E-Paper PDF 31th October (ISB)

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Thursday, 31 October, 2019 I 2 Rabi-ul-Awwal, 1441 I Rs 19.00 I Vol X No 121 I 16 Pages I Islamabad Edition

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Azadi marchers hold power show in Lahore STORY ON BACK PAGE

India to divide Kashmir on Oct 31 amid harsh security clampdown, protests LAHORE: Businesses remained closed on second-day of shutter down strike announced by traders to protest measures designed to document their transactions and presenting a CNIC copy for buying and selling goods up to Rs50,000. z u ba ir me h fo oz

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protracted deadlock between the government and traders came to an end on Wednesday after both sides reached an 11-point agreement pertaining to the tax conditions imposed by the federal government in the budget.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, flanked by Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Shabbar Zaidi and PTI stalwart Jahangir Tareen, announced the agreement at a press conference in the federal capital.

On Tuesday, the traders observed a shutterdown strike throughout the country to protest measures designed to document their transactions and presenting a CNIC copy for buying and selling goods up to Rs50,000.

During the presser, the finance adviser announced that the government would not take any action regarding the violation of the CNIC condition till Jan 31, 2020; the clause for the submission of the identity card, however, will remain in place.

“Traders with an annual turnover of Rs100 million would have to pay Rs0.5 per cent of the turnover instead of 1.5pc and that the same traders would not become withholding agents,” the agreement added.

A review, in consultations with a committee of traders, will also be undertaken for the rate of turnover tax for sectors with a low-profit ratio.

The two sides also agreed to resolve the issues of jewelers on a priority basis and in consultation with their associations.

Moreover, the government also agreed to increase the limit of the electricity bill for registration in sales tax register to Rs1.2 million from Rs600,000. The withholding tax on the renewal of

brokers’ licence will also be reviewed.

As per the accord, the trader bodies would lend full support to the government in the registration of new businesses and that the government would introduce simple forms in Urdu for the registration and filing of the income tax return.

Under the agreement, the government will consult with the traders committee for the decision to grant an exemption in sales tax to a 1,000 square feet shop.

Similarly, the government will take traders onboard for the decision about the inclusion of those retailers who are also engaged in wholesales business in the sales tax register.

Sheikh also announced that the government will establish an exclusive cell at FBR, Islamabad, to resolve the issues of traders on an immediate basis. The head of the cell will be a grade 21 or 22 officer, who will maintain contact with traders on a monthly basis.

STORY ON BACK PAGE

LHC bars PEMRA from taking action against TV anchorpersons STORY ON BACK PAGE

Firdous Ashiq gets contempt notice for criticising judiciary STORY ON BACK PAGE

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02 ISLAMABAD

Thursday, 31 October, 2019

Govt Gears up for azadi March in capital ISLAMABAD MIAN ABRAR

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HE federal government has finalised its preparations to face Jamiat Ulema-eIslam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) Azadi March in the federal capital as it has summoned Pakistan Army troops for protecting sensitive areas, and Islamabad Police and Pakistan Rangers as first and second line of defence.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting held at the Ministry of Interior under the chairmanship of secretary interior. Representatives from Pakistan Army, Pakistan Rangers, police and civil administration attended the meeting. The meeting discussed at length government’s strategy to deal with the rally participants with aspects and scenarios coming into discussion, after which a counter strategy was devised.

The meeting discussed plan A, B, C and D to deal with any untoward situation. It was decided that no protester would be allowed to enter the Red Zone and several layers of security would be deployed to ensure this. Islamabad Police would be the first layer of defence while Pakistan Rangers and Pakistan Army would act as second and third layers of defence. Islamabad Inspector General of Police (IGP) and Pakistan Rangers director general gave separate briefings over their strategy to

deal with those who violate security cordons.

A detailed briefing was also given on police and reserve police provision. Necessary measures have been taken to accommodate the police and Pakistan Rangers personnel from local and provincial pools. Aerial monitoring of the route of the rally and the space allocated for the public gathering would be conducted. The meeting resolved that the administration would cooperate with those abiding by the agreement and violators would be taken to task effectively. According to the plan, the federal government would cooperate with the rally participants only “if they adhered to the agreement” reached between the Islamabad deputy commissioner and the JUI-F regional office bearers. The JUI has been given permission to enter Islamabad through Islamabad Express Highway from Rawat, Rawalpindi.

SCHOOLS TO REMAIN CLOSED: Meanwhile, the federal government announced that all private schools in the federal capital will remain closed on Thursday, citing the possibility of uncertain security, law and order situation when opposition parties’ Azadi March will enter Islamabad. The Private Schools Association’s (PSA) president stated that the decision to reopen schools will be taken in light of the developing situation. The secretary of the association maintained that the decision has been taken for the safety of schoolchildren.

IHC to view SC's order, PEIRA's power before deciding school fee matter ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Wednesday adjourned hearing till November 7, on identical petitions regarding increase in fee by private educational institutions.

Justice Aamer Farooq conducted the hearing on miscellaneous petitions of private schools and parents regarding the fee increase.

The private schools had challenged Private Education Institutes Regulatory Authority (PEIRA)’s actions against them on fee increase. During the course of proceeding, PEIRA’s Lawyer Rashid Haneef pleaded that the organization had apprised all the schools and colleges about the Supreme Court’s orders regarding fee increase. He said currently 325,000 students were studying in educational institutes of federal capital.

The lawyer said the top court had allowed five percent increase in fees of Sindh province’s schools and eight percent in Punjab in its verdict. The fees should be increased in accordance of the top court orders, he said. Justice Farooq said the court had to view the Supreme Court’s detailed order and PEIRA powers in this matter. Later, the court adjourned hearing of the case. APP

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CMYK Thursday, 31 October, 2019

NEWS

Govt approves solar power proJect for arMy PILOT PROJECT AIMED AT PRODUCTION OF 40MW, WILL SEE 15-20PC DECREASE IN ARMY’S SPENDING ON ELECTRICITY ISLAMABAD

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HE federal government has allowed the Defence Division to purchase cheaper solar electricity in an apparent bid to save a major chunk of money coming out of the army budget for consuming 240 megawatts, Pakistan Today has learnt.

Sources privy to the matter informed that the federal cabinet has considered the summary titled ‘Generation of Solar Electricity on Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) Basis’ dated October 10, 2019, and approved in principle the project presented by the Ministry of Defence.

Similarly, the cabinet directed the Ministry of Energy to explore the possibility of extending the tenure of the debt of In-

dependent Power Producers (IPPs), to lower the tariff in the initial years, on the account of front-loaded debt, said sources. Sources also said that at present the Pakistan Army was consuming 240 megawatt (MW) of electricity which cost over Rs15 billion and that expenditure was increasing every year due to rising electricity tariffs.

They said that the purchase of electricity will be at least 20-30 per cent cheaper than power distribution companies (DISCOs). According to the sources, the army has so far undertaken series of extensive studies in order to explore options to acquire cheaper electricity and solar power stands out as the best option. The army intended to establish solar park projects of 1.5 MW each in various garrison on Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis, they said, adding

ISLAMABAD The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) on Wednesday urged all satellite TV licensees to comply with a Lahore accountability court’s order against broadcasting programmes “maligning the courts without any basis”. According to a PEMRA notification, an order issued by the accountability court on October 25, stated that “without legal acumen” politicians and media personnel were involved in maligning the court on television “without any basis”, adding that they “pass comments maligning the courts for their political motives”. “Therefore, the chairman PEMRA is directed to control these kinds of

pM directs party spokespersons to counter Jui-f’s narrative NEWS DESK

the pilot project was aimed at the production of 40MW of electricity.

Although “no public money will be involved in the establishment of Solar Parks and their operation and maintenance for 25 years”, a nod from the government was required to make a payment on account of purchase of electricity to the firms providing the solar electricity. It was also informed that Public Private Partnership Authority (PPPA) and Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) had no objection to the proposal, while finance division and power division also endorsed the proposal. During the cabinet

PEMRA urges TV channels not to ‘malign courts without basis’ STAFF REPORT

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programmes maligning the courts without any basis,” the court said, adding that in case of violation of the order, proceedings would be initiated under Section 16-B of the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999.

Additionally, the court had directed that no one should take selfies, give interviews or make video calls during proceedings in the court. The accountability court had issued the written order following a hearing of PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz and her cousin Yousuf Abbas in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case. In its notification, PEMRA directed all satellite TV licensees to comply with the court’s order. “In case of any violation, appropriate legal action under relevant provisions of PEMRA laws may be initiated,” the media regulatory body added.

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meeting, it was pointed out that the indicative pricing was quite high and the sponsors should look at them carefully in the light of the sharp decline in the costs of the renewable energy in the international market.

A view was expressed that opening up the electricity market was a good idea and should be considered at a wider scale; however, the potential effects of carving out of areas out of the jurisdiction of DISCOs and the consequent results on ordinary consumer must be taken into account, particularly when large capacity payments were to be made under the old agreements.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed the spokespersons of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and his government to counter Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) narrative in the media, a local news outlet reported on Wednesday. Presiding over a meeting, the premier told the spokespersons that JUI-F’s Azadi March is only aimed at destablising the country. He told them to inform the masses about the economic achievements of the incumbent government. “The country is heading towards prosperity but a few individuals are bent upon creating hurdles in the way of development,” the report quoted the prime minister as saying. The spokespersons told PM Imran that the march would lead to political instability in the country. However, they expressed determination to counter JUI-F with full strength. The premier told them that the government wants to handle the crisis politically. He further directed the spokespersons to refrain from commenting on Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif’s illness.

04 LAHORE

Thursday, 31 October, 2019

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CM direCts LeAs to reMAin ALert to proteCt Life, property of peopLe LAHORE

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STAFF REPORT

uNJAB Chief Minister Sardar usman Buzdar has directed the police and other law enforcement agencies (LEAs) to remain active to protect the life and property of the people.

No one will be allowed to take the law into his hands nor will anybody be permitted to disrupt the routine life, he asserted.

The chief minister was presiding over an important meeting at his office here on Wednesday in which steps about the maintenance of law & order and security of participants of the march were reviewed. The meeting also reviewed security arrangements taken in different districts concerning the march. usman Buzdar said that the law will

come into action against those taking the law into their hands and rule of law will be ensured at every cost in the province, added the chief minister. On special instructions of the chief minister, the meeting decided to provide quality healthcare facilities to chronically-ill prisoners and the chief minister also sought a list of such prisoners confined in different jails from ACS (Home).

He directed to submit the list at the earliest adding that they will be provided the best treatment facilities. Provision of the best treatment is the right of chronically-ill prisoners and Punjab government will grant them this right, he added.

IG Police briefed about the law & order situation of the province as well as the security of the march participants. The law minister Raja Basharat, IG Police, ACS (Home), Advocate General Punjab and others attended the meeting.

Court extends judicial remand of Khawaja brothers till Nov 13 LAHORE STAFF REPORT

An accountability court on Wednesday extended judicial remand of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Member of National Assembly (MNA) Khawaja Saad Rafique and his brother Khawaja Salman Rafique till November 13 in Paragon Housing Scheme scandal. During the hearing headed by accountability judge Jawadul Hassan, the court has summoned lawyers for cross examination of the statements recorded by five witnesses.

Earlier, the court had rejected Khawaja brothers’ acquittal pleas and extended their judicial remand till October 30 in Paragon Housing Society reference.

