E-Paper PDF 27th November (ISB)

CMYK

Wednesday, 27 November, 2019 I 29 Rabi-ul-Awwal, 1441 I Rs 19.00 I Vol X No 147 I 16 Pages I Islamabad Edition

imran in a quandary SC SUSPENDS GEN BAJWA’S EXTENSION g

BenCH says govt FaiLeD to Present any LegaL reason For extension, DeCiDes to exaMine Case in DetaiL unDer artiCLe 184

g

Court says DeaLing witH regionaL seCurity situation is JoB oF arMy as an institution insteaD oF singLe oFFiCer

Govt renews notification of General Bajwa’s tenure extension g

Law Minister FarogH naseeM resigns FroM Post, wiLL rePresent arMy CHieF in Court STORY ON BACK PAGE

ISLAMABAD

T

STAFF REPORT

He supreme Court (sC) on tuesday suspended the notification of a three-year extension in the tenure of Chief of army staff general Qamar Javed Bajwa till wednesday on the account of the summary being “not correct”. the army chief — whose tenure was slated to end on nov 29 — was given an extension by Prime Minister imran Khan in august. “general Qamar Javed Bajwa is appointed Chief of army staff for another term of three years from the date of completion of current tenure,” a notification issued from the Prime Minister office (PMo) said at the time. the extension was confirmed by the government last week, saying that a notification to this effect has already been issued on aug 19.

However, the top court halted the extension, with the top judge, Chief Justice asif saeed Khosa,

STORY ON BACK PAGE

observing that “the summary and approval of the army chief’s extension is not correct”. in this regard, the court issued notices to the Defence Ministry, the federal government and gen Bajwa. the development came after the sC rejected a plea filed by the Jurists Foundation seeking withdrawal of their earlier plea that challenged the tenure extension and decided to convert the plea into a suo motu case under article 184 of the Constitution.

Questioning the legality of the notification of the extension, the chief justice said: “if the notification was issued on august 19, then what did the prime minister approve on august 21?” to which attorney general (ag) anwar Mansoor Khan responded that the prime minister signed the notification after the cabinet’s approval. “after the cabinet gave its approval, did the president approve it again?” the chief justice asked, to which the attorney

LHC admits Musharraf’s plea against reserved verdict in treason case

general responded in the negative. “only the president of Pakistan can extend the tenure of the army chief,” said Justice Khosa. “we can take approval from the president again,” the attorney general replied.

Justice Khosa then noted that out of 25 cabinet members, only 11 had approved the extension.

“Fourteen members of the cabinet did not give any opinion due to non-availability,” Justice Khosa observed.

“Did the government take their silence as agreement?” he asked. “those who did not say ‘yes’ had not taken part in the voting,” the ag informed the court.

“Does the cabinet not want to give members the time to think? the 14 members of the cabinet still have not said ‘yes’ to army chief’s extension,” the top judge noted.

During the hearing, the chief justice said the summary issued in this regard mentioned an ‘extension’ while the notification

issued by the PM office says the army chief has been ‘reappointed’. “as per rules, there is no authority of extending army chief’s tenure or his reappointment. the government can only suspend his retirement and the army chief has not retired yet,” said the CJP.” “the entire process was upside down. First, the cabinet should have given the approval, then the prime minister and president should have been advised,” CJP Khosa added.

Justice Mansoor ali shah said the cabinet didn’t debate on the merits of extension, questioning whether the cabinet had given the decision to grant an extension to the army chief “enough thought”. the court noted that it was told that the extension was being granted in light of the regional security situation. However, it remarked that dealing with the regional security situation is the job of the army as an institution, not just that of an officer’s.

Opp demands snap polls, rule of law

STORY ON PAGE 02

CMYK

“if the regional security situation reasoning is accepted, then every army officer would want a reappointment.” “the attorney general could not present any legal reason for an extension in tenure or a new appointment,” the court observed. according to the army rules, the verbal order said, the retirement of an army official can only be temporarily suspended. “the points raised in the case need to be examined in detail,” the order added. “general Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of the army staff is hereby made a respondent to this petition and the office is directed to carry out the necessary addition in the memorandum of this petition, said the order. “in the meanwhile, the operation of the impugned order/notification in respect of extension/re-appointment of general Qamar Javed Bajwa in the said office shall remain suspended.”

‘Difference between criticism and contempt’: Court bins contempt plea against PM

STORY ON PAGE 02

CMYK Wednesday, 27 November, 2019

02 ISLAMABAD Additional AG Tariq Khokhar refutes resignation reports Additional Attorney General Tariq Mehmood Khokhar on Tuesday denied reports of his resignation, saying that he had no intention to quit his post. A day earlier, Khokhar had filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), asking to set aside a special court’s decision to reserve its judgment in a high treason case against former military chief Pervez Musharraf. “I appeared in a

court to represent the government [but] because of other commitments could not argue the interior ministry’s petition in the treason case,” he told a private media house. Prosecutor Sajid Ilyas Bhatti appeared in Khokhar’s place. However, rumors of Khokhar’s ‘sudden resignation’ started circulating on Twitter and multiple media outlets reported the same. According to media reports, Khokhar resigned from his position “saying that his conscience does not allow him to pursue the high treason case against Musharraf”. Khokar was appointed by the caretaker government in July last year. He was previously served in the same post in 2013. NEWS DESK

Opp demands snap pOlls, rule Of law ISLAMABAD

T

STAFF REPORT

HE opposition leaders reiterated their demand for transparent elections after a meeting of the All Parties Conference on Tuesday that was called by Jamiat Ulemae-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to chalk out the future strategy against the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

The demand was made

by JUI-F chief, Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ahsan Iqbal while addressing the media after the all parties conference. The JUI-F chief said the meeting expressed firm

support for the four-point agenda of the joint opposition. He said that rule of law and constitution would be ensured and all institutions have to remain in their limits.

He said the struggle of opposition would continue until the agenda is completed.

He said PTI foreign funding case should be heard and local governments must be restored. Fazl said statements of ministers have made China-Pakistan Corridor Authority (CPEC) controversial and that a separate CPEC Authority was need of the hour. The PPP chairperson also endorsed the demand for snap polls and said that his party was ready to enter the electoral fray.

Speaking about the health of his father Asif Ali Zardari, he said the former

president’s condition was not good and the government was not cooperating with the PPP over his health. It may be noted here Zardari has been at an Islamabad hospital for the past few weeks.

He said it was against the constitution that cases that were registered Sindh were being heard in Rawalpindi. “We hope the Supreme Court would hear the case soon,” said Bilawal.

Talking on the occasion, PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal said parliament was locked and the government was being run through ordinances. He said a very important appointment was made controversial.

He said it was inevitable that an elected government must come instead of a selected one.

‘Difference between criticism and contempt’: Court bins contempt plea against PM ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday dismissed a contempt of court plea against Prime Minister Imran Khan, saying the courts do not fear criticism nor are they sensitive about it. The petition, which was filed

by Advocate Saleemullah Khan on Monday, said that the premier had “committed serious contempt” in his speech after the court allowed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to exit Pakistan without submitting the surety bond sought by Imran government.

During the speech, he had urged Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa and Justice Gulzar Ahmed to “restore public confidence in the judiciary”, as “there were separate laws for the powerful”. The premier said there was a perceived disparity in how the powerful and common people were treated in the country’s judicial system.

However, he was rebutted by the CJP, who had advised the PM to refrain from taunting the judiciary, as it doesn’t differentiate between the rich and poor.

During the proceedings, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah, who was hearing the petition, asked the appellant: “What problem do you have with the prime minister’s speech?” The petitioner responded that the prime minister had “ridiculed the judiciary”.

“The courts welcome criticism,” said Justice Minallah. Saleemullah said that there was a “difference between criticism and contempt”. “Do you want a trial of an elected prime minister?” Justice Minallah asked.

“Do you know the outcome of such a move?

Do you want the prime minister to be disqualified?”, he questioned while reserving the verdict.

The court resumed after recess, with Justice Minallah dismissing the petition at the start. He said: “The courts do not discourage the exercise of general right of criticism made in good faith and which does not obstruct or impair the administration of justice and the right of a litigant to a fair trial.”

The court observed that Prime Minister Imran has been elected to the highest executive public office by the Pakistani people and “his role in the 2007 historic lawyers’ movement […] is indeed acknowledged”.

According to the order, the court is satisfied that “regardless of the selection of words”, the premier could not have intended to undermine the integrity of the administration of justice or the prestige of the courts.

The court stressed that the benefit of doubt must always go in favour of the representatives of the people. “Even otherwise utmost restraint ought to be exercised in initiating contempt proceedings against an elected prime minister because of its consequences, which may, inter alia, lead to disfranchising the people of Pakistan and depriving them from the right to choose as to who should represent and govern them,” it added.

“This court, therefore, presumes that the worthy prime minister was not properly briefed, which had led to the factually incorrect statements made during his speech,” the order concluded.

PTI bags KP Senate seat PESHAWAR INP

The candidate of the ruling Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf (PTI), Zeeshan Khanzada, won the by-election in Senate for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) seat after getting 104 votes, according to unofficial and unconfirmed results.

The candidate from the united opposition, Farzand Ali Khan Wazir managed to get only 31 votes. 139 members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly took part in the election while four votes were rejected in the polls.

CMYK

Khanzada Khan’s son Zeeshan Khanzada, who had joined PTI before the resignation of his father Khanzada Khan as Senator, had been given party ticket by PTI for the Upper House election.

The polling that started 9:00 am and continued uninterrupted till 4:00 pm. As many as 145 provincial lawmakers were likely to exercise their right to vote in the election for the general seat of Senate.

It is worth mentioning that the Senate seat had fallen vacant after Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Khanzada Khan from Mardan district resigned from the Upper House of the parliament (Senate).

CMYK Wednesday, 27 November, 2019

NEWS

03

pm TO OveRhaul buReauCRaCy amid mismanagemenT, CORRupTiOn ISLAMABAD

a

SHAHZAD PARACHA

MID poor governance and subsequent increase in criticism, the Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) government has decided to overhaul civil service at federal and provincial levels.

Prime Minister Imran Khan is reportedly not happy with the bureaucracy, especially in Punjab, and has given approval to the transfer over a hundred officers serving in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Centre.

The major reshuffling commenced on Tuesday with the removal of Punjab Chief Secretary Yousaf Naseem Khokhar and Inspector General Arif Nawaz.

Capt (r) Azam Suleiman, the BS-22 Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) officers, replaced Khokhar, while Shoaib Dastgeer became the new police chief of Punjab on Tuesday.

Khokhar, considered close to Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi, failed to bring reforms in Punjab bureaucratic set-up. Corruption increased manifold in each district of Punjab

Zardari, Talpur get extension in remand

under his watch, claimed sources.

The new chief secretary is said to be a batchmate of army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa. PM Imran tasked him to streamline the matters pertaining to bureaucracy and overcoming the corrupt practices in the province.

Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners (DCs) of different cities would be changed in the coming days apart from reshuffling at secretary level, sources added. The government is also mulling the transfer of Islamabad DC Hamza Shafqat from his position.

In addition to this, the Establish-

ment Division has also prepared the lists for a major overhaul in the federal bureaucracy.

Sources told that Secretary Establishment Division Ijaz Munir would be replaced with Cabinet Division Additional Secretary, who was recently promoted to grade 22.

Similarly, Secretary to PM Azam Khan is likely to lose his job over his failure to control matters in Islamabad like Fawad Hassan Fawad –who’s in jail for alleged involvement in corrupt activities— did for then prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

retired general asim bajwa notified as CpeC authority chairman

ISLAMABAD

ISLAMABAD

INP

STAFF REPORT

An accountability court in Islamabad on Tuesday extended the judicial remand of former president Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur till Dec 17 in the money laundering through fake bank accounts and Park Lane Reference cases.

Zardari, who has been undergoing treatment at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), was not taken to the accountability court due to his poor health. The prosecution informed the court that it was not possible to produce the former president due to his health condition.

The Park Lane estate reference has been registered against Zardari and Talpur under different sections of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999, and the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2010.

Zardari has been accused of being involved “in extending loan and its misappropriation through M/S Parthenon Private Limited, M/S Park Lane Estate Private Limited and others”.

On Nov 12, the court had rejected Zardari’s application seeking his transfer to Karachi for treatment by private doctors of his choice instead of physicians of the Islamabad-based government hospital.

The same day, the court had extended Zardari and Talpur’s judicial remand till Nov 26 in the money laundering through fake bank accounts case.

The NAB prosecutor had presented his arguments in the courtroom.

“Zardari was shifted to the hospital upon recommendation of a medical board formed by the government […] filing an application with the government is not begging,” the prosecutor stated.

The prosecutor had further asked whether the former president was transferred to the hospital due to begging.

“The situation is not like this […] now seeking the recommendation of the same medical board and the government is being interpreted as begging,” he had argued.

The federal government on Tuesday notified the appointment of Lt Gen (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa as the first chairman of the newly-established CPEC Authority.

The Authority was established through a presidential ordinance last month for coordination, monitoring and evaluation to ensure implemen-

tation of CPEC-related activities.

The former DG ISPR, who also served as commander Southern Command, has been appointed for a period of four years, said the notification, adding that the tenure will come into effect from the date of joining.

The idea of the CPEC Authority was floated in 2016. However, the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif had shot it down.

About two months ago, a joint parliamentary committee on CPEC also opposed the setting up of the authority through a presidential ordinance.

The selection process for the appointment of the CPEC Authority chairman started and completed the day the government formally announced replacing Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar with Asad Umar as planning minister.

lhCba moves sC for timely disposal of musharraf treason case ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) on Tuesday submitted a plea in the Supreme Court, seeking completion of the high treason case against former president Pervez Musharraf and announcement of special court’s verdict on time.

The plea said that the SC had already given clear instructions to the trial court to conclude the case as early as possible; however, the federal government was creating hurdles in the smooth proceedings of the case.

The petition further requested the apex court to issue directives for implementation on its April 2019 judgement. The special court is violating SC’s order by not completing the trial against Pervez Musharraf, it asserted.

The development came after a full bench of LHC heard petitions filed by Musharraf and federal government against reserving verdict of high trea-

son case.

During the hearing, Justice Mazhar Ali Akbar Naqvi said we are receiving information about filing of another petition in federal capital over which, Musharraf’s lawyer Khawaja Tariq Rahim told that interior minister had submitted the plea

in Islamabad High Court (IHC).

The court had summoned the Attorney General for assistance in the case and directed the authorities to submit a summary regarding the formation of the trial court.

Earlier, the trial court had reserved the verdict of high treason case against the former dictator set to be announced on November 28. The court had also remarked that Musharraf’s lawyers can submit their written arguments regarding the case till November 26.

It is to be mentioned here that ex-president is facing treason trial under Article 6 of the Constitution as well as Section 2 of the High Treason Act for clamping the state of emergency on Nov 3, 2007.

He was booked in the treason case in December 2013 and was indicted by a special court in March 2014, but he left for Dubai in 2016 to “seek medical treatment” and has not returned since.

pm launches ehsaas financial inclusion project ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said the federal government was taking steps to tackle prevalent poverty in the country at the launch ceremony of the “Ehsaas Financial Inclusion Initiatives” project. “We are making policies keeping in mind the poverty that exists in Pakistan,” the PM said, adding that his government’s top priority was to pull people out of poverty and turn Pakistan into an Islamic welfare state. Unfortunately, Prime Minister Imran lamented, the poor paid taxes but the rich got away with tax evasion by setting up offshore companies. The gap between the have and the have-nots has widened over a past decade as the rich have had access to all amenities, he said. The prime minister said society can’t progress without imparting education to the women. Noting that there are three education systems currently prevalent in the country, he said the government has been trying to introduce a uniform system. He also thanked Queen Maxima for visiting Pakistan and taking a keen interest in the Ehsaas programme. In her address, Queen Maxima said the Ehsaas programme is a good initiative of the government of Pakistan to lift the people from poverty. STAFF REPORT

eCp hands over questionnaire to pml-n in party funding case ISLAMABAD: The scrutiny committee of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday handed over a questionnaire to Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) regarding party funding sources. The committee directed PML-N to submit its reply to the questionnaire as it scheduled the next hearing on Friday. It merits a mention here that the ECP has started conducting daily hearing of foreign funding case against Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI). Earlier on Monday, during a presser, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that opposition parties were misleading the people on foreign funding case. He alleged that both the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and PML-N raised funds through money laundering and were now pointing fingers at the PTI. The premier said that the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had submitted all relevant details to the Election Commission of Pakistan and that it will get a clean chit in the foreign funding case. PM Imran also directed his spokespersons to update the masses about all the aspects of the foreign funding case. INP

Suspension of Bajwa’s extension positive development, experts say ISLAMABAD MIAN ABRAR

As the Supreme Court bench would be taking up the matter of the extension given to Chief of Army Staff (COAS) on Wednesday, political and defence commentators see the court’s intervention into the matter as a welcome sign to help remove the flaws and lacunae in such matters. Critics believe that Minister for Law Dr Farogh Naseem and his legal team at the ministry of law had embarrassed the prime minister and his cabinet as well as Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

The critics say that first cabinet approves such a summary, then prime minister approves it and then it is sent to the president for a nod. Perhaps this was the reason which compelled Farogh to submit his resignation as Law Minister during the emergency session of the federal cab-

inet. Sources in the cabinet say that the cabinet took three steps to remove legal flaws in the extension order of the army chief. The steps included revoking the previous order for the extension, amending the Rules of Business of the Ministry of Defence.

“The federal cabinet approved the removal of the word ‘limit’ and adding the word ‘extension’ in the rule for the appointment of the chief of army staff. A new summary was then prepared and the cabinet approved it. Later, the summary was approved by the prime minister and sent to presidency seeking a nod,” a cabinet source said. Sources hold the minister for law responsible for being reckless in handling the issue prudently. Reportedly, the government summary was sent to the presidency and approved on August 19 August and later the federal cabinet approved it on 21st.

Eminent leader of Pakistan Tehreek-

e-Insaf (PTI) Hamid Khan Advocate told Pakistan Today that the interim order of the Supreme Court was unique in our history. “It’s a welcome sign that the Supreme Court has used its jurisdiction over such key legal issues. There were procedural flaws in the appointment of the army chief and later summary was sent to the cabinet bypassing the procedure,” he said and added that the court also raised serious questions on the merit of the case.

The court has raised very important questions which needed to be answered.

There is no legal provision in the rules of business for giving an extension to the army chief. It is not statutory and an extension amounts to another term to the office and that is not there in law,” he observed. Hamid Khan said though there were extensions given to army chiefs in past too and this question was never examined by top courts in the past.

