E-Paper PDF 23rd October (KHI)

CMYK

Wednesday, 23 October, 2019 I 23 Safar-ul-Muzaffar, 1441 I Rs 17.00 I Vol X No 113 I 16 Pages I Karachi Edition

IndIa caught lyIng through Its teeth g

forEIgn dIPLoMatS rEjEct IndIan arMy’S ‘Loc tError LaunchPadS’ cLaIM

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EnvoyS wItnESS daMagE cauSEd In Loc vILLagES by IndIan ShELLIng, IndIan dEPuty Envoy MISSES ‘unPrEcEdEntEd oPPortunIty’

ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

orEIgn diplomats posted in Pakistan, who visited the Line of control (Loc) on tuesday, have dismissed Indian army’s claim of “smashing four terror launchpads” in heavy shelling in the sector two days ago. according to foreign office (fo)

Spokesperson dr Muhammad faisal, the diplomats were taken to the nauseri, Shahkot and jura sectors as well as the nausada village, which suffered severe damage due to the attacks by the Indian troops. the event was scheduled after India’s chief of army Staff (coaS) general bipin rawat on Sunday claimed that the Indian army caused “heavy damage to terrorist launch pads near neelum and

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ISPr dg tELLS EnvoyS IndIan trooPS havE coMMIttEd 2,608 cEaSEfIrE vIoLatIonS In 2019, kILLIng 44 cIvILIanS

Leepa valleys” in cross-border firing along the Loc. however, the following day– while rebuffing the claim – Inter-Services Public relations (ISPr) director general Major general asif ghafoor announced to take foreign diplomats and media persons on those given locations to “reveal the facts before the world”.

Pakistan also invited the Indian envoy for the visit, which the latter refused. no official from the Indian high commission joined the team visiting the Loc, dr faisal said. “the Indian side has not joined us in the visit to the Loc nor have they provided coordinates of the alleged ‘launchpads’,” the fo spokesperson tweeted. he added that India had also failed to share the coordinates of launchpads which the Indian army claimed to have destroyed. the army’s spokesperson also took a jibe at India, saying: “what good [is the] Indian high commission which can’t stand with its army chief?”

“Indian high commission staff didn’t have the moral courage to accompany fellow diplomats in Pakistan to Loc,” he tweeted.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 02

CMYK

nawaz ‘stable’ after health scare STORY ON BACK PAGE

Government amends NAB laws through ordinance STORY ON PAGE 03

Zardari shifted to PIMS for treatment, tests STORY ON PAGE 02

Opp says won’t stage a sit-in in Islamabad on Oct 27 STORY ON PAGE 03

CMYK Wednesday, 23 October, 2019

02 NEWS

Zardari shifted to PiMs for treatMent, tests iSLamaBad

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STAFF REPORT

ORMER president and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari was brought to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on Tuesday for treatment and lab tests on the recommendation of a medical board constituted by the Adiala jail authorities. Last week, an accountability court had ordered jail authorities to act upon the advice of medical officers on Zardari’s plea for his shifting to a hospital.

The former president is currently on judicial remand in the fake accounts case.

The PPP leader was brought to the hospital from Adiala jail in an armoured vehicle.

Doctors at the hospital performed a medical examination and took samples for labs. The former

president has meanwhile been shifted to the cardiology department of the hospital.

Talking to reporters after reaching the hospital, the former president said, “God willing, Maulana Fazlur Rehman will achieve his goal [of ousting the government].” “Aisa tau hota hai aise ma’amloun mai [that’s the way the cookie crumbles],” he replied when told that containers have been placed and arrests are being made to thwart the protest. Last week, the PPP leader had told the accountability court that he is diabetic and suffers from cardiac ailments and needs medical care. The accountability court, however, had rejected a plea seeking the transfer of the PPP chief and former president from jail to a hospital.

The court had rejected the plea on the grounds that the matter does not fall in the court’s jurisdiction.

Judge Mohammad Bashir, while pronouncing the decision, had directed Zardari to approach jail authori-

ties instead. According to the verdict, jail authorities can declare a hospital a sub-jail through an executive order. The court also ordered the jail superintendent to act upon the recommendations of the medical officers or a medical board.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had arrested Zardari on June 10 after cancellation of his pre-arrest bail by the Islamabad High Court in the fake bank accounts case. On Aug 16, the court had sent the former president to Adiala jail on judicial remand. The case pertains to a massive money laundering scam that was previously being probed by the Federal Investigation Agency. The suspects include Zardari, Talpur, former Pakistan Stock Exchange chairman Hussain Lawai, Omni Group CEO Anwar Majeed and his sons and several other high profile persons. The case was later taken over by NAB on the Supreme Court’s orders.

Zardari, Talpur’s judicial remand extended for 12 days iSLamaBad STAFF REPORT

An accountability court on Tuesday extended the judicial remand of former president Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur for 12 more days in the Park Lane corruption reference connected with fake accounts scam.

During the hearing, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi objected over the medical report of Omni Group’s head Anwar Majeed and pleaded that the defence presented the same report on every hearing to avoid the appearance of the accused.

Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP)’s

Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Faryal Talpure were produced before AC-I Judge Muhammad Bashir at judicial complex Islamabad.

During the outset of the hearing, the court asked about the appearance of the other accused including Anwar Majeed to which the defence counsel presented his medical report.

Farouk H. Naek informed the court that the doctors had advised Majeed to avoid air travel due to sickness. However, the police told the court that the other accused were also in jail and were not able to attend the proceeding.

Zardari’s lawyer Latif Khosa said that his client was not being shifted to

hospital for treatment despite the recommendation of the medical board, adding that the Adyala Jail representatives should be asked about it.

He said that this court had previously ordered the jail administration to act on the recommendation of the medical board. He said that this court had also sought reply on contempt of court plea of Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari.

The NAB prosecutor said that it had to be seen that the matter fell under contempt of court law or not.

Objecting on this, Khosa said that the plea was against the jail administration why NAB official defending it.

Later, the court adjourned the hearing of the case.

India caught lying through its teeth continued from page 01 At the LoC, Gen Ghafoor briefed the diplomats and media persons about the situation in the area. The visitors were also shown remains of the artillery shells that were allegedly fired by the Indian troops from across the LoC. The DG said that in 2018, there were 3,038 Indian ceasefire violations and 58 civilians were martyred while 319 were injured. In 2019, so far there have been 2,608 ceasefire violations due to which 44 civilians have been martyred and 230 injured, he added.

He said the difference between the Pakistan Army and Indian Army was that the former follows military norms and only targets Indian posts.

The ISPR DG added that the foreign diplomats had visited Jura bazaar and met the local population and shop owners and witnessed firsthand the damage inflicted on the shops and houses that were claimed to be launchpads by India.

Speaking to the media after the visit, Malaysia Deputy High Commissioner Deddy Feisal said, “There is no evidence of any terrorist camp in this area. They are all ordinary people and ordinary civilians trying to make their living.”

Bosnia’s Ambassador Sakib Foric said, “I have a special feeling when I see that civilians were targeted here and unfortunately with some casualties, and I could see that the people

are patriots and have special feelings and they have hosted us and are open to tell what has happened really.”

South Africa’s Acting High Commissioner Chirsto Janse Van said, “Indian forces are openly against all principles of civility and humanity.”

Chinese Ambassador Yao Jing also spoke about the sufferings of the Kashmiri people, which, he said, makes it all the more important for the international community to help resolve this festering dispute.

“Along with my colleagues I saw the damages, sufferings, injuries by local people here. These people are suffering and that is why I think Kashmir dispute is more and more important for the international community to pay attention to, and also for India and Pakistan to find a peaceful solution according to UN resolu-

tions,” said the Chinese envoy said.

On Sunday, at least six people, including a Pakistan Army soldier, lost their lives after Indian troops resorted to “indiscriminate and ruthless” shelling from across the LoC in the latest spate of ceasefire violations.

This is the highest death toll in 2019 in a single day of Indian shelling from across the LoC. “In response to unprovoked ceasefire violations by India in Jura, Shahkot and Nauseri sectors, nine Indian soldiers were killed while several others were injured and two Indian bunkers were destroyed,” the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Twitter.

Kashmir has been a disputed territory for the nuclear-armed neighbours since they both gained independence in 1947, and they have fought two of their three wars over the region.

Tensions between the countries have flared and there has been intermittent cross-border firing since 5 August, when Delhi flooded Indian Kashmir with troops to quell unrest after it revoked the region’s special autonomous status.

Islamabad has warned that changing Kashmir’s status would escalate tensions, but India says it is an internal affair and is aimed at faster economic development of the territory.

The shelling marks an escalation from the small-arms fire usually exchanged by the two armies.

CMYK

Justice Isa, others ask SC to change Oct 28 hearing date iSLamaBad STAFF REPORT

Justice Qazi Faez Isa and other litigants on Tuesday submitted a plea seeking the deferment of a hearing of a set of petitions filed against a presidential reference against Justice Isa which had earlier been scheduled by the Supreme Court for October 28.

The petitioners have contended that a protest sit-in is likely in Islamabad on the aforementioned date and also pointed out that the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) will be holding elections on October 29 and 30, which will keep some litigants and their counsels busy. They said that the “conditions for movement” in Islamabad would not be suitable on October 28 due to the expected sit-in. They have pleaded the court to fix a future date for hearing of the case.

Earlier on Monday, the apex court had refixed the hearing of challenges to the filing of the presidential reference against Justice Isa

on Oct 28. The decision came after his counsel was initially informed by the larger bench hearing the petitions that they would request the chief justice for the reconstitution of a full court due to the unavailability of one of the judges. The decision to continue with the hearing from next week was taken when the 10-judge full court, headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial, was informed that Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel, who was unavailable for hearing on Monday, would be able to resume his duty next Monday. If the matter had been sent back to Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, this would have been the second such referral in the past five weeks for the reconstitution of the full court. The reference filed against Justice Isa alleges that he acquired three properties in London on lease in the name of his wife and children between 2011 and 2015, but did not disclose them in wealth returns. Justice Isa has contested that claim, saying he is not a beneficial owner of the flats — neither direct nor indirect.

COAS Bajwa appoints Lt Gen Azhar Abbas as Colonel Commandant of Baloch Regiment

aBBotaBad STAFF REPORT

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Tuesday during his visit to the Baloch Regiment Center in Abbottabad appointed Lieutenant General Azhar Abbas as the new Colonel

Commandant of the Baloch. During the visit, the army chief laid a floral wreath at the Yadgar-e-Shuhuda and paid tribute to martyred soldiers of the Baloch Regiment of Pakistan army. Gen Bajwa also said that in external security operations, the performance of the Baloch regiment was exemplary.

CMYK Wednesday, 23 October, 2019

NEWS

Govt aMends nab laws throuGh ordinance

FEDERAL CABINET APPROVES PROMULGATION OF SEVEN MORE ORDINANCES, INCLUDING BENAMI TRANSACTION ACT LAW MINISTER SAYS AMENDED CPC TO ENSURE SPEEDY JUSTICE IN CIVIL CASES

ter Farogh Naseem said while addressing a press conference.

Flanked by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Naseem said the laws included The Letters of Administration and Succession Certificates, The Enforcement of Women’s Property Rights Ordinance 2019, The Benami Transaction (Prohibition) (Amendment) Ordinance 2019, The Superior Courts (Courts Dress and Mode of Address) Order (Repeal) Ordinance, 2019, The National Accountability (Amendment) Ordinance 2019, Legal Aid and Justice Authority Ordinance, 2019 and ordinances related to the Whistle Blower Act and amendments in the Civil Procedure Code.

He said the succession certificate will be issued within 15-20 days and the process will be carried out through fingerprints. “The identity of the whistleblower will be kept secret and full protection will be ensured in this regard,” he said, adding that if any recovery is made, up to 20 per cent of the recovered amount will be given to the whistleblower. According to the amendment in

GOVT ALLOWS ARMED FORCES TO INSTALL SOLAR POWER PRODUCTS AT MILITARY ESTABLISHMENTS ON BOT BASIS iSLamaBad

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STAFF REPORT

HE federal cabinet on Tuesday approved promulgation of eight ordinances, including the amendments to NAB Ordinance 1999 and Benami Transaction Act 2017, to “uplift the living standard of the common man”. “It is a defining moment for Pakistan as the federal cabinet has approved eight laws of public interest,” Minister for Law and Justice Barris-

the NAB Ordinance 1999, a suspect facing corruption charges of Rs50 million will be provided C class facilities in the jail. The suspect would also be entitled for the same class facilities during trial and investigation of the charges.

Naseem said the amendments in the Civil Procedural Code (CPC) would ensure speedy and expeditious justice for masses who had been enduring year-long lawsuits in civil courts. The provision of speedy justice is the only way forward to change the status quo, prevailing in the country, he added. Taking the stage, SAPM Firdous Ashiq Awan said that during the meeting, Prime Minister Imran Khan directed the authorities concerned to take steps for making sure the availability of items of daily use to people at affordable prices. She said the cabinet was briefed that a pilot project in this regard is being launched in the federal capital to ensure direct contact between farmers and general public and abolishing the role of middleman. She said this will help people to get various items at affordable rates. She said the cabinet gave an approval to a proposal to provide Na-

tional Accountability Bureau the required record by establishment division.

The cabinet also accorded approval to proposal of armed forces for installation of solar power products at various installations and establishments of army on BoT basis. Firdous said the cabinet gave approval to disburse loans of Rs5 billion without interest in Naya Pakistan Housing Program. The loans from Rs0.1m to 1m will be given without any interest.

This will benefit 500,000 to one million people. The payment schedule is from 1 to 4 years and preference will be given to widows. The cabinet also approved an agreement regarding codal formalities of the agreement signed regarding visitors to Kartarpur Corridor. The prime minister was briefed by various ministries on measures taken to facilitate the common man. Ministry of Communication apprised the meeting that it is engaging 35,000 youth for internships.

Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said the cabinet also approved Kartarpur Corridor agreement between Pakistan and India to facilitate Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit Kartarpur Sahib shrine in Pakistan. She

Opp says won’t stage a sit-in in Islamabad on Oct 27 iSLamaBad

Govt tasks sanjrani, elahi to contact shehbaZ, bilawal and faZl

STAFF REPORT

An All Parties Conference (APC) of various local leaders of opposition parties on Tuesday decided that no sit-in will be staged in the federal capital on October 27, rather Kashmir Solidarity Day and Black Day would be observed.

Outlining the decisions taken by the meeting, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Maulana Abdul Majeed Hazarvi, said that the opposition would hold a large demonstration outside the National Press Club to express solidarity with the Kashmiris. Talking about the Azadi March, he said that the participants of the march would be welcomed in Islamabad on October 31, where the opposition would show its strength. He also said that the opposition will stick to its demand for Prime Minister Imran Khan’s resignation and subsequent elections.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said, “Islamabad is our city and we are more aware of the residents’ problems than the administration, therefore, a peaceful march would be held to express solidarity with oppressed Kashmiris.” He also warned the administration to avoid disturbing the atmosphere by arresting the participants of the march. Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Sibt-e-Hasan

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ISLAMABAD: A committee formed by Prime Minister Imran Khan to hold talks with the Jamiat Ulema-e-IslamFazl (JUI-F) and other opposition parties on Tuesday decided to directly contact Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Shehbaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in another attempt to thwart the anti-government Azadi March. This was decided in a meeting of the government’s committee headed by Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak and comprising National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi, PTI leader Asad Umer, Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood and Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri. During the meeting, the committee decided that Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani will contact Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan People’s’Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. “Pervaiz Elahi will engage Maulana Fazl,” a source privy to the development said. Earlier in the day, head of the opposition’s Rehbar Committee Akram Durrani contacted Defence Minister Khattak and Senate chief Sanjrani to discuss the JUI-F’s Azadi March. Durrani informed Khattak about the opposition’s demands and was told that the government committee would get back to the Rehbar Committee after consultation among themselves. Earlier, a meeting agreed between Sadiq Sanjrani and JUI-F Secretary General Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri was called off after instructions from Maulana Fazl. STAFF REPORT Bukhari also said that opposition would hold a peaceful demonstration on October 27. The participants of the meeting also expressed concerns over the health of incarcerated opposition leaders, including former premier Nawaz Sharif, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz and former president Asif Ali Zardari.

Bukhari also demanded that the government grant visitation rights to the incarcerated leaders. Upon being asked whether PPP would join the sit-in in Is-

tanzeemat-e-ahle sunnat decides against joining azadi March LAHORE: Madaris Deenia and Tanzeemat-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat on Tuesday decided against joining Jamiat Ulema-eIslam Fazal (JUI-F) Chief Fazal-ur-Rehman’s Azadi March, media reported. Chairman Sunni Ittehad Council, Sahibzada Hamid Raza announced about this decision in a press conference in Lahore. “Azadi March is against national security and no member registered with our franchises will become part of it,” he said. In the previous week, Jamia Binoria Aalimiyah chief Mufti Muhammad Naeem also said that they will not join the march.

“Seminaries’ students should not be used for one’s own political benefits,” He said. He assured the two-member delegation comprising Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri and Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi of not becoming part of Azadi March. STAFF REPORT

lamabad on October 31, he said that opposition’s Rahbar Committee will take the final decision on the matter.

RAHBAR COMMITTEE TELLS THEIR DEMANDS TO GOVT: Meanwhile, the Rahbar Committee has reportedly apprised Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, the head of the government’s negotiations team, of their demands. In a telephonic conversation Akram Durrani told Khattak that their demands were the same and they stood firm on their stance.

Khattak told Durrani that he had summoned a meeting of the government’s negotiations team and he would get back to them after consultation. The meeting has been summoned at 4:30pm on Wednesday at the President House. The government team would hold consultation on the matter and inform the Rahbar Committee whether they want to hold talks or not.

Reportedly, Durrani also held a telephonic conversation with Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani in this regard.

KP patients in remain in crisis as deadlock between govt, GHA continues neWS deSK Patients in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) are still running from pillar to post in vain as the doctors and paramedics strike entered its 28th day on Tuesday. According to the details, out-patient departments (OPDs) in government hospitals have remained closed for almost a month now as friction between the Grand Health Alliance (GHA) and the provincial government continues.

Protesting doctors have demanded the resignation of Provincial Health Minister Hisham Inamullah Khan.

The provincial government, on the other hand, has upheld district and regional health authorities’ decision to enforce the law whereas doctors, 50 of whom have been termed ‘masterminds’ behind the ongoing protests by the KP government, have decided to continue their protest. Federal and Punjab GHA members had also invited K-P doctors for a long-march towards Islamabad on October 25 for acceptance of their demands.

Earlier it was reported that the doctors had also decided to stop providing in-door services at all hospitals in the province. The provincial health department has sought permission from the Provincial Public Service Commission to appoint some 450 doctors on Basic PayScale (BPS) Grade 17 to fill slots of those doctors who either wish to quit or whom the government wants to sack for their role in the protests.

