E-Paper PDF 18 October (ISB)

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Friday, 18 October, 2019 I 18 Safar-ul-Muzaffar, 1441 I Rs 19.00 I Vol X No 108 I 16 Pages I Islamabad Edition

Imran launches rs100bn youth loan Project g

Pm SAyS rS25bn EArmArkEd for womEn, loAnS uP to rS0.1m will bE intErESt-frEE

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AnnouncES EStAbliShmEnt of 500 lAbS in mAdrASSAS

indian attempt to divert water flow an act of aggression: fo STORY ON PAGE 02

PHC strikes down KP actions in civil aid ordinance STORY ON BACK PAGE ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

rime minister imran Khan on Thursday launched the first phase of the “Kamyab Jawan Programme” to provide technical and financial assistance to the youth across the country.

Addressing the launch ceremony at the Convention Centre, Prime minister imran announced that rs100 billion have been allocated for youth loans under the programme. He said that out of the total amount, rs25bn have been earmarked for women. imran announced that loans worth up to rs100,000 will be interest-free, while the loans in two other categories will be concessionary loans. He added that one million young people will be facilitated under the programme.

“We have youth, they are our power but unfortunately [we are lacking in] skills,” he said, adding that rs10bn will be used for teaching skills to 100,000 young people. Under the programme, the prime minister announced, 100 labs will be established for distance learning.

The programme will also arrange internships through which 25,000 young people will be connected with industries, he said.

Talking about madrassas, Prime minister imran said that 500 labs will also be established

in seminaries.

“This is the first government which has taken [such] initiatives. We will consider seminary students as our own children and we will impart science education to them,” he said, adding that the government has interacted with religious scholars for educational reforms.

“We will try to make our education systems uniform,” he said after pointing out that three educational systems — english medium, Urdu medium and seminaries — are presently functioning in the country. He further said that 2,000 teachers will be sent abroad for internationallevel training.

The premier said that only those nations move forward in the world that follow the rule of merit. He said the main reason for demise of muslim glory in the world was the adoption of monarchy and not giving democratic rights to their society.

The prime minister also announced that a national youth development foundation is being established for youngsters across the country to interact and exchange knowledge and views.

“The programme will be followed up by the Prime minister’s Office,” he said. “i assure you that merit will be ensured in this programme. We will provide loans to even the people of Fazlur rehman, if they fulfil the merit,” Prime minister imran said, referring to

the JUi-F chief who has vowed to carry out an anti-government protest march later this month. “i know this is the first assembly which is being run without diesel. i won’t talk much about it,” he quipped, in a reference to rehman. earlier, Special Assistant to the Prime minister (SAPm) on Youth Affairs Usman Dar said that the programme has been developed to enable the country’s youth to prosper. “i am happy because the programme is the first step towards fulfilling the PTi’s promise for youth’s prosperity,” he said.

He said that as per the instructions of the prime minister, the programme is completely transparent and merit-based. “To ensure transparency, the entire programme is made available on a digital platform,” he said, adding that a scorecard has been developed on the basis of artificial intelligence to run the programme.

According to Dar, the programme is focused on ensuring employment opportunities to the youth and providing them proper platforms to excel.

The programme is supported by the United Nations Development Programme and no amount of people’s tax is incurred on it, Dar had earlier said in a press briefing.

Under the programme, the government will also devise a state-of-the-art digital platform to support the youth.

Lahore hosts royal couple

brexit deal clinched in brussels, british Pm Johnson still needs backing at home STORY ON PAGE 07

Erdogan defiant after Trump tells him not to be ‘fool’

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Erdogan’s visit to Pakistan postponed amid Syrian conflict

Friday, 18 October, 2019

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IndIan attempt to dIvert water flow an act of aggressIon: fo FO SAYS PAKISTAN HAS ‘EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS’ OVER WATERS OF THREE WESTERN RIVERS UNDER IWT IsLAMABAD

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Staff RePoRt

oREIGN office (Fo) spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal on Thursday said Pakistan had “exclusive rights” over three Western rivers, adding that any attempt by India to divert the flow of these rivers would be considered an “act of aggression”.

While addressing a weekly press briefing, the Fo spokesperson was asked a question regarding Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent remarks to stop water flowing to Pakistan.

According to Times of India, addressing a rally, Modi had said his government would stop the water flowing to Pakistan and divert it to Haryana “as it rightfully belongs to the country and the farmers of the state”.

Dr Faisal said: “After imposing a crush-

ing curfew and disconnecting the Kashmir Valley for more than two months now, some statements coming from [the] Indian leadership are another glaring example of the fact that the present government of India is bent upon making India an irresponsible, aggressive state that has no regard for human rights or international obligations.”

The Fo spokesperson said that Pakistan had “exclusive rights” over the waters of three Western rivers under the Indus Water Treaty.

“Any attempt by India to divert the flows of these rivers will be considered an act of aggression and Pakistan has the right to respond.” Tensions between the neighbouring countries escalated following the Indian government’s decision to unilaterally revoke Article 370 of its constitution — which granted special autonomy to occupied Kashmir — and intensified ceasefire violations by India on the Line of Control .

Govt rejects Fawad’s statement regarding cessation of 400 deptts IsLAMABAD Staff RePoRt

The Cabinet Division on Thursday stated that there is no truth in Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry’s statement of disbanding 400 government departments.

According to Cabinet Division sources, only five departments – Evacuee Trust Property Board, National Talent Pool, National Council of Social Welfare, National Construction Company and J&K Estate Property – are being considered to be shut down owing to their poor performance.

Furthermore, 45 departments will be handed over to Sarmaya-e-Pakistan – a holding company, 43 will be merged and 12 will be privatized.

Sources further revealed that it is being considered to privatize 219 departments, to turn 82 into executive departments, and to hand over 19 departments to provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad.

The federal government has formed an 11-member committee in this regard.

Fawad Chaudhry had on Tuesday said that the public should not look towards the government for jobs as it is going to disband 400 departments.

“It is imperative to get people to realize that the government cannot provide jobs. If we start looking towards the government for jobs then the framework of our economy will collapse. ”It was the mentality of the 1970s that governments would provide jobs — now the private sector provides jobs,” said the federal minister.

60 new dengue cases surface in KP PesHAwAR INP

The total number of dengue cases has reached 5569 across the province as 60 new cases of mosquito-borne dengue fever have been reported during the last 24 hours in different areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

According to the Dengue Response Unit

(DRU), 23 new cases of dengue fever have been reported in Peshawar, while 60 new cases of mosquito-borne dengue reported across the province.

Sources said that the provincial government was taking preventive measures to control dengue and added that separate wards have been established in all government hospitals for dengue patients.

Tribal clash leaves 14 dead in KP’s Tank district News Desk At least 14 people were killed and four others wounded in an armed clash between Betani tribe and Inam group in Tank district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Thursday.

The incident reportedly took place over an old enmity, police sources said and added that among the deceased were 10 passengers as their bus came under crossfire between the

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two rival groups at Drabin Mor in Mullazai.

The sources further said that four people from both sides were gunned down in the fierce clash. The two sides used heavy and automatic weapons in the fight.

Heavy contingent of police and law enforcement agencies, after being informed, rushed to the scene and took control of the area. Rescue officials shifted the bodies and the injured to the hospital.

Friday, 18 October, 2019

naB forms specIal cell to curB money launderIng, terror fInancIng ISLAMABAD

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HE National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Thursday announced the establishment of the antimoney laundering (AML) and combatting the financing of terrorism (CFT) cell in a bid to comply with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommendations.

According to a NAB press release, the cell will be headed by DG Operations Zahir Shah and comprise

Director Monitoring Zafar Iqbal, Additional Director Mufti Abudl Haq, banking experts Jahanzeb Fareed and Sohail Ahmad, and senior legal consultant Nasir Mehmood Mughal.

The cell has been tasked to coordinate with the National Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Coordination Committee. Director-General of Military Operations was given the overall responsibility for the implementation of FATF recommendations while Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Hammad Azhar is responsible for coordination from the civilian side.

The development comes as the global body meets in Paris to decide Pakistan’s fate. Although news emerged that the FATF would keep Pakistan in the grey list for another four months, the official verdict is expected on Friday.

The cut-off date for Pakistan to show improvement was October 2018 and the authorities insisted that they made a lot of progress during the past year.

In its final Mutual Evaluation Report, the Asia Pacific Group noted that Pakistan faced high risks

of money laundering and terror financing and needed to improve the understanding of the risks emanating from various terrorist groups operating in the country.

Published 10 days before the FATF plenary meeting, the report did not affirm Pakistan’s assessment that it faced ‘medium’ category risk of money laundering and terror financing. In its National Risk Assessment report, Pakistan did not believe that money laundering and terrorism financing were high-risk category areas.

NAB arrests Durrani’s close aides in illegal appointments case ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has arrested two close aides of former minister of Housing and Works Akram Khan Durrani in illegal appointments case. According to details, the NAB Rawalpindi arrested a member of Departmental Selection Committee Mukhtar Badshah Khattak and Muhammad Atif Malik in the in-

quiry against Akram Durrani and others in the case.

The bureau claimed that Mukhtar Badshah Khattak has played a key role in illegal recruitments with malafide intentions in Pak PWD. The other accused Muhammad Atif Malik illegally benefited the applicants by issuing fake documents to them for getting jobs in PAK PWD, the NAB said. Staff RePoRt

Modi govt resorts to warmongering for short-term gains, says Qureshi ISLAMABAD Staff RePoRt

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday censured the Narendra Modiled Indian government for resorting to a warmongering narrative for short-term domestic electoral gains.

Speaking at the Air University, the foreign minister underscored that New Delhi’s hegemonic pretensions presented a “clear danger to regional stability and Pakistan’s security”. He said India had refused to engage in dialogue, rejected proposals aimed to reduce risk, build confidence and exercise restraint in nuclear and missile matters.

Stressing that Islamabad wanted peace and strategic stability to ensure socio-economic development, Qureshi said Pakistan’s actions were defined by the restraint and responsibility the country showed by avoiding an arms race. “However,” he warned. “We cannot remain oblivious to the security dynamics in our immediate neighbourhood.”

The foreign minister said the August 5

decision of the Modi government to abrogate Article 370 thereby revoking the special autonomy granted to Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) violated United Nations Security Council resolutions. Furthermore, he condemned the information and communication lockdown in the occupied region.

“The inhuman lockdown of eight million people continuing for over 70 days is imposing unspeakable sufferings on the people of Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” he said, adding that Pakistan will continue to stand by Kashmiris in their just struggle for the realisation of the right to self-determination. FM Qureshi reiterated Pakistan’s push for the Afghan reconciliation process. “We have supported all rounds of Afghan peace talks in Doha and Abu Dhabi. We hope that the US-Taliban talks recommence and lead to intra-Afghan negotiations.” The foreign minister also reaffirmed China as the country’s “closest friend and steadfast partner”.

He further said Islamabad proposed more projects for Chinese investment that can rejuvenate and consolidate the economy.

Geo News rejects PEMRA’s allegation of sedition in court LAHORE Staff RePoRt

Lawyers representing private TV channel Geo News on Thursday termed the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority’s (PEMRA) accusation of “sedition” as “totally illegal” and said that the body had acted “beyond its jurisdiction”.

The news channel had filed an appeal in the Lahore High Court (LHC) two months after PEMRA served it with a show cause notice and, ultimately, a fine of of Rs1 million for airing a “highly seditious and scandalous programme against National Accountability Bureau Chairman Justice (r) Javed Iqbal and maligning state institutions”.

According to PEMRA, anchorperson Shahzaib Khanzada, in his programme Aaj Shahzaib Khanzada Kay Sath aired on July 18, discussed the matter of a scandalous video targeting the NAB chairman “unilaterally” and without taking into account the point of view of the anti-corruption watchdog.

The news channel, in its appeal, drew the court’s attention to the allegation of sedition levelled by PEMRA and said: “Under the constitutional scheme of Pakistan, PEMRA is certainly not a body that can be said to have any authority to distribute certificates of sedition or prosecute them from doing so.”

The appeal further said that PEMRA’s notice makes it “apparent and clear” that the reg-

ulatory body’s approach against the channel is “discriminatory, biased and unfair”. It added that PEMRA’s allegation of sedition “is totally illegal” and shows its “extreme level of discrimination, bias and willingness to go to any illegal lengths in order to protect NAB”.

Geo News said that PEMRA was “in violation” of Articles 19 and 19(A) of the Constitution and urged the court to direct the regulatory authority to “act fairly”. The appellant further requested the court to declare that the electronic media watchdog had “no authority to allege and determine the offence of ‘sedition’” as per PEMRA Ordinance 2002 and by levelling that allegation, it had acted “beyond its jurisdiction”.

The broadcaster also asked the court to declare that Geo News, under the Constitution, had the freedom to air “any news, make any fair analysis and to criticise the conduct of NAB […] provided that NAB’s point of view is also sought by the petitioners”.

Furthermore, the news channel asked the court to restrain PEMRA from taking any action against Geo News or any of its programmes about the anti-corruption watchdog “unless NAB itself takes any legal action against the petitioner”. Geo News also urged LHC to direct PEMRA to restore the channel to its “original position”. The high court subsequently issued a notice to PEMRA demanding a response and adjourned the hearing for an indefinite period.

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NEWS

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naB grills nawaz in csm case The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Thursday quizzed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for at least 45 minutes in an on-going probe pertaining to the Chaudhry sugar mills. According to sources, the NAB team asked Nawaz Sharif about the money coming through telegraphic transfers (TTs). Nawaz replied Abbas Sharif had information about the matter as he expressed ignorance of the questions asked by the NAB team. To a question about money laundering, he replied that he was busy in politics so he had no idea about that either. NAB team asked Nawaz Sharif that London flats belong to his children but shares of Chaudhry sugar mills belong to him and that does not justify his income.

Nawaz said it must be an “inner settlement” and Yousaf Abbas can tell better about it. During the questioning, the investigation team said the allegedly laundered money does not belong to Mian Sharif, as it was not divided equally in heirs. The NAB is reportedly holding two interrogation sessions a day with Nawaz since he was remanded in its custody on Friday last. The NAB arrested the PML-N supreme leader in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills (CSM) case and obtained his physical remand till Oct 25. Members of the Sharif family are accused of being involved in money laundering under the garb of sale/purchase of Chaudhry Sugar Mills Ltd shares. NAB has accused Nawaz of being a direct beneficiary of CSM and his daughter, Maryam — who was arrested in connection with the case in August along with her cousin Yousuf Abbas — of holding over 12 million shares in the sugar mills. NewS DeSk

Friday, 18 October, 2019

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WEATHER UPDATES

Court terms out-of-court settlement in Salahuddin case incomplete

In a fIrst, man convIcted over derogatory remarks agaInst Islam's calIph

In a surprising development in the Salahuddin murder case, the sessions judge held the out-of-court settlement announced by the deceased’s father as incomplete on Tuesday.

Salahuddin, the suspected ATM thief, was tortured to death in police custody in Rahim Yar Khan which led to outrage across the country last month. Hearing the case, Additional Sessions Judge Zahid Bakhtiar said the pardon petition of Salahuddin’s father, Afzal, was incomplete. The judge ordered Salahuddin’s mother to also be produced before the court during the next hearing.

Pardon petition would only be considered complete if both of Salahuddins’ parents were present before the court, said the judge. However, Salahuddin’s father, Afzal told the court that his wife was seriously ill and could not show up. Afzal pardoned the policemen at a mosque in Gujranwala, in the presence of deputy commissioner for revenue, Zeeshan Hanid, saying he was doing so for the sake of Allah. NewS DeSk

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N a first of its kind punishment in Pakistan’s judicial history, a special court on Thursday awarded five-year imprisonment to a man found guilty of using derogatory remarks against the second Caliph of Islam on his Facebook profile.

The court also slapped the convict with a Rs20,000 fine, which, in case of default, will be converted into an extra one-month imprisonment.

“The accused is the first offender as per the available record. Although ignorance of the law is no excuse, it must be said that cyber crimes are new to society,” opined Muhammad Aamir Raza Baitu, the judicial magistrate Section 30.

Sajid Ali, a resident of Bahawalnagar district, had used derogatory

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remarks against the caliph on his Facebook page and shared the same with his friends on social media on December 4, 2017.

At first, the local police lodged FIR 66/17 under Section 298-A of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and 16 MPO; however, the second FIR was lodged by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) under Section 11, 16 of Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016 while the convict was already in custody.

It is pertinent to mention here that Sajid Ali’s conviction and sentence is the first of its kind in Pakistan’s history as never before did the court award a punishment on the grounds of sacrilegious, blasphemous and derogatory remarks against the companions (sahaba) of the holy prophet (PBUH).

While there are many cases of blasphemy against the prophet

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(PBUH) and the Quran, not a single one exists on the basis of disrespect and blasphemy towards the sahaba.

Keeping in view the complex nature of the trial, the FIA proved the case by using technical analysis techniques.

During the trial, FIA Assistant Director (legal) and prosecutor Munam Bashir Chaudhary established with his argument that accused Sajid Ali had a specific role in the offence attributed to him in the FIR. The prosecutor also produced screenshots of the remarks Sajid had written on his Facebook page before the court. He substantiated his arguments with technical data reports which connected the convict with the offence.

On the other hand, the accused’s counsel argued that Sajid was innocent.

“His mobile was not produced before the court during his trial,” he argued while adding that his client has

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been falsely accused with mala fide intention. He also added that the original image of the disputed SMS and other material were also missing. “There is no proof to the effect that he uploaded the material,” he said.

