the United Kingdom remain beholden to EU customs rules until a permanent new relationship was agreed on after Brexit.

Despite the apparently incompatible positions, the U.K. and the EU are now locked in intense technical discussions to see whether a deal can be found after movement from both sides.

So is Johnson winning? Well, if winning is getting everything he wants, or even the bulk of it, then no. Johnson has already conceded a lot of ground to keep the negotiations alive at all—that much is already clear. And whatever happens, if there is to be a deal between the EU and the U.K. before the October 31 deadline by which Britain must leave the bloc, Brussels will have largely stuck to the red lines it drew before the negotiations even began. Indeed, even if an agreement is struck on Britain’s exit at an upcoming meeting of EU leaders this week, a backstop of some sort will be included (whether in name or in substance).

Or if winning is forcing the U.K. Parliament to blink in a way his predecessor never managed to, then again, no, he is not winning. Lawmakers have so far refused to let Johnson have his own way at all. They have actually done the opposite, passing a law forcing him to request an extension to Britain’s membership of the EU should no deal emerge at the summit in Brussels.

Might he be winning politically, though? This is a different question entirely.

Politically, winning is not about the score sheet of diplomatic concessions.

Nor is it concerned with whether Brexit is sensible, stupid, visionary, or disastrous.

Politically, winning is short-term and transactional: It involves setting the question you want voters to answer— and getting them to respond in the way you want, all in the service of winning elections. If successful, you gain the power necessary to achieve the things you want to do and to stop the things you do not. This is the game as played by political strategists across the world, including those most central to Johnson’s electoral successes to date: Lynton Crosby and Dominic Cummings. With Brexit, it is no different. It’s just that the stakes on the table are much higher.

Crosby, the Australian strategist who helped mastermind David Cameron’s election success in 2015, as well as Johnson’s two poll victories in the London mayoralty, is rigid in his advice, urging candidates to frame the choice facing voters in the way most advantageous to

them—and to stick to that position.

In 2017, he counseled May to frame the election as a Brexit choice, between strength and weakness, leadership and chaos. May muddied the waters, asking voters to give her a mandate to deliver a Brexit while refusing to provide any details about what that meant (while also offering a sweep of radical domestic reforms). Into the confused mix stepped the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who happily turned the election into a referendum on austerity.

May’s indecision, in this view, is also central to her Brexit failure. She never knew what she wanted, so the EU ran the talks. Did she prioritize sovereignty or immigration control, constitutional integrity or maximum regulatory flexibility after Brexit? In the confusion, she ended up with a fudge, which pleased no one.

Whatever else can legitimately be leveled at Johnson’s door, he cannot (yet) be accused of making the same mistake.

He has defined what he wants from Brexit—maximum sovereignty and no more delays. The rest of his policy flows from there.

In his negotiations with the EU, there are some limited signs of success. In setting an agenda from the beginning that the U.K., as a whole, must leave the EU’s customs union to conduct its own independent trade policy, he has accepted that this will mean a legal economic border between Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K., and the Republic of Ireland, an EU member state. This has meant that solutions to the Irish-border conundrum have been centered on where and how a new legal border might be enforced, not whether one will exist—a dramatic difference from May. Of course, there have been huge compromises. Johnson has conceded that Northern Ireland alone will align with EU standards, and appears to have conceded that actual border checks cannot take place along or near the border with the Republic of Ireland. While no agreement has yet emerged—and may not—Johnson’s stance has produced enough movement from Dublin and Brussels to create a pathway to a deal. The solution reportedly under consideration (a complicated

tariff arrangement that would see Northern Ireland remain legally part of the U.K.’s customs zone, while for practical purposes being treated as if it were part of the EU’s) is a rehashing of a May proposal for the whole of the U.K. that was rejected by the EU. That Brussels has not rejected Johnson’s plan is an achievement in and of itself.

Johnson’s political strategy at home is also showing early signs of success. In contrast to May, he has sought to control the agenda, setting a simple narrative in the public’s mind about what he is trying to achieve and why voters should not blame him if he fails. Like Donald Trump with the border wall with Mexico, he calculates that it is not failure that is punished by voters, but a lack of trying.

To show it is not he who is to blame for any further Brexit delay, should it occur, Johnson and his aides have calculated that they must extract the biggest possible price from his critics at every turn if they try to block his Brexit strategy, forcing them to take ever more extreme measures to frustrate him. In combatting his shutting down of Parliament, his opponents were forced to take him to the courts. To rule out the prospect of a no-deal Brexit, he forced his opponents to pass a law stopping it. To make clear his party’s policy, he forced 21 Conservative lawmakers who disagreed with him out of the group entirely. At each turn, the volume was turned to maximum, and the public appears to have taken notice. An average of the past four national opinion polls has put the Conservatives

10 percentage points ahead of Labour— enough for a comfortable majority at a future election.

With each setback, then, he advances.

It is a form of political alchemy: turning defeats into mini victories in a wider war focused on eventual electoral success.

The problem for Johnson is that sometimes defeat is just defeat; what happens if he cannot enact Brexit by October 31, as he pledged?

Within a week it will be clear whether he has successfully managed to renegotiate the terms of Britain’s departure from the EU in a way that stands a chance of being ratified by the U.K. Parliament. If he fails, a complicated series of events will likely be triggered, almost certainly ending in a general election this year or in early 2020. Yet this could come either before or after a second referendum—and might even involve Johnson first being forced from office and replaced by Corbyn or another candidate entirely.

In reality, no one—not even those at 10 Downing Street—is clear on what will happen should negotiations fall short this week or soon thereafter (there is now talk of a second emergency summit before October 31). If no agreement is reached, events could quickly begin to spiral out of Johnson’s control.

Is he winning? At the least, he hasn’t lost yet.

TOM MCTAGUE is a London-based staff writer at The Atlantic, and co-author of Betting the House: The Inside Story of the 2017 Election.

There are 3 claims to Ayodhya — law, memory & faith IT’S NOT A SIMPLE HINDU-MUSLIM DISPUTE

Print HILAL AHMED

The Ayodhya case that the Supreme Court is hearing is being falsely and simplistically projected as a HinduMuslim conflict. It is not. It is a typical property dispute in which land, a built structure, and the possession of land are being fought over by three parties.

Each of the three parties — the Sunni Wakf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and the Ram Lalla Virajman — have fought the case on very distinct arguments of law, memory and faith.

The Vishva Hindu Parishad-supported Ram Lalla Virajman makes a faith-based argument that Hindus believe in the unquestionable divinity of Lord Ram and that the court must respect the sentiments of the Hindu community. The Nirmohi Akhara relies on the memory of the conflict to argue that it has an ultimate right over the land. And the UP Sunni Wakf Board evokes the centrality of law to make a case for the land (not the mosque).

RAM LALLA VIRAJMAN’S CASE: FAITH + ARCHAEOLOGY – HISTORY The Wakf Board and the Ram Lalla Virajman may officially claim to represent the Hindus and Muslims of India, but the Nirmohi Akhara’s presence as a legitimate stakeholder in the case undermines this obvious communalisation of the Ayodhya dispute. (It is, in fact, ironic that the Allahabad High Court in its judgment eventually accepted the Wakf Board as the ‘representatives of Muslim interests’).

The legal history of the conflict also confirms that the VHP’s self-representation as the sole spokesperson of the Hindus is factually wrong. The VHP did not have legal standing in the Ayodhya case before 1989. It filed a petition on behalf of the deity, Ram, before the Allahabad High Court only on 23 October 1989, claiming that “the entire premises (disputed site and the area around it)…belong to the…deity therefore defendants should be prohibited from interfering in the …construction of new temple building”. (A.G. Noorani, 2003. The Babri Masjid Question 1528-2003: A Matter of National Honour.

Vol. 2, Delhi: Tulika, p. 217). This is what is known as the Ram Lalla Virajman.

This legal intervention had three outcomes. First, it legitimised the VHP’s claim as a stakeholder in the title suit. Second, the Hindutva demand to have a grand Ram Mandir found a legal recognition. It was now possible to raise the issue of the construction of a new temple on the site of the demolished Babri Masjid within the framework of the title suit. But more importantly, the VHP was now able to legalise its faith-centric argument in favour of a Ram Mandir.

However, the Ram Lalla Virajman doesn’t rely solely on Hindu faith for its legal argument. The ASI report on Ayodhya excavations from 2003 forms the outer layer of its argument. It claims that the archaeological findings prove there was a Hindu religious structure beneath the Babri Masjid. Hence, it claims, the Hindu belief that a temple of Ram was demolished to build the Babri Masjid is a ‘scientific’ fact.

However, the Ram Lalla Virajman and those that share its position remain critical of the Historians’ Report to the Nation (1991), which argues that the existence of Ram Mandir is a myth.

NIRMOHI AKHARA’S CASE: FAITH + COL-

LECTIVE MEMORY – HINDUTVA: The Nirmohi Akhara rejects the Sunni Wakf Board’s land ownership claim completely. But it does not go with the Ram Lalla Virajman for the sake of Hindu unity either. During the recent court proceedings, the lawyer representing the Nirmohi Akhara criticised the Ram Lalla Virajman for transforming the idols of Ram into a legal party in the Ayodhya dispute.

The Nirmohi Akhara makes three central arguments. First, the members of the sect are the real worshippers of Ram. Second, all pujas have been done by the pujari appointed by the Nirmohi Akhara in the past. Hence, they have an inalienable right over this pious land as ‘shabait’ (devotee). Third, the Nirmohi Akhara has had possession over the land, including the mosque, since 1934. For this reason, its ownership claim must be recognised.

This is, of course, a faith-based argument. However, unlike the Ram Lalla Virajman’s position, faith in Ram is not presented as an absolute truth. Rather, the Nirmohi Akhara invokes the collective memory associated with the land to justify its claims.

In this sense, the Nirmohi Akhara challenges the Vishva Hindu Parishad’s grand Hindu politics on two counts. First, it opposes the VHP’s claims on historical grounds, arguing that it has been the main contender since 1934. Second, it also turns down the Hindu nationalist project of the Ram Lalla Virajman by highlighting the localised nature of the conflict.

UP SUNNI WAKF BOARD: LAW + HISTORY – ARCHAEOLOGY: The UP Sunni Wakf Board is the only party that formally claims to represent Muslim interests. But it does not argue for reclaiming the mosque or its reconstruction. Nor does it adhere to its old position — once a mosque always a mosque — as the main legal argument.

The Sunni Wakf Board, instead, concentrates on the land on which the Babri Masjid once stood and its legal status as an Islamic wakf property. The emphasis on land saves the Wakf Board from two possible challenges.

First, the Muslim politics of the Babri Masjid

was not about taking over the structure of the mosque for regular prayers. Muslim leaders were keen to use Babri Masjid as a case to protect other historic mosques across India that are targeted by the radical Hindutva groups. (Hindu Temples: What Happened to Them, a 1990 book by Arun Shourie, Sita Ram Goel, Jay Dubashi, Harsh Narain and Ram Swarup, contains a list of 2,000 mosques that it says stand on top of demolished temples).

The Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, was an outcome of this politically strategic call

by Hindutva groups. Since the Babri Masjid was treated as an exception in this Act, the Muslim elite lost interest in the Babri Masjid issue after its demolition in 1992. That’s the reason why the Sunni Wakf Board focuses entirely on the land, and that too, in an overtly legal sense.

The second challenge is very specific. The Sunni Wakf Board always presents the Historians’ Report as scientific evidence — partly because this report substantiates its legal-constitutional position, and partly because it gives historical legitimacy to Babri Masjid’s wakf status.

This adherence to scientific history, nevertheless, is very selective. The Sunni Wakf Board has been very uncomfortable with the court-appointed archaeological excavation in Ayodhya, although it has not yet offered any systematic critique of the ASI report.

The lawyers of the Sunni Wakf Board have argued that the ASI report was filled with “palpable and inherent infirmities and inconsistencies”.

It is clear that each party identifies its own comfort zone and makes conscious efforts to redefine the ownership of land into a conflict of civilisations between Hinduism and Islam. The courtroom, in this schema, has been transformed into a theatre, where different narratives of conflict are enacted in a way to sustain the conflict.

The author is a Fellow at the Nantes Institute of Advanced Studies, France (2019-2020) and Associate Professor, CSDS, New Delhi.

Thursday, 17 October, 2019

school trip hijaB clash sparks new secUlarism row in france

PARIS

a

AGENCIES

new row over secularism and the wearing of the hijab in public buildings has erupted in France after a far-right politician asked a woman accompanying her son and other children on a school trip to remove her headscarf.

The issue has divided politicians and citizens in a country that often struggles with finding a balance between individual religious freedom and constitutionallyguaranteed secularism in the public sector, including schools.

Julien Odoul, a member of Marine Le

Pen’s National Rally (RN) party, caused widespread outrage when he posted a video on Twitter of him confronting a woman who accompanied pupils last Friday to the regional parliament in Bourgogne-FrancheComte in eastern France.

Citing “secular principles” in the wake of the killings in Paris this month of four police staff by a radicalised convert to Islam, he insisted the woman, whose son was among the group, remove her headscarf.

Members of the RN then walked out of the chamber before issuing a press statement denouncing “an Islamist provocation”.

But many, including regional parliament speaker Marie-Guite Dufay, criticised Odoul’s actions, saying neither the

law of the country nor the rules of the chamber prohibited a member of the public wearing a headscarf.

Dufay denounced a “surge of hatred” and what she described as “undignified behaviour” on the part of a lawmaker.

With the RN playing up the issue, the controversy has exposed divisions within the centrist ruling party of President Emmanuel Macron which is keenly aware Marine Le Pen’s faction is its chief political foe.

Even the country’s Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer seemed unable to pick a side, stressing on Sunday that “the law does not prohibit women wearing headscarves to accompany children”, while saying “the headscarf itself is not desirable in our society” because of “what it says about the status of women, what it says about our values”.