CMYK

said Prime Minister Imran Khan will inaugurate the corridor on 9th of the next month on the eve of 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak. Establishment Division informed that it is considering a proposal to make it mandatory for promotions of civil servants that what steps they have taken to facilitate people during their tenure at a place. Ministry of Narcotics Control informed that it has initiated an app to spread awareness on drug abuse and narcotics. Ministry of Human Rights informed that it is launching an awareness campaign regarding abuse of children at various places.

Replying to a question, Firdous said the issue of the medical condition of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is being misused by his party members. She expressed regret that language and statements laden with conspiracy theories will not serve the narrative of PML-N. Firdous said the narrative of opposition parties that foreign investment to the country has declined due to crackdown on corruption is wrong. Rather, it is a welcoming sign that serious action is being taken against corruption.

Maulana fazl says opp mulling resignation from assemblies ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-e-IslamFazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Tuesday said that among the various options being entertained by the opposition in their anti-government ‘Azadi March’ campaign is the “resignation from assemblies” by opposition lawmakers. In a press briefing to foreign media outlets, Rehman said that the JUI-F will not follow the “126-day model” of the incumbent government and “will not tire its workers by having them sit indefinitely on some open ground”. “If we are able to reach Islamabad, our action plan will be different and if we are prevented from doing so, it will take a different direction,” he said, adding, “It will then take the form of a ‘fill the jails’ movement.” The JUI-F chief, however, clarified that his party will not clash with any state institution. “Our fight will be carried out within the scope of the limits outlined within the Constitution.” The JUI-F chief remarked that the country’s institutions “should remain non-partisan”. “No state institution should ever blindly lend their support to the government.” “We do not wish to clash with institutions which is why we call upon them to reject the notion that the government has their backing,” he said.

Rehman said that the government had “failed at every level” and saw no option but for fresh elections to put the country back on a democratic path. Speaking of his antigovernment march, the JUI-F chief said: “The ‘Azadi March’ is neither a sit-in nor a lockdown but a movement which will continue till the incumbent government is brought down.” A majority of opposition parties, including the PML-N and PPP have decided to answer Maulana Fazl’s call to band together and march against the government on October 31. The opposition had previously refused to come to the table for talks with the government and had voiced a singular demand: the resignation of the prime minister. It had said that no talks can take place before the premier steps down. In what is being viewed as a softening of JUI-F’s stance on the matter, following a meeting of the opposition’s Rabar Committee on Monday, it was announced that talks can be considered if the government allows the opposition to hold a “peaceful march” in the capital on October 27. On Tuesday, after an All Parties Conference was held in Islamabad between local leaders of opposition parties, it was clarified that no sit-in will take place that day. “As in other parts of the country, October 27 will be observed as Kashmir Solidarity and Black Day,” JUI-F’s Maulana Abdul Majeed Hazarvi said. AGENCIES

04 KARACHI

Wednesday, 23 October, 2019

WEATHER UPDATES WEDNESDAY

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FRIDAY

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SATURDAY

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KARACHI: Drum-beaters wait for customers at Teen Hatti Bridge. ONLINE

SHC orders formation of task force to address stray dogs’ issue KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday ordered the provincial government and city authorities to constitute a task force for action against stray dogs in the metropolis.

During the hearing of a petition regarding the shortage of vaccines to treat patients of dog bites and the action against stray dogs, the provincial secretary of local government appeared before the court. The court ordered the Sindh government to ensure supply of anti-rabies vaccines across the province. The court also directed Municipal Commissioner Karachi for the arrangement of more anti-rabies vaccines for the city. The bench directed all district municipal committees (DMCs) in Karachi to speed up the drive against stray dogs. The Sindh high court bench granted one week to submit a report on the matter. The bench directed city authorities to submit a comprehensive report over the matter in the next hearing of the case.

The court adjourned the hearing until November 7. STAFF REPORT

Court sends drug peddler to jail A Karachi court on Tuesday awarded one-year jail imprisonment to a convicted drug peddler who was found guilty of selling 'ice' – a dangerous drug – to students in the metropolis.

Rohail Shakeel was found guilty of selling the notorious substance in the Defence Housing Authority and arrested in 2018. The model criminal trial court (Karachi-South) judge Kamran Atta Soomro found that the prosecution successfully proved the charge against the accused. The judge awarded 16-months imprisonment to the accused and also imposed a fine of Rs11,000. According to police, the convict was arrested from Khayabane-Abbasi in DHA's Phase-VIII on Dec 27, 2018. Police had also recovered 110 grams of the 'ice' drug and 150 grams of hashish from his possession.

Earlier, during a hearing of the case, the state prosecutor had argued that the accused used to sell the drugs to drug addicts, including students. The prosecutor pleaded to the court to punish the accused strictly in accordance with the law. On the other hand, the defence counsel had countered the allegations and claimed that the man was framed in the case by police with malafide intentions. He had pleaded to the court to acquit the man of the false allegations. NEWS DESK

Karachi man killed in road accident KARACHI PPI

A man was killed in a road accident in Landhi area of the metropolis in the wee hours of Tuesday. According to rescue sources, a 40-year-old man, who was later identified as Abdul Aziz, was hit by a speeding vehicle near Hospital Chowrangi in Landhi neighboorhood.

As a result, Aziz suffered severe injuries and was rushed to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for treatment where he succumbed to injuries.

Action AgAinst illegAl buildings in the offing KARACHI

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STAFF REPORT

ROVINCIAL Minister for Human Settlements and Special Development Ghulam Murtaza Baloch has said that action would be taken against the owners and contractors of illegal multi-storeyed buildings located in the katchi abadies.

The decision was taken in a meeting of the Sindh Katchi Abadies Authority chaired by the minister.

Regional Directors, including Secretary Ahmed Bakhsh Narijo and Director General Anjum Iqbal, were also present in the meeting. On this occasion, Secretary Katchi Abadies gave a briefing on budget and authority.

It was also decided that the proposed budget of Katchi Abadies Authority of Rs417.383 million for the year 2019-20 would be presented in the Sindh cabinet meeting. Baloch instructed Secretary Katchi Abadies to survey multi-storeyed buildings in Katchi abadies and said that in the first phase, survey of large build-

ings should be done and NOCs of the relevant authorities of the high rise buildings should be checked.

Baloch also directed the Secretary Katchi Abadies to form an inquiry committee on the issue of lease challan of vacant plots in denotified Bedal Colony Karachi and report of the proposed inquiry committee should be submitted within a week. The minister also directed the regional directors of Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpur Khas, Shaheed Benazir Abad, Larkana and Sukkur to work together with commissioners and

Court orders arrest of absconders in Durrani asset case KARACHI STAFF REPORT

An accountability court on Tuesday directed the concerned authorities to arrest proclaimed offenders in Speaker Sindh Assembly Agha Siraj Durrani’s assets beyond known sources of income reference.

During the hearing, Durrani and other accused persons were produced in the court.

The judge questioned the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to tell the status of arresting other accused in the case.

The NAB prosecutor told the court that the institution will ask Sukkur police to take action in

this regards. The judge expressed annoyance over the reply, said that the court wants a report from the investigation officer but not the police forces.

The judge said that the court is not giving a final deadline for action against the absconding persons, otherwise, the investigation officer will be sent behind bars and the case will be separated from the assets’ reference if the arrests were not made till the next hearing.

Later, the accountability court reissued arrest warrants of the proclaimed offenders which include Agha Siraj Durrani sons, daughters, wife and others. The hearing was adjourned till November 5.

Speaker Sindh Assembly had been nabbed by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on February 20 in a case pertaining to assets beyond known income.

On July 20 last year, the anticorruption body had ordered an inquiry on charges of corruption against the Sindh Assembly speaker.

According to a NAB statement, three separate inquiries were initiated against Durrani.

One inquiry pertains to allegations of accumulation of assets beyond known sources of income by the PPP leader, while the second pertains to illegal appointments of 352 on government posts.

Murad meets newsie's son who topped intermediate exam KARACHI INP

Anas Habib, the son of a newspaper hawker who topped the intermediate exams in Karachi, called on Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday, a spokesperson said.

Habib had secured 969 marks out of 1100 in Higher Secondary School examinations, 2019, and stood first in commerce group in Karachi.

The chief minister congratulated Habib over his brilliant performance

CMYK

and said: “Your father, educators and family deserve felicitation and those students exhibiting outstanding educational performance are beloved to me.”

Shah ensured Habib of the government’s support in receiving higher education.

According to his spokesperson, he also took the phone number of the student. “If you face any problem, feel free to contact me,” Shah was quoted as saying.

Habib’s father was presented a shield on the occasion while his son received a book on Sindh’s economy.

deputy commissioners to increase the collection of dues.

Baloch said that the construction of illegal multi-storeyed buildings in the Katchi Abadies was illegal and the action would be taken against owners and contractors of such buildings, adding that no one was the above the law. He directed Regional Directors to play their role in achieving the targets and said that only the officers performing well would be given posting and strict action would be taken against those who performing poorly.

Man, woman gunned down over karo-kari KHANPUR PPI A man and woman were killed over the notorious rite of Karo-Kari near Khanpur on Tuesday. Nizam Atrani Jatoi, along with his accomplices, shot dead his wife Manzooran and his community man Ghulam Hussain Jatoi after leveling allegations of Karo-kari against them in a locality near Cheman Sakarpur in Khanpur taluka. The accused fled after committing the crime. The bodies were shifted to Khanpur hospital for autopsies and later handed over to the heirs. The police have started search for the culprits.

Man kills wife, alleged boyfriend in name of honour SHIKARPUR INP A man killed his wife and her alleged boyfriend in the name of honour in Shikarpur district of Sindh on Tuesday. According to police, the accused, who hails from suburbs of Shikarpur, murdered the two in the name of honour. The killer managed to flee the scene. Police shifted the bodies to Garhi Yasin Taluka Hospital and started an investigation into the incident.

CMYK Wednesday, 23 October, 2019

NEWS

05

ChurCh laCks legal authority over edwardes College, Court rules PHC SAYS KP’S OLDEST EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE DETAILED JUDGEMENT STATES PESHAWAR BISHOP WILL REMAIN UNDER CONTROL OF PROVINCIAL GOVT HUMPHREY PETERS TRIED TO MISLEAD COURT INCUMBENT PRINCIPAL, BISHOP ALLEGED OF INVOLVEMENT IN MULTIPLE INCIDENTS OF CORRUPTION, ABUSE OF POWER PESHAWAR STAFF REPORT

Putting an end to the controversy surrounding Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s oldest educational institute, Edwardes College, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) has rejected Peshawar Diocese Bishop Humphrey Safaraz Peters’ claim that the college is a private entity, declaring that it would remain under the control of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government.

A division bench of the court comprising Justice Qaisar Rashed Khan and Justice Ahmad Ali heard a number of petitions moved by Bishop Humphrey, Vice Principal Shakil Ahmad and the provincial government pertaining the status and affairs of the college.

The bishop contended that Edwardes College was established as a private missionary educational institution by the Church Mission Society and it had its own financial resource, which were created through donations and fee.

The faculty members, however, stated that the bishop, in connivance with the principal, held a meeting of the executive committee

of the Diocese and came up with the idea of forming a new board of governors by disbanding the existing board headed by the governor.

They added that the bishop’s act was illegal.

They further stated that the college had been funded for more than five decades by the provincial government regularly and as such, the college after attaining financial stability became an autonomous institution and not a private institution.

Upon the conclusion of arguments from both sides, the bench dismissed the bishop’s petitions and admitted the petitions of the government and the vice-principal which contended that all privatelyowned schools and colleges had been taken over by the government in 1972. The bench also accepted

an application of the provincial government seeking to recall the 2006 judgement, which had declared the Edwardes College a private educational institution.

In the detailed judgement, which was released on Tuesday, the court stated that the newly-constituted board of governors formed by the bishop lacked lawful authority and the decisions taken by the board did not have any legal or binding effect.

The court formally stated that the college is a “nationalised and autonomous institute pursuant to the regulation ibid which has been validated as per Article 269 of the Constitution, 1973, and its affairs are properly managed by the governor of KP”. The court order stated that in January 1974, the provincial government had issued a notification, through which it had constituted a board of governors for the college under the chairmanship of the governor and had vested administrative powers to the board. The notification was duly published in the Government Gazette on April 2, 1976, the court order added.

It is pertinent to mention here that the fight between the govern-

ment and the bishop for the ownership of the historic college has brought the educational institute to the verge of collapse.

During the hearing of the case, multiple incidents of corruption and abuse of power came to light, including one mentioned by the top officer of the province pertaining to the issuance of certain office orders by the incumbent principal for the appointment of his kin to key posts without due process.

As the situation degraded, KP Advocate General Shumail Ahmad Butt said, students opted to either quit their studies or migrate to other colleges. He also produced a document which showed that 200 students had recently left the college.

The bench also set aside the judgment passed on the writ petition moved by Malik Naz, who was once a contender for the post of college principal and had moved a Civil Petition for Leave to Appeal (CPLA) before the Supreme Court (SC) but had not pursued it. Expressing surprise over the lack of a follow-up at the apex court after a petition had been moved there, the court said it would be decided afresh as some facts had been concealed from the court. Finally, the court disposed of those petitions and directed the authorities to make strenuous efforts to restore the trust of the students in the college.

PMDC employees’ protest continues against council’s dissolution ISLAMABAD APP

The employees of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) on Tuesday continued their protest against the dissolution of the council and establishment of Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC). The protest was arranged on a call of PMDC Employees Movement, which also arranged a sit-in in front of the council’s headquarters to raise their voice against the decision of dissolving the body.

The speakers said they would continue their protest till fulfilment of their demands and urged

the government to reserve its decision of dissolution of PMDC. It is pertinent to mention here that the federal government has dissolved the existing body of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) and established a new organization of Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) to regulate medical profession in the country.

According to an official of the ministry of national health services, a new ordinance titled Pakistan Medical Commission Ordinance 2019 has been signed in order to regulate and control the medical profession by establishing a uniform minimum standard of medical education and training and recognition of qualifications in

medicine and dentistry. He added that the current PMDC had to be dissolved for implementation of the new ordinance and the government had directed the temporary shutting down of the offices of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council.

This would ensure the protection of the essential records and assets of PMDC while the offices would remain closed for one week, he added. He said the PMC would be a body corporate consisting of the Medical and Dental Council, the National Medical and Dental Academic Board and the National Medical Authority, which would act as the secretariat of the commission.

PBC threatens protests if ‘azadi March’ disrupted ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) on Tuesday said the legal fraternity will “not hesitate to launch a nationwide campaign of protest” if the government denies the attendees of the upcoming ‘Azadi March’ their constitutional right to protest. In a statement, PBC Vice Chairman Syed Amjad Shah said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government’s attempt to deny people their legitimate constitutional right of protest would be opposed “tooth and nail”. “If any constitutional step either to make any draconian law or forcefully deny people their legitimate constitutional right of protest, the legal fraternity will oppose the same tooth and nail and will not hesitate even to launch a nationwide campaign of protests against such actions of the government,” read the statement. The vice chairman also advised the government to refrain from making any amendments to laws, in order to defy people the right to protest alongside Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. STAFF REPORT

kashmiri detainees asked to sign bond for freedom ISLAMABAD: In a move that openly violates the fundamental right to freedom of speech, political detainees in Kashmir, including top leaders, are being forced by the Indian government to sign a bond that will bar them from speaking or commenting on the Indian action of revoking Kashmir’s special status as a condition of their release, Kashmir Media Service reported. Two women detainees who were released recently were required to sign a modified version of the standard ‘Section 107’ bond that is normally used in cases when a district magistrate uses his administrative powers under the Criminal Procedure Code to take someone into preventive custody. Under the usual terms of the bond, potential troublemakers have to promise “not to commit a breach of the peace” or carry out any acts that “may probably occasion a breach of the peace”. Any violation of this promise will see the detainee forfeit an unspecified sum of money to the government. The new bond, however, ups the ante in two aspects. Firstly, the signatories undertake to “not make any comments or issue statements or make public speeches or participate in public assemblies related to recent events in Jammu and Kashmir”. The reference to “recent events” likely signifies anything to do with Article 370 or the decision to bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir into two Union territories and scrap Kashmir’s status as a state. Secondly, they will have to deposit Rs10,000 as “surety” and undertake to pay another Rs40,000 as “surety” for any violation of the bond. A violation of this commitment will also likely lead to their renewed detention. Legal experts and rights activists believe that these new conditions are problematic and unconstitutional. Human rights activist Khurram Parvez told the media that any releases were made under the conditions of the new bond. APP

Report reveals alarming faith-based discrimination in educational institutions AROUND 60% NON-MUSLIM STUDENTS FEEL BEING DISCRIMINATED AND DISRESPECTED ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Alarming discrimination in educational institutions based on religion, faith or belief has been found in the newly launched report on ‘education and inequality’. The report called for radical shift and reforms in legislation and urged the need for teachers training and behavioral transformation of society as a whole.

The launch of the report titled “Education and Inequality: Discerning the Foundation of Citizenry”, was organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) here at Islamabad. The report was jointly conducted by The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and The Institute of Development Research and Corresponding Capabilities (IDRAC). The report revealed that around

60% non-Muslim students experience or feel being discriminated and disrespected, whereas, 70% of the non-Muslim teachers faced discrimination based on their faith.

Similarly, 72% of the parents reported that their children are being discriminated in schools/colleges because of their faith-based identity. The study was conducted in 5 select districts of Punjab, including Bahawalpur, Multan, Khanewal, Nankana Sahib and Gujranwala, where around 200 non-Muslim students, 40 teacher and 40 parents were consulted to collect the data.

While presenting the findings of the report, Executive Director, the Institute of Development Research and Corresponding Capabilities (IDRAC) and lead author of the report Amjad Nazeer, said that in order to revolutionize the society, there is a dire need of taking reforms measures to end in-

70% OF NON-MUSLIM TEACHERS FACED DISCRIMINATION BASED ON THEIR FAITH equality and religious discrimination in our educational institutions. “There is a rise in incidents of discrimination in educational institutions based on religion, faith or believe”, he said adding there are different political, historical, academic and religious elements which are responsible for collective societal discriminatory behaviour towards non-Muslim minorities of the society. Amjad Nazeer said that owing to fear and threat to life more than two-third of the affected individuals (about 80%), including students and teachers, never bothered to lodge a complaint. He urged the need for establishing a specialized body to redress the grievances and discrimination against non-Muslim communities. Also, there is a need to educate the society to ensure religious tolerance, he stressed.

Nasreen Azhar, Human Rights Activist and Council Member of HRCP said

CMYK

over the years religious tolerance is on decline and rise in bigotry in our society. “It is unfortunate that the discrimination prevails at all level of the society and there is a state of denial on such extreme level of discrimination”, she lamented adding unless we accept and acknowledge the problem, we cannot resolve the issue. She called upon the government to initiate stringent reforms to end all kind of discrimination and build a society based on the principle of tolerance and equality.