On April 26, the NAB Lahore had approved filing of a reference against the

Khawaja brothers and Nadeem Zia for the alleged corruption. Qaiser Amin Butt, the director of Paragon Housing Society, was also included in the inquiry initiated by the NAB, and he was also arrested in November last year. Later, he agreed to turn approver against the Khawaja brothers and Zia. Butt and Zia established a company “Air Avenue” in the year 2003; however the name was later changed to Paragon City private (Pvt) Limited. On December 11, 2018, Khawaja brothers were detained by the accountability watchdog after the Lahore High Court (LHC) rejected their bail plea. The NAB had launched an investigation into the alleged scam in November last year after a number of victims staged protests and held a press conference at the Lahore Press Club against what they termed the housing society’s fraud.

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LAHORE: Children ride camels in a procession held to welcome the month of Rabiul Awwal. ONLINE

WCLA to revive Dastan Goi sessions in November LAHORE SHAHAB OMER

The Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) will be starting Dastan Goi (storytelling) at the Royal Kitchens in Lahore Fort from November 1, 2019, where the first story to be narrated will be of Ameer Khusro, Pakistan Today has learnt.

It was further learnt that WCLA would hold these storytelling sessions every month and have released a calendar of events from where the public can check upcoming events.

The narration of Ameer Khusro’s story will be followed by the recitation of his poetry and qawalis by Badar Khan, a storyteller who has performed in India and several other countries of the world.

While talking about the revival of storytelling Badar Khan said, “This was an art which was at its zenith during the Mughal rule. Travelers and learned persons used to narrate the stories of other places to the people and sometimes the stories were so interesting that they went on for several days and nights.

This is an art of narrating the story in a manner that people do not get bored of it. Later in the history this art got lost in Pakistan but in India it is still alive. I think WCLA has taken up a great initiative of reviving this dying art.”

“This art was from the walled city and people used to have ‘bethaks’

Hamza’s remand extended for two weeks LAHORE STAFF REPORT

An accountability court on Wednesday extended the judicial remand of Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Hamza Shehbaz in an ongoing case pertaining to the accumulation of assets beyond means.

At the outset of the hearing, Accountability Judge Chaudhry Ameer Khan, who presided over the proceeding, asked the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor regarding the status of a formal reference against the accused.

To which, the prosecutor replied that the reference was in a relay and required approval from the NAB chief.

Subsequently, the court adjourned the hearing until Nov 13.

(gatherings) outside their houses, shops or open spaces where travellers from other regions would come to Lahore and narrate their stories and experiences. Huzoori Bagh was a hub of storytellers till a few decades ago when it was opened for public. With the closure of Huzoori Bagh under security reasons for the public the storytellers also moved away. I have seen myself people spending the entire night listening to the stories of other people, and I think it was a good way of learning,” Badar added.

WCLA Deputy Director Media and Marketing Tania Qureshi said, “ This year to begin with Dastan Goi we have chosen the topic of Ameer Khusro. Ameer Khusro lived from 1253 – 1325 and had matchless merit of being a soldier, courtier, Sufi, poet, litterateur, and music maestro all at the same time.

We need to tell our people and the younger generation about such heroes.

Ameer Khusro was an iconic figure in the cultural history of South Asia and was a spiritual disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya of Delhi, India.

Ameer Khusro is the one who is known as the father of qawwali as he introduced it developed khayal, tarana and qaul. Also, he invented raags, tabla and sitar.”

WCLA Marketing Director Asif Zaheer while talking to Pakistan Today said, “WCLA aims to revive the tangible and intangible culture of the old Lahore and organising these storytelling sessions is one small step towards it. People are still not familiar with the concept of storytelling and especially the younger generation is alien to it because they are in the age of technology. We have held several Dastan Goi events last year and this year too we plan to hold it every month on a different topic”. “We have a good response from the public and I hope more and more people would join in to make the revival of lost culture possible,” Asif Zaheer concluded.

CMYK Thursday, 31 October, 2019

NEWS Safdar granted bail in hate speech case lahore: A local court on Wednesday granted bail to Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) leader Captain (r) Muhammad Safdar against a surety bond worth Rs0.2 million in the anti-government hate speech case. While announcing the reserved verdict, Additional Session Judge Tajammul Shahzad directed to release Safdar on bail. In the petition, it was stated that the PML-N leader was subjected to political revenge as talking about arranging antigovernment movement is the democratic right of opposition parties. The plea added that Safdar was targeted for being ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s son-in-law. On October 21, Captain (r) Safdar was arrested in Lahore and produced before court during which, police’s request for physical remand of the accused was rejected. staff report

PMDC dissolution challenged in IHC ISlaMaBaD: The presidential ordinance that had dissolved the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) and paved the way for the establishment of the Pakistan Medial Commission (PMC) was challenged in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday. The petition, reminding the court that the PMDC was dissolved on Oct 21, sought a court order to revoke the presidential ordinance and restoration of the body’s employees on their positions. The petitioner also requested the court to bar the government from taking any action against the PMDC employees. Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, who heard the petition, issued notices to the secretary to the president, secretaries of the Ministry of Law and the Cabinet Division seeking their response over the matter. In addition, the court also issued orders for payment of salaries to employees of the PMDC. Subsequently, further hearing was adjourned until Nov 8. staff report

SC defineS word ‘terroriSm’ JUDGEMENT AUTHORED BY CJP SAYS KILLING OF SOMEONE, EXTORTION AND TORTURE DUE TO PERSONNEL DISPUTE IS NOT TERRORISM ISLAMABAD

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He Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan on Wednesday recommended the parliament to redefine the word ‘terrorism’ while focusing on violent activities aimed at achieving political, ideological or religious objectives.

A 59-page judgement authored by Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khosa states that the definition of ‘terrorism’ contained in Section 6 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 is “too wide and the same includes so many actions, designs and purposes which have no nexus with the generally recognized concept of what terrorism is”.

“Apart from that including some other heinous offences in the Preamble and the Third Schedule to that Act for trial of such offences by an Anti-

Terrorism Court when such other offences do not qualify to be included in the definition of terrorism puts an extra and unnecessary burden on such courts and causes delay in trial of actual cases of terrorism,” it stated.

“It is, therefore, recommended that the Parliament may consider substituting the present definition of ‘terrorism’ by a more succinct definition bringing it in line with the international perspectives of that offence and focusing on violent activities aimed at achieving political, ideological or religious objectives,” the judgment added. “We further recommend that the Parliament may also consider suitably amending the Preamble to the Act and removing all those offences from the Third Schedule to the Act which offences have no nexus with the offence of terrorism.”

The judgment states that terror-

ism as in ‘ism’ is a totally different concept which denotes commission of a crime with the design or purpose of destabilising the government, disturbing the society or hurting a section of the society with a view to achieving objectives which are essentially political, ideological or religious.

“This approach also appears to be in harmony with the emerging international perspective and perception about terrorism,” the SC judgement said.

It also added that the international perception is also becoming clearer on the point that a violent activity against civilians that has no political, ideological or religious aims is just an act of criminal delinquency, a felony, or simply an act of insanity unrelated to terrorism.

“This metamorphosis in the antiterrorism law in our country has brought about a sea change in the whole concept as we have understood it in the past and it is, therefore, of paramount importance for all concerned to understand this conceptual modification and transformation in its true perspective,” it said.

Amnesty censures Pakistan govt for exposing citizens to ‘hazardous air’ LONDON INp

Amnesty International has censured Pakistan’s government for its failure to protect people from “exposure to hazardous air” in addition to “risking and violating human rights to life and health”. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the organisation noted that the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Lahore had reached 484 at 10:00am PST as of the same day. “The threshold for ‘hazardous’ level of air quality is 300 whereas people are advised to ‘avoid all physical activity outdoors’.”

Amnesty said the levels of air quality in Punjab have fluctuated be-

tween near unhealthy and very unhealthy most of the year. “During the smog season – from October to January – air quality crosses hazardous levels.”The data was collated by Pakistan Air Quality Initiative (PAQI) from monitors installed by the United States Consulate in Lahore and are crowd-sourced.

“The high level of smog is neither a new problem nor one that came without warning. The government of Pakistan needs to do much more to adequately address such a severe public health crisis – one that endangers people’s health and even their lives,” said South Asia Campaigner at Amnesty International Rimmel Mohydin.Amnesty

highlighted that “prolonged or heavy exposure to hazardous air can result in severe health issues including asthma, lung damage, bronchial infections and heart problems and shortened life expectancy – putting at risk people’s rights to life and to health, as well as the right to a healthy environment.”

“The so-called ‘smog season’ is where poor fuel quality, uncontrolled emissions, and crop burning worsens the quality of the already unhealthy air, from October to December,” said the press release.“Air pollution and climate crisis are intricately linked.

It exacerbates existing inequalities and paves the way for human rights violations.

Indian troops raping women in IOK: Lodhi NeW YorK: Outgoing Pakistan ambassador to the UN Maleeha Lodhi has said that atrocities being inflicted on helpless Kashmiris were impacting the lives of the Kashmiri people, specifying women. A debate was held on the topic of Women’s rights and peace, prosperity in the United Nations Security Council where Pakistan was represented by Lodhi. Lodhi said that the women in Kashmir were suffering immense mental and physical torture at the hands of Indian troops adding that the curfew imposed on territory has been a hard pill to swallow for Kashmiris. “But they refuse to bend the knee and give in, becoming more cognizant of what was around them and what their rights are.” Lodhi said that Indian forces were committing rapes and other nefarious crimes in the disputed land to cultivate an atmosphere of constant fear. INp

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Polio toll at 79 after two cases emerge in KP peShaWar: The National Institute of Health (NIH) has confirmed two new polio cases in Lakki Marwat and Tank districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday, making the number of polio cases across the country reach 79. According to the details, poliovirus has been separated from a stool sample of 14 months old boy, resident of UC Pai, Tank district, and nine months old boy resident of Bakhmal Ahmed Zai, Tehsil Sarai Norang, Lakki Marwat district. Both children were found to be zero dose for essential immunization and their status for polio vaccination was under vaccination. The total number of polio cases in the country touched 79 after an infant was tested positive in Lakki Marwat. KP leads the number of polio cases with 59. Sindh followed with eight cases, where the number of cases in Balochistan was seven this year. Only five cases surfaced in Punjab, mostly in its capital Lahore. One of the reasons is the increased resistance towards vaccination drives and violence against polio workers in the province as compared to the rest of the country. Prime Minister Imran Khan, last month, had expressed serious concern over the recent spike in polio cases. staff report

Thursday, 31 October, 2019

06 WORLD VIEW

Why the Battle of algiers resonates in indian held Kashmir THE ALGERIAN PEOPLE'S STRUGGLE AGAINST COLONIALISM REPLICATES THAT OF SIEGE-WEARY KASHMIRIS

Middle east eye SAmReeN mUShTAq ANd mUdASIR AmIN

“P

eoPle of the Casbah, the FlN (the National liberation Front) wants to stop you from working." French soldiers, and young men are rushing forward on soldiers’ insistence.

“People of the Casbah, France is your motherland. The FlN wants to starve you and condemn you to poverty.”

Anxious, waiting faces are looking for family members.

“People of the Casbah, resist the FlN’s orders."

A young boy captures the microphone: “Algerians! Brothers! Take heart!” Baffled soldiers. The crowd erupts into a roar.

This powerful scene from the 1966 film The Battle of Algiers - in which a young boy calls on his countrymen to “take heart” in the face of French propaganda, during the Algerian people’s struggle against colonialism - is repeating itself today in Indian Held Kashmir (IHK).