Government spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye also weighed in, saying it was important to allow space for exchanges between women who wear headscarves and those who do not, as this promoted “inclusivity”.

But Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire came to the defence of “a culture in which religion remains in the intimate, private sphere and does not have a place in (the) public sphere”. Budget Minister Gerald Darmanin added: “I would prefer that women in the Republic, in France, do not wear a headscarf.”

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe told parliament he was opposed to any kind of new law specifically targeting what should be worn on school trips.

Hong Kong leader abandons policy speech after heckles from lawmakers CENTRAL AGENCIES

Hong Kong’s embattled leader abandoned a State of the Union-style speech on Wednesday after she was heckled by opposition lawmakers during chaotic scenes inside the city’s legislature.

The speech by chief executive Carrie Lam was billed as an attempt to win hearts and minds after four months of seething prodemocracy protests. But it instead laid bare the intense polarisation coursing through the semi-autonomous financial hub after weeks of huge and increasingly violent protests.

Lam tried twice to begin her policy address inside the Legislative Council which had opened for a new session some three months after it was trashed by masked protesters. But pro-democracy lawmakers, who form a minority of the pro-Beijing legislature, shouted her down.

One even used a pocket projector to broadcast protest slogans behind Lam as she stood on the podium, and later donned a face mask of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

After failing to deliver the address for a second time, Lam left the building and her office announced that she would release a

pre-recorded video of the speech instead.

It is the first time in Hong Kong’s history that a chief executive or governor has been unable to deliver the annual address in person since the tradition began in 1948.

The chaos inside the Hong Kong legislature comes after a summer of huge and increasingly violent democracy protests as popular anger explodes over sliding freedoms and living standards following two

decades of Chinese rule.

There is huge pressure on Lam — who currently boasts historically low approval ratings — to unveil flagship measures that might lower some of the anger on the streets.

An advance copy of the speech seen by AFP shows Lam will focus on housing and land shortages in a city that has one of the least affordable property markets in the world and notoriously high rents.

FOREIGN NEWS 07

Yemeni government, separatists seen inking deal to end Aden standoff this week SANA’A: Yemen’s Saudi-backed government and southern separatists are expected on Thursday to announce a deal to end a power struggle in the southern port of Aden that fractured an Arab coalition battling the Iran-aligned Houthi group, officials said. The UAE-backed separatist Southern Transition Council (STC) is nominally allied to the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, but the two sides fell out in August, with the separatists seizing control of Aden. Saudi Arabia has hosted indirect talks between them to rebuild the coalition fighting against the Iranaligned Houthi movement that expelled Hadi’s government from the capital Sanaa five years ago. Fighting between pro-Hadi forces and the separatists had opened a new front in the multi-faceted war and complicated United Nations peace efforts. Riyadh has been trying to refocus the coalition on fighting the Houthis on its border. The Houthis have repeatedly launched missiles and drone strikes against Saudi cities during the conflict, widely seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Two officials in Hadi’s government told Reuters the pact to end the Aden standoff would be signed in Riyadh on Thursday. STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi, who has been involved in the month-long talks in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, headed to Riyadh on Wednesday, according to a post on his Twitter account. The deal calls for a government reshuffle to include STC, which seeks self-rule in the south, and the restructuring of armed forces under Saudi supervision, they said. AGENCIES

US House passes Hong Kong 'Democracy Act' WASHINGTON D.C.: The US House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday sought by pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong that aims to defend civil rights in the semi-autonomous territory, prompting an angry response from China. The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which will now move to the Senate before it can become law, has drawn rare bipartisan support in a polarized Congress. The law would end the Hong Kong-US special trading status unless the State Department certifies annually that city authorities are respecting human rights and the rule of law.

China expressed “strong indignation” over the passing of the act, which also requires the US president to identify and sanction people who are responsible for the erosion of autonomy and serious abuses of human rights in Hong Kong. “What Hong Kong faces is not the so-called human rights and democracy issue at all, but the issue of stopping violence, reinstating order and upholding the rule of law as soon as possible,” said foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang in a statement. Geng said the US should “stop meddling” and warned China would take “strong measures” to counter the proposed Hong Kong bill. The act will now move to a similar vote in the Senate before it can become law. “Today we’re simply urging the Chinese president and the Hong Kong Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, to faithfully honor the government’s promises” that Hong Kong’s rights and autonomy would be protected, Republican Representative Chris Smith, prime sponsor of the bill, said Tuesday on the House floor.

‘External forces’: China has frequently accused “external forces” of fuelling weeks of unrest in the global financial hub. Millions have taken to the streets of Hong Kong, initially against a nowdropped bid by its leaders to allow extraditions to the authoritarian Chinese mainland. The months-long movement has expanded into a broader pro-democracy push in the territory where activists say freedoms are being eroded by Beijing, despite being written into a deal the deal that governed Hong Kong’s 1997 transfer to China from British colonial rule. AGENCIES

Turkey defiant on Syria operation as US demands ceasefire ANKARA AGENCIES

Turkey remained defiant against mounting international pressure to curb its military offensive against Kurdish militants in Syria, raising tensions with Washington as Vice President Mike Pence headed for Ankara on Wednesday to demand a ceasefire.

Battles raged in the key Syrian border town of Ras al-Ain as dawn broke on Wednesday, with Kurdish fighters trying to hold off the onslaught by Turkish-backed forces, now in its second week.

The fighting has triggered a flurry of diplomacy among major powers, with US President Donald Trump dispatching Pence along with his top diplomat Mike Pompeo to Turkey amid the greatest crisis in relations for decades between the NATO allies.

The Kremlin said it would host President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the coming days, to ensure the operation does not turn into an all-out war between Turkey and Syria.

Russia has stepped into the void caused by Trump’s withdrawal of US troops from northern Syria, deploying patrols to prevent clashes between Syrian and Turkish forces.

Trump — facing mounting criticism in Washington over his decision to pull 1,000 troops out of the conflict zone, as well as an unrelated impeachment inquiry — has hit back at Erdogan, slapping sanctions on three cabinet officials and raising tariffs on Turkish steel. Pence said he would meet with Erdogan on Thursday and “voice the United States’ commitment to reach an immediate ceasefire and the conditions for a negotiated settlement”, his office said in a statement.

He reiterated that Trump will pursue “punishing economic sanctions” until a resolution is reached.

But Erdogan remained unfazed by the pressure, telling reporters: “They tell us ‘to declare a ceasefire’. We can never declare a ceasefire.”

The operation has widespread support in Turkey, where decades of bloody insurgency by Kurdish militants has killed tens of thousands of people.

But Western powers are spooked that the operation is endangering the battle against the militant Islamic State (IS) group, which was led on the ground

by Kurdish forces. Thousands of IS prisoners are held in Kurdish-run camps in the region.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Wednesday that the camps were not “cur-

rently” under threat from the operation, but Europe has taken an increasingly tough line with Turkey.

Britain and Spain became the latest powers to suspend military exports to Turkey on Tuesday.

Canada made a similar move.

KURDS TRY TO DEFEND BORDER: The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have mounted a desperate defence to the east of Ras alAin, using tunnels, berms and trenches.

An AFP correspondent said clashes around the town were ongoing on Wednesday despite Ankara’s repeated claims it had captured the area.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Kurdish fighters had launched “a large counterattack against Turkish forces and their Syrian proxies near Ras al-Ain” on Tuesday and reported “fierce combat” in the west of the town as well as in Tal Abyad.

Since launching their assault on October 9, Turkish-backed forces have secured more than 100 kilometres (60 miles) of border, but Ras al-Ain — Siri Kani in Kurdish — has held out.

Thursday, 17 October, 2019

08 COMMENT PM Imran Khan’s Saudi trip Diplomatic offensive ends in smoke

F

INdING it impossible to fulfill promises like five million houses and ten million jobs even if he was to complete his full five-year tenure, Prime Minister Imran Khan is desperately looking for something that he can present to the nation as a big achievement. Having exhausted all options without being able to relieve the Kashmiris’ sufferings, he wants now to bring about reconciliation between Iran and Saudi arabia on the one hsnd, and Iran and the USa on the other. It is ironic that the mission reconciliation is being undertaken by a PM who refuses to maintain working relations with his political competitors at home.

Mr Khan’s latest venture as international facilitator has received a setback right at the start. Saudi media reporting Mr Khan’s talks with the King and the Crown Prince, made no mention of the main issue the PM had come to discuss. as reported by Saudi daily Al-Arabiya the two sides reviewed strong ties between the two brotherly countries and fields of joint cooperation as well as ways of enhancing them. The paper then mentioned that they also discussed the latest developments in the region and international arenas and efforts exerted towards them. There was no recognition of Khan’s role as a facilitator between the Saudi government and the Iranian administration. There was also no joint press conference. as opposed to this, the Iranian leadership had welcomed Pakistan’s efforts aimed at defusing the tensions in the region also accepting the facilitation by Pakistan’s PM at a joint press conference aired on the television and covered by world media. So Mr Khan’s idea of hosting Saudi-Iran talks in Pakistan was simply blue sky Undeterred by the Saudi snub, Mr Khan now seeks to facilitate bonhomie between the USa and Iran to revive the Iran nuclear deal. He claims President Trump has assigned him the mission. It is time Mr Khan abandons his wild goose chase and concentrates on the grave challenges that the country faces that include poverty, illiteracy, water shortages, rising population, weak national institutions, and an increasingly frustrated opposition that is likely to be on the roads again even if the JUI(F)’s azadi March comes to naught.

The youth vote If the government hasn’t the jobs, who does?

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ederal Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry has told the nation not to look to the government for jobs. He said so while addressing the second deans’ International Conference on engineering education on Tuesday. He added emphasis to his statement by saying that the government planned to shut down 400 departments. His announcement that 10 million new jobs would be created in the private sector has shifted the entire burden of his party’s manifesto promise to the private sector.

There is a certain optimism in what he said, for the IMF has further lowered its growth forecast for the next fiscal year. already, sector after sector is reporting slowing production, and the loss of jobs. Mr Chaudhry’s revelation of the shutting of government departments indicates that the government is joining in the destruction of jobs that is going on.

His choice of venue was perhaps appropriate, for the government has always been perhaps the largest employers of engineering graduates. The government, like the private sector, is going to cut jobs as a costcutting exercise, one which has not been imposed by a need for profitability, but by the IMF. Mr Chaudhry might have been trying to muscle in on the government’s economic team by his analysis of the role of government in employment, when he said that the model of government employment was no longer valid, but he still did not explain how the government expected nation-building to be carried out. Perhaps more importantly, why the youth would continue to obtain education, if the job market could not absorb them?

Mr Chaudhry has exposed the government on a front it did not wish to engage. The PTI had obtained the support of the youth not just because young people were impressed by the 1992 World Cup victory, or because they had fallen for the sleight of hand which portrayed a sexagenarian as one of them, but because they expected the PTI to create enough jobs to absorb the youth bulge that has been hitting the job market for some years now, and will continue to do so now. If those young voters are told to look towards an anaemic private sector, they may not remain loyal in the next election, which is not that far away.

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

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

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PM Visit to China – way forward The visit was about Kashmir too MuhaMMad Sohail ahMEd

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PoN assuming charge o, one year ago, the PTI leadership expressed its apprehensions about the way the China-Pakistan economic Corridor was planned or executed. after one year, our leadership seems to have registered that CPeC is not what previous governments had conceived, but was part of the greater one Belt one road Initiative of the Chinese government that was going to benefit Pakistan by default.

Pakistan and China are now talking about shared vision in future.

There is one huge impediment in achieving this objective, the Indian vision, part of which is aimed at full annexation of Kashmir. ladakh is the region where the Chinese have a claim denied by India. With the abrogation of article 370 and 35a, there are implications for China besides Pakistan which has a claim on the state of Kashmir as a Muslim-majority state. In the light of the UN resolution, the Indian government is required to hold plebiscite in the region under UN supervision. Unfortunately, it is now claiming it to be an internal affair of India which is a violation of the UN resolution.

Besides the state machinery is bent upon victimization of the local population including women and children in a manner which is not admissible under any law. oppression of the local Kashmiri Muslims against their free will is a crime that the Indian government is committing without examining the outcome of such behaviour. In the Holy Quran, allah cites numerous examples of the great nations of the past that achieved aggrandizement and high stature among the community of nations. However, when they did not follow the righteous path of allah, they got doomed. Therefore, to make that progress sustainable it is essential to follow the

divine principles.

The PM appears to be in search of those principles as he mentioned in his address in China that he wanted to ensure an accountability mechanism to punish the corrupt public office bearers. He went to China accompanied by the CoaS, probably to emphasize security to the engineers working on the CPeC and other Chinese investors/traders in Pakistan. The confidencebuilding is necessary to obtain Chinese investments in Pakistan. Thirdly, he emphasized poverty alleviation as he showed keenness to study Chinese model of improving the living conditions of the common man. His objectives for taking the CPeC from phase one to phase two and beyond seem to pivot in achieving the above-stated objectives.

Why was this visit planned just before the visit of the Chinese president to India? It will be useful for the Chinese to analyze the situation as the Indian step seems to be threatening the Chinese road and Belt initiative. The Indian Foreign Minister has stated that now the negotiations with Pakistan will be on azad Kashmir. This is a unilateral action which the Chinese have denounced in their declaration with Pakistan’s visiting team of Prime Minister.