Talking to Pakistan Today, FIA prosecutor Munam Bashir Chaudhary said that his team recovered all the material available on the accused’s Facebook account and got it technically examined which revealed the user’s password and name, proving his guilt of committing the crime.

“It is the first time that any person has been convicted over charges of committing the blasphemy of a companion of the prophet (PBUH) and the counsel for the accused could not challenge the veracity of the offence through his arguments before the court,” the prosecutor concluded.

Royal couple's visit to strengthen bilateral relations: CM Buzdar LAHORE app

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has said that the visit of royal couple, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, to Pakistan would further strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.

Welcoming the couple, Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton, in the city, the chief minister said: “Royal couple’s visit to the historic city was an honour for us”, adding that Pakistanis have deep respect for the British Royal family. He said that the visit depicted growing friendly relations between the two countries, according to a handout issued here.

During the meeting with the Royal couple, matters of mutual interest, including promotion of Pakistan-UK relations, came under discussion. The chief minister briefed the guests about

the steps being taken by the Punjab government for public welfare. He said that the United Kingdom’s valuable cooperation in social sector development of Pakistan, especially in Punjab province, was praiseworthy.

Pakistan and the UK are moving

side-by-side in the journey of development, he added.

The CM pointed out that UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) has extended valuable cooperation to Punjab province in different sectors.

Court hands double death penalty to man for raping, murdering child LAHORE Staff RepoRt

A sessions court in Lahore on Thursday handed two death penalties, life imprisonment and an Rs700,000 fine to a man for raping and murdering a child.

Bism Nazim, a resident of Lahore, was arrested for raping and murdering a seven-year-old child in 2017 and had been detained in Kot Lakhpat jail for the past two years. He was arrested by the police from the scene of the crime

and a case against him was registered in Sherakot police station.

During the hearing, the state prosecutor told the judge that witnesses and evidence against Nazim had been produced before the court. Subsequently, additional session judge Sajawal Khan announced the death penalty.

According to a report issued by a child rights organisation, Sahil, in September, at least seven children are abused in Pakistan daily.

The report revealed that from Jan-

uary to June in the current year, 1,304 cases of sexual abuse of children have been reported.

The report further said that the data from January to June in 2019 reveals that 729 girls and 575 boys became victims of sexual exploitation.

The cases under major categories included 378 of abduction, 139 of rape, 153 of sodomy, 46 of gang rape, 88 of gang sodomy whereas 12 boys and four girls have been murdered after sexual abuse.

Cellular services to be blocked on Chehlum

LAHORE: All Pakistan Trade Union Federation holds protest against the government’s anti-labour measures. Staff photo

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LAHORE: The provincial government of Punjab on Thursday decided to suspend mobile phone, internet and GPRS services in Lahore on Sunday in view of security concerns on the occasion of the Chehlum of Imam Hussain (AS). Strict security measures are being formulated by the law enforcers for Chehlum processions’ route and areas adjacent to Data Darbar. Walkthrough gates were installed for the screening of participants, and surveillance of processions was carried out through videorecording and CCTV cameras installed especially for this purpose. Services of the Rescue 1122 will also be sought to provide timely treatment to the mourners in case of any emergency. Staff RepoRt

Friday, 18 October, 2019

OPP divided OveR anti-gOvt mOvement

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HILE the major opposition parties are preparing for the Azadi March scheduled for October 31, the opposition parties stand divided over their demands of resignation of Prime Minister Imran Khan as the Jamiat Ulema-e-IslamFazal (JUI-F) wants resignation from the premier while Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal BhuttoZardari are one for an in-house change.

Sources in major opposition parties have told Pakistan Today that even PML-N leaders Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif also stand divided over their demands, as the former premier supports the demand of the JUI-F chief and wants fresh elections, while Shehbaz Sharif and Bilawal do not want to destabilize the system and rather they want an in-house change.

The second tier leadership of the three parties seemed to be confused due to the “internal divisions among their party leaders”.

“We are working hard to bridge the internal differences. Though the gulf is wide, we are trying to evolve a consensus. Consultations are on and we expect to come up on the same page by October 31,” said a senior PML-N leader.

The PML-N leader admitted the fact that the opposition parties were divided over future course of struggle against the PTI government.

“The opposition is also divided

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HRCP condemns campus surveillance Islamabad/Quetta Staff RepoRt

over a proposal from the JUI-F that all the lawmakers of the opposition parties must tender resignations from assemblies once they stage a sit-in at the D-Chowk. While Maulana Fazl wants all opposition parties lawmakers to tender en-bloc resignations supported

by Mian Nawaz Sharif, Asfandyar Wali and Mahmood Khan Achakzai; PPP’s Bilawal and Shehbaz Sharif are against the idea as they want the assemblies to complete their stipulated terms,” the source added.

A leader in the PPP confirmed the information, saying that the opposition leadership had divergent

views over the issues.

“PPP Chairman Bilawal believes that the assemblies must complete their terms, but he was okay with the idea of an in-house change. So, yes, there are different views. We are working to iron out differences,” the PPP leader said.

The PML-N leader said that Shehbaz Sharif believed that the country’s economy was already facing pressure and it would not be possible for the government to spend billions of rupees for new elections within a year’s time.

“The demand for fresh elections looks childish within one year’s time and the stakeholders may oppose this

idea. Shehbaz Sharif also says that despite the 126-day sit-in, the stakeholders did not allow anyone to destabilize the system. Same goes for this demand now,” said the source.

The source said that Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Mian Nawaz Sharif, Asfandyar Wali and Achakzai are on the same page while Shehbaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari appear to be on the same page on most of the issues.

Pakistan Today contacted Ahsan Iqbal, Sherry Rehman, and Marriyum Aurangzeb for their comments but they chose not to respond despite repeatedly approached.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) is concerned over allegations that elements associated with the administration at Balochistan University use campus surveillance videos – including those filmed by ‘secret’ cameras – to harass and blackmail students. HRCP’s recent factfinding mission to Quetta found an alarming level of surveillance on campus at the university. While this is in place ostensibly for reasons of security, the recent allegations show how easy it is for surveillance to become a tool of harassment, most often at women’s expense. HRCP's sources claim that the surveillance system is used as a means of moral policing as well as to disrupt any potential or suspected political activism among students, allegedly at the behest of the Frontier Corps personnel who are permanently deployed at the university. Secret cameras have no place at a university. HRCP supports those students who have called this a gross violation of their privacy and a means of coercion, and welcomes the Balochistan High Court's decision to take suo moto notice of the matter. The Commission also urges the university administration to identify and penalise the perpetrators.

Court orders Miftah’s medical examination Islamabad Staff RepoRt

Patients suffer as doctors’ strike enters seventh day laHORe Staff RepoRt

Young doctors and medical staff of government-run hospitals across Punjab observed its seventh day of strike against what they term as the ‘privatization’ of hospitals under the Punjab Medical Teaching Institutions Act (MTI) 2019.

The Grand Health Alliance (GHA) which consists of young doctors, young consultants, nurses, paramedical staff, allied health professionals and all healthcare associations had called a

strike against the ordinance and refused to perform their duties including outdoor, operation theatres, radiological and pathological services in major teaching institutions including Mayo Hospital, Services, Hospital, Children’s Hospital, Lahore General Hospital, Jinnah Hospital, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Shaikh Zayed Hospital, Punjab Institute of Cardiology in Lahore, Rawalpindi and other districts of Punjab.

In Rawalpindi, all three allied hospitals in the city remained closed throughout the week as a result of the ongoing protests called by the Young

Doctors’ Association (YDA) against the MTI Act. Poor patients dependent upon public-healthcare service, in the meanwhile, are suffering due to non-operational operation theatres (OTs) in hospitals and are having to bear extra financial burden to seek treatment in private hospitals.

According to the YDA, over 50,000 elective surgeries and around 100,000 diagnostic tests postponed due to the closure of OT’s and central laboratories in all major teaching hospitals in the province.

In the meanwhile, health authorities and hospital administrations have claimed that health services are being provided at OPDs with the help of consultants and administrative doctors yet it has been reported that the absence of OPD services is preventing thousands of new admissions in indoor wards in hospitals.

According to reports, the Punjab government has directed hospital administrations to prepare lists of doctors, nurses and paramedical staff who were obstructing the smooth delivery of healthcare services.

An accountability court (AC) on Thursday ordered medical examination of ex-finance adviser Miftah Ismail who is currently in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the LNG scandal case.

Judge Muhammad Bashir heard the petition seeking facilities for Miftah Ismail in jail. Defence lawyer in his arguments contended that Miftah Ismail has been suffering from heart ailment and presented the medical report of the ex-finance adviser.

The counsel prayed the court to order TV facility and allow his family to meet him.

The NAB prosecutor said that the accused has been provided a better class in the jail for which the jail officials can better inform the court. To which, defence lawyer said that whatever facilities can be provide under the law be provided to his client.

‘THE MIDDLE-CLASS PERSON IS DYING’

Pakistan’s tax push is deflating Imran’s political base On the campaign trail just over a year ago, former cricket star Imran Khan won the prime ministership promising to create 10 million jobs, provide lowcost housing and better health and education services—a cornucopia for his base of support among Pakistan’s rising middle class.

Now Mr. Khan finds himself testing that support as an economic austerity plan forces him to tax that middle class more while the economy is slowing sharply.

“The middle-class person is dying,” said Kaiser Mahmood, a salesman in a shoe store in the sprawling Raja Bazaar commercial center in Rawalpindi, a northern city next to the capital that provided important support for Mr. Khan’s party in the election. “Food prices have rocketed, electricity bills have rocketed.

People don’t have any money left over to come here to buy shoes.”

When Mr. Khan became prime minister in August 2018, he found he had inherited runaway trade and budget deficits and fast depleting foreign currency reserves. He put the brakes on the economy and then turned reluctantly in May to the International Monetary Fund for a bailout—Pakistan’s 22nd IMF program—which demanded further steps to stifle demand.

Mr. Khan’s government says it has saved Pakistan from the danger of defaulting on foreign debts accrued before it came into power, and that its reforms

will break Pakistan out of an endless boom-and-bust cycle.

The plan is to replace unsustainable growth based on borrowing and imports with an economy driven by exports and an expanded tax base that can create jobs and fund a welfare state.

Between the two phases has come a lot of economic pain, however.

Interest rates have been doubled to over 13%—among the highest in Asia— and the rupee has slumped. Inflation has almost tripled from the year before Mr. Khan took office, to 11%, and economic growth has more than halved to 2.4%.

Experts question whether there is a viable strategy to get the economy motoring again.

Mr. Khan is trying to accomplish what no Pakistani government, military or civilian, has pulled off: getting people to pay tax. Just 1% of the country’s population of 208 million pays income tax.

Smaller retailers plan to go on strike this month unless talks with authorities lead to a softening of government demands that they begin to pay income tax and sales tax, collect withholding tax and document their suppliers. Businesses said they feared being blackmailed by inspectors if they enter the tax net, despite government assurances it is working to end graft in the notoriously corrupt tax system.

Mr. Khan came to power partly by

harnessing the emergence of a sizable middle class, which demanded better services than established political parties had delivered. Even the lower middle classes are often forced to rely on private schooling and health care.

Signs they are struggling abound.

Between January and September this year, food inflation in urban areas shot to 15% from 3%. Car sales were down 39% in the first quarter of the current financial year, which began in July, while motorcycle sales fell 17%.

Former Finance Minister Hafiz Pasha, an economist, estimates that by the end of Mr. Khan’s second year, two million workers will have lost their jobs and up to eight million people will be pushed into poverty.

“You have the makings of an Arab Spring in this country,” said Mr. Pasha, referring to the popular uprisings in Arab nations starting in 2011. “This is a bomb waiting to explode.”

Mr. Pasha said the government, in the IMF program, had overadjusted the economy, and instead of going after the rich for tax revenue was unnecessarily targeting small traders.

Recent political polling shows the largest opposition party is now neck and neck with Mr. Khan’s.

Big businesses are suffering, too, from the slowdown. They are also being taxed more aggressively, and many are concerned about getting entangled in a

CMYK

government anticorruption drive.

Two dozen tycoons took their concerns this month to army chief Gen. Qamar Bajwa. The military’s support is vital to any leader in coupprone Pakistan.

Gen. Bajwa told them he stood behind the government and its policies, according to participants in the meeting. Opposition politicians say the military helped bring Mr. Khan to power, a charge denied by his party and the army.

After missing many economic targets in its first year, the government says it is now beginning to see an improvement in economic fundamentals needed to restart growth. The IMF agrees, saying on Tuesday that “we have seen good signs.”

In the last three months, the trade and budget deficits both improved by a third, tax collection is up 16%, while the rupee has now steadied. Volumes of major exports are showing solid growth.

“The economy is stabilizing at a rapid rate,” said Hammad Azhar, who as Minister for Economic Affairs is responsible for external assistance, working alongside the finance minister. “The good thing is that once the economy has stabilized, we can move toward the growth phase.”

On the streets, that is a hard sell. A consumer confidence survey conducted in August by Ipsos found that 89% were less confident about making a house-

hold purchase than a year ago. The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry wrote to the prime minister this month to complain that “the economy has not shown any visible healthy signs even after the lapse of 13 months” since he took office.

Business confidence remains in negative territory, according to the central bank’s monthly survey. Students and recent graduates—a support base for a party that appealed to youth with its idealistic message—are facing a tough jobs market.

Firmly in the government’s tax sights are shopkeepers and their suppliers—mostly small businesses—which make up nearly 20% of GDP but pay almost no tax. Next, professionals such as lawyers and doctors—who often take payment in cash—will be pursued, according to the government.

Midway through a recent afternoon at the market in Rawalpindi, many wholesalers and stores complained that they had yet to make a single sale.

They said that tax and documentation demands were too stringent for a sector that has lived in the informal economy since the country was formed.

“How can 70 years of dishonesty be fixed overnight?” said Muhammad Rafiq Qureshi, a hardware wholesaler in Rawalpindi. “People are scared because they don’t know how much tax they will be told to pay.”

– Wall Street Journal

Friday, 18 October, 2019

06 WORLD VIEW

Saudi arabia and iran may finally be ready for rapprochement Al JAzeerA

t

Imad K Harb

he October 11 attack on an Iranian oil tanker in Red Sea waters off the coast of Saudi Arabia stoked further friction in a region rattled by attacks on tankers and oil installations since May and increased fears of war between Riyadh and Tehran.

Thus far, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Tehran, despite its history of swiftly blaming the United States and Israel for any perceived sabotage of its interests, refrained from accusing any specific party. The National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC), which owns the targeted vessel, confirmed that its hull was hit by two separate explosions off the Saudi port of Jeddah, but made a point of denying reports that the attack had originated from Saudi soil. Furthermore, Ali Shamkhani, the secretary-general of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said that a committee is investigating the incident to determine culpability. All this shows that Iran wants to de-escalate the tension over something that, in comparison to other confrontations between the regional rivals in recent years, from Yemen to Syria, can only be described as a minor incident.

Still, only time will tell how the attack will impact the general atmosphere in the already-volatile Gulf region and the wider Middle east. What is apparent, however,

TO ACHIEVE PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE, HOWEVER, BOTH REGIONAL POWERS NEED TO MAKE SIGNIFICANT COMPROMISES is that the current state of uncertainty, mistrust and confusion cannot be sustained if Iran wants to rejoin the international community after decades of isolation and if Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies seek further economic and social development. Only a return to quiet and purposeful diplomacy with the assistance of third parties - can bridge differences between the two sides and help prevent what could arguably be one of the most calamitous military confrontations in the region’s history.

SAUDI ARABIA IS NOT INTERESTED IN A CONFRONTATION It is improbable that Saudi Arabia is behind the attack on the Iranian tanker, despite its assumed desire to avenge the many attacks it sustained over the last few months.

On September 14, for example, attacks on two of its main oil production facilities knocked out more than half of the kingdom’s production. Yemen’s houthi rebels claimed responsibility but US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo swiftly accused Iran, which rejected the allegations. In light of all this, some argued that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS), who has come under much domestic criticism for failing to prevent the devastating attacks on the country’s oil facilities, might have ordered the attack on the Iranian oil tanker to save face.

This scenario, however, is highly improbable since a small-

scale attack on an Iranian tanker like the one we witnessed last week is unlikely to yield significant positive results for MBS. First, if Iran concludes that Riyadh is indeed behind such an attack, it can easily find many overt and secret ways to retaliate. MBS is well aware that if he orders an attack on an Iranian vessel, he would be opening the kingdom to renewed attacks by houthi insurgents.

Second, despite the ongoing friction between the two sides, Riyadh does not want to rule out the possibility of a rapprochement with Tehran in the near future.

MBS was clear, in a recent interview with CBS, about his preference for a political solution to the region’s ongoing problems. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visits this week to Iran and Saudi Arabia can only be seen as an effort at reconciliation that he could not have undertaken without a green light from the leaders of both countries. Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel-Mahdi is also known to have relayed messages between MBS and Iranian officials about de-escalation.

Third, Saudi Arabia can no longer count on Washington’s direct assistance in the event of a confrontation with Iran. Whatever existed of Saudi enthusiasm for such a confrontation has dissipated after US President Donald Trump aborted the mission to punish Tehran over its downing of an American spy drone last June.

his latest decision to allow Turkey to attack Kurdish forces allied with the US and responsible for defeating the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group in northeastern Syria also gave the Saudis a signal that allies are not immune to Trump’s whimsical foreign policy. The Saudi leadership cannot ignore the US president’s reluctance to take on Iran and his betrayal of allies simply because he agreed to dispatch extra American troops to Saudi Arabia.