The Kashmiri people have been under siege since the Indian government this summer issued a decree stripping the

region of its semi-autonomous status.

Tens of thousands of additional troops have been deployed to the region; a communications blackout has descended; scores of people, including minors, have been arrested; and jails have already ran out of capacity.

PUSHING PROPAGANDA: Amid this backdrop, the Indian state has worked hard to push propaganda defending its policy in IHK, while portraying the militant “Other” as the abnormality. Earlier this month, a full-page government advertisement in local newspapers urged residents to restore normalcy and end the self-imposed shutdown that they have been practising in protest since government restrictions began to ease.

While IHK continues to live through the siege, the Indian state propaganda has also brought a group of 27 EU Parliamentarians - most of them from right-wing parties, to IHK. From enjoying the picturesque Dal lake with state officials to a press conference where most local journalists were not allowed to attend, to their lack of engagement with the locals, the propaganda for a favourable public opinion seems to have turned into another disaster Public Relations stunt for the Indian State. One of the Parliamentarians claimed that he was disinvited after expressing his desire to meet with the locals without a police escort.

As was true of the French in Algeria and of colonial powers elsewhere, the Indian state and its cohorts in IHK assume that Kashmiris do not have the capability to

think for themselves, instead requiring the coloniser to tell them what is best for them.

In another scene from The Battle of Algiers, the National Liberation Front (FLN) calls the UN debate on Algerian independence a “great victory for the people” and suspends its armed action for a week, which is also proclaimed as a general strike against the colonial regime.

This finds a parallel in IHK’s civilian-imposed curfew, although the latter has been mostly spontaneous.

Despite the FLN’s optimism, the UN ultimately passes a resolution that rules out any direct intervention in Algeria and “hopes” for a fair solution. This has an uncanny resemblance to the current happenings in and around IHK. FUTILE HOPES: On 16 August, the UN Security Council held a closed-door consultation on Kashmir, which, despite the previous decades of inaction, Kashmiris celebrated as a victory. But the meeting concluded with no tangible outcome - not even a formal statement on what took place.

Kashmiris were again glued to their televisions and radios on 27 September, when Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed the UN, emphatically impressing upon the world the need to resolve the Kashmir crisis. The futile hopes for definitive UN action expressed in The Battle of Algiers continue to be a hallmark of the Kashmiri situation as well.

Over the past few months, police and bureaucrats loyal to the state have rejected stories about the siege of IHK as inaccurate, but the government’s own call

for Kashmiris to restore normalcy and resume business-as-usual punctures its broader narrative.

How is it that militants - who by the government’s own count number just a few hundred, and who are facing an arms shortage - could shut down a whole region? Why would normalcy need to be restored if Kashmiris were happy with the government’s decree on the region’s status? The state’s blocking of communications also reflects its ever-growing need to control and dehumanise Kashmiris.

On 14 October, after more than two months, limited mobile phone connectivity was restored in the region. Indian propaganda channels portrayed this as good news, signalling the government’s efforts to restore normalcy. That the same government brought everything to a standstill in the first place was deliberately forgotten.

IHK AT A CROSSROADS: While the communications clampdown has come under a global spotlight, forgotten are the thousands of Kashmiris who have been arbitrarily detained, the banning of the Jamaat-e-Islami sociopolitical organisation, and the harassment by Indian authorities of pro-freedom leaders and their families.

Even more distant is the decades-long denial of Kashmiris’ rights, and the intensive militarisation that has seen more than 70,000 killed and thousands more subjected to enforced disappearance and torture, as part of the state’s counterinsurgency mechanism.

The Indian state has openly advocated a more muscular, militaristic policy

The sectarian civil wars in the Middle East are ending, replaced by uprisings against corruption THE INGREDIENT THAT MADE COMMUNAL RELIGIOUS AND SECTARIAN HATREDS SO DESTRUCTIVE IN THE PAST IN LEBANON, SYRIA AND IRAQ IS THAT THEY OPENED THE DOOR TO FOREIGN INTERVENTION

CounterPunCH PATRICK COCKBURN

The sectarian and ethnic civil wars that have ravaged a large part of the Middle East over the past 40 years are coming to an end. Replacing them is a new type of conflict in which protests akin to popular uprisings rock kleptocratic elites that justify their power by claiming to be the defenders of communities menaced by extreme violence or extinction.

I was sitting in my hotel room in Baghdad earlier in October thinking about writing an article about the return of peace to the Iraqi capital after the defeat of Isis. It has been three years since the last big bomb had exploded in its streets killing great numbers, something that used to happen with appalling frequency.

I was about to set to work when I heard a distant “pop-pop” sound that I identified as shots, but I thought it might be people celebrating a wedding or a football match. But the ripple of gunfire seemed to go on too long for this explanation to be true and I took the lift down to the lobby with the intention of finding out what was happening in the street outside the hotel. Before I got there, a man told me that the security forces were shooting protesters in nearby Tahrir Square: “There are 10 dead already.”

The death toll was to get a great deal worse than that: the official toll is 157 dead and 6,100 wounded, but doctors told me at the time that the real number of fatalities was far higher. The protesters, initially small in numbers, had wanted jobs, an end to corruption and improved essential services such as a better water and electricity. But somebody in government security, supplemented by pro-

Iranian paramilitaries, had considered these demands for social and economic justice as a threat to the political status quo to be suppressed with live rifle fire, a curfew on the seven million inhabitants of Baghdad, and a shutdown of the internet.

Repression worked briefly, but such is the depth of rage against the theft of $450bn from Iraq’s oil revenues since 2003 that the protests were bound to break out again, as they did on Friday with 23 dead and the offices of a provincial governor set on fire.

I thought this was exactly what was happening a couple of weeks later when, back in the UK, I switched on the TV and saw masses of protesters in what was evidently a Middle East city. But it turned out to be Beirut not Baghdad, though the motivation is similar: anger against a ruling class saturated by corruption while failing to provide the basic services to the population. Encouragingly, in both Lebanon and Iraq, the leaders of different communities are finding that their followers increasingly view them as mafiosi and ignore appeals for communal solidarity.

It is a period of transition and one should never underestimate the ability of embattled communal leaders to press the right sectarian buttons in order to divide opposition to their predatory misrule.

I first went to the region in 1975, fresh from sectarian warfare in Northern Ireland, in order to report on the beginning of the Lebanese civil war between a mosaic of communities defined by religion and ethnicity. In later years in Iraq, I watched divisions between Sunni and Shia grow and produce sectarian bloodbaths after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. Popular protests in Syria in 2011 swiftly turned into a sectarian and ethnic civil war of extraordinary ferocity that may now be coming to an end.

This is not because combatants on all sides have come to see the error of their ways or that they have suddenly noticed for the first time that their leaders are for the most part criminalised plutocrats. It is rather because winners and losers have emerged in these conflicts, so those in power can no longer divert attention from their all-embracing corruption by claiming that their community is in danger of attack from merciless foes.

Victors and vanquished has long been identifiable in Lebanon and became clear in Iraq with the capture of Mosul and the defeat of Isis in 2017.

The winners and losers in the Syrian civil war have become ever more apparent over the last month as Bashar al-Assad, Russia and Iran take control of almost the whole country.

The Iraqi and Syrian Kurds had been able to create and expand their own quasi-states when central governments in Baghdad and Damascus were weak and under assault by Isis.

The statelets were never going to survive the defeat of the Isis caliphate: the Iraqi Kurds lost the oil province of Kirkuk to the Iraqi army in 2017 and the Syrian Kurds have just seen their quasi-state of Rojava squeezed to extinction by the Turks on one side and the Syrian government on the other after Donald Trump withdrew US military protection.

The fate of the Kurds is a tragedy but an inevitable one. Once Isis had been defeated in the siege of Raqqa in 2017 there was no way that the US was going to maintain a Kurdish statelet beset by enemies on every side. For all their accusations of American treachery, the Kurdish leaders knew this, but they did not have an alternative protector to turn to, aside from Russia and Assad, who were never going to underwrite a semi-independent Kurdish state.

A problem in explaining develop-

ments in the Middle East over the last three years is that the US foreign policy establishment supported by most of the US and European media blame all negative developments on President Trump. This is a gross over-simplification when it is not wholly misleading. His abrupt and cynical abandonment of the Kurds to Turkey may have multiplied their troubles, but extracting the small US military from eastern Syria was sensible enough because it was over-matched by four dangerous and determined opponents: Turkey, Iran, Russia and the Assad government.

The final outcome of the multiple Syrian wars is now in sight: Turkey will keep a small, unstable enclave in Syria but the rest of the Syrian-Turkish border will be policed by Russian and Syrian government troops who will oversee the YPG withdrawal 21 miles to the south. The most important question is how far the Kurdish civilian population, who have fled the fighting, will find it safe enough to return. A crucial point to emerge from the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi last Tuesday is that Turkey is tiptoeing towards implicitly recognising the Assad government backed by Russia as the protector of its southern border against the YPG. This makes it unlikely that Ankara will do much to stop a Russian-Syrian government offensive to take, probably a slice at a time, the last stronghold of the Syrian armed opposition in Idlib.

The ingredient that made communal religious and sectarian hatreds so destructive in the past in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq is that they opened the door to foreign intervention. Local factions became the proxies of outside countries pursuing their own interests which armed and financed them. For the moment at least, no foreign power has an interest in stirring the pot in this northern tier of the Middle East, the zone of war for 44 years, and there is just a fleeting chance of a durable peace.

Patrick Cockburn is the author of The Rise of Islamic State: ISIS and the New Sunni Revolution.

in IHK. Today, Kashmiris are deeply concerned over the state’s attempt at a settlercolonial project, along the lines of Israel/Palestine. As the international coverage of IHK dies down, it is important not to forget the Kashmiri people’s longstanding demand for self-determination.

India will eventually restore all forms of communication and portray it as a favour bestowed upon the Kashmiri people. Yet, for the people who have witnessed unspeakable violence over the years, this will be remembered as another feature of the Indian state’s control over IHK. We are at a crossroads: of collective memory against forgetfulness, of resistance to military control, of maintaining a homeland amid ongoing attempts to disintegrate it.

The Battle of Algiers does not fully account for the historical context of Algeria’s resistance. In Kashmir, that context has been even more totally erased, with the battle reduced to signals disappearing and reappearing on mobile phones.

Samreen Mushtaq is a Kashmiri researcher currently based in New Delhi.

Her work focuses on the gender dimension of state violence in Kashmir. She has previously worked as a research consultant at The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy.

Mudasir Amin is a Kashmiri researcher currently based in New Delhi.

His research interests include humanitarian aid, NGos and Kashmir. He has previously been associated as a Fellow with The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy, Chennai, India.

Brotherhood unbound: On BJP-Shiv Sena tussle Hindu The protracted bargaining for power sharing between two pre-poll allies, the BJP and the Shiv Sena, is holding up government formation in Maharashtra, despite their victory in the Assembly election. The irony is starker when compared to Haryana where a new government has been in place, though the State elected a hung Assembly.

The BJP could easily cobble up a post-poll alliance in Haryana with regional outfit the JJP, but is unable to reach an agreement with the Sena, its oldest ally. The BJP and the Sena are closely aligned ideologically too, as the latter champions Hindutva more stridently than the former.