It appears that with the new Pivot asia policy the Indians have been emboldened in their actions and deeds. This calls for a definite and adroit response to stop further irresponsible actions by the Indian government. lip service at this stage is too mild to do as the poor people of Kashmir are expecting a helping hand from their Pakistani brothers. Several attempts have been made by the protesters, doctors for humanitarian aid and even by the US senators who were turned down by the Indian government. There is a requirement to generate a tough response on atrocities being committed in the Indian occupied Kashmir. Minorities, particularly in India, are facing a tough situation. Hindu extremism is also manifesting in the Indian government actions in assam where a large number of Muslims have been denied the citizenship of India.

after demolishing the Babri Masjid the next step is to convert it to ram Mandir. export of cow meat from India is also being reduced due to the religious obligations of the Hindu religion. This needs a strong diplomatic response and availing of the opportunity to fill the gap created in the commercial market of beef in the Gulf region. To promote exports from Pakistan there has been a consensus to go beyond the CPeC framework.

The proposed cooperation agreed by both Pakistan and China is in the fields of industrial, infrastructural, economic development, social uplift and education must be aimed at enabling Pakistan’s economy to grow and ultimately get rid of the IMF and World Bank. Since Pakistan has recently announced the establishment of CPeC authority for expeditious implementation of these projects, it should also be given the mandate to oversee progress of CPeC and report to the government on the accomplishment of above-stated objectives. other ministries should work hand in glove to speed up completion of phase two followed by an economic uplift plan.

Pakistan government must also develop pressure on the Indian government in support of oppressed Kashmiri Muslims through steps such as mobilizing its armed forces close to the Indian border in a war-prepared state. It should consider appropriate sanctions on all imports of Indian goods, deny the use of its air and water space for commercial purposes and highlight irresponsible atrocities on the minorities in India. a high-level meeting with Chinese officials should be held soon after the visit of the Chinese President to India. The joint strategy and shared future of Pakistan with China are likely to accrue favourable results for the countries. In case the Indian leadership decides to continue its policies, the shared future of Pakistan with China will emerge brighter and brighter and India as a state will be certainly doomed.

Muhammad Sohail Ahmed is a retired commodore of the Pakistan Navy, and can be reached at msohailyz@gmail.com

Trump - Modi’s multibillion dollar embrace Pakistan should have learnt from Houston M Fazal Elahi

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oW what an embrace it was!

None could deny that this profoundly warm embrace between the heads of two major business partners and strategic allies, the USa and India, and their strongly clasped hands on the mammoth stage set up at the rally of around 50,000 people, held at the NrG Stadium Houston on September 22, conveyed a very strong and lucid message to Pakistan in particular and the world in general how close the two countries were to each other.

Strategic interests apart, the basic reason why this unequivocal demonstration of warmth and affection between US President donald Trump and Indian PM Narendra Modi can be termed a “multibillion dollar embrace” is because of the extremely strong economic bond that the USa in particular has with India. India is a huge market for the USa for sale of sophisticated military hardware and other advanced technology. The US has sold billions of dollars of military hardware to India recently; it is gearing up to sell yet more, worth billions, in the immediate future.

The Trump-Modi meeting in Houston and on the sidelines of the UN General assembly session on September 23, should be ominous for Pakistan particularly in the backdrop of the ongoing occupied Kashmir imbroglio. The signals emanating from both sides were very strong and lucid. Should Pakistan still pin hopes for strong and concrete support from the USa for a resolution of the hopelessly nerve-wracking Kashmir problem? does Pakistan have the choice to think otherwise? apparently, it doesn’t. This then leaves Pakistan with the only option of making sustained efforts to convince the UN and the USa in particular and the world in general that occupied Kashmir is a serious flashpoint which, on getting ignited, could potentially engulf not only the region but, perhaps, the entire world in a catastrophe beyond the imagination of all and sundry across today’s peace-starved, turmoil-ridden world.

In the backdrop of this hideous fact, the situation tends to become more desperate when others also join the ranks, for economic reasons, and shy away from unequivocally supporting Pakistan on the IoK tragedy; a tragedy that perKarachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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haps has no parallel in recent world history. Un- of the issue and adopted stringent measures for fortunately, very strong ‘economic relations’ of its immediate and permanent resolution.

There are the names of two countries which countries like Saudi arabia and the Uae with India seem to have taken precedence over ‘prin- emerged on the map of the world as independciples’. It has become abundantly clear that for ent states in the not too distant past; east Timor purely economic reasons, the response of these and South Sudan. With unequivocal support of countries to Pakistan’s clarion call for support to the United Nations and equally strong support the Kashmir cause was extremely subdued and, of the world powers, east Timor got its indetherefore, highly demoralizing. The UN and the pendence from Indonesia in 1999 and South USa in particular, and the world community in Sudan gained independence from the republic general, seem to have failed to appreciate that of Sudan in 2011. over two months have passed by with no rethere is something else, as well, which is as significant as the economic interests of any nation, mission whatsoever in the human rights abuses and that is ‘principles’. any nation that compro- and brutalities being audaciously committed by mises on its principles, for self-interest or what- the ruthless Indian forces on the innocent people ever reason, it is bound to lose its respectability of occupied Kashmir. While the incumbent Indian Government of in the comity of nations, in Narendra Modi is seeking the long run. world support against terThe Kashmir imrorism, India itself is broglio should be of vital Over two months have overtly involved in cominterest and concern to the mitting state terrorism in entire world. Why should passed by with no IoK. The UN, the USa it be so? Because Kashmir is a dangerous flashpoint remission whatsoever in and the majority of the world’s nations continue to that could potentially lead the human rights abuses harp the same tune that India and Pakistan, the two they have been harping globally recognized nuand brutalities being since the past over seven clear powers of the region, India and Pakto a catastrophic nuclear audaciously committed by decades; istan should resolve the war. and, God forbid, if this happens it would devthe ruthless Indian forces issue of occupied Kashmir through bilateral negotiaastatingly engulf not only on the innocent people of tions. The world commuthe region but, perhaps, the nity must realize that the entire world eventually. It occupied Kashmir perilous Kashmir dispute is this vitally important can never be resolved factor that apparently hasthrough dialogue between n’t yet crossed the minds India and Pakistan; time of the powers that be. The world community remains totally insensitive to has also proven this. This grave world issue must the developments taking place in IoK. doesn’t be resolved in accordance with the charters of their silence speak volubly about their hypocrisy the UN and the UN Security Council resolution in dealing with issues of international interest of 1948 on occupied Kashmir; the resolution that cogently declares IoJ&K a disputed territory and significance?

Under the circumstances, one is compelled and guarantees right of self-determination to the to ask the self-proclaimed civilized world and the people of the occupied territory. Wouldn’t it then propagators of peace, justice and democracy, be justified to ask the UN, the US and the other would they have demonstrated the same apathy world powers to exercise their influence on and insensitivity had any european nation, or India, as it did in the case of east Timor and people belonging to any other religion, been sub- South Sudan, and compel it to implement the UN jected to such unparalleled atrocities as being un- resolution vis-à-vis occupied Kashmir in letter remittingly committed by the treacherous Indian and spirit? They must press India to hold a forces on the innocent people of IoK? No, cer- plebiscite in IoJ&K, under the supervision of the tainly not. They would have not only profoundly UN, forthwith and let the people of occupied condemned but also taken immediate cognizance Kashmir decide their own fate?

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Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Thursday, 17 October, 2019

COMMENT 09 Editor’s mail K-Electric - Hopeless customer support

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

I had the opportunity to visit an IB in Malir area for change of name on the K-electric bill which after almost 4 hours of struggle and wait finally went through with a receipt given.

This month the bill came with a rs. 20,740/- deposit added to bill and no change of name done for which the whole exercise was done. Customer care and billing complaints emails provided 6 days to answer this query asking to visit the IB for such matters. I am simply appalled on a company making rs 38billion profit from the customers over billings and such deposits without adjusting the deposit from previous owner and in turn giving no such services at the comfort of customer emailing or phone calls and wanted them to go through hell visiting their IBs for such matters. authorities to correct this mentality of their support staff and make living better for customers.

SyEd FARhAN QAdRi Karachi

Pakistan’s diplomatic powers

New technologies: dangers and opportunities SMSes and the Internet are useful, but can be abused RaMEEz MahESaR

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He use of text messages supports in many cases as well as provide timely information. But some of the issues associated with this indicate health hazards may appear. The Short Message Service provides cheap unlimited text messages, but excessive use of imperils health. according to a study two years ago, over 560 billion SMS monthly were sent all around the world. Text messaging has now become a major means of communication especially among the youth. a poll among youngsters showed the majority checked their cell phones every few seconds for new messages. due to fast typing of texts on their cell phones, they feel severe pain between wrist and thumb which leads to loss of the mobility of their hands. In this connection, media reported in 2010 the case of a 16-yearold US schoolgirl annie levitz. She sent about 100 text messages within 24 hours that resulted in the loss in the mobility of her fingers and wrists as well. The injections of a strong anesthetic were needed to protect her hands from wild pains. another dangerous aspect has appeared: texting while driving, which has become a leading cause of death. an estimate developed by the Federal Communications Commission said that approximately 660,000 drivers are using an electronic device while driving at any given time. The Center for disease Control declares; texting is the perilous form of distracted driving in that it preys the drivers in three different ways. It asks for the drivers’ eyes to be off the road, needs the use of their hands and requires their attention somewhere other than on driving. an article appeared a couple of years back declared that doctors were increasingly facing those cases of accidents which were mostly having the texting as a factor behind them. a study carried out by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute shows how dangerous is texting while driving. The most significant point it made was; the time during which the eyes are taken off the road by drivers is what contributes to the greatest number of accidents. as far as the children are concerned, they have been left independent to develop their own language and friends’ groups on their cell phones. They are victims to excessive use of mobile phone, rightly so they are too busy in sending and receiving the texts and this makes them prey to insomnia, depression, lack of sleep, isolation, lack of eating and the paucity of communication with family.

In this age of technology, text messaging gives us multiple benefits but the benefit on top

is staying in touch with family and friends as an easy link to communicate with one another well. But the problem lies in the lack of guide- the academic activities through these clone lines. This pitfall can be overcome with the help media – applications. let’s now step once in the studies to learn if of proper guidelines and vigilance.

To stop the practice of text messaging is not there is a better nexus between Internet use and the panacea for health-related hazardous issues academic achievement. a study has revealed that but the disproportionate use of cell phones Internet has a positive impact on education by direly needs to be discussed. The Pakistan increasing the communication ground among Telecommunication authority needs to set the classmates, teachers and students as well. anstandards. It should demand that the cellular other study ahow Internet use boosts academic companies abide by its instructions to tackle performance. on the flip side, multiple studies this briskly growing trend. For example, the cel- reveal that there is a great chance of Internet adlular companies can reduce the number of text diction which causes academic failure. By the way, studies, concerning the link between edumessages in the packages they offer. at the same time, Internet use has shot up. cation and Internet, carried out globally go It is increasingly getting used more and more against the findings of aforesaid studies.

There is no issue with across the world. People’s the use of Internet but the multitudinous goals and issue is of how students objectives are now being use it. Beyond doubt, it met with the help of the Above all, overuse of has facilitated the stuInternet. But one common with easy access to goal the entire globe has Internet also shortens the dents information for research, tried to attain is to reap the to prepare for examibenefits of internet to time we study. To respond and nations. But the pity is bring stellar performance that this is being done in the education sector. to emails or to text right at the time of examHow far is the Internet messages there should be inations, so they may not being used for educational find appropriate informapurposes? according to a a specific time. Internet tion. report; “digital 2019: Students also use the Global Internet Use acceluse has no doubt variety of Internet for limited things erates” the number of inbenefits but now these and for a limited time. ternet users with a They limit themselves to middling of over one milbenefits are getting selected things and do not lion new users a day is growing fast, with all of supplanted with damages try gleaning more information, or seeking reading the original ‘Next Billion only because of its material like books, artiUsers’ now online. It furor magazines. Most of ther reports that the curoveruse and also misuse cles all, they do not make efrent number of internet forts of using the Internet users is 4.39 billion in for expanding their level 2019, with an increase of of knowledge by surfing 366 million (9 percent) different academic works carried out ecumeniversus January 2018.

Internet use has multiple purposes through- cally. one of the biggest harms of the Internet is out the globe but more specifically, in common, to stop students from cracking open books.

Thus, the Internet can affect academic perit is getting widely used for educational purposes. Gone were the days, where people stud- formance. If Internet use is not mastered, it will ied well without the Internet. It is said, to crank inflict a massive harm to it. on the contrary, if out a paper people used to read hundred pages the student can control Internet use, it will bring as they were bookworms, but this is no more so. a positive effect in it. above all, overuse of Internet also shortens at present, it is said, people read one page to the time we study. To respond to emails or to text write hundred pages.

Not only the number of Internet users is in- messages there should be a specific time. Internet creasing but also the new features of the Inter- use has no doubt variety of benefits but now these net are getting introduced in the market. Clone benefits are getting supplanted with damages only media are especial in this matter. These are the because of its overuse and also misuse. The stuapplications having enhanced functions, such as dents must be schooled in this phenomenon.

Messenger, Whatsapp, IMo, and so on. These Rameez Mahesar can be reaced at applications are highly getting used for the purpose of education. Students and teachers have rameezalimahesar@gmail.com

PaKISTaN seems to play pivot diplomatic roles in the region. realizing the fact that there is no military solution to the afghanistan conflict, United States of america (USa) called for Pakistan to mediate the talks with afghan-Taliban.

In response, Pakistan took this regional responsibility immediately amid hopes of establishing peaceful and prosperous relations with USa and afghanistan. eventually, Pakistan hosted an afghan-Taliban delegation in Islamabad with the agenda to resume US-Taliban talks, which was appreciated by world leadership at large.

Moreover, Khan’s leadership is ready to mediate the hotbubbling relations between Saudi arabia and Iran, which can clearly be seen from his recent quick visits to Iran and Saudi arabia. also, it is greatly important to highlight here that during every visit to any country, Kashmir issue took its place in the discussion.