IRAN CANNOT REMAIN A PARIAH IN THE REGION Despite the defiant rhetoric emanating from its leaders and institutions, the Islamic Republic is also interested in a rapprochement with Saudi Arabia. Tehran understands that it cannot remain outside the confines of regional and international systems. It also understands that it needs to make compromises, both in the region and in the international arena, to find necessary accommodations.

To be sure, its signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in 2015 clearly signalled its willingness to meet the international community’s expectations if that helps it in preserving national pride and interests and escaping debilitating sanctions. however, on the regional front, Iran’s insistence on interfering in the domestic affairs of Arab countries continues to stymie its good relations with its neighbours.

To be sure, no other outside force has been able to secure the kind of influence that Iran maintains in Iraq and Lebanon. Yemen’s houthis, meanwhile, have become closer to Iran than ever before and have benefited from Iranian technology in manufacturing offensive weapons used against Saudi Arabia over the last few years. But Iran’s role in Syria’s war is the starkest example of overreach that makes it impossible for Tehran to join the current Saudi-led regional order. It is this last important part of Iran’s regional policy that stands at the heart of its acrimonious relationship with Saudi Arabia, and it is here that the two may or may not find a compromise.

Iranian officials have for quite some time now spoken of their desire for Iran to be considered a normal part of the regional subsystem, bearing equal responsibilities and sharing collective benefits. In a recent op-ed, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reiterated the Islamic Republic’s view that “security in the region is a collective responsibility” and that “either everyone is safe or everyone is deprived of it.” No one can find much fault with Zarif’s statements, however, such words will only gain meaning and lead to meaningful change if Iran takes concrete steps to demonstrate that it is ready to respect the sovereignty of Arab states and in return, the Arab side agrees to treat Iran as an equal shareholder in the region’s affairs.

WHAT IS TO COME? In the current atmosphere of uncertainty and mistrust, it is hard to accurately postulate what could

Lynching, the scourge of new India

Hindu HarsH mander

In the years since Narendra Modi was elected in 2014, ugly mob hate has spilled onto the streets, trains and people’s homes. Fevered throngs surround, brutally assault and sometimes kill unarmed men, mostly Muslim. The crowds allege that the men had slaughtered cows, or were thieves; but sometimes their only crime — as when a child was stabbed to death on a crowded train near Delhi — is that they are visibly Muslim.

LIVING IN DENIAL We describe these mob killings as lynching. The initial response of the ruling establishment to criticism of this frightening rising graph of lynching during the Modi regime was one of denial.

Both the leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), claimed that these were simple failures of law and order, ordinary crimes which had ensued under every regime. Vested interests opposed to the leadership of Mr. Modi and the BJP imposed on these statistically insignificant, random and spontaneous crimes a pattern and called these an epidemic of lynching. however, this defence began to crumble as horrific lynch attacks continued to rock many parts of the country. The second rationalisation, which echoed in television studios each time stories of lynching briefly stirred our public conscience, was that these attacks occurred because Muslims continue to traffic and slaughter cows, callous to the sentiments of their hindu neigh-

bours. hindus, according to this vindication, are understandably provoked. Not normally given to violence, they sometimes cross a line, which is regrettable but natural. Such violence will end only if Muslims and Christians learn to respect the sentiments of the majority hindu community, and abjure from cow slaughter.

FLAWS IN THE ARGUMENT There were many obvious flaws in this argument: hindus, including Dalits and Adivasis, in many parts of India eat beef; hindu farmers give up their aged cattle for culling because it is no longer economically viable for them to feed unproductive cattle; Muslim dairy farmers are no less devoted to their cattle than hindus; in the majority of lynch attacks (such as of Pehlu Khan) the animals are transported for dairying, and not for slaughter; and nothing explains the sudden outbreak of lynching in many corners of the country under the present ruling dispensation (98% of cow-related lynching since 2010 occurred after 2014).

In his annual Dussehra address, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat felt compelled to provide more compelling explanations; therefore he spoke expansively about lynching. Because of the enormous influence which the RSS wields on BJP governments, the words of the RSS head must be held to close scrutiny. he made five main points. The first is that lynching is a foreign Biblical practice, alien to Indian traditions. The second is that Indians are culturally non-violent. The third is that the RSS has no role in these lynch attacks, and tries to prevent these. The fourth is that many ordinary crimes are wrongly portrayed as lynching. And last that the law should be strengthened, if necessary, to ensure those guilty of these crimes are punished. Let me consider each of these in turn.

There indeed is no word for lynching in most Indian languages (except in Bengali — ganadholai — possibly because Kolkata for many years witnessed lynching of

pick-pockets). But Mr. Bhagwat’s claim that lynching is a practice created by religions whose ‘sacred book is written outside India’ conforms to the customary RSS bigotry against Christian and Muslim religions, demonising their beliefs.

The example he picks from the Bible in fact is one which seeks to teach love and compassion, not hate. Jesus tells a crowd bent on stoning an adulterous woman — ‘he that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.’

WORD ORIGINS The word lynching in fact originated in the United States in the mid-18th century. historians believe that the term was first used by planter Charles Lynch to describe extra-judicial authority assumed by private individuals like him. It came to be applied over time to extra-judicial killings by crowds, most commonly of AfricanAmericans in the late 19th century.

Although the word lynching is of foreign origin, this does not mean that mob killings are alien to India. Single women have frequently been lynched through the centuries, branded as witches. Dalits have been lynched with enormous cruelty for millennia. Jhajjar, Khairlanji and Una are just three recent sites of ghastly lynching of Dalits. In recent years, Dalits have been lynched for growing a moustache, riding

a horse, or building a two-storey home.

Mr. Bhagwat’s claim that Indians are culturally non-violent and their culture promotes peaceful coexistence also does not stand up to historical or contemporary scrutiny. The example he offers, that disputes over water were settled amicably by adversaries through dialogue is a cruel joke, because many of the most gruesome lynch attacks on Dalits have occurred when they have simply sought a share of water, even today. It was to draw water from a public lake that B.R. Ambedkar had to wage a powerful public agitation.

RIGHT’S CONNECTION But perhaps the most brazen untruth is Mr. Bhagwat’s contention that the RSS has nothing to do with lynch attacks, and contrarily prevent them. In more than 31 journeys to lynching sites with the Karwan e Mohabbat, I have found no lynching which is spontaneous, nor any in which anyone, least of all RSS members, have tried to prevent the lynching. The vigilantes make no secret of their adherence to hard-line violent hindutva beliefs; and victims of lynching are most often Muslims who are sometimes forced to recite ‘Jai Shri Ram’. In a strict technical sense, their membership of the RSS cannot be proved, as there is no public record of the formal adherents of the RSS. Just

be in store for Saudi-Iranian relations. But both Riyadh and Tehran have recently been talking about the dangers of escalation and expressing their desire to find a compromise that would allow for the two regional powers to peacefully co-exist. This, above anything else, signals a real possibility for sustainable peace in the Gulf. Friendly but neutral third parties can also assist in finding the means to bridge differences that have stymied a closer relationship between arguably the two most consequential states in the Muslim world.

One thing is sure, however: peaceful co-existence can only work if Tehran scales down its interference in the affairs of Arab states and Riyadh accepts that Iran also has a say in regional issues.

Iran should not expect to be allowed to continue controlling the fates of Iraq and Lebanon through affiliated militias or supporting the houthis in their assault on Yemen’s legitimate authority. It should also understand that it cannot re-join the regional system while insisting on supporting the thuggish regime of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad. Reciprocally, Saudi Arabia must understand that Iran is of the region and that it cannot simply be excluded from the region’s development.

Both Iran and Saudi Arabia’s apparent eagerness to de-escalate the situation following the October 11 attack on an Iranian tanker is perhaps the most significant sign yet that the two regional rivals are finally ready for a rapprochement.

Peaceful co-existence, however, is difficult and requires the will to talk and compromise. If either party shows reluctance to change its ways, the region will continue to live with the possibility of a war that could make all past wars look minor in comparison.

Imad K Harb is Director of Research and Analysis at Arab Centre Washington DC.

THE WORD LYNCHING IS OF FOREIGN ORIGIN. BUT THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT MOB KILLINGS ARE ALIEN TO INDIA as Nathuram Godse may not have been a formal member of the RSS at the time he assassinated Mahatma Gandhi; but this cannot obscure the reality that Godse and the vigilantes were driven by hindu supremacist ideologies of the RSS. Mr. Bhagwat’s fourth claim that many lynchings are ordinary crimes are an older rationalisation, deliberately obscuring the character of lynching as hate crimes that target people because of their identity. It cannot be a coincidence that 86% of people killed in cow-related attacks are Muslim.

The final avowal by Mr. Bhagwat of the need for tougher laws to bring lynch mobs to justice carries little credibility, because the majority of these attacks occur in BJP-ruled States, and existing laws are more than sufficient to secure justice against the attackers. Instead, almost without exception, police administrations in all these States exert to protect the killers, and criminalise the victims.

Mr. Bhagwat, in these ways, relies on many old RSS tropes — demonising ‘foreign religions’ for advocating violence; characterising Indian culture as intrinsically peaceable; and releasing the RSS from responsibility in instigating, organising and valorising this violence; and State governments from failures to prevent lynching and ensuring justice.

It is hardly surprising lynching survivors can draw no solace, security or healing from his declarations. his words are arid in compassion, displaying neither acknowledgement nor remorse.

There seems no early end therefore to the long dark night of hate and fear that has been unleashed by lynching, the scourge of new India.

Harsh Mander is a human rights worker, writer and teacher.

Friday, 18 October, 2019

Brexit deal clinched in Brussels, British pm Johnson still needs Backing at home

LONDON

B

Agencies

RITAIN clinched a Brexit deal with the European Union (EU) on Thursday, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said, just a few hours before the start of a summit of the bloc’s leaders in Brussels. Separately, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said “we

have a great new Brexit deal”.

“Where there is a will, there is a deal — we have one! It’s a fair and balanced agreement for the EU and the UK and it is testament to our commitment to find solutions,” Juncker tweeted. “I recommend that EUCO endorses this deal,” he said, referring to the European Council of the leaders of member states that was to meet later Thursday.

“We’ve got a great new deal that takes back control,” Johnson said in his tweet on

the matter. “Now parliament should get Brexit done on Saturday so we can move on to other priorities like the cost of living, the NHS, violent crime and our environment.”

Britain and the European Union have been racing to renegotiate the Withdrawal Agreement in time for an Oct 31 Brexit.

Juncker said in a letter that he would recommend that the leaders of the other 27 member states approve the deal, adding it was “high time” to complete the divorce process and move on as swiftly as possible to negotiations of the EU’s future partnership with Britain. Johnson is hoping to get approval for the agreement in a vote at an extraordinary session of the British parliament on Saturday, to pave the way for an orderly departure on October 31.

However, the Northern Irish party Johnson needs to help ratify any agreement has refused to support the deal, which was hammered out over weeks of negotiations.

A Democratic Unionist Party source told AFP the party’s earlier statement that it could not support customs and consent issues, as well as sales tax arrangements, “remains our position”.

Meanwhile, UK’s opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has said the best way to get Brexit sorted is to give the people the final say in a public vote.

Two Americans detained in east China BEIJING Agencies

Two Americans, who run an English-teaching business in China, have been detained in the east of the country, according to their company, which said they were being held on “bogus” charges.

Jacob Harlan, a father of five, and Alyssa Petersen were nabbed in Jiangsu province last month, their Idaho-based company China Horizons said on its Facebook page. A gofundme.com page set up to raise money for Petersen’s legal fees says she was formally charged with “illegally moving people across borders”.

The detentions come amid diplomatic and trade tensions between China and the United States.

“We are aware of the detention of two US citizens in Jiangsu, China and the charges being brought against them by the provincial government,” a US State Department official said on condition of anonymity.

“We take seriously our responsibility to assist US citizens abroad and are monitoring the situation.”

China Horizons said on Facebook last week that the pair “are being charged for bogus crimes and their families are working on getting them international lawyers to help them get back home to the States”.

Harlan, the founder of China Horizons,

FOREIGN NEWS 07

Former concentration camp guard, 93, goes on trial in Germany BERLIN: A 93-year-old former concentration camp guard will go on trial in Hamburg on Thursday accused of being an accessory to the murder of 5,230 people, in what could be one of the last prosecutions of Nazi war crimes. Bruno D., whose surname cannot be given for legal reasons, was part of a force that manned the watchtowers in Stutthof concentration camp, near what is now the city of Gdansk in Poland, prosecutors say. He was 17 and 18 at the time of the alleged offences in the final months of World War Two, so the nonagenarian will be tried in a youth court. Tens of thousands of people, mostly Jews, died at the camp during the six years of its existence. Many were murdered in its gas chamber while others succumbed to hunger, sickness and exhaustion. Descendents of survivors were expected to fill the court’s public galleries. Prosecutors argue that the guards were accessories to the murders through the act of stopping inmates escaping from the camp, which was one of the last to be liberated in 1945. Agencies

Protester flees Russia to avoid jail after opposition rallies MOSCOW: A Russian protester who faces up to five years in prison for throwing a plastic bottle at police said Thursday he fled the country amid an unrelenting crackdown on the opposition.

Aidar Gubaidulin, a 26-year-old programmer, was among more than a dozen people who were arrested following anti-government protests demanding fair elections this summer. He fled the country this week after realising he could soon be given a lengthy jail term, his lawyer Maxim Pashkov told AFP. “This decision did not come easy to me but the events of the last few days left me no choice,” Gubaidulin said on Facebook. “I’ve left the country and will not return anytime soon.” Gubaidulin, who tossed an empty plastic bottle towards police at a July rally but did not hit anyone, was arrested and charged with mass unrest. He was later released from pre-trial detention and eventually charged with threatening to use violence against police. Pashkov said Gubaidulin decided to leave Russia after a court on Monday upheld the conviction of another demonstrator, Konstantin Kotov, who had been jailed for four years over peaceful protests. “This affected him very much,” Pashkov said. Agencies

Mexico deports 311 Indian migrants was being held in a hotel under police surveillance in the city of Zhenjiang, according to a separate gofundme.com page set up for his legal fees.

Police detained him while he was with his eight-year-old daughter at a hotel in Weifang, Shandong province, on September 28 and took away his phone and computer, according to the post.

His daughter was finally allowed to briefly call her mother she later took an in-

ternational flight with a family friend.

Petersen, who is the associate director of China Horizons, was detained around September 27 and was not heard from for two weeks until the State Department located her, according to her gofundme.com page.

“We received information that she is doing okay, She wakes up when told, she goes to sleep when told. She spends her day in a Jail Cell or walking in circle counting steps,” the gofundme.com page says.

MEXICO: Mexican immigration authorities say they have deported 311 Indian citizens in unprecedented repatriation to the South Asian nation. The National Immigration Institute said in a statement late on Wednesday that it had flown the 310 men and one woman to New Dehli from Toluca. The migrants had been detained by immigration officials in various Mexican states before being concentrated at a detention center in the state of Veracruz in preparation for their deportation. The vast majority of migrants transiting Mexico toward the US border are from Central America, but among the mix are people from all over the world. Mexico has stepped up its immigration enforcement in recent months under pressure from the United States. The government has deployed thousands of National Guard agents along the major migration routes. Agencies

Satellite images reveal China's aircraft carrier 'factory', analysts say BEIJING Agencies

High-resolution satellite images show that the construction of China’s first fullsized aircraft carrier is progressing steadily alongside expansive infrastructure work that analysts say suggests the ship will be the first of several large vessels produced at the site.

The images of the Jiangnan shipyard outside Shanghai were taken last month and provided to Reuters by the non-partisan Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), building on satellite photos it obtained in April and September last year.

Noting a series of pre-fabricated sections, bulkheads and other components stacked nearby, CSIS analysts say the hull should be finished within 12 months, after which it is likely to be moved to a

newly created harbour and wharf before being fitted out.

The vast harbour on the Yangtze River estuary, including a wharf nearly one kilometre long and large buildings for manufacturing ship components, is nearly complete. Much of the harbour area appeared to be abandoned farmland just a year ago, according to earlier images CSIS analysed. It dwarfs an existing harbour nearby, where destroyers and other warships are docked.

“We can see slow but steady progress on the hull, but I think the really surprising thing these images show is the extensive infrastructure buildup that has gone on simultaneously,” said CSIS analyst Matthew Funaiole.

“It is hard to imagine all this is being done for just one ship,” he added. “This looks more like a specialised space for carriers and or other larger vessels.”

Singapore-based military analyst Collin Koh said the modern, purposebuilt facility on a sparsely populated is-

land in the Yangtze may provide better security than the congested shipyards of Dalian in northern China. It could also

help deepen co-operation between commercial and military shipbuilders.

The London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies noted this year that China’s military shipyards were focusing increasingly on larger surface warships, “adding to the sense that Chinese naval-capability development may be entering a new phase”. China’s navy has recently launched four large Type 055 cruisers and its first large helicopter carrier, known as the Type 075.

China’s military has not formally announced the plans for the third carrier, designated Type 002, but official state media have said it is being built.

The Pentagon said it in its annual survey of China’s military modernisation, published in May, that work on the third carrier had begun.

China’s Ministry of Defence did not respond to questions from Reuters.