“If this question had been raised by

CMYK

courts in the past, there would have been no extensions given to General Ayyub Khan, General Ziaul Haq, General Pervez Musharraf and even General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani. I think extensions are an abuse of authority. If no extension had been given in past, no martial law had been imposed,” he argued.

Former president of Supreme Court Bar Association Ali Zafar said that valid questions have been raised in the interim order issued by the Supreme Court bench.

“Procedural flaws and lacunae have been rectified by the government. In historic perspective, the law ministry’s procedural errors have to be decided by the court. However, it would be premature to say anything over it as the court would be taking up the matter tomorrow,” he added. Advocate Shahid Rasool said that the ministry of law and law minister were solely responsible for the embarrassment faced by the federal government.

“Law minister’s incompetence has embarrassed the prime minister, the cabinet as well as the army chief. Now the cabinet has amended the rule by inserting a word ‘extension’ in Rule 255 of the defence ministry, we need to see how the court reacts to it tomorrow,” he said.

He said the law ministry being mother ministry should be held responsible for the chaos in the country. “The court has identified the same mistake and material irregularity. The court also observed its freedom on such a sensitive matter for the first time which is a welcome sign. Article 243 of the constitution empowers the prime minister to send an advice to the president to appoint heads of the armed forces,” he said.

Asked how the law minister could be held responsible for the lapse, Shahid Rasool said that Dr Farogh Nasim was a corporate lawyer and did not handle such sensitive matters.

04 LAHORE 24 C 12 C 23 C Punjab gets new IgP, chIef secretary WEATHER UPDATES 0 WEDNESDAY

LAHORE

t

STAFF REPORT

HE Punjab government on Tuesday replaced the provincial police chief and chief secretary days after Prime Minister Imran Khan hinted at a major bureaucratic reshuffle in a meeting with Chief Minister Usman Buzdar.

National Police Foundation (NPF) Managing Director Shoaib Dastaghir was appointed as the new Inspector General (IG) of the province replacing Amjad Javed Saleemi, while Interior Secretary Azam Suleman replaced Yousaf Naseem Khokhar as the provincial chief secretary. According to a no-

tification issued by the cabinet division on Tuesday, “Shoaib Dastaghir, a BS21 officer of the Punjab Police who is currently serving as Managing Director of the NPF is transferred and posted as Provincial Police Officer (PPO), Government of Punjab, in his own pay and scale, with immediate notice and until further orders.”

Shoaib Dastaghir had earlier served as IG of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and is considered a competent administrator and policeman. This is the fifth time the government changed the police chief of the province since it assumed power last year.

Meanwhile, Major (r) Azam Suleman was appointed as Punjab’s new chief secretary. The outgoing chief secretary, Yousaf Naseem Khokar, is ex-

0

THURSDAY

0

pected to be appointed as a federation secretary, according to reports.

Other changes are also expected to occur within the Punjab bureaucracy as new appointments and transfers are being considered by the government.

Prime Minister Imran Khan is reportedly not happy with the bureaucracy, especially in Punjab, and has given an approval to transfer over a hundred officers serving in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Centre.

Earlier on October 3, the Punjab bureaucracy underwent several changes as Captain (r) Muhammad Mehmood was appointed forests secretary and Dr Raheel Siddiqui was given charge of additional chief secretary for urban development.

Irregularities emerge in public perception analysis project LAHORE SHAHAB OMER

Punjab government’s project for analysing the public’s perception in order to improve governance appears to have failed miserably due to the poor performance and irregular planning of the PITB and I&C department. The project titled ‘Citizen Engagement and Public Perception Analysis for Improving Governance and Service Delivery in Punjab 2013-18’ was started with the aim of developing a mechanism to understand the public’s opinion on various issues in order to evaluate public sector programmes.

The project had multifold benefits, including the provision of a direct interface between the citizens and the state in order to enable the citizen to voices their concerns directly to the policymakers and implementers. As per the monitoring report of the project issued by Directorate General Monitoring and Evaluation (DGM&E), there is no record of achievements on the project by the I&C department.

Sharing its observations about the

project, the report states, “The scheme was initially approved for 24 months with a cost of Rs60 million, which was revised to Rs460, and gestation period was changed to 60 months (June 2018). As per PC-IV, the total expenditure was Rs78.24 million. The project was initially executed by I&C department, but later the project was transferred to PITB. Rs42 million were spent by I&C department while Rs36.24 million were spent by PITB. However, details and achievements of Rs42 million spent by I&C department were not shared with the evaluation team. As per PC-II a steering committee under the chairmanship of chairman P&DB was notified on October 1, 2016. But after notification there were no meeting records of this committee.

The list of projects to be surveyed was not part of PC-II, however, in committee notification eight projects were mentioned.”

“In the summary sent to chief minister, it was written that the approximate cost of the survey for a sample size of 15,000 people was Rs2.2 million. However Rs23.282 million were paid to consultancy firms for three surveys and

Rs12.59 million were paid to contract staff hired by PITB which accumulates to Rs35.87 million. So, the cost of each survey was Rs11.96 million on average.

It needs to be justified by department why the cost is approximately six times that of the estimate in the summary sent to the chief minister,” the report added.

The report further states, “It was also written in the summary to the chief minster that PITB will conduct 20 surveys.

However, only three surveys were conducted. There is no documentary evidence on how the feedback loop was established and how steering committee and project team coordinated on feedback and its implementation status. It was the responsibility of the project staff to produce briefs, essay, articles for analysis and publications but no such documents were shared. The final reports shared by consultancy firm seemed descriptive presentations rather than reports.”

The DGM&E also ranked the project as ‘not successful’ and recommended that “PITB should take get the details about Rs42 million spent by I&C department”.

Wednesday, 27 November, 2019

140C

260C

FRIDAY

110C

No compromise on development projects: Buzdar LAHORE INP

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar on Tuesday vowed that he will make no compromise on the quality of development projects across the province.

In his statement, the chief minister said that all projects will be completed within

SATURDAY

260C

110C

time and affirmed that no one will be allowed to hinder the progress.

Buzdar said that he will monitor all development projects himself. “It is the right of backward areas to make progress, and the incumbent government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is ensuring this,” he added.

Wednesday, 27 November, 2019

NEWS

Senate body passes resolution against US over CPEC remarks ISLAMABAD: The Senate’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs passed a unanimous resolution against the “uncalled for, unwarranted and unprecedented” statement of US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Ambassador Alice Wells on CPEC and Pakistan-China relations. The resolution rejected the statement as unacceptable interference in “Pakistan’s sovereign right to exercise policy choices that best protect and promote its national interests”. “The Senate Foreign Affairs Committee feels that casting aspersions, promoting fiction and presenting a biased perspective on CPEC, which is already a success story, only shows the extent to which certain quarters can go in their obsession of ‘countering’ China,” the committee said in a statement. STAFF REPORT

Musharraf case won’t fix inflation and unemployment: Shujaat Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Tuesday said that the common man would not get any benefits from opening the Pandora’s Box of the high treason case against former military dictator General (r) Pervez Musharraf.

He said that the case will not solve persisting issues such as unemployment and inflation. “What is the benefit of opening the Pandora’s Box of the case? It would not benefit the common man in any way,” he said, adding that the people would not care if the former military dictator’s case lingers on for another five years. “Will these actions cause the prices of tomatoes to go down?” he asked. The PML-Q leader said that those responsible for inflation and unemployment should be identified and brought to book, adding that the politicians who gave false hopes to the people should be exposed. He also urged the politicians to play their role in taking Pakistan out of the crisis it is entangled in. NEWS DESK

Will check reports before talking about father being slow poisoned: Hussain Nawaz LONDON: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s son Hussain said on Tuesday that he will talk about concerns regarding his father being slowly poisoned while in captivity after going through the reports. He added that he is well aware of these concerns but will not pass any comment before reading the reports. Earlier, he asked to probe this matter whether his father was poisoned while in jail. He said that doctors are treating his father and also trying to determine the reason due to which the platelet count dropped. “Doctors are only waiting for the steroids’ side effects to subside so that they can check the bone marrow,” he said. “The only reason Nawaz was getting treatment at home was to avoid any possible risk of infection,” he added. As per reports, Nawaz was examined at three major hospitals in London. His PET scan will be conducted on November 28. Apart from examining his medical history, Dr Segwatt, Dr David Lawrence and Professor Dr Simon did a thorough checkup of the former premier. STAFF REPORT

05

China SEES ‘Evil intEntion’ in US CritiCiSM of CPEC BEIJING

C

STAFF REPORT

HINA on Monday rejected the United States’ criticism of the $60 billion ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), saying Washington had “evil intentions” and was trying to “drive a wedge” between Beijing and its all-weather ally Islamabad.

The top US official for South Asia Alice Wells had last week said the CPEC, which is the flagship project of President Xi Jinping’s multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), would increase Pakistan’s debt burden and benefit only China.

However, Beijing brushed aside the criticism on Monday. “No matter what the US says or does or how it tries to spoil the CPEC development, we will work together with Pakistan to develop CPEC and advance our all-weather strategic cooperative partnership to bring more benefits to Pakistani people and deliver more benefits to the region and beyond,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang said on Monday. “I am afraid, the problem is with certain people in the US with evil intentions,” Geng said, arguing that the CPEC is, in fact, helping Pakistan’s economy.

“China and Pakistan have clarified and refuted such smears time and again. However, some in the US still use the same old script. They don’t stop

though the show has become a complete disaster, and they don’t get off the stage even when booed by the audience.” The Corridor is a planned network of roads, railways and energy projects linking China’s resource-rich Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region with Gwadar Port.

“At least 22 projects had achieved early harvest significantly improving the local transportation infrastructure and the power supply as well as creating 10,000 job opportunities, increasing Pakistan’s annual economic growth by 1 to 2 percentage points contributing to its national and social development as well as improving the people’s well being,” Geng observed. “I believe facts have

ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Tuesday held a meeting with Queen Maxima of Netherlands, wherein he said that Pakistan considers financial inclusion as an effective tool to achieve progress on Sustainable Development Goals. PID

Gulalai Ismail’s father released on bail PESHAWAR: The father of a prominent Pakistani activist who fled to the United States was released on bail on Tuesday, his family and lawyers said, a month after he was arrested for allegedly spreading hate of the state on social media. Muhammad Ismail was detained on Oct. 24 after leaving a court in the northwestern city of Peshawar. He is accused of uploading material to his Facebook page “prejudicial to the interests of the State institutions”, according to a court document seen by Reuters.

His daughter, 32-year-old Gulalai Ismail, is a prominent member of a group campaigning for

the rights of the ethnic Pashtun minority and is a vocal critic of Pakistan’s military. She went into hiding earlier this year and surfaced in the United States in September. Ismail was freed after posting bail of 100,000 Pakistani rupees ($645), according to a court document. He was not reachable for comment on Tuesday but has previously denied the allegations and said during his bail hearing on Monday he had been trapped by a “well-planned conspiracy”, without elaborating further. His daughter said in a tweet on Tuesday she would not give up her activism despite the arrest. AGENCIES

Firdous stresses need for comprehensive global strategy to counter Islamophobia JEDDAH: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan Tuesday said Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was a very important forum and Muslims of the world had great expectations from it. She said Muslim states needed to adopt a united stance and prepare a comprehensive strategy to deal with challenges facing the Muslim Ummah, such as Islamophobia, a message received here from Jeddah said. Talking to Pakistani community and media persons in Jeddah she said Muslim Ummah should adopt a united approach and formulate a collective comprehensive strategy to cope with challenges being faced by Ummah including recently emerging extremist mindset of Islamophobia. She said latest incident of Norway in which an effort to desecrate a copy of the Holy Quran was highly condemnable. She said the Holy Quran was the best charter of human rights. The special assistant said Pakistan, being a pioneer member of the OIC, was desirous of promotion of cooperation among Muslim countries. She said the role being played by each country and its leadership was being written in the annuls of history and Pakistan had a key role at this critical juncture of history as it was created in the name of Islam. APP

given the best answer to whether the CPEC is good or not.” China while building CPEC always followed the principle of wide consultations, joint contributions and shared benefits putting Pakistani people’s interest first, Geng added.

“The US side, in total disregard of facts, has been talking all about the fabricated ‘debt issue’ with the true aim to disrupt CPEC development and sow discord in China-Pakistan relations with malicious calculations,” Geng regretted. He rejected the claims that China was creating a debt trap for Pakistan, saying that more than 80 percent of the CPEC projects were being funded by direct investment or grants from China. “According to statistics released by the Pakistani side, debt incurred from the CPEC stands at 4.9 billion US dollars, less than one-tenth of Pakistan’s total debt.

“I’m afraid certain individuals in the US are not bad at math, but rather misguided by evil calculations,” he said. Over five years, important and positive progress had been made in CPEC, he added.

In its response, the US appeared to take a step back from its criticism following a strong reaction and point-by-point rejection of the “wrong analysis” of Wells. During a visit to Lahore a day earlier, US Ambassador to Pakistan Paul W Jones said Wells had “intended to generate a debate” on the matter and that it was the “sovereign’s right” to decide about its future.

Wednesday, 27 November, 2019

06 WORLD VIEW

IrAn protests: the Us Is In for A bIg dIsAppoIntment THE LATEST UNREST WILL ENCOURAGE IRAN’S NATIONAL SECURITY ESTABLISHMENT TO STEP UP ITS CHALLENGE TO US’ POWER IN THE REGION

Middle east eye

A

Mahan abedin

s the world struggles to understand what’s going on in Iran in the midst of an internet blackout, one thing is clear: the widespread rioting and looting does not pose any political threat to the Islamic Republic.

What started off as scattered protests against a petrol price hike quickly degenerated into acts of rioting and vandalism which then elicited a harsh state crackdown.

There are two striking features about the unrest. Foremost, the Iranian middle classes have boycotted the protests, fearing the unrestrained violence of the rioters who have torched banks, police kiosks and even hospitals. The protests occurred in the poorest areas of towns, or in the case of Tehran, in the poorest satellite towns of Greater Tehran province, such as Islamshahr, shahriar and Gohardasaht (a neighbourhood of Karaj in Alborz province).

In Tehran itself, there were no protests at all, save for minor incidents in the poorer eastern districts of the city such as Pirouzi and Tehranpars. second, the Iranian political system has talked and acted in unison by both condemning the riots and promising a harsh crackdown. One hardline newspaper editor even broached the idea of hanging riot leaders.

This speaks of deep coherence and unity in the establishment, something that had eluded the Islamic Republic for nearly four decades.

In other words, the nature of Iran’s political system has changed and this shift comes into sharp focus during a crisis or upheaval, such as the recent protests.

The Islamic Republic can no longer be described as “factional” or “fractured” as it used to be for decades. Ironically, this unity elicits violent protests as disgruntled people can no longer appeal to – or exploit – divisions within the system to advance their cause or gain an advantage.

This shift has immediate consequences for Iranian foreign policy, as hinted by Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran will now act more confidently – and possibly more aggressively – in the standoff with Israel, saudi Arabia and the United states.

A 'SECURITY WAR' The mainstream international media has tried to frame the protests through the

FaRyal RasHid NGEREd, disillusioned and fueled with the fire to propel social change; Iranians took to the streets last Friday. An estimated 87,000 people assembled to protest a dramatic increase in gasoline prices amid an economic crisis that is yet unprecedented in the nation’s history. As is the tradition, a staggering 100 were killed in a brutal crackdown by the Pasdaran-e-Inqilab, a paramilitary force that has since the 1979 revolution, both sanctified and enforced the repressive legal codes of the state.

This was quickly followed by a nation-wide internet blackout, obscuring the specificities of the protests and virtually cutting off civilians from the rest of the world.

Although short of a movement, the November protests are only one chapter in the people’s quest for democratization and the loosening of the cultural, economic and social restrictions imposed on all dimensions of life in Iran. While these protests primarily targeted the hyperinflation of oil prices, they represent a longstanding aversion to the authoritarian apparatus that has characterized Iranian polity since the revolution.

The months leading to the 1979 Islamic Revolution witnessed

A

prism of the all-too-familiar context of economic-driven grievances rapidly escalating into anti-establishment riots.

By contrast, the Iranian establishment has depicted the protestors as "thugs" and hoodlums directed by foreign powers.

At Friday prayers in Tehran on 22 November, Ayatollah seyed Ahmad Khatami claimed that the “enemies” had been preparing for the disturbances for three years. The theme of foreign interference has loomed large in the analysis of Iranian leaders.

The country's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei set out the grand analysis by describing the recent events as a “security war”. The fact that the disturbances in Iran came on the heels of the protests in Iraq and Lebanon has cemented the belief within the Iranian leadership that it is being targeted by the Us, Israel and saudi Arabia as part of a broader destabilisation strategy. such a connection may seem farfetched at face value but it cannot be ruled out altogether. Barely a week before the start of the disturbances in Iran, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speculated that the “anti-establishment” uprising in Iraq could spread to neighbouring Iran.

For its part, the Us government, which had been anxiously awaiting just such a scenario ever since announcing its “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran last year, has tried its best to fan the flames of revolt and destruction. The Us special representative for Iran, Brian Hook, could barely hide his glee at the unrest, all the while pledging to maintain the harsh sanctions regime that have contributed to the rioting.

In the latest development, Us secretary of state Mike Pompeo has called on agitators to submit videos and other information on the “crackdown”. These messages are a clear attempt to foment additional unrest and the Us government is foolish if it thinks Iran will leave the provocation unanswered.

A UNITED ESTABLISHMENT The Iranian establishment has been united in confronting the unrest. President Hassan Rouhani echoed Khamenei in declaring victory over “foreign enemies”, and specifically identified the “Americans”, “Zionists” and “regional reactionaries” for fomenting the unrest.

“Regional reactionaries” is a reference to conservative Arab regimes in the Gulf, notably saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

President Rouhani’s rhetoric was particularly tough, not least because of his centrist background and his loose and tacit alliance with reformist political currents. As an astute politician, Rouhani has a firm grasp of political realities and his unusually tough rhetoric may be a signal that he is moving away from the reformists to fully embrace the conservatives and principlists (Osoolgerayan).

This political shift may be an early election manoeuvre ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for February 2020.

The events of the past week are likely to fully complete a process that has been underway for a decade, since the so-called Green uprising following disputed presidential elections in June 2009. The political earthquake of 2009 heralded the beginning of the end of factional politics in the Islamic Republic, notably a division into Islamic left and right founded primarily on profound differences on economic policy.