Strategically, Pakistan strives to attain regional peace and stability. In addition, it would help Pakistan furnish its regional diplomatic importance and regain the trust of USa that would definitely result in high moral and monetary cooperation from US side. also, it would strengthen the relationships of Pakistan with other Muslim countries, in particular. Hopefully, Pakistan would find some diplomatic ways in coming future to raise its voice for the Syrian and Palestinian Muslims!

FAhAd KhAN Nauddero

Welcome to Pakistan!

THe duke and duchess of Cambridge met President arif alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad on Tuesday as part of their ongoing tour of the country. a guard of honour was presented to Prince William and Kate Middleton as they reached Pakistan. The royal couple will visit along with their three children on an official tour, which is expected to repair Pakistan’s international image a great deal. over the course of the visit, Prince William and wife Kate Middleton will meet a wide variety of people, including children and young people, leaders from government, business and the charity sector, inspiring conservationists, and well-known cultural figures and sporting stars. The royal couple were greeted by PM Imran at his residence and met President alvi at aiwan-e-Sadr. The trip was the first of its kind undertaken by any member of the British royal family to Pakistan in 13 years. we Pakistani welcome you with the core of over hearts.

ARooJ MALiK Lahore

Cricket woes oUr cricket team despite its share of errors and issues won the odI series against the Sri lanka team. However, we lost badly to same Sl squad in the T20 series, which apparently is our stronger forte. We as a nation were disappointed and took out our anger at the team management and players for this dismal showing in the T20s. We forget that victory is not a matter of chance but of choice. one off win can be a matter of pure talent clicking or chance, but to consistently showing top performance, the team and the management must be on the same page. There must be unity and synergy among players and understanding between team and management. The best way to achieve such harmony, synergy and professionalism is to stop political interference in professional sports. Unfortunately, in our country, we destroyed hockey due to such political interference and now are set to do the same to cricket. In the past, the head of PCB were always and still are appointed by the political governments, which leads to favoritism compromising merit and performance. When PMlN removed the PPP appointed chairman PCB, replacing one political person with another, the matter landed in court. The current government continued the trend of appointment of chairman by the PM. However, the only difference is that the PM chose someone who has relevant experience and background. Still the process is compromised and not good for developing a strong professional team in the long run. In addition, our players have not had the chance of playing international cricket at home for ten years now. This is a huge setback, that not only diminished players’ morale, but also limits the amount of crick our teams get to play at international level. The Prime Minister needs to establish contacts with old players of his time of other countries and seek their help in bringing International Cricket in Pakistan.

RAJA ShAFAAtuLLAh islamabad

Thursday, 17 October, 2019

10 NEWS

Brexit talks go down to the wire ahead of eU sUmmit LONDON

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AGENCIES

RITISH and European Union officials resumed talks to clinch a Brexit deal on Wednesday just a few hours after late-night negotiations wound up, but it was far from clear they would reach an agreement before a leaders’ summit on Thursday.

Officials involved in the complex divorce between the world’s fifth-largest economy and its biggest trading bloc said differences over the terms of the split from the 27 other member states had narrowed significantly.

But a small Northern Irish party that support Britain’s Conservative minority government said further work was required to get a deal through.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told Europe 1 radio on Wednesday that there was a “glimmer of hope” that a Brexit deal could be reached before Britain’s scheduled departure on October 31.

But if an agreement is not ready for the Brussels summit, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will almost certainly have to postpone

Britain’s exit again. That would be the third delay since the June 2016 referendum vote to quit the EU. “The clock is ticking,” said an EU official with knowledge of Tuesday’s negotiations, which went into the night and ended at 1:30am, about 16 hours after they had begun.

The official said “one of the major outstanding issues” was agreeing on Britain’s application of common EU rules and standards designed to ensure fair competition that are known as the ‘level playing field’.

A British government spokesman described the talks as “constructive” and said the negotiators had continued to make progress.

Britain’s plan to leave the EU, which has only ever added new member states, has compounded problems for a bloc torn by euroscepticism, economic disparities and an influx of migrants.

Britain has itself been polarised by Brexit and, even though an end-game appears to be in sight, the country is still intractably divided between leavers and remainers.

The main sticking point in talks has been the border between EU member Ireland and the British

province of Northern Ireland.

The question is how to prevent the border becoming a backdoor into the EU’s single market without erecting con-

trols which could undermine the 1998 peace agreement that ended decades of conflict in the province.

The latest proposal from London en-

visages that Northern Ireland would stay in the UK customs area. Tariffs would apply on goods crossing from mainland Britain to Northern Ireland if they were deemed to be headed further, to EU member Ireland and the bloc’s single market.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar told reporters in Dublin on Tuesday that talks had moved in the right direction.

If Johnson is to get any deal with the EU through a vote in the British parliament, where he does not have a majority, he is likely to need the support of the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which sounded cautious in a statement. “We respect (the) fact negotiations are ongoing therefore cannot give a detailed commentary but it would be fair to indicate gaps remain and further work is required,” it said.

The DUP has insisted that Northern Ireland must remain within the United Kingdom customs union as part of any Brexit deal and not have to follow tariffs set by the EU. There may also be opposition to the deal from Brexit hardliners within Johnson’s own party. Conservative lawmaker Owen Paterson said on Tuesday that the prime minister’s emerging divorce deal was “unacceptable”.

A central figure in the 2016 referendum who came to power as leader of the ruling Conservative Party in July, Johnson has pledged to take Britain out of the EU on October 31 whether or not a withdrawal agreement has been reached.

But parliament has passed a law saying Britain cannot leave without an agreement, and Johnson has not explained how he can get around that.

US carried out secret cyber strike on Iran in wake of Saudi oil attack: officials WASHINGTON AGENCIES

India cannot sacrifice economic strength to comply with US sanctions, says finance minister NEW DELHI: India wants to comply with global sanctions, including US sanctions on Venezuela and Russia, but also needs to maintain its own strength and strategic interests, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in an interview on Tuesday. The United States in January imposed the toughest sanctions yet on Venezuela’s oil industry. The move has scared away some global customers, but with few alternative suppliers of heavy oil, Indian refiner Reliance Industries Ltd has been buying Venezuelan crude from Russian major Rosneft. The company is set to resume direct oil loadings in the South American nation after a fourmonth pause. Sitharaman said the Indian government has expressed its view to the United States. “In specific issues which are critical for India’s strategic interests, we have explained to the United States that India is a strategic partner for the United States of America and you want a strategic partner to be strong and not weakened,” she said. “We value the strong partnership with the USA, but we should equally be allowed to be a strong economy.” The International Monetary Fund earlier on Tuesday lowered its outlook for Indian growth in 2019, citing weaker-than-expected domestic demand. According to The Hindu, India’s growth projections have been downgraded to 6.1 per cent in 2019 and 7pc in 2020, down by 1.2pc and 0.5pc points relative to April projections. The US-China trade war will cut 2019 global growth to its slowest pace since the 2008/09 financial crisis, the IMF said. India’s gross domestic product grew at its weakest pace since 2013 between April and June, stoking expectations of further stimulus. “Global headwinds […] are getting stronger by the day,” Sitharaman said. Asked about further fiscal stimulus, she said: “I have not closed the door” on that. New Delhi has been trying to boost domestic growth through an infrastructure package and a new loan program organised with the banking sector that has doled out loans worth over $11.1 billion, she said. The finance minister defended the government’s controversial actions in occupied Kashmir in August. Since the Indian government repealed Article 370 of its constitution — stripping occupied Kashmir of its special status — a strict lockdown and communications blackout has suffocated the region into silence. The removal of the constitutional article that granted special status to occupied Jammu and Kashmir will boost the region and the country’s economic potential, she said. Human rights groups say the crackdown is spreading fear among the local population. For decades before India’s recent actions, women, scheduled castes, and nomadic tribes were denied human rights in occupied Kashmir, Sitharaman said. “Where was the global community’s human rights concern at that time?” AGENCIES

The United States carried out a secret cyber operation against Iran in the wake of the September 14 attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities, which Washington and Riyadh blame on Tehran, two US officials have told Reuters.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the operation took place in late September and took aim at Tehran’s ability to spread “propaganda”.

One of the officials said the strike affected physical hardware, but did not provide further details.

It highlights how President Donald Trump’s administration has been trying to counter what it sees as Iranian aggression without spiraling into a broader conflict.

The strike appears more limited than other such operations against Iran this year after the downing of an American drone in June and an alleged attack by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on oil tankers in the Gulf in May. The United States, Saudi Arabia, Britain, France and Germany have publicly blamed the Sept 14 attack on Iran, which denied involvement in the strike. The Iranaligned Houthi militant group in Yemen claimed responsibility.

Publicly, the Pentagon has responded by sending thousands of additional troops and equipment to bolster Saudi defences — the latest US deployment to the region this year.

The Pentagon declined to comment about the cyber strike. “As a matter of policy and for operational security, we do not discuss cyberspace operations, intelligence, or planning,” said Pentagon spokeswoman Elissa Smith.

The impact of the attack, if any, could take months to determine, but cyber strikes

are seen as a less-provocative option below the threshold of war. “You can do damage without killing people or blowing things up; it adds an option to the toolkit that we didn’t have before and our willingness to use it is important,” said James Lewis, a cyber expert with the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Lewis added that it may not be possible to deter Iranian behaviour with even conventional military strikes. Tensions in the Gulf have escalated sharply since May 2018, when Trump withdrew from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Tehran that put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the easing of sanctions.

It was unclear whether there have been other US cyber attacks since the one in late September. Iran has used such tactics against the United States.

This month, a hacking group that appears linked to the Iranian government tried to infiltrate email accounts related to Trump’s reelection campaign. Over 30 days in August and September, the group, which Microsoft dubbed “Phosphorous,” made more than 2,700 attempts to identify consumer accounts, then attacked 241 of them.

Tehran is also thought to be a major player in spreading disinformation.

Last year a Reuters investigation found more than 70 websites that push Iranian propaganda to 15 countries, in an operation that cybersecurity experts, social media firms and journalists are only starting to uncover.

Tensions with Iran have been high since the Sept 14 attack. Tehran has claimed that an Iranian tanker was hit by rockets in the Red Sea last week and warned on Monday that there would be consequences.

France looks to Russia in Syria as US withdraws PARIS AGENCIES

France is calling on European and other members of the coalition fighting the militant Islamic State (IS) group in Syria to regroup as the United States abdicates its leadership role in the region.

French Foreign Minister Jean Yves Le Drian said in an interview on French television channel BFM on Wednesday that France is notably now looking to Russia, given their “common interests” in defeating the IS group in Syria.

He said the American military withdrawal from northeastern Syria is forcing European leaders to re-examine their alliance with the US in the region.

Le Drian said France’s “own security is at stake” amid the Turkish offensive against Syrian Kurdish fighters. He said that “to accept this invasion” was giving the IS group “an open door” to return, as the chaos could allow thousands of IS fighters detained in Kurdish-run prisons to escape.

Russia has moved to fill the void left by the US in the conflict, deploying its forces toward Syria’s border with Turkey.

Earlier in the day, the Turkish president made it clear that he won’t halt the military offensive in northeast Syria, despite growing pressure and sanctions from NATO allies.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s comments came as Washington, which has announced limited sanctions on Turkey, said US Vice President Mike Pence will travel to Ankara on Wednesday to try and reach a cease-fire deal.

Russia has signalled its role as de facto power broker in the conflict, deploying forces near the border following America’s pullout.

Thursday, 17 October, 2019

buSInESS 11

PM IrkeD as MInIstrIes FaIl to coMPly wItH cabInet’s DIrectIves

CORPORATE CORNER

ISLAMABAD

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KARACHI: Bank Alfalah and Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) have entered a strategic partnership.

The ceremony was attended by BISP Chairperson Dr Sania Nishtar, Secretary Ali Reza Bhutta and Bank Alfalah Digital Banking Head Yahya Khan. p r E S S r E l E A S E

Pakistan's debt to rise to over 78pc of GDP: IMF

BUSINESS DESK The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Wednesday has said Pakistan’s public debt may rise this year to 78.6pc of the total size of its economy, which is not only higher than the previous year but also in violation of an act of the parliament, a private media outlet reported. The Global Financial Stability Report further said the budget deficit gap between expenditures and revenues would remain at 7.4pc of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is also slightly higher than the official target set by the Ministry of Finance. The higher budget deficit and public debt projections would mean that over 60pc of the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) taxes would be consumed in servicing the debt, which grew at an alarming rate in the last fiscal year 2018-19. Against 76.7pc public debt in the last fiscal year, the public debt may surge to 78.6pc of the GDP by end of current fiscal year 2019-20. The projected level of public debt was slightly higher than the target set by the Ministry of Finance at the time of the budget. The 78.6pc public debt will be equal to Rs34.6 trillion.

According to the Fiscal Responsibility and Debt Limitation Act of 2005, the public debt has to be lower than 60pc of the GDP or Rs26.4 trillion. This means, the public debt will be at least Rs8.2 trillion higher than the limit set in the FRDL Act. The IMF debt projections are lower than the forecasts given by the World Bank (WB) in its latest report, South Asian Economic Focus Fall 2019. The WB has said the public debt-to-GDP ratio is expected to remain high at 82.9pc of the GDP in this fiscal year.The WB report noted that even in the next fiscal year, the public debt to GDP ratio would remain at 80.8pc, increasing Pakistan’s exposure to debt-related shocks. The key reasons behind growing public debt were low revenues, higher debt and defence spending and currency devaluation. The Global Financial Stability Report projected the budget deficit at 7.4pc of the GDP, which is 0.2pc higher than the Ministry of Finance target. But the IMF report showed that the government will achieve its target of primary deficit reduction – total expenditures minus interest payments. The report has shown the primary deficit at 0.5pc of the GDP at the end of this fiscal year.