Friday, 18 October, 2019

08 COMMENT You asked for it Now you have to put up with it

N

O ruling party in Pakistan has been so arrogant and full of itself as the PTi led by Prime Minister imran Khan, who is himself hubris incarnate. The opposition has been browbeaten, abused and ignored in the National Assembly. Offers of help by the opposition to jointly deal with the challenges faced by the country have been dismissed by the PM as attempts to seek an NRO. The intolerant PTi administration has meanwhile manipulated the NAB to persecute and torture the opposition leaders. Mr Khan has repeatedly challenged the opposition to launch protests against his government. When the JUi-F chief announced its Azadi March, he was mockingly dismissed as the twelfth man in a cricket team, underlining his perceived irrelevance.

The PTi cannot blame the JUi-F chief for refusing to talk to its delegation unless it brought the PM’s resignation along. The ruling party was asking for such treatment. The PM has made his bed and will have to lie in it. For over a month PTi ministers along with the PM’s special assistant for information have made fun of the Azadi March and ridiculed the opposition in general.

They have put pressure on the JUi-F leadership to call off the march. They have even approached the courts to declare it illegal. Now that their schemes have failed they need to allow the marchers to proceed peacefully to their destination. Any effort to stop them by force is likely to create a law and order situation that would harm the country.

The ruling party complains that the opposition is on the warpath ignoring that the government is fighting the Kashmir cause at international forums and the country is facing a difficult economic situation. it is time the government recognises as a blunder its failure to take the opposition on board over Kashmir and the national economy. To avoid the recurrence of further protests the government has to show respect to the opposition, take recourse to legislation through Parliament instead of ruling by ordinances, follow parliamentary rules and traditions that require production orders for parliamentarians in custody, and stop manipulating the NAB to harass and victimize the opposition leaders.

Left hanging Kurds are the latest victim of typical US abandonment At Penpoint

T

M.A. NIAZI

he humanitarian tragedy of what amounts to the Turkish invasion of Syria may be more prominent, but the way the USA has thrown to the wolves the Kurds who helped it in its fight against iSiS has an echo of a previous betrayal of the Kurdish people nearly a century ago.

The circumstances have changed greatly, but the underlying reality is the same: the Kurds do not have a state. Turkey has said, and is acting to do so, that it wishes to establish a ‘safe zone’ on Syrian territory abutting it, where it will send the Syrian refugees it is hosting, while it will clear its own southern territory of ‘terrorists’. The area involved is where Kurds mostly reside, on either side of the Turco-Syrian border.

The Kurds have a long existence, being the descendants of the Medes, who had an empire covering Persia, the Caucasus and the Anatolian Peninsula back in the 9th to 7th centuries BC. They converted when the area was conquered by the Turks, and they came back into prominence through one man, Salahuddin Ayyubi. Salahuddin was second-generation, and his father and uncle had first won a place for themselves, coming down from the hills, and winning renown as soldiers. The Attubis ruled in Syria and egypt for two centuries after, but by the time the Ottomans began to rule in the empire, the Kurds sank back into obscurity.

They came to prominence again when the Ottoman empire was broken up after its defeat in World War i. There was some US sympathy for Kurdish aspirations, but the Ottoman empire’s Kurds were split three ways, in Turkey, in Syria and in iraq. There is a fourth section, in Persia, but though there are unification aspirations, it does not

seem there is much happening over there.

The Kurds in iraq have got a region of their own around Mosul. The area has developed many of the characteristics of a separate state. however, that did not stop the Kurds from looking to the USA to help them in Syria. The price they paid was to act as the ‘boots on the ground’ in the fight against iSiS. That has got the Turks upset. it is worse for the Kurds that the Kurds are in the opposition, for they have a party of their own, the hDPP. Turkey has not got over the long civil war it had with the Kurds over its territory, which it insists on calling mountain Turks, and whose language is still officially banned in schools. Faced with a Kurdish quasi-state in iraq, it did not like the prospect of Kurds in Syria to whom the Americans would be grateful.

The USA has let down the Kurds before.

After World War i, the Ottoman empire was broken up into a number of states, Turkey itself and the majority of the current Arab states. These states did not become independent at once, but became league of Nations mandates first. Of course, the mandates were in accordance with the infamous wartime Sykes-Picot agreement.

Though old Ottoman provinces became states, like Syria and iraq, a Kurdish state was not contemplated. indeed, the British, who had the mandate for iraq, did not support Kurdish nationalist movements arising in Turkey, presumably to avoid instability in their own mandate.

There was some thought of the USA getting the mandate for Turkey, and while it was being contemplated, the USA showed some support for Kurd national aspiration. The Treaty of Sèvres in 1920, the peace treaty of the allies with Turkey, designated a large area where a plebiscite was to have been held, and which was to have been a Kurd homeland. This provision was removed in the Treaty of lausanne of 1923, which replaced the Treaty of Sèvres.

The Kurds are not the only people the USA seems to have it in for. Between the two betrayals of the Kurds, came the abandonment of the Montagnards, the tribes that lived in the Central highlands of Vietnam. While they had always been members of the armed forces of South Vietnam, they proved to be doughty warriors under US command during the Vietnamese War. When the USA withdrew from that country in 1975, it left the Montagnards behind. They were brutally and comprehensively persecuted by the victorious North Vietnamese, and some were extracted by their US colleagues, and resettled in North Carolina.

Are the Kurds to be fobbed off with the prospect of US residence? There is already a significant Kurd presence in Germany, where Kurds have gone as Turkish gastarbeiter (guest workers). The desire for a homeland had driven Turkish Kurds towards the USSR, and even now, the PKK (Kurdish Communist Party) is still the main political vehicle for Kurdish nationalism. it is because of the PKK that Turkey is able to claim that it is actually fighting terrorism.

Apart from the Kurds and the Montagnards, the USA has involved itself in the affairs of another people which has dwells among mountains: the Afghans. One of the issues likely to arise in the future in Afghanistan is what will happen to the Afghans who took the side of the USA. it should be remembered that the USA has not just needed fighters, but also translators and arrangers of food supply. One advantage is that the Afghans already have their nation-state; it should not be forgotten that the Montagnards were held out of the prospect of a separate state back in the 1960s.

The USA might be concerned for the fate of its allies, but the allies need to be more worried.

Not just entire peoples and nations, but organisations, groups and even individuals. The Kurds illustrate best the inevitable difference in perception. For the Kurds, it is a matter of national recognition, no less, but for the USA, it is just one piece (though an important one) in the mosaic that is the Middle east. And no one should forget, least of all any hopeful Kurdish nationalists, that there are other things happening in the Middle east, not least the evolving iranian situation, to attract US attention.

M.A. Niazi is a member of the staff.

Back to the future

Death on the Superhighway Judicial inquiry needed to prevent future recurrence

We’re back to the appeasement of 1939

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hRee truckers were killed and another injured after Frontier Works Organisation personnel fired on a crowd of protester on the Superhighway near Karachi, which had gathered to protest the FWO’s attempt to implement the maximum axle loads permitted in a recent Supreme Court judgement. The DiG Traffic has claimed that the FWO had engaged in aerial firing. how aerial firing could result in such casualties is not known. Only direct firing into the crowd is consistent with the number of those killed. There is also silence on why the FWO was implementing the axle load. That was a policing problem, and should have been handled by those supposedly responsible for it, the traffic police, rather than the FWO. A judicial inquiry is needed to examine the incident in detail. it must not only identify those responsible for the deaths, but also make recommendations about how in future such incidents are to be avoided. however, even before such an enquiry is held, it would not be out of place to say that FWO personnel consist of combat engineers, who can double as infantry if need be. having them perform policing functions like checking axle loads is a misuse of soldiers trained to kill. Such events are perhaps inevitable if soldiers have to perform civilian functions, and are perhaps the most potent arguments there are, to keep military personnel isolated, and in a social environment of their own. There are problems caused by that, and it should be remembered that having an axle load greater than the Supreme Court’s maximum should not carry the death sentence.

There was a man shot dead at a park in 2012, by Rangers, who had been inducted to improve law and order in Karachi. Those who had done the shooting were brought to trial, found guilty, but ultimately were acquitted on appeal. it remains to be seen whether the FWO personnel responsible for this incident are brought to book or not.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

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ArshAd MAhMood

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hile addressing the United Nations, Prime Minister imran Khan proclaimed that the world today is back to 1939. Understanding the link of the prevailing global environment with that of 1939 is exceedingly imperative to realize how the world is at the threshold of yet another devastating war. in his paper Back to the Future, John J. Mearsheimer used historic accounts of the Cold War as research tools to predict the geostrategic environment of europe in the Post-Cold War era.

Amongst the contemporary theorists, Fareed Zakaria – in his Rise of the Rest theory – identifies numerous similarities between the present global environment with that of the early 20th century that led to the demise of theBritish empire.

At UN, imran also predicted that the tumultuous period of 1939 is repeating itself. Seventy years ago many political scientists had been giving similar warnings. But such voices had remained unheard and the world experienced the most appalling event of the human history. it will help to recall the 1938-9 British appeasement of Germany. Sudetenland was a small bordering town and a disputed territory between Germany and Czechoslovakia. Under the 1919 Treaty of Versailles, the Sudetenland was taken away from Germany and given to Czechoslovakia– a new state which emerged after the dissolution of the Austro-hungarian empire. Amongst many others, it was the first seed of discord sown in europe. later, the USA had pledged that the people of Sudetenland would be allowed to decide their future. This, however, had never happened. in 1938, during Munich Conference, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain concluded a dreadful appeasement deal with Adolf hitler by not objecting to Germany’s seizure of Sudetenland as long as hitler respected the sovereignty of the rest of Czechoslovakia. Chamberlain was confident that he had preserved peace in europe. his assumption – based on irrationality – proved Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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totally wrong as hitler continued his conquests, plunging all europe in Second World War. Kashmir is the Sudetenland of today. Being bones of contentions between two neighbouring states, both were promised to decide their fate themselves. The Kashmir case is even stronger as its people were guaranteed by the world highest forum to exercise their just right of self determination. The commitments to both were never fulfilled by the international community, hence, inviting imposition of laws of jungle on human beings. Where hitler’s military voyage into Sudetenland resulted in devastation in europe, Modi’s misadventure in Kashmir has brought South Asia to the brink of a horrible war.

The systemic environments in both the situations also bear identical characteristics. The First World War had proved to be the starting point of transition in the global world order. Before the outbreak of hostilities in 1939, the power equation on the world chessboard had already changed. Amongst seven great powers of the multipolar world, The UK and France were heavily depleted and trapped in financial debt.

Germany and italy wanted to resurge in global politics. China was also undergoing a revolution with an ambiguous power position in the world order. There were left only two contenders of the new bipolar world order, the USA and the USSR. Almost the same situation prevails today in the Unipolar world. Though the USA maintains its ascendency, it has been losing its relative global power. Who are aspiring for the next superpower stature? To David Singer, the contenders must possess capabilities and intentions. Among the contemporary actors, resurging Russia and rising China have proved to be the only probables– though capabilities of the former and intentions of the latter are debatable. hence, the picture on the global canvas is again smoggy. What will be the nature of next world order, is not yet clear but for sure the USA is fast losing supremacy. it, however, is determined to go to the last limit in containing China by Russia and prevent the power transition.

Under an uncertain global environment, the perceptions of the great and major powers were also fractured over emanating threats from: the fascist ideology of Germany and italy in 1939; and, hindutva in india, today. Many states– like those which emerged from the Austro-hungarian empire– having no status in the global power sharing, never raised their concerns. influential world leaders– especially Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevel– opted to remain away from

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the crisis considering that the flames of war would not reach them. Most european states–losing economic balance and entangled in deep financial debts– considered appeasement the rational choice to stop hitler. it was finally Chamberlain’s appeasement of hitler– that imran referred to– which led to the Second World War in 1939.

World opinion, even today is split on lowering clouds of war in South Asia. Notwithstanding that Kashmir is purely a humanitarian issue, it is not linked with the geoeconomic or geostrategic interests of european states. The islamic Ummah may be concerned due to sharing islamic ideology but is irrelevant in global politics. Above all the Middle eastern islamic states are fighting against their internal pressures.

Kashmir certainly matters to three global great players and has an intimate linkage with the power transition due to its close proximity to the China-Pakistan economic Corridor. if CPeC is completed as planned, certain powers shall be bound to relinquish or share their hegemony with China and Russia. india is serving a key role in containing Asia’s rise and maintaining the status quo. China and Russia favour a resolution of the Kashmir issue because a peaceful South Asia is essential for their rise.

One can, also, spot two dissimilarities in both the situations. Firstly, the demography of Sudetenland favoured Germany, unlike that of Kashmir to india. had the people of Sudetenland been granted the promised right of self-determination, they would have definitely opted for Germany, unlike Kashmiris who would vote against india.

Secondly, neither could Pakistan be equated with any of the european states of 1939 to easily be engulfed by india, nor india with Nazi Germany, enjoying asymmetrical ascendency to threaten Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. in view of the parallels drawn above, the world today is back to the future. Kashmir – the contemporary Sudetenland – has been annexed by hitler’s staunch aficionado Modi. The global players are once again mum either due to covert appeasement of india, not considering Kashmir on their agenda or totally not perceiving the magnitude of the threat of Modi to regional and international peace. Whereas, many like imran Khan have been shouting at the top of their voices to learn from history before it is too late.

Arshad Mahmood is on the visiting faculty of NDU, Islamabad and can be contacted at: arshadmahmood74@hotmail.com.

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Friday, 18 October, 2019

COMMENT 09 Editor’s mail

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Marble industry in the capital

Is Turkey justified in attacking Kurd terrorists?

Turkey says it is not against Kurds

sultAN MehMood hAlI

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ONFliCTiNG reports are being carried by the media about Turkey and the Kurds. US President Donald Trump, who was supportive of the Kurds’ sacrifices in defeating the Daesh, apparently abandoned them prior to the Turkish military operation. however, he went on to impose sanctions on Turkish government agencies and officials in response to Turkey’s incursion into Syria, an invasion that he himself had cleared the way for by withdrawing US troops.

The US President, who is plagued by possible impeachment, may have his decision to withdraw US troops from Syria reversed by Congress. According to media reports, house Speaker Nancy Pelosi, leader of the Democraticcontrolled house of Representatives, and Senator lindsey Graham, a Trump Republican ally, have agreed in a phone conversation on the need for quick action condemning Turkey’s attacks on the Kurdish fighters. Meanwhile, Russia is moving in troops to fill the vacuum left by the US withdrawal to separate warring factions.

While sifting through the chaff of varying narratives, some light is shed on the question by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu in his New York Times article of 11 October, ‘Why Turkey Took the Fight to Syria’. he laments that Turkey’s military operation in northeastern Syria is being spun in the US media as an attack on Kurds, as weakening the fight against the remnants of Daesh and hurting the USA’s credibility with its allies. Mr Çavuşoğlu states that Turkey started the operation to ensure its national security by removing the danger posed by terrorists along its borders.

This operation will liberate Syrians living there from the tyranny of terrorist organizations and eliminate the threat to Syria’s territorial integrity and political unity. These two developments would facilitate the safe and voluntary return of displaced Syrians. he reiterates that Turkey has never accepted a corridor run by a terrorist group on its border and has repeatedly proposed establishing a safe zone, including at the United Nations General Assembly. it has called on the USA to stop providing material support to terrorists.

Renowned journalist Pepe escobar writes for Asia Times in his Op-ed titled ‘Kurds face stark options after US pullback’ that “The predominant Western narrative credits the Syrian Democratic Forces, mostly Kurdish, for fighting and defeating Daesh. The SDF is essentially a collection of mercenaries working for the Pentagon against Damascus. But many Syrian citizens argue that iSiS was in fact defeated by the Syrian Arab Army, Russian aerial and technical expertise plus advisers and special forces from iran and hezbollah. As much as Ankara may regard the YPG Kurds and the PKK as mere “terrorists” (in the PKK’s case aligned with Washington), Operation Peace Spring has in principle nothing to do with a massacre of Kurds.

Facts on the ground will reveal whether ethnic cleansing is inbuilt in the Turkish offensive.

A century ago few Kurds lived in these parts, which were populated mostly by Arabs, Armenians and Assyrians. So, this won’t qualify as ethnic cleansing on ancestral lands. But if the town of Afrin is anything to go by the consequences could be severe.”

The Turkish Foreign Minister claims that the American security bureaucracy couldn’t bring itself to disengage from the PYD/YPG. This is even though US officials, including a Defense Secretary, have admitted that the PYD/YPG, which forms the core of Syrian Democratic Forces, is inseparable from the PKK, in Turkey, which is recognized as a terrorist organization by the USA, the european Union and NATO. The Turk narrative highlights that its US interlocutors seemed to agree that those forces needed to be removed from along its borders and Turkey had even agreed on a timeline. Most recently, military-to-military talks in August ended with a mutual commitment to establish a safe zone from which the PYD/YPG was supposed to be removed. But the USA did not see this through and gave Turkey the strong impression that it was playing for time as the terrorist group entrenched itself even deeper in Syria.

The Turkish Foreign Minister’s account here coincides with escobar that PYD/YPG may present itself to the world as the group that fought Daesh, but Çavuşoğlu reveals that the PYD/YPG also smuggles explosives to the PKK by digging tunnels into Turkish soil. he claims to have found members of P.Y.D./Y.P.G. ushering Daesh prisoners toward Turkey. he quotes a November 2017 BBC report about a secret deal under which the Syrian Democratic Forces arranged transport and allowed hundreds of Daesh terrorists to escape during the coalition operation to liberate the city of Raqqa.

The above acts forced Turkey to launch the operation. Several voices expressed concerns about the safety of the Kurdish population in Syria. Çavuşoğlu repeats that Turkey’s fight is not against the Kurds, but against the terrorists.