As I argued back in July 2009, the Green uprising – and the subsequent crackdown – led to the emergence of a “leaner and meaner” Iranian political system.

This process of purging and catharsis within the Islamic Republic is more or less completed. In other words, Iran’s political society has shifted closer to the security establishment and by definition it is now much harder for foreign powers – notably the West which operated the “moderate” vs “hardliner” dichotomy for decades – to gain advantage by exploiting internal political divisions.

The nature of the latest uprising only serves to underline the wider and deeper political reality.

Whilst the uprising appears to be nationwide, it lacks depth and numbers. By most credible accounts, less than 100,000 people were involved. The Fars news agency – citing an “intelligence body” reported 87,000 protestors, of which 93 percent were men.

WHO'S BEHIND THE RIOTS? The videos produced by the protestors themselves tend to validate these claims.

Most videos show very small – but highly aggressive – crowds confronting an assort-

ment of riot police and security forces. The protestors and rioters don’t even appear to be motivated by clear political goals, besides maximalist demands and a rejection of the establishment in its entirety.

They are certainly not connected to any of the country’s recognised political forces. This is in sharp contrast to the much larger protests of 2009-2010, which were essentially an outgrowth of factional disputes. In that context, the latest unrest can be considered a continuation of the late 2017-early 2018 protests, albeit in a more radicalised and violent form.

This makes the authorities’ job much easier in two important respects. First the initial repression is easy as the crowds lack depth and their actions, as demonstrated by vandalism, arson and looting, mean their movement will not resonate with Iranian society writ large, especially the middle classes. second, by showcasing the mayhem caused by the uprising, the Islamic Republic can capitalise on it politically, primarily by mobilising its natural constituency in areas hit hardest by the protests and rioting.

The Islamic Republic is a master of mobilisation and honing its natural constituency to great political and propaganda effect. These skills have been on full display in the past three days as the Islamic Republic’s core constituency reclaim the streets torched by the rioters.

The bottom line is that the Islamic Republic’s political society has never been so coherent and united and fully in tune with the country’s security apparatus. This makes it all but impossible for any protest movement – indigenous or foreign inspired – to establish even the flimsiest of footholds.

THE GEOPOLITICAL CONTEXT The most important question at this juncture is what effect the uprising will have on tension points across the region. The Islamic Republic’s hardcore ideologues have let it be known in no uncertain terms that Iran should go on the offensive and retaliate against foreign adversaries, specifically against saudi Arabia.

This echoes the call of the judiciary chief, Ayatollah Ebrahim Raisi, for “tough punishment” for the rioters and their “masters”. It is widely expected that the

most egregious offenders (those found to have led arson gangs and the killing of security forces personnel) could be hanged.

Most important of all - in terms of foreign policy - the secretary of the supreme National security Council, Rear Admiral Ali shamkhani, called for “revenge” for the “martyrs” (i.e. the security forces personnel killed by the rioters).

"All those who used rioting, sabotage, looting and used weapons against the security forces and the people, will certainly be reprimanded and we hope to continue our resistance which is the only way to confront the West," said a defiant shamkhani.

BIG DISAPPOINTMENT Meanwhile, the commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) have gone on the offensive against Iran’s foes, by attributing the uprising to foreign enemies and hinting at possible deterrent actions in the near future. The IRGC’s deputy commander, Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi, has claimed that the Us has gone “crazy” at the fact that the disturbances were suppressed by Iranian security forces within 48 hours.

Adopting a more offensive posture, Major General Gholam Ali Rashid, the commander of the Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters, warned the Us to act “responsibly” in order to safeguard the lives of its troops. speaking on the sidelines of air defence manoeuvres dubbed “defenders of the skies of Velayat 98”, General Rashid claimed that the Iranian armed forces – in the form of the state military and the IRGC – will utilise “all resources” and their intelligence prowess to not only contain threats but in fact to respond to threats in an “offensive” capacity.

General Rashid’s warning comes a day after the American aircraft carrier, the Uss Abraham Lincoln, transited the strait of Hormuz for the first time since its deployment. The upshot is that the latest unrest will encourage Iran’s national security establishment to step up its challenge to Us power in the region.

If the United states and its allies thought that fomenting, or - at the very least - encouraging violent unrest in Iran would arrest the Islamic Republic’s strategic momentum, then they are in for a big disappointment.

Mahan Abedin is an analyst of Middle Eastern politics. He is the author of Iran Resurgent: The rise and rise of the Shia state.

Iran on the brink of a real revolution a bold Ayatollah Khomeini, lobbying for political freedom, social justice and the equitable distribution of wealth and income. Iranians had come to equate the Occident with Pahlavi’s exclusionary and elitist government. It was believed that Khomeini would deliver on his promises of making Iran selfsufficient and bridge the gross disparities in wealth seen during Pahlavi’s regime. He became the face of the anti-imperialism movement, consolidating support from Iran’s intellectuals, students and the working classes who were already engaged in collective action against Pahlavi’s dictatorship.

The democratic vision that these individuals sought to actualize went down the drain the second Khomeini came into power.

He elevated the clergy to high positions in the government and devised a structure that featured few if any democratic elements; the supreme Leader’s constitutional powers far exceeded those of the elected parliament, whose mandate and occupancy was severely restricted by the new elite class of clergymen. The clergy meticulously fostered the myth of a per-

petual state-of-emergency, guising despotism under religiosity, revoking quite radically the cultural and social liberties that Iran had enjoyed in the two decades preceding the revolution.

Although the Islamic Republic’s religious elite managed mitigating its ideological and political conflicts in the first ten years after the revolution, conflict inevitably emerged. The conservatives attempted to narrow the polity by eliminating opposing factions, not anticipating dissent.

Throttled under the weight of internal challenges, the Republic took it upon itself to suppress Iran’s secular dissidents. A tyrannical fist clamped down on protests, with as many as eighty dissidents disappearing during President Rafsanjani’s two terms.

The political repression, severe corruption and far-from-actualized promises of the revolution shaped up a new set of conflicts by the end of the Republic’s third decade. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, elected president in the 2005 election, fervently suppressed civil liberties, politicizing social and cultural issues and inadvertently

mobilizing a reformist faction who challenged his victory in the 2009 presidential election. A substantial part of the opposition organized as the Green Movement, claiming election fraud and questioning the outcome of the election. Protests erupted in every major city and persisted for twenty months; the people unwavering in their opposition to the regime that had betrayed all promises of freedom. Popular slogans and the scale of demonstrations revealed that the people no longer believed it was possible to achieve structural changes in the economic and political arena within the Islamic framework. students protesting the closure of reformist newspapers chanted, “The people are miserable! The clerics are acting like Gods”. A despotic spell of executions followed, alarmed conservatives threw protestors in prison and their leaders under house arrest, in an attempt to disband the opposition.

The supreme leader authorized the dissolution of reformist parties, stripping them of the right to participate in the political process. The Green Movement,

though dynamic and larger-thanlife, could not bear the brunt of state repression.

The question we are faced with then, is whether the protests currently underway in Iran will amount to anything more than an expression of disgust and discontentment with the regime. Can simple demonstrations tilt the direction of Irani politics, encourage reform and pave the route for democratization? Or is a violent uprooting of existing structures necessary? The answer lies in examining the intricacies of protest movements that have lobbied for greater political freedom across the globe.

In south Korea, the military regime agreed to negotiate with the opposition and democratize through simple revisions in legislation. In Tunisia and Egypt however, the state was unable to reconcile with the opposition, eroding the essential link between state and society and promoting revolutionary activity. The Islamic Republic belongs to the latter category. The state has continually proved incapable of resolving the multiple contradictions and conflicts created in the wake of their political

suppression and isolated itself from its most devoted support structures. A state that demands passive obedience, and enforces the law through perverse coercion cannot respond effectively to calls for effectual government.

This diminished cohesion between state and society sets the stage for a disruptive, even chaotic yet ultimately revolutionary path to democracy. The Republic is now confronted with two options—to introduce transformative reform and stick more closely to the original essence of the revolution or witness their undoing at the hands of radical forces already approaching their tipping point and opting for a far more subversive course of action. The situation in Iran has not yet reached its climax, but the recent wave of protests prove that this protracted disenfranchisement with the state will soon morph into anarchy, and the inevitable demise of the state.

A change in structure will come either way; it is up to the supreme Leader and his band of despotic clergymen to decide just when and how.

Faryal Rashid is an A level student who loves literature, sociology and international politics. She can be reached at faryalrashid825@gmail.com

Wednesday, 27 November, 2019

FOREIGN NEWS 07

hong kong's cArrie lAm Acknowledges discontent with govt, AppeAls for peAce HONG KONG

h

AGENCIES

ONG KONG leader Carrie Lam acknowledged on Tuesday that the record turnout in local elections won by prodemocracy candidates highlighted dissatisfaction with her administration, while appealing for an end to violent protests.

Appearing tired and drawn, Lam spoke a day after results showed democratic candidates secured almost 90% of 452 district council seats in Sunday’s elections, a landslide victory in polls that were widely seen as a barometer of the opposition to the Beijing-backed politician following months of unrest. China, which has blamed foreign forces for fomenting unrest in the city, has not directly commented on the results, and major news outlets among China’s tightly controlled media largely avoided detailed reporting of how Hong Kongers voted.

On Tuesday, top diplomat Yang

Jiechi condemned the passing of U.S legislation supporting protesters, saying China had “expressed our severe position the American side,” according to state news agency Xinhua.

A day earlier, the foreign ministry summoned U.S. Ambassador Terry Branstad to protest the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which it said amounted to interference in an internal Chinese matter.

Lam, Hong Kong’s most unpopular post-colonial leader, acknowledged vot-

ers in the city wanted to express their views on many issues, including “deficiencies in governance”.

Speaking in measured tones, she thanked residents for voting peacefully and hoped the calm weekend was not just for the elections but a signal that residents want an end to unrest that has rocked the Chinese-ruled city for six months. “Everybody wants to go back to their normal life and this requires the concerted efforts of every one of us,” Lam said during her weekly address at the government’s headquarters.

“So, as I have said repeatedly, resorting to violence will not give us that way forward. So please, please help us to maintain the relative calm and peace … and provide a good basis for Hong Kong to move forward.”

The Asian financial center has enjoyed a rare lull in violence for nearly a week, breaking from six months of often violent anti-government unrest that has plunged the city into its biggest political crisis in decades, creating the

greatest internal challenge yet faced by China’s President Xi Jinping.

The Chinese leadership has set up a crisis command center on the mainland side of the border and is considering replacing its official liaison to the restive semi-autonomous city, people familiar with the matter said.

Protests have sprung up on an almost daily basis since June, with flash mobs often gathering with little or no notice, at times forcing the government, businesses, schools and even the city’s international airport to close. The violence had escalated up to last week, with protesters hurling petrol bombs and firing arrows at police who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.

Demonstrators are angry at what they see as Chinese meddling in the freedoms promised to the former British colony when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997. China denies interfering and says it is committed to the “one country, two systems” formula put in place at that time.

Hong Kong campus siege ending with one protester found HONG KONG AGENCIES

israel’s netanyahu not required to resign, says attorney general JERUSALEM: Israel’s attorney general said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not required to leave office following his indictment on corruption charges, giving a small boost to the embattled leader. Avichai Mandelblit said in a statement that Netanyahu can remain interim prime minister, just days after serving him with charges of fraud, breach of trust and bribery. Netanyahu faces calls from his opponents to step down following the indictment. Mandelblit’s opinion confirmed what had been a consensus legal view, that an indicted prime minister may remain in office while fighting criminal charges. Israeli law requires other public officials, including Cabinet ministers, to resign if charged with a crime. But it doesn’t explicitly state that a prime minister has to leave office in those circumstances.

Netanyahu is the first-ever sitting prime minister to be charged with a crime. The attorney general did not weigh in on whether Netanyahu could keep his other ministerial positions while under indictment. Netanyahu also holds the agriculture, labour and welfare, health and Diaspora affairs portfolios. Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, has dismissed the charges as an “attempted coup” and refused to resign. He says he will fight the charges from the prime minister’s office. The indictment comes at a delicate time following the failure by both Netanyahu and his chief rival, former military chief Benny Gantz, to secure a parliamentary majority and form a new government. Israel has held two parliamentary elections this year — in April and in September — both of which resulted in political deadlock, with neither Netanyahu nor Gantz capable of mustering support for a ruling coalition. Last week Gantz conceded he was unable to form a government, setting in motion a 21-day period for a majority of Israel’s 120-seat parliament to throw support behind Gantz, Netanyahu or a third candidate. If a government is not formed by Dec. 11, Israel will be forced to hold elections for the third time in a 12-month period. The Justice Ministry said the attorney general did not evaluate the legality of whether the president could task an indicted politician with forming a new government, which he said remained “theoretical.” AGENCIES

A weeklong police siege of a university in Hong Kong may be winding down, closing one of the more violent chapters in the city’s long-running anti-government protests.

A search of the Hong Kong Polytechnic campus Tuesday found just one woman, in weak condition, and a senior university official said it’s unlikely anyone else remains.

A few people might still be hiding in the warren of buildings on the urban campus, trying to avoid arrest.

The search apparently didn’t find a man who told reporters before dawn that he is happy living at the university and “everyone can stop worrying about us.”

Police have cordoned off the area to try to prevent anyone from escaping.

Polytechnic University Vice President Alexander Wai, who led a search of the campus by seven teams, said he couldn’t rule out that some people remained, but “the possibility is not very high.”

Attention in Hong Kong has shifted to city leader Carrie Lam’s response to a major loss in local elections Sunday. The results were seen as a public rebuke of her tough line on the protests.

Lam, after issuing only a written statement Monday, offered no concessions to anti-government protesters, saying only that she would accelerate dialogue and identify ways to address societal grievances.

She said the central government in Beijing did not blame her for the election setback, and that while it may have reflected unhappiness with the government’s handling of the unrest, it also showed that many people want an end to the violence.

“Let me just stress that after these five-six months, Hong Kong people have realized very clearly that Hong Kong could no longer tolerate this chaotic situation,” Lam told reporters after a weekly meeting with advisers. “Please help us to

maintain the relative calm and peace that we have seen in the last week or so and provide a good basis for Hong Kong to move forward.”

Her refusal to compromise could spark more unrest at a time when the semi-autonomous Chinese territory has plunged into its first recession in a decade.

The streets around Polytechnic were the scenes of fierce clashes with police 10 days ago. Protesters used the campus as a base and shut down access to a major roadway under Hong Kong’s harbour, setting the toll booths on fire.

The Cross-Harbour Tunnel will reopen Wednesday morning, earlier than expected, a senior city official announced.

AlbAniA eArthquAke kills 14; rescuers hunt for survivors THUMANE: Rescue crews used excavators to search for survivors trapped in toppled apartment buildings Tuesday after a powerful pre-dawn earthquake in Albania killed at least 14 people and injured more than 600. The 6.4 magnitude quake was felt across the southern Balkans and was followed by multiple aftershocks. In nearby Bosnia, another temblor with a preliminary magnitude of 5.4 struck southeast of the capital and rattled Sarajevo. There were no immediate reports of casualties and only minor damage in that earthquake. The quake in Albania collapsed at least three apartment buildings while people slept, and rescue crews were working to free people believed trapped. There was no indication as to how many people might still be buried in the rubble. “It is a dramatic moment where we should preserve calm, stay alongside each other to cope with this shock,” Prime Minister Edi Rama said. The Health Ministry reported about 600 people had been injured, with some in serious condition. The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude-6.4 quake, which struck just before 4 a.m. local time, had an epicenter 30 kilometers (19 miles) northwest of the capital, Tirana, at a depth of 20 kilometers (12 miles). Scores of aftershocks included three with preliminary magnitudes of between 5.1 and 5.4. The Defense Ministry said seven bodies were pulled from rubble in the coastal city of Durres, 33 kilometers (20 miles) west of the capital Tirana and five people were found dead in a collapsed apartment building in the northern town of Thumane. One person died after jumping from his home to escape in Kurbin, 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of the capital, while another person was killed on a road that collapsed in the northern town of Lezha.Local television stations showed footage of a young boy being pulled from a collapsed building in Durres after an excavator moved a broken slab of concrete and local men pulled mangled reinforcement bars out of the way. Hours later, live TV footage showed people cheering when a child was found alive in a collapsed building in Durres where a body had been found earlier. “We are expecting multiple aftershocks following the main earthquake. That will pose a danger to human life. People in the affected areas should be aware of this danger,” said Akis Tselentis, director of the Geodynamic Institute of Greece, speaking in Athens. AGENCIES

In violent protest, Mexican women demand action on femicide MEXICO CITY AGENCIES

Demonstrators smashed windows, spray-painted monuments and clashed with riot police Monday on Mexico City’s main avenue to protest Mexican authorities’ failure to stop a spiral of violence against women.

Thousands of women took to the streets of the capital for the protest marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the latest in a series of large, rowdy marches over soaring rates of femicide and rape in Mexico.

Masked demonstrators with sledgehammers shattered the glass panes of bus stops and advertising billboards, tore down barricades, lit a bonfire and painted messages such as “How many more need to die?” on monuments lining Paseo de la Reforma, the city’s most famous street.

Hundreds of riot police — mostly women, given that protest organizers had warned any men would face attacks — responded by firing pepper spray.

The movement has been dubbed the “Glitter Revolution,” after protesters doused the Mexico City security minister in pink glitter at one demonstration.

The latest unrest came despite the fact that Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, an ally of leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, recently declared a “gender violence alert” in the capital, paving the way for more funding and security and other emergency measures.

Nineteen of Mexico’s 32 states have now declared such alerts since 2007. A protester from neighbouring Mexico state, one of the deadliest in the country for women, said she was skeptical the measure would change anything.

“In Mexico state, we’ve had a gender violence alert for four years running, and it hasn’t done anything. They keep killing women,” said Valeria Arevalo, 18.

“It’s just a technique to appease us,” she told AFP. Some men joined the march too.

One, Benjamin Vargas, carried a picture of his 22-year-old daughter, Sol, who was murdered last year along with

his wife. The killer — allegedly Sol’s spurned admirer — then burned both bodies. “It’s a step forward,” Vargas said of the gender violence alert.

“But they need to do more… The situation for women is getting worse every day. It just doesn’t stop,” he added, his voice breaking.

Mexico has the most femicides of any country in Latin America, according to Amnesty International. More than nine women are murdered here every day. Two in three Mexican women say they have been victims of violence in some form, according to the national statistics institute.