However, transactional politics often trumps ideological affinity as a Sena leader appeared to suggest in his caustic comparison of the situations in the two States. In Haryana, the new Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala got a reprieve for his jailed father in exchange for joining hands with the BJP, the Sena leader suggested. The BJP could not pressure the Sena that way, he declared, upping the ante. Mr. Chautala retorted sharply, leading to an inter-State sparring between the two BJP allies. Devendra Fadnavis has meanwhile declared that he would remain Maharashtra Chief Minister for the entire five-year-tenure of the legislature, shutting the door on the Sena’s demand for the top post after two and a half years. Both parties met the Governor separately.

The Sena is possibly upping the ante in an attempt to drive the best bargain with the BJP, and the brinkmanship is unlikely to lead to a separation between the two. After all, the BJP has many allies, but the BJP is the only partner that the Sena could possibly get. The Maharashtra theatrics of both parties, however, signifies a weakening of the BJP and a ceiling for the style of the party’s current leadership. In 2014, the BJP dislodged the Sena as the leader of the alliance in the State, after contesting the Assembly election alone and cornering the latter into a post-poll partnership. Bolstered by its rising popularity, the BJP leadership had taken a dismissive attitude towards alliance politics in general and even humiliated several long-standing partners, including the Sena. It has even advertised its refusal to consult other parties — allies and the Opposition alike — on policy matters as a sign of strong leadership. That principle is on test in Maharashtra. The BJP could win only 105 Assembly seats, compared to 122 in 2014, increasing its dependence on the Sena. The Sena too won fewer than its tally five years ago, but has ended up with higher leverage vis-à-vis the big brother. As the haggling goes on, what is abundantly clear is that none of the issues at stake has anything to do with public interest.

Thursday, 31 October, 2019

FOREIGN NEWS 07

LebAnon reopens bUt crIsIs remAIns After pm resIgns BEIRUT

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AGENCIES

HE resignation of Lebanon’s government under pressure from the street looked set to ease a two-week-old nationwide lockdown but protesters vowed they would keep pushing for deeper change.

President Michel Aoun has not yet accepted Saad Hariri’s resignation as prime minister, with no clear solution emerging to a fresh political crisis that has drawn warnings from Lebanon’s foreign partners.

On the ground, security forces reopened several roads that had remained mostly blocked by protesters since a proposed tax on calls via messaging apps sparked a wave of demonstrations on October 17.

The unprecedented mobilisation swelled into a popular drive to remove a political elite which has remained largely

unchanged since the end of the civil war three decades ago.

Euphoric protesters experiencing a rare moment of national unity have pilloried politicians of all parties, calling for better public services, an end to rampant corruption and a complete overhaul of sectarian-based politics.

When a sombre Hariri appeared on television Tuesday to announce his resignation, crowds erupted into celebratory chants across the country but warned that the government’s fall was only one of their demands.

“The resignation is not enough to get us off the streets,” said Charbel, a 26year-old draped in a Lebanese flag, who was still protesting in central Beirut on Wednesday. “We need to keep up the pressure, but we should not keep the roads closed because now it’s bothering even the people who were supporting the movement,” he said.

Hariri’s resignation came after

counter-demonstrators loyal to some of his political rivals attacked the main protest site in the capital’s Martyr’s Square.

They destroyed tents and marquees and the rest of the temporary infrastructure that has turned downtown Beirut into a huge encampment — hosting protests and political meetings by day, concerts and parties by night.

Well-organised protesters however swiftly cleaned up and returned to the site, occupying the main flyover again on Tuesday evening. Food stands serving sandwiches or corn on the cob were doing brisk business.

Some protesters laid out carpets and sofas, some slept in hammocks hung between traffic signals and others brought goal posts to set up a football pitch across the four-lane highway.

By Wednesday, having won the government’s resignation, protesters were divided over the decision to remove

roadblocks, which they see as one of the few sources of leverage for their leaderless and spontaneous movement.

The resignation announced by Hariri came after the failure of days of consultations with his fractious cabinet to agree on a reshuffle and meet some of the protesters’ demands for a technocratic government.

Early in the protests, Hariri had hinted that resigning was an option but his rivals in the government coalition, including Aoun’s party and its allies from the powerful Shiite movement Hezbollah had warned a political vacuum could lead to chaos.

Hariri’s suggestions were rejected

by Aoun, whose son-in-law Gebran Bassil is the outgoing foreign minister and one of the most reviled figures among the protesters.

Forming a government in Lebanon can typically take months, with every sectarian and party leader seeking to protect

their own communal interests.

“There is no time for any of the old games,” Heiko Wimmen, Lebanon project director at the International Crisis Group think tank told AFP. “The pressure of the street, and perhaps even more so the fear of economic collapse, will dictate an accelerated government formation,” he said.

The 49-year-old Hariri, who had already stepped down twice as prime minister in 10 years, could yet return as the head of the next government.

“Hariri throws it all away to better negotiate his return,” wrote the French-language newspaper L’Orient-Le Jour.

One rising name in the Sunni community to which the position is usually reserved is outgoing interior minister Raya al-Hassan, who is the first woman to take that job and has received praise for her bloodless handling of the protests.

Lebanon’s economy, crippled by ballooning public debt, has been sliding to the brink of collapse in recent months.

Hariri announced a much-delayed reform package last week in a bid to address some of the protesters’ demands and the requirements for a huge foreign assistance programme to be unlocked.

Some protesters want fresh elections to be organised, a move that would further delay the implementation of those reforms.

Syrian and Turkish armies in deadly border clash KESSAB AGENCIES

WhatsApp sues Israeli firm NSO over cyberespionage MENLO PARK: WhatsApp on Tuesday sued Israeli technology firm NSO Group, accusing it of using the Facebook-owned messaging service to conduct cyberespionage on journalists, human rights activists and others. The suit filed in a California federal court contended that NSO Group tried to infect approximately 1,400 “target devices” with malicious software to steal valuable information from those using the messaging app. WhatsApp head Will Cathcart said the lawsuit was filed after an investigation showed the Israeli firm’s role the cyberattack, despite its denials. “NSO Group claims they responsibly serve governments, but we found more than 100 human rights defenders and journalists targeted in an attack last May. This abuse must be stopped,” Cathcart said on Twitter. The lawsuit said the software developed by NSO known as Pegasus was designed to be remotely installed to hijack devices using the Android, iOS, and BlackBerry operating systems. The complaint said the attackers “reverse-engineered the WhatsApp app and developed a program to enable them to emulate legitimate WhatsApp network traffic in order to transmit malicious code” to take over the devices. “While their attack was highly sophisticated, their attempts to cover their tracks were not entirely successful,” Cathcart said in an opinion piece published in the Washington Post, noting that the investigation found internethosting services and accounts associated with NSO. The suit calls on court to order NSO Group to stop any such attacks and asks for unspecified damages. WhatsApp in May called on users to upgrade the application to plug a security hole that allowed for the injection of sophisticated malware that could be used for spying at the messaging app used by 1.5 billion people around the world. The malicious code was transmitted through WhatsApp servers from about April 29 to May 10, targeting devices of attorneys, journalists, human rights activists, political dissidents, diplomats, and other senior foreign government officials, according to the complaint. “A user would receive what appeared to be a video call, but this was not a normal call,” Cathcart said of the cyberattack. AGENCIES

The armies of Syria and Turkey traded deadly fire Tuesday for the first time since Ankara launched an anti-Kurdish offensive in early October, as Russia announced Kurdish forces had withdrawn from the key border area.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said Kurdish forces had pulled back from the entire Turkish-Syrian border in accordance with a deal struck between Ankara and regime backer Moscow in Sochi earlier this month. “The withdrawal of armed units from territory where a security corridor should be created has been completed ahead of time,” Shoigu said, as quoted by Russian news agencies.

The Turkish military and its Syrian proxies launched an offensive against Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria on October 9 with the aim of creating a buffer zone roughly 30 kilometres (20 miles) deep.

Earlier this month, Kurdish forces agreed to withdraw from a 120-kilometre long, Arab-majority segment of the 440kilometre border zone, but clashes have been reported since. The Turkish presidency said joint Turkish-Russian patrols — also planned under the Sochi deal — would verify the Kurdish forces’ withdrawal.

Shoigu said Syrian border guards and

Russian military police had been deployed in the area. But the situation was complicated by clashes between Syrian and Turkish forces on Tuesday.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that “heavy fighting erupted for the first time between the Syrian and Turkish armies”, adding that six Syrian soldiers were killed near the key border town of Ras al-Ain. “Turkish artillery fire killed five regime forces in battles on the edge of the village of Assadiya,” Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Observatory, told AFP. He added that Syrian fighters used by Turkey as the main ground force for the invasion had executed a government soldier they had captured.

Later Tuesday, the Observatory reported more clashes between regime forces and Turkey’s Syrian proxies. Left in the lurch after US troops withdrew from the border area, Kurdish forces turned to the Syrian government for protection.

The regime’s forces moved quickly north and are now expected to deploy along much of the border zone. Turkish-Russian patrols in a 10-kilometre-deep strip on the border were to start after 1500 GMT Tuesday, but strikes near the border town of Derbasiyeh threatened that deadline, both the Observatory and Syrian state media reported.

The Observatory said Turkish and Russian military units had been due to meet at a border crossing to discuss the upcoming patrols. Syrian state news agency SANA reported “Turkish mortar fire on the Derbasiyeh border crossing”, some 60 kilometres east of Ras al-Ain, and said six Syrian civilians had been wounded.

It added that rounds were fired as Russian military police were driving by. Turkey said the joint patrols with Russia would start “soon”.

It said it would not hesitate to resume operations if it identified Kurdish fighters near the border, after its defence ministry said it had arrested 18 who claimed to be regime forces near Ras al-Ain. The Syrian Democratic Forces, the de facto army of the moribund autonomous Kurdish administrated territory, has voiced reservations over the Sochi deal.

The agreement, to which the Kurds are not signatories, essentially hands much of their heartland to the regime.

Before Moscow launched a military intervention in Syria in 2015, President Bashar al-Assad barely controlled half of Syria’s territory, with rebels, jihadists and Kurdish forces holding swathes of the country.

With Russian help, he clawed back much of the ground he had lost in the course of the grinding war, now in its ninth year.

Beijing eyes facial recognition tech for metro security BEIJING AGENCIES

Beijing will use facial recognition tools to speed up security checks in the city’s overcrowded metro, using a ‘credit system’ to sort passengers into different channels, state-run media reported on Wednesday.

Long queues and commuters arguing with staff over slow security procedures are common sites during rush hour in the metro system of the 20 million-strong metropolis.

The city plans to install cameras that will scan the faces of passengers as they enter a

subway station and sort them into different security channels, said Zhan Minghui, director of the Beijing Rail Traffic Control Center.

He said the plan involves creating a “passenger credit system,” and individuals on a “white list” will be offered expedited security clearance, Beijing Youth Daily reported.

Those who receive “abnormal feedback” after their faces are scanned will be subjected to extra checks.

Zhan did not offer details on the criteria used to sort passengers or what could trigger that type of feedback.

“The technique aims to improve the effi-

ciency of security checks and includes both body checks and luggage screening when large numbers of passengers enter the station,” he told an urban transportation forum in Beijing on Tuesday.

The Beijing subway in May said it has started “deducting credit points” from passengers who eat in railway carriages.

The city’s subway system currently handles over 12 million trips on a work day and the number is expected to increase to 17 million trips by 2022.

Zhan did not offer a timetable for rolling out the technology.

Kremlin-backed falcon project sparks smuggling fears MOSCOW AGENCIES

The king motions for the white falcon to be brought closer and reaches out to stroke its chest, smiling as the bird blindly swivels its head, a hood covering its eyes.