Any description of the situation as “Turks against Kurds” is malicious and false. Kurds are not Turkey’s enemies.

The target of the Turkish forces is the complex of terror run together by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and the P.Y.D./Y.P.G., which have recruited child soldiers, intimidated dissidents, altered the demography and forced conscription in areas under their control. The Kurds, Arabs, Christians and others who have

been suffering under the P.Y.D./Y.P.G. yoke will be better off when freed. The World Council of Aramaean Christians has been asserting this point insistently.

Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu assures that before proceeding with this operation, Turkey has taken all steps to minimize risk to civilians and prevent a humanitarian crisis. Over the past several years, Turkey has provided shelter to large numbers of refugees from northeastern Syria, including Arabs, Kurds and Turkmens.

Most of them, including over 300,000 Kurds, were driven from their homes by the terrorists. Turkey extended to them safety, shelter and livelihood on its own soil. Çavuşoğlu informs that Turkey is the biggest humanitarian spender in the world and host to most refugees worldwide. Turkey has established a reliable pattern in the last three years. Turkey’s operations in northwestern Syria, in 2016-7 in and around Jarabulus and 2018 in Afrin, cleared a vast area of the terrorist presence. in their aftermath the communities that suffered under the terrorists started living in peace and benefiting from orderly governance. Some 365,000 refugees returned home in northwestern Syria.

Turkey also instituted public services, including schools for over 230,000 students. Six hospitals with 55 ambulances employ over 2,000 Syrian and Turkish personnel in liberated areas in northwestern Syria. Scores of recreational and sports facilities were built, including a soccer stadium. Businesses were rehabilitated and a border gate opened to facilitate trade.

Agriculture and animal husbandry started receiving material support.

The Turks insist that the PKK has been blackmailing the global community by claiming that the fight against Daesh would falter without it.

But the fight against those brutal terrorists will not falter, especially if its allies stay the course and cooperate with Turkey. Turkey is the only nation that put boots on the ground against Daesh.

The punchline of the article is that: “The Syrians want to go home now. They have suffered more than enough. We are taking the initiative to help create the peaceful conditions that are necessary for the homecoming of millions of refugees. Contrary to the prevailing misapprehensions, our operation will help address the humanitarian dimension of the problem, contribute to the preservation of the unity of the country and add to the political process.” here we should consider Moscow’s role. it had previously encouraged the Syrian Kurds to talk to Damascus to prevent a Turkish campaign, but failing that Moscow is now trying to bridge the gap between Syria and Turkey whose diplomatic ties have been severed for seven years.

We Pakistanis have experienced the scourge of terrorism and our various operations ultimately led to the defeat of the terror organization; albeit our military campaign was limited to our own territory. if Turkey needs to take the fight beyond its borders to eradicate terrorism, it must be supported but this should not turn into an armed conflict with a brother Muslim state, Syria.

Sultan Mehmood Hali is a retired Group Captain and author of the book Defence & Diplomacy. Currently he is a columnist, analyst and TV talk show host.

TheRe was a new item in the daily The News international that the Director environment of the Capital Development authority (CDA) has suggested that the Marble industry in the i-9 industrial area be relocated outside of city to Sangjani. This industry is running in the area under the stay order from the SC of Pakistan. The court had directed owners to environmental control systems that ensure that the factories don’t pollute the environment. Unfortunately, the owners of marble industry did nothing to comply with orders of the SC. One fails to understand that why the environment department does not strictly enforce measures that ensure clean and healthy environment, especially when there is a court order to this effect too. No industry can function and survive without human labor. This industry is quite weak in maintaining adequate standard of labor safety and welfare. lack of proper working conditions, living quarters, health facility, and other facilities make it quite a daring task for labor to work in this industry. i would like to draw the attention of CDA and other authorities to the fact that in absence of ensuring proper environmental protection systems and labor support facilities, relocation of the industry to Sangjani or any other area would only fix the issue for a very short time. Pretty soon the new area would be polluted with below par working and living condition for labor as well and locals of the area. i request the authorities to ensure strict enforcement of proper disposal systems of waste and healthy living and working environment for labor at any proposed site so that issue is fixed on long term basis.

RAJA SHAFAATULLAH Islamabad

Power sector woes WheTheR you are deficit in power production or surplus in generation , you are doomed to have load shedding , unannounced power cuts , poor quality and power delivery with ever rising electricity bills. Power thefts and pilferage continue. Unholistic planning , incoordination and lack of ontime right decision making , incompetence coupled with corruption and inefficiency continue.

Scheduled and regular maintenance of plant isn’t carried out scientifically and introduced especially in transmission & distribution sectors. No inventories are maintained for replacement of old equipment and their retirement. especially the workmanship and quality of maintenance in the distribution sector is highly deplorable resulting in poor service to consumers. There are thousands of engineers , economists , professors holding highest degrees & qualifications in the country besides persons proficient in their respective fields. Why the government has been unable to resolve and thrash out circular debt problem once for all , which has become an economic monster for the nation? Why dont they get rid of the tested useless experts and entrust this job to the best minds available ?

As regards unused generation of iPPs and the resulting payment thereof by the government , there is no use crying over the split milk once the contracts are in force. The contracts conditions have been agreed to and wetted by our contract engineers and higher authorities and are a sovereign documents. Any adverse clauses should have been modified at the time of reviewing and final agreement by those responsible.

The expertise in preparation , formulating and finalisation of contract documents needs to be strengthened and brought up to higher standards to safeguard the national interests.

ENGR RIAz BHUTTA Lahore

Honouring our heroes While we celebrate Defense Day on 6 September we must honor the memory of men who offered supreme sacrifice to defend their motherland. There is a long list of such valiant brave sons of this soil starting from Nishan e haider recipient Capt Muhammad Sarwar Shaheed who laid down his life in First Kashmir War on 27 July 1948 and Naik Saif Ali Janjua who embraced martyrdom on 26 April 1948 and was decorated hilal-e-Kashmir equivalent to Nishan e haider and Major Tufail who offered supreme sacrifice on 7 August 1958.

Men like Shaheed Major Aziz Bhatti were given Nishan e haider for displaying extraordinary courage against advancing indian Army in Burki Sector of lahore in 1965, while Rashid Minhas a young Pilot Officer died while trying to prevent hijacking of a jet to india in 1971. Major Shabbir Sharif was another icon posthumously awarded Nishan e haider for extraordinary display of courage in 1971. The 11nth recipient of Nishan e haider was havaldar lalak Jan who embraced shahadat during Kargil war in 1999. All these men sacrificed their today so that the rest of us can live with dignity as free citizens of Pakistan. history must never be distorted and recognition must always be given to those who have earned it The people of Pakistan owe their freedom to pioneers of freedom struggle led by politicians of integrity and commitment like poet philosopher Allama iqbal, Quaid e Azam MAJ and others. Both Allama iqbal and MAJ returned from europe after getting higher education to wage a political struggle. They sacrificed their lucrative careers in europe to devote their life and lead political struggle which finally culminated in the creation of Pakistan on 14 August 1947, in spite of opposition by Congress Party and bias of last Viceroy lord Mountbatten. Allama iqbal died in lahore on 21 April 1938. he was President of Punjab Muslim league and in 1930 espoused idea of separate Muslim majority nation-hood, which became basis for 1940 Resolution. We must always remember that foundations of Muslim league were laid in Dacca on 30 December 1906 under leadership of Nawab Waqar-ul-Mulk, Nawab Salimullah, Zafar Ali Khan and others.

MALIk TARIq ALI Lahore

Friday, 18 October, 2019

10 FOREIGN NEWS

Violence 'must stop now', catalan leader says as Barcelona Burns BARCELONA

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Agencies

ATALAN president Quim Torra called for an immediate halt to the violent clashes that rocked Barcelona for a third day Wednesday, warning they were harming the image of the separatist movement.

As the Catalan capital echoed with the sound of sirens and masked youths staged running battles with riot police, Spain’s Pedro Sanchez had made a direct appeal to Torra to “clearly condemn” the violence. Earlier on Wednesday, thousands gathered for a protest called by the radical CDR. But as the evening wore on, the situation quickly became chaotic, with hundreds running through the streets, hurling broken paving stones, torching cars and occasionally stopping to take selfies in front of the burning barricades.

“This isn’t violence, it’s self-defence,” roared a group of masked youngsters in front of a blazing barricade.

Some even threw Molotov cocktails, the regional police said, with scenes of violence also spreading to other cities in the region such as Tarragona and Leida, prompting the Catalan leader to give a televised address shortly after midnight.

“This has to stop right now,” Torra said. “There is no reason or justification for burning cars, nor any other vandalism.

Protest should be peaceful.

“We cannot allow such groups who infiltrate and provoke to harm the image of a movement which counts millions of Catalans,” he added.

Breaking the silence: Until now, Torra has not made any comment on the violence which erupted on Monday just hours after the Supreme Court handed down heavy prison sentences to

nine Catalan leaders for their role in the failed independence bid of 2017. So far, Madrid has shown little appetite for taking matters into its own hands, despite the ongoing protests in Barcelona and elsewhere that have hit screens around the world as Catalan separatists have made their anger known.

The latest crisis began just over

two years ago when Catalonia’s separatist leaders held a banned referendum then issued a short-lived declaration of independence, prompting Madrid to sack its government and suspend the region’s autonomy.

It also put 12 of its leaders on trial, nine of whom were condemned for sedition on Monday, and handed prison terms

of between nine and 13 years.

Earlier on Wednesday, as the crowds massed in central Barcelona, many began hurling toilet rolls into the air in response to a slogan by the movement saying there was “a lot of shit to clean up”.

“I’m just a bag of nerves,” said Jose Ramon Garcia, one elderly local resident who had stepped out for a quiet drink and found himself caught up in the protests.

“I was just sitting calmly in the bar and suddenly the appeared from all directions,” he told AFP. “And these are ‘peaceful’ demonstrators?”

Elsewhere an 18-year-old student with an independence flag around his shoulders said many had simply lost the will to protest peacefully.

“It’s a reaction to what the police did on October 1 to shut down the referendum and against what the justice system did on Monday in condemning the separatist (leaders),” Bernat Busquet told AFP of the ill-fated referendum which was marred by violence.

Just hours after the verdict was announced, some 10,000 protesters swarmed Barcelona’s El Prat airport, cutting off transport links and forcing the cancellation of more than 100 flights.

Riot police charged at the demonstrators on several occasions, firing foam rounds into the crowds, with the emergency services saying 115 people were injured, including a protester who lost sight in one eye.

Dark web child porn bust leads HK lawmakers dragged from chamber as leader heckled for second day to 338 arrests worldwide CENTRAL

WASHINGTON

Agencies

Agencies

Law enforcement officials said on Wednesday they had arrested hundreds of people worldwide after knocking out a South Koreabased dark web child pornography site that sold gruesome videos for digital cash.

Officials from the United States, Britain and South Korea described the network as one of the largest child pornography operations they had encountered to date.

Called Welcome To Video, the website relied on the bitcoin cryptocurrency to sell access to 250,000 videos depicting child sexual abuse, authorities said, including footage of extremely young children being raped. Its upload page specifically stated, “Do not upload adult porn.”

“Darknet sites that profit from the sexual exploitation of children are among the vilest and reprehensible forms of criminal behaviour,” U.S. Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski said.

Officials have rescued at least 23 underage victims in the United States, Britain and Spain who were being actively abused by users of the site, the Justice Department said.

Many children in the videos have not yet been identified.

The site’s vast library – nearly half of it consisting of images never seen before by law enforcement – is an illustration of what authorities say is an explosion of sexual abuse content online. In a statement, Britain’s National Crime Agency said officials were seeing “increases in severity, scale and complexity.”

Welcome To Video’s operator, a South Korean named Jong-Woo Son, and 337 users in 12 different countries, have been charged so far, authorities said.

Son, currently serving an 18month sentence in South Korea, was also indicted on federal charges in Washington. Several other people charged in the case have already been

Pro-democracy lawmakers were dragged out of Hong Kong’s legislature by security guards on Thursday after they heckled the city’s pro-Beijing leader for a second day running, the latest outburst of political rancour in the strife-torn city.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam has faced an outpouring of anger from her opponents since the legislature opened its doors for a new session on Wednesday, three months after the building was trashed by masked protesters.

Lam was unable to give a State of the Union-style policy speech on Wednesday after pro-democracy lawmakers, who form a minority on the pro-Beijing-stacked legislature, repeatedly interrupted her.

Instead, she was forced to deliver the address via a pre-recorded video.

Lam returned to the Legislative Council on Thursday to answer questions from lawmakers about the content of that policy speech.

But chaos erupted once again as her opponents chanted slogans and were dragged oneby-one from the chamber.

convicted and are serving prison sentences of up to 15 years, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

Welcome To Video is one of the first websites to monetize child pornography using bitcoin, which allows users to hide their identities during financial transactions.

Users were able to redeem the digital currency in return for “points” that they could spend downloading videos or buying all-you-can watch “VIP” accounts. Points could also be earned by uploading fresh child pornography.

“These are the bottom feeders of the criminal world,” said Don Fort, chief of criminal investigation at the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, which initiated the investigation.

The Justice Department said the site collected at least $370,000 worth of bitcoin before it was taken down in March 2018 and that the currency was laundered through three unnamed digital currency exchanges.

Darknet websites are designed to be all-but-impossible to locate online. How authorities managed to locate and bring down the site isn’t clear, with differing narratives by different law enforcement organizations on the matter.

Fort said the investigation was triggered by a tip to the IRS from a confidential source. However, Britain’s National Crime Agency said they came across the site during an investigation into a British academic who in October 2017 pleaded guilty here to blackmailing more than 50 people, including teenagers, into sending him depraved images that he shared online.

In a statement, British authorities said the National Crime Agency’s cybercrime unit deployed “specialist capabilities” to identify the server’s location. The NCA did not immediately return an email seeking clarification on the term, which is sometimes used as a euphemism for hacking.

Later in the evening she hosted a Facebook Live event in which angry emojis and critical comments dominated her page.

Hong Kong has been rocked by the worst political unrest in decades.

Millions have taken to the streets, initially against a now-dropped bid to allow extraditions to the authoritarian Chinese mainland.

But after Beijing and Lam took a hard line, the movement snowballed into a broader push for democracy and police accountability. Violence has escalated on both sides of the political divide with hardcore protesters wielding petrol bombs and stones, and police responding with ever-increasing amounts of tear gas, rubber bullets and even live rounds in recent weeks. Vigilante attacks have also flourished.

A leading figure within Hong Kong’s democracy movement said Thursday he was recovering after being set upon by a gang of hammer-wielding thugs, the latest assault on Beijing critics in Hong Kong.

Jimmy Sham, one of the protest movement’s most recognisable faces, was left lying in a pool of blood late Wednesday after he was jumped by around five men in the district of Mong Kok.

35 foreigners dead in Saudi bus crash: state media MEDINA Agencies

Thirty-five foreigners were killed and four others injured when a bus collided with another heavy vehicle near the Muslim holy city of Medina, Saudi state media said on Thursday.

The accident on Wednesday involved a collision between “a private chartered bus… with a heavy vehicle (loader)” near the western Saudi Arabian city, a spokesman for Medina police said, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.

Those involved were Arab and Asian pilgrims, according to local media, who carried pictures of the bus engulfed in flames and with its windows blown out.

The injured have been transferred to AlHamna Hospital, SPA added, and authorities have launched an investigation.

The accident comes after four British pilgrims were killed and 12 others injured in Saudi Arabia when their bus collided with a

fuel tanker in April 2018. They were on their way to the holy city of Mecca.

In January 2017, six Britons, including a two-month-old baby, were killed in a minibus on their way to Medina after making a pilgrimage to Mecca.

As part of efforts to diversify its oildependent economy, the ultra-conservative kingdom wants to foster a year-round religious tourism sector that includes millions of pilgrims.

Up until last month, the country only issued visas to Muslim pilgrims, foreign workers and recently to spectators at sporting or cultural events, but tourists are now allowed to visit as part of the drive to prepare the biggest Arab economy for a post-oil era.

In September 2015, a stampede killed up to 2,300 worshippers — including hundreds of Iranians — in the worst disaster ever to strike the Hajj annual pilgrimage.

Earlier that month, 100 people were killed when a construction crane toppled into a courtyard of Mecca’s Grand Mosque.

Friday, 18 October, 2019

BUSINESS 11 CORPORATE CORNER

Govt to eStaBliSh CuStomS authoritY to CurB SmuGGlinG ISlamaBaD

KARACHI: After gaining tremendous popularity among consumers in Karachi, ‘Scene On’ – the brand of highquality snacks from National Foods Limited – will now be available all over Pakistan. A vibrant launch ceremony was held recently in Lahore to mark this nationwide expansion. prESS rElEa S E

ISLAMABAD: The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), British Deputy High Commission Karachi, Pakistan Business Council’s Centre of Excellence in Responsible Business (CERB) and CFA Society Pakistan jointly convened a high profile event to mark the Global Ethics Day 2019. prESS r E l E a S E

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HE government has decided to establish a Customs Authority, besides developing a pool to collect data and information regarding smuggling and similar mechanisms, to curb the inflow of non-duty paid items in the country.

The decision was taken by Prime Minister Imran Khan while chairing a high-level meeting on Thursday.

Briefing the media about the meeting, Special Assistant to PM on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said that a joint data bank would be developed in consultation with all agencies and departments posted in districts that were part of erstwhile FATA and bordering areas of Balochistan.

The special assistant said that the current system worked in isolation and all the relevant departments operated in silos without any coordination – possibly shying to share information with each other.