AHMAD AHMADANI

ERTAIN ministries and divisions have been allegedly turning a deaf ear to the important directives of the federal cabinet and in this regard, the Cabinet Division has presented a comprehensive report to Prime Minister Imran Khan, Pakistan Today has learnt.

Sources privy to the matter disclosed that the ministries of petroleum, finance, law & justice and information & broadcasting have failed to implement some important decisions, suggesting the cabinet to withdraw them as "they were not feasible". "The Cabinet Division has now presented a detailed report to the prime minister about the noncompliance to some important decisions of the federal cabinet.

Non-compliance by ministries/divisions has been causing a serious blow to the public initiatives of PM Khan, who is not happy over the situation," sources disclosed.

They said the ministries/divisions were not complying with the PM's order apparently due to the lobbying of some influential persons. "The premier has directed the Cabinet Division to give a timeline to the ministries/divisions to imple-

ment the said decisions."

According to sources, the federal cabinet's Economic Coordination Committee on 8th October 2018 had expressed serious concerns upon noticing that the LNG terminal companies were earning excessive returns of 44pc annually, as against 10-15pc annual returns worldwide. "Such sky-high annual returns have been causing a heavy burden on the public exchequer," the cabinet had maintained.

However, the law ministry has now advised the cabinet not to negotiate with the LNG terminal companies regarding the rationalisation

of excessive returns being earned by them.

The law ministry has further advised against re-opening previous LNG agreements/contracts as it would hamper new investments in the country. "Terminals are being fully utilised. Negotiations with terminals operators not feasible at this stage."

Meanwhile, the cabinet had directed the Petroleum Division to amend the agreement between Pakistan and Turkey for cooperation in the field of hydrocarbons and table the same before the ECC for consideration. However, the Petroleum

Uniform rate for kinnow to jeopardise exports: PFVA ISLAMABAD GHUlAM ABBAS

The Punjab government (Sargodha Division), while abolishing the classification of Kinnow as per its quality, has fixed a uniform rate of Rs1,000 per mound for the fruit.

Declaring the decision taken by the Sargodha Deputy Commissioner as an illegitimate step, All Pakistan Fruit & Vegetable Exporters, Importers & Merchants Association (PFVA) has sent letters to the Federal Ministry of National Food Security & Research (MNFSR) as well as Advisor to Primer Abdul Razzaq Dawood, demanding a serious notice of the “unlawful” action.

According to the association, the deputy commissioner's office has gone beyond its legal jurisdiction, as it does not enjoy any legal privilege nor is authorised to fix the rate of kinnow.

"Ignoring the ground realities and rule of competition in the open market, the commissioner's office seems to have facilitated 'certain influential people of Sargodha' by fixing the rate at Rs1,000 per mound," the association alleged.

'DECISION TO FIX UNIFORM RATE FOR KINNOW AT RS1,000 PER MAUND, IRRESPECTIVE OF THE QUALITY, WILL BADLY HURT THE EXPORT VOLUME NEXT SEASON' In a letter sent to PM's Commerce Adviser Abdul Razzaq Dawood, the PVFA stated that the exporters were already facing stiff competition in the international market due to the recent devaluation of Pakistani currency, a sharp increase in freight charges, cost of packaging and other expenses.

The PM's aide was informed that Pakistan was also facing difficulties in maintaining a presence in its biggest export market, Russia, due to the high quality and different varieties of kinnow from Egypt, Morocco, Turkey and China.

"A fixed-rate for kinnow would enhance the cost of export and the forthcoming kin-

now season is likely to witness 80pc reduction in the export volume," the association stated. "Kinnow exporters had already sustained losses of millions of dollars last year in the Russian market while the exporters are facing serious problems of liquidity during the current year."

PVFA lamented that instead of improving the quality to enhance export, the management of Sargodha has increased rate of kinnow, thus multiplying the problems of the poor growers while making it difficult for the exporters.

According to former PFVA chairman Waheed Ahmed, of the total production, about 92pc kinnow are sold in the local markets and only 8pc kinnow are exported.

“The exporters purchase kinnow from the growers according to its quality and last year the rate of good quality kinnow was in the range of Rs700–1,200 per mound.”

Turning a blind eye on the quality factor and fixing a uniform rate irrespective of quality would badly hurt the sincere efforts being made for improvement in quality, he maintained.

Division replied, "The Turkish counterpart does not trade in LNG while Pakistan already has a number of agreements with countries trading in LNG. Hence there is no need for any agreement with Turkey at this stage and the decision may be withdrawn."

Moreover, the Cabinet Division had earlier decided to establish a Pakistan Culture Centre at Kartarpur. However, the said centre still remains on papers.

In another case, the cabinet had accorded an in-principal approval to the proposal for the establishment of the Pakistan Media University, but the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has still not allotted land for the said purpose.

As per the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, consultations are under process with the Embassy of China to convert the Pak-China Friendship Centre into Media University.

It is pertinent to mention that the Cabinet Division, in its comprehensive report, has further drawn the PM's attention towards the complaints of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) and other exporters regarding non-implementation of decisions of the ECC regarding electricity and gas sale prices to the zero-rated sector.

Huawei's third-quarter revenue jumps 27pc as smartphone sales surge SHENZHEN AGENCIES

Huawei Technologies Co Ltd’s third-quarter revenue jumped 27pc, driven by a surge in shipments of smartphones launched before a trade blacklisting by the United States expected to hammer its business. Huawei, the world’s biggest maker of telecom network equipment and the No. 2 manufacturer of smartphones, was all but banned by the United States in May from doing business with American companies, significantly disrupting its ability to source key parts.The company has been granted a reprieve until November, meaning it will lose access to some technology next month. Huawei has so far mainly sold smartphones that were launched before the ban. Its newest Mate 30 smartphone - which lacks access to a licensed version of Google’s Android operating system - started sales last month.

Huawei in August said the curbs would hurt less than initially feared, but could still push its smartphone unit’s revenue lower by about $10 billion this year. The tech giant did not break down third-quarter figures but said on Wednesday revenue for the first three quarters of the year grew 24.4pc to 610.8 billion yuan. Revenue in the quarter ended Sept 30 rose to 165.29 billion yuan ($23.28 billion) according to Reuters calculations based on previous statements from Huawei.

“Huawei’s overseas shipments bounced back quickly in the third quarter although they are yet to return to pre-US ban levels,” said Nicole Peng, vice president for mobility at consultancy Canalys. “The Q3 result is truly impressive given the tremendous pressure the company is facing.

But it is worth noting that strong shipments were driven by devices launched pre-US ban, and the long-term outlook is still dim,” she added.

Committee formed to probe irregularities in IESCO ISLAMABAD AHMAD AHMADANI

After receiving a large number of complaints, the Ministry of Energy (Power Division) secretary has constituted a fourmember committee to probe into the irregularities in the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO), Pakistan Today has learnt.

Available copy of an office order (dated 3rd October 2019) issued by the Power Division disclosed that the Ministry of Energy has constituted a fourmember committee, to be convened by

FCC Director Lt Col (r) Syed Saleem Ahmed, to conduct a probe into IESCO irregularities. Other members included senior PEPCO officials Jaffar Hussain, Faheem Aslam and Naveed Qureshi.

According to office order of the Power Division, the four-member committee will inquire the nine repeated irregularities at random places within Rawalpindi and Islamabad circles of IESCO. This committee will probe into delay in regularisation of temporary connections, especially of plazas; appointment of corrupt officers/officials as executive

engineers (Xen)/sub divisional officers (SDO) who remained involved with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), National Accountability Bureau (NAB); provisions of illegal relief in tariff to bulk power consumers (BPCs) and housing societies; wrong calculations of load for high rise buildings, plazas to avoid certain feeder/grids; installations of meters inside the plazas in violation of the policy; illegal credit and fake corrections in monthly electricity bills of different industrial and commercial connections; illegal electrification of private societies; provision of electricity connections in

banned areas of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT); and pending cases of large material theft (transformers, poles and cables etc).

A copy of this office order has been forwarded to the Power Division, PEPCO managing director, and IESCO chief executive officer.

Sources in IESCO said that instead of sending the matters of irregularities in IESCO to FIA or NAB, the power secretary has constituted a low-level committee, comprising PEPCO officials, to probe into irregularities. They alleged that influential officials of IESCO are involved in

the irregularities and a high-powered joint investigation team should have been formed to probe such cases.

Sources further alleged that there is no use of this committee as it will ultimately give a clean chit to IESCO officers, as the "incumbent PEPCO MD and IESCO chief are on good terms".

However, a senior officer of IESCO, when contacted, said he was unaware about the formation of this committee. He said that IESCO has already initiated an internal inquiry into some irregularities and soon the criminals will be made accountable for their crime.

Thursday, 17 October, 2019

12 buSInESS MARKET DAILY

kse-100 gains 197 points as Pakistan escapes FatF blacklist KARACHI

PakIstan, eGyPt ForM joInt workInG GrouP on traDe ISLAMABAD

STAFF rEpOrT

Positive sentiments returned to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Wednesday following media reports that Pakistan has not been placed on the blacklist by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

Foreign investors once again turned out as net sellers on Tuesday with a net outflow of $1.73 million. Major selling was observed in the banking sector ($1.52 million). As per details, the FATF, while deciding in principle that Pakistan will remain on its grey list till next February, has directed Islamabad to take ‘extra measures’ for ‘complete’ elimination of terror financing and money laundering. An FATF meeting in Paris on Tuesday reviewed the measures that Islamabad has already taken to control money laundering and terror financing. However, the meeting observed that Islamabad will have to take further steps in these four months. Meanwhile, Pakistan's GDP growth forecast has been slashed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in a recently published report to 2.4pc in 2020, with inflation going up to 13pc and unemployment rising to 6.20pc. The KSE-100 Index recorded an intraday high of 34,434.06 after gaining 350.53 points.

The index settled higher by 197.56 points or 0.58pc at 34,281.09. The KMI-30 Index appreciated by 248 points to end at 54,857.55, while the KSE All Share Index gained 188.62 points, closing at 24,813.33. The advancers to decliners ratio stood at 213 to 116. Sectors that helped the index close in the green zone included banking (+51.91points), oil and gas exploration (+41.9 points), fertiliser (+38.29 points) and oil and gas marketing (+28.59 points). Among the companies, Pak Petroleum Limited (PPL +34.92 points), Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDC +28.73 points) and Engro Corporation Limited (ENGRO +19.52 points) added maximum points to the index. The overall volumes remained healthy and were recorded at 151.37 million. K-Electric Limited (KEL 0.00pc) turned out as volume leader of the day, followed by Worldcall Telecom (WTL +4.67pc) and Unity Foods Limited (UNITY -1.01pc). The scripts had traded 11.83 million, 11.80 million and 10.20 million shares respectively.

Attock Petroleum Limited (APL +1.93pc) announced earnings per share of Rs12.31 for the first quarter of FY20 (Rs15.55 in 1QFY19), United Bank Limited (UBL -0.93pc) declared an EPS of Rs3.97 for the third quarter of FY19 along with an interim cash dividend of Rs3.00 (Rs2.83 in 3QFY18), while Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTC -3.62pc) posted an EPS of Rs0.33 for 3QFY19 (Rs0.21 in 3QFY18).

STAFF rEpOrT

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HE Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday organised a Pakistan-Egypt Trade Conference in Islamabad. It was the first of a series of such conferences planned with African countries under the ministry's "Look Africa Policy Initiative".

A high powered delegation from Egypt, led

by Egyptian Commercial Service's First Undersecretary Ahmed Anter, was invited to attend the conference. The Ministry of Commerce and the Egyptian Commercial Service on the occasion also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the establishment of a Pakistan-Egypt Joint Working Group (JWG) on trade.

Addressing the Egyptian delegation, Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood appreciated the warm, historic and brotherly relations between the two countries and

expressed the desire to make the trade relations commensurate with the political relations.

The adviser emphasised the export potential of Pakistan in sectors like engineering goods, rice, agro-processed products, surgical, pharmaceutical and sports goods. He also highlighted the investment opportunities available in Pakistan, especially in the engineering sector.

Commerce Secretary Sardar Ahmed Nawaz Sukhera briefed the delegation on the government's "Look Africa Policy Initiative". He also informed about the relocation of six commercial sections to Africa (Egypt, Algeria, Senegal, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Sudan).

Ahmed Anter welcomed the policy as well as the establishment of Pak-Egypt JWG on trade.

Meanwhile, the first meeting of the JWG on trade was held on the sidelines of the trade conference. Both sides emphasised the importance of enhancing the current trade volume to reflect the untapped trade and economic potential be-

tween the two countries.

Both parties agreed to enhance trade promotional efforts through the signing of an MOU between the Trade Development of Pakistan (TDAP) and the Egyptian Commercial Service, organization of a single country exhibition in Cairo/Karachi, and frequent exchange of delegations and participation in each other's international trade fairs.

The Egyptian delegation invited the Pakistani side for a follow-up visit to Egypt and appreciated the opening of a new commercial section in Cairo. Both sides emphasised that in order to translate excellent brotherly relations into meaningful economic and trade cooperation, frequent engagements at government-to-government and business-to-business levels must be ensured.

Adviser Dawood and Egyptian Ambassador Ahmed Fadel Yacoub witnessed the signing of the minutes of the first JWG meeting between Pakistan and Egypt.

Etihad sets up low-cost airline with Air Arabia DUBAI AGENCIES

Etihad Airways and Air Arabia are jointly setting up a low-cost carrier in Abu Dhabi to tap into the growing demand for budget travel from the United Arab Emirates’ capital, they said on Wednesday.

It is the first investment by Etihad in another airline since its ‘equity alliance’ strategy, which once saw it hold stakes in as many as eight other carriers, unravelled.

Air Arabia Abu Dhabi will be an independent joint venture based at Abu Dhabi International, the hub of Abu Dhabi

state-owned Etihad, the two carriers said in a statement.