Jennifer J, Jivan, Executive Director Christian Study Center (CSC) said the findings and case presented in the report shows the level of fragmentation in the society which is fast spreading in around Pakistan. She said there is a need to change the negative mindset of the society through effective reforms measure at basic education level. She urged the gov-

ernment to implement the international conventions and treaties, which Pakistan signed and ratified, regarding elimination of all kind of intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief.

Ahmed Saleem, renowned progressive writer, historian and poet said that to ensure equal rights for every citizen and to end all form of discrimination, we need drastic changes in the constitutions.

“There should be an open debate in the parliament for drastic reforms in the constitutions”, he stressed adding it is now the responsibility of all of us, especially the intellectual class of the society, to strive for a tolerant and progressive society. Moazzam Shareef Bhatti, Director Advocacy and Outreach, SDPI while moderating the seminar said that the report is a good contribution to the literature and will help the policy makers for informed decision making. He said inequalities, discrimination and intolerance remained a major challenge of country which requires urgent attention to ensure a peaceful society.

Wednesday, 23 October, 2019

06 WORLD VIEW

What is Russia up to in the Gulf?

ARAB COUNTRIES ARE BEING INCREASINGLY PROACTIVE IN DIVERSIFYING THEIR CONNECTIONS. MOSCOW IS MAKING USE OF THIS TO GAIN ADVANTAGES

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maRianna Belenkaya

USSIAN President Vladimir Putin’s first visit to Saudi Arabia in twelve years took place on Oct. 14 amid the latest flare-up of tensions in the Gulf, where Riyadh and Tehran are on the brink of war. Having withdrawn its troops from Syria, Washington is now focusing its attention on the Gulf. From an economic standpoint, Russia cannot hope to rival the United States in the region, but Moscow’s increased activity in this area of U.S. interests is arousing suspicion in Washington.

In the year that has passed since the shocking murder of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a columnist for the Washington Post, U.S. President Donald Trump has had to defend the continuing close cooperation between Washington and Riyadh on more than one occasion, both to Congress and to ordinary Americans. One of his main arguments was the risk of Russian-Saudi ties being brought into play, including in the field of military and technological cooperation. If we don’t sell weapons to the Saudis, they will go to the Russians and the Chinese, Trump insisted.

U.S. diplomats were also highly suspicious of Russian proposals to create an analog of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in the Gulf: an idea Russia renewed in July.

Similar proposals made by Moscow in the 1990s and 2000s went unrealized.

Now Russia would like to see the United States, China, and the EU involved, as well as the Gulf states themselves. In

September, the first expert consultations were held on the issue, at which the main topic of discussion was a mechanism for monitoring activity in the Persian Gulf.

Moscow believes that if such a mechanism were already in place, there would be no questions over who was behind the mysterious attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, or the airstrikes carried out against oil facilities in Saudi Arabia. The Americans did not attend the consultations: according to one U.S. diplomat, their position is “what’s the point of a Russian plan? We have our own established system of relations with the Gulf states.” Washington suspects Russia of wanting to squeeze the United States out of the region. But are there any grounds for such fears?

The last four years in the relationship between Russia and Saudi Arabia can be summarized in two words: investment and oil. The Arab countries realize that the time when they could influence world politics through oil prices has long passed. Now they need the OPEC+ union, an alliance of oil producers that includes those that are part of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and those that are not, most crucially Russia.

It was with this in mind that, in 2016, Moscow and Riyadh began to develop a new level of bilateral cooperation based on the trust formed between the two countries’ leaderships during work on the OPEC+ deal on reducing oil output.

In preparation for Putin’s state visit, a charter on long-term cooperation between OPEC countries and those that are not part of the cartel was drawn up to be signed by Putin and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman.

The second component of RussianSaudi cooperation is investment. Back in 2015, during the first visit to Russia by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and the Saudi sovereign wealth fund agreed to jointly invest $10 billion in the Russian economy. In 2017, during the first ever visit by a Saudi king to Moscow, agreements were signed on setting up an Energy Investment Fund and High-Tech Investment Fund worth a billion U.S. dollars each. At the time, these deals seemed like huge successes, but according to the RDIF’s company reports, of the $10 billion promised, so far a total of $2.5 billion has been invested in thirty projects. During Putin’s recent visit to Riyadh, agreements were signed on another ten deals worth $2 billion.

In expert circles, there is a view that investment cooperation is developing very slowly. For traditionally conservative Gulf investors, Russia still looks like a market with not just high returns, but high risks too.

In 2005, the trade turnover between Russia and Saudi Arabia was just $235 million. In 2012, it reached a billion and stayed at that level for two more years before halving when oil prices fell in 2015– 2016. The billion mark was only passed again last year. Now the two countries plan to increase turnover to $5 billion by 2024, and reach double figures by 2030, Russia’s Economic Development Minister Maxim Oreshkin said in Riyadh during Putin’s state visit. This doesn’t look particularly impressive compared with the nearly $50 billion turnover between the United States and Saudi Arabia, or the multi-billion

turnovers between the kingdom and European and Asian countries, but Russia looks set to catch up with levels achieved by other countries in recent decades.

Trade between Russia and Arab countries is traditionally focused on agricultural produce and arms. In relations with Riyadh, the accent is on agriculture: Saudi Arabia is a major buyer of produce in the region, importing $20 billion a year. Russia is already the main supplier of barley to the kingdom, and at the end of August, it received permission to supply wheat.

During Putin’s visit, the two sides signed off on a program to expand Russian food exports to include meat, dairy products, and confectionery. Russia’s Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev believes that it is entirely realistic for Russia to be delivering food exports worth $1–2 billion in just a few years’ time.

The arms situation is more complicated. Saudi Arabia has signed letters of intent on more than one occasion worth billions of dollars, but hardly anything has come of it. In 2017, during King Salman’s visit to Russia, a memorandum was signed by Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport and a Saudi military-industrial company on buying and localizing production of military equipment, as well as a contract outlining the general terms of setting up licensed production of AK-103 Kalashnikov rifles and various bullets in the kingdom.

According to media reports, the memorandum also covered the local production of TOS-1A Solntsepek multi-barrel rocket launch systems, Kornet-EM anti-tank guided missiles, and AGS-30 automatic grenade launchers. In April,

Russia’s Interfax news agency reported that deliveries had begun of the Solntsepek to Saudi Arabia, while in August, the head of Russia’s Federal Service for Military Cooperation, Dmitry Shugaev, confirmed that deliveries of Kalashnikov rifles had begun, though he said localized production was not yet in place.

Russia also regularly recalls that a contract was signed with Saudi Arabia in 2017 for the delivery of Russian S-400 missile systems. In February, it was clarified that Russia and Saudi Arabia were discussing the terms of activating the contract. Yet Riyadh seems keen to avoid this topic, keeping a tactful silence when Putin once again offered the Saudis S-300 and S-400 missiles for protecting their oil facilities. Taking into account the strong defense ties between Washington and Riyadh, no changes are expected in this area, unless the United States suddenly has a dramatic change of heart regarding its relationship with the kingdom.

Considering the prospects for trade, Washington shouldn’t yet be concerned by the growth of Russian influence in the Gulf. It’s obvious, however, that Arab countries are being increasingly proactive in diversifying their connections.

Moscow is simply making use of this to gain economic and political advantages.

Russia and Saudi Arabia’s differences over Iran are not preventing the two countries from building a pragmatic relationship, while the trust that grew out of cooperation over oil production enabled Moscow to work effectively with Riyadh on resolving the conflict in Syria. After all, without the help of the Saudis, Russia would not have been able to reach an agreement with the Syrian opposition, which is based in Riyadh.

Marianna Belenkaya is an expert on Arab affairs and a journalist at the Kommersant publishing house.

What do we do about bigoted anti-Muslim hashtags trending on Twitter?

MANY HAVE ARGUED THAT THE ‘TRENDING’ BAR NEEDS TO GO AWAY, AND WE MUST HAVE A BETTER CONVERSATION ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA ALGORITHMS

Scroll Rohan VenkataRamakRishnan

Imagine if a “Boycott all Black people” hashtag was trending on Twitter in America. Or a “Boycott all Jews” trend in Europe. Do you believe the social media company would remain silent and continue amplifying posts from users that are blatantly bigoted and could easily be considered hate speech?

Yet over much of the weekend, users in India saw trending topics that were equally discriminatory. Among the most popular was “#म मममममम_मम_म मममम_मममम मम मम”, meaning ‘total boycott of Muslims.’ Click through to the hashtag and you will see demands for Indians to boycott Muslims economically, to ban Muslim schools, to describe all Muslims as terrorists and references to other hashtags that add in homophobia to the anti-Muslim bigotry – as well as more than a few pushing back against the sentiment.

BJP SUPPORT: The Wire reported that many of the accounts posting these tweets are followed by ministers in the Bharatiya Janata Party government. It also pointed out that the tweets and the trending hashtag could be seen as illegal under Indian law.

While the question of its legality should not be ignored, the implicit BJP support for such a hashtag is not surprising. After all, this is a party whose president Amit Shah – also the Union Home Minister – continues to make promises at political rallies that are both unconstitutional and also blatantly bigoted.

What is a little more murky here is

the role played by the social media company. A Twitter spokesperson told NewsCentral24x7 that it had “prevented the hashtag from trending”, despite multiple users continuing to say they could see it on the list of trending topics.

The tweets themselves remained on the social media site, even though one could argue that they fall afoul of Twitter’s hateful conduct policy.

Despite those rules, which every big tech company has in some form, it has become more and more apparent over the last few years that social networks were built in a way that encourages hate speech. From Facebook to Twitter to YouTube and even Instagram, it has become clear that this sort of material does not just exist on these platforms, as it did on the world wide web before the social media behemoths took over.

Instead, hate speech is now thriving.

NOT NEUTRAL: Why is that? Because Facebook and Twitter aren’t just neutral conduits for information. They may seem like bulletin boards, where anyone can put up a bit of information. But they are actually carefully ordered hierarchical systems that promote certain kinds of content, namely the sort that is likely to get the most engagement.

Over the past year, YouTube has been the clearest example of this. As internet scholar Zeynep Tufkeci has argued, the recommended videos that show up alongside – and usually play automatically after – the video you came to see, regularly pushes you towards more extreme content.

“Its algorithm seems to have concluded that people are drawn to content that is more extreme than what they started with – or to incendiary content in general,” she writes. “It promotes, recommends, and disseminates videos in a manner that appears to constantly up the stakes. Given its billion

or so users, YouTube may be one of the most powerful radicalizing instruments of the 21st century.”

Indeed, it is the algorithms and hierarchies that make social media networks different from bulletin boards.

A few scattered users or even hundreds of thousands from an organised team may have been tweeting incendiary stuff about Muslims, but if it were not for Twitter’s trending topics or a user interface that sometimes will show you popular tweets from those you don’t follow, most people would not even be aware.

Trending topics displays this problem well. By listing them in plain sight for all users to see, Trending perforce amplifies a hashtag or subject no matter what it is or how offensive it may be.

‘WORTHLESS METRIC’: And users have found it easy to game the system.

On any given day, it is likely that most hashtags are the result of campaigns explicitly aimed at getting a phrase onto the trending topic bar, whether that is something offensive or promotional content for a movie.

“Despite being a highly arbitrary and mostly “worthless metric”, trending topics on Twitter are often interpreted as a vague signal of the importance of a given subject,” wrote Charlie Warzel in the New York Times earlier this year.

NY Magazine’s Brian Feldman made a similar point in 2018: “The first problem with ‘trending’ is that it selects and highlights content with no eye toward accuracy, or quality. Automated trending systems are not equipped to make judgments; they can determine if things are being shared, but they cannot determine whether that content should be shared further.”

And yet they are deciding whether something should be shared further, simply by amplifying it. Remember, Twitter is not a public utility – it is not

mandated to carry all information people post and reserves the right to take down or refuse to carry certain kinds of material. Indeed, the service has, on paper, a strong set of rules against hateful conduct and has even intervened to take down posts and hashtags in the past, albeit more commonly in the United States where it is under more scrutiny.

It seems unlikely however that a network the size of Twitter, with a presence in scores of countries, would be able to manually or even algorithmically pick up hate speech globally. A decision back in 2009 to delete hashtags about “darkies” – considered a slur in the US but acceptable in South Africa where the tag had originated – is a reflection of this.

‘END TRENDING’: The size of this policing problem and the company’s unwillingness to acknowledge that it is privileging some topics through a system that is easily gamed prompted The Verge’s Casey Newton to suggest, earlier this year, that “it’s time to end ‘trending’ on Twitter,” saying “at best, it’s worthless

— and at worst, it’s actively harmful.”

This is indeed what Twitter, and society in general, should be debating.

Discourse over such matters tend to be binary – ban or break up the social media companies or allow them to permit everyone to post, even if they are pushing hateful content.

There is a more nuanced discussion to be had here about how the social networks are designed and what they choose to amplify. An old maxim used to be that Facebook did not create racists, it only connected them. But research into how algorithmic extremism on YouTube has shown that connecting them could actually have the effect of radicalising too.

More in-depth discussions and civil society actions have pushed other industries and private companies to alter their behaviour in the past in ways that make society better for people in general.

We need to apply the same lens to the social media companies that, for better or worse, have tremendous control over the flow of information and, as a result over our lives.

Wednesday, 23 October, 2019

Calling Erdogan a 'thiEf', Syria'S aSSad tourS idlib frontlinE nEar rEbElS Erdogan warns Kurdish fighters to pull out of Syrian region ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday up to 1,300 Syrian Kurdish fighters have yet to vacate a northeastern Syrian area invaded by Ankara, hours before a five-day cease-fire between Turkish troops and Syrian Kurdish fighters was set to expire there. Erdogan said up to 800 Syrian Kurdish fighters have already left under the deal that brought the pause in fighting following Turkey’s incursion and renewed threats to resume the offensive if all the Syrian Kurds don’t depart before the deadline runs out at 10:00 p.m. The Turkish leader spoke to reporters before travelling to Russia for a high-stakes meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The pullout occurred under the terms of a U.S.-brokered deal for a 120-hour pause in fighting that expires Tuesday night, to allow Syrian Kurdish fighters to leave areas Turkey controls following its incursion into northeast Syrian to drive the fighters away from its borders. Turkey launched the operation into northern Syria on Oct. 9, saying it aimed to push out Syrian Kurdish fighters it considers terrorists and an extension of a Kurdish insurgency within Turkey. AGENCIES

BEIRUT

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AGENCIES

yRIAN President Bashar al Assad on Tuesday denounced Turkey’s leader as a thief for attacking the northeast of his country and reiterated a pledge to retake all areas lost to Damascus in years of civil war, state media reported.

Assad made the remarks as he made a

rare visit to a frontline of Syria’s conflict, touring an area in war-torn northwestern Idlib province close to the last major bastion of Turkey-backed rebel forces.

Assad was seen surrounded by army commanders and soldiers in the town of Hobeit, which the army took in August as part of a Russian-led offensive to capture Idlib and its surroundings.”Erdogan is a thief and is now stealing our land,” state media quoted Assad as saying, referring to Turkish

President Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkey this month began an assault against its Syrian Kurdish militia enemies in Syria’s northeast with the help of rebel forces who control swathes of territory north of Idlib.

With the war now in its eighth year, capturing the Idlib area would be an important victory for Assad, who has steadily recovered control of rebellious areas with Russian and Iranian support.

“We said and continue to say that the Idlib battle is the core to decisively end chaos and terrorism in all of Syria,” Assad was quoted as saying.

Idlib enjoyed a lull in air strikes after Damascus and its ally Moscow declared a ceasefire on Aug. 31 following five months of the bombing which the United Nations says killed hundreds of people.

Just before the ceasefire, the offensive, aided by Iranian backed militias, made its most significant advance by seizing the strategic city of Khan Sheikhoun. The campaign also expanded state control of parts of a highway that stretches from the capital Damascus to the city of Aleppo.

Turkey and Russia had brokered a de-escalation zone deal in 2017 to curb fighting in Idlib. It does not cover jihadist militants who are the dominant force in the area.

Israel’s Netanyahu gives up on forming new coalition TEL AVIV AGENCIES

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Monday that he had failed to form a majority government in parliament, marking a major setback for the embattled Israeli leader that plunges the country into a new period of political uncertainty.

In a statement, Netanyahu said he had worked “tirelessly” to establish a unity government with his chief rival, former military chief Benny Gantz, but been repeatedly rebuffed. Facing a Wednesday deadline, Netanyahu said he was returning the “mandate” to President Reuven Rivlin, who will now ask Gantz to try to form a coalition. Gantz, however, could face an equally difficult task.

While Netanyahu remains at the helm of his Likud party, his announcement marked the second time this year that he has been unable to form a government. With Israel’s attorney general set to decide in the coming weeks on whether to indict Netanyahu in a series of corruption cases, the longtime Israeli leader could come under heavy pressure to step aside. One party rival, Gideon Saar, has already indicated he would challenge Netanyahu if Likud holds a primary.

In last month’s national election, Netanyahu fell short of securing a 61-seat parliamentary majority. But Rivlin gave Netanyahu the first opportunity to form a

government because he had more support — 55 lawmakers — than Gantz, who was supported by only 54.

Netanyahu had hoped to form a broad “unity” government with Gantz, who heads the centrist Blue and White party. But Netanyahu insisted that his coalition include his traditional allies, a collection of hardline and religious parties, drawing accusations from Gantz that he was not negotiating in good faith.

“Since I received the mandate, I have worked tirelessly both in public and behind the scenes to establish a broad, national unity government. That’s what the people want,” Netanyahu said in a statement.

“During the past few weeks, I made every effort to bring Benny Gantz to the negotiating table. Every effort to establish a broad national unity government, every effort to prevent another election,” he said. “To my regret, time after time he declined.

FOREIGN NEWS 07

Iraqi security forces used excessive force against protests, 157 killed BAGHDAD: An Iraqi government committee investigating a wave of unrest found that 157 people, mostly civilians, were killed because security forces used excessive force and live fire to quell protests, according to a report by the panel seen by Reuters. Protests over high unemployment, poor public services and corruption erupted on Oct. 1, prompting a violent security crackdown. Protesters blame graft and infighting among political leaders for failing to improve their lives even in peacetime, two years after Islamic State was declared defeated in Iraq. “The committee found that officers and commanders lost control over their forces during the protests (and this) caused chaos,” the panel said in its report. It said the committee found evidence of sniper fire targeting protesters from inside a building in central Baghdad. “The committee found during its field investigation shells from a sniper rifle inside an abandoned building near a petrol station in central Baghdad,” the report said. It said 149 civilians and eight members of the security forces were kiled before the unrest subsided on Oct. 7. Protesters plan to resume rallies on Friday. It recommended that the Baghdad operations commander in charge of the response to the unrest and dozens of other senior security officials be dismissed. Iran-backed militias deployed snipers on Baghdad rooftops during what became Iraq’s deadliest antigovernment protests for years, two Iraqi security officials told Reuters last week. AGENCIES

Najib orchestrated graft like an 'emperor': Malaysian prosecutor KUALA LUMPUR: Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak acted like an “emperor” who orchestrated massive fraud at a former unit of scandal-linked state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), the country’s attorney-general said at his trial on Tuesday.