Russia’s Vladimir Putin this month engaged in some falcon diplomacy on a Middle East tour, gifting prized gyrfalcons to Saudi King Salman and Emirati Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed AlNahyan, a falconry enthusiast.

In Russia, however, Arab interest in falcons has a dark side, with out-of-con-

trol poaching and smuggling to the Gulf region, where they find an eager market thanks to deep-rooted hunting traditions.

Gyrfalcons, the largest species of the predator once prized by Russia’s tsars, breed in northern climates and are sought after for their size and intelligence.

Now a massive Kremlin-backed project to breed and export gyrfalcons, or gyrs, has alarmed scientists as a possible future scheme to smuggle wild birds.

Gyrs are not endangered, but trade in the birds and their cross-border shipment require permission from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered

Species (CITES). They are protected in Russia, where the illegal capture of gyrs can lead to a four-year prison term.

Poachers lure falcons to snares with live bait, then swaddle and hood them.

Smugglers stuff the birds into old radios, car seats, or even down their trousers, before boarding a plane or crossing the border by car, according to official reports. Many of the birds do not survive the trip to the Gulf. Others die from disease in the desert climate, but enough reach buyers — not at fairs but at invitation-only sales in private homes, says USbased breeder Brad Wood, who sells

falcons to Arab clients.

“Wild-trapped gyrs are the forbidden fruit” and fetch up to $100,000 (90,000 euros), he said. “Most of us breeders know that many young Russian gyrs have been smuggled from Russia to the Middle East” to hunt and breed, often to produce heat-resistant hybrids.

Gyr specialist Yevgeny Lobkov said poaching on an “industrial scale” has gone on for decades in Russia’s far-eastern Kamchatka region, where a higher percentage of gyrs are white, fetching higher prices.

Lobkov estimated that hundreds are

taken every year from Kamchatka, where he works. Poachers are well-equipped and work out in the open, parking their cars along major roads.

Smuggling cases rarely reach trial. In 2013 a man was caught by Russian customs with 29 birds but disappeared after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) embassy paid his bail, local media reported.

Russia’s environment ministry in October announced that a new centre will be built in Kamchatka with the goal of breeding 1,000 gyrfalcons a year, with plans for five more to “replenish Russian gyr populations” decimated by poaching.

Thursday, 31 October, 2019

08 COMMENT

Why are we that Xenophobic?

PTI’s authoritarian streak Disregard for constitution and laws

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hE PTI government continues to take actions in violation of the Constitution and law. In August President Arif Alvi issued the appointment orders of two ECP members disregarding constitutional provisions. The CEC refused to administer oath to both, terming their appointments unconstitutional. The IhC set aside the appointments, reminding the government that a presidential order could not overrule constitutional provisions. The court referred the matter to the Senate Chairman and National Assembly Speaker for settlement in accordance with the law. The episode underlined that, instead of applying his mind, the President behaved like a PTI loyalist, blindly signing the papers sent by the leadership which wanted to bypass the Constitution to induct two ECP members faithful to it.

In a move violating basic rights, the Interior Ministry banned the JUI(F)’s Ansar-ul-Islam, who are party members, acting during the Azadi March as guards in uniform without providing the party an opportunity of defend itself. A notification in this regard was urgently issued by the Ministry. As this was against the principle of natural justice, the court declared the ban infructuous.

The Ministry’s action underlined the autocratic tendency in the PTI leadership which wants to have its way, irrespective of whether the law allows it.

Pemra could not have gone to the extreme that it did without the approval of the government. While issuing drastic instructions to control the media, Pemra used the court’s name with a purpose. It wanted to bring a bad name to the judiciary which restrains the government whenever it acts in violation of law, something disliked by those in power.

The government is authorised to bail out anyone sentenced by a court on humanitarian grounds. The government neglected Its duty by not providing the facility available under law to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, all the more when the doctors’ team appointed by the government itself had described his condition as highly serious. The issue was left to the judiciary to decide. That all these acts of commission and omission have taken place in a short period of three months indicates the dangers posed by the authoritarian streak to the system.

The other border this time Pakistan spreading itself too thin

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skirmish on the Pak-Afghan border in Chitral district has left five civilians and six soldiers hurt on the Pakistan side, and an indeterminate number of casualties among the Afghans, with the ISPR limiting itself to saying that the Afghans used APCs to remove the corpses of the dead. The clash is said to have developed out of a dispute over Pakistan constructing border fencing, supposed to be part of the fence being constructed to prevent anyone crossing the border illegally. Afghanistan portrayed the construction as of being of a border installation. There have been previous incidents of the Afghans firing on Pakistani working parties, which include civilian labourers, because of suspicions about what exactly is being done.

Pakistan is supposed to be helping the US broker a deal with the Taliban. It will not find itself with much ability to talk to the Kabul government, if its soldiers keeps shooting up Afghan troops. At present, however, it seems that the government in Islamabad feels it can do anything. Not only is it trying to broker a US-Taliban deal, it is also doing its best to broker a peace between Saudi Arabia and Iran, something which has never before been possible. The incident on the Pak-Afghan border might serve as a reminder that Pakistan might be spreading itself too thin, not to mention that it would be making a gross mistake if it assumed that the parties would take it at its own evaluation.

It would be best if it stopped trying to prove its utility to the US by a Middle Eastern adventure that merely exposes it to charges of being a US lackey, and concentrate on its own issues. A US-Taliban deal that helps Afghanistan move towards peace and stability would be in Pakistan’s interest, and it needs to maintain a good relationship with it if it is to play a positive role in that.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

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into its polity with the arrival of Afghans in the shape of drugs, weapons and lawlessness. Probably, that has shaped our thought process once it Korea and Japan, owe a lot to tourism in their de- comes to foreigners. Foreign Direct Investment velopment. The impact of tourism is quite far plays critical role in the development of any reaching; immediate financial gains by airlines, country and even Chinese development has also hotels, transportation, and allied industries, but an- been spurred by the same phenomenon, once the other long-term benefit of tourism is the projection US and European companies brought money and of the soft image of country. People start knowing technology to China after the Economic Reforms about your country, they talk to other people, and initiated in 1978 by Deng Xiaoping.

In the current age of globalization, the openmore and more people feel ‘comfortable’ about that country. These visits result in concrete trade ness of any country greatly affects its economic and investment relations with the passage of time, development. This openness can be a liberalized as no one would like to put his money in a country trade regime, easing out its regulatory regimes by cutting down business regwhich is high on any risk ulations and also social acindex. Once we look at inceptability. The World ternational standards, we There is need for us as a Bank in a recent report has find that high human and fithe role of nancial standards have society, to show inculcate highlighted Global Value Chains in played great role in making development.

Dubai what it is today. some tolerance towards economic The GVCs can only be We could hardly see formed if a country has a any foreigner in Pakistan foreigners visiting and liberal visa regime and peoduring the last two or three living in Pakistan, ple find it comfortable to decades. Thankfully, durtravel and reside there. ing the last couple of years, because they are here to One can feel the we can see some Chinese warmth in the eyes of peofaces in malls and on earn money for us, ple while traversing Bali streets, which is a great coupled with teaching us (Indonesia), Vietnam and omen for our country and (Thailand). This economy. These Chinese modern techniques and Bangkok social acceptability is people are result of the CPEC and other private transferring technologies. somewhat prerequisite, if we have to embark upon ventures undertaken by This will create more the road to making PakChinese companies in Pakistan an economic poweristan and some of them are social harmony in house. Some regional here to provide support countries, like the UAE, services to other compaPakistan and would help Qatar, and Saudi Arabia nies. Chinese companies in owe a lot to foreigners, inCPEC have helped Pakus in becoming a more cluding Pakistanis, in makistan to overcome loadpluralistic society ing their countries what shedding issues and helped they are today. build road infrastructure.

Likewise, there is need Now, it is expected that in for us as a society, to show the second phase, private Chinese companies would come and start their inculcate some tolerance towards foreigners visoperations in partnership with local Pakistani iting and living in Pakistan, because they are here to earn money for us, coupled with teaching us companies.

I am of the view that the behaviour and modern techniques and transferring technologies. thought processes of any community are shaped This will create more social harmony in Pakistan by local laws and evolve with the passage of time. and would help us in becoming a more pluralistic Pakistan has seen many problems being injected society.

Learning to welcome foreigners is key to success MuNiba zaMaN

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ALK to some people in private gatherings, and you would hear such murmurings as the Chinese are coming to Pakistan in big numbers, and one day they may buy the entire country. Others would keep raising issues like Chinese marriages with local girls which were unearthed by FIA a while ago and some would talk about the Chinese Massage Parlour as the major reason behind the Lal Masjid tragedy. It has surprised me quite often that more than 10 million Pakistani live in different countries, and even a larger number idealize these expats, and even our sitting government has a soft corner for the Pakistani diaspora.

Not only this, but we all like to settle our kids abroad, which has somewhat become a craze in our society. Moreover, people often boast about being foreign passport holders, but once it comes to foreigners coming to Pakistan, we tend to behave in a jittery manner as if the sovereignty and identity of this beloved country of ours is under threat. I am surprised, why? But I can say with authority that if we want to make economic progress, we would have to infuse more tolerance into our social milieu towards foreigners visiting Pakistan and living here.

Pakistan has seen some tragic times in past two decades, and probably, it is one of the only countries, I remember, which has been able to overcome these worst times in the recent past. The other names, which I can remember are Sri Lanka and Ethiopia. This has only been made possible due to sacrifices of Pakistani army and other law enforcement agencies, and that too at the cost of thousands of lives. Then another challenge which Pakistan has overcome in the recent past is, of the electricity loadshedding. Yes, it wasn’t easy, and still some countries as blessed as South Africa are struggling to cope with this challenge. It is high time that Pakistan must focus on rebuilding its economy, and the government has rightly taken some steps by liberalizing its visa policy. The government is also according great importance to tourism. Some other countries in the region, like Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, South

Neither permitted nor prohibited Laws prohibit child labour, but are not implemented Nazish hassaN Wazir “I want to remain with unrequited suffering.”– Fyodor Dostoevsky (The Brothers Karamazov)

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hE summer sun shines mercilessly on his greased eleven-year-old face as he circles a gold Corolla, washing the dirt off it. The metal acquires a reflecting shine while his features dull beneath the dust. The innocence of his age inhumed, but not quite lost, beneath the facade of instructed maturity. It has been four months since his father coerced him into working at the workshop to help support the family of seven for a meagre daily wage of Rs 50. he pockets the tip stemming from the private isolated generosity of the customer with a meek bow, and grabbing his bucket of murky water and a grubby towel, moves to the next car. Ironically, in the background stands a makeshift shade with a tattered rug emblazoned with the logo of UNICEF, bearing a sarcastic similarity to the boy’s physiognomy– dust-ridden and invisible.

The preceding description is not an excerpt from fiction but a reality, and worse, for many (in Pakistan and across the globe). It just so happens that the literary genius of the 19th century Victorian era, Charles Dickens, is known by fans for his eloquent descriptions of the tragic aesthetics of a downtrodden society. In his esteemed works he has penned down the society in complimenting hues of destitution and desolation with a general theme revolving, more often than not, around underprivileged children. his prose presents a picturesque bitter reality of the sufferings of children in an insufficient society, applicable not only to the Victorian era but unfortunately so, even the 21st century.