"Almost everybody from coast guard which

‘UNDER THE AUTHORITY, A JOINT DATA BANK WILL BE DEVELOPED TO COLLECT INFORMATION REGARDING SMUGGLING ACTIVITIES’ patrols the coastline in the water to the customs department, civil and military intelligence agencies etc did not share their information and records with each other as a result of which smuggling could not be controlled," Dr Awan stated. "We are set to reduce human interaction at the maximum level and all departments posted at the borders and smuggling prone areas will provide their input to the central pool."

She informed that the PM has granted approval for the establishment of a Customs Authority to plug the misuse of power within the Customs department.

CDWP approves nine projects worth Rs40bn ISlamaBaD GHUlaM aBBaS

KARACHI: Beach Luxury Hotel and TVNation (Pvt) Ltd have signed a TV service agreement, under which the guests at Beach Luxury Hotel will enjoy the superior viewing experience offered by TVNation. p r E S S r E l E a S E

KARACHI: Jubilee Life Insurance has signed an agreement with Outdoor One, under which Jubilee Life’s Saffron members can spend time waiting for their flights at Outdoor One’s newly-opened lounge at the Jinnah International Airport. pr E S S r E l E a S E

The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has approved nine projects worth Rs40 billion and recommended two projects worth Rs55.5 billion to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for consideration, Radio Pakistan reported.

The CDWP meeting was held in Islamabad on Thursday with Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan in the chair.

Projects related to the energy sector that were approved on the occasion included the "Establishment of Regional Grid in GilgitBaltistan Phase-1" worth Rs4.95 billion; "220kv Nawab Shah Substation" worth 6.29 billion; "220kv Larkana New Substations" worth Rs6.44 billion; "Procurement of 220Kv Mobile Grid Station along with Emergency Recovery of Sys-

tem and 500kv Shunt Reactors for Emergency Services" worth Rs6.97 billion; and "220kv Swabi Substation" worth Rs6.34 billion.

Meanwhile, the CDWP approved a science and technology-related project titled "Pakistan Research Reactor3" worth Rs4.67 billion. Another project of the same sector titled "Establishment of Campus at National University of Technology, Islamabad" worth Rs2.87 billion was also approved.

Among projects related to the health sector, the CDWP approved a project titled "Establishment of Safe Blood Transfusion Service Project

Phase-II" worth 863.367 million, while recommending another titled "Strengthening and up-gradation of the Nursing and Midwifery sub-sector within the health sector of Pakistan" worth 27.9 billion to ECNEC. A project titled "Establishment of Medical Device Development Center at National University of Science & Technology" worth Rs331.12 million was approved by CDWP, whereas a project titled "National Programme for Enhancing command area in Barani areas of Pakistan" worth Rs27.5 billion was recommended to ECNEC.

Meezan Bank wins ‘GIFA Special Award 2019’ BUSINESS DESK

KARACHI: Lifebuoy Shampoo recently announced its partnership with The Citizens Foundation (TCF) to facilitate the education of 10,000 girls across Pakistan. p r E S S r E l E a S E

Meezan Bank has been conferred with multiple awards, including the ‘GIFA Special Award 2019’ for its ‘Shariah Advisory Role’ at the 9th Global Islamic Finance Awards (GIFA) held in Cape Town, South Africa.

In addition, Meezan Bank has been named as the ‘Shariah Auditor of the Year’, and the winner of ‘Shariah Authenticity Award’ owing to its contributions to the Islamic finance industry.

This is the fourth year that Meezan Bank has been recognised at this esteemed platform since 2013. The GIFA awards are among the most prestigious global awards in the field of Islamic banking and are assessed on the basis

of following three factors: Social Responsibility, Shariah Authenticity and Commitment to Islamic Banking and Finance. Meezan Bank’s recognition in three award categories is testimony to the fact that Meezan Bank stands among the topmost Shariah-compliant financial institutions in the world.

On receiving the award, Meezan Bank’s President and CEO Irfan Siddiqui said, “Meezan Bank is deeply honored to be recognized for its efforts towards driving the growth of Islamic finance in Pakistan. As a pioneer of Islamic banking in the country and the winner of ‘Best Bank – 2018’, we continue to move forward with a firm hold on our values and Shariah-compliance.”

SC takes FBR to task over tax collection BUSINESS DESK

KARACHI: First Lady Samina Alvi pressed the button to convert the colour of Quaid-e-Azam's mausoleum into pink as part of breast cancer awareness campaign.

Pink Ribbon CEO Omar Aftar and Molty Foam DGM Nazim Khan were also present. p r E S S r E l E a S E

The Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) performance was questioned by the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SBP) during a hearing on Thursday.

Justice Gulzar Ahmed remarked that the board is turning into a burden for the government. “Why hasn’t the board been able to meet its

tax targets?”

They have employed more than 22,000 people just to collect 20pc of taxes. More than 80pc of the taxes are indirect, the judge said.

The court was hearing an appeal filed by the federal board challenging the restoration of its Muhammad Anwar Goraya. A two-member bench dismissed the board’s petition

in the case.

Goraya was posted as an accountant of the inland revenue department in Karachi.

He was removed from his post in 2015 over “inefficiency and corruption”. An FBR team had even submitted a report against his conduct. Goraya, however, had challenged his sacking. His appointment was eventually restored by a court.

"The system currently is that all the cases, from imposing penalties to confiscating goods, are settled at the lower level. The Customs Directorate will be transformed into an authority and relevant stakeholders and departments would remain in close coordination with this body," she said, adding that the central pool would also be established under the Customs Authority.

She termed the move as the only serious effort made in the history of Pakistan to curb illegal trade and smuggling, saying that smuggling was like a termite to the country's economic growth.

The special assistant said that the move is expected to bring confidence among the investors, including genuine importers and industrialists, as the grey economy would be capped to a larger extent.

The meeting was informed that Pakistan was facing an annual loss of around $6.94 billion, including $3.47 billion in terms of revenue loss due to smuggling. However, the real impact on the economy was much higher as local production has become costlier while cheaper smuggled products are being sold in the market.

Foreign investment jumps 137pc in 1Q FY20 Total foreign investment into the country jumped by 137pc, or $512 million, in the first three months of the financial year 2019-20, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) reported on Thursday. The total investment during the JulySeptember 2019 period clocked in at $886 million as compared to $374 million during the same period in 2018. In a breakup of the total investment, the central bank posted a 51pc increase in foreign private investment during the period under review. The investment under this head increased to $564 million during the three-month period in contrast with $374 million during the same quarter last year.

Foreign direct investment (FDI), however, decreased by 3pc during the period under review to $542 million as compared to $559 million during the same months last year. On a month-on-month basis, total foreign investment rose to $622 million during September 2019 as compared to $126 million during the same month in 2018. The FDI also increased to $385 million during September as opposed to $182 million during September 2018. BUSINESS DESK

SBP reserves increase $56m to stand at $7.8bn The foreign exchange reserves held by the central bank increased 0.72pc on a weekly basis, according to data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Thursday. On October 11, the foreign currency reserves held by the SBP were recorded at $7,813.7 million, up $56.1 million compared with $7,757.6 million in the previous week. The report cited no reason for the increase in reserves. The overall liquid foreign currency reserves held by the country, including net reserves held by banks other than the SBP, stood at $15,142.6 million. Net reserves held by banks amounted to $7,328.9 million. BUSINESS DESK

29 benami properties unearthed in Peshawar The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has unearthed as many as 29 undeclared (benami) properties in Khyber Pakhtunkhuwa (KP), a private media outlet reported on Thursday. As per details, the properties, identified in Peshawar’s areas of Hayatabad and University Town, were registered against different computerised national identity cards (CNICs).

No one has claimed the ownership of the undeclared properties as yet, prompting the FBR to send data of the undeclared properties to Benami Zone in Islamabad. Meanwhile, the FBR has constituted more teams for Dera Ismail Khan (DIK) and other areas of the province to identify undeclared properties.

Back in July, the FBR had formally seized (benami) property of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Senator Chaudhry Tanvir. The property was registered in the name of his servants. Tanvir’s benami property had been estimated to spread over 6,000 canals. BUSINESS DESK

Friday, 18 October, 2019

12 BUSINESS MARKET DAILY

imF team StreSSeS ‘SimPler taxation SYStem’ in PaKiStan ISlamaBaD

Bears return as KSe-100 sheds 382 points KARACHI: Optimistic sentiments at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) proved to be short-lived as the indices dragged the index below the 34,000 mark on Thursday. Foreign investors offloaded stocks worth $1.83 million on Wednesday. On the economic front, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has stated that Pakistan’s public debt may surge to 78.6pc of GDP, which is “not only higher than the previous year but is also violates an act of parliament”.

Moreover, as per media reports, in a meeting between the Commerce Ministry officials and IMF staff, the Fund has stressed the need to simplify Pakistan’s taxation system. The team, however, was satisfied with the reduction in the trade deficit. Shedding 444.12 points, the KSE-100 Index recorded an intraday low at 33,836.97. It closed lower by 382.53 points at 33,898.56. The KMI-30 Index declined by 657.48 points to settle at 54,200.07, while the KSE All Share Index lost 223.34 points, ending at 24,589.99 points.

The 100-index’s return for one week was recorded at 1.12pc while its one-month return stood at 6.17pc. Sectors that kept the index in the red zone included banking (-147.39 points), oil and gas exploration (-87.04 points) and cement (-36.49 points). The overall trading volumes declined from 151.37 million in the previous session to 137.99 million. Lotte Chemical Pakistan Limited (LOTCHEM +2.09pc) turned out as volume leader with 59.65 million shares exchanging hands, following the announcement of the company’s performance for the third quarter of FY19. An interim cash dividend of Rs1.50 was also declared by the company. It announced earnings per share (EPS) of Rs1.11, while its cumulative EPS for three quarters stood at Rs3.13. K-Electric Limited (KEL -2.01pc) and TRG Pakistan Limited (TRG +0.31pc) were next on the volume chart. The scripts had exchanged 5.20 million and 4.22 million shares respectively.

Altern Energy Limited (ALTN 0.00pc) announced an EPS of Rs-0.04 for the first quarter of FY20 (Rs0.04 in 1QFY19), Bestway Cement Limited (BWCL -5.00pc) declared an EPS of Rs0.50 (Rs3.79 in 1QFY19), MCB Bank Limited (MCB -0.99pc) posted an EPS of Rs4.74 for 3QFY19 (Rs3.84 in 3QFY18) and Pakistan Tobacco Company Limited (PAKT 0.00pc) announced an EPS of Rs11.48 (Rs11.55 in 3QFY18). STaFF rEpOrT

FBr launches urdu version of its website Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Syed Muhammad Shabbar Zaidi on Thursday inaugurated the Urdu version of FBR's website. FBR's Facilitation and Taxpayer Education (FATE) Wing Member Mustafa Sajjad Hassan and FATE Chief Tehmina Aamer briefed the chairman about the features of the Urdu website. The senior officers of the revenue board, including Nausheen Javed Amjad, Seema Shakil, Jawwad Awais Agha and Zubair Bilal, were also present on the inauguration. According to an FBR statement, the Urdu version of the website has been launched to facilitate the taxpayers on issues pertaining to income tax, sales tax, customs and FBR Maloomaat. The Urdu version contains special features that would act as useful reservoirs of information regarding taxation and customs. With the launch of the Urdu website, people would not only be able to file their complaints in Urdu but would also be able to seek responses to their queries in their national language. The website would enable the people to read the tax and customs laws and rules, SROs and circulars in Urdu. The FBR chairman appreciated the FATE Wing officers for working tirelessly in making the launch of Urdu website possible in the shortest possible time. He stated that the revenue board would soon achieve complete automation to ensure taxpayers’ facilitation. NEWS DESK

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technical mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which previously held meetings with the officials of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and other departments, met the commerce ministry officials on Thursday.

According to sources, Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood briefed the mission on the measures taken by the government during the first three months of the IMF programme. He also highlighted technical issues related to the country's industrial sector.

Sources said that the mission, after going through the taxation system linked with the trade and industry, called for making the system "easier and transparent".

MISSION SATISFIED WITH MEASURES TAKEN TO REDUCE TRADE DEFICIT The mission also raised questions about the ministry's new tariff policy, which has affected the overall revenue collection of FBR. The IMF team was briefed on sales tax, customs duty, and other regulatory duties imposed by the government to curb unnecessary imports.

It was further informed about trade data and measures taken to remove the discrepancies that existed in the data collection system.

According to sources, the IMF team was satisfied with the measures taken to reduce the trade deficit, which helped in cutting the current ac-

Exporters urged to tap China’s gemstone market laHORE app

Pakistan-China Joint Chambers of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI) President Zarak Khan said on Thursday that Pakistan has the potential to export quality gemstones and jewellery to China, which is the world's largest consumer market.

Addressing a meeting of the PCJCCI Export Promotion Committee on Thursday, the chamber's president noted that Pakistan was the fifth largest reservoir of gemstones.

"But unfortunately, the country has not been able to benefit from its natural resources owing to lack of skills, technology, and knowledge regarding the processing of mining materials," he lamented.

Zarak Khan said that Pakistan has the potential yield of 800,000 carats of ruby, 87,000 carats of emerald and five million carats of peridot, which lay unutilised due to "lack of appropriate cutting and polishing facilities" in the country. He also said that Pakistan's pink topaz and Kashmir ruby were unique items; pink topaz is considered as the second-highest valued mineral.

PCJCCI Senior Vice President Moazzam Ghurki stressed the need for collaborations with China so that Pakistanis could

learn the latest techniques for cutting and polishing of gemstones.

He suggested taking on board the National Productivity Organisation and the Asian Productivity Organisation in this regard.

"Chinese professionals in this sector should be invited to train Pakistani labour force and mining engineers for the manufacturing and designing of state-of-the-art jewellery," he maintained.

PCJCCI General Secretary Salahuddin Hanif said that China had started capturing the attention of the global jewellery industry around 1978 and with the passage of time, China had become a rapidly growing consumer market. "Therefore, Pakistani exporters will have to ensure international standards and quality to attract the Chinese market," he added.

FPCCI lauds govt for establishing CPEC Authority KaRaCHI ONlINE

The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) has hailed Prime Minister Imran Khan for establishing the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority, which would "accelerate the pace of development-related activities".

Speaking to the business community on Thursday, FPCCI President Engr Daroo Khan Achakzai said that the CPEC Authority would help remove the bottlenecks and ensure timely completion of the ongoing projects. He hoped that the creation of the authority would start a new phase of joint ventures and investment in Pakistan that would promote industrialization,

create new jobs, help in alleviating unemployment & poverty and enable the economy to embark on the path of sustainable growth.

He appreciated the government for granting tax and tariff concession to Gwadar port and its adjunct special economic zones, urging the government to grant the same facilities to local investors and businessmen as well.

Achakzai underscored the need to take FPCCI on the board of CPEC Authority so that the stance of the private sector can be incorporated in the CPEC-related projects.

He further stated that CPEC would change the fate of Balochistan in terms of infrastructure development and establishment of economic zones at Quetta, Gwadar, Khuzdar, Uthal, Hub and Dera Murad Jamali etc.

count deficit. It is pertinent to mention that the IMF technical mission on Monday began its review of the country's ailing tax system.

On its first day, the IMF mission held meetings with the FBR and discussed sales tax and corporate income tax matters in detail. During its two-week stay, the mission will hold discussions with the federal and provincial tax authorities.

The technical assistance team on taxation matters will end its meetings on October 29, which is also tentatively the date for the start of the IMF review mission that will analyse Pakistan’s performance in the $6-billion loan programme for the July-September period.

Pakistan lost a record Rs972.4 billion in tax exemption in the last fiscal year, which was higher by 80pc or Rs431 billion compared to the preceding year, according to the Economic Survey of Pakistan.

mCB profits surge 14pc to rs16.29bn THE BANK MAINTAINS INDUSTRY'S HIGHEST QUARTERLY PAYOUT OF RS4 PER SHARE The Board of Directors of MCB Bank Limited met under the Chairmanship of Mian Mohammad Mansha on Thursday to review the performance of the bank and approve the condensed interim financial statements for the nine months ended September 30, 2019. The board declared 3rd interim cash dividend of Rs4.0 per share i.e. 40pc, bringing the total cash dividend for the year ending 2019 to 120pc and continuing with its highest in the industry dividend payout trend. MCB reported profit before tax of Rs27.51 billion, which is 18pc higher than the corresponding last period and translated into earnings per share of Rs13.74 (2018: Rs12.08). The key highlights of the performance included an impressive increase in net interest margins through a gradual shift in the maturity profiling of investment base along with an efficient cost base. Profit after tax (PAT) of the bank increased by 14pc to Rs16.29 billion as the bank recorded additional supertax at 4pc for the tax year 2018, as enacted through the Second Supplementary Finance Act, 2019. The effective tax rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2019, came to 41pc which is 2pc higher than the corresponding last period. Net interest income increased to Rs42.99 billion, 27pc higher than the corresponding period of last year. Volumetric growth in average earning assets, particularly investments, along with effective mix of shorter maturity earning assets in a rising interest rate scenario enabled the bank to post growth in gross mark-up income of Rs39.52 billion, up 67pc over the corresponding period. The bank has been riding the yield curve over the last few years, taking the benefit of the significant interest rate hike despite the fact that interests on deposits are repriced earlier than the earning assets. The non-markup income block of the bank was reported at Rs11.45 billion with major contributions coming in from fee commission and foreign exchange income. Fees and commissions generated from core banking businesses increased by 5pc to Rs8.32 billion.