It will be the capital’s first budget carrier.

Further details such as when the airline would start flying or ownership structure were not disclosed. An Etihad spokeswoman said more information would be given in the near future.

“This exciting partnership supports our transformation program and will offer our guests a new option for low-cost travel to and from Abu Dhabi, supplementing our own services. We look forward to the launch of the new airline in due course,” said Etihad Group CEO Tony Douglas.

Etihad has been pursuing a

turnaround strategy since 2017 that has seen it downsize its operations, including cancelling dozens of Airbus and Boeing orders.

Under Douglas, who joined in 2018, Etihad has refocused on becoming a mid-sized carrier, while stepping away from its investments in some of the airlines it holds stakes in.

Etihad, which has lost nearly $5 billion in the past three years, spent billions of dollars buying minority stakes in other airlines including insolvent Air Berlin, and Jet Airways.

Earlier this month, a senior executive said Etihad expected to be profitable again by 2023.

Pakistan LnG cancels huge 10-year LnG tender SINGAPORE AGENCIES

State-owned Pakistan LNG has cancelled a tender to buy liquefied natural gas over a 10-year period and may turn to the spot market instead, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The company issued the tender in early June to import 240 LNG cargoes of 140,000 cubic metres each for delivery

over 10 years for the country’s second LNG terminal.

But it has decided to cancel the tender due to inadequate demand for the super-chilled fuel, one of the sources said. “(The company) has decided not to proceed with technical evaluation and opening of commercial offers as there is no demand against this tender,” the source added, declining to be identified.

“So for now, (the company) has decided to stop the process of long-term commitment until it receives long-term demand for LNG,” the source said.

Pakistan is expected to be a significant growth driver in global LNG demand with the cabinet recently approving five consortiums to progress with their LNG terminal plans.

Pakistan LNG’s cancelled tender had been keenly watched in the industry. The

company was expected to publish the lowest prices offered by bidders, providing a valuable insight into the opaque LNG market, which is characterised by closed bilateral trades, private long-term supply agreements and an over-thecounter spot market.

Italy’s Eni, China’s PetroChina, Azeri state oil company SOCAR and commodities trader Trafigura had placed offers into the tender, sources had told Reuters.

Ptcl posts double digit growth in net profit BUSINESS DESK Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) on Wednesday announced its financial results for the first nine months of 2019. PTCL’s revenue for the nine months has grown by 4.5pc to Rs98 billion year-on-year (YoY). Ufone revenue has increased 6pc, while UBank, a microfinance banking subsidiary of PTCL, showed significant growth of 50pc in its revenue over last year. The company’s operating profit and net profit for 9M2019 decreased by 15pc and 32pc respectively as a result of high inflation, significant devaluation of PKR against USD and higher power tariffs. PTCL’s revenue of Rs53.8 billion for the nine months is slightly higher by 0.4pc than last year. It’s flagship fixed broadband services posted revenue growth of 5pc. PTCL continued its journey to upgrade its top revenue-generating exchanges under the Network Transformation Project (NTP) in different parts of Pakistan. For the 95 exchanges fully transformed to date in 12 cities, the yearly revenue growth was even higher at 12pc and there was a 35pc reduction in customer complaints.

Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH), deployed in major cities with more than 100,000 lines, has also received a positive response from the customers.

SECP recognised as 7th most effective regulator in world ISLAMABAD App

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has been recognised as the "7th most effective regulator" by the World Economic Forum in its 'Global Competitiveness Report-2019'.

"Pakistan was ranked as the 52nd most dynamic economy in the world. The country secured this by improving 15 points from last year, as it stood at 67th in 2018," said a statement issued by Mishal Pakistan, Country Partner at WEF's Institute of the Future of Economic Progress System Initiative, on Wednesday. "The progress of Pakistan's competitiveness was due to the achievements made during the last 12 months."

The most effective improvements were made due to the initiative and strategies adopted by the apex regulator for the corporate sector and the capital markets; supervision and regulation of insurance, non-banking financial companies and private pension schemes.

The SECP improved Pakistan's competitiveness rankings by improving the

"number of days to start a business", where Pakistan was ranked at the 90th position compared with 96th in 2018.

SECP Chairman Aamir Khan, while briefing the WEF partner team, said the commission is working hard to develop new approaches so as to connect and facilitate its stakeholders. "The aim is to bring structural changes in terms of attitude towards entrepreneurial risk and growth of innovative companies, where Pakistan already has an impressive global position at 53rd among 141 nations."

He said the strategies adopted by the commission were also instrumental in enabling more companies to embrace disruptive ideas.

"The SECP is working with other stakeholders to create the legal framework's adaptability to digital business models, where Pakistan is performing better than 100 other countries in the world."

According to the chairman, the SECP is committed to revolutionising its technology infrastructure so as to give shareholders a world-class service experience, envisioned by the federal government.

Aamir Khan said, "We all must work

together to improve the collective understanding of all stakeholders for a meaningful change in the business environment. Digital solutions deployed by the SECP made companies registration and post-incorporation compliance simple, faster and cost-effective."

In September 2019, 96pc of companies

were registered online through SECP's eService while 50pc of companies were incorporated within the same day, he informed.

"Most importantly, 85 foreign applicants completed the registration processes through the commission’s eService.”

He said the SECP has also introduced a digital transformation project called

Leading Efficiency through Automation Prowess (LEAP) programme, which enables sophisticated machine learning and artificial intelligence to allow SECP to better perform its regulatory role and give access to insights and cutting edge analytics to best serve the financial ecosystem and the best interest of the citizens of Pakistan.

AMENDMENTS TO PUBLIC OFFERING REGULATIONS PROPOSED ISLAMABAD: The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has proposed certain amendments in the Public Offering Regulations, 2017, to seek public comments. The objective behind the proposed amendments is to promote capital formation by facilitating issuers, reducing the cost of an IPO and safeguarding the interest of general public by enhancing disclosures, a statement issued by the commission stated. In order to promote capital formation through securities market, the objective eligibility criteria for listing of companies is being reviewed to enable companies, which present a viable time bound business plan, to raise funds. Such companies are however, required to comply with certain conditions including enhanced risk disclosures in the offering document for information of the prospective investors. To help reduce the cost of an IPO, the role of Consultant to the Issue and Book Runner may be performed by same entity provided such entity is independent of the issuer. In order to safeguard the interest of general public, certain parameters for green field projects (GFP) are being introduced. Through such parameters, sponsors of GFPs are required to have successful business track record of running a listed company and to contribute at least 75pc in the form of equity and financial close should be in place. The issuer shall also make certain risk related disclosures in the offering document and shall offer the shares through fixed price method only. Further, to ensure investor protection, in case of change in the principal purpose of the issue, an exit offer mechanism is being proposed. STAFF rEpOrT

ticking all the boxes:

From dentistry to the kitchen

3

What has been the most challenging part in running your business from home?

Since I live in a joint family we have a joint kitchen. Ergo the main challenge I face at times is that my orders shouldn’t coincide with family timings; so no one gets disturbed by my work. I also have to do the tasks unrelated to baking myself: from buying boxes to getting stickers, and printing menus ...at times it can become difficult to drive around with 3 kids. But the Almighty gives me the strength.

Salt Winter Wear'19

4

Dr Hira Waqar of Dental Smiles clinic has set a gold standard for working mothers as she strives to achieve as much as she can. She started out as a dental practitioner alongside her husband and decided to take time off as she became the mother of three young children. Still practicing dentistry , Hira has now expanded her horizons to include a side business of making and selling scrumptious sweet treats at her online page: Hira’s kitchen and is avidly pursuing her true passion, makeup .

1

You clearly play many roles in your life (mother, wife, entrepreneur) do you ever feel that one role overshadows another and if so how do you cope ?

We play many roles in our daily routine. I never let any role overshadow another. I stick to a particular time table according to my kids’ biological clock....I am a Mother before anything else. I fulfill all my responsibilities without seeking any help. I feed my children, I bathe them myself, put them to sleep, play with them, make sure their socioeconomic requirements are fulfilled; at the same time I’m responsible for their behavior and their upbringing. In the same way I am a good wife I take care of my husband and his needs; looking after his home in his absence. We run a private Dental practice together and I used to go there full time previously, but now only by appointment during afternoon hours when my kids are asleep. In the evenings I look after my children and complete my baking orders at the same time. So I’m a multi-tasker by nature. I can’t sit idle.

2

HOLLYWOOD BOLLYWOOD

What inspired you to pursue a side business in baking?

Well my daughter inspired me the most in doing Baking as a side business!

I'm a keen learner and a good baker. I live in a joint family system so family bonding could never be better than it is at the dining table. My husband and daughter have always appreciated my baking and motivated me to pursue it as a side business.

What were some of the obstacles you faced in setting up your business and how did you overcome them?

To be very honest I Didn't face any obstacles. I was thinking of starting my own business one day and I asked my husband to make me an online page. He did so and immediately I got my 1st order of cupcakes and a Brownie pizza. The next day I prepared my order but I didn’t have any boxes or logo stickers so I rushed to the market and bought boxes from a friend and got the stickers of my logo printed. I successfully delivered my 1st order. The very next day and alhamdulilah the series of orders started. It was so quick that I didn't even get anytime to rethink ,the response to my items turned out to be unexpectedly good.

5 6 7 8 9

As a mother of three what are some of your tips for other working women?

Hard work, consistency, patience and most of all faith in Allah. Believing in your capabilities is a key feature in running any successful business. Don't ever underestimate yourself! You have power over your mind.

Having a hectic schedule can be tough. What are some of the ways you cope with having too much work on your plate?

Don’t ever get panicked or think of your duties as a burden. Just love yourself and love your work. That way you will find joy in everything you do, despite being tired.

What is your favorite item off of your own menu?

My daughter, her friends and most of my clients like my Brownie pizza. However, I personally enjoy my fudge Brownies more, especially with a cup of coffee.

Who do you feel serves as a role model in your life and why do you look up to them The One and only role model in my life is my Mom! She is a true example of selflessness and untiring struggle and above all she is a good human being.

KArAcHi: SALT, the pioneering western wear range from Ideas Pret, has just launched their highly anticipated winter collection. SALT by Ideas Pret Winter 2019 brings a world of warmth and style to winter fashion on the high street. SALT has become highly coveted for its highquality western separates in contemporary silhouettes at affordable prices. The Winter 2019 array channels the latest international trends with an eye-catching collection of luxury knits and flattering silhouettes.

The collection is a glorious combination of luxurious, soft textured sweaters, graceful cape shawls and gorgeous scarves that are as versatile as they are beautiful. From soft pastels and popping jewel tones, to forever pieces in chic neutrals, this assortment is an accessible route to a winter style update. From chunky wool jumpers with lace eyelets to fluffy hoodies, the new range of winter knits encapsulates the latest global trends. The collection includes uber-cool monochromes and bold stripes that set international runways alight this year.

SALT’s revolutionary approach is yet another aspect of Ideas’ commitment to offering stylish, quality pret to their customers. Whereas local manufacturers often produce collections for international high street brands, Ideas is the first to bring fashion-forward, superior western separates directly to the Pakistani market.

SALT brings the design philosophy of the international high street to Pakistani customers at locally affordable price points.

Founded in 2003, Ideas by Gul Ahmed is a premium pret retailer best known for their elaborate digital prints and exceptional quality. The pret label exclusively uses the unique fabric of their renowned parent brand, Gul Ahmed and offers a range of pret, ranging from daywear to formals.

One of the first high street brands to offer the convenience of pret, Ideas by Gul Ahmed is a household name in Pakistan. The brand has over 70 stores all over the country, located in prime shopping locations in most, major towns and cities of Pakistan. PR

There are so many businesses out there. What motivates you to stick to baking and will you be expanding into other things?

Life needs changes and experiments and so do I. Since I couldn’t limit my spectrum to dentistry, I branched out into baking which relaxes me and gives me peace of mind. However makeup is my true passion. I have taken many courses and am thinking of starting it as a new venture early next year Inshallah.

Henry Cavill Missing From Social Media, Facebook, Instagram

Guardians of the Galaxy 3 Rumor Offers Death Of Major Character

Saif Ali Khan’s Laal Kaptaan look is ‘Jack Sparrow after joining RSS’?

Superman actor Henry Cavill has currently gone dark and is missing from social media, including his Instagram and Facebook pages where no posts have been recorded in over two weeks.

The last post from Henry Cavill was on Sunday, September 22 when he posted an image of himself cheering on the England Rugby World Cup game.

"NG v TGA England V Tonga Rugby World Cup C'mon England!!! #Rugby #England #WearTheRose #RWC2019," the 36year-old actor posted on Instagram. Taking a quick look through Twitter does reveal potential sitings of Henry Cavill as a Twitter user from a couple of days ago posted a selfie with the actor.

"Superman meets two cuties #Henry Cavill #Londonnightlife," Kathleen McDonald posted on Sunday.

Back on Monday, October 7 also saw a fan post an image with the Superman actor.

"I’ve waited so long for this moment, I can’t explain how amazing he is and I didn’t know what to say, literally just grabbed his arm ...

A new rumor has surfaced online suggesting that a beloved and major fan-favorite character will be killed off by James Gunn in Guardians of the Galaxy 3.

The details actually hop on the back of a previous rumor involving both Rocket Raccoon and the High Evolutionary.

According to the rumor (via Reddit), Rocket Raccoon falls ill and must find a cure (interestingly enough, similar to the recent comics - see below).

It's said that Rocket Raccoon embarks on a journey of self-discovery to learn more about his past where he soon finds out about the High Evolutionary who created him in the first place back on planet Halfworld by performing experiments on a raccoon.

The rumor has it that the Guardians of the Galaxy must face the High Evolutionary and defeat him.