Pakistan, with its share of socioeconomic and political struggles, is a country faced with myriad challenges. Of the countless many, child labour stands as a monumental problem afflicting Pakistan, with over 12.5 million children Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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caught in the talons of the aforementioned so- mutandis, can be witnessed to favour child cial evil. The exalted narcissism of a nation labour– a quid pro quo between the crust of the often renders it blind to its own shortcomings privileged and the core of the deprived.

When it comes to laws concerning child and so happens to be the case with Pakistan where child labour just comes to pass without labour, Pakistan has passed many significant registering a hint of ignominy. When a social acts pertaining to the issue in question including evil passes off as a social norm, that is the death the Factories Act 1934, the Employment of Children Act 1991 and the Bonded Labour Aboof morality in a society.

It is an established fact that child labour at- lition Act 1992 and many more. Despite the laws in place, children tributes its existence to below 14 years of age are poverty. Now poverty, as still overtly employed in Dostoevsky rightly stated, factories and workshops, ‘is not a vice’, but it cerChildren are the enslaved in the domestic tainly can be the birth of sector, toiling in brick social vices. An empty future of a nation kilns and bound in indenbelly can starve the contured servitude, and the science to death and as for and are entitled to a numbers are only increasmorality in our part of the healthy childhood. They ing by the day. The legal world, it surely does come quagmire of Pakistan is with a price tag. The perhave the right to that laws here often have nicious conviction to the status of a written buffer poverty with child education and social word only, with zero praclabour only serves to superimpose an edifice of security. Denying them tical significance. They present only a cosmetic fix social and moral depravity the right to a healthy and are far from the much over the existing scaffold needed structural repair. of poverty. Now the conpresent is equivalent Based on that datum sequence of poverty in alone, child labour, parathis case is a morally corto denying a nation doxically, is in its true rupt society that feeds its its future sense neither permitted belly off the calloused nor prohibited in Pakistan. hands of a child. hence, the solution is not Furthermore, the bymore laws but adequate product of abstract arguments of ignorance is a firm belief that the more and thorough implementation of the ones althe earning hands, the brighter the prospects of ready in place.

Children are the future of a nation and are survival for an impoverished family. A neglected aspect of the above equation is the coefficient of entitled to a healthy childhood. They have the mouths to be fed. This misconception not only right to education and social security. Denying favours the odds of survival crisis but also adds them the right to a healthy present is equivalent to denying a nation its future. In the words of to the ecological burden of population crisis.

Note well: Along with poverty, derelict cap- Iqbal Masih (The 12-year-old boy who chalitalism also promotes the practice of child labour. lenged the realm of bonded labour in Pakistan With opulence often comes a sense of social neg- and became a voice that reverberates through the ligence. The incentive of cheap labour is reason strata of this negligent society): “Children should have pens in their hands enough for the rich to nurture this social vice. hence, both the affluent and the needful, mutatis and not tools.”

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Thursday, 31 October, 2019

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

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

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

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

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

SyED Farhan QaDrI Karachi

Pakistan’s diplomatic powers

Digital ways of money laundering How electronics are making it easier for the corrupt Crypto Currency: A digital currency, de- then credited back into the criminals’ account, signed to work as a medium of exchange, of- avoiding detection.

Online Bid Sites: Criminals use online bid fers a new avenue for criminals to clean their websites for micro-launmoney. The most welldering. From fraudulent ONEY laundering is the process known digital currency is auctions on Ebay to of making illegally-gained pro- Bitcoin, created in 2009 imaginary job postings ceeds appear legal and clean. by a hacker who wanted The use of proxy servers on Fiverr, money can be Money obtained from certain to create a currency that easily and crimes, such as extortion, insider would be free of governand anonymizing software transferred quickly. In 2017, the FBI trading, drug trafficking, and terrorist activi- ment regulation. Bitcoins thwarted a terrorist attack ties, is “dirty” and needs to be “cleaned” to ap- can either be earned by makes the third on American soil. They pear to have been derived from legal activities. competing against others component of money found that the perpetrator The use of the Internet allows money launder- to solve complex math his funding by ers to easily avoid detection. The rise of online problems, or bought laundering, integration, received posting fraudulent aucbanking institutions, anonymous online pay- from someone on a curtions on eBay that were ment services, peer-to-peer transfers using mo- rency exchange website. almost impossible to “purchased” by ISIS bile phones, and the use of virtual currencies The cryptocurrencies are detect, as money can be agents. Individuals may have made detecting the illegal transfer of so volatile, disparate and hired as “mules” to money ever more difficult. Moreover, the use subject to decentralised transferred or withdrawn be apply for online job postof proxy servers and anonymizing software control, it is easier to makes the third component of money launder- make anonymous pay- leaving little or no trace of ings, only to transfer the money back to the eming, integration, almost impossible to detect, ments that are difficult to as money can be transferred or withdrawn track. Recently the an IP address. Money can ployer later.

Gift Cards: In this leaving little or no trace of an IP address. crypto exchange Coinalso be laundered through scheme, fraudsters may Money can also be laundered through online base has released a debit cash onto a variety auctions and sales, gambling websites and card that let people use online auctions and sales, load of prepaid cards, such as even virtual gaming sites. here are some un- their stored digital assets to pay for goods online conventional methods to watch out for: gambling websites and Visa gift cards or store cards. With a little legOnline Marketplaces: Today’s sharing and in stores. Facebook even virtual gaming sites work, those amounts can economy has enabled individuals to earn addi- has recently announced be extracted into cash detional income off their resources. Whether it’s issuing its own crypposits into bank acsharing their accommodation, their ride, or tocurrency namely Libra counts. Fraudsters can some skill they possess, the sector is explod- which shows the popucopy the serial numbers of the cards; scratch ing. As a result, there has been a rise in micro- larity of digital currencies.

Transaction Laundering: The most com- off the security code and then cover them up. merchants, individuals who offer their products or services through an online market- mon scheme is transaction laundering, in Then, when the card is activated, they then which illicit merchants can access the funds on the card. While they place. In one example, use an approved mer- can’t redeem the funds for cash directly, they money launderers make chant’s payment creden- can use them to buy products that they sell for fake bookings and share tials in order to process cash (shipping the product directly to the purthe revenue with the host e-commerce transactions. chaser). and the value can add up The FBI busted a gang Prepaid cards: By using stolen debit or It’s easy enough to set up quickly– $3000 a pop. involved in laundering $6 an online storefront for il- credit cards, criminals quickly purchase prepaid Instant Messaging: licit sales, and then cards in bulk. They can then sell cards for hard The growing trend of inbillion online under the reroute transactions cash. The prepaid cards are traded face to face stant messaging apps has quickly gone from simguise of a digital currency through a legitimate mer- to avoid any record.

Online Games: The ill-gotten money is chant. ply sending text and imcalled “LR,” by using 5.Digital Payment converted into gaming currency, then transages to offering a Criminals ferred back into real, usable and untraceable number of services, in“third-party ‘exchangers,’” Platforms: use everyday digital pay- “clean” money. The criminals set up numerous cluding payment funcment platforms to laun- accounts in multiple jurisdictions, purchase intions. One of the most from countries like der money. For instance, game credits and transfer those credits around significant, used daily by Malaysia, Russia, and a Paypal transaction of to wash the money.

600 million users, is Online Casinos: Criminals participate in a would flag AML WeChat Pay. It allows Nigeria, where government $10,000 alerts. But 100 Paypal casino and buy chips through an online paypeople to pay with a tap of $100 each ment. They play for a while and then encash the or a photo snap and it, oversight was negligible. transactions would attract no notice chips, getting a receipt so to show the proceeds along with main comfrom watchdogs. Other as gambling winnings. petitor Alipay, have These exchangers Other gambling methods: Money is digital payment platmade cash transaction in received payments, and forms such as Venmo are spent on gambling, preferably on high-odds China almost non-exisused to move illegal games. One way to minimize risk with this tent. Similarly Facethen credited back into the also funds. The FBI busted a method is to bet on every possible outcome of book’s Messenger gang involved in laun- some event that has many possible outcomes, service has integration criminals’ account, dering $6 billion online so no outcome(s) have short odds, and the betwith PayPal, Masteravoiding detection under the guise of a digi- tor will lose only the vigorish and will have Card, American Express, tal currency called “LR,” one or more winning bets that can be shown as TransferWise, and Westby using “third-party ‘ex- the source of money. ern Union. While the changers,’” from counvolume and number of Shahid Ilyas Khan is an Officer in the accounts are enormous, all the transactions are tries like Malaysia, Russia, and Nigeria, digital, making tracking and monitoring for il- where government oversight was negligible. Federal Investigation Agency, and can be conThese exchangers received payments, and tacted at shahidilyas1@gmail.com legal activity that much easier.

shahiD iLYas KhaN

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PAKISTAN seems to play pivot diplomatic roles in the region. Realizing the fact that there is no military solution to the Afghanistan conflict, United States of America (USA) called for Pakistan to mediate the talks with Afghan-Taliban.

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

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

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

FahaD Khan nauddero

Welcome to Pakistan!

ThE Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad on Tuesday as part of their ongoing tour of the country.

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

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

Thursday, 31 October, 2019

10 NEWS

In hIstorIc vote, Us hoUse recognIses ‘ArmenIAn genocIde’ WASHINGTON

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AGENCIES

HE US House of Representatives passed a resolution Tuesday officially recognizing the “Armenian genocide,” a symbolic but unprecedented move that angered Turkey amid already heightened tensions with Washington.

Cheers and applause erupted when the chamber voted 405 to 11 in support of the measure “affirming the United States’ record on the Armenian Genocide,” a first for the US Congress, where similar measures with such direct language have been introduced for decades but never passed.

US lawmakers delivered a two-punch rebuke to Turkey on its national day, with the genocide measure passing alongside a bill that imposes sanctions over Ankara’s assault on Kurdish-controlled territory in northeastern Syria that was made possible by the withdrawal of American troops.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she was honored to join her colleagues “in solemn remembrance of one of the great atrocities of the 20th century: the systematic murder of more than 1.5 million Armenian men, women and children by the Ottoman Empire.” The Armenians say the mass killings of their people from 1915 to 1917 amounted to genocide, a claim recognized by some 30 countries.

Turkey strongly denies the accusation of genocide and says that both Armenians and Turks died as a result of the First World War. It puts the death toll in the hundreds of thousands. Ankara reacted swiftly, rejecting the House’s recognition as a “meaningless political step” and warning it risks harming ties “at an extremely fragile time” for interna-

tional and regional security.

“We believe that American friends of Turkey who support the continuation of the alliance and friendly relations will question this grave mistake and those who are responsible will be judged by the conscience of the American people,” Turkey’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

But Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan hailed the House move, tweeting that it was a “bold step towards serving truth and historical #justice that also offers comfort to millions of descendants of the Armenian Genocide survivors.”

‘NEVER AGAIN’: In 2017, newly inaugurated US President Donald Trump criticized the killings as “one of the worst mass atrocities of the 20th century,” but in keeping with longstanding US practice, he stopped short of using the word genocide.

Before being elected in 2008, Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama had pledged to recognize the genocide but ultimately did

not do so during his two terms in office.

But Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, delivered bold remarks to the House on Tuesday, saying the truth of the “staggering crime” has been denied too often.

“Today, let us clearly state the facts on the floor of this House to be etched forever into the Congressional Record: The barbarism committed against the Armenian people was a genocide.”

The House also passed a bipartisan measure that imposes sanctions on senior Turkish officials involved in the decision to launch the country’s invasion of Syria and a Turkish bank with ties to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and requires the Trump administration to penalize Turkey’s procurement of a Russian-made missile-defense system.