Foreign exchange income increased by 26pc to Rs2.19 billion as a result of better leveraging of market opportunities. NEWS DESK

China hopes for phased trade pact with US as early as possible BEIJING aGENCIES

China hopes to reach a phased agreement in a protracted trade dispute with the United States and cancel tariffs as soon as possible, the Commerce Ministry said on Thursday, adding that trade wars had no winners.

A phased agreement would help restore market confidence and reduce uncertainty, ministry spokesman Gao Feng told reporters, adding that both sides were maintaining close communication.

“The final goal of both sides’ negotiations is to end the trade war and cancel

all additional tariffs,” Gao said. “This would benefit China, the US and the whole world. We hope that both sides will continue to work together, advance negotiations, and reach a phased agreement as soon as possible.”

Chinese premier Li Keqiang said both China and the United States need to resolve the issues through dialogue. He made the comments on Thursday when he met delegates led by Evan Greenberg, chairman of the US-China Business Council.

“China will create an internationalized business environment ruled by law where domestic and foreign firms are treated equally,” Li said. “Property and

intellectual property rights will be strictly protected.”

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow meanwhile said he saw momentum to finalize the initial phase of a trade deal which could be signed at the APEC forum next month in Chile.

US President Donald Trump on Oct 11 outlined the first phase of a deal and suspended a threatened tariff hike, but officials on both sides said much more work needed to be done.

Trump had originally planned to proceed with a rise in tariffs to 30pc from 25pc on about $250 billion worth of Chinese goods last week. But the US admin-

istration has yet to make a decision on how to address planned 10pc tariffs on roughly $156 billion of Chinese goods due to take effect on Dec 15.

US and Chinese trade negotiators are working on nailing down a Phase 1 trade deal text for their presidents to sign next month, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Wednesday.

Mnuchin said the Trump administration’s “objective” was for the agreement to be signed between the presidents of the two countries at a Nov 16-17 summit of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation countries in Santiago, Chile.

Working-level representatives from

both countries were working on specifics of an agreement now, Gao said.

There have been positive signs from China in recent days.

China’s securities regulator on Friday unveiled a firm timetable for scrapping foreign ownership limits in futures, securities and mutual fund companies for the first time. Increasing foreign access to the sector is among the U.S. demands at the trade talks.

A day before, the US Department of Agriculture confirmed net sales of 142,172 tonnes of US pork to China in the week ended Oct 3, the largest weekly sale to the world’s top pork market on record.

Zindagi Tamasha secures asia’s mosT PresTigious, Kim JiseoK award

By AlizA AftAB KhAn

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HOLLYWOOD BOLLYWOOD

indagi Tamasha, Sarmad Khoosat’s film secured asia’s most prestigious, Kim Jiseok award.

The Pakistani film by Sarmad Khoosat won the award in the esteemed Busan Film Festival and is to be released in January 2020.

Even before its release in cinemas across Pakistan, in January of the following year, the new Pakistani film Zindagi Tamasha has earned the Kim Jiseok award at the Busan Film Festival. South Korea’s port city Busan hosted the 24th Busan Film Festival, in which Sarmad Khoosat’s film Zindagi Tamasha, and indian film Market by Pradip Kurbah won the same award.

This is the first time any Pakistani film has been presented with this award. Pakistani Counsellor, Shafiq Haider, accepted the award on behalf of Khoosat Films. The Kim Jiseok award was first introduced in the year 2017 in the distinguished Busan Film Festival and is named after the festival’s Co-founder. Kim Jiseok is said to have played a significant role in supporting talent in asia. according to the organizers, 299 films were screened in the festival from 85 different parts of the world, among which 118 were world premieres. The films were watched by more than eight million people.

4 TOP TRENDS THAT KEEP POPPING ON OUR FASHION-GRAM Every time we check our social media, we get to know about a new trend that goes viral around the globe and to keep ourselves fashionably literate and aware, we have to go with that fashion parade no matter how absurd that trend is. But some fashions and patterns keep repeating and showing that they are here to stay forever and that too with different variations and intensities.

We got our hands on these 5 fashion fads that everyone is going loco over.

By Rohama Riaz

The film, Zindagi Tamasha, revolves around the story of a “naat Khuan” from interior Lahore. The character is played by arif Hasan from Karachi. arif Hasan said that the film is about the heightening intolerance in our society. His character, Rahat Khuaja, runs an estate agency with his brother, and occasionally recites “naat”. Rahat is a simple, jolly man; Samiya Mumtaz, a TV and Theatre actress plays the role of his wife. The wife is physically disabled, causing Rahat to do all the work outside and at home. arif Hasan made his debut with Hasan Zaidi’s film Raat Chali Hai Jhoom Ke, in 1999. He has also worked in Mazhar Zaidi’s gardaab and several theatre plays; however, Zindagi Tamasha is his first film playing

a lead role. arif Hasan said about the film receiving the award, “The film was presented in asia’s most reputed Busan Film Festival in South Korea. 93 other films were presented in the Feature Film Category, out of which, eight films were selected for the award nominations. The Pakistani film Zindagi Tamasha did not only make it to the nominations but won the Kim Jiseok award as well.” according to him, this is a first Pakistani film to have received the award, the film has had its world premiere at the Busan Film Festival and three screenings, followed by a question-and-answer session by the Koreans in their regional language, which was an interesting experiencing. arif said, “Earning this award is a moment of pride for our country, as our art has been praised on such a great platform.” He spoke about living in Karachi and being an Urduspeaking, due to which it was particularly challenging for him to play the role of a Lahori Punjabi. He believes that he understood Punjabi, but was unable to speak Lahore’s traditional Punjabi, which Sarmad Khoosat and the film’s Writer, nirmal Bano helped him learn. arif Hasan recounted that the film was not a high-budget production. Fashion model, Eman Suleman, played the daughter of Rahat Khuaja in the film; while ali Kureshi is also a part of the film.

PANTSUITS

ANIMAL PRINTS

no matter what you bring in fashion every season, pantsuits will always have their dapper vibes on. not just the formal events, these pantsuits have started trending on fashion shows, red carpets and casual events depending on how you carry your look.

Wearing pantsuits does not take a lot of effort as only minimal accessories are needed along with a lavish pair of court shoes.

Boom!!! you are good to ace.

animal prints have a lovehate relationship when it comes to trending. Some days, you will hate the excess of these prints and some days you would love to keep adding these prints in your wardrobe.

Lately, these prints are making their way into bags, shoes, jewelry and literally every wearable item. We love how people around the world are pairing animal printed pants, shoes, shirts, necklaces and bringing out the best looks on our newsfeed.

TONAL NAILS

PASTEL EYE-LINER

Embrace a spectrum of shades this time when you got a manicure. While you go for this tonal nails trend, keep in mind to choose shades from the same color family. Whether muted tones or vibrant hues, do not go for pick and mix formula. We got this done and found it to be the chicest trend in nails for this season.

Black, brown or dark blue liner is so 2018.

This also does not work for those who do not like to apply liner. Pastel eyeliners are the new in-thing in fashion town. not Vivaciously hyper colors, but light and soothing colors are recommended for best results. The soft-toned hues are a wardrobe staple but feel daring and bold on the eye. if you are scared of taking a risk you can apply black liner first and can use an outline from any pastel palette or can just highlight the corners of your eyes. Whatever route you take, this one trend should be the must in your makeup list.

The Suicide Squad: First Look At Idris Korg Back For Thor: Love and Thunder; Elba and John Cena Waititi Talks Natalie Portman Following the earlier look at various costumes and characters, now a first look at idris Elba, John Cena, Viola davis and daniela Melchior has hit the net via set images. The pics reveal Viola davis as amanda Waller at some sort of prison where she looks to be recruiting new members for the Suicide Squad.

Both idris Elba and John Cena can be seen in orange prison suits, with daniela Melchior wearing glasses and a white shirt.

Their characters haven't been confirmed as of yet, but idris Elba is rumored to be playing Ben Turner the Bronze Tiger, with John Cena as Peacemaker, and daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher.

More pics up at Just Jared who points out the scenes were filmed at an atlanta prison and that daniela Melchior could be seen using a lint roller before filming the scene. he Suicide Squad gets released on august 6, 2021 starring Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn), Viola davis (amanda Waller), Jai Courtney (Captain Boomerang), Joel Kinnaman (Rick Flag), with Steve agee, said to be playing King Shark, david dastmalchian as Polka-dot Man

While promoting the release of Jojo Rabbit, director Taika Waititi talks about his new Marvel movie, Thor: Love and Thunder, and the return of natalie Portman as well as his character Korg. Waititi confirms that he has recently finished a draft of the script for Thor: Love and Thunder and teases two Thor characters for the film. “i just finished a couple of drafts of that story. There’s more Thor!” Waititi told Jimmy Kimmel. “ There's twice the Thor's.

Twice the Thor in Thor 4.”

Regarding the return of natalie Portman, she will be playing the female Thor. "it's hopefully common knowledge that natalie Portman is coming back," he said. "She will be playing a female version of Thor. it's from a comic run. There will be two of them."

Love him or hate him, Korg will also be returning.

“My character is coming back, Korg,” Waititi said, which saw the audience cheer: “Thank you. Thank you so much for that reaction.”

CMYK

Kartik Aaryan on marriage plans: ‘Have to ask mummy, I am focusing on my career for now’ actor Kartik aaryan, who next will be seen in Pati, Patni aur Woh, says he has no time for love and, as of now, his sole focus is on his film career.

Kartik’s assertion came in the wake of constant media reports linking him to various co-stars, from Sara ali Khan to ananya Panday. asked if plans to settle down soon, the Luka Chuppi star preferred turning mamma’s boy. “i have to ask this to my mummy. now, i am focusing on my career,” he said.

His next film Pati, Patni aur Woh is incidentally a comedy based on marital tension that happens when a man, played by Kartik, starts cheating on his wife. “We will soon release the trailer of the film,” the actor informed. Kartik and his co-stars of the film—Bhumi Pednekar and ananya Panday—unveiled the film’s posters on Wednesday. The actor interacted with the media at the launch of designer duo abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla’s bridal collection, along with ananya and Bhumi.

Friday, 18 October, 2019

14 SPORTS

Federer to plAy FrencH open next yeAr paris

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Agencies

WISS tennis legend Roger Federer said Thursday he will play the French Open in Paris next year. "I will play the French Open. I probably won't play much before that because I need some time away from it (tennis) and I need some time with the family," the 38-year-old told CNN. The 20-time Grand Slam champion returned to Roland Garros this year after a three year absence, falling to Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals. Federer confirmed he will compete at next year's Tokyo Olympics after Wimbledon and prior to the US Open.

But his priority before the French Open which he has won only once in 2009 will be a family vacation. "We need a vacation, we need a break, and especially if I am playing the Olympics and all that," he said.

In Tokyo he will be in competition for a men's singles gold medal, the only major prize he has yet to win.

Earlier this week he said he had been

debating with his team on his programme after Wimbledon and before the US Open. "At the end of the day my heart decided to play the Olympic Games again," he said. Federer has won all four of the Grand Slam tournaments, as well as the ATP Tour Finals six times, but is still waiting to grab Olympic singles gold.

He did win a doubles gold alongside fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka at Beijing in 2008, but when he got to the London singles final in 2012 he was hammered 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 by an inspired Andy Murray.

Federer did not compete at Rio 2016, where Murray won again, but has since twice won the Australian Open and took the 2017 Wimbledon title before losing an epic final in the grass-court Grand Slam to Novak Djokovic earlier this year.

Serbia's Djokovic, and Federer's eternal rival Nadal, have both already said they will compete at Tokyo, the trio setting the scene for a highly competitive tournament. Federer is third in the world rankings, while Nadal and Djokovic won all four Grand Slams between them this year.

nAdeeM KHAn Appointed coordinAtor For Selection coMMittee Monitoring report Former Pakistan cricketer Nadeem Khan has been appointed as the coordinator of the national selection committee. Nadeem's appointment was confirmed by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chief Executive Wasim Khan. "Nadeem Khan will serve as a bridge between chief selector Misbahul-Haq and the six provincial coaches," Wasim said. "He will not have any role in team selection and will not be counted as a member of the selection committee." "Nadeem Khan's responsibility will be to stay in constant contact with all six provincial coaches." The PCB CEO said that Nadeem will watch domestic matches and then compile a report, which will be presented to the selection committee. "Nadeem Khan has a vast knowledge of domestic cricket," said Wasim, adding that "he will help Misbah in pursuit of his goals."

nAtionAl t20 cup not giving enougH opportunitieS to youngSterS

LAHORE: Pakistan bowling coach Waqar Younis believes that the ongoing National T20 Cup is not providing as many opportunities and exposure to young players as it should have. “There must be two Under-19 players in the Playing XI of each team in the tournament,” he said while talking on Shoaib Akhtar’s YouTube channel.

Younis, who played 87 Tests and 262 ODIs for Pakistan from 1989 to 2003, said it should have been made mandatory in such tournaments to include two U19 players in the Playing XI. “I feel that youngsters are not being given enough opportunities in the tournament, which is the best platform for grooming them,” he added. On a different topic, Younis was asked if veteran pacers Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Amir can be convinced to return to Test cricket with a managed workload. APP

LAHORE: Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton enjoys a game of cricket during a visit to the National Cricket Academy in Lahore on Thursday.

Solskjaer '100 percent sure' Man Utd have right structure Manchester Agencies

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is "100 percent sure" that the club has the right structure in place and says money is available to strengthen his struggling squad.

United are 12th in the Premier League table, just two points above the relegation zone and 15 adrift of league leaders Liverpool ahead of Sunday's clash with their fierce rivals at Old Trafford. The club's hierarchy and recruitment under executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has come in for severe criticism but Solskjaer has described that as "an insult" as he looks to the future.

"I've got a three-year contract now so of course (we are) planning long-term," Solskjaer told Sky Sports. "If you lose a game or two you don't wait for a call to be given assurances but we have started out a plan and a recruitment plan is in place.

"I am 100 percent sure from my time here that the structure is right because it's always the manager who has the final say. "I know people have said stuff about our recruitment but it's almost like an insult to the recruitment office, the scouts and us as professionals -- me and (assistant manager) Mick (Phelan), the staff. We make decisions on the players that we want to have and who's available and then it's the negotiations."

United spent £145 million ($185 million) in the summer on Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James, but Solskjaer said more funds were available for the right "ready-made" players.

"The money is there and I've been looking at players," Solskjaer added. "We were close to a couple of players but they weren't right.

"The money is there to strengthen in January, in the summer, and we are planning, we are looking, we are finding our targets, but just before the transfer window ended no, they weren't there, the ready-made players."

The United boss admitted that misfiring forward Marcus Rashford, who has scored just three goals for the team this season, needed a break but injuries to other players had prevented that. "Marcus's movement is great, but maybe we just need to give him a game or two of rest because he's

played a lot," said the Norwegian.

"Sometimes, because he's a young boy with lots of expectations on his shoulders, he's played four or five seasons now, and yet he's still not even 22 yet."

And he admitted United faced a daunting task in trying to slow Liverpool's charge towards their first top-flight title since 1990.

"There's a lot of pieces in that puzzle that have to be in place," he said. "We've got to be ready and I think the players are mentally prepared for this one. Of course, the fans will always be behind our backs."

I can't see Liverpool coming to park the bus -- that's just not in their mentality," he added. "So I can see it being an open game, which will suit us."

CMYK

Senators question logic of picking Akmal, Shehzad over Hafeez, Malik Monitoring report Pakistan’s disappointing performance in the recent T20I series was discussed in the Senate on Wednesday, with Senators questioning the inclusion of Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal in place of Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik.

The members of Senate’s Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination rejected the briefing given

by Director Domestic Cricket Operations Haroon Rashid, and were livid at Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ehsan Mani and Chief Executive Wasim Khan’s failure to attend the session.

PML-N Senator Mushahidullah Khan, as per Daily Jang, alleged that Akmal and Shehzad were selected in the squad on someone’s sifarish (unjustified recommendation). It is pertinent to mention here that the duo were given two chances each in the series but both failed horribly on each occasion. Akmal in particular was out on golden duck twice. Senator Mushahidullah claimed that new head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq was under pressure to play the pair. Senator Faisal Javed, meanwhile, asked why veterans Hafeez and Malik were dropped despite their “brilliant performances in T20 matches for the past one year”. Rashid replied that “Shoaib Malik’s performance in T20 has been poor.” To this, Senator Mushahidullah shot back: “In West Indies this Shoaib Malik has won 10 matches [on his own].” Rashid refused to discuss the team’s performance, saying that that is Misbah’s responsibility.

Friday, 18 October, 2019

SPORTS 15

PAk, IndIA SeRIeS dePendenT uPOn gOvTS: BCCI ChIeF-deSIgnATe gAnguLy

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News Desk

ORMER cricketer Sourav Ganguly on Thursday sidestepped a question pertaining to the resumption of bilateral cricket between Pakistan and India, saying the decision was up to Prime Minister Imran Khan and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

Ganguly, who will assume the position of the Board of Control for Cricket India (BCCI) chief later this month, told reporters in Kolkata: “You have to ask that question to Modi ji and the Pakistan prime minister.” “Of course we have [to take permission], because international exposure [tours] is all through governments. So we don’t have an answer to that question,” he was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times.

Relations between Pakistan and

Aiden Markram ruled out of third Test with self-inflicted wrist injury

India worsened after terrorist attacks took place in Mumbai in 2008, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan. The last time both countries played a bilateral series was when Pakistan toured India to play two Twenty20s and three one-day internationals in December 2012 and January 2013.