Malaysian prosecutors have begun wrapping up their first case against the ex-premier, who faces seven charges of criminal breach of trust, money laundering and abuse of power linked to alleged transfers of 42 million ringgit ($10.03 million) into his personal bank account from SRC International, a former 1MDB unit. Najib, who cofounded 1MDB in 2009, has also been slapped with 35 other offences linked to losses at 1MDB and other state entities. He has plead not guilty to all charges. Attorney-General Tommy Thomas said in his closing submissions that Najib had misused his positions as prime minister, finance minister and advisor to SRC International to obtain the funds. “He could veto meetings, he took all decisions, he was the emperor of the company,” Thomas told the Kuala Lumpur High Court.

He said Najib had exercised “ultimate power” to obtain government guarantees on two loans for SRC totalling 4 billion ringgit, which the prosecutor said was mostly misappropriated. Defence lawyers have said Najib had no knowledge of the transfers into his accounts and that he was misled by Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, and SRC’s former chief executive, Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil, both of whom are at large. Low, who faces charges in the United States and Malaysia over his alleged central role in the 1MDB case, has consistently denied wrongdoing. Nik Faisal has never commented publicly on the case and could not be reached for comment. Najib’s lawyer, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, is expected to rebut the prosecution’s case on Wednesday before the case is adjourned. Trial judge Mohamad Nazlan Ghazali will rule on Nov. 11 on whether to acquit Najib or call for him to enter his defence. AGENCIES

Army tries to reopen roads as Lebanon remains paralysed BEIRUT AGENCIES

Security forces are trying to persuade protesters to reopen roads across Lebanon through peaceful means but will not use force if they refuse, a security source said on Tuesday as the country remained paralyzed by anti-government demonstrations.

Aiming to defuse anger at the political elite and dire economic conditions, the government led by Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri announced a set of measures on Monday including long-delayed reforms he said aimed to fight corruption and waste. Hundreds of thousands of people have flooded streets across Lebanon since Thursday, furious at a political class they accuse of pushing the economy to the point of collapse.

Banks and schools remained shut on Tuesday. Early in the morning, the num-

ber of protesters in central Beirut and the northern city of Tripoli appeared smaller than on previous days. Investors said the turmoil showed Lebanon was running out of time to fix its economic problems. The country has one of the heaviest public debt burdens in the world.

The protests have been overwhelmingly peaceful since Friday evening when some demonstrators clashed with the security forces in central Beirut.

Late on Monday, soldiers skirmished in Beirut with young men on motorcycles holding the flags of the powerful Shi’ite movements Hezbollah and Amal. Both parties denied any role.

The protesters have been blocking highways as part of the countrywide demonstrations which have united Lebanese from across the sectarian spectrum and have not been led by any of the parties that have long dominated politics.

Some main roads had reopened on Tuesday but they remained blocked in some areas.

The security source would seek to convince

protesters on the need to open main roads.

“If they are convinced, so be it, if they are not the roads will remain closed,” the

source said. Some roads had been reopened in the south, the source added. “We will not clash with the protesters and make a problem on the ground,” the source said.

The reforms announced by Hariri on Monday included the symbolic halving of the salaries of ministers and lawmakers, as well as moves towards implementing long-delayed measures vital to putting the public finances on a sustainable path. The protests have been extraordinary because of their size and geographic reach in a country where political movements are normally divided on sectarian lines and struggle to draw nationwide appeal.

Lebanon has one of the world’s highest levels of government debt as a share of economic output. The government includes most major parties, run by politicians widely perceived to have mobilized state resources and influence for their own gain.

Wednesday, 23 October, 2019

08 COMMENT Handling it tenure’s first protest PTI government develops cold feet

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ROtEsts against the government are a common thing in democracies and governments do not put hindrances in their way unless the protesters start indulging in unlawful activities. the Pti government however is getting butterflies long before the start of the Azadi March. in its shortsightedness the government is employing tactics devised in the colonial era to dissuade the opposition from launching protests, in a free country practising democracy. For this, government machinery as well as nAB, are being used freely. the government has thus brought the opposition parties closer than they were before.

A number of the Jui-F ‘s district level leaders were arrested for being involved in otherwise normal political activities like collecting funds for the march, getting banners and placards prepared and stored, and for inviting people to join the protest that will begin on October 27. the Punjab police arrested the PML-n’s Captain safdar for speaking against state institutions. nAB initiated a case to put pressure on the leader of the opposition in the KP assembly, Mr Akram Durrani. to block the entry of the KP protesters into Punjab, the government started commandeering containers owned by private-sector companies. the interior Ministry hurriedly circulated a summary among cabinet members to ban the Jui-F guards. Meanwhile threats have been extended to the opposition by the Pti’s team tasked with negotiations. the measures being taken by the government are counterproductive as they can cause incitement and lead to violent confrontation that needs to be avoided.

Early this month former PM nawaz sharif, already in jail, was taken into custody by nAB after the Bureau arrested him in the Chaudhry sugar Mills case and obtained his physical remand. there is a perception that he is being kept in solitary confinement to stop him from having any contact with the protesters. the reported deterioration of Mr sharif’s ailments is likely to force double-minded PML-n leaders and workers to join the protests. the joint opposition has expressed willingness to talk to the government provided no hindrance is created in the Azadi March. the olive branch extended by opposition needs to be accepted by the Pti administration, which is expected to display self-confidence.

Trudeau’s marginal win Canada’s far right unable to divide the electorate

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ustin trudeau has won a second term in office as Canadian PM after a hard-fought election over the course of which his prospects of success had diminished considerably. Mr trudeau had won previously in 2015 on a platform of change with a progressive agenda, taking over after a decade of conservative control. But soon after getting into office he had a hard time pleasing both sides of the spectrum as he introduced a carbon tax and permitted a pipeline that irked environmentalists. As reelection approached he was faced with a political scandal involving his attorney general who was accused of providing judicial relief to an engineering firm, snC-Lavalin that had allegedly paid bribes to Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi to secure contracts.

Mr trudeau maintained throughout that there was nothing illegal about what his administration did. Closer to this election an old picture of him at a party wearing ‘black face’ (make-up to resemble as a person of colour) surfaced that severely damaged his chances for a win, dividing his base of liberals who are ultra-sensitive on race issues. Mr trudeau repeatedly apologized for his actions. All this has resulted in the Liberal Party securing only a minority government, falling short of the 170 seats required for a majority. He will now have to work with other likeminded parties to the left that includes the new Democratic Party led by Jagmeet singh, a practising sikh, who is the first person of color to head a federal political party in Canada’s history.

However fragile this victory may be, it is a welcome break from democracies across the world leaning towards right-wing parties to lead them. ‘trumpism’, an election strategy of demagoguery, has been executed successfully

by Brazil’s Bolsonaro, Philippines’ Duterte and has been partially successful in the Eu with nationalist hardliners gaining prominence in Eu’s Parliament. Canada’s farright has however been unable to divide the populace as evidenced by hardliner nationalist Maxime Bernier’s– leader of the People’s Party of Canada– defeat in Quebec, with the party unable to win even single seat in Parliament. Overall it’s a win for progressive liberals and a rejection of populist regressive nationalism.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

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Pak -Turkey Naval diplomacy

muHammad SoHail aHmed

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HE Pakistan navy is the naval warfari uniformed service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces serving the motherland in forefront of the seaside. Pakistan navy is playing a commendable role in the national security of Pakistan. the security of the nation, and the state including citizens, economy and institutions, are considered to be the national security and regarded as a duty of the government.

Pakistan navy is the guardian of the nation in avoiding sea threats from all sides. in his recent visit to turkey, the Pakistani Chief of naval staff signed a contract for four type Milgem-Class antisubmarine corvettes equipped with stealth technology and designed by the turkish shipyard. the enormous importance was shown by the fact that the President of turkey was the chief guest in the ceremony. in his address, he spoke with a clear vision about the future. it encompassed the turkish will and desire to take Pakistan shipbuilding industry and Pakistan navy forward in their pursuit of self-sufficiency, through designing, building and maintenance. this a capability that so far only 10 countries in the world enjoy. What is so great about it is that Allah has gifted us with an enthusiastic partner which is treading on this path.

Due to intellectual property rights, the existing 10 countries may not be able to help Pakistan or turkey. President tayib Recep Erdogan informed that out of the 100 top defence companies, there are already five turkish companies. Defence imports have come down to only 30 percent and the turks are to bring it to zero, by 2023. since the Pakistan navy is the user of the new corvette, it must be very keen to operate it without facing

the problem of spares. therefore, by the time these platforms, out of which two will be constructed at Karachi shipyard, would be commissioned, there will be self-sufficiency with turkey for spares. there is probably some portion of spares that would be outsourced to Pakistan. this is going to be self-sufficiency with assurance of spares for Pakistan navy. President Erdogan highlighted that turkey had already suffered due to sanctions in the past by the supplier countries. Pakistan has also faced the same problem through the notorious Pressler Amendment and under the Kerry-Lugar bill.

President Erdogan informed that his country, after being able to construct unmanned and manned aerial vehicles as well as satellites, would soon achieve self-sufficiency in designing and manufacturing fighter aircraft. Pakistan can also engage in the pursuit of designing and manufacturing its indigenous fighter programmes. that way, our children will have more jobs, better standards of education and a greater understanding and control over technology. speaking at the steel-cutting ceremony, President Erdogan unveiled the future programme to design and construct a conventional submarine for turkey. the turkish navy ship, the tCG Kinaliada, was also commissioned during the ceremony. turks call it their national warship programme. He appreciated the quality of equipment, high standard of discipline and well-qualified men who would make these platforms a highly competitive programme in warship construction and operation. Pakistan would certainly benefit from this cooperation as it has its development plans to pursue. Availability of a trusted friend would be of great help.

Once again the turkish people have proven their unflinching support to Pakistan. this time it was on the Kashmir issue, as the most unambiguous stance forcefully supporting Pakistan came from turkey. President Erdogan not only mentioned it in his address to thw united nations General Assembly, but he also highlighted during the ceremony that eight million Kashmiris were in an open prison and facing atrocities. He emphasized that he would continue to raise the issue at all forums and levels. this convergence of thought and alignment of national objectives must be utilized for future cooperation with turkey in defence, diplomacy, science and technology by both the governments. Besides highlighting the sufferings, the Pakistan navy Chief thanked the turkish

leader for his unwavering support to Pakistan. no doubt the turkish nation has proven the adage that a friend in need is a friend indeed.

Besides turkey, Malaysia has supported the right of self-determination for Kashmiris, a principled stance that Pakistan has always supported. the iranian parliament has sympathized with the Kashmiri Muslims besieged in the indian occupied territory. the recent visit of the foreign ministers of saudi Arabia and uAE has been a great support to the Kashmiri brothers in the indianoccupied territory. they are in a state of curfew since 5 August. the overwhelming support from China has convinced our leaders to plan a visit to China to thank its leadership for providing full support to Pakistan and the Muslims of Kashmir. the indian move to attempt and announce the illegal annexation of Kashmir was well thoughtout and planned in such a way that soon after the announcement, indian PM narendra Modi would start an official tour of the Gulf states, known to support Pakistan. this trap created an embarrassment to these states as the state visits are planned well in advance. However, photo sessions of Modi with the leaders in the Gulf countries generated the false impression that they were supportive of, or ambivalent to, the indian move. As the dust settles and the picture is getting clear, it is emerging that there is reasonable diplomatic support to Pakistan from the above-stated countries in particular and the Muslim ummah in general.

However, within india, there are some diverging views and one such view is that which has come from a retired judge of the indian supreme Court who has predicted that Kashmir will be a Vietnam for india. i believe that india is not the usA, and Pakistan is not Cambodia for taking the wrath of india as Cambodia had to take from the usA before it pulled out of Vietnam. it can be also visualized that since both the usA and Russia have asked Pakistan and india to sort out the matter directly between themselves, they are not yet clear on the likely outcome of this conflict. therefore, Pakistan stands at the high moral ground in front of the world community and is likely to emerge as successful in this standoff. Pakistan should also support turkey in its efforts to establish peace in syria.

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

Population boom

take charge of the issue of population as well. next in line is strengthening the departments dealing with the issue of population at grassroot level.

After the 18th Amendment, population is now a provincial subject but the provinces need to pool up their resources and be in synch with each other to create a national impact. growth the population of Punjab is estimated to According to the Punjab Population Policy, touch 141 million in 2030 and 183 million by 2017, Family Planning is to be treated as a right.

2050. Population of this magnitude is bound to We have come to know from examples around create socio-economic problems related to health, the world that there is a direct relationship beeducation, housing, drinking water and sanitation tween the level of education and the population etc. Karachi and Lahore have already passed the rate. sadly, the issue of birth control is still conthreshold of mega cities by any standards. Al- sidered taboo in our society. We need to get out though Lahore has fared a bit better than Karachi, of this mentality. the government departments but both cities, like all other major cities of Pak- are already engaging religious scholars in spreadistan, remain without any real megacity-worthy ing the message of population control. Aggrestransportation, sanitation sive awareness campaign is and housing master plans. need of the hour and who the new government better to lead it than our pohas done admirable work in litical leaders. Moreover, The need of the highlighting issues which the government needs to were considered trivial prehour is to take a strong use a system of incentives viously, such as pollution, and coercions. China as we hard look at our climate change afforestaall know embarked on the tion etc. it was however, one-child policy and the resources and plan the ex-Chief Justice of Pakpolicy is showing diviistan, Mr Justice saqib dends. Bangladesh has sucaccordingly.

What nisar, who brought forth cessfully implemented a the all-important issue of population strategy. simiresources do we have population boom. All of larly, Fatwas issued in iran (water, oil, minerals, these issues are interconprotect a woman’s right to nected and cannot be seen fertility. We on the other agri etc) and how are we her in isolation. Population afhand are lagging far behind fects each and every aspect in this all-important issue. going to distribute it of governance, be it energy the need of the hour is among our everpolicy, economic policy, to take a strong hard look at social policy or others. On our resources and plan acincreasing citizens? the rate we are growing, cordingly. What resources any number of hospitals, do we have (water, oil, minroads, underpasses would erals, agri etc) and how are still remain insufficient. We we going to distribute it are running out of space among our ever-increasing citizens? the great even to dump our waste. the huge landfill site at urban centres of Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, GuMehmood Booti Lahore has filled up quickly and jranwala, Rawalpindi and Peshawar hold great is already brimming with waste. the number of promise as hubs of knowledge and industrial activjobs, and housing units would be under constant ity but at the same time they can become concenstrain no matter how many of them are added trations of poverty, famine and chaos as predicted each year as the population would keep on in- by Malthus. sadly, we are already too late but still creasing geometrically (refer back to Malthus). we need to take prudent decisions nOW before to counter this problem of population explo- things get even worse than they are at the moment. sion, the first and foremost requirement is political it is upon us whether we want to have a future for ownership. As stated earlier, the new government our coming generations that looks prosperous and has taken ownership of novel issues such as cli- happy or a future that looks gloomy and full of mate change, pollution etc. it is the right time to competition for meagre resources.

This problem must be acknowledged Hamza Naveed

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HOMAs Robert Malthus was a worldrenowned demographer of his time. in 1798 he wrote his masterpiece ‘An Essay on Principle of Population’ and spoke his mind about the intricacies of population growth with respect to subsistence.

Malthus showed that population grows geometrically (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32) whereas the food source arithmetically (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). in the early 19th Century, when the population of Europe grew exponentially the thesis of Malthus was given wide acceptance. Malthus predicted that if checks on population growth were not put in place it would lead to a catastrophe such as famine, disease and war. But, in the end, greater innovation and use of technology in food production prevented the doom and gloom predicted by Malthus.

Although, the thesis of Malthus and Malthusianism lost in popularity, it has again gained prominence at least for the developing countries with booming population. And it is not only the food scarcity we are talking about this time around, rather, the limitations of the state in providing for basic amenities such as housing, water supply, security and education, which are under stress. Can the Malthusian catastrophe become a reality?

Consider the case of Pakistan for example. We are a nation of approximately 210 million and the fith most populous country in the world. As per the latest census of 2017 we are growing at an approximate rate of 2.1 % annually. the population of any place doubles in 30 years if the annual growth rate is 2.3 %. What it means in layman terms is that the population of Pakistan is bound to be around 400 million in the year 2045. With our meagre resources, will we be able to keep ourselves safe from the catastrophe predicted by Malthus?

Let us consider on a more miniscule level the province of Punjab. the population of Punjab is 107 million as per the census report of 2017 (approx. 52.94 percent of the country’s). the population growth rate in Punjab has gone down to 2.1 percent now from the previous 2.6 percent in 1998. Even after this reduction in the population Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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Wednesday, 23 October, 2019

COMMENT 09 Editor’s mail

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Who let the dogs out?

Economic strategy beyond reproach The tax-to-GDP ratio is crucial

malik muHammad aSHraf

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he unfortunate reality of Pakistan is that successive governments, both military and civilian, have given false hopes to the people divorced from the ground realities, without taking steps with a futuristic approach to address the existing maladies as well as putting in place policies designed to unleash the process of sustained economic growth. they all succumbed to political expediencies and hence all their economic decisions were politically motivated with the result that the country never experienced a real change and has drifted to the ebb of an economic precipice. the governments require indigenously raised resources to finance projects related to socio-economic development and public wellbeing. this necessitates broadening the tax base and enhancing the tax-to-GDP ratio. the tax-toGDP ratio shows the tax revenue collected by the government as a percentage of GDP. unfortunately Pakistan ranks among the countries having a very low tax-to-GDP ratio. the consequence of this low tax-to-GDP ratio has been that the governments mostly relied on loans from external and internal resources to finance their developmental and other needs whivh, coupled with a phenomenal increase in the nondevelopment expenditure, has pushed the country into a debt-trap and a burgeoning budget deficit, with all the debilitating implications. the recipe to rectify the situation lies in broadening the tax base. the ideal situation is when the tax-to-GDP ratio ranges between 25 percent and 50 percent. A cursory glance at the tax-to-GDP ratio of countries across the globe reveals that the states which are considered to be developed and welfare states, owe their status to their higher tax-to-GDP ratio. For example, the scandinavian countries, including Denmark, Finland, sweden and norway, have tax-to-GDP ratios of 51, 54, 50 and 54 percent respectively. the average tax-to-GDP ratio of Eu countries is 35 perent. African countries like

Zimbabwe and south Africa boast of tax-to- will to take the bull by horns. it is said where GDP ratio of 27 and 27 percent respectively. there is a will there is a way. though it would be india collects 16.1 percent taxes out of its total a hard path for the government to traverse, ultiGDP whereas nepal stands above the whole re- mately it would lead to the rectification of most gion with 27 percent. Latin American countries of the aberrations afflicting the economy and setalso have average tax-to-GDP ratios ranging ting the course for sustained economic developfrom 25 to 34 percent with Brazil having the ment enabling the government to provide desired highest collection. Pakistan has a dismally low relief to the masses and spending on their welltax to GDP ratio of 11 percent. Even Kenya, the being. Renowned economists, while dilating on least developed country of East Africa, has a the situation and suggesting remedies to pull the tax-to-GDP ratio of 18 percent. the specific country out of the current dismal economic situreasons for this low tax-to-GDP ratio in Pak- ation, have expressed unanimity of views on istan, apart from the lack of political will shown broadening the tax base and bringing structural reforms to improve the tax by successive government administration. that is exare the narrow tax base, actly what the government large scale tax evasion or is trying to do. non-existing tax culture, in view of the precarweak and corrupt tax adThe government ious situation of the econministration and the exisis well advised to omy, with a whopping tence of a large informal public debt, the governeconomy. the remedy unfocus more on raising ment had no choice other doubtedly lies in refining the tax structure which the proportion of direct than to seek assistance from the friendly counmeans not only expanding taxes to save the poorer tries and approach the the base and bringing for a bailout packmore and more people sections from inflationary iMF age. Going to iMF is not into the tax net, but also as reprehensible as the opeliminating avenues of tax impact and also move position parties and deevasion through docuwith utmost care to tractors of the government mentation of the economy have been trying to poras well improving the tax remain focused on tray. Beginning from administration.