A similar sanctions bill was introduced in the Senate, but no vote has been taken.

Turkey’s foreign ministry “strongly condemned” the House decision to approve the sanctions, saying it did “not bode well with the spirit of relations” as NATO allies and also went against the deal reached with the United States over Syria. The Trump administration had previously announced more modest punitive measures on Turkey for the invasion, before lifting them when it negotiated a ceasefire with Ankara.

Former vice president Joe Biden, a 2020 Democratic White House hopeful, praised the Armenia vote, tweeting that “by acknowledging this genocide we honor the memory of its victims and vow: never again.”

It was also welcomed outside the political realm. US television reality star Kim Kardashian, who has Armenian ancestry, tweeted about the vote to her 62 million followers.

Indian Manipur separatists announce exiled government in UK LONDON AGENCIES

Dissident political leaders from the Indian state of Manipur on Tuesday said they were unilaterally declaring independence from India and forming a government-in-exile in Britain.

The former princely state became part of India in 1949, two years after the country won independence from Britain, but has since seen decades-long violent separatist campaigns.

Narengbam Samarjit, external affairs minister in the self-declared Manipur State Council, said the exiled government would push for recognition at the United Nations.

“We will run the de jure exiled government here […] from today onwards,” he told reporters in London after a declaration of independence first announced in Manipur in 2012 was read aloud. “We will seek recognition from different nations […] to become a (UN) member. We hope many of the countries will recognise our independence.”

Manipur, one of India’s smallest states with a population of around just 2.8 million people, is one of the so-called “Seven Sisters” — a group of restive northeastern states.

The region, encircled by five other countries and connected to the rest of India by a sliver of land arching over Bangladesh, has been wracked by armed conflict and instability.

It has spawned more than 100 militant

groups over the decades whose demands range from autonomy to secession. Violence has been part of daily life for decades in Manipur, which borders Myanmar, with a strong presence of the Indian military.

The state has a strong ethnic mix, and its Meitei, Naga, Kuki and Pangal communities are all deeply committed to preserving their own cultural autonomy.

Its people have also always tended to look eastwards in their search for cultural links.

Samarjit said he hoped the world would support its independence cause.

“We are not free there and our history is going to be destroyed, our culture is going to be extinct,” he warned.

UK PM will cancel election plans if voting age is lowered LONDON AGENCIES British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will cancel plans to hold a snap election if parliament votes to lower the voting age or allows European Union citizens to vote because this will mean a six-month delay, his political spokesman said. Dec. 12 is most obvious date to hold a general election, but the government will consider other dates if proposed, the spokesman said.

Three shot dead in California Halloween party shooting LONG BEACH: Three people were killed and nine others wounded in a shooting during a Halloween party at a home in Long Beach, California, on Tuesday night, police and fire department officials said.

The scene was filled with chaos when firefighters reached the residence, Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman Karen Owens said. One suspect had fled. The three dead were all males in their 20’s, police said. The condition of the wounded was not immediately made available. People at the residence were attending a party and were wearing Halloween costumes, Owens said. The Los Angeles Times reported that some residents said they heard up to 20 shots.

Homicide investigators are interviewing victims to learn more about the incident. AGENCIES

Climate activist Greta Thunberg declines environmental award STOCKHOLM: Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg on Tuesday refused to accept an environmental award, saying the climate movement needed people in power to start to “listen” to “science” and not awards. The young climate activist, who has rallied millions to her “Fridays for Future” movement, was honoured at a Stockholm ceremony held by the Nordic Council, a regional body for interparliamentary cooperation. Thunberg had been nominated for her efforts by both Sweden and Norway and won the organisation’s annual environment prize. But after it was announced, a representative for her told the audience that she would not accept the award or the prize sum of 350,000 Danish kroner (about $52,000 or 46,800 euro), the TT news agency reported. She addressed the decision in a post on Instagram from the United States. “The climate movement does not need any more awards,” she wrote. “What we need is for our politicians and the people in power start o listen to the current, best available science.” While thanking the Nordic Council for the “huge honour,” she also criticised Nordic countries for not living up to their “great reputation” on climate issues. “There is no lack of bragging about this. There is no lack of beautiful words. But when it comes to our actual emissions and our ecological footprints per capita… then it’s a whole other story,” Thunberg said. Still only 16 years old, Thunberg rose to prominence after she started spending her Fridays outside Sweden’s parliament in August 2018, holding a sign reading “School strike for climate”. AGENCIES

California braces for powerful winds that could feed fires LOS ANGELES AGENCIES

California braced on Tuesday for the most powerful winds this season that threaten to spread destructive fires raging in the state and could spark new blazes.

Thousands of firefighters were racing against the clock to gain control of two major fires — the Kincade Fire in northern California and the Getty Fire, west of Los Angeles.

The National Weather Service issued an extreme red flag warning indicating a high risk of wildfires for southern California, with gusts of up to 80 miles per hour (130 kilometres per hour) expected in the Santa Monica and Los Angeles County mountains.

“This Santa Ana wind event will likely be the strongest we have seen so far this season,” the weather service said, referring to winds that kick up in southern California every year.

The windstorms are expected to peak at 3:00 am (10:00 GMT) Wednesday and continue through Thursday.

“It does take one ember, just one ember downwind, to start another brush fire,” Los Angeles Fire Department Chief

Ralph Terrazas warned during a press conference.

“Embers have been known to travel several miles, so we are very concerned about tonight’s wind event,” he added.

The Getty Fire, which began near the famous Getty Center museum, erupted early Monday and by Tuesday afternoon had burned 656 acres (265 hectares) and was 15 per cent contained.

Authorities said it was caused by a tree branch that fell on power lines.

“This was, simply put… an act of God,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti told reporters. Celebrities, including Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, who was forced to evacuate because of the flames, have pitched in to help crews battling the fires.

The basketball great sent a taco truck to feed firefighters in Los Angeles, Garcetti said in a tweet.

John Cena, the wrestler-turned-actor, also tweeted a video pledging to donate $500,000 to firefighters.

Further north in Sonoma County, the winds picked up Tuesday afternoon as more than 4,000 firefighters battled to contain the Kincade Fire that has raged since last Wednesday, prompting massive

evacuations and power outages.

Authorities warned people in the region to be prepared for further evacuations over fears the strong winds — set to last through Wednesday — could fan the flames that have already scorched more than 75,000 acres, an area more than twice the size of the city of San Francisco.

More than 120 structures, including wineries, have been destroyed by the blaze, which was at 15 percent containment by Tuesday afternoon, according to

Cal Fire, the state firefighting agency.

The critical weather warnings came just days after Governor Gavin Newsom declared a statewide emergency because of the fires. California’s largest utility, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), has been imposing rolling blackouts in the northern and central parts of the state that have affected millions of people in a bid to reduce the risk of fire.

The company, which said that one of its transmission lines had malfunctioned

near the origin of the Kincade Fire, announced on Tuesday that it was cutting power to nearly 600,000 customers as a precaution. The outages — the fourth massive round of blackouts in the region in less than a month — have been met with anger by customers as well as Newsom, who called them unacceptable.

Authorities on Tuesday allowed some residents affected by the Kincade Fire to return home but other areas remained under mandatory evacuation.

“It’s just ashes. I lost my whole life there,” 71-year-old Wade Hoefer told AFP as he surveyed the ruins of his painting studio at the historic Soda Rock Winery destroyed by the Kincade Fire.

“All I have is my clothes on my back,” he said, adding that he was now living in his car.

Dozens of other fires have broken out throughout the state in recent days, fed by strong winds, low humidity and high temperatures.

The wildfires come as California is still reeling from the aftermath of the most destructive wildfire in state history — the Camp Fire, which destroyed the town of Paradise and killed 86 people last year.

Thursday, 31 October, 2019

BUSINESS 11

ECC APProvES rELEASE oF 650,000 tonnES whEAt to KP, Sindh And BALoChiStAn

CORPORATE CORNER

ISLAMABAD

t KARACHI: EFU Life Assurance Limited has been honored with the prestigious Consumer Choice Award 2019 for ‘Best Life Insurance Company’. EFU Life National Sales Director Mustafa Hussain Oonwala received the award from IT and Telecommunication Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui. PrESS rELEAS E

LAHORE: Famous showbiz celebrity Maya Ali has been participating in various breast cancer awareness sessions being organised by Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in different educational institutes and corporate organizations. P r E S S r E L E A S E

LAHORE: Samsung Electronics has unveiled the new Galaxy A20s, introducing a new contemporary look with improved innovations. P r E S S r E L E A S E

STAFF rEPOrT

HE Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) has given a go-ahead for the release of 650,000 tonnes of wheat from PASSCO stocks to the provincial governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Sindh and Balochistan to ease out the demand and supply equilibrium in the local market.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the ECC held on Wednesday with Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance & Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh in the chair.

The ECC took up the wheat situation in the country, particularly the rising trend in wheat prices, and approved a proposal by the Ministry of National Food Security and Research for release of 300,000 tonnes each to governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh and 50,000 tonnes to the government of Balochistan. The ECC also approved an amount of Rs2.745 billion to be paid as PASSCO incidental charges.

Taking up other agenda items, the ECC

considered two separate proposals submitted by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs for payment of different outstanding amounts by WAPDA and Pakistan State Oil to the Port Qasim Authority and constituted a committee under Economic Affairs Minister Muhammad Hammad Azhar to examine the matter and suggest a solution within two weeks.

The ECC also approved a proposal for grant of Technical Supplementary Grant amounting to Rs706.050 million, including Rs650.426 million current and Rs55.624 million development expenditure, to the Ministry of Human Rights in pursuance of a Federal Cabinet's decision to transfer the functions, subjects and organisations, including administrative and financial matters, of the Special Education & Social Welfare, along with their allied institutions from Federal Education and Professional Training Division, to the Human Right Division.

The ECC further approved a proposal by the Ministry of Interior for grant of a Technical Supplementary Grant amounting to Rs100 million, inclusive of Rs43 million for employee-related

expenses and Rs57 million for operating expenditures, for revamping of different departments of the Islamabad Administration.

Moreover, the committee took up an issue regarding the supply of gas to Habibullah Coastal Power Company (HCPC) and approved a proposal by the Petroleum Division for supply of indigenous gas for the interim period of 3 to 6 months, purely on 'as and when available basis' with no liquidated damages attached, to HCPC. The committee also approved a proposal submitted by the Ministry of Energy for allocation of up to 8 MMCFD gas from Chabbaro and up to 10 MMSCFD gas from Gundanwari to SSGCL with the price of gas as per the applicable petroleum policy.

The ECC approved another Ministry of Energy proposal based on uniform seasonal pricing structure of "use more electricity – pay less" to be applicable during the four winter months from November 2019 to February 2020, at the rate of Rs11.9 per unit on all units consumed over and above the units consumed in the corresponding months last year.

SECP warns public against investing in FS Links

Govt lifts ban on new CNG connections ISLAMABAD AHMAd AHMAdANI

In a decision that could give a new life to the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) sector, the government has lifted the ban on new gas connections (through Re-gasified Liquefied Natural Gas) for industrial, commercial, captive consumers etc., Pakistan Today has learnt.

The Ministry of Energy, in a letter to the managing directors (MDs) of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited

(SNGPL) and Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL), has informed about the lifting of a moratorium on new CNG connections. It clarified that CNG consumers may also apply for new connections on RLNG supply.

Central Chairman of All Pakistan CNG Association Ghiyas Abdullah Paracha has welcomed the decision, saying that it will give new life to the CNG sector.