Wednesday, 27 November, 2019

08 COMMENT A costly incompetence Every institution must follow Constitution

T

He PTI has mismanaged the economy, downgraded the Parliament, vitiated the political atmosphere and failed to fulfil any of its promises made during the elections. But the way the issue of the Chief of Army Staff’s extension was handled is a classic.

Among other things, this has caused embarrassment for the CoAS and the institution that the Pm claimed to be always at his back. That the Pm could bungle the affair despite the legal advice available to him is the latest an example of his ineptitude.

The Prime minister issued the notification of Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa’s appointment in his own capacity for three years on August 19. The Pm’s autocratic mindset however stood in the way of taking the Cabinet and the President into the loop.

Three days before General Bajwa’s retirement, the Chief Justice of Pakistan has held that the summary and approval of the Army Chief’s extension on August 19 was legally incorrect. It appears that the Prime minister announced the extension in haste without giving the legal requirements much thought. A Cabinet meeting was however convened to fulfil what for the Pm was an unnecessary formality. However, as the Cabinet members were not given enough time to consider the matter or debate the rationale for the extension, only 11 out of 25 voted for the proposal. Taking the President for granted, the bill was not sent to him for approval despite the fact that only the President of Pakistan can extend the tenure of the Army Chief.

The rationale provided to extend the tenure was the role of the CoAS in regional security. This has been questioned by the court. As the Chief Justice of Pakistan observed, dealing with regional security was the job of the Army as an institution and not the sole responsibility of a single officer.

Pakistan has a Constitution which was passed through consensus between all the provinces and political parties after 14 years. The country has to be run according to the Basic Law rather than the whims of a leader. The PTI leadership needs to rein in its undemocratic tendencies.

The crisis has to be resolved in accordance with the constitutional provisions, as all institutions have vowed to follow the Constitution.

Musharraf’s treason verdict Difficult to differentiate between prosecution and defense

F

ormer military ruler Gen (retd) Pervez musharraf had said, back in 2013, that he was ready to face any lawsuits filed against by the then newly elected Prime minister Nawaz Sharif, whom the former had sacked in a military coup in 1999. In 2014 a high treason case was registered against musharraf for unlawfully suspending the Constitution in 2007 and placing emergency rule. By 2016 he was able to secure an exit from the country on medical grounds, promising to return ‘within weeks’. more than three years have passed since and a verdict in the case had finally been reserved by a special court to be announced tomorrow. Naturally, General musharraf has challenged the verdict, petitioning both the LHC and IHC to restrict the announcement of the verdict. What is more unfortunate is that the PTI government is also at the forefront in trying to delay the verdict, asking for a new trial under its new prosecution team after suspending the prosecution team hired by the previous PmL(N) government. The PTI’s current Law minister, Farogh Naseem, had defended General musharraf in several cases, the current Attorney-General, Anwar mansoor, has been closely tied to the treason case and the current Interior minister, Brig Ijaz Shah, was a close confidant of General musharraf, having served in various posts during his tenure. This is a serious conflict of interest that needs to be addressed by the government if it truly is seeking justice in a case as serious as charging a former military dictator with high treason. The timing for this move on the part of the government is especially troubling. After taking office it waited for close to 14 months to raise objections over the finding and filings of the original prosecution team, leading to their de-notification. only when the special court had moved towards concluding the case and issuing a verdict based on the original prosecution team’s evidence and arguments did the government spring into action.

While the government maintains that there is nothing to see here and all is kosher, a perception is being formed that an attempt is being made to quash the case permanently and that certain quarters are seeking the same result. Not only would such an outcome set a terrible precedent but it would raise yet another question over the effectiveness of the judiciary in high-profile cases.

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

I

Air pollution and smog The government must take all measures possible dr ZeeshAn KhAn

L

AHore’S air quality remained ‘hazardous’ with an air quality reading exceeding 300, according to Air Visual’s Air Quality Index (AQI) list. An AQI ranking between 301-500 (or above) is classified as ‘hazardous’ and “triggers a health warning of emergency conditions. The entire population is more likely to be affected”, according to Air now.

The Punjab capital is ranked the second most polluted city in the world, according to Air Visual, which records air pollution levels across the globe in real time. The issue of smog started in 2006 in Lahore whereas Delhi holds the top spot, with an AQI of 556 recorded for last week. A few weeks ago, a group of teenage students petitioned the Lahore High Court seeking change in the AQI measurement system, and implementation of the Smog Policy.

Air pollution is a mixture of solid particles and gases in the air. Car emissions, chemicals from factories, dust, pollen and mold spores may be suspended as particles. ozone, a gas, is a major part of air pollution in cities. When ozone forms air pollution, it’s also called smog.

Some air pollutants are poisonous. Inhaling them can increase the chance of health problems.

People with heart or lung disease, older adults and children are at greater risk from air pollution. Air pollution isn’t just outside– the air inside buildings can also be polluted and affect your health.

Smog is a mixture of air pollutants that combine with sunlight to form ozone. ozone can be beneficial or harmful, good or bad, depending on its location. Smog can cause or aggravate health problems such as asthma, emphysema, chronic bronchitis and other respiratory problems, as well as eye irritation and reduced resistance to colds and lung infections.

The ozone in smog also inhibits plant growth and can cause widespread damage to crops and forests. Nine out of ten people now breathe polluted air, which kills 7 million people every year.

In September, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that coal-fired electricity must end by 2050 if we are to limit global warming rises to 1.5˚C. If not, we may see a major climate crisis in just 20 years.

Whereas Karachi is the seventh most polluted city in the world with an AQI of 167 and is classified as ‘unhealthy’. An AQI of 151-200 was recently recorded, which is classified as ‘unhealthy’ and the air quality may cause the entire population to experience adverse effects. ‘Sensitive groups’, that is, people with lung diseases, children and elderly people, will be at greater risk, according to Air Now. more liquid usage and mouth masks usage can decrease bad effects. environmental activists and medical practitioners, including the representatives of the Young Doctors Association (YDA), held a demonstration and talk outside the Jinnah Hospital on recently regarding the smog crisis in the provincial capital.

In an air quality index (AQI) of around 450, those gathered demanded the provincial government show what concrete steps it had taken to control the air pollution levels. An online petition is also being circulated where doctors’ demands were made.

According to a research by The Lancet, a shocking number of at least 135,000 people, most of them children, die annually in just Lahore, only because of air pollution. research by Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) has pointed out that Lahore residents have started facing a reduction of life expectancy by five years. most doctors themselves are unaware of the enormity of the situation. That’s why they have not taken the call till now. They should treat this as a campaign like they do dengue and smoking. epidemiological research is as integral to know where the society stand to measure the burden of smog.

Substandard fuel being a major culprit in the contribution of particulate matter 2.5. While the world standard was set at euro 6 emission standards, the Punjab Clean Air Action Plan had set its own standards which were only at euro 4; however, even that was not being followed.

Pakistan currently is still at euro 2 perhaps.

High sulphur content is causing a huge problem.

Currently, the desired limit of sulphur in fuel is at euro 6 which is 5 to 10 parts per million or 0.0005g/km. But High Speed Diesel Pak-2 standard for example has 1,000 parts per million.

Climate change and air pollution are major issues. The indifference being shown by the government is pathetic.

Some segments of society likened the smog crisis impact to being almost as scary as a terrorist attack. Government should give out Pm2.5 masks free, especially to those of lower socioeconomic classes, because they could not afford spending rs300 on one mask. Sanitary workers and traffic police should get these masks as they are most exposed.

The pollutants of the greatest health concern were the fine airborne particulates produced by combustion of fossil fuels and biomass, both Pm 10 but Pm 2.5 being far worse. Particulate air pollution has been linked to heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive lung disease, lung cancer, premature birth, dementia, and adverse effects on brain development.

The measures detailed by the report of the Commission on Smog 2018 must be implemented. These include publicising data and findings of air pollution impacts, development of health emergency responses at district level, the passage of the Punjab Clean Air Act to define emission and demarcate areas for clean-up, declaring Smog Days when the average Pm 2.5 level exceeds unhealthy levels of above 35.4 kg/m3 and the AQI exceeds 151. During this time, the children are to be kept home from school and parks are closed as these concentrations of pollutants in the air constitute a public health emergency. other than this, school buses, odd-even days, and carpooling for all children travelling more than 1km to school should be encouraged and implemented, hotspots be identified (where the concentration of Pm 2.5 is highest) and strict controls instituted on the volume of traffic and vehicular emissions passing through, public transport infrastructure expanded, industrial units shut down operating without emission control equipment, and coal-fired plants closed down and a transition to cleaner energy sources as a medium to long-term strategy, within 2-3 years.

Dr Zeeshan Khan is an analyst, activist, commentator, life trainer, contributor to the Op-Ed pages of different newspapers and doctor at CMH.

Disinformation as a tool to isolate Pakistan?

Role of fake news Amjed jAAved

I

N a startling disclosure, eU-based nongovernmental organisation eU DisinfoLab revealed an India-sponsored fake, dis-informational network of 265 fake media outlets in 65 countries, including the USA, Canada, Brussels, and Geneva. The network is run by the Srivastava Group of India. It lists New Delhi Times as one of its assets, and also runs a thinktank called International Institute for NonAligned Studies. The Institute paid for the travel and accommodation of an unofficial far-right delegation of 23 european Union parliamentarians to Srinagar on 30 october 2013. The trip was arranged by Indian intelligence surrogate madi Sharma who posed as a self-styled “international business broker”. The delegation’s shikara (boat) ride in Kashmir Lake pictured Kashmir as a heaven in serene peace. Some members however smelt a rat and abandoned the free joy ride.

After connecting the dots, the disinformation watchdog found that The Times of Geneva online, eP (european Parliament) Today and “4newsagency.com” had shady links to a large network of think tanks, Non-Governmental organisations, and fake news websites in over 65 countries. The network worked day in and day to create a `mirage’ of anti-Pakistan perceptions by influencing world’s political leaders, international institutions, as well as gullible ordinary folk.

Already eP Today has apologised for aping russia Today’s content and promised to desist from doing so in future. India used fake websites; together with India’s financial relations (rafale and AS-400 deals, and trade) with the world, to isolate Pakistan.

It appears India has meticulously implemented Hitler’s propaganda theorems: `The bigger the lie, the better the results (mein Kampf, pp. 179-180).

According to a New York Times piece, the only antidote to fake information is public awareness. `isolation’ not an overnight exploit: India dovetailed its disinformation policy with structural reforms in its army and intelligence set-up to achieve its objective of isolating Pakistan.

Cartographic aggression to include Azad Kashmir and Chinese and Nepalese territories in India was not a hasty step. India prepared for it for

Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

I

over a decade. Sanjiv Tripathi, the longest serving research and Analysis Wing chief said “the entire J&K, including PoK, is part of India.” He stressed, “r&AW should carry out psychological operations … through seminars, articles and discussions.” Tripathi advised “Pakistan’s stepmotherly treatment of its minorities, particularly the Pashtuns, Sindhis, Baluchis and Baltis, offers excellent ground for hosting Indian agents. However, very little is being done, except in PoK.” All security agencies and advisers now report to the new security czar, India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. He is aided by four deputies (earlier there was only one). The deputies include former spymasters, rajinder Khanna, r.N. ravi, and Pankaj Saran, besides a military adviser (Lt Gen V.G. Khandare).

India’s Strategic Policy Group, idle since manmohan Singh’s second term, has been revived (to create troubles in Sindh, Balochistan, and KPK). NSA’s head has replaced the hitherto head, the cabinet secretary. He will also head the newly set up Defence Planning Committee and the fourmember National Security Advisory Board (Lt Gen S.L. Narasimhan, a China expert, former rAW hand, A.B. mathur, and Bimal Patel, an academic). A new post of national cyber security coordinator was created under Computer emergency response Team head Gulshan rai (who reports to the Pm). K. Ilango, who manipulated the 2015 Sri Lanka elections has been reactivated.

Cyber- and psy-war slots: Indian army chief indicated (2 october 2018) “army could cut over one lakh troops in the next few years and some of them could be assigned new roles” (cyber and psy-war). disinformation or fifth-generation war in history: ‘Disinformation’ (russian deziinformatzia) is a concept which finds mention in Sun Tzu’s Ping Fa (Principles of War). even before Sun Tzu, Kautliya in Arthashastra supported disinformation as a civil and military warfare tool within his concept of koota yuddha (unprincipled warfare as distinguished from dharma yuddha, righteous warfare). on page 144 of his autobiography Mein Kampf (My struggle), Hitler lambasts Germans `who thought that the work of propaganda could be entrusted to the first ass that came along, braying of his own special talents, and they had no conception of the fact that propaganda demands the most skilled brains that can be found’.

USA’s experience: The USA realised the true

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

I

Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

I

potency of information warfare during operations in rwanda, Bosnia, Kosovo, and, above all, in Somalia. US General Leigh Armistead says, “General Aideed of Somalia manipulated the media to keep the militarily superior U.S. forces off-balance throughout most of the operations during 1993. In fact, with the use of a $600 video camera, Aideed changed forever U.S. foreign policy in the region. It was Aideed, a true information warrior, whose actions in Somalia, perhaps more than any other US military operation, showed the innate power of information… By no means is Somalia on par with the United States in a comparison of power of any kind. Yet because Aideed effectively used the mass media to his advantage, he in fact controlled the flow of events’. Since that time, Io has evolved to serve as a model for future… international relations”. I quote from this textbook, taught at US military academies, which was produced in conjunction with the [US] Joint Forces Staff College and the National Security Agency, Washington D. C. Armistead reveals ‘not only the computers connected to the world-wide web but also the air-gapped stand-alone systems are vulnerable to the attack.’

In 1999, President Clinton signed Presidential Decision Directive 68, titled International Public Information, which was an attempt to gain control over the external messages sent abroad from Washington. recall musharraf’s nod to `with us or without’ message. (Information Operations: Warfare and the Hard Reality of Soft Power).

American researchers are studying the influence of information technology on the minds of civilians and soldiers (combat fatigue, youth violence, disobedience, etc.). Books on social psychology contain research which indicates that a man can be motivated to do a crime or act against his own conscience or value system.

India has proved that it understands dimensions of the fifth generation war or fake news. It knows how to apply its techniques to achieve its objectives. India’s former foreign secretary, Shyam Saran says, “The Kautliyan template would say the options for India are sandhi, conciliation; asana, neutrality; and yana, victory through war. one could add dana, buying allegiance through gifts; and bheda, sowing discord.

The option of yana, of course would be the last in today’s world.” (How India Sees The World).

It appears that Kautliya’s last-advised option, yana, is India’s first option nowadays. It’s time to time for Pakistan to wake up.

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Wednesday, 27 November, 2019

COMMENT 09 Editor’s mail

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

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

Ethics of Public Office Holders

Right on the money China is all set to become the world’s largest economy

mAliK muhAmmAd AshrAf

R

ePorTeDLY Chinese Foreign minister and State Councillor Wang Yi, in a meeting with the Dutch Foreign minister on the sidelines of G 20 foreign minister’s conference in Japan, said that the USA was the biggest source of instability in the world and added that China’s development and growth was an inevitable trend of history that no force could stop. Though he made these remarks in the backdrop of the current trade war between the two countries and the US support to the protesters in Hong Kong but he was right on the money while pinpointing these irrefutable realities. The USA undoubtedly is involved in either fomenting or supporting conflicts around the world and its trade war against China lacks rationality which could have adverse impact on the global economy.

China over the past four decades has become the number two economic power of the world, and is poised to play a major role on the economic and political stage at the global level. economists and political analysts believe that China would be the number one economic power of the world by 2050 and the indications are that no matter what the USA and its allies do to obstruct that process, it has become unstoppable in achieving that distinction. over the last 40 years, the GDP of China has been expanding at an average rate of 9.5 percent, which is phenomenal. The result is that China now accounts for 30 percent of global GDP. The reforms set in train in 1978 were premised on special economic zones in several provinces; introduction of a household responsibility system that allowed households to contract land, machinery and other facilities from collective organizations; the consolidation of state-owned enterprises and accession to WTo in 2001. These policies boosted foreign investments exponentially besides encouraging entrepreneurship. The willingness of the Chinese leaders to implement pragmatic and impregnable economic policies enabled the country to escape the poverty trap and gave its 800 million people upper-middle class income status.

The BrI initiative launched by President Xi Jin Ping in 2013, which aims to connect China with Asia, europe and Africa via land and sea-based infrastructure development, manifests its economic prowess to propel global development through partnership and connectivity with an explicit aim of shared global prosperity. President Xi, while addressing THe second Belt and road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, vividly described the achievements of the initiative so far and gave an encouraging perspective on the future aims of the cooperation. He said “What we have achieved amply demonstrates that Belt and road cooperation has both generated new opportunities for the development of all participating countries and opened up new horizons for China’s development and opening-up. We need to be guided by the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. We need to act in the spirit of multilateralism, pursue cooperation through consultation and keep all participants motivated. We may, by engaging in bilateral, trilateral and multilateral cooperation, fully tap into the strengths of all participants. We need to take a people-centred approach, give priority to poverty alleviation and job creation to see that the joint pursuit of Belt and road cooperation will deliver true benefits to the people of participating countries and contribute to their social and economic development. We also need to ensure the commercial and fiscal sustainability of all projects so that they will achieve the intended goals as planned. Connectivity is vital to advancing Belt and road cooperation. We need to promote a global partnership of connectivity to achieve common development and prosperity. I am confident that as we work closely together, we will transcend geographical distance and embark on a path of win-win cooperation.”

The fact that more than 150 countries and international organizations have signed agreements on Belt and road cooperation with China amply demonstrates the faith of the participating countries and multilateral organizations in the BrI initiative and its potential to give the world a new global economic order predicated on participation and shared economic prosperity. The much awaited re-awakening of the east has come forth in the shape of BrI. However, the USA and some of its Western allies perceive it as a threat to the global economic order which promotes their vested interests. They are taking all possible measures to stop China from gaining the status of the number one economic power of the world with a

greater political role on the world stage. The US trade war with China is one of the manifestations of the malice and grudge that they harbour against China but it will harm them more than it will the latter. Their economies have reached a point of saturation while China still has a vast potential to increase its economic prowess that will benefit the countries participating in the BrI initiative because it is not only a global factory for producing goods and services for exports but is also a global market for other countries with ever expanding horizons. China is vying for removal of trade barriers and is willing to lower tariffs as well as remove nontariff barriers to meet the ever-growing material and cultural needs of its people by giving them more choices and benefits.

The USA has found a willing partner in India to do her bidding in the South Asian region and to check burgeoning Chinese influence in the region and beyond.