The relationship hit a new low after a Kashmiri youth attacked a convoy of Indian paramilitaries in February in Pulwama, resulting in the deaths of more than 40 soldiers. At the time, the BCCI mulled over the idea to request the International Cricket Council (ICC) to cancel the match between India and Pakistan in the 2019 World Cup.The idea, however, failed to gain support and both teams faced each other on June 16 as per ICC’s schedule, where India handed a comprehensive defeat to Pakistan.

UAE duo 'stood to make US$272,000' in successful fix Dubai Agencies

PuNe: Aiden Markram has been ruled out of the third Test against India after fracturing his right wrist as he lashed out at solid object in frustration following his second-innings dismissal in the Pune Test.

Markram was given out lbw for a duck by the on-field umpire, and after a consultation with his opening partner Dean Elgar, he chose not to review the decision. However, replays showed the ball would have missed the leg stump. "A CT scan of Aiden Markram's wrist showed a fracture involving the wrist bones," team doctor Hashendra Ramjee said in a CSA press release. "The medical team has therefore ruled him out of the next Test match against India. Arrangements have been made for him to see a specialist on his return to South Africa for further management of the injury." Markram has had a mixed tour of India. While he scored two hundreds in the practice games, he couldn't carry forward his form into the Test series. After scoring 5 and 39 in the first Test in Visakhapatnam, he was dismissed for a pair in Pune. The 25year-old opener accepted he had let his team down. "It's sad to be going home on this note and I completely understand what I've done wrong and take full accountability for it," Markram said via the press release. "It's unacceptable in a Proteas environment and to let the team down is what hurts me the most. I've learned a lot from this and the other players I'm sure, have learned from it as well. "We understand in sport that emotions run high and sometimes the frustration gets the better of you as it did for me, but like I said, it's no excuse. I've taken full responsibility for it, I have apologised to the team and hopefully I can make it up to them and the people of South Africa soon." Earlier this week, Mitchell Marsh too had fractured his right hand after punching the dressing room wall at the WACA following his dismissal in the Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania. Markram left for South Africa On Thursday morning.

The team management hasn't called up any replacement. The third Test starts on October 19 in Ranchi. Agencies

The two UAE players provisionally suspended for alleged breaches of the ICC anti-corruption code allegedly stood to make up to US$272,000 (approx.) if they successfully corrupted the games in the upcoming T20 World Cup qualifiers.

ESPNcricinfo understands that the players had allegedly been engaged in talks to carry out fixes ranging from a session to a result in three of the matches in the qualifiers, which begin on Friday with the UAE playing in the day's second fixture in Abu Dhabi.

The operations that have led to provisional suspensions of captain Mohammad Naveed and senior pro Shaiman Anwar were so planned that, it is understood, the players allegedly had contracts drawn up for the amounts that would be paid depending on the nature of the fix.

It is understood that investigations by the ICC's ACU revealed that both Naveed and Anwar had been engaged by corruptors to fix the results and or session(s) in those three matches; the amounts involved were on a sliding scale of up to around US$272,000.

'Idiot' Marsh set to miss Pakistan Test after punching wall Lahore: All-rounder Mitchell Marsh is set to miss the opening Test against Pakistan after fracturing his right hand punching a wall, with Australian coach Justin Langer branding him "an idiot". The Western Australia captain took his frustrations out in the changing rooms after he was dismissed for 53 in a Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania on Sunday. Scans revealed a fracture, and an apologetic Marsh said he faced up to six weeks on the sidelines. That would almost certainly rule him out of the opening Test against Pakistan in Brisbane starting on November 21. "It's my middle finger, just below the wrist -- a fracture straight through the bone," Marsh, who was sporting a cast on his arm, told reporters.

Asked if he had spoken to Langer, Marsh replied: "He just told me I'm an idiot basically." Marsh had only been recalled to the Test side for the final game of the Ashes against England last month after a long period out of favour and there are no guarantees he will win a spot back. Agencies

Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Oshada Fernando retained in Sri Lanka T20I squad

The ACU had been monitoring the players in question since the UAE's tour of Zimbabwe in April this year. Among others being monitored was Mehardeep Chhayakar, an alleged corruptor, originally from India, who has been involved with cricket in Ajman and is apparently known in gambling circles as "Gary".

It was during that series in April, played in Harare, that Chhayakar is alleged to have attempted to induce Qadeer Ahmed, the third UAE cricketer to be provisionally suspended along with Naveed and Anwar, into fixing in one of the matches. Chhayakar, along with

three other Indian men - all alleged corruptors - were detained by local police in Harare on corruption allegations at the time but released later.

The ACU continued to keep a close eye on the movements of the four.

On October 6, the ACU brought in five persons for questioning, including the players charged today. It is understood that the ACU has kept the local police in the UAE informed about the developments.

The ACU handed the charges in person to Naveed and Anwar earlier on Wednesday; Qadeer is currently away in Pakistan while Chhayakar's whereabouts are unknown.

CoLombo: Batsmen Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Oshada Fernando have been retained in Sri Lanka's full-strength squad for the T20I tour of Australia. Unsurprisingly, Lasith Malinga returned to captain the team, while the likes of Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera and Niroshan Dickwella - who had also sat out the Pakistan tour - reclaimed their places as well.

Malinga is guaranteed a place in the XI, but although they are in the squad, the two Kusals may not be able to take back their old spots, given the newer players' good performances in those positions in Pakistan. The attack, meanwhile, was largely unchanged from that which had appeared in Lahore. Wristspinners Wanindu Hasaranga and Lakshan Sandakan will provide the spin options, while Nuwan Pradeep, Kasun Rajitha, Isuru Udana and Lahiru Kumara will be the frontline seamers, along with Malinga. There was no place for allrounder Lahiru Madushanka or wicketkeeper-batsmen Minod Bhanuka and Sadeera Samarawickrama. Agencies

Kohli hot on Smith's heels as India eye clean sweep MuMbai Agencies

On-song Virat Kohli is looking to topple Aussie run machine Steve Smith in the international batting rankings as India push for a whitewash over South Africa in the third Test starting Saturday.

Kohli's career-best 254 not out in India's second successive win in the three-match series moved him to within one point of Smith in the International Cricket Council Test chart.

Smith replaced Kohli at number one last month following his blazing Ashes series against England and after the Indian star made a golden duck against the West Indies.

The Australian, who only returned to Tests in August after a year-long ban for ball-tampering, is out of action in the five-day format until November 21 when Australia host Pakistan.

Kohli regained lost ground against the struggling South Africans in the current series as he registered his seventh Test double century, joining England great Wally Hammond and Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene.

He also went past Don Bradman's tally of 6,996 runs in 52 Tests that led India to register their record 11th

straight Test triumph at home. Australia had two streaks of 10 wins in a row.

"I'm just happy to be where I am.

Putting the team in a commanding position is the only thing I strive for," Kohli, who tops the ODI batting chart, said after India took an unassailable 20 lead in Pune on Sunday. "Of course I enjoy scoring runs, but if they come in a winning cause, nothing like it."

Kohli meanwhile has even won praise from former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar who praised the Indian for his "fearless" brand of cricket.

"He will score 250 in future as well," Akhtar said on his YouTube channel. "Kohli has learnt from his mistakes and has become a good captain." 'borING' PITCheS: South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis will be hoping to give his team more of a chance from the get-go in Ranchi after losing the toss in the first two Tests.

This allowed India to amass a mammoth first-innings total of 502 in Visakhapatnam as South Africa's bowlers toiled, a feat outdone in Pune when the hosts declared on 601.

This prompted former England captain Michael Vaughan to call Indian Test pitches "boring".

"The first 3/4 days the contest is far

too in favour of the bat... needs more action for the bowler," Vaughan tweeted last Friday. Dean Elgar's 160 has been the visitors' only standout show in the series so far. Paceman Kagiso Rabada said the up-and-coming team -- following the retirements of Hashim Amla and Dale Steyn -- should pick up the positives and move ahead.

"Our team is fresh and young, so the best thing we can do is look at where we can improve and remember our strengths and build on them," he said.

He added, "From a physical point of view we need to execute our skills and from a mental point of view, we need to believe we can do it in certain situations.

It's a balance we're working on."

Friday, 18 October, 2019

NEWS Erdogan’s visit to Pakistan postponed amid Syrian conflict isLAmABAd: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s anticipated visit to Pakistan has been postponed, Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal confirmed on Thursday. The development came hours after the Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan Mustafa Yurdakul tweeted about the matter. It had earlier been reported that the Erdogan would pay an official visit to Pakistan on Oct 23 to “cement relations between the two countries” and extend “full support” to Pakistan’s stance on the Kashmir issue. The FO spokesperson added that a new date for the visit is yet to be determined. While Faisal did not provide any reasons for the postponement, Turkey is currently occupied with a military offensive against Kurdish militants in Syria which has raised tensions with Washington and other Western countries. As the Syrian conflict continues to unfold, US President Donald Trump on Thursday imposed sanctions on Turkey and demanded that the Nato ally stop a military incursion in northeast Syria that is rapidly reshaping the battlefield of the world’s deadliest ongoing war. However, the measures were limited to the Turkish defense and energy ministries and three Turkish officials, the ministers of defense, energy and interior security, Time magazine had reported. StAff REpoRt

Afghanistan suffers 4,300 civilian casualties in three months: UN

KABUL: A record 4,313 civilians were injured or killed in Afghanistan’s war against the Islamist Taliban between July and September, the United Nations said on Thursday.

The tally was up 42 percent from the same period last year – in a war that ebbs and flows with the seasonal weather – and included more than a thousand deaths, according to data from the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). That made it the bloodiest period in the world’s longest-running war since UNAMA began collecting like-for-like figures in 2009. It brought the total of casualties for the first nine months of 2019 to over 8,000. “Civilian casualties at record-high levels clearly show the need for all parties concerned to pay much more attention to protecting the civilian population, including through a review of conduct during combat operations,” said Tadamichi Yamamoto, one of the U.N.’s top officials in Afghanistan. Taliban insurgents fighting the U.S.backed Kabul government control more of Afghanistan than at any time since being ousted from power nearly two decades ago. They have stepped up a campaign of suicide bombings in recent years as Washington tries to pull its forces out. Around 62 percent of casualties were caused by what UNAMA called “anti-government elements”, though casualties caused by pro-government forces also rose 26 percent. UNAMA said on Tuesday that 85 civilians had been killed and more than 370 wounded in violence linked to last month’s election. The two presidential front-runners have both already claimed victory despite the count being delayed. AGENCIES

ErdogAN dEfiANT AfTEr TrUmP TEllS him NoT To bE ‘fool’ TRUMP WARNS ERDOGAN OF DESTROYING TURKEY’S ECONOMY, SAYS HISTORY WILL REMEMBER HIM AS ‘DEVIL’ IF ‘GOOD THINGS DON’T HAPPEN’ WASHINGTON

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AGENCIES

URKISH President Recep Tayyip Erdogan put US President Donald Trump’s letter “in the bin”.

In the letter dated 9 October, and sent after US troops were pulled out of Syria, Trump told Mr Erdogan: “Don’t be a tough guy.

Don’t be a fool!” President Trump was urging Turkey not to launch a military offensive against Kurdishled forces in northern Syria, but Erdogan ignored this request. US Vice President Mike Pence is now in Ankara to push for a ceasefire. The US has faced intense criticism for the withdrawal of troops, which critics say gave Turkey the green light to launch the military attack.

In recent years, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance has been a critical ally to the US in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria.

There are fears that the destabilisation of northern Syria could lead to a jihadist resurgence. The SDF is dominated by the members of a Kurdish militia called the People’s Protection Units (YPG).

Turkey says the YPG is an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’

Party (PKK), a rebel group fighting for Kurdish autonomy in the region.

WhAt did trUmp’s Letter sAy? In his letter to President Erdogan, Mr Trump wrote: “Let’s work out a good deal! You don’t want to be responsible for slaughtering thousands of people, and I don’t want to be responsible for destroying the Turkish economy - and I will. “History will look upon you favourably if you get this done the right and humane way. It will look upon you forever as the devil if good things don’t happen.” In response, Turkish presidential sources told BBC Turkish: “President Erdogan received the letter, thoroughly rejected it and put it in the bin.”

Earlier on Wednesday, President Trump said the US should not be intervening in Turkey’s military operation in Syria because it is “not our border”, and called the former US allies the Kurds “no angels”.

“They have a problem at a border,” he told reporters at the White House. “It’s not our border. We shouldn’t be losing lives over it.” The president also said he thought the situation on the Turkey-Syria border was “strategically brilliant” for the US. “Our soldiers are out of there.

Our soldiers are totally safe. They’ve got to work it out. Maybe they can do it without fighting,” he said.

“We’re watching and we’re negotiating and we’re trying to get Turkey to do the right thing, because we’d like to stop wars regardless.”

On the Kurds, he added: “They fought with us. We made a lot of money for them to fight with us, and that’s okay. They did well when they fought with us. They didn’t do so well when they didn’t fight with us.” Turkish troops and allied Syrian rebels launched the offensive in northern Syria last week. The aim, Turkey said, was to push YPG fighters back from the border, and to create a “safe

PHC strikes down Actions in Aid of Civil Power Ordinance ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The Peshawar High Court on Thursday struck down the Actions in (Aid of Civil Power) Ordinance promulgated by Khyber Pakhtunkhawa Governor Shah Farman on August 5, 2019, and declared it a violation of “fundamental rights enshrined in the constitution”.

The development was shared by North Waziristan MNA Mohsin Dawar in a tweet. According to the lawmaker, the court “instructed for handing over of the military-controlled internment centres to the KP Police”. Meanwhile, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court on Thursday, challenging the legality of the ordinance.

The ordinance authorises the armed forces to detain anyone at any time anywhere in the province without assigning any reason and without producing the accused before a court of law.

The petition filed by former senators Farhatullah Babar and Afrasiab Khattak, former MNA Bushra Gohar and educationist Rubina Saigol through Supreme Court Advocate Barrister Khwaja Ahmad Hosain pleaded that the ordinance should be declared “unconstitutional and

violating the fundamental rights of the people”.

The petition also that the cases of those interned in military’s internment centres be transferred to the civilian law enforcing agencies and to declare any direction issued by the federal government to the armed forces under Article 245 (1) as justifiable and liable to be struck down on the grounds of mala fide and being without jurisdiction.

The federal government should make available to the public any directions issued to the armed forces to act in aid of civil power and the reasons why such directions were issued.

The petition seeks ‘urgent’ relief as everyone in the province had been subjected to a “parallel and draconian legal system” which authorizes use of force against them and to detain anyone without charge for an undefined duration while denying him/her any judicial remedy.

The petitioners are aggrieved as citizens of Pakistan because the ordinance provides for detention of anyone even on a visit to the province and “even the petitioners who do not belong to KP are concerned at its impact on their fellow citizens in KP”. The petition cites the Islamabad Dharna case for invoking the suo moto jurisdiction.

Lahore hosts royal couple LAHORE StAff REpoRt

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spent a busy day in Pakistan’s cultural capital, Lahore on Thursday, attending multiple events in the city.

Upon their arrival in the city, the couple met with Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar and Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, before proceeding to a charity function. The guests were presented souvenirs by Buzdar and Sarwar after the official meeting. After their meeting with the Punjab chief minister and governor, the royal couple travelled to

zone” where up to two million Syrian refugees could be resettled. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based monitoring group, said on Wednesday that 71 civilians had been killed in Syria since the beginning of the operation.

However, the health authority of the Kurdish-led administration in the region put the civilian death toll at 218 on Thursday. At least 185 SDF fighters, 164 pro-Turkish rebels and nine Turkish soldiers have also been killed in the fighting, according to the SOHR.

SOS Children Village where they meet orphaned children. There spent time with the children, read them storybooks and used finger puppets to demonstrate the stories.

A video of the Duchess wishing children a happy birthday in Urdu went viral soon after the visit concluded.

Next, the couple visited the National Cricket Academy, where they were welcomed by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ehsan Mani, PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan and other officials.

Azhar Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sana Mir, Urooj Mumtaz, Ayesha Zafar and Waqar Younis were among the cricketers present on the occasion and assisted the

couple in trying their hand at batting.

William and Kate also visited the Mughal-era Badshahi Mosque where Kate was seen in yet another blue outfit, fuelling conversations about the uncanny resemblance of her style to her late mother-inlaw Diana all throughout the trip. The royals toured the mosque and courtyard, before joining a discussion with religious leaders on promoting interfaith harmony.

The couple then undertook an emotional visit to Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, which was visited by William's late mother Lady Diana in 1996 to help raise awareness and funds for the hospital.

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

CMYK

In the Islamabad sit-in case, the SC held “jurisdiction under Article 184(3) may be invoked by the Supreme Court if two preconditions are met. Firstly, the matter must one of public importance and, secondly, it must pertain to the enforcement of any of the fundamental rights”.

The petition recalled that during hearing before the Peshawar High Court recently in a case challenging different sets of laws applicable in the settled and the newly merged tribal districts it was disclosed that the ordinance was promulgated on August 5, 2019.

It was promulgated to so as to argue that the law on internment centres and detention without cause was applicable to the entire province, not just tribal areas; hence, there was no discrimination.

In 2011, two identical Regulations Actions (in Aid of Civil Powers) contemplating detention without charge and other draconian provisions were promulgated applicable to FATA and PATA of Pakhtunkhwa province. These regulations were not supposed to continue indefinitely and once the threat had abated these would be withdrawn and the interned would be handed over to the civilian law enforcement agencies to be proceeded against in accordance with law.