1958, all governments the foregoing reachieving the desired have sought assistance forms are more easily said from the iMF to rectify than done. it is indeed a results. The success their balance of payments very arduous situation for of the suggested situations and to avoid dethe incumbent governfault on previous loans. ment and a challenge to measures is also What really matters is the its political will to do the productive utilization of right things without carcontingent upon a the loans taken and introing for the political cost. it host of non-economic duction of the reforms is a reality that raising the that lead to broadening of prices of gas, oil, electricfactors, including the tax base and eliminaity, the imposition of adtion of the informal econditional taxes as well as political stability omy. tax Amnesty and removal and lowering of Assets Declaration subsidies is hurting poorer scheme and the implesections of the society mentation of benami law which are groaning under the burden of the hydra-headed inflation set in are positive measures towards documenting the motion by these steps. However the problem is economy and an essential ingredient of broadthat the government has no other options avail- ening the tax base.

While nobody in his right mind can chalable. it is a now-or-never situation. so better do it now than allowing the country to drift further lenge the conceptual thrust of the government initiatives and the rationale for the introduction into an economic quagmire. therefore, in the backdrop of the developing of the required reforms, the government is well situation, it is hard to take an issue with the strat- advised to focus more on raising the proportion egy adopted by the government to remedy the of direct taxes to save the poorer sections from situation. the opponents of the government inflationary impact and also move with utmost might try to exploit the situation by whipping up care to remain focused on achieving the desired public sentiments against it, but the reality is that results. the success of the suggested measures they also do not have any alternate plan or idea is also contingent upon a host of non-economic to stem the rot. the Pti government has inher- factors, including political stability. ited the present situation and the major blame for Malik Muhammad Ashraf is an academic. this state of affairs logically falls on the previous governments. the Pti has shown the political He can be contacted at: ashpak10@gmail.com.

On Friday, imran Khan gave a historical yet thought-provoking speech in 74th session of the united nations General Assembly. Millions of people are appreciating his words as they create an impact on the audience. His speech comprised of several social and international relation issues that need immediate attention from various countries across the world.

Mr. Khan started his speech with the immediate threat of climate change which affects the entire world. However, a critical aspect that he pointed out was how the rich countries need to be more active in terms of minimizing their carbon emissions. As per Mr. Khan, the poor countries suffer the most, including Pakistan being an agricultural country that relies on glaciers which are melting too fast. i believe Mr. Khan’s attempt to focus on this issue was indeed important given the recent Climate March. it reflects on the fact that Pakistan and its people are aware of how climate change is affecting everyone. the second point in consideration of the speech by Mr. Khan was global corruption and money laundering being critical issues that make a poor country poorer. As per the speech, rich countries in Western part of the world are acting as a tax haven for most of the corrupt corruption. Mr. Khan highlighted that Pakistan has significant debt to pay due to money laundering and lack of access to the plundered money. in my opinion, this part of the speech was an indirect attack to other political parties in Pakistan which have formerly ruled the country. While it was vital to let the people know about the graveness of money laundering, it just added to the extra time Mr. Khan took for his speech. the third part of the speech revolved around islamophobia, an issue being faced by Muslims, especially in the Western countries. time and time again we hear how people in other countries treat Muslims with hatred. Mr. Khan was vocal about the fact that there is no such thing as radical islam. He also highlighted how islam teaches everyone to treat minorities and women with respect. nonetheless, i feel this is a controversial aspect since minorities in Pakistan are treated poorly. From stopping minorities to enter the shops to burning down their religious places, Pakistan has failed to protect them. And let us not forget, Pakistan is one of the few countries who voted no against un’s willingness to investigate the situation in Yemen. the last point of Mr. Khan’s speech focused on india’s treatment towards Kashmir and Pakistan. He talked about how he, as the Prime Minister showed his intent to work things out with Mr. Modi, india’s Prime Minister but was only met with hostility. Mr. Khan encouraged the un to let Kashmir decide about what it wants rather than letting india set a curfew there. this was not a threat but a warning.

SyEdA ALiNA ZAidi Karachi

PM’s speech PM imran Khan delivered a passionate long speech while addressing Annual un General Assembly. He poured his heart out and touched upon benign role of Muslim majority countries, who instead of standing up to expose tyranny and conspiracy behind proponents of islamophobia, chose to go along, trying to adopt a convoluted version of Enlightened Moderation, with likes of Musharraf aping to tunes of Zionist lobby. imran Khan exposed tortuous treatment meted to Kashmiri population, who have faced collective punishment, being confined to their homes for almost 55 long days. He also spoke against extensive money laundering being indulged by corrupt civil, uniformed and political elite who have been involved in institutionalized corruption plundering their countries and transferring black money to foreign safe havens. However he must understand that Western Economic system encourages such money transfers, because instead of physical colonial occupation, like over 200 year British Raj, the new mode is economic colonization. iK should focus on taking concrete steps, through legislation and implementation of laws, to stop flight of capital by corrupt elite from Pakistan. PM Khan should ensure that likes of Admiral Mansoor ul Haq, Musharraf, Kayani clan, iqbal saeed, nawaz sharif, Asif Zardari, shujaat, Altaf Hussain etc and super bureaucrats like shahid Rafi, Capt naseer, Qamar Chaudhry, Lashari, salman siddiqui etc who were involved in daylight robberies, are prevented from robbing this country and face sever prosecution and punishments.

GuL ZAMAN Peshawar

Manufacture of solar panels WE missed a golden opportunity of setting up manufacturing plants for solar panels in the country for harnessing abundant solar energy potential in the country about two decades ago when a Pakistan born us scientist and owner of solar panels manufacturing plants in the united states , Dr. Lubna , offered the government of Pakistan to set up solar panels manufacturing plants across Pakistan. Looking into the future , she made the offer for exploiting the solar energy for its maximum utilization in order to provide clean reliable and affordable power to its citizens and for the national power grid. Dr. Lubna ( an old Ravian ) holding many prestigious awards , including Einstein award , wanted to do some service to her motherland without any financial gains in her mind , as she was quite rich already by the grace of God , having a happy family living very comfortably in the us. Alas, her passionate and appropriate offer was not entertained by our greedy , incompetent and corrupt people who mattered! instead of accepting her meaningful offer , they were interested in us visas & personal benefits for their children and families !

ENGr riAZ BHuttA Lahore

Wednesday, 23 October, 2019

10 FOREIGN NEWS

Trudeau's LiberaLs win Canada voTe, wiLL form minoriTy govT OTTAWA

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AGENCIES

RIME Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party held onto power in a nail-biter of a Canadian general election on Monday but as a weakened minority government.

Television projections declared the Liberals winners or leading in 157 of the nation’s 338 electoral districts, versus 121 for his main rival Andrew Scheer and the Conservatives, after polling stations across six time zones closed. As early as Tuesday, Trudeau will have to form an alliance or formal coalition with one or more smaller parties in order to govern.

The first test of his future government will follow in the subsequent weeks with a speech to parliament outlining his legislative priorities and a confidence vote.

The 47-year-old former school teacher dominated Canadian politics over the four years of his first term, but faced a grilling during the 40-day election campaign, which was described as one of the nastiest in Canadian history.

His golden boy image has been damaged by ethics lapses in the handling of the bribery prosecution of engineering giant SNC-Lavalin, while the emergence of old photographs of him in blackface makeup rocked his campaign.

Scheer, meanwhile, only two years after winning the leadership of his party, struggled to win over Canadians

with his bland minivan-driving dad persona and a throwback to the thrifty policies of past Tory administrations.

His Conservatives had stood alone among all of the parties in pledging austerity measures to return to a balanced budget within five years. Surging social democrats and resuscitated Quebec separatists also appeared to have chipped away at Liberal support.

‘CHEAP SHOTS’ DURING CAMPAIGN: The Bloc Quebecois came back from a ruinous 2015 election result, tapping into lingering Quebec na-

tionalism to take 32 seats, while the New Democratic Party (NDP) won 25 seats, according to projections.

“Trudeau has really lost his halo.

It’s pretty tarnished,” commented Lois Welsh, 77, in Regina, disappointed over the Liberal win. Michel Mercer in Montreal said he voted for the Liberals, but only to keep the Tories at bay. “I would have voted NDP but I didn’t want to see the Conservatives in power,” he told AFP. Some 27.4 million Canadians were eligible to vote in the election, and a

large turnout was expected but that won’t be confirmed until Tuesday morning. During the campaign, Trudeau evoked the bogeymen of past and current Tory parties fostering “politics of fear and division” while Scheer called the prime minister a “compulsive liar,” “a phony and a fraud.”

Outside polling stations, Canadians told AFP they had wished for a more positive campaign focused on issues.

“I deplored the cheap shots during the campaign. I think we’re better than that,” said Andree Legault in Montreal.

Britain's Johnson races Brexit clock as deadline looms LONDON AGENCIES

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces two crucial Brexit votes Tuesday that could decide if he still has a reasonable shot at securing his EU divorce by next week’s deadline. The UK is entering a cliffhanger finale to a drama that has divided families and embittered politics ever since voters backed a split from Britain’s 27 EU allies and trading partners in 2016.

Johnson has set himself a very high bar by promising that he will get Brexit done — “do or die’” — by the twice-delayed October 31 departure date. The Conservative leader now hopes parliament gives initial support to a Brexit bill that translates the revised withdrawal agreement he struck with Brussels last week into UK law. He then hopes the lower House of Commons commits to passing the entire legislation in three days — a heavy lift for a 110page text designed to unwind 46 years of intricate EU-UK ties. Failure in either of Tuesday’s votes could deliver a potentially devastating blow to Johnson that will probably see the process prolonged again.

Parliament has already forced Johnson to request a three-month extension that European leaders will consider once they get a clearer picture of how the battles in parliament play out. Outgoing European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Tuesday the EU has “done all in our power” to assure an orderly divorce. Extra time could allow opposition lawmakers to try and secure much closer future trade relations with the bloc than the firmer break envisioned by Johnson. Pro-European Britons have also held massive rallies in London demanding a second Brexit referendum, which could allow for the result of the first to be overturned.

Trump viewed Ukraine as adversary, Japan's emperor completes enthronement in ancient ceremony not ally, witnesses say TOKYO

WASHINGTON AGENCIES

AGENCIES

Behind closed doors, President Donald Trump has made his views on Ukraine clear: “They tried to take me down.”

The president, according to people familiar with testimony in the House impeachment investigation, sees the Eastern European ally, not Russia, as responsible for the interference in the 2016 election that was investigated by special counsel Robert Mueller.

It’s a view denied by the intelligence community, at odds with U.S. foreign policy and dismissed by many of Trump’s fellow Republicans but part of a broader skepticism of Ukraine being shared with Trump by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his key regional ally Viktor Orban of Hungary.

Trump’s embrace of an alternative view of Ukraine suggests the extent to which his approach to Kyiv — including his request, now central to the impeachment inquiry, that the Ukraine president do him a “favor” and investigate Democrats — was colored by a long-running, unproven conspiracy theory that has circulated online and in some corners of conservative media.

On Monday, Trump derided the impeachment probe anew as a “witch hunt,” insisting that he did nothing wrong in his phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

But those testifying in the impeachment inquiry, now entering its fifth week, are recalling that Trump’s views on Ukraine were seen as a problem by some in the administration.

Some of those testifying recalled a May meeting at the White House when U.S. officials, just back from attending Zelenskiy’s inauguration in Kyiv, briefed Trump.

Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, special envoy Kurt Volker and other witnesses have described Trump as suspicious of Ukraine despite well-established American support for the fledgling democracy there.

Japan’s Emperor Naruhito completed his ascension to the Chrysanthemum throne on Tuesday in a ceremony steeped in the traditions and grandeur of a monarchy that claims 2,000 years of history. The rituals cemented a transition that began with his father’s abdication earlier this year, and drew royalty and political leaders from around the world.

A public parade for the event was postponed after a deadly typhoon, but the government went ahead with the granting of pardons for more than half a million people convicted of minor offences including traffic violations.

The main event took place in the Imperial Palace’s Pine Room, where royal attendants drew back purple curtains hanging from two heavily adorned structures housing the imperial thrones, revealing the emperor and empress standing inside. “I hereby declare my enthronement at home and abroad,” Naruhito said, dressed in a voluminous draped robe topped with a copper overcoat.

Empress Masako, a Harvard-educated former diplomat, stood silently before her throne

That’s according to publicly released transcripts, as well as people familiar with the private testimony to impeachment investigators. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss it. Several witnesses have testified that Trump believed Ukraine wanted to destroy his presidency.

One career State Department official, George Kent, told lawmakers that Putin and Orban had soured Trump’s attitude toward Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine have been foes since Putin’s invasion of Crimea in 2014, as Kyiv tries to align with the West, while Putin and Orban grow closer.

“President Trump was skeptical,” Sondland testified, according to his written remarks. Sondland said that only later did he understand that Trump, by connecting the Ukrainians with his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, was interested in probing the 2016 election as well as the family of his potential 2020 rival, Joe Biden.

“It was apparent to all of us that the key to changing President Trump’s mind on Ukraine was Mr. Giuliani.”

House Democrats launched the impeachment inquiry after a whistleblower filed a complaint that included Trump’s July call with Zelenskiy. The call was placed the day after Mueller testified to

Congress and brought an end to the two-year Trump-Russia probe.

“Our country has been through a lot and Ukraine knows a lot about it,” Trump told Zelenskiy, according to a rough transcript of the call released by the White House.

“I would like you to find out what happened with this whole situation with Ukraine, they say CrowdStrike,” Trump said. “The server, they say Ukraine has it.”

Trump was airing the conspiracy-theory view, shared by Giuliani, that the security firm CrowdStrike, which was hired by the Democratic National Committee to investigate the 2016 hack of its email, may have had ties to Ukraine.

CrowdStrike determined in June 2016 that Russian agents had broken into the committee’s network and stolen emails that were subsequently published by WikiLeaks. The firm’s findings were confirmed by FBI investigators and helped lead to Mueller’s indictments of 12 individuals from Russia’s military intelligence agency.

But the loose conspiracy theory contends that the DNC email hack was a setup, bolstered by fake computer records, designed to cast blame on Russia.

in a similar, smaller structure, wearing a multilayered kimono and a highly stylised hairpiece. Naruhito pledged to “pray for the happiness of Japanese people and world peace” and “fulfil my duty as the symbol of Japan and of the unity of the people of Japan.”

Standing before him, flanked by royal family members also wearing heavily decorated traditional robes, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe promised the people of Japan would “respect your highness the emperor as the symbol of the state and of the unity of the Japanese people.” He then raised his hands three times, shouting “Banzai!” or “Long live the emperor!” The solemn ceremony was conducted almost entirely in silence, with royal family members gliding wordlessly into the room and standing throughout.

Only the sounds of a gong and drum signalled the stages of the ritual, with a low, loud beat indicating to guests representing around 180 countries and institutions that it was time to stand and hear the proclamation.

And it was over almost as soon as it had begun, with attendants closing the purple curtains and the royals quietly moving out of the room.

India government, Facebook spar over decryption laws at top court NEW DELHI AGENCIES

India’s government asked Facebook Inc on Tuesday to help it decrypt private messages on its network, citing national security requirements in a court hearing on privacy rights on social media platforms.

India’s Attorney General K.K. Venugopal told the Supreme Court that it was the responsibility of social media companies to share data wherever there was a threat to national security.

“A terrorist cannot claim privacy,” Venugopal said. “For Facebook and WhatsApp to say they cannot decrypt is not acceptable.”

Facebook-owned WhatsApp, which has about 400 million users in India, allows groups of hundreds of users to exchange texts, photos and videos using end-to-end encryption, beyond the oversight of independent fact-check-

ers or even the platform itself.

The government said in an affidavit it planned to frame new rules to govern social media “keeping in view the ever-growing threats to individual rights and nation’s integrity, sovereignty, and security.” “They can’t come into the country and say we will establish a non-decryptable system,” Venugopal said, referring to big internet platforms.

But Facebook’s lawyer Mukul Rohtagi told the court the company was not obliged to share users’ data with the Indian government.

The case went to the Supreme court after Facebook in August asked the top court to hear all cases concerning privacy and curbs on social media usage, local media reported.

WhatsApp has been trying to find ways to prevent its misuse, following concerns that the platform was being used to spread disinformation, but has said it will not dilute end-to-end encryption.

Wednesday, 23 October, 2019

BUSINESS 11 Shell Pakistan posts Rs570m profit for Q3 2019 The Board of Directors of Shell Pakistan Limited announced the third-quarter results of the company on Tuesday. The company posted a profit after tax of Rs570 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2019, compared to the profit of Rs334 million made in the same period last year. SPL continued with a focus on its strategic priorities and operational excellence in the quarter and successfully delivered a profit after tax. However, the overall financials for the nine months ended 30th September 2019, still present a challenging situation for the company; driven primarily by the unprecedented devaluation of the rupee, volatility in the international oil prices and increased minimum tax rates applicable to the company. The company continued its focus on driving competitive business plans to deliver top quartile business performance. BUSINESS DESK

Pakistan, Turkey to enhance cooperation in energy sector ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of Turkey to Pakistan Ihsan Mustafa Yurdakul called on Power and Petroleum Minister Omar Ayub Khan on Tuesday to discuss matters pertaining to bilateral cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the energy sector. Both sides agreed that special areas related to the energy sector would be identified by both the countries before the upcoming visit of the Turkish president to Pakistan. Speaking on the occasion, Minister Omar Ayub Khan stated that Pakistan’s energy sector is growing fast, adding that the enormous renewable energy potential of the country needs to be tapped by the foreign investors.