Both the USA and India are trying to sabotage CPeC, a pivotal project of BrI which aims at regional connectivity and shared regional prosperity. The US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary pf State for SouthAsian Affairs, Alice Wells, while speaking at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars last Friday tried to create misgivings about CPeC, advising Pakistan to ask tough questions from Beijing on debt, accountability, fairness and transparency, also suggesting that the burden of the Chinese loans in the end would sabotage the reform agenda of Imran Khan, which amply reflects the US bias. Pakistan’s minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Asad Umar, reacting to her statement. rightly observed that the US apprehensions about CPeC were misplaced and based on wrong analysis, adding that concerns of others could not derail the CPeC. However, notwithstanding the US hostility toward BrI and Indian opposition to CPeC, it is an irrefutable reality that China is destined to lead the world within the next two decades as its economic prowess and future potential amply suggest. Connectivity has become the buzzword of the 21st century which has turned the tide against those who are vying to protect their vested global interests and resist the change. China has become unstoppable. The Chinese Foreign minister rightly observed “There is no way out for the zero-sum games of the USA. only win-win cooperation between China and the USA is the right path.”

China has become unstoppable. The Chinese Foreign Minister rightly observed “There is no way out for the zerosum games of the USA. Only win-win cooperation between China and the USA is the right path.”

Malik Muhammad Ashraf is an academic.

He can be contacted at: ashpak10@gmail.com.

THe recent resignation of Steve easterbrook, Ceo mcDonalds, following reports that he had an inappropriate consensual relationship with an employee, highlights the importance of ethics and morality, in corporate working. In the USA, consensual relationship between adults is legal and not considered a crime. mcDonalds and numerous other private and public corporations forbid managers from having romantic relationships with an employee.

General Petraeus, a decorated war hero, who served as CeNTCom commander and after his retirement in August 2011, was appointed as Director CIA was forced to retire on November 2012 by President obama after FBI reports that he had an extra marital affair consensual affair with principal author of his biography. It is an accepted norm that individuals who hold any public office, elected or paid, must adhere to more conservative and stricter code of ethics than that applicable to common citizens.

It is unfortunate that while we claim to be Islamic republic, and our laws forbid extra marital relationships, yet individuals holding important public offices in executive or state-owned corporations and even those serving in sensitive organisations like NAB etc have never been proceeded against, even though video proof of their involvement exists. This reflects on moral degradation that engulfs ruling paid or elected public office holders.

Conflicts of interest of serving public office holders are overlooked. Almost half our foreign service officers have acquired foreign immigration for either self or family while they were in service. Former President musharraf has admitted that he was gifted almost $20 million by a Saudi royal, yet the state has not proceeded against him. A State that fails to protect its jungles, amenity plots etc., from illegal occupation by powerful land mafia, is considered to be Banana republic.

MALIK TARIq ALI Lahore

How many election petitions? eVer since the PTI government has come into power in Islamabad, the opposition parties and their leaders called Pm Imran Khan and his government with all sorts of names and labels like it is fake and has come into power through massive rigging etc.

Without going into further allegations which the opposition leaders keep on harping day and night, this is ask the election Commission of Pakistan to apprize the nation as to how many election petitions on rigging and other charges were filed by opposition parties loser candidates after July 25, 2018 with the election Tribunals throughout the country, how many of them have decided in favour or against the complaining losing candidates and how many are still pending at different forums. This information naturally will be available with the election Commission and if made public will greatly help in setting the records straight and making it clear to the people as to who is right and who is wrong in this regard, please. This scribe still remembers that in 1977 also, mmA led opposition had also levelled massive rigging charges against Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s PPP which had won the early called polls. Against all such hallah gullah, leading to violent protest, rigging charges were not proved even in 10 constituencies but the opposition had achieved its ulterior objective of toppling of the people’s elected government through imposition of martial law on July 5, 1977. The opposition parties and their leaders, who have not somehow accepted their defeats in last year’s general election may continue opposing and criticising the prime minister and PTI government. But in doing so they should at least keep the national interests as well as the interests of the country and the nation uppermost, please.

M Z RIFAT Lahore

Kashmir solidarity IT seems that tensions between Pakistan and India may keep on escalating until the Kashmir issue is resolved. The dispute has come under International light and is being discussed and struggling to resolve the problem and reduce tensions between Pakistan and India.

No one can deny the fact that India is taking no any steps to bring peace in the region. As India on August 5 unilaterally decided to revoke Article 370 of its constitution which granted special autonomy to occupied Kashmir.

Undoubtedly, Pakistan has been struggling to make the region peaceful, but due to the lack of support the region has yet not been peaceful. As newly on Tuesday Combined opposition leaders from the capital announced that they would observe october 27 as black day in protest against the ongoing repression in India-held Kashmir.

Actually, the decision was taken at a multi-party conference held to discuss matters related to Kashmir Solidarity Day and the upcoming Azadi march. The conference decided that a protest demonstration would be staged outside the National Press Club on oct 27 against the India attempts to jeopardise regional peace and stability, and express solidarity with the oppressed Kashmiris.

IMRAN RASHEED Kech

Wednesday, 27 November, 2019

10 FOREIGN NEWS

Millions aPPly to vote in British election ahead oF tuesday's deadline was called, and Monday. Of these almost 1.2 million were under 25 and just under 966,000 were aged 25-34.

The final number added to the electoral register could be lower, as some may turn out to have already been registered. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been on a push to encourage people to register, particularly young voters who are typically more likely to back his left-leaning party.

“Dodgy landlords are registered to vote. Bad bosses are registered to vote.

And the super-rich who’ve rigged the system are registered to vote. Are you?,” he said on Twitter on Tuesday.

Stormzy also shared the link to register online and urged people it was “very, very, very important” everyone did so.

“Don’t sit there and think ‘my one little vote ain’t gonna do anything’ – your vote is CRUCIAL. Your ‘one little vote’ can quite literally tip the scale for what will be the most important election of our generation,” he said on Twitter.

LONDON

M

AGENCIES

ORE than 2 million under-35s have applied to vote in Britain’s Dec. 12 election since the poll was called just four weeks ago, government data showed ahead of Tuesday’s registration deadline.

The outcome of next month’s election, which will determine how, when and even whether Britain leaves the European Union, remains uncertain. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservatives are ahead in opinion polls but two published this week have shown their lead narrowing. Game of Thrones actress Emilia Clarke and Grime star Stormzy are among celebrities who have been urging people to register to take part in the election. Voters have until 2359 GMT on Tuesday to register and can do so online.

Britain’s electoral watchdog, the Electoral Commission, said one in three

18 and 19-year-olds are not registered to vote. “Private renters, too, anyone who has recently moved home, people without a fixed address and those in some black and Asian communities – all these groups are less likely to be registered. They are at risk of missing out,”

said Electoral Commission Director of Communications, Policy and Research Craig Westwood. “If you want to make sure your voice is heard, do it now.”

Government data shows that nearly 3.2 million people applied to register to vote between Oct. 29, when the election

Russia hopes to sign new S-400 missile deal with Turkey next year MOSCOW/ISTANBUL AGENCIES

trump and Bulgarian leader discuss energy, nato WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump and Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov discussed energy issues facing the central European nation, which is heavily dependent on Russian energy. In a joint statement, the U.S. said it welcomes Bulgaria’s aspirations to become a regional natural gas hub. Bulgaria, Moscow’s closest ally during the Cold War, later joined NATO and the European Union but remains reliant on Russia to power the nation. The two leaders pledged to cooperate to increase the supply of natural gas from diverse and reliable sources and diversify Bulgaria’s nuclear energy sector.

The Trump administration intends to send technical experts to the country to work with their Bulgarian counterparts to find ways to further cooperate on energy projects, including nuclear. Trump’s meeting with the Bulgarian leader is the latest in a series of engagements the president has had this year with leaders from Central Europe nations, most situated on the eastern flank of NATO. Trump has met with his counterparts from Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria and Romania. AGENCIES

Russia hopes to seal a deal to supply Turkey with more S-400 missile systems in the first half of next year, the head of Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport, Alexander Mikheev, said in an interview with RIA news agency published on Tuesday.

Such a move could further sour ties between Turkey and the United States, which has suspended Ankara from the F-35 stealth fighter jet programme, in which it was a producer and buyer, to punish it for buying S400 batteries earlier this year.

Washington has also warned of possible U.S. sanctions, saying the missiles are not compatible with NATO defences, but has not yet imposed them. A senior U.S. State Department official said last week that Turkey needed to get rid of the S-400s it had already bought to mend fences.

But Mikheev said in an interview with RIA that Moscow and Ankara were actively discussing Ankara taking up an option that was part of the original contract for it to take delivery of more S-400 systems with talks focused on financial questions.

“We hope that in the first half of 2020 we will sign the contract documents,” RIA cited Mikheev as saying. “But I want to stress that military-technical cooperation with

Modi’s BJP forced out in Maharashtra MUMBAI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party was forced out of power on Tuesday in Maharashtra state, home to the country’s financial capital Mumbai, following the collapse of its short-lived coalition. Hard-fought state elections last month saw Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) win the largest share of seats but not enough to form a government on its own, prompting weeks of haggling that culminated in the imposition of the presidential rule on Maharashtra two weeks ago. The BJP managed to eke out a surprise agreement with a top leader from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Saturday, but victory was fleeting, after other NCP leaders denounced the deal, leading to its dissolution. BJP lawmaker Devendra Fadnavis resigned as chief minister on Tuesday, telling reporters that the party could not form a government. Although the BJP had previously governed the country’s richest state in a coalition with its right-wing regional ally Shiv Sena, the alliance broke up after the October election due to a power-sharing dispute. Shiv Sena and its ideological rivals, the centre-left Indian National Congress, and the NCP are expected to stake a joint claim to form a government instead.

“The fact that these parties, which have so little in common, are coming together just to keep the BJP out — this has very dangerous implications for Modi and his party,” said Dhaval Kulkarni, author of a book on Shiv Sena. “After all the horse-trading last week, the BJP has basically ended up with egg on its face,” he said. India has been battling an economic slowdown, and the loss of power in Maharashtra, whose capital Mumbai is home to business tycoons, the stock market and the glitzy Bollywood film industry, is a big blow to Modi. AGENCIES

Turkey is not limited to the supply of the S-400s. We have big plans ahead.” Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told members of his AK party in parliament that the country planned to have its own, locallymade jet fighter ready in 5-6 years.

He was earlier cited as saying Turkish and U.S. officials would conduct efforts until April to sort out the dispute between the NATO allies over the S-400 missile defense system. “There is a process that is ongoing until April. Our defense and foreign ministers will carry out these efforts. We need to see where we get with these efforts,” broadcaster NTV reported him as saying when asked how they would resolve the row.

After the delivery of S-400 parts to Turkey began in July, Erdogan said that the system would be fully deployed by April 2020.

At a meeting in the White House earlier this month, Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to ask their respective ministers and national security advisers to work on resolving the S-400 issue. “This is an issue that is related to NATO. There is nothing about using or not using them,” Erdogan told reporters on a flight to Turkey from Qatar on Monday. “There are steps that need to be taken within NATO rules. Our colleagues will do the work.”

Erdogan is set to attend a summit of NATO heads of state and government in London on Dec. 3-4.

13 French soldiers killed in helicoPter collision in Mali BAMAKO: Two helicopters collided in midair and killed 13 French soldiers fighting Islamic extremists in Mali, France said Tuesday, in its biggest loss since its mission in West Africa’s Sahel region began in 2013. The deaths draw new attention to a worrying front in the global fight against extremism. Attackers linked to the Islamic State or al-Qaida this month alone have killed scores of local troops in the region and ambushed a convoy carrying employees of a Canadian mining company, leaving at least 37 dead. French President Emmanuel Macron expressed “deep sadness” after the Monday evening crash. “These 13 heroes had only one goal: protecting us,” he tweeted. The French military said both helicopters were flying very low when they collided and crashed in Mali’s Liptako region while supporting French commandos on the ground pursuing a group of extremists. No one on board survived.

French defense minister Florence Parly said an investigation has been opened. France’s operation in West and Central Africa is its largest overseas military mission and involves 4,500 personnel. France intervened in 2013 after extremists seized control of major towns in northern Mali and implemented a harsh version of Islamic law.

They were forced back into the desert, where they have regrouped and moved south into more populated areas. Since 2013, at least 44 French soldiers have died in the mission that has created little public debate in France. A new surge in extremist attacks in Mali has killed well over 100 local troops in the past two months, with IS often claiming responsibility. The extremists loot military posts and profit from mining operations while finding refuge in forested border areas. Hundreds of thousands of civilians have fled their homes. Before his death this year, IS leader Abu Bakr alBaghdadi congratulated “brothers” in Mali and neighbouring Burkina Faso for pledging allegiance. Public outrage in Mali also has been directed in recent weeks against France, the country’s former colonizer, over the failure to stop the violence that also has led to deadly clashes between wary communities amid suspicions of supporting the extremists.

Mali’s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on Tuesday sent his “deepest condolences” to France. “The loss is heavy but the people of the Sahel share your mourning,” he said in a statement. Mali’s Liptako region near the border with Niger and its Gourma region near the Burkina Faso border have become strategic crossings for extremist groups as they are largely unguarded, the International Institute for Strategic Studies wrote last month. AGENCIES

Unmasked: Costume capers stir New York's Times Square NEW YORK AGENCIES

Beneath flashing billboards and sparkling skyscrapers, Maria Bega moves through Times Square’s pulsating crowds, dressed as Princess Anna from animated Disney movie “Frozen.”

The 32-year-old Peruvian is one of the dozens of men and women, mostly from Latin America, trying to eke out a living as costumed characters inside New York’s beating heart. Dressed as Sesame Street fuzzballs Elmo and Cookie Monster and superheroes like Batman and Hulk, they pose for photos with tourists in exchange for tips, vying with topless women in body paint and a seminaked guitar-playing cowboy. For many visitors, the mascots are part of the frenetic entertainment district’s charm but to some New Yorkers they symbolize a crowded neon nightmare that is best avoided.

The characters are currently the subject of many complaints, proof of how much the area once known for peep shows, pornos and crack cocaine has been cleaned up in recent decades. With its bright lights and giant branded stores, the famous intersection is a symbol of the city that never sleeps and its

CMYK

untold opportunities. Where dreams are made of, as the Alicia Keys and Jay-Z song goes. But for Bega the reality is more of a nightmare. She says she sometimes makes just $20 a day. “You come here to waste your time, to freeze to death, and sometimes you don’t even earn enough to eat,” Bega tells AFP in Spanish, her blue costume complete with ginger pigtails. Bega got into the work through a friend and has colleagues from Mexico, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Ecuador. Many bring their costumes from their home countries, where they can be purchased fairly cheaply, or buy them online in the United States where they commonly cost upwards of $200. They require no permit to operate.

NAKED: “Some are a little pushy but most of them are nice. They’re out here making a living like everybody else,” says 62-year-old Kentucky resident Dave Duke, who took a photo of his wife with a costumed Statue of Liberty. The entertainers say making money has become more difficult following several harassments and groping allegations that sparked articles in local tabloids about “costumed creeps.”

In September, a man in an Elmo costume

was arrested after being accused of groping the buttocks of a 14-year-old girl. “Because of this the police came to bother us. They’re hardly letting us work,” says Bega, who does a second job in the evenings in order to care for her kids aged two and ten.

“Children used to run to me but now they see headlines about Elmo being a child molester and they don’t,” he explains, declining to give his surname. Nearby, Robert Burck is having a better time of it, belting out tunes on his guitar while wearing only underpants, a cowboy hat and cowboy boots.

The 48-year-old known as the “Naked Cowboy” has been a regular fixture in Times Square for 20 years and says he makes around $150,000 a year in tips. “I absolutely love the fact that I’m working in a den of thieves,” he jokes to AFP, as CD sellers and ticket touts hustle with tourists.

‘CRAZY’: Up to 450,000 people are estimated to cross Times Square every day but some New Yorkers try to find a way around it if they can. Under discussions such as “Why do New Yorkers dislike Times Square?” on Quora, locals cite crowds, overpriced restaurants, stores selling tourist tat, and the costumed characters.

Wednesday, 27 November, 2019

busiNess 11 Former PSO MD granted bail in LNG terminal case ISLAMABAD APP

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday approved the post-arrest bail of former Pakistan State Oil (PSO) managing director Sheikh Imranul Haq against Rs1 million surety bonds in the LnG terminal case. IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb heard the bail application. The counsel for Imranul Haq pointed out that his client was in the national Accountability Bureau (nAB) custody for the last four months while the body had not yet submitted its written reply in the matter. He maintained that his client did not misuse his authority and that the LnG terminal contract was awarded after adopting a thorough procedure through auction. The CJ stressed that the prosecution side should satisfy the court whether the authority was misused or not. To this, the nAB investigation officer replied that the accused, Sheikh Imranul Haq, was the owner of four different companies while the contract for LnG terminal was expected to be awarded to a smallscale company. Approving the bail application, Justice Minallah remarked that the authorities had so far failed to prove the involvement of the accused person in "authoritative misuse". It may be mentioned that former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and former finance minister Miftah Ismail have also been arrested in the same case by nAB.

PakiStaN, WOrLD BaNk SiGN $787M LOaN aGreeMeNt ISLAMABAD

P

STAFF REPORT

AKISTAn on Tuesday signed a loan agreement worth $787 million with the World Bank to revamp water supply and sewerage system in the country.

Economic Affairs Division Secretary noor Ahmed signed the loan agreements on behalf of Pakistan while the representatives of Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and national Transmission & Despatch Company (nTDC) signed the agreements for their respective projects. WB Country Director for Pakistan Patchamuthu Illangovan signed the agreements on behalf of World Bank. Economic Affairs Minister Hammad Azhar was also present on the occasion.

The loan has been granted for projects related to urban mobility, urban management & service delivery, improved water and sewerage services, tourism and power sectors.

As per details, an amount of $382 million would be spent on Karachi Mobility (Yellow Line) Project. The objective of the project is to improve mobility, accessibility and safety along the yellow line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Corridor in Karachi. The project will help develop urban road infrastructure (Yellow Corridor), rehabilitate or reconstruct road infrastructure along the yellow corridor, and develop and operationalise a BRT system.