It's claimed that Guardians of the Galaxy 3 is more about Rocket Raccoon and is a goodbye to the character as well, meaning that James Gunn will be killing off Rocket.

Saif Ali Khan may not be on social media but he cannot resist its charm. Saif Ali Khan, much like wife Kareena Kapoor Khan, does not have any online presence but recently went “undercover” to check out reactions to his film Laal Kaptaan’s trailer and Instagram pictures of his family.

During an interaction with Pinkvilla, Saif checked out the YouTube comments on the trailer Laal Kaptaan and had some interesting reactions. Reading comments comparing his look with that of Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean, Saif said that the look was not copied at all. Though they realised the similarities after shooting a bit. “One of the makeup guys needs a small slap, like have you not watched Pirates of the Caribbean?” he said. He also said that Jack Sparrow’s look might have been copied from that of our Naga sadhus.

“Kind of, maybe...I think he was a Muslim character. These sadhus, especially Sufis...kind of built on the ashes of Hinduism and Islam. There is no religion,” Saif quipped after reading a comment that said, “Jack Sparrow after joining RSS.”

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Thursday, 17 October, 2019

14 SPORTS

spaIn make euro 2020 wIth late sweden draw, Beaten Ireland forced to waIt Bern

r

Agencies

ODRIGO Moreno fired Spain into Euro 2020 with a last-gasp equaliser in Sweden while the Republic of Ireland's chances of reaching the finals are still in the balance after they fell 2-0 in Switzerland.

Spain became the sixth team to qualify for next summer's tournament thanks to Rodrigo, who came off the bench to score a dramatic injury-time leveller in a 1-1 draw in Stockholm, sparking wild celebrations on the touchline.

"Qualification is a must for a team like Spain but achieving it still has value," said Moreno. "It releases the pressure and gives us time to work."

Robert Moreno's side are top of Group F on 20 points after drawing their last two matches. They are five ahead of Sweden and six above Romania, who missed the chance to take second spot when Norway's Alexander Sorloth snatched a late 1-1 draw in Bucharest. However, it was a far from vintage display from Spain, who started brightly but faded as the match wore on against the lively hosts, who were distraught after missing out on a famous victory right at the death.

A celebratory night was tempered

slightly by the loss of goalkeeper David de Gea to a thigh injury in the second half, although that will worry his club Manchester United more ahead their meeting with Premier League leaders Liverpool this weekend. iReLaNd LeFT SWeaTiNG: In Group D, Haris Seferovic's early strike and Shane Duffy's late own goal kept Switzerland's hopes of automatic qualification alive with a 2-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland. The win in

Geneva means the Swiss are just a point behind group leaders Ireland and Denmark with two matches remaining in their campaign, compared to just the one for the Irish, who host the Danes on November 18 needing a win to guarantee qualification.

"It's a cup final. Beat Denmark to reach Euro 2020. I would have taken that at the start and I'll take it now," said the Republic's coach Mick McCarthy.

The Swiss, who also have the better

of the head-to-head record with the Irish as the two teams drew 1-1 in September, take on group minnows Georgia and Gibraltar in their final two games. "The result doesn't mean a lot in the group, we still need to get results in our next two games. If we get the points we need against Georgia and Gibraltar we can turn our attentions to Euro 2020," said Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic.

FiNLaNd edGe ToWaRdS HiSToRY: Finland inched closer to qualifying for their first ever European Championships after Teemu Pukki took his qualifying tally to seven in eight matches with a double that helped Finland sweep aside Armenia 3-0 in Turku.

Fredrik Jensen gave the Finns a 31th minute lead. Norwich City striker Pukki then scored just after the hour and got his second two minutes from the end with a neat dinked finish.

Markku Kanerva's side stay nine points behind Group J winners Italy, who maintained their 100 percent record with an eighth straight win, 5-0 against Liechtenstein.

Finland need a win over rock-bottom Liechtenstein to qualify for their first major tournament after fourthplaced Bosnia & Herzegovina lost 2-1 in Greece with an 88th-minute own goal from Adnan Kovacevic.

Canada stun US with first win in 34 years OntariO Agencies

clasico concerns for madrid as modric and Bale sit out training madRid: Real Madrid face an anxious wait to see if Luka Modric and Gareth Bale will be fit for next week's Clasico against Barcelona after both players missed training on Tuesday. Modric and Bale each did gym work indoors as they attempted to recover from injuries sustained playing in the Euro 2020 qualifier between Croatia and Wales on Sunday. It leaves Madrid uncertain over the fitness of two key players, with the crunch La Liga game against Barca at Camp Nou fast-approaching on October 26. Wales coach Ryan Giggs said Bale was struggling with pain in his calf towards the end of their draw with Croatia in Cardiff but suggested the problem was cramp. Madrid confirmed on Tuesday that Modric sustained a thigh injury in the match. Agencies

Canada defeated the United States for the first time in 34 years Tuesday after goals from Alphonso Davies and Lucas Cavallini delivered a stunning CONCACAF Nations League upset.

Bayern Munich teenager Davies pounced in the 63rd minute before Cavallini blasted home deep into stoppage time to seal a deserved 2-0 victory for the Canadians, who had not beaten the US since 1985.

The result deepens the gloom surrounding the United States national team, which has been in a protracted slump since its shock failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. The questions will now pile up for US coach Gregg Berhalter, who has struggled to build a coherent squad and tactics since taking over at the start of the year. The Americans were second best all over the pitch on Tuesday at Toronto FC's BMO Field against a Canadian side who looked sharper from the outset.

The miserable US performance was embodied by the form of Chelsea's Christian Pulisic. Pulisic, who is struggling to make an impression in the Premier League, was substituted on the hour mark shortly after squandering a gilt-edged chance to give the USA the lead.

The Chelsea forward was by no means alone however, with Josh Sargent and Weston McKennie also struggling to forge much in the way of goalscoring opportunities. The Canadian breakthrough came midway

through the second half. US veteran Michael Bradley coughed up possession cheaply in midfield and Canada swarmed forward. Another poor clearance from US centre-back Tim Ream saw the ball end up with Scott Arfield, whose low cross was met by Davies who tapped in from close range. The US struggled to get back in the game thereafter, and Canada might have doubled their lead only for Junior Hoilett to be denied by a superb save from Fortuna Dusseldorf's Zack Steffen.

Italy hammer lIechtensteIn for perfect euro 2020 run and record Rome: Andrea Belotti scored a secondhalf brace as already-qualified Italy overran Liechtenstein 5-0 on Tuesday to stretch their perfect run in Euro 2020 qualifying to eight games and match an 80-year Italian record.

Roberto Mancini's side were assured of top spot in Group J after a 2-0 win over Greece in Rome on Saturday. Federico Bernardeschi gave Italy the lead after just two minutes in Vaduz but it was not until the last 20 minutes that the 'Azzurri' hammered home their domination with four late goals. Belotti headed in twice for a second-half brace with Alessio Romagnoli and substitute Stephan El Shaarawy also scoring near the end. Mancini celebrated his ninth win in a row as Italy manager to draw level with the record run of legendary Vittorio Pozzo back in 1938-1939. Pozzo won the first two of Italy's four World Cup titles in 1934 and 1938 and gold in the 1936 Berlin Olympics "I'm more interested in his record of two World Cups and the Olympics, but even just winning Euro 2020 would be enough," said Mancini. The 54year-old former Inter Milan and Manchester City manager took over in May 2018 after Italy's failure to qualify for the World Cup. Liechtenstein are already eliminated from the European tournament and they also lost 6-0 to Italy in Parma last March. With qualification already in the bag, Mancini rang the changes with Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti the only survivor from the Greece game. The 26-year-old took the captain's armband with Leonardo Bonnucci rested, as Napoli defender Giovanni Di Lorenzo got his senior Italian debut aged 26, with winger Vincenzo Grifo, also 26, getting his first start. Roma midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo, 20, made his first senior start having come off the bench in his three previous appearances. Brescia midfielder Sandro Tonali, 19, was also given his first international debut in the second half. "We struggled a bit because we didn't find the second goal right away, but with so many changes it was inevitable to spend a little time finding the right chemistry," said Mancini. "The important thing is that all the kids are really involved.

"And the truth is that in June, I will be forced to make choices and some good players will have to stay out." Agencies

Euro 2021 a 'game changer' for English women's football: FA executive LOndOn Agencies

The Women's Euro 2021 could have the same positive impact on women's sport as the 2012 London Olympics, says Football Association executive Marzena Bogdanowicz.

The women's game in England has enjoyed a surge in popularity on the back of the success of Phil Neville's national side, who reached the World Cup semi-finals this year, with a TV audience of more than 11 million tuning in watch their semi-final defeat by the United States.

Bogdanowicz pinpointed Euro 2021, being hosted by England, as a huge opportunity to boost the game further.

"Euro 2021 will be the next big game changer," she told the SportsPro FAN Conference in London.

"Before that there will be a Team GB football team at the Tokyo Olympics so take the size of football and multiply that into what the Olympics normally does when it comes around and it will be an in-

credible summer.

"Euro 2021 will take this country in the same way as the 2012 Olympics did and I think it will have the same impact on women's sport."

Bogdanowicz, the FA's head of marketing and commercial for women's football, has the figures to back her up.

More than 75,000 tickets (priced at £10 for adults and £1 for children) have been sold for the friendly at Wembley with Germany on November 9.

That compares with a crowd of around 70,500 at Wembley for Team GB's match against Brazil in the women's competition at the 2012 Olympics.

And interest is also growing in the domestic game, with more than 62,000 supporters attending opening fixtures in the Women's Super League compared with a reported 92,000 across all 110 WSL games last season.

In an effort to promote the game further, the FA announced the first Women's Football Weekend in November, with a men's international weekend creating a

pause in the Premier League and Championship calendars.

The FA is calling on supporters to attend a women’s match at any level in the pyramid on November 16 and 17.

Kelly Simmons, the FA's director of women's professional game, said the weekend would be "another great moment in a year that has seen huge momentum behind the growth in popularity of women’s football".

Another sign of the increasing profile of women's football is the tie-up between the FA and Barclays, who earlier this year were announced as the title sponsor of the WSL. Katy Bowman, senior sponsorship partnerships manager at Barclays, said women's football was the right fit for the company.

"I have met so many young women in their teens or their 20s who are new to London looking for friendship and companionship and found it through football but there are still not enough places for them to do that," she said.

"We wanted to make sure we were

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creating the next generation of strong and confident women."

Bowman admitted that the impressive figures for the opening weekend of the

season could not be replicated every week but she is confident that in the long term a whole swathe of new fans can be attracted to the sport.

Thursday, 17 October, 2019

SPORTS 15

full player lIst revealed for the hundred draft LOndOn

e

Agencies

NGLISH players have been conservative in their salary demands ahead of Sunday's inaugural draft for The Hundred, with only 19 of the 331 domestic players choosing to put down a reserve price.

While many of the big overseas names in the draft have opted for a base price of £100,000 or more, meaning they will have to be picked in the first four rounds if at all, only four English players - Joe Denly, Liam Livingstone, Samit Patel and Mark Wood - have dared to enter with a reserve price as high as

£60,000. Seven players - Ian Bell, Sam Billings, Morne Morkel, Liam Plunkett, Delray Rawlins, Olly Stone and Ryan ten Doeschate - have entered with a reserve price of £50,000.

Eight more - Kyle Abbott, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Gareth Harte, Richard Levi, Wayne Madsen, Hamidullah Qadri, Rilee Rossouw and Hardus Viljoen - have a reserve price of £40,000, while the rest have none, meaning they could go for as little as £30,000.

The vast majority of players with a county deal have put their names forward, meaning there are few notable omissions - though some red-ball specialists like Alastair Cook, Rob Yates and Nick

Browne have not entered.

Those without a base price that can hope to be picked up relatively early in the draft include Ravi Bopara, Liam Dawson, Cameron Delport, Lewis Gregory, Tymal Mills and Reece Topley, while the overwhelming majority of recent stars in the T20 Blast are on the full list.

Several players without a county contract have entered, including recent pros Mohammad Azharullah, Richard Oliver, and Azeem Rafiq.

As reported by ESPNcricinfo, the overseas player list includes global T20 stars including Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Glenn Maxwell, though AB de Villiers has not registered for the compe-

tition. Harbhajan Singh was the only Indian to have initially entered the draft, but had a change of mind and wanted to focus on playing in the IPL. The BCCI made it clear to him that unless he was retired he could not be permitted to play overseas T20 leagues.

Some players have moved their reserve prices since ESPNcricinfo revealed an earlier version of the overseas player

list. Lungi Ngidi has removed his initial reserve price of £125,000, while Shahid Afridi has changed his down from £100,000 to £60,000.

Several more overseas players have registered since then, including Mohammad Amir, Hazratullah Zazai, Umar Akmal and Avishka Fernando. In total, there are now 239 overseas players registered for the draft.

Hayden Walsh Jr, Brandon King break into West Indies' ODI, T20I squads trinidad Agencies

Only a day after CPL champions Barbados Tridents' coach Phil Simmons was named the West Indies coach again, Cricket West Indies' new selection panel has picked the two latest CPL stars - legspinner Hayden Walsh Jr. and opener Brandon King - for the three T20Is and as many ODIs against Afghanistan in Dehradun, India in November. Walsh and King had topped the wicket-taking and run-scoring charts in the 2019 CPL respectively.

Left-arm spinner Khary Pierre, another recent CPL star who has played four T20Is, was also picked in both the limited-overs squads.

Walsh Jr. made his debut for USA in 2018 and international debut for them earlier this year, and will now get to represent a new-look West Indies side. He spun the Tridents to the title with 22 wickets in the tournament at an economy rate of 8.28 despite playing just nine matches in the season. Walsh Jr., who was born in US Virgin Islands to Antiguan parents, is a dual passport holder and has been part of West Indies'

domestic structure. King, the 24-yearold Guyana Amazon Warriors batsman, was rewarded for scoring 496 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of nearly 150.