He said that the government’s new renewable energy policy is in the process, approval of which would open the sector for new investments. He also invited the Turkish companies to invest in the power sector. The Turkish envoy thanked the minister for continued support to the Turkish companies working in Pakistan. He informed that many Turkish investors are closely following the growing energy sector of Pakistan and are ready to invest in its various fields. STAFF REPORT

Groundbreaking of Rashakai economic zone next month ISLAMABAD: The meeting of the Pak-China Joint Working Group (JWG) on Industrial Cooperation was held via video conference on Tuesday. The meeting was co-chaired by Board of Investment Executive Director General Qasim Raza Khan and National Development and Reform Commission of China Deputy Director General Gao Jian, a statement issued by BOI said. Officials from line ministries, provincial governments and various embassies attended the meeting. Progress on the prioritised CPEC special economic zones, including Rashakai, Dhabeji, Alama Iqbal Industrial City (M3) was reviewed on the occasion. It was agreed that the groundbreaking of Rashakai SEZ would be performed next month, as the development agreement is in the final stages. The Chinese side also expressed keen interest to participate in the bidding process for Dhabeji SEZ. Both sides agreed to jointly accelerate the efforts to enhance the level of industrial cooperation by ensuring concentrated efforts with early provision of utilities and allocation of land. Pakistan and China also agreed to enhance business-to-business linkages, which would help increase the level of investment from Chinese enterprises, enhance industrial competitiveness of businesses in Pakistan, and ensure the transfer of technology, managerial and industrial practices. Regarding the process of industrial diagnosis of key industries, the Chinese experts informed that the report of the textile industry diagnosis is ready and will be shared by the Chinese side soon. Both sides also discussed the possibility of up-gradation of Pakistan Steel Mills. APP

GovT likely To jack uP PoWeR PRiceS by RS2.97 PeR uniT ISLAMABAD

T

AHMAD AHMADANI

HE Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) has asked the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) to jack up electricity price by Rs2.97 per unit on account of fuel price adjustment for the month of September 2019, Pakistan Today has learnt.

NEPRA would hold a hearing to take a final decision in this regard on 30th October in Islamabad.

According to the sources, if NEPRA approves the CPPA’s request, the already struggling electricity consumers would be burdened with an additional Rs25 billion. “This proposed hike in electricity consumers will be collected from power consumers during the month of November,” they

added. Sources said that CPPA, in its application, has informed that approximately 13.62 billion units of electricity were produced at the cost of Rs70 billion during September.

CPPA elaborated that out of the total power generation in the September, 37.09pc was generated from

hydel sources, 16.39pc from coal, 6pc from residual fuel oil (RFO), 5.50pc nuclear source, 1.10pc wind source, 0.45pc solar source, 11.85pc gas and 21.06pc from imported liquefied natural gas (LNG).

“Pursuant to Section 31 (7) of the NEPRA Act (XL of 1997) and the

mechanism for monthly fuel price adjustment prescribed by the authority in the tariff determination of ExWAPDA distribution companies (DISCOs), the authority may on monthly basis make adjustments in the approved tariff on account of any variation in the fuel charges and policy guidelines as the federal government may issue and notify the tariff so adjusted in the official gazette,” an official NEPRA document read.

It is pertinent to mention that NEPRA in its decision dated 8th October 2019, pertaining to FPA of July, had increased power prices by Rs1.78 per unit owing to variation registered between the actual fuel charges and the reference fuel charges. Actual fuel charges in July were registered at Rs5.3219/kWh while corresponding reference fuel charges component stood at Rs3.5420/kWh in July 2019.

MARKET DAILY

KSE-100 gains 114 points amid range-bound trading

Weekly inflation up 2.36pc

million and 3.35 million shares respectively.

Sectors that pulled the index lower included fertiliser (-10.10 points), cement (-4.07 points) and insurance sector (-2.47 points). On the other hand, the sectors that helped the index close in green included banking (+37.66 points), power generation and distribution (+19.40 points) and oil and gas exploration (+14.55 points).

Akzo Nobel Pakistan Limited (AKZO +2.48pc) announced its financial performance for the third quarter of FY19. The company’s sales declined by 7.25pc as compared to the same period last year. However, the company managed to post earnings per share of Rs1.94 for 3QFY19 (Rs1.18 in 3QFY18), as it remained successful in reducing its cost of sales by 14.5pc YoY. Shell Pakistan Limited (SHEL -1.24pc) also declared its financial results for 3QFY19. The company is back in profits after registering a loss per share of Rs15.93 in the last quarter. The nine-month profit of the company stood at Rs877.51 million.

Meanwhile, Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MARI +1.44pc) released its financials for the 1st quarter of 2020. The company’s profit surged by 20pc with a 9pc increase in sales. Finance income expanded from Rs175.91 million in 1QFY19 to Rs1.18 billion in 1QFY20.

ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI)based weekly inflation for the week ending October 17, 2019, increased by 2.36pc as compared to the previous week. The SPI for the combined consumption group was recorded at 129.45 points as against 126.47 points registered in the previous week, according to latest data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). The SPI for the lowest consumption group, up to Rs17,732, witnessed a 2.48pc increase, from 129.68 points in the last week to 132.89 points during the week under review.

As compared to the corresponding week of last year, the SPI for the combined consumption group witnessed an increase of 17.08pc, while for the lowest group, it increased by 16.06pc. Meanwhile, the SPI for the consumption groups ranging from Rs17,733-Rs22,888, Rs22,889-Rs29,517; Rs29,518-Rs44,175 and above Rs44,175 per month increased by 3.05pc, 2.30pc, 1.94pc and 1.94pc respectively. During the week under review, average prices of one item (banana) registered a decrease, while that of 27 increased with the prices of 23 items remaining unchanged. The items that recorded an increase in their average prices included tomatoes, electricity charges, chicken, potatoes, pulse (masoor, gram), eggs, garlic, matchbox, wheat flour, onion, bread, toiled soap, firewood, beef, gur, LPG cylinder, mutton, mustard oil, milk (powdered), sugar, vegetable ghee, cooked daal, milk (fresh) and rice (basmati broken). APP

KARACHI STAFF REPORT

It was a slow day at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) where indices traded within a narrow range throughout the session amid low volumes. Foreign investors remained net buyers for the third consecutive session on Monday, buying shares worth $1.06 million.

The KSE-100 Index fell by 124.08 points to mark its intraday low at 32,960.65. After trading in both zones, the index then managed to recover its losses and after gaining 155.37 points, recorded its intraday high at 33,240.10.

It finally closed higher by 114.23 points at 33,198.96. The KMI-30 Index appreciated by 228.23 points to end at 53,502.87, while the KSE All Share Index improved by 109.97 points, settling at 24,094.48. Out of the total traded scripts, 165 advanced and 132 declined.

The overall market volumes remained thin and were recorded at 83.59 million (down by 36pc on a daily basis). Lotte Chemical Pakistan Limited (LOTCHEM +2.07pc), TRG Pakistan Limited (TRG +0.40pc) and Fauji Fertilizer Bin Qasim Limited (FFBL -4.88pc) led the volume chart. The scripts had traded 10.81 million, 4.13

Some 300,000 employees of Indian state-led banks strike against mergers MUMBAI: Nearly 300,000 employees of Indian state-run banks went on strike on Tuesday against government plans to consolidate the sector through mergers as part of efforts to ensure stronger balance sheets. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has vowed to cut the total number of state-owned banks to 12, from 27 in 2017, raising fears of job losses. Under the current round of squeezing, 10 banks will be amalgamated into four. “Government may call it a merger but in reality it is cold-blooded murder of six banks,” a release by the bank unions

said. The state-owned banks account for nearly twothirds of banking assets in the country and also have a lion’s share in the nearly $150 billion of soured loans in the banking sector. The sector suffered from out-of-control lending in 2006-11 when the economy grew rapidly, and has continued to struggle. Employees stayed away from work across the country and joined in protest marches. Services such as cash deposits and withdrawals, cheque clearances, ATM operations were affected, according to bank employees.

C H Venkatachalam, general secretary of the All India

Bank Employees Association, said the plan was to expand the protest movement to other bank employees as well, taking it up to nearly a million workers to force the government to reconsider its decision. A senior banker, however, said the protests would not derail the merger plans. “We have seen that the unions had taken similar steps even in the last round of merger which included the State Bank of India and then in the case of Bank of Baroda but it quietly died down later,” said the chief executive officer of a public sector bank, requesting anonymity. AGENCIES

Oil prices rise on prospects for US-China trade deal LONDON AGENCIES

Oil prices rose on Tuesday after China signaled progress in trade talks with the United States, but gains were capped by bearish forecasts of a buildup in US crude stockpiles.

Brent crude oil LCOc1 was up 66 cents at $59.62 a barrel by 1337 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 was 77 cents higher at $54.08 per barrel.

China and the United States have achieved some progress in their trade talks, Vice Foreign Min-

ister Le Yucheng said on Tuesday, and any problems could be resolved as long as both sides respected each other. “While the encouraging mood across financial markets will remain stimulated by trade optimism, risk aversion could still make an abrupt return should talks drag on or turn sour,” said Lukman Otunuga, analyst at FXTM. The International Monetary Fund last week forecast that fallout from the US-China trade war and trade disputes across the world would slow global growth in 2019 to 3.0pc, the weakest in a decade. Lower economic growth

typically means reduced demand for commodities such as oil.

Prices were also pressured by forecasts of a buildup in US crude stockpiles. Inventories are expected to have risen for a sixth straight week, while distillates and gasoline stocks likely fell in the week to Oct 18, a Reuters poll showed. The poll was conducted ahead of reports from the American Petroleum Institute (API), an industry group, and the Energy Information Administration (EIA), an agency of the US Department of Energy.

“Expectations that the API and EIA will report that US crude oil

inventories increased by around 3 million barrels over the last week certainly do not help sentiment,” ING analyst Warren Patterson said. “These more visible stock builds, along with demand concerns continuing to linger, suggest it is becoming increasingly more difficult to see a sustained rally in prices ahead of the OPEC+ meeting in early December.”

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia and other oil producers, an alliance known as OPEC+, have pledged to cut production by 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) until

March 2020. The producers meet again on Dec. 5-6. Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said US oil production is likely to peak in the next few years as current oil prices are capping the pace of ex-

pansion. The brisk pace of US production, now the world’s highest, in the past few years has been a key factor behind the relative weakness in oil prices. Output has slowed recently, however.

Wednesday, 23 October, 2019

12 BUSINESS

GovT mullS ReducinG SaleS Tax fRom 17Pc To 12Pc, SenaTe body Told

CORPORATE CORNER

ISLAMABAD

a

LAHORE: Pakistan Dairy Association recently hosted a one-day dairy seminar which aimed at gathering all the relevant stakeholders at one place to share their expertise and reach a consensus to uplift the dairy industry. PR

SHAHZAD PARACHA

Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) official on Tuesday informed the Senate’s Standing Committee on Commerce and Industry that the government is mulling to reduce sales tax from 17pc to 12pc, adding that the tax department would soon issue a notification pertaining to reduction of sales tax on yarn from 10 to 5pc.

Responding to the Chain Store Association’s claim that big retailers are closing their businesses due to an increase in sales tax and government raids, the FBR policy member said, “Just as smuggling is a crime, the sale of smuggled items is also a crime. This is why the tax department is checking the goods at big shops.” Meanwhile, discussing a separate agenda, Senators belonging to different political parties reportedly pressurised the customs’ officials to release what they believe as

“scrap” containers held by Balochistan Customs.

Senator Ahmad Khan informed the committee, which met under the chair of Senator Mirza Ahmad Afridi, that the customs’ officials have stopped three scraps containers of importers due to which work on their factories have been halted.

Khan, who also owns two steel mills in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said steel mill owners import scrap from different countries and that Pakistani businessmen are importing scrap as per the law.

On the other hand, Balochistan Chief Customs Collector Chaudary Zulfiqar told the committee that most of the importers are importing iron bars under the guise of scrap. “This (iron bars) do not come into the legal definition of scrap due to which we have stopped three containers and matter is at the adjudication level.”

The committee chairman noted that this matter comes under the domain of the collector (preventive and appraisement) and not the chief Balochistan collector. On this, Chaudary Zulfiqar

‘Conspirators’ unhappy with Pakistan’s economic progress: PM ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi addresses the guests at a dinner held in the honour of Lord Choudrey on his appointment to the House of Lords. PR

Rs2.5bn allocated for m-3 industrial city FAISALABAD: The Faisalabad Industrial Estate Development and Management Company (FIEDMC) has allocated Rs2.5 billion for the development projects of M-3 Industrial City. A spokesman for the FIEDMC said on Tuesday that the FIEDMC board, during its meeting, decided to construct a road like Faisalabad Expressway from Sahianwala to Chiniot Road in order to provide easy transportation facility up to the economic zone, established under the aegis of FIEDMC in Faisalabad. He said that two new grid stations having a capacity of 40-megawatt each will also be established in M-3 industrial city in addition to launching of the safe city project in the area. Chinese companies are willing to invest $5 billion in special economic zones, established under the CPEC initiative and Faisalabad Industrial Estate would also succeed in attracting huge investment for its industrial city during next 3-5 years, he added. EU pledges support for Pakistan’s exports to Europe. APP

BUSINESS DESK Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Tuesday that those who “cannot see Pakistan strengthening economically are busy conspiring” against the country.

Presiding over a session of government officials, the PM claimed that Pakistan was rising on the global economic horizon owing to the concrete steps taken by the incumbent government. “But some of the powers are unhappy with it,” he lamented.

“Such elements are only trying to create anarchy in the country.” Last week, PM Imran Khan lauded his team economic team for turning around the economy within a year.

Taking to Twitter, the prime minister had said that foreign direct investment witnessed an increase of 111.5 per cent while

foreign private investment surged by 194 per cent during the 1st quarter of FY20.

Earlier on October 2, PM Imran Khan had chaired a meeting of his economic team in Islamabad. The current economic situation, economic indicators, tax net, economic reforms, ease of doing business and other issues were discussed on the occasion. The PM Imran had reviewed the overall financial situation of the country.

said that the matter was a misdeclaration case, which is why the department has applied section 32. “Pakistan Customs has not applied section 2S, which relate to smuggling.” Winding up the discussion, the committee chairman formed a sub-committee on the matter under the chair of Senator Ahmad Khan, directing him to submit a detailed report in this regard within a week.

Moreover, Senators Shibli Faraz and Kauda Babar raised the issue of illegal import of apple from Iran. They demanded that its trade should be brought in the legal channel, besides imposition of duties to protect the local farmers of Balochistan. On this. Advisor to Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood said the government was taking steps to eradicate the menace of smuggling. The meeting was attended by Leader of the House in Senate Shibli Faraz, Nuzhat Sadiq, Maulana Attaur Rehman, Muhammad Tahir Bizenjo, Ahmed Khan, Kauda Babar, Ghous Bakhsh Niazi and Rana Mehmoodul Hassan.

eu urges Pakistan to produce competitive products Ambassador of the European Union to Pakistan Androulla Kaminara has said that the EU and Pakistan could launch joint ventures in various sectors, besides textile. During her visit to the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry on Tuesday, she said that Pakistan needs to produce products which are competitive to the products in the European market. “We are ready to help Pakistan to expand its exports to the European Union and would like to be its partner in this regard,” she added.

Kaminara noted that the European Union and Pakistan had signed the Strategic Engagement Plan in June this year to further boost their relations in diverse fields. She said that the increase in Pakistan’s exports is because of the duty-free access to Pakistani products under GSP Plus. The EU envoy pledged that the union would continue to engage with partners like Pakistan to address the common challenge of climate change through a multilateral approach. The LCCI president said on the occasion that it is a salient feature of Pakistan’s trade with European Union that almost 71pc of total exports sent to EU are with five countries, namely UK, Germany, Netherlands, Spain and Italy. BUSINESS DESK

egyptian companies lauded for investing $1bn in Pakistan ISLAMABAD: Board of Investment (BoI) Chairman Zubair Gilani has said that Islamabad welcomed the interest shown

by Egyptian companies to invest $1 billion in Pakistan, adding that it would help enhance economic relations between the two brotherly countries. “There were a series of meetings taking place between BoI officials and Egyptian delegates wherein different investment options came under discussion. We are very optimistic that this will bring new jobs to Pakistan,” he said in an interview with Arab News.

Gilani noted that Egyptian companies were interested in the construction sector, as representatives of Al Suwaidi Group discussed different projects related to that area earlier this month. “We can cooperate with each other in the construction sector since this group has a good reputation for building low-cost housing schemes. Egyptians have also shown interest in livestock, halal food, and agriculture sectors, so we are ready to facilitate them,” he added. APP

ISLAMABAD: A vendor displays clay pots on his pushcart near Peshawar Morr. ONLINE

China will keep door open to foreign investment despite trade tensions BEIJING AGENCIES

China will take steps to safeguard its interests, but won’t close its door to foreign investment and the global industry despite trade frictions with the United States, a Chinese official said on Tuesday.

Earlier this month, before key SinoUS trade talks, Washington decided to widen its so-called “entities list” to include some top Chinese artificial intelligence startups such as Megvii Technology and SenseTime Group. Firms on the US “entity list” are barred from buying US parts and components without US government approval due to national security concerns.

“We will look at the trade friction between China and the United States with

an open mind and a big heart,” said Huang Libin, a spokesman for the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), although China will also closely monitor the US entities list.

China will further open sectors including telecommunications, internet and autos to foreign investment, but at the same time, the United States should respect trade rules and act with caution, Huang said. “We will not blindly emphasise ‘self-developed and controllable’, and will not decouple from the development of international industries,” Huang told reporters at a briefing.

The trade war with the United States has prompted China to downplay “Made in China 2025” - the state-backed industrial policy aimed at catapulting China up the global technological value chain but is also

core to Washington’s complaints about the country’s technological ambitions.

Under the Made in China 2025 banner, China was to upgrade its industrial base in 10 strategic sectors by 2025, including aerospace, robotics, semiconductors, artificial intelligence and new-energy vehicles. Chinese President Xi Jinping has also previously repeatedly urged the country’s core technologies to be “self-developed and controllable”, which has been viewed by industry players as a stance that favours domestic suppliers over foreign entities. One of the biggest US complaints is that China has used coercion and outright theft to systematically obtain American intellectual property and trade secrets and advance its standing in many hightechnology industries.

China’s subsidies to state enterprises - including at the provincial and local government levels - have led to Chinese industries substantially boosting output of products such as steel, which in turn has depressed global prices and hurt producers in the United States and elsewhere.

US officials argue the absence of a level-playing field makes it hard for US companies to compete.

Over recent months, Chinese tech companies, especially those targeted by the United States, have vowed to deal with US sanctions by relying on more self-developed solutions and procuring more from domestic suppliers.

Still, with China and the United States working to hammer out a “phase 1” trade deal in the near term, Beijing has taken care

to keep its rhetoric neutral. In recent days, China has renewed efforts in stressing the need for both sides to aim for mutual gain, rather than to decouple their economies.