Meanwhile, $40 million has been earmarked for the Karachi Water and Sewerage Services Improvement (1st Phase) Project. The project aims to improve access to safe water services

in Karachi and to increase Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB)'s financial and operational performance. Likewise, an amount of $230 million would be spent on Competitive and Livable City of Karachi Project. The objective of the project is to improve the performance of Karachi local councils and agencies in urban management, financing and service delivery; and to improve the business environment for private sector development in Karachi.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Integrated Tourism Development Project would receive funding of $70 million. The project would help improve tourism-enabling infrastructure, develop tourism assets, and strengthen management for sustainable tourism development in KP. Moreover, the agreement also included additional financing of $65

million for Central Asia South Asia Electricity Transmission and Trade Project (CASA-1000). The objective of the ongoing project is to create suitable conditions for sustainable electricity trade of 1,300MW between Central Asian countries (Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic) and South Asian countries (Pakistan 1,000MW, Afghanistan 300MW).

Speaking on the occasion, Economic Affairs Minister said that the signing of five projects worth $787 million indicates the World Bank’s resolve to support the development agenda of the incumbent government.

The World Bank country director, while appreciating the reforms initiatives of the government, committed to extending possible support and facilitation to the government to help put the economy back on track.

MARKET DAILY

KSE-100 loses 417 points amid political uncertainty

‘China trade deal close, sticking points remain’ WASHINGTON: The United States and China are close to a trade agreement, White House adviser Kellyanne Conway said on Tuesday, but three of the biggest sticking points remain. “We’re getting really close,” she said in an interview with Fox news. “We continue to negotiate. But those forced technology transfers, the theft of intellectual property, the trade imbalance of a half a trillion dollars a year with the world’s second-largest economy, China — this makes no sense to people.” AGENCIES

Audi to slash 9,500 jobs in Germany by 2025 FRANKFURT: German carmaker Audi said on Tuesday it planned to slash 9,500 jobs in Germany by 2025, as part of a massive restructuring plan to save billions by 2029. The job cuts will be achieved through an early retirement programme and natural turnover, the company said, adding that it would continue to hire in areas such as electromobility and digitisation.The move would contribute towards the “optimisation of production capacities at the two German plants” while also offering the remaining workforce job guarantees up to the end of 2029, it said in a statement. “The €6-billion ($6.6 billion) thus generated will secure the strategic targeted return corridor of 9-11pc and will flow into future projects such as electrification and digitisation,” it added. The reorganisation comes as Audi, part of the Volkswagen Group, is making a costly and painful switch from combustion engines to an electric fleet. Hit by falling sales, revenues and operating profits over the first nine months of 2019, the high-end subsidiary has also suffered more than other German manufacturers from the introduction last year of the new WLTP emissions testing standards in the European Union. At the same time, it has ramped up spending on new technologies, including battery-electric and hybrid vehicles, connectivity and autonomous driving. AGENCIES

KARACHI STAFF REPORT

Investors of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a turbulent session on Tuesday, as the indices, which open positively, turned their path and headed south, following the Supreme Court's decision regarding the Chief of Army Staff's extension notification.

Foreign investors offloaded shares worth $0.377 million on Monday. On the political front, Prime Minister Imran Khan has summoned an emergency meeting of the federal cabinet to discuss the issue regarding the extension in the tenure of COAS General Qamar Javed

Bajwa after the SC suspended the notification of his extension.

Meanwhile, Finance Adviser Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, while defending the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), called for a global awareness campaign about the multi-billion dollar programme for its real success.

Also, Pakistan raised 575 million dirhams ($156.56 million) through syndicated financing arranged by Ajman Bank, an Islamic lender based in the United Arab Emirates.

The KSE-100 Index recorded its intraday high at 38,568.05 during the initial trading hours but failed to sustain gains and headed south thereon, marking its intraday low at 37,535.89.

It settled lower by 417.23 points at 37,795.05. The KMI-30 Index fell by 634.89 points to end at 61,220.80, while the KSE All Share Index contracted by 257.15 points, settling at 26,805.46.

The overall trading volumes were recorded at 488.70 million (highest since May 24, 2017). Unity Foods Limited (UnITY +7.03pc) led the volume chart, followed by Fauji Foods Limited (FFL +5.72pc) and Pak Elektron Limited (PAEL +2.60pc). The scripts had exchanged 58.08 million, 33.93 million and 29.63 million shares, respectively.

Sectors that contributed negatively to the index included oil and

Pakistan thankful for Saudi economic support: PM ISLAMABAD APP

Prime Minister Imran Khan Tuesday expressed gratitude for Saudi Arabia’s economic support to Pakistan and the initiatives which were underway to build a stronger economic relationship between the two countries.

The prime minister was talking to Prince Sultan bin Salman Al Saud, who is visiting Pakistan in connection with his charity projects. The prime minister underscored that the relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were unique and based on shared religion, culture and history.

The PM highlighted the tourism and economic potential of Pakistan and noted the macro-economic improvements achieved by the government including the current account surplus.

He apprised Prince Sultan of the gross human rights violations by India in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K), especially the inhu-

mane lockdown of over eight million people for more than 100 days. He said the international community should stand with the innocent Kashmiris in their just struggle. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Food Security Minister Makhdoom Khusru Bakhtiar and Foreign Secretary Sohail Mehmood were also present on the occasion.

PM Imran appreciated the contributions of the Saudi royal family for its welfare work in Pakistan.

He lauded the progress made by Saudi Arabia under the wise leadership of King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

Prince Sultan bin Salman Al Saud highlighted the close affinity between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and appreciated the role played by Pakistani professionals, especially doctors and engineers, in the progress and development of Saudi Arabia.

He underscored the need for Islamic Ummah to better understand its cultural and religious heritage and to remove misconceptions about Islam.

gas exploration (-101.42 points), banking (-95.34 points) and power generation & distribution (-92.35 points). Among the companies, Hub Power Company Limited (HUBC 74.26 points), Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDC -61.27 points) and MCB Bank Limited (MCB -44.82 points) dented the index the most.

The Board of Directors of ICI Omricron BV, in a notification, has announced that it shall consider purchasing all outstanding securities and shares of Akzo nobel Pakistan Limited (AKZO +4.99pc), without exception from all security holders, to increase ownership and to delist the company.

Asim Bajwa notified as CPEC Authority chairman BUSINESS DESK The federal government on Tuesday issued a notification for the appointment of Lt Gen (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa as the first chairman of the newly-established CPEC Authority. The authority was established through a presidential ordinance last month for coordination, monitoring and evaluation to ensure implementation of CPEC-related activities. The former DG ISPR, who also served as commander Southern Command, has been appointed for a period of four years, said the notification, adding that the tenure will come into effect from the date of joining.

The idea of the CPEC Authority was floated in 2016. However, the then prime minister nawaz Sharif had shot it down.

Queen Maxima stresses need for financial inclusion in Pakistan ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Un Secretary General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UnSGSA) Queen Maxima has stressed the need for enhanced financial inclusion in Pakistan to ensure economic development and stability.

Addressing the ‘Pakistan Innovative Finance Forum’ in Islamabad on Tuesday, she said the financial inclusion would also help create job opportunities for the people of Pakistan.

According to a survey, she pointed out, Pakistan has expanded financial inclusion from 13pc to 21pc. “This progress is encouraging, but more efforts are needed particularly for women and the poor.”

The Queen of the netherlands lauded the government’s revised financial inclusion strategy targeting 65 million active digital accounts by 2023, including 20 million to be held by women.

Speaking on the occasion, Economic Affairs Minister Hammad Azhar said the government was committed to financial inclusion and has also set targets for this purpose.

Azhar said the government was striving hard to uplift the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through programmes such as ‘Kamyab Jawan Programme’, which aims to provide subsidised loans to the youth.

He maintained that SMEs were the backbone of Pakistan’s economy and that they have an important role in uplifting the country.

The minister said the government was also focused on improving ‘ease of doing business’ in the country.

“Pakistan has jumped 28 positions in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Ranking. This is a great achievement and we are confident that the country’s ranking will further improve next year,” he added.

In his address, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Shabbar Zaidi said the country’s economy was being documented.

He regretted that no effort was made in the past to bring the SMEs into the tax regime, saying that the SMEs remained out of the tax system due to a “lack of taxation-friendly environment”.

The FBR chairman, however, said the incumbent government was making seri-

ous efforts to bring the SMEs, including those in the manufacturing sector, into the tax system.

“We have embarked upon a tax reforms programme which focuses on the simplification of tax laws so that more people could be brought under the tax net,” he added.

‘REFORMS TO ENSURE STABILITY’: Separately, Queen Maxima of the netherlands visited the Finance Division on Tuesday to meet Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance & Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and his economic team.

During the meeting, Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh gave the Queen a detailed overview of the economic situation in Pakistan with a focus on various policy steps and initiatives undertaken by the government to restore macroeconomic

stability and the progress achieved in recent months in different sectors.

The adviser also spoke on the issue of inflation and enhancing local productivity through various policy means and measures. He further briefed the Queen on the nature of public finance and mechanism for resource distribution between the centre and provinces and allocation of funds and resources for the protection of the poor and marginalised sections of the population.

The Queen thanked the adviser for a comprehensive presentation of various aspects of the economy and shared her view on a range of economic issues, including the need for enhanced financial inclusion and better coordination among different tiers of the government.

Wednesday, 27 November, 2019

12 busiNess CORPORATE CORNER

POWer SectOr LOSSeS SWeLL tO rS430BN iN ONe year ISLAMABAD

Silkbank goes ‘Silkroad’ ‘Europe Goes Silk Road’ is a private initiative of young European academics undertaking a 33,000km research expedition along the new Silk Road to document the different Eurasian connectivity initiatives and their main projects on site. Their goal is to create a corridor of understanding not only between academic perspectives, but also between people and cultures. Silkbank has become part of this grand expedition connecting places.

“We are sponsoring this journey to encourage the intermingling of different cultures and people. Silkbank has always been supportive of such initiatives as it helps in portraying a soft image of Pakistan,” a statement issued by the bank read. Silkbank is greeting Sebastian Maya & Sebastian Hola on their every stop over in Pakistan. “We are positive that a journey like this will not only promote Pakistan but will also showcase the generosity and kindness of its people.” PRESS RElEASE

KARACHI: JS Bank and TPL Life have partnered for the distribution of a unique health insurance solution. The agreement was signed by JS Bank Business Head (South) Ghaus Ahmed and TPL Life Insurance Ltd Chief Executive Officer Faisal Abbasi. PRESS RElEASE

‘Google must help stop illegal marketing of mini-bond schemes’ LONDON AGENCIES

Google must do more to stop illegal online marketing of money-making schemes that can lead to small investors losing their savings, Britain’s regulator said on Tuesday after it banned mass-marketing of mini-bonds. The ban comes almost a year after the collapse of London Capital & Finance, which had issued unregulated mini-bonds worth 237 million pounds ($304 million) to 11,600 investors, who face losing much of their money. The average investment for mini-bonds is 25,000 pounds, but they are not regulated by Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Mini-bonds have been heavily promoted online, offering high returns, and the watchdog has powers over marketing material. FCA Chief Executive Andrew Bailey said the watchdog wanted web services companies, especially Google, to help it stop illegal promotions online.

“We want to see more from Google, they have a responsibility given the reach and power of their tool,” Bailey told Reuters. “We have got to reach a point where we understand that where a test is passed, that we can demonstrate a site is harmful, that they are prepared to take it down,” Bailey said. “Otherwise we are constantly playing a game of whack-a-mole and I don’t think that is the right way to go about it.” Google had no immediate comment. The temporary marketing ban comes into force on Jan. 1 for 12 months to give time for the watchdog to consult on permanent rules. The new rules will mean that unlisted speculative mini-bonds can only be promoted to socalled sophisticated or “high net worth” investors, defined as earning 100,000 pounds or more a year or with net assets of 250,000 pounds or above. The FCA, which was criticised by London Capital & Finance bondholders for being too slow to intervene in the investment firm, said it was reviewing 200 other promotions that may not have complied with its rules. “We are not saying another one is about to go down,” said Bailey, adding that minibond issuance was probably already declining. “We are saying to quite a few of them ‘you can’t do that’. But it will still go on. There is a market,” he said. The watchdog needed to intervene now before a new season for popular savings and investment products known as ISAs, which include mini-bonds, gets underway, Bailey said.

The FCA was told by the finance ministry to investigate its handling of LCF, but Bailey could not say when it will be completed. The Serious Fraud Office has opened its own investigation into LCF.

t

AHMAD AHMADANI

HE Power Division has so far failed to control the power sector losses, which increased to Rs430 billion in the financial year 201819, Pakistan Today has learnt.

According to sources privy to the matter, out of Rs430 billion worth losses, around Rs222 billion was recovered from the innocent power consumers under the head of "technical losses", while Rs78 billion became part of the circular debt on account of power theft.

Sources said approximately Rs130 billion worth losses surfaced owing to lower collection from the power consumers.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa caused the heaviest loss to the national exchequer under the head of power theft, sources said, adding that around Rs36.62 billion worth electricity was stolen from KP during FY19.

Sindh clinched the second spot as it caused a loss of Rs25 billion to the national exchequer; Balochistan was next, causing Rs8.63 billion loss, while Punjab caused Rs8.27 billion loss to the exchequer in the

period under review.

As per details, power distributing companies (DISCOs) cumulatively caused around Rs78 billion (Rs78,418 million) loss in 2018-19, as 93.88 billion units of electricity were purchased by DISCOs, of which around 20.19 billion units of power were wasted.

Five DISCOs working in Punjab had purchased 81.61 billion while they sold 71.73 billion units of power to the consumers. Similarly, two DISCOs working in KP purchased 16.24 billion units but sold 10.67 billion units of electricity to the consumers.

Karandaaz to help SBP set up ‘micropayment gateway’ On the second day of the two-day Pakistan Innovative Finance Forum, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and Karandaaz signed an agreement for the implementation of a ‘micropayment gateway’, which is part of the national Financial Inclusion Strategy.

The agreement was signed

by Karandaaz CEO Ali Sarfraz and SBP Payment Systems Department Head Syed Sohail Javvad. The signing was witnessed

by Queen Maxima of netherlands, Economic Affairs Minister Hammad Azhar, SBP Governor Dr Reza Baqir, Karandaaz Chairperson Dr Shamshad Akhtar and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Programme Officer Syed Ali Mahmood.

Through this agreement, Karandaaz, with funding from BMGF, will support SBP to put in place a digital payment platform based on modern technology making real-time interoperability of smaller digital transfers possible.

Speaking of the occasion, Queen Maxima, who is visiting Pakistan in her capacity as the

Un Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UnSGSA), stressed, “It is encouraging that SBP is committed to setting up a micropayment platform which all providers and government entities will be required to join in 2020. The next steps in designing the appropriate governance structure, scheme rules, initial use cases, and pricing will be critical for the platforms to succeed and to have an impact. I encourage you all to engage with the industry working group led by the SBP and also to discuss and provide

your inputs on the design.”

In his address, Karandaaz Chairperson Dr Shamshad Akhtar said, “In Pakistan, around 50pc of the adult population, mostly women, lack access to formal financial services. Most households resort to risky, inefficient, and expensive informal channels to fulfil their financial needs. Immediate clearance of transactions will keep the system-cost low and providers would contribute data to a shared service, ensuring all users and transactions are legitimate and risk-free.” NEWS DESK

us goods trade deficit narrows sharply in October WASHINGTON AGENCIES

The US goods trade deficit fell sharply in October as both exports and imports declined, pointing to a continued reduction in trade flows that has been blamed on the Trump administration’s “America First” policy.

The Commerce Department said on Tuesday the goods trade gap dropped 5.7pc to $66.5 billion last month.

Exports fell 0.7pc after decreasing 1.3pc in September.

Exports were depressed by a drop in shipments of foods and feeds, likely soybeans. Automobile exports also declined and were probably weighed down by a 40-day strike at General Motors, which undercut motor vehicle production.

There were also decreases in exports of capital and consumer goods. Exports of industrial supplies, however, rose.

Goods imports tumbled 2.4pc in October after falling 2.1pc in the prior month, amid decreases in imports of indus-

trial supplies, motor vehicles and consumer goods. Imports of capital goods rebounded modestly.

The shrinking trade gap is positive for the calculation of gross domestic product and suggests trade could support the economy in the fourth quarter as growth slows amid cooling consumer spending and persistent weakness in business investment.

But the continued decline in both exports and imports is a worrying trend. The White House’s protectionist trade policy has left the United States embroiled in a trade war with China and engaged titfor-tat tariffs with other countries. The government argues that the tariffs are necessary to protect manufacturers from what it says is unfair foreign competition.

Trade subtracted 0.08 percentage point from GDP growth in the third quarter. The economy grew at a 1.9pc annualized rate in the July-September quarter after expanding at a 2.0pc pace in the second quar-

ter. Growth estimates for the fourth quarter are below a 2.0pc rate.

The Commerce Department also reported on Tuesday that retail inventories increased 0.3pc in October after gaining 0.2pc in the prior month. Motor vehicle and parts inventories dipped 0.1pc after edging up 0.1pc in September. They were likely restrained by the GM strike.

Retail inventories, excluding motor vehicles and parts, the component that goes into the calculation of gross domestic product jumped 0.6pc after rising 0.2pc in September.

Wholesale inventories rebounded 0.2pc last month after declining 0.7pc in September.

Data this month showed a modest rebound in retail sales in October and continued decline in production at factories. The economy is losing speed mainly because of the 16-month US-China trade war.

The fading stimulus from last year’s $1.5 trillion tax cut package is also constraining growth.

Meanwhile, two DISCOs of Sindh purchased 9.96 billion units and sold 6.69 billion units to its consumers.

Moreover, one DISCO working in Balochistan province purchased 6.25 billion units and sold 4.77 units of power to its consumers.

Sources said although the performance of the Task Force on Energy, led by nadeem Babar, has not been up to the mark, yet the task force chairman was promoted and made special adviser to PM Imran Khan.

The Power Division remained unavailable for response despite repeated attempts.

‘US manipulating public opinion by propagating against CPEC’ LAHORE: China is unquestionably the world’s next superpower and its growth rate will soon surpass USA’s annual growth rate while the western media would still be busy in propagating fake and negative news about China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and Xinjiang to manipulate public opinion. These remarks were made by Chen Xiang, Director China Radio International Confucius Classroom, during a special lecture organized by Pakistan Institute of China Studies (PICS), Sargodha University, on Tuesday. Vice Chancellor Dr Ishtiaq Ahmad and PICS Director Dr Fazalur Rahman were also present on the occasion. Throwing light on the history of China, guest speaker Chen Xiang said that China is one of the oldest civilizations of the world with a continuous history of more than 5,000 years. The fact that China has never invaded any country proves that China is a peaceloving nation and it has no intentions of expanding its territory, he added. Xiang said that Pak-China friendship is higher than mountains and deeper than the ocean and both countries can potentially help each other in achieving economic goals. “Agriculture-based market in China is widely open for Pakistan as it is very difficult for China to feed 22 per cent of the world’s population with only seven per cent of the planet's arable land,” he maintained.