A promotion to the top this season unlocked King's power-hitting that was central to the Amazon Warriors winning a record 11 games in a row before faltering at the final hurdle.

Kieron Pollard, who last played an ODI in 2016, returned to take over as the captain of both the limited-overs teams. Test captain Jason Holder, who won the CPL with the Tridents on Sunday, was part of all three squads.

However, Sunil Narine, who suffered a recurrence of a finger injury during the CPL and was in "excruciating pain" during the second qualifier, according to his Trinbago Knight Riders captain Pollard, wasn't available for the tour. Chris Gayle, who made a Uturn by returning to action in the ODIs at home against India after declaring that the World Cup would end his 50over career, didn't feature in any of the squads either. His comments during the World Cup caught some of his own team-mates by surprise and his international future continues to be unclear.

Lendl Simmons, who wasn't initially picked in the CPL draft and later reeled off 430 runs in 12 innings at the top as a replacement player for the Knight Riders, returned to the T20I squad that included as many as eight changes. Simmons will reunite with his uncle Phil Simmons; with whom he had won the T20 World Cup in India in 2016. Simmons' Knight Riders teammate Pierre, who excels at bowling with the new ball, was also rewarded for his CPL form. He is yet to make his ODI debut. Wicketkeeper-batsman Denesh Ramdin was back in the T20I squad while former T20I captain Carlos Brathwaite and the Jamaica Tallawahs trio of Oshane Thomas, Andre Russell, and Rovman Powell didn't make the cut. It is understood that Russell, who has had a history of knee injuries, isn't fully fit yet.

Powell, who has also captained West Indies before, is recovering from an abdominal strain that sidelined him from the second half of the CPL. St Lucia Stars seamer Kesrick Williams, who has a variety of slower balls in his repertoire, returned to the T20I side, having last represented West Indies in August 2018.

Far out: Myanmar's first surfing team to take off at SEAsia games aussie cricketer watson apologies for 'illicit' social media posts SYdNeY: Australian cricketer Shane Watson has apologised to fans after his social media accounts were flooded with "illicit" photographs of half-naked women and racist comments, seemingly the work of hackers.

The all-rounder, who plays for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League, said in social media posts late Tuesday that both his Twitter and Instagram pages had been hacked in recent days. Screenshots published by British tabloid The Sun showed revealing images of women in underwear posted on his personal Instagram account. The West Australian reported that a hacker also posted racial slurs and fat-shaming comments to his Twitter account last week. The 38-year-old, who has more than two million followers across the two platforms, apologised to his followers for the posts. "My apologies to everyone for the illicit photos that have been posted on my Instagram account," he tweeted.

"First my Twitter account on Friday got hacked and now Instagram today." He also recorded a separate video, uploaded to Instagram, in which he slammed the content as "disgraceful". Agencies

naypyuitaw Agencies

Competitive surfing was barely known in Myanmar a few years ago but one local beach town is riding a wave of enthusiasm to the Southeast Asia Games for the first time ever.

Paddling hard and smiling, Thwe Thwe Soe flung herself up on the board just as a wave was breaking, spreading her arms out for balance before getting knocked off.

"I can't live without surfing," she said after a day in the blue waters off the small coastal resort town of Ngwe Saung. "I did not expect to be chosen for the national team but I'm thrilled at the opportunity."

The Southeast Asian country is flanked by surf-ready coasts to the west and south, but decades of military rule, lack of equipment and poverty kept aspiring athletes from testing the waters.

The 25-year-old encountered the sport while studying in southern California and has been hooked since, saying she "always feels happy" on the water.

Now she is going up against the region's giants at the December games in the Philippines. Thwe Thwe Soe has one of the best chances to medal among the handful of surfers going, but all are training

hard. "We surf for at least four to six hours a day," said American coach Robert Brickell, a 26-year-old originally from New York.

The mild waves at Ngwe Saung present a paradox for competitive surfers -- they are good to learn on but much tamer than the conditions in surfing hotspots.

The team went to Bali in Indonesia for two months to get used to some "big wave surfing" and have made enormous strides in a short amount of time, Brickell said.

"My hope is that we can show everybody that people from Myanmar, we know how to surf, we know how to respect the ocean," he said.

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"And of course our hope is to win some meets."

The Surf Association of Myanmar was established only this year.

The sport is slowly gaining prominence thanks to the impassioned surfers, most from a village near the beach and newcomers themselves. Ngwe Saung is the heartland of the growing craze and has now hosted several competitions.

"We hadn't heard of surfing before 2017," said Aung Min Naing, 19. But he is "so excited" to represent Myanmar at the upcoming games. "It will be a difficult competition but we will do our best for sure."

hasan ali’s participation in national t20 cup in question amidst back problem news desk Fast bowler Hasan Ali’s participation in the ongoing National T20 Cup in Faisalabad has become doubtful after the bowler could not recover from the back pain.

The bowler had been under supervision at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore.

After a two-day review, the bowler did not show any signs of improvements.

According to sources, the cricketer could not bowl nor do any weight training.

The 25-year-old had opted out to sit out of Pakistan’s one-day international and T20 home series against Sri Lanka and may now also be dropped from the 16-member squad for Central Punjab in the National T20 Cup, due to the bowler’s lack of fitness.

Added to this, Ali’s condition may also see him miss out on the action in the upcoming T20 series against Australia.

The squad for the T20 series will be announced next week. Pakistan will play three T20 matches in the first leg of the series in Australia.

The series will begin on November 3.

senate committee summons pcB chairman, calls team’s performance against sri lanka ‘shameful’ MOnitOring repOrt The Senate Standing Committee on InterProvincial Coordination (IPC) on Wednesday summoned Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ehsan Mani over the dismal performance of the national cricket team against Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka’s tour of Pakistan ended earlier this month with the guests completing a 3-0 clean-sweep in the Twenty20 series in Lahore. Pakistan had claimed the ODI series in Karachi with 2-0.

The committee members expressed concerns over the lackluster performance of the green shirts in the matches. "Had we [committee members] been in the place of the cricket team, Pakistan would have won," remarked Committee Chairman Senator Sardar Yaqoob Khan Nasar. PML-N Senator Mushahidullah Khan criticised the PCB chairman for not attending the meetings and asked the committee chairman to make it mandatory for the chief of the cricket body to attend all meetings of the Senate committee. He alleged that Umar Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad were included in the team "as a favour", adding that Misbahul Haq was pressured to take the decision. PTI Senator Faisal Javed said that he was unable to digest the defeat of green shirts on home ground.

Thursday, 17 October, 2019

NEWS

Royal couple expeRIence Kalash cultuRe, chItRal clImate change

PESHAWAR

D

STAFF REPORT

uKe and Duchess of Cambridge Prince William and Kate Middleton arrived in Chitral on Wednesday morning on the third day of their five-day trip to Pakistan for visiting the foothills of the Hindu Kush mountain range.

Indian troops martyr three Kashmiri youth

The visit is part of their agenda to explore Pakistan, meet the people of the country and witness the effects of climate change. upon arrival, the royal couple was gifted traditional hats and a book of photos commemorating the first trip of late Princess Diana to Pakistan in 1991.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge followed the footsteps of Lady Diana as they flew north to the Hindu Kush moun-

tain range, a few miles from the Afghanistan border.

“Fantastic,” the prince remarked as he sifted through the pages of the book.

The residents also gifted an embroidered coat to Prince William and a shawl to Middleton. In Kalash valley, the royal couple met locals and spent time with children. They also enjoyed performances of traditional dances and music by the

local people. “They were very happy, meeting and shaking hands with everyone,” a district administration official said of the royal couple. The couple met with environmental experts to discuss the melting before going on to spend their afternoon with the Kalash tribe.

On the third day of their five-day official visit, the couple donned traditional Pakistan outfits as they stepped out in the district hoping to “highlight the effects of climate change” by witnessing one of the glaciers melting for themselves.

William had told a reception held in Islamabad last night: “Tomorrow [today] we will be seeing some of these impacts first hand and meeting some of the communities adjusting to the new realities and new challenges that climate change has brought to their towns and villages.”

They will also see how severe flash flooding caused by melting glaciers has affected a nearby valley as they visit a village and meet people whose buildings and farmland were destroyed by heavy flooding in 2015, Hello! reported.

William and Kate arrived in Islamabad on Monday night. They were received by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his wife Mehriene Qureshi at the Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi. British High Commissioner to Pakistan Thomas Drew was also present on the occasion.

The five-day visit, which will end on Oct 18, has been organised at the request of the united Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

IHC reserves verdict against Nawaz Sharif, Maryam in hate speech case

SRINAGAR INP

Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Islamabad district of Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday.

The youth were killed in a fake encounter by the troops during a cordon and search operations at the Pazalpora area of the district, as per Kashmir Media Service.

Meanwhile, a labourer was shot dead by unknown attackers in South Kashmir’s Kakpora area of Pulwama district on Wednesday, police said.

On the other hand, the miseries of millions of Kashmiris continue unabated as the strict lockdown imposed by the Indian government has entered the 73rd day, on Wednesday. The people are facing an acute shortage of basic items of daily use including food and medicines. Although the voice call service on post-paid mobile phones has partially been restored, yet the situation is far from normal.

The Indian government has admitted that there were over 330 incidents of protests in occupied Kashmir in the last two months after Article 370, which granted special status to the territory, was revoked.

Modi says work to stop water flow to Pakistan has started Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that New Delhi will stop water from Indian rivers that had been flowing to Pakistan and give it to Indian farmers, The Hindu has reported. “This water belongs to farmers of Haryana, Rajasthan, and the country, and we will get it,” he said during an election rally at Charkhi Dagri in the Indian state of Haryana on Tuesday. According to the Indian daily, Modi even said that work towards realisation of the project had started and added that he was committed towards it. “Modi will fight your battle,” he was quoted as saying. “India will put to use its share of water from the rivers flowing to Pakistan and ensure that every single drop is used for country’s farmer. The work on this had started,” he said. “For the last 70 years, the waters that belonged to India and farmers of Haryana were going to Pakistan.

Modi will stop it and bring it to your households,” he said. Taking a swipe at his opponents in Indian politics, Modi said that the Congress party could hurl abuse at him from all the different places in the world but should not back-stab the Hindu-majority country. NEWS DESK

Three killed, dozens wounded in Taliban truck blast KABUL AGENCIES

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ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday reserved its verdict in a plea seeking contempt of court proceedings against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz.

The judgement was reserved by a single bench of the IHC. The applicant in his plea stated that Nawaz Sharif and

his daughter Maryam Nawaz were doing hate speeches against the judiciary after the Panama case judgement.

The father-daughter duo made antijudiciary speeches in Kot Momin public gathering and the Punjab House, the applicant stated in the plea and pleaded the court to start contempt of court proceedings against both of them. It may be noted that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) is set to hear Sharif’s appeal on Oct.

29 against his conviction in the Al-Azizia reference. A division bench of the high court comprising Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani will take up the plea. Nawaz Sharif was convicted in the Al-Azizia reference by the accountability court for seven years. Sharif is currently serving a jail term of 7-years at Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore on being proven guilty in Al-Azizia reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

At least three people were killed and dozens others, including about 20 children, were wounded when a Taliban truck bomb detonated near a rural police station and partially destroyed a nearby religious school, Afghan officials said. The early morning attack happened in Alishing district in eastern Laghman province, said interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi. “Three people including two security forces were killed and 27 were wounded,” he added. According to Asadullah Daulatzai, spokesman for the provincial governor, the bomb exploded outside a police station and severely damaged a nearby madrassa or religious school. “The students were wounded by flying glass,” he said, adding about 20 students were hurt. ezatullah, an injured 10-year-old, said the blast was “huge and loud”.

India’s top court reserves verdict on Babri mosque case NEW DELHI AGENCIES

India's Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved the verdict in the Ayodhya land dispute case, saying that it will be pronounced before November 17 when Chief Justice Rajan Gogoi leaves office.

Before today's hearing was wrapped up, the court asked the parties involved to submit within three days, written notes on 'moulding of relief' — the narrowing down of areas on which the court is required to pass judgment, reported Hindustan Times.

Gogoi had asked the parties to

present their concluding arguments today by 5pm (local time) and according to NDTV, they were concluded shortly after 4pm. “enough is enough,” he had said, dismissing the intervention application filed by the Hindu Mahasabha party seeking more time for arguments. “By 5pm, this matter is going to be over,” Gogoi was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

The top judge headed the fivejudge constitution bench hearing the decades-long case, to decide whether a Hindu temple should be built on the ruins of a mosque. Wednesday marked the 40th day since the hearing

began. According to NDTV, the threemember Ayodhya mediation panel filed its report on the second round of mediation today. India had barred public gatherings in the town of Ayodhya as the Supreme Court started hearing final arguments on Monday.

For over a century, Hindus and Muslims have been in a tussle over Babri mosque in Ayodhya in the northern Indian state of uttar Pradesh. Hindus claim the mosque was the birthplace of Lord Ram and was built after the destruction of a temple by Muslim invader Babur in 1528.

On the other hand, Muslims say they offered prayers at the mosque

until December 1949, when some idols of Lord Ram were placed in the mosque. British rulers fenced the area as early as 1859 to as a preemptive measure and the government of India locked its gates in 1949. On December 6, 1992, the mosque was razed to the ground by a mob of thousands, triggering riots and violence that killed over 2,000 people in India.

Hindu and Muslim groups have failed to resolve the dispute through negotiations over the years, and a court decision in 2010 to divide the 2.77-acre site between one Muslim group and two Hindu groups was opposed by both sides.

Published by Arif Nizami at Qandeel Printing Press, 4 Queens Road, Lahore. Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk

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