Xie Yongjiang, a professor at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, said Huang may have made his comments in view of how a focus on only using ‘self-developed and controllable’ technologies was not actually practical, as China was still far from reaching such a level.

“If Chinese companies rely completely on self-developed (technologies), other countries may also worry about Chinese-made products, he said. “But it does not mean that China doesn’t attach importance to it. China should still strive to self-develop and achieve control in some core technology sectors.”

Mahvish froM BuMp and Beyond

1

How did you come up with the idea of establishing Bump & Beyond?

I gave birth to my daughter in New Zealand as my parents reside there.

The pre & postnatal care I received in New Zealand was beyond my expectations & this led me to research infant & maternal care in Pakistan.

In order to have an empowering & satisfactory birth/ parenting experience, it is critical to learn skills & strategies as it takes you a long way in this life changing experience. Bump & Beyond has been established with the objective of providing expectant parents with evidence-based choices that exist during pregnancy, labour & early parenthood. At Bump & Beyond, you learn hands on skills & knowledge which facilitates to make your journey to parenthood a happier, more satisfactory one.

2

Do you think ante & postnatal care in Lahore is lacking greatly?

Not just in Lahore, all over Pakistan! I come from a family of gynaecologists & obstetricians and had an idea of the services that are lacking here prior to getting on this venture. Quite often, doctor’s lack the interest or time to educate patients around their and their baby’s well being. Simply put, a doctor’s objective starts & ends with a baby being delivered (hopefully safely).

Pre & postnatal education is an integral part of all prestigious international health care systems. Historically, our governments’ investment in the health sector has always been poor/low, hence no such facilities exist at a public or private level – I find this extremely unfortunate because Pakistan has one of the highest infant & maternal mortality rates in the world

3

HOLLYWOOD BOLLYWOOD

What do you hope Ammi’s will take home with them after a session at Bump & Beyond?

There is too much information out there on the internet & too little given by doctors, often misleading us. My aim is to allow every expectant and new mother to feel more empowered & aware of the many choices they have as a new parent, for themselves AND for their baby. This will not only allow them to be more confident parents, but also look after themselves in the process this life changing journey.

7

Do you think quality of antenatal care a woman receives increases her chances of postpartum depression?

100% - postpartum depression is a function of 2 key factors; (i) your physiological tendencies/history of depression + (ii) your support system during pregnancy/postpartum. Good antenatal & postnatal care (along with a supportive husband!!) can go a long way.

8 9

4

Where do you hope to see Bump & Beyond in the next 5 years?

Within my private practice, I envision Bump & Beyond as an institution which is a one stop shop for pregnant women & new parents - this is where they come to learn evidence based choices, and is platform that is considered both safe & reliable for women to voice/discuss their thoughts & concerns during their journey.

I also hope to integrate Bump & Beyond with the public health sector & be able to reach out to the masses in order to provide them with the much needed awareness during pregnancy & parenthood.

5 6

Do you feel pregnant women are particularly vulnerable during gestation?

Absolutely - pregnancy is a time of phenomenal transition and a woman’s physical & mental health is subject to

changes.

How was your own personal experience of being pregnant in Lahore?

I was lucky to have a non-complicated pregnancy for most part, however I ended up having SPD (Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction), which is considered common pelvic/pubic pain in pregnancy for some women. Unfortunately, due to lack of awareness & support here, I was unable to manage it safely. I still suffer from pelvic pain and have been undergoing physiotherapy for a year now!

What certification did you do to become a childbirth educator?

I acquired a Diploma in Childbirth Education from Childbirth International.

How long was the certification?

1 year

10

Do you think the market is ready for such services or are people a little confused about what you offer?

The market is definitely very information hungry and I can see that through my social media. However the concept of disciplined antenatal sessions is new here and I understand it’ll take time for people to understand its exact relevance, given that our cultural has largely relied on information & totkas passed down from ‘saas’ & ‘mother’. Having said that, I see a lot of women now wanting to access more update-todate,evidence based information now and that is where the opportunity lies.

11 12

How long does a woman have to enrol in the program for?

The antenatal classes span over 4 sessions – I encourage pregnant women in their 2nd or 3rd trimester to sign up for all 4.

However I also offer the choice of sighing up for individual sessions.

Do you also offer postpartum support?

Yes – currently I am doing one on one support sessions which encompass breastfeeding, postpartum blues or depression management, and transition to parenting. Going forward I will be introducing group session for postpartum support also.

13

What certification did you do to become a childbirth educator?

I acquired a Diploma in Childbirth Education from Childbirth International.

Most Disney characters wear gloves to keep animation simple Walt Disney might have been the first to put gloves on his characters, as seen in 1929’s The Opry House starring Mickey Mouse. In addition to being easier to animate, there’s another reason Disney opted for gloves: “We didn’t want him to have mouse hands because he was supposed to be more human,” Disney told his biographer in 1957.

The man with the world’s deepest voice can make sounds humans can’t hear The man, Tim Storms, can’t even hear the note, which is eight octaves below the lowest G on a piano—but elephants can. Check out these 16 little-known interesting facts about the greatest songs of all time.

The American flag was designed by a high school student It started as a school project for Bob Heft’s junior-year history class, and it only earned a B- in 1958. His design had 50 stars even though Alaska and Hawaii weren’t states yet. Heft figured the two would earn statehood soon and showed the government his design. After President Dwight D. Eisenhower called to say his design was approved, Heft’s teacher changed his grade to an A.

Mountain Dew hosts Pakistan’s biggest stunt show

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Tickets, Trailer Coming Monday

Salman Khan, Sonakshi Sinha share new motion poster of Dabangg 3’s Rajjo

LAHORE: Mountain Dew strikes again! This Saturday, on the 12th of October, the fifth edition of Dew Moto Extreme, Pakistan’s biggest stunt show left Lahore on an all-time high!

Mountain Dew makes sure the event gets bigger and more extreme each year. Last year we witnessed amazing bike stunts, and this time the action was amped up by bringing cars into the mix. The stunts of our favorite daredevils created a spectacle in the stadium and the audience went wild!

These Dew athletes performed unbelievable stunts through the night! There was Dallan Goldman, Fredrick Frog Bergren and Nick De Witt on FMX bikes. The audience was left in awe as they flew over the arena and pulled off mid-air somersaults, leaps and jumps! A new Dew athlete, Stacey Lee May, the queen of car spinning was introduced to the audience at this event who hung out from the window while driving the car and it was still spinning! This was the first time that a female athlete was seen doing incredible stunts in Pakistan. It surely made us jump on the edge of our seats! #DarrKeAagayJeetHai Press release

With tickets for Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker going on sale Monday, Disney will also be dropping the final trailer for the flick. It's confirmed that tickets for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will become available following the halftime of ESPN’s Monday Night Football game between the New England Patriots and New York Jets after Disney drops the final trailer for the film. The game starts at 8:15 PM ET. The official Disney Star Wars Twitter account also released the following teasers.

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker gets released December 20, 2019 directed by J.J. Abrams and stars Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Anthony Daniels, Naomi Ackie, Domhnall Gleeson, Richard E. Grant, Lupita Nyong’o, Keri Russell, Joonas Suotamo, Kelly Marie Tran, and Billy Dee Williams.

The Rise of Skywalker, the riveting conclusion of the seminal Skywalker saga, where new legends will be born and the final battle for freedom is yet to come.

The trailer of Dabangg 3, the third film in the hit Dabangg franchise, will be unveiled two days from now. Making the announcement, the film’s lead cast -- Salman Khan and Sonakshi Sinha -- shared a new motion poster. The poster was also about Salman’s character reaffirming his affection for his wife, Rajjo.

Sharing it, Salman wrote: “#2DaysToDabangg3Trailer”.

As the video plays, Salman can be seen walking across the screen. In the background is a massive poster of Rajjo.

Sporting a pink printed sari, with aviator sunglasses on, hair left loose and with a jacket on, Rajjo definitely compliments Chulbul Pandey in every sense of the term. Salman cab heard proclaiming how Rajjo is still very much his ‘habibi’ (beloved in Arabic).

Sharing a still picture of the same poster, Salman wrote how Rajjo is a desi girl. He wrote: “Hindustani sabhyata ki chakki se bani hamaari super sexy Rajjo...” Sharing the same poster, Sonakshi wrote how “Chulbul Pandey ki habibi Rajjo ke bina Dabangg adhoori hai”.

CMYK

Wednesday, 23 October, 2019

14 SPORTS

BlADeS BuRSt ARSenAl BuBBle AS MouSSet StRikeS

u

NAI Emery claimed Arsenal were unlucky to suffer a shock 1-0 defeat at Sheffield United as Lys Mousset condemned the Gunners to their latest away-day flop on Monday.

Emery’s side are without an away Premier League win since the opening weekend of the season after failing to rise to the challenge posed by fired up United at Bramall Lane. French forward Mousset, making his first Premier League start for United, punished poor Arsenal defending in the first half to score his second goal since signing from Bournemouth. That was enough to send Arsenal crashing to just their second defeat of the season, ending an eight-game unbeaten run in all competitions.

The north Londoners sit fifth in

the league after a powder-puff performance that showed Emery’s rebuilding job is still a work in progress. But Emery insisted Arsenal deserved at least a draw and criticised the failure to give a penalty for a foul on Sokratis.

“We didn’t deserve to lose.

We can speak about two key moments, one is the goal and the other is a clear penalty with Sokratis. With VAR, the foul should have been reviewed, but we have to accept it,” Emery said after Arsenal’s winless run in the city of Sheffield extended to 26 years. “We had more chances than them. If we scored one goal then we could have controlled better.”

Asked if Arsenal have a mental block in away games, Emery said: “We prepare for the matches the same home and away and think to

win. “We deserved more but they are a very strong defensive team.”

Under Emery, Arsenal have kept just two clean sheets in 24 away league matches and once again they wilted too easily in a hostile environment. “We conceded a lot of corners in the first half and they scored the goal. It can happen. Above all, we have to improve by not allowing balls like that,” Emery said.

“We are playing some young players who are taking experience but the most important thing is to win.” This was a signature win for the Blades after last season’s promotion and they sit proudly in ninth place, just three points behind Arsenal. With the Bramall Lane crowd in full voice, a bruising clash got off to a contentious start when Sokratis appealed in

vain for a penalty after having his shirt tugged by John Egan.

Emery’s men should have taken the lead when SeadKolasinac curled a perfect low cross towards Nicolas Pepe in the sixyard box, but the unmarked Ivory Coast winger completely miscued his shot.

PEPE STRUGGLES: It was the latest in a growing list of disappointing displays from Pepe, who has struggled to make an impact since his club record move from Lille in the close-season.

United made the most of that escape as Arsenal’s long-running set-piece issues resurfaced in the 30th minute. Oliver Norwood’s corner reached Jack O’Connell at the far post and he rose above Matteo Guendouzi to head down to Mousset, who poked home from virtually on the line after Granit Xhaka failed to react to the danger. Damningly, Arsenal have conceded 22 league goals from set plays since the start of last season, with only Watford (25) and Everton (24) allowing more. Xhaka almost conjured an equaliser with a dipping long-range effort that Dean Henderson pushed away at full stretch. Mesut Ozil was once again left out of the Arsenal squad and, with Pierre-EmerickAubameyang anonymous, Emery sent on Dani Ceballos, but he shot weakly at Henderson from Bukayo Saka’s cross.

Alexandre Lacazette came on with 22 minutes left for his first appearance since suffering the ankle problem that had ruled the Arsenal striker out since the start of September. AGENCIES

Rapinoe named but Modric, Neymar miss out on Ballon D’Or shortlist While Megan Rapinoe is the leading candidate for the second ever women’s Ballon D’Or, the holder of the men’s award, Luka Modric, and the world’s most expensive player Neymar missed out as France Football unveiled nominees in four categories on Monday.

Modric, fresh from guiding Croatia to a World Cup final, broke the 11-year Cristiano Ronaldo-Lionel Messi, who are both included, stranglehold on the men’s award last year.

Paris Saint-Germain’s Neymar, who cost the French club 222 million euros ($247 million) in 2017, failed to make the 30-man shortlist after a year overshadowed by injury, suspension and controversy for both club and country. Messi has just collected the FIFA Best award, as did Rapinoe, which split from the Ballon D’Or in 2016. Rapinoe dominated the Women’s World Cup, on and off the field, in the summer. She was joint top scorer and was voted player of the tournament as she led the United States to victory in France in July.

The 34-year-old Reign FC playmaker, already a campaigner for LGBT rights and gender equality, made headlines during the

tournament by publicly taking on US President Donald Trump. Last year, Norwegian Ada Hegerberg was the first women’s winner.

The Lyon forward did not play in the World Cup but is among the 20 nominees as

are stars who were present at the competition, such as Australia striker Sam Kerr, England’s Lucy Bronze and France captain Amandine Henry. Virgil Van Dijk, 28, who has had an impressive six months with Liverpool lifting the Champions League, could become a rare defensive winner of the men’s award.

Fabio Cannavaro was the last defender to win in 2006, and only the fourth since the award began in 1956. Another nominee, KylianMbappe, the top goal scorer in Ligue 1 last season, would represent a genuine change of the guard. The Paris Saint-Germain striker is inelgible to defend his Kopa trophy for the best player under 21 last year as he celebrates his 21st birthday on December 20.

This year also sees the introduction of the Yashin trophy, named after the only goalkeeper to win the Ballon D’Or, Lev Yashin of the Soviet Union, to give that ignored minority a chance to get their hands on a prize of their own. The award winners will be unveiled on December 2 during a ceremony in Paris after a voting process including journalists from 180 different countries. AGENCIES

Dortmund in Milan without skipper Reus, Sancho back DORTMUND: Borussia Dortmund flew to Italy without captain Marco Reus and striker PacoAlcacer for Wednesday’s Champions League match at Inter Milan, but previously suspended England winger Jadon Sancho and injured goalkeeper Roman Burki were included. The Bundesliga club said the 30-year-old playmaker Reus missed Tuesday’s flight because he is “still in poor health” after scoring the winner in Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Bundesliga leaders Moenchengladbach despite suffering with flu. Alcacer, who like Reus has scored five league goals so far this season, is also out due to the persistent calf injury which has sidelined him since September 28. However, Sancho, 19, has been included after being dropped for Saturday’s game after returning late from England duty. Burki is also back after limping out of the second-half of the Gladbach win with a knee injury. The Germans top Group F ahead of Barcelona on goal difference after holding the Spanish giants to a goalless draw in Dortmund in their opening game and then winning 2-0 at bottom side Slavia Prague.

Inter, third in the table, drew at home to Slavia and lost 2-1 to Barca a fortnight ago at the Camp Nou in their two previous games. AGENCIES

Probe ordered into ‘industrial’ slaughter of Aussie racehorses

The secret and “industrial scale” killing of retired Australian racehorses will be examined in a government inquiry, officials said Tuesday, after an outcry over alleged animal cruelty. While the slaughter of racehorses is not illegal in Australia, an investigation by national broadcaster ABC last week found the practice was far more widespread than acknowledged.

Meat from prize-winning horses had been shipped abroad for human consumption and pet food, according to the report, which came just weeks ahead of the prestigious Melbourne Cup turf race. Secretly filmed footage allegedly showed workers at an abattoir north of Brisbane beating and abusing horses, prompting Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to announce an “urgent” inquiry into the treatment of retired thoroughbreds. “This was deeply disturbing, horrendous footage,” she told Queensland’s parliament. “I want to make sure that we leave no stone unturned and ensure we do everything possible to stamp out animal cruelty.” The racing industry insists that less than one percent of retired racehorses end up in an abattoir or knackery, with some states, including New South Wales, requiring they be rehomed. But the ABC claimed that about 4,000 horses “disappeared” each year. It said it had forensically cross-matched horses slaughtered at the Queensland facility, using microchips and brandings, to the industry’s official record of thoroughbreds. “We’re talking about destroying animals on an industrial scale,” University of Sydney professor Paul McGreevy told the broadcaster last week. About 300 racehorses, with combined prize money of almost Aus$5 million ($3.4 million), reportedly went through the abattoir in just 22 days. Racing industry figures have widely condemned the alleged mistreatment of the animals and called for reforms. The Queensland Racing Integrity Commission, a watchdog tasked with safeguarding the welfare of racing animals, will oversee the probe. It is expected to report its findings in early 2020. AGENCIES

Asian football final moved from N Korea after blacked-out match The final of an Asian club tournament has been moved from Pyongyang to Shanghai, football officials said Tuesday, a week after North and South Korea played out a surreal World Cup qualifier in an empty stadium. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said it had been “compelled” to shift the November 2 AFC Cup match between North Korea’s 4.25 SC and Al Ahed from Lebanon to a “neutral venue” due to logistical and other issues.

Its statement did not mention the inter-Korean showdown in Pyongyang but said that commercial partners had warned of challenges in broadcasting the highly anticipated final of Asia’s second-

tier continental competition.

Last week’s match — a historic encounter between two countries still technically at war — took place with no live broadcast and no foreign media in attendance, and with FIFA president Gianni Infantino one of just a handful of spectators.

Infantino said he was “disappointed” after attending the match and “surprised” by the absence of fans and lack of media access. Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min described the game, which ended 0-0, as “very aggressive” and one South Korean official likened it to warfare. Last week’s debacle raised doubts over the prospects for further North-

South sporting co-operation, once a driver of nuclear diplomacy.

The South’s team had expected large crowds and until the last minute had no idea that even North Korean spectators would be absent. The match came after a series of North Korean missile tests raised tensions in the region, and after the breakdown of talks with the US over Pyongyang’s weapons programmes.

Since the collapse of the Hanoi summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump in February, Pyongyang has regularly excoriated Seoul, ruling out prospects of inter-Korean dialogue. AGENCIES

CMYK

Wednesday, 23 October, 2019

IndIa leave South afrIca hurtIng wIth teSt SerIeS Sweep RANCHI

S

AGENCIES

HAHBAZ Nadeem took the final two wickets in straight balls as India thrashed South Africa by an innings and 202 runs in the third Test on Tuesday to complete a 3-0 series rout.

The day’s play lasted just 12 balls in a triumph emphatically ramming home India’s feat in beating Australia’s record of 10 straight home series wins, and consolidating their place at the top of the World Test Championship. For South Africa, who lost two of the three matches by more than an innings, it was one of their worst series in decades.

“It’s been a brilliant series for us,” said India captain ViratKohli as he hailed the performance of his batsmen and bowlers who made 497 for nine declared in their first innings.

Kohli made South Africa follow on after they were bowled out for 162 in their first attempt in Ranchi.

Resuming on 132-8 in the second innings, Nadeem got substitute Theunis de Bruyn caught behind for 30 and then Lungi Ngidi for nought to dismiss the tourists for 133 on the

fourth day. “To be the best side in the world, you need to be multi-dimensional. All facets of your team have to fire,” said Kohli.

The series saw Indian batsmen Mayank Agarwal (215), Kohli (254 not out) and Rohit Sharma (212) all hit double tons against South Africa.