Xiang, who has been living in Pakistan for more than a decade, threw light on the negative role of western media which has long been spreading fabricated news to malign China. “China takes no country as its rival including the United States; however, it seems that America is not happy with the rapid growth of China,” he stated.According to Xiang, CPEC has linked Pakistan’s growth with China. The mega project would help curb the menace of poverty, not only from Pakistan but also from the entire region, he said, adding that Pakistan will too grow and develop with the growth of China. Addressing on the occasion, Vice Chancellor Dr Ishtiaq Ahmad said that Pakistan should follow the footprints of China which has lifted 850 million people out of poverty and corruption. In his view, Pakistan should further strengthen its economic ties with China as it will be the largest economy of the world in coming years. He informed the participants that Sargodha University has signed many MoUs with Chinese institutes in the field of agriculture that would help uplifting the agriculture in Sargodha region. In his address, Dr Fazalur Rahman said that the Confucius Institute would soon be established at the University of Sargodha to promote Chinese language and culture while two Chinese language teachers have already joined the university to start Chinese language course. STAFF REPORT

Music Keeps Body And Soul Together Of Farah Essa

P

By KauKaB Jahan

HOLLYWOOD BOLLYWOOD

akistani music, which got stagnant in last decade due to some reasons, has started to revive on its past trends now as many new music competitions and sessions are on horizon to promote new and fresh art. in this vibrant scene, one name is Dr Farah Essa, who has adamant determination to produce more mature music. she recently has released two of her original songs, Maula and kaisey Guzaron, both available on her official facebook page Pataril also, are making waves on social media and being praised in music circle as well. the feel of her both the songs resonates to the sounds of our bygone golden era of 60s and 70s touching the notes of filmy, folk and classical ghazal music. the Maula, penned by the subcontinent sufi poet of 19th century khwaja Ghulam Farid has all the essence of spirituality while kaisey Guzarin from Ustad abdul karim khan, a classical maestro of musical gharna of UP, is an innocent pure love ballad with touch of amir khusro like poetry.

Farah is releasing her singles under the album titled, ‘azm-e-safar’ meaning ‘Ready to Go’. the album has eight songs in it, which she aims to release online one by one.

Her next numbers are consisted of some old kalaams, some original one with light romantic composition, while some of them are cover versions of old folks.

Farah would also sing pop and other genres in future but right now she wants to make a stand apart from others to make her distinct identity.

For this, her primary emphasize is on impactful

poetry which really touches her heart. “i want to sing our great late Urdu poets because i strongly feel that we are forgetting the sweetness and beauty of this language. i also want to revive the ghazal gaiki, which has been a very popular genre of our music in past, is fading away with time. i love spiritual poetry as well, little bit inclined towards sufism.” she has copyrighted her music but not earning much from it as being a beginner in the professional field of music; she just wanted to show her presence. “after my first release, Maula, Hamza akram Qawaal, the oldest qawwal gharana of sub Continent called me and appreciated which is an honour for me.”

Farah believes that music is something which you learn all your life. she admits that her voice is not for typical ‘thaith’ classical but more suitable for semi classical music. it appeases to her senses as well. “i think the semi classic touch is also admired by young generation especially when it is fused with some other genre. so, fusion is something i am actually looking for. i love to compose a song in pop composition in which sarangi is also present, but a complete pop composition is not my cup of tea, although i also listen to pop music. in future, she aims to perform in public very selectively. a radiologist by profession and born into a hard-core family of doctors and physicians (daughter of a doctor parents and the only sister of four brothers, each working in the field of medicine), Farah could not think of going into any field but medicine but at the same time her

love of singing also bloomed. she thinks singing is in her blood from her paternal side as her father, a renowned name in the field of medicine, late Dr Essa Muhammad abdullah was profound in music and used to sing ghazals in his own compositions. Farah has an inheritance of notable literary personalities and educationist from her maternal side. the renowned writer Quratulain Haider was her grandmother and amina syed is her aunt. she thinks it is in her genes to love Urdu and feels responsibility to keep the legacy by promoting and respecting the language and may be because of this fact, she chose the old school of poetry for her music.

Farah tells that her parents caught her singing when she was a toddler and when only eight, picked up by sohail Rana and travelled along with his troop to perform. at the same time, she also got free tuition from veteran nisar Bazmi in reward of winning a singing competition. He taught her roots of music by training her in typical filmy songs of Madam noor Jahan. she considers him as the one who modulate her voice at very early age. Her teacher in classical singing is Ustad taufiq ahmed khan niazi, from whom she is learning music since the age of 15.

When entered into ninth grade, she left the music training and performances and focussed just on her studies to become a doctor.

Farah resumed singing when she went to toronto for her post-graduation in 2000, and later settled there. she represented Pakistan on various occasions and also won awards. she moved to saudi arabia in 2012 and did her first solo show there at Pakistani Embassy in 2016, where she sang from Madam noor Jahan to abida Perveen to Quratulain Baloch. she has decided to take singing as her second profession and calls medicine field her bread and singing her butter.

Moving back to Pakistan in 2017 when her father got ill, Farah now continues practicing as chief radiologist in her family business Dr Essa Laboratory & Diagnostic Centre, and at the same time, doing music as well.

“Music is my passion. i am divided in two halves one is of a medical practitioner and other is a musician. i am a physician by the day and singer by the night.” also a caring mother of two kids, Farah’s family and her husband support her all the way. she believes that when your family is standing at your back, nothing can stop you from going further.

Her main inspirations in music are Madam noor Jahan, abida Perveen, nusrat Fateh ali khan, Lata Mageshkar and Jagjit singh. in newer lot, Richa sharma and shriya Ghoshal are her favourite.

Mister Rogers always mentioned out loud that he was feeding his fish because a young blind viewer once asked him to do so. She wanted to know the fish were OK.

Boring, Oregon and Dull, Scotland have been sister cities since 2012. In 2017, they added Bland Shire, Australia to their "League of Extraordinary Communities."

Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt once sneaked out of a White House event, commandeered an airplane, and went on a joyride to Baltimore.

The Batman Delayed: Robert Dwayne Johnson 'Black Adam' Ushering Pattinson Having Trouble Bulking Up In JSA; Movie Rumored

Karan Johar, Zoya Akhtar in New York City for 2019 International Emmys

as i wrote back in september, don't expect a jacked Robert Pattinson in the Batman, with a rumor offering up more of the same. according to Grace Randolph, Robert Pattinson is having trouble bulking up for the role, which is causing a delay of around two weeks or so. "i've also heard that Robert Pattinson is having a little bit of trouble bulking up," the Youtuber claims. "i think it's probably impossible for him to fully bulk up because he just has a slight build, but i think it's hilarious they are like, 'Maybe if we gave him a few more weeks, he might bulk up.' if he hasn't bulked up by now, he's not going to bulk up. Just accept you have skinny Batman and deal with it. so, i think that's funny. it's not like a huge delay. it's not a big deal. it's not a big deal, really, but it's like just a couple of weeks." also back in september saw Zachary Levi's trainer for shazam! offer up that he might be training Robert Pattinson for the role. Levi wasn't jacked for shazam! so, again, it's likely Pattinson won't be super jacked like a Henry Cavill, Jason Momoa or even Ben affleck.

ahead of the much-awaited 2019 international Emmy awards, filmmakers karan Johar and Zoya akhtar have already landed in new York City! the award ceremony is to take place on Monday (local time) at the Hilton new York Hotel and this year’s awards are all the more exciting as three indian projects — sacred Games, Lust stories and the Remix are a part of the vast nomination line-up. after landing in the Big apple, karan shared pictures as he waited for the countdown to get over! in a picture shared on his instagram story, the student of the Year director is seen with Lust stories director, Zoya, posing in what seems to be a hotel’s hallway. Both dressed in black overcoats, the two seem all set to step on the red carpet. Posting the still, he wrote, “Zoya Factor.”

Earlier on sunday, Radhika apte who has been nominated in the Best Performance by an actress category exuded joy over receiving a “nomination medal” before the event.

With rumors that Hawkman will be a part of the Black adam movie, now Dwayne Johnson confirms the flick will introduce the Jsa, the Justice society of america.

While promoting the release of his latest movie, Jumanji: the next Level, Johnson talked about Black adam, offering up (via iO9): the Jsa is a DC superhero team that consists of various characters including Hawkman, Doctor Fate, spectre, the atom, the Jay Garrick the Flash, the alan scott Green Lantern and more. it's also said that while following the failure of Justice League, originally Warner Bros. had abandoned the concept of a shared universe, instead to focus on building around the characters, which is something the billion-dollar success of Joker proved as well as aquaman and Wonder Woman - that they don't need a DCEU - but it's claimed Dwayne Johnson wants a shared universe, so it is happening. it's said the blueprint for the Jsa will be the Geoff Johns and David s.

CMYK

Wednesday, 27 November, 2019

14 SPORTS

RoNAlDo ‘BAck’ AgAiNst fAvouRite eNemy Atletico TURIN

J

AGENCIES

UVENTUS star Cristiano Ronaldo warned he was ‘back’ and ready for Tuesday’s Champions League meeting with old rivals Atletico Madrid in Turin.

Coach Maurizio Sarri said the 34-year-old Portugal international’s fitness still had to be assessed before the Group D clash as he battles a knee problem.

But the 34-year-old showed his eagerness to play by posting a photo on Twitter with the caption: “I’m back,” followed by an emoji of a flexed bicep. Ronaldo has a long history with the Spanish side going back to his nine years with city rivals Real Madrid.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner scored 22 goals against Atletico for Real, including in the 2014 Champions League final triumph. He also hit the winning spot-kick as they were defeated in the final again two years later.

In last season’s Champions League, the Spanish were 2-0 winners in the first leg of their last 16 tie, but a Ronaldo hat-trick in Turin in March denied them a quarterfinal berth. “I have five Champions Leagues, these guys zero,” Ronaldo had declared after the defeat in Madrid, holding up five fingers to the home fans throughout the game. This season Ronaldo has scored just once in the Champions League and was furious after being substituted by coach Maurizio Sarri in their last game against

Lokomotiv Moscow, also being hauled off before the hour in the following game against AC Milan.

In characteristic defiant style he hit back with four goals to qualify holders Portugal for Euro 2020.

But he was rested for Saturday’s Serie A game against Atalanta which Juventus won 2-1 thanks to a Gonzalo Higuain double to stay top of the Italian league. “Cristiano trained with his teammates yesterday (Sunday),” Sarri told a press conference at the Juventus Stadium. “It seems that his condition is improving but we still have to evaluate between today and tomorrow.

“The positive thing he was able to play throughout the training session with his teammates.”

Atletico coach Diego Sime-

one knows what to expect from a player who holds the record of Champions League goals with 127. “Ronaldo is a champion, we have always suffered a lot against him. He is number one, but I don’t think it’s Ronaldo against Atletico because Juve is a great team.

“I have no doubt, Juventus will be the protagonist again this year.” Atletico midfielder Koke added: “We consider the team as a whole, not just Ronaldo.

“Ronaldo had scored a lot of goals against us, we’ll see if he will play one of his typical matches tomorrow.” Sarri said he had “a good relationship with Ronaldo” despite the player’s harsh words in his direction at being substituted.

“If a player who has won so much is angry about being substi-

tuted, it means he still has a lot of motivation, and this is something positive,” said the former Chelsea and Napoli coach. Juventus are already through to the last 16 and want to finish top of their group with second-placed Atletico needing a win to guarantee their place.

The Italian champions will be without defender Matthijs de Ligt, with a dislocated shoulder, with

forward Federico Bernardeschi, who bruised his chest, in doubt.

Atletico’s Portugal forward Joao Felix is also fighting for fitness. But Sarri conceded he was spoilt for choice up front between Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala and Higuain. “We have three very strong strikers for just two roles, I think it is an ideal situation,” continued the Juventus coach.

Tennis star Murray reveals emotional impact of Dunblane Massacre LONDON AGENCIES

No return to Barcelona for ill Dortmund striker Alcacer MADRID: Spain striker Paco Alcacer will sit out Borussia Dortmund’s crunch Champions League clash at his former club Barcelona on Wednesday. Dortmund, who are a point behind group leaders Barcelona, flew to Spain Tuesday without their striker, who has scored seven goals in 13 games this season, as the 26-year Alcacer has a gastrointestinal infection, according to his club. A win at Barcelona’s Nou Camp stadium will put either club in the last 16.

Alcacer also injured his knee in the first half of last Friday’s disappointing 3-3 draw at home to Bundesliga bottom club Paderborn, when the hosts were three goals down at half-time.

Germany forward Mario Goetze is most likely to start in place of Alcacer, who joined Dortmund on loan from Barcelona in August 2018, but was signed permanently for the start of this season in a deal reportedly worth 21 million euros ($23m). Dortmund head coach Lucien Favre is under huge pressure after recent poor results, including a 4-0 thrashing at Bayern Munich, then Friday’s draw at home to Paderborn after a woeful first-half performance. AGENCIES

Former world tennis number one Andy Murray reveals for the first time in a new documentary that he suffered from breathing problems and anxiety following the Dunblane School massacre.

The 32-year-old and his older brother Jamie were pupils at the school in Scotland where on March 13, 1996, Thomas Hamilton shot dead 16 children, aged five and six, and a teacher in the gymnasium.

Andy Murray, then eight years old, had been on his way with his classmates to the gym when Hamilton — armed with four handguns and 700 rounds of ammunition — opened fire.

He was ushered away and told to hide under the windows of the headmaster’s office whilst Jamie, who is 15 months older, was in another classroom. Murray has rarely spoken about the massacre and did not want to be filmed talking about it.

But the documentary ‘Andy Murray: Resurfacing’ includes a voice-note that the three-time Grand Slam champion and twotime Olympic gold medalist sent to filmmaker Olivia Cappuccini.

“You asked me a while ago why tennis was important to me,” says Murray in the documentary due to be released on Amazon on Friday.

“Obviously I had the thing

that happened at Dunblane. I am sure for all the kids there it would be difficult for different reasons.

“The fact that we knew the guy (Hamilton), we went to his kids’ club, he had been in our car, we had driven and dropped him off at train stations and things.”

DIVORCE: Murray, who bursts into tears halfway through the voice-note, says the massacre precipitated a further traumatic sequence of events in the family.

“Within 12 months of that happening, our parents got divorced,” he said. “It was a diffi-

cult time that, for kids, to see that and not quite understand what is going on. “And then six to 12 months after that, my brother (Jamie) moved away from home.

“He went away to train, to play tennis. We obviously used to do everything together. When he moved away that was also quite hard for me.” Murray admits that is when he suffered from anxiety but tennis has provided an escape for him. “Around that time and after that, for a year or so, I had lots of anxiety but that came out when I was playing tennis,” said

Murray. “When I was competing I would get really bad breathing problems. “My feeling towards tennis is that it’s an escape for me in some ways, because all of these things are stuff that I have bottled up. “We don’t talk about these things. They are not things that are discussed.”

“The way that I am, on the tennis court, I show some positive things about my personality and I also show the bad things and things I really hate. “Tennis allows me to be that child, that has all of these questions.

Win or don’t eat: the Philippines’ poverty-driven, world-beating pool stars MANILA AGENCIES

Pool isn’t just a game in the Philippines but a way to make a living, driving a fiercely competitive scene that has produced some of the world’s top players.

The game played in dirt-floor pool halls with bumpy tables in thousands of little towns has provided an escape route from the grinding poverty endured by millions.

Though competition is ferocious from places like Taiwan and China, the Philippines is today the only country with a man and woman shooter in the top five of the World Pool-Billiard Association rankings.

“If you miss that shot, you might not eat,” said Ted Lerner, a US-born journalist who has made a life in the Philippines, summing up the pressure they play under.

It means the Philippines will be well placed for the billiards, pool, snooker and

carom events at the Southeast Asian Games, starting in and around Manila this week, where 10 gold medals are on offer.

Perhaps the best example of the Philippine tradition is Efren ‘The Magician’ Reyes, a former world champion in

CMYK

both eight- and nine-ball pool and considered one of the best to ever pick up a cue.

The eighth child in a poor family of nine siblings, he left his hometown north of Manila to live with his uncle who owned a pool hall in the capital. He started playing at eight years old, looking for a way out of poverty. “I saw my uncle win cash after playing billiards and I realised I can earn a living from here,” 65-year-old Reyes told AFP, between shots at a Manila pool hall.

He rose to prominence playing for money and hustling in the United States, and was part of the so-called “Filipino invasion” that took over the sport in the 1980s. “They call the Philippines the pool capital of the world,” Marissa Guinto, sports psychologist and professor at the University of the Philippines, told AFP. “Even the Americans… have a hard time competing against Filipinos,” she added.

‘MONEY FOR EVERYDAY FOOD’:

The incubator that produced these players goes back to the 1900s when American soldiers stationed in the Philippines played pool as a pastime, and fueled the game’s growth. As pool spread, so did the practice of betting on the matches. As a result, the game was picked up by Filipinos who were literally starving for a win. “We couldn’t find money for our everyday food,” Carlo Biado, the men’s number four in WPA rankings, told AFP. “I started with just 20 peso bets ($0.39) and I eventually made a living out of billiards,” said Biado, 36.

Biado won the world nine-ball title in 2017 and broke the Philippines’ sevenyear championship drought in the event.

The success of Filipino shooters has changed the perception of pool as a poor man’s game, and helped build future world champions like Biado and Rubilen Amit, ranked the third best female player in the world, who grew up watching pool on TV.

Wednesday, 27 November, 2019

SPORTS 15

England Support ‘Emotional’ archEr aftEr raciSt abuSE in nEw ZEaland MOUNT MAUNGANUI

Steve Smith to be more disciplined against Yasir Shah ADELAIDE: Australia batsman Steve Smith says he is determined not to be dismissed again by Pakistan spinner Yasir Shah when the teams meet in the second test at Adelaide starting on Friday. Smith was bowled

by Yasir for four runs in the opening test in Brisbane and the leg-spinner celebrated by holding up seven fingers to signal the number of times he had claimed the wicket of the world’s top-ranked test batsman. “It gave me a bit more motivation next game to not get out to him. I’ll be a little bit more disciplined against him,” Smith told reporters on Tuesday. Smith’s dismissal at the Gabba marked a rare failure for the batsman but the 30-year-old said he was not concerned

by Yasir’s success against him. “A few of the times he’s got me out, I’ve been on a few runs and been slogging, Smith added. “There’s been a couple of second innings ones where I was playing some funky shots. So I’m not too worried. “He bowled really well at the Gabba, got some good drift and a bit of a spin on a wicket that wasn’t spinning much … we’re going have to play him well this game (at Adelaide).”

Australia won the first test by an innings and five runs to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. The second test will be a day-night affair. AGENCIES

E

AGENCIES

NGLAND players will rally around an “emotional” Jofra Archer after the paceman was racially abused by a spectator in New Zealand, director of cricket Ashley Giles said Tuesday, as local officials scoured CCTV footage to identify the culprit.

“It’s a shame that sort of thing is still in society,” Giles told reporters after Archer was subjected to racist comments after being dismissed late on day five of the opening Test in Mount Maunganui. The Barbadosborn bowler tweeted after the match that it was “a bit disturbing hearing racial insults today whilst battling to help save my team”.

The 24-year-old later told ESPNcricinfo that the abuser was a solitary New Zealand spectator making comments “about the colour of my skin”.

Archer has been a powerful advocate for diversity in cricket and Giles, when asked how the player was faring, replied: “The tweet, it

was obviously emotional, it hurts.

“We fully support Jof, there is no place for racism in the game… you know what our team is like, they’ll rally round him.” The incident has overshadowed the result of the first Test ever played at Mount Maunganui’s Bay Oval, which New Zealand won by an innings and 65 runs.

Black Caps captain Kane Williamson described the taunt as “horrific”, while New Zealand Cricket said the culprit would be reported to the police and face a life ban if identified from the venue’s CCTV footage.

‘ONE IDIOT’: Williamson said such racism was “against everything that we as Kiwis are about”. “It’s a horrific thing. In a country and a setting where it is very much multi-cultural,” he told news website stuff.co.nz. “It’s something we need to put to bed quickly and hope nothing like that ever happens again.”

Both Williamson and New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White apologised to Archer.

White ordered extra security to ensure there was no repeat at the sec-

ond Test beginning Friday in Hamilton and called on spectators to “selfpolice” unacceptable behaviour.

“We’ll be increasing security around the areas where the players are, in particular when they’re coming on and off the field, but it’s quite difficult when players are on the boundary,” he told Newstalk ZB. “I’d like to think there’s a bit of

England’s Anderson to continue recovery in South Africa LONDON AGENCIES

Gayle says ‘I don’t get respect’ after leaving struggling MSL champs Jozi Stars PARIS: West Indies cricketing hero Chris Gayle demanded more respect on Monday after waving goodbye to South Africa’s Mzansi Super League with his team Jozi Stars yet to win a game in the current campaign. Former West Indies captain Gayle, 40, scored just 101 runs in six innings before his stormy departure from a disastrous season for defending champions Stars in the Twenty20 championship. “As soon as I don’t perform for two or three games, then Chris Gayle is the burden for the team,” said Gayle, who plans to take the rest of the season off. “I am not talking for this team only,” added Gayle, who has played for a multitude of sides over his 20-year career. “This is something I have analysed over the years playing franchise cricket. Chris Gayle is always a burden if I don’t score runs. “It seems like that one particular individual is the burden for the team. And then you will hear bickering. I am not going to get respect. People don’t remember what you have done for them. I don’t get respect.” Stars have lost all six of their matches so far in this year’s MSL, while Gayle had struck just 47 runs in his first five matches. However, he hit 54 off 28 balls in his final match for the Stars, which was also his 400th T20 appearance, as his team lost from a winning position against Spartans. They are unsurprisingly bottom of the MSL zero points, a whopping 19 behind league leaders Nelson Mandela Bay Giants. AGENCIES

self-policing going on as well, we shouldn’t be accepting this kind of behaviour in our society.” New Zealand and England are working together to investigate the incident and Black Caps coach Gary Stead said he wanted the person responsible caught.

“Hopefully, it was just one idiot in the crowd and they deal with it,” he told Radio New Zealand.

England paceman James Anderson will step up his recovery from a calf injury at a specialist pace bowling camp in Potchefstroom ahead of a four-test series in South Africa starting next month, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has said. Anderson, England’s top test wicket-taker with 575 victims, sustained the injury playing for Lancashire in July and managed only four overs in the opening Ashes test

against Australia before being ruled out of the series.

The 37-year-old was also ruled out of England’s ongoing two-test series in New Zealand but is hopeful of making a comeback for the first match against South Africa starting Dec 26. Anderson had earlier swapped the cricket nets for the facilities at the training ground of Premier League champions Manchester City to aid his recovery. He will be joined at the Dec. 1-14 camp in South Africa by fellow seamers Mark Wood, Olly Stone, Craig Overton and Ollie Robinson as well as wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow.

Sergio Agüero likely to miss Manchester derby, says Pep Guardiola LONDON AGENCIES

Pep Guardiola said that, barring a “miracle”, Sergio Agüero will miss the Manchester derby because of a muscle injury. The striker, who developed a problem with his thigh during Saturday’s win over Chelsea, will miss Tuesday’s Champions League home game against Shakhtar Donetsk, plus the matches against Newcastle, Burnley and, almost certainly, the visit of Manchester United on Saturday week.

“He will be out a few weeks,” Guardiola said. “Exactly [how long] I don’t know. He will miss the derby – maybe we’ll have a miracle but I don’t

think so.” Agüero’s absence offers an opportunity to Gabriel Jesus. The Brazilian has five goals in 16 appearances, including one in the Champions League in the reverse game at Shakhtar.

Jesus said: “I am not happy because Sergio is injured. I don’t like it when my friends are injured but I work hard every day and I am ready to play.”

The 22-year-old admitted being unhappy at not always starting. “It is not easy as I am a guy who wants to play and improve my football,” he said.

Manchester City (probable) Ederson; Walker, Fernandinho, Stones, Mendy; Rodri; Mahrez, De Bruyne, Gündogan, Sterling; Jesus Shakhtar Donetsk (probable) Pyatov; Dodo, Kryvtsov, Matviyenko, Ismaily; Kovalenko; Stepanenko, Alan Patrick; Tete, Konoplyanka; Júnior Moraes

Russians shocked over call for four-year sports ban over doping

MOSCOW AGENCIES

Russia’s anti-doping chief said Tuesday he expected the country to be barred from all sporting competition for four years, after a bombshell recommendation from the World Anti-Doping Agency that shocked Russian athletes.

WADA’s Compliance Review Committee recommended the ban

on Monday, accusing Moscow of falsifying laboratory data handed over to investigators.

It recommended Russia also face a four-year ban from staging or bidding for major international sporting events — potentially putting Saint Petersburg’s status as a venue for the Euro 2020 football tournament in jeopardy. The committee’s recommendation is set to go before WADA’s Executive

Committee at a meeting in Paris on December 9. Asked if he expected the recommendation to be upheld, RUSADA chief Yury Ganus told AFP: “That’s the reality.”

“We are plunging, for the next four years, into a new phase of Russia’s doping crisis,” Ganus said, pointing out that the ban would affect Russian athletes at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. “The most difficult and tragic thing is that our athletes have become hostages of the actions of our sports officials,” he said.

The proposed sanctions are the latest chapter of a saga which began in 2015, when an independent WADA commission investigating allegations of Russian doping said it had found evidence of a vast state-sponsored system stretching back years. Russian track and field athletes were barred from competing at the Rio Olympics in 2016 although Russians competing in other events were allowed to take part.

The ban was widened to include all events at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, though Russian competitors who could prove they were above suspicion were able to compete as neutrals under the Olympic flag.

Sporting officials in Moscow said Tuesday that another ban would punish athletes who had nothing to do with historic doping claims. “The news is simply shocking,” said Varvara Barysheva, executive director of the Russian Speed Skating Union.

“It appears this has been planned in advance and they are now settling scores,” Russian Boxing Federation President Umar Kremlev said. “Russia plays an important role in the development of world sports. How can such a country be banned?”

CALL FOR PUTIN ACT: Mikhail Mamiashvili, who won Olympic gold in Greco-Roman wrestling in Seoul in 1988, said the recommendations stung.

CMYK

“What are athletes guilty of?”

Mamiashvili told AFP. “I myself was banned from the Olympics in Los Angeles in 1984 because of the war in Afghanistan.

“Even during horrible purges under Stalin there was a rule: a son should not be held responsible for the actions of his father.”

Others said Russians had no one to blame but themselves.

In a hard-hitting editorial, the chief editor of a leading Russian sports daily compared Russia to a “violent” patient whose disease “had reached a critical stage”.

“We’ve been tied up because traditional treatment has not helped,” Nikolai Yaremenko of Sovetsky Sport wrote. The recommendation came after WADA investigators examined data handed over in January from Russia’s doping-tainted Moscow laboratory. Full disclosure of the data was a key condition of Russia’s controversial reinstatement by WADA in September 2018.

But WADA said in its statement on Monday that the data handed over was “neither complete nor fully authentic”.

Ganus said Russia urgently needed new sports management and called on President Vladimir Putin to intervene. “Honestly, I am waiting for the president to take an active part in this,” Ganus said. “We need to push through real changes,” he added. “We need new sports leaders.”

The ban would be a huge blow to the Kremlin chief who has staked Russia’s prestige — and his own reputation — on sporting achievements. Russia pulled out all the stops to host the football World Cup in 2018, the most important event in the country since the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics, and the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi in 2014. If the sanctions are approved by WADA’s Executive Committee, Russia can appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Wednesday, 27 November, 2019

NEWS

Indian troops martyr three Kashmiri youth SRINAGAR AGENCIES Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three youth in Pulwama district of occupied Kashmir on Tuesday.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Drabgam area of the district. Several people were injured when Indian troops used brutal force and fired bullets and pellets on mourners in different areas of Pulwama. The killings triggered massive anti-India protests across the district.

On the other hand, the youth including Basit, Saqlain Mushtaq, Baber and Jehangir were arrested by police during house raids in different areas of the town.

CURFeW: In occupied Kashmir, 114 days on, atmosphere of fear and uncertainty continue to grip the territory, particularly the Kashmir Valley and parts of Jammu region. According to Kashmir Media Service, uneasy calm is prevailing in the Valley as businesses remain largely shut, schools and offices wear a deserted look. Prepaid phone and SMS services remain snapped. Same is the case with internet, both mobile and broadband. On the conclusion of his 4-day visit to Kashmir, former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha speaking to reporters in Srinagar said that the situation in the Valley after the abrogation of Art 370 was not normal and that an atmosphere of fear was prevailing there. He also warned that the situation will deteriorate further if New Delhi doesn’t change its behaviour pertaining to Kashmir.

Trees produce oxygen at night, says Prime Minister Imran NEWS DESK In another slip of tongue, PM Imran while addressing the Ehsaas programme event on Tuesday said that ‘darakht raat mai oxygen daite hain’ (trees produce oxygen during the night). The PM recently this month mocked Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari for his comments on rain: “Bilawal has startled scientists worldwide by saying ‘jab barish hoti hai to pani ata hai’ (water pours when it rains).” Imran did not stop there he went on to say: “But Einstein rolled over in his grave when he (Bilawal) went on to say ‘Jab ziada barish hota hai to ziada pani ata hai’ (More water comes when it rains more)”. After his comments regarding the PPP chairperson, the premier made a faux pas earlier this week by saying: “With more inflation, comes more poverty.”

GovT renews noTIfIcaTIon of Gen Bajwa’s Tenure exTensIon MINISTER SAYS NOTIFICATION HAS BEEN AMENDED TO INCLUDE WORD ‘EXTENSION’ AS APPOINTING SERVICES CHIEFS IS PM’S PREROGATIVE

FEDERAL CABINET ASSERTS DECISION OF EXTENDING ARMY CHIEF’S TENURE WAS UNANIMOUS, CIVILIAN GOVT STANDS WITH MILITARY LEADERSHIP

ISLAMABAD

T

STAFF REPORT

HE federal government on Tuesday issued another notification pertaining to extension in Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s tenure after it asserted that the decision was taken unanimously.

Addressing a press conference, Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood, flanked by Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Accountability Shehzad Akbar and Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed, said that after rolling back the previous notification, the summary for a fresh notification was presented before the federal cabinet, which after due diligence, accorded approval to it.

Shafqat said that the cabinet has made amendments in accordance with the Article 255 of Pakistan Defence Services Rules and the word ‘extension’ has been added in the new notification.

He added that the prime minister had the prerogative to appoint services chiefs under Article 243 of the Constitution.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court (SC) suspended the government’s notification extending General Bajwa’s tenure until the top court’s hearing on Wednesday. Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Asif Saeed Khosa observed that “the summary and approval of army chief’s extension is not correct”. The

File photo

court issued notices to Defence Ministry, federal government and army chief, who is due to retire on November 29 (Friday). The hearing was adjourned until Wednesday.

Following the apex court’s decision, the premier chaired a zero hour meeting of the federal cabinet, where he was briefed over the matter of army chief’s extension in light of the security situation of the country and the ongoing Kashmir crisis.

The cabinet members asserted that the decision to extend the army chief’s tenure was unanimous and the prime minister, being the chief executive of the country, had the authority to do so. They also said that the civilian government was standing alongside the military.

During the meeting, the prime minister reprimanded Law Minister Farogh Naseem for not fulfilling the legal requirements in the matter and ignoring the basic points in the said case. He also

LAW MINISTER FAROGH NASEEM RESIGNS FROM POST, WILL REPRESENT ARMY CHIEF IN COURT

sought a summary pertaining to the army chief’s term extension.

The premier was informed that 19 out of 24 members of the federal cabinet had signed the summary and the remaining five members could not do so because they were out of the country. He was further informed that the lack of objections was considered as a sign of approval.

During the deliberations, Naseem tendered resignation from his post and said that he would represent Gen Bajwa in the SC. Sheikh Rasheed told the presser that Prime Minister Imran has accepted Naseem’s resignation and the former law minister will now present the government’s point of view in court along with Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan.

PM’s aide on accountability Shehzad Akbar separately said that Naseem had resigned as he could not argue the case as the federal law minister. Akbar said that Naseem could once again take up the mantle of the federal minister after the case ended.

The federal cabinet also reviewed a 16-point agenda and the economic situation of the country. It approved the transformation of Postal Life Insurance into a public limited company.

The cabinet members also refused permission for importing goods from India and instead suggested that essential items should be imported from China.

LHC admits Musharraf's plea against reserved verdict in treason case MUSHARRAF’S COUNSEL SAYS SPECIAL COURT WAS FORMED

BY THEN PM NAWAZ SHARIF WITHOUT CABINET’S APPROVAL LAHORE STAFF REPORT

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday admitted a petition filed by former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf challenging the verdict reserved by the special court in the high treason case against him.

On Saturday, Musharraf had approached the LHC against the verdict reserved in the case and sought suspension of his trial in absentia.

Justice Syed Mazhar Ali Akbar Naqvi, who presided over the proceedings, had on Monday asked Musharraf’s lawyer to present two-point statements and assist the court regarding the maintainability of the petition in the LHC. Today, the LHC removed its objections and admitted the petition for hearing. The court also issued a notice to the federal government and summoned

Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan to provide assistance to the court.

The court was also informed that the federal government had petitioned the IHC to stop the verdict. Justice Naqvi said he agreed with the 2016 “Mustafa Impex” judgement by the Supreme Court and asked Rahim to assure them about the maintainability of Musharraf’s petition in the LHC. Musharraf’s counsel cited the case of model Ayyan Ali as a reference. He said the special court had no legal status because, at the time that it was formed, the approval of the cabinet was not sought.

Rahim argued that when questions are being

raised about the formation of the special court, what legal status does its verdict have? The court summoned a draft regarding the formation of the special court in the next hearing of the petition. The LHC decided to remove its objections to the petition and set it for hearing on November 28, the same day the special court is scheduled to announce its verdict.

HIGH TREASON CASE: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had filed the treason case against Musharraf over the president’s imposition of extra-constitutional emergency in November 2007.

Earlier this year, head of the prosecution, Mohammad Akram Sheikh, tendered his resignation. In his resignation letter sent to the interior secretary, Sheikh expressed his inability to proceed with the case after the imminent change of government at the centre. Sheikh was appointed as the head of the prosecution in the case in November 2013, by the then-PML-N led government.

The former army chief was indicted in the case in March 2014 after he appeared before the court and rejected all charges.

On March 18, 2016, the former dictator left Pakistan for Dubai on the pretext of medical treatment after his name was removed from the no-fly list and hasn’t returned since.

Pakistan questions India’s eligibility for UNSC’s membership UNITED NATIONS APP

Pakistan has challenged India’s qualifications for permanent or non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council, saying that New Delhi was in “blatant” violation of the 15-member body’s resolutions aimed at settling the decades-old Kashmir dispute.

Without naming India, which along with three other countries—Brazil, Germany and Japan (known as G-4) — has been campaigning for a permanent seat in an enlarged Council, Ambassador Munir Akram told the UN General Assembly on Tuesday that India was now perpetrating a “reign of terror” in a

territory occupied with 900,000 troops—obviously referring to the deteriorating situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

India, he added, had imposed a complete curfew and lockdown on 8 million people for over 100 days and it is perpetrating massive violations of human rights against them and against its own minority communities.

It is the first time Pakistan has challenged the India’s eligibility for membership of the Security Council.

“The size and power of a state does not in itself, qualify it for a permanent membership of the Council or other privileges within the United Nations – a United Nations which requires the sovereign

equality of all states,” the Pakistani envoy told the 193-member Assembly during a debate on the Security Council reform.

“At least one of the G-4 does not, in our view, qualify for membership of the Security Council, permanent or non-permanent,” Ambassador Akram added.

Full-scale negotiations to reform the Security Council began in the General Assembly in February 2009 on five key areas— the categories of membership, the question of veto, regional representation, size of an enlarged Security Council, and working methods of the council and its relationship with the General Assembly.

Despite a general agreement

on enlarging the Council, as part of the UN reform process, member states remain sharply divided over the details.

The G-4 countries have shown no flexibility in their campaign to expand the Security Council by 10 seats, with six additional permanent and four nonpermanent members.

On the other hand, the Italy/Pakistan-led Uniting for Consensus (UfC) group firmly opposes any additional permanent members, saying that such a move will not make the Security Council more effective and also undermine the fundamental principle of democracy that is based on periodic elections.

The Security Council is cur-

rently composed of five permanent members—Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States—and 10 non-permanent members. In his remarks, Am-

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

CMYK

bassador Akram said the rationale for reforming the Council was to make it more representative, transparent, accountable and effective.