After big wins in the first two tests in Visakhapatnam and Pune, fast bowlers Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav again battered South Africa in Ranchi, this time taking 10 wickets between them.

“The catching has been brilliant as well. It’s great to see when you operate in such a way,” said Kohli.

“We believe we can win anywhere in the world. England, Australia, South Africa — good things are going to follow,” he vowed.

WE WERE DOMINATED: South Africa captain Faf du Plessi was left frustrated and despondent by the defeat. He said the team had shown “good signs” at the start of the first Test, “but we went the other way and kept making more mistakes as the se-

ries went on. “You got to give credit to the Indian team. This is a really tough Indian team under Virat,” he added.

“Be it in the batting, bowling or even fielding, we were dominated across the series.” Du Plessis said India’s fast bowlers had performed throughout the three matches.

“Our seamers were good for 3040 minutes but theirs were able to do that throughout the day.”

“It has been a really tough series for us but we need to ensure that when we tour again, we are better equipped. This is the toughest place to tour, the statistics say that.”

De Bruyn came in to the South African XI in place of Dean Elgar, who was hit on the helmet and concussed by a short paced Umesh Yadav delivery on Monday.

The left-hander had to retire hurt and is now under observation.

Anrich Nortje received a hit on the arm on the final ball of the match after Ngidi’s shot hit him and then went to Nadeem for a return catch.

India are scheduled to host Bangladesh for two Tests and three Twenty20 internationals starting November 3. But the tour is under threat as the Bangladesh players have gone on strike over payments.

Brexit will boost South African cricket: du Plessis JOHANNESBURG AGENCIES

football dementia study 15 years too late: ex-england player LONDON: Former England international Chris Sutton has accused Professional Footballers’ Association chief Gordon Taylor of letting players down after a landmark study showing the link between football and dementia. A Glasgow University study found former footballers are approximately threeand-a-half times more likely to die from neurodegenerative diseases than the general population. The report, released on Monday, was commissioned by England’s Football Association and the PFA and assessed the medical records of 7,676 men who played professional football in Scotland between 1900 and 1976. Outgoing PFA chief executive Taylor has been strongly criticised for his lack of action on the subject, in particular by the family of former West Bromwich Albion striker Jeff Astle, whose 2002 death from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) was linked to repeatedly heading heavy leather footballs.

“The confirmation that there is a link between football and dementia brings me no satisfaction.

It makes me angry,” Sutton said in a column in the Daily Mail newspaper. “Angry for people like my dad, Mike, and other former footballers who are dying in the most horrible and humiliating way. Angry for the future generations who will suffer, too, because this study was rolled out 15 years too late.” Sutton said a study should have been commissioned in 2002 after Astle’s death. “The PFA, led by Gordon Taylor, had a duty of care to their members,” Sutton said. “They let them down.”

He added: “My dad, a former Norwich player, is suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy — a degenerative disease of the brain caused by repetitive brain trauma. He is 75 and first developed symptoms of dementia when he was still in his sixties.” Jeff Astle’s daughter, Dawn, who has been campaigning since her father’s death for football to research into the area, said she was “staggered” to learn of the findings. “My overall feeling is that I am staggered even though my own research and instinct was always that there was a serious problem,” she said. “There will be no celebrations. It doesn’t bring my dad back, it won’t bring any other dads and husbands back.

“We knew dad could not be the only one. We just wanted that question answered.” AGENCIES

Britain’s Brexit will be a boon to ailing South Africa as they rebuild, Proteas captain Faf du Plessis said Tuesday after his side’s series drubbing by India. Any tougher immigration controls after the British withdrawal from the European Union will mean fewer South African players in the County Championship, according to du Plessis.

More than 60 players from countries around the world have since 2003 taken advantage of EU residency rules so that they could join county teams without being considered “overseas players”. But the rules of the so-called Kolpak accord meant they could not play for their home countries. Under current plans, if Britain pulls out of the EU, the Kolpak system for cricketers would end by 2021. Du Plessis, who has himself played in England under the system, highlighted the case of off-spinner Simon Harmer who has starred for Essex over the past two years but has not appeared for South Africa since 2015.

“It’s sad for South African cricket not to have the option of their best players,” du Plessis told reporters after his side’s innings and 202 runs defeat by India in the third Test.

“Simon Harmer has had an unbelievable season. And it would be great for South Africa to be in a position where they could go (for tours).

“He’s done well overseas. Let’s bring him on tour with us. So maybe, post-Brexit, guys will still go and play there (in England), but you can still pick them for your country.”

The absence of county players and retirement of top stars such as HashimAmla and fast bowler Dale Steyn have left du Plessis with an inexperienced side, highlighted by the defeats in India.

The skipper said that South Africa’s domestic cricket also misses the likes of Hamla when they choose to play in England. “You lose all of that experience, which would have helped the young guys so much,” he said. “Playing with HashimAmla, Dale Steyn, AB de Villiers is the greatest learning curve that you can get.”

SPORTS 15 Messi and ronaldo wouldn’t do what rugby players do: Jones YOKOHAMA: England coach Eddie Jones contrasted what he said was rugby’s down to earth attitude with that of football superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as he lauded All Blacks boss Steve Hansen ahead of Saturday’s blockbuster World Cup semi-final. Jones and Hansen are two of the most successful coaches in the modern game, with the New Zealander looking to guide the All Blacks to a third straight World Cup title at Japan 2019 and fourth in total. But if he is to do that his side must first beat a resurgent England in Yokohama this weekend. The coach of his native Australia when they lost the 2003 World Cup final to England and the mastermind behind Japan’s shock victory over South Africa in England four years ago, Jones is no stranger to pre-match “mind games”. But there has been little in the way of verbal fireworks from former Brumbies boss Jones at this tournament, with the England coach delivering a glowing assessment of Hansen’s record. “To start with, Steve’s a good bloke,” said Jones. “That’s number one. Secondly, he’s got a great record. “Super Rugby with the Crusaders when we first started coaching against each other, followed by Wales, followed by New Zealand. You don’t get a better record than that. Jones said it was rugby’s culture of “respectful relationships” that set it apart from other codes. “You just have to see this tournament to know what it’s done because the things that have happened don’t happen in other sports. “You’ve got the Canadian and Namibian blokes cleaning up the ground (after their pool match in Kamaishi was cancelled because of Typhoon Hagibis). “Could you imagine Ronaldo or Messi doing that if Barcelona or Real Madrid gets a wash?” Hansen was equally complimentary about Jones’s work in transforming an England side who suffered an embarrassing first-round exit on home soil at the 2015 World Cup into genuine title contenders four years later.

“Eddie’s done a fantastic job with England — they’ve got a harder edge about them now,” Hansen said. “Eddie’s been part of a winning World Cup team with South Africa (2007), he’s had the disappointment of losing to England when he was coaching Australia (2003) but to get to the final is being successful anyway.” AGENCIES

corruption: uae board suspends fourth player DUBAI: Another UAE player has been suspended in relation to the corruption scandal that hit the team last week.

Just before the start of the T20 World Cup qualifiers, the ICC charged three of their senior members with 13 breaches of its anti-corruption code. On Monday, the Emirates Cricket Board placed Ashfaq Ahmed under provisional suspension. The 34-year old is not facing any official charges yet. Five days ago, the ICC provisionally suspended captain Mohammad Naveed and senior batsman Shaiman Anwar, charging the two players with attempts to “fix” or “improperly influence” matches in the ongoing Qualifiers.

Allrounder Qadeer Ahmed was also issued the same penalty for allegedly disclosing inside information to people who were betting on cricket. Ashfaq has played 16 ODIs and 12 T20Is for the UAE and was part of the UAE’s squad in the qualifiers. He played the team’s first two matches but not the third, which took place on the day the Emirates Cricket Board sent out a press release with details of his being pulled out of the tournament. “Further to the ongoing investigations led by the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit, Emirates Cricket Board has today provisionally suspended Ashfaq Ahmed with immediate effect,” it said.

“No formal charges have been laid against the player, and the Board will wait for the conclusion of proceedings before making any further comment.” Both Naveed and Qadeer have spoken out since they were charged, admitting fault only for not reporting corrupt approaches made on them and nothing else. Qadeer refuted the other charges and said he was looking to appeal. AGENCIES

Corruption claim deepens Bangladesh cricket crisis after strike DHAKA AGENCIES

A former Bangladesh cricket chief said Tuesday that match fixing was widespread in the country, deepening a crisis sparked by a strike by top players over wages. Former Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Saber Hossain Chowdhury, a British-educated lawyer, businessman and now member of parliament, said corruption was deep-rooted at the governing body. “@BCBtigers is only national sporting body in the world that promotes institutionalised #matchfixing, #corruption,” he said on his Twitter account, adding: “Unbelievable!!” “Flagged this issue many times myself,” he said.

National captain Shakib Al Hasan raised concerns about corruption in domestic cricket on Monday when announcing that most of the country’s professional players had started a strike to press for better pay and benefits.

The stoppage threatens a Bangladesh tour of India next month.

“We all know the sorry state of our first, second and third division cricket,” Shakib said. “A lot of the times we know which team will win and which team will lose before the match starts.

The strike comes amid growing criticism of the BCB from cricketers who say the governing body is not sharing enough of its growing wealth.

Local cricketers want Bangladesh players and coaches to be paid more in line with foreign hires.

They have demanded a 50 percent pay hike for first-class players, the expansion of national pay contracts, increased match fees in domestic games and better benefits for support staff.

Allegations of match fixing and corruption in Bangladesh cricket are not new, and in 2014 the entire Bangladesh Premier League T20 contest was suspended under a graft cloud.

In another notorious case in 2017,

CMYK

authorities banned a bowler for 10 years after he delivered a succession of wides and no-balls to concede 92 runs to deliberately lose a match in what his team called a protest against biased umpiring. That Dhaka League Second Division game raised suspicions after a

Lalmatia bowler sent down 13 wides and three no-balls in the first over — all of which raced to the boundary — costing his side 80 runs. Lalmatia had earlier been dismissed for just 88 off 14 overs before opponents Axiom reached 92-0 off just four legal deliveries.

Wednesday, 23 October, 2019

NEWS

Nawaz ‘stable’ after health scare HUSSAIN NAWAZ CLAIMS NAB TOOK MOVED INCARCERATED PM TO PINDI TO ‘BREAK HIM AHEAD OF PROTESTS’

PML-N LEADER AHSAN IQBAL SAYS EX-PM TO RECOVER WITHIN TWO DAYS AFTER PLATELET TRANSFUSION LAHORE

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STAFF REPORT

ORMER prime minister Nawaz Sharif underwent a platelet transfusion on Tuesday, as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) claimed the former premier’s condition was “stable” and that dengue test results were negative.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader was rushed to a hospital late on Monday night after his condition significantly deteriorated.

A medical board was formed to examine Nawaz’s health that included senior physicians, gastroenterologists, anesthetists. The board is headed by Prof Dr Mahmood Ayaz – the principal of the Services Institute of Medical

Sciences (SIMS).

Dr Ayaz said some blood test results of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif were not satisfactory and the team would run tests again to ascertain the facts.

According to Professor Ayaz, the number of platelets in the former prime minister’s body are 10,000. Hospital sources claimed that Nawaz Sharif’s blood tests are being taken to supply him with platelets.

Meanwhile, in a press release issued

by NAB’s Lahore office, the accountability watchdog said that Nawaz’s platelets had decreased “allegedly due to provision of medicine which makes blood thin that was suggested by Dr Adnan Khan, who is his personal physician”.

According to the statement, the PMLN supremo was shifted to the hospital

Taliban storm Kunduz checkpoint, kill 15 policemen

“for a complete medical check and in order to increase his platelet levels”.

“A team of doctors has been deputed to provide him round the clock medical facilities without fail and, in addition, his personal physician [Dr. Khan] had spent three hours with Nawaz on Monday.”

“Therefore, the impression being given in media that NAB has not given him permission to see Nawaz Sharif is not correct and totally baseless. Media is requested to kindly avoid spreading speculations without consulting [NAB’s] spokesman,” the bureau clarified.

The claim that Nawaz Sharif was ‘stable’ and likely to ‘recover’ in the next 24 to 48 hours after a blood transfusion was corroborated by PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal in a press conference.

“The government is deliberately

denying him medical care and trying to harm his health,” Iqbal said while addressing reporters. Iqbal, however, said that his party would hold Prime Minister Imran Khan responsible if any harm comes to Nawaz.

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif also visited his elder brother at the hospital. He told reporters that Nawaz’s platelet count fell quickly in NAB’s custody and it worried him. He said that NAB showed “gross negligence”.

On the other hand, Nawaz’s son, Hussain, claimed on Twitter that the reason for his father’s deteriorating health could be “poison” too as it is known to reduce platelet count.

Hussain claimed that the premier was moved to NAB Headquarters in Rawalpindi to “break him ahead of the

Saudi minister denies asking PM Imran to act as mediator with Iran

KABUL AGENCIES

The Taliban stormed a checkpoint in northern Afghanistan, killing at least 15 policemen in the latest attack by insurgents, an Afghan provincial official said Tuesday. The multi-pronged attack on the checkpoint in the Ali Abad district of northern Kunduz province began late on Monday night and set off an hours-long gunbattle, according to Ghulam Rabani Rabani, a provincial council member.

Along with the 15 policemen killed, two other officers were wounded in the assault, he said. The attack came as Afghan troops have been battling the Taliban for the past few weeks in Kunduz’s Dashti Archi and Imam Sahib districts, Rabani added. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the checkpoint attack. The Taliban have a strong presence in Kunduz and are in control in several of the province’s districts.

The provincial capital, the city of Kunduz, briefly fell to the Taliban in 2015, before the insurgents withdrew in the face of a NATO-backed Afghan offensive. The city is a strategic crossroads with easy access to much of northern Afghanistan as well as the country’s capital, Kabul, about 200 miles (335 kilometres) away. The Taliban pushed back into the city centre again a year later, briefly raising their flag before gradually being driven out again. The last time, the insurgents launched another attempt to overrun the city in August but were repelled. The Taliban now control nearly half of Afghanistan and have been relentless in their near-daily attacks targeting Afghan security forces, attacks that inflict heavy casualties. The fighting has also killed scores of civilians. President Donald Trump, since his 2016 presidential campaign, has spoken of a need to withdraw U.S. troops from the “endless war” in Afghanistan. He has complained that the U.S. has been serving as policemen in Afghanistan and says that’s not the American military’s job. The U.S. has about 14,000 American troops in Afghanistan as part of the American-led coalition. U.S. forces are training and advising Afghan forces and conducting counterterrorism operations against extremists. Trump had ordered a troop withdrawal in conjunction with the peace talks that would have left about 8,600 American forces in the country.

Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir has denied reports of separate mediation efforts with Iran, one particularly led by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan to reduce tension between the two states,

Middle East Eye reported.

“We are not having any mediation.

People come to us with ideas and we give them our response and our response is what we would like the Iranians to do and that is it, and we would

like to see actions rather than words,” Adel has reportedly said. He added that there was compelling evidence that the September attacks on Saudi oil installations were with Iranian-made missiles and “Tehran must stop its rampage across the world”. “It [Iran] should behave like a normal country following international laws if it wants to be welcomed,” Adel said.

Earlier in September, two Saudi Aramco installations were attacked and the Kingdom blamed Iran for it.

The Saudi foreign minister’s statement comes amid efforts being made

by PM Imran to bring both Riyadh and Tehran to the talks table, reportedly on United States (US) President Donald Trump’s suggestion. Imran, within the past few weeks, has also visited Saudi Arabia and Iran to push the two nations to bring an end to their long withstanding conflict. NEWS DESK

protests”. “To make things worse, above solitary confinement, he is even denied newspapers. Although insufficient given his ailments, the medical cover provided at the Central Jail was also withdrawn,” he added.

Hussain further claimed that Nawaz’s personal physician was denied permission to examine the incarcerated former prime minister for a week.

“It was only after we took to Twitter and the resultant protest outside NAB Headquarters that a team of doctors was called who confirmed Dr Adnan’s findings and hence Nawaz Sharif was hurriedly shifted to the hospital.”

He questioned why the accountability watchdog and the government failed to hospitalise Nawaz despite a substantially reduced platelet count.

‘Pulling out of Syria to leave Iraq eventually’ WASHINGTON: U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Tuesday that Washington aimed to bring U.S. troops withdrawing from Syria back to the United States, and not for them to stay in Iraq indefinitely. “The aim isn’t to stay in Iraq interminably, the aim is to pull our soldiers out and eventually get them back home,” Esper said at the Prince Sultan Air Base near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Esper said the details had not yet been worked out on how long the U.S. troops would stay in Iraq and he would be having discussions with his Iraqi counterpart on Wednesday. The Iraqi military said on Tuesday that U.S. forces which crossed into Iraq as part of a pull-out from Syria do not have permission to stay and can only be there in transit. U.S. troops are crossing into Iraq as part of a broader withdrawal from Syria ordered by President Donald Trump, a decision that allowed Turkey to launch an offensive against the SDF which for years was a U.S. ally battling Islamic State. AGENCIES

Mahathir stands by Kashmir comments despite India palm oil boycott KUALA LUMPUR AGENCIES

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Tuesday said he would not retract his criticism of New Delhi’s actions in occupied Kashmir despite Indian traders calling for an unprecedented boycott of Malaysian palm oil.

The impasse could exacerbate what Mahathir described as a trade war between the world’s second-biggest producer and exporter of the commodity and its biggest buyer so far this year.

India’s top vegetable oil trade body on Monday asked its members to stop buying Malaysian palm oil after Mahathir said at the UN General Assembly last month that India had “invaded and occupied” Kashmir.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government on Aug 5 stripped occupied Kashmir of its semi-autonomous status and imposed a curfew and a communications blackout.

“We speak our minds, and we don’t retract or change,” Mahathir told reporters outside parliament.

“What we are saying is we

should all abide by resolutions of the (United Nations). Otherwise, what is the use of the UN?” Mahathir said Malaysia would study the impact of the boycott called by the Mumbai-based Solvent Extractors Association of India and look at ways to address the issue.

New Delhi has so far refused to comment on the trade spat.

“This is not the Indian government, so we have to find out how we can communicate with these people because trade is a two-way thing and it is bad to have what amounts to a trade war,” Mahathir said.

Malaysia’s exports to India were worth $10.8 billion in the fiscal year that ended on March 31, while imports totaled $6.4 billion, according to Indian government data.

Malaysian palm oil futures slipped on Tuesday over concerns demand would fall from India.

India was Malaysia’s third-largest export destination in 2018 for palm oil and palm-based products worth 6.84 billion ringgit ($1.63 billion).

Malaysia said last week it was

considering raising imports of raw sugar and buffalo meat from India, in a bid to ease the trade tensions.

India, the world’s biggest im-

porter of edible oils, also buys palm oil from Indonesia as well as soyoil from Argentina and Brazil, and sunflower oil from Ukraine.

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