Paracha said that promotion of CNG fuel will lead to-

wards saving of around $1 billion annually on petroleum import bill and will help to control air pollution in big cities.

The chairman further said that hundreds of completed CNG stations have been waiting for the gas connection for years, which will start operations now through RLNG gas connections.

"We expect that the Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) will soon start working on the grant of new CNG station licences on RLNG," Paracha added.

ISLAMABAD APP

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) on Wednesday warned the public against investing in "FS Links (SMC-Private) Limited", which had been trying to trap innocent people through social media to invest in fake schemes.

The SECP has found FS Links (SMCPrivate) Limited involved in unlawful activities of raising unauthorized deposits from the public by offering hefty profits.

FS Links is a ‘single member company’ and does not have any authorization/license to solicit investments or deposits from public, said a statement issued by SECP on Wednesday. The SECP has already initiated legal proceedings against the sole director of FS Links, Faisal Hayat for unauthorized deposit taking. SECP also initiated winding-up proceedings against the company in terms of Section 304, read with Section 301 of the Companies Act, 2017. Moreover, the SECP has authorized initiating legal proceedings against the director under Section 172 of the Act for his disqualification. In respect of the foregoing, public is hereby cautioned and advised not to be misled by such schemes, which are offering hefty profits and incentives. This warning is being issued to safeguard the interests of all stakeholders, who are presently dealing with FS Links.

The SECP has in the past clarified that mere registration of any company with it, does not necessarily mean that these companies are allowed to taking deposits.

Conspiracies being hatched to shelve North-South Gas Pipeline Project ISLAMABAD ONLINE

KARACHI: Hamdard Pakistan Chairperson Mrs Sadia Rashid receives the 14th Consumer Choice Award on Rooh Afza from Information Technology Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui. PrESS r E L E A S E

Apple mobilises suppliers to unveil first 5G iPhones Apple Inc is mobilizing suppliers to launch its first 5G iPhone range, the Nikkei Asian Review said on Wednesday. “It will be the first time Apple introduces 5G iPhones … There will be three of them and the company has set an aggressive sales target,” Nikkei quoted a source as saying. The three new iPhones will carry a 5G modem chip designed by Qualcomm Inc, Nikkei added, citing four people familiar with the plan. Apple and Qualcomm did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. AGENCIES

Influential people saddled in the Ministry of Petroleum and its subsidiaries have started hatching conspiracies to shelve the North-South Gas Pipeline Project.

An unnecessary objection has been raised on a Russian company, TMK, which is recognised as a high standard entity in the US, UK and all over the world.

According to information received from credible sources, a bilateral agreement was signed between Pakistan and Russia for completion of the North-South Gas Pipeline Project.

The Russian government had agreed to pay 100pc cost of the project.

Despite the fact that there was no ban of any nature on this company, the petroleum ministry

offices have been levelling baseless acquisitions on the multinational company only to serve their personal interests so that they could harvest kickbacks by awarding the contract to their blue-eyed company.

The petroleum ministry and its subsidiary – Inter State Gas Systems – have objected that the US had slapped restrictions on TMK and therefore, it is not authorised to complete the project in Pakistan. However, the management of the Russian company has refuted the accusations levelled by the ministry. TMK sources said that the company has been working with Saudi Arabia's largest oil company, ARAMCO, adding that the Saudi government has never raised any objection on the company.

Crucial talks would be held between the Ministry of Petroleum and the authorities in December 2019 to take final decisions about this project.

World Bank president to arrive in Islamabad today World Bank President David Malpass is scheduled to arrive in Pakistan on a two-day visit today (Thursday). As per a media report, David Malpass will hold talks with the Pakistani leadership and discuss means to strengthen the economy of the country. The visit carries special significance in the backdrop of Pakistan’s recent

inclusion among top-20 global reformers on Ease of Doing Business Index.

Pakistan jumped up 28 places on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index and secured a place among the top 10 countries with the most improved business climate.

Talking to media in Islamabad, Advisor on

Finance Hafeez Sheikh said Pakistan has been in contact with the World Bank president, who has appreciated the ongoing reforms programme in the country. Earlier in September, the World Bank president met with Prime Minister Imran Khan in New York and discussed economic development matters. BUSINESS dESk

Pakistanis lost millions of dollars in OneCoin scam BUSINESS DESK Pakistanis have been a victim to the world's biggest crypto-scam that jolted the digital scene this year.

According to a private media outlet, OneCoin founder Dr Ruja Ignatova, in March, was charged by the US for securities' fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. However, she has not been arrested as yet.

In 2015, Ignatova built a team of multi-level-marketers, which turned out to be a success from the beginning. “We

made in our first month almost 90,000 euros out of nothing," said Igor Albus, one of the world's highest-earning multi-level-marketers and former OneCoin top seller.

Talking about the workings of OneCoin, Igor revealed that the team was made up of thousands of professional network marketers, who would built OneCoin packages and then sell those packages to other people making money via commission – 40pc coming in OneCoin whereas 60pc coming in euros.

Mindful of the lawfulness of the

newly-emerged cryptocurrency and the fact that Muslims seek Shariah-compliant certificate to carry out investments in such currencies, OneCoin publicised its own Shariah-compliant certificate, issued by the Pakistan-based Al-Huda Center of Islamic Banking and Economics, bringing in great relief for British Muslims.

However, as expected, the certificate proved to be fake. "There was no evidence of any research carried on; it was just a blank certificate," said Mufti Mohammad Amjad, a scholar from Bradford.

The mufti then issued a fatwa – a re-

ligious ruling, saying that Muslims should not invest in OneCoin.

"OneCoin does not exist so it is a fraud, I would say engaging in OneCoin is not Shariah compliance," he said.

Meanwhile, the Al-Huda Centre has since published a press release, also clarifying that it did not certify OneCoin as Shariah-compliant.

Even the State Bank of Pakistan had warned as far back as May 2018, specifically mentioning OnceCoin in a list of illegal cryptocurrencies. "Bitcoin, Litecoin, Pakcoin, OneCoin, DasCoin, Pay Dia-

mond etc. or Initial Coin Offerings (ICO) tokens are not legal tender, issued or guaranteed by the Government of Pakistan.

SBP has not authorized or licensed any individual or entity for the issuance, sale, purchase, exchange or investment in any such Virtual Currencies/Coins/Tokens in Pakistan," the circular had said.

As per Amjad, people used to recruit their close friends and family into OneCoin which is why a lot of victims might not go to the authorities.

As per reports, British Asians have lost millions of pounds to OneCoin.

Thursday, 31 October, 2019

12 BUSINESS

nEPrA PoStPonES hiKE in PowEr tAriFF, SEEKS ExPLAnAtion From CCPA

MARKET DAILY

ISLAMABAD

KSE-100 closes flat in range-bound trading ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed another range-bound trading session on Wednesday, as the indices swung both ways in search of a clear direction before settling flat. Following the failure of talks between the business community and the government on Tuesday, the traders continued their strike against tax measures introduced by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

As per media reports, in order to end the ongoing deadlock, the FBR has drafted a fixed tax scheme for traders which would be discussed with businessmen in a session that would be presided by Advisor to Prime Minister of Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh. Gaining 153.97 points, the KSE100 Index marked its intraday high at 33,951.48. The index then swung in both directions, recording its intraday low at 33,670.70 after losing 126.81 points. It finally closed flat, lower by 36.10 points, at 33,761.41. The KMI-30 Index dropped 128.30 points to end at 54,830.79, while the KSE All Share Index managed to gather 71.98 points, closing at 24,572.48. The overall volumes plunged from 225.08 million in the last session to 129.96 million. Worldcall Telecom (WTL -1.64pc), Unity Foods Limited (UNITY -2.18pc) and Maple Leaf Cement Factory Limited (MLCF +3.40pc) led the volume chart. The scripts had exchanged 13.34 million, 7.48 million and 7.05 million shares respectively. Sectors that helped the KSE-100 Index gain maximum points included oil and gas marketing (+34.75 points), tobacco (+31.04 points) and investment banking (+27.79 points). On the other hand, fertiliser (-39.00 points), miscellaneous (-31.17 points) and banking (-29.62 points) sectors dented the index the most. Unity Foods Limited Unity (UNITY -2.18pc) announced its financial performance for the first quarter of FY20. Sales increased by 46pc YoY, finance cost surged by 191pc YoY, while earnings per share declined from Rs0.66 in the same period last year to Rs0.17. Fatima Fertilizer Company Limited (FATIMA +0.43pc) reported an EPS of Rs1.81 for the third quarter of FY19 (Rs1.48 in 3QFY18), Gul Ahmed Textile Mills Limited (GATM -0.54pc) announced an EPS of Rs1.02 for 1QFY20 (Rs1.83 in 1QFY19), Lucky Cement Limited (LUCK -1.47pc) posted an EPS of Rs2.96 for 3QFY19 (Rs7.71 in 3QFY18) while Hascol Petroleum Limited (HASCOL +0.03pc) declared an EPS of Rs-13.60 (Rs3.31 in 3QFY18). STAFF rEPOrT

oGrA proposes re1 per litre hike in petrol price ISLAMABAD: The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has worked out new prices of petroleum products (POL) for the month of November 2019, and in this regard has forwarded a summary to the Petroleum Division, Pakistan Today has learnt. According to sources, OGRA, in its working paper, has proposed Re1 per litre hike in petrol price and Rs0.27 per litre hike in the price of high-speed diesel (HSD) for the month of November. On the other hand, OGRA has suggested Rs6.56 per litre cut in the price of light diesel oil (LDO) and Rs2.39 per litre decrease in the price of kerosene oil. Sources said that Prime Minister Imran Khan will take a final decision regarding POL prices on Thursday (tomorrow). The finance ministry would announce this decision after consultation with PM Khan.

OGRA has asked the government to set petrol price at Rs114.24 per litre, diesel (HSD) at Rs127.41 per litre, Kerosene oil at Rs97.18 per litre and LDO at Rs85.33 per litre for November 2019. STAFF rEPOrT

t

AHMAd AHMAdANI

HE National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has postponed the proposed Rs2.97 per unit hike in power tariff till next Tuesday and has sought an explanation from the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) regarding electricity generation through expensive power plants in September 2019.

Perturbed over power generation with expensive power plants in the month of September, NEPRA has sought a detailed explanation from the concerned over violation of merit order already devised for power production for the said month. It stated that a hike in power price would

not be allowed until the submission of a satisfactory explanation.

During the course of hearing on Wednesday, NEPRA Chairman Tauseef H Farooqi seriously criticised CPPA for generating power with furnace oil and for not submitting complete facts and figures pertaining to electricity generation in the month of September.

He said the power consumers could be saved from an additional burden of Rs7.5 billion if merit order was followed and electricity was generated with cheaper fuel. "CPPA should satisfy the power sector regulator in this regard," he added.

Responding to the NEPRA chairman, the CPPA officials said that if power was not generated with furnace oil-run power plants, then one-

hour power load shedding per day was to be carried out.

Earlier, the CPPA, on behalf of the power distributing companies (DISCOs), had asked NEPRA to increase the electricity price by Rs2.97 per unit on account of fuel price adjustment.

The CPPA had pleaded NEPRA that variation in the fuel cost for electricity generation should be adjusted. Following the request, the power sector regulator had decided to hold a hearing on 30th October (today) to take a final decision in this regard.

CPPA, in its application, had informed NEPRA that approximately 13.62 billion units of electricity were produced at the cost of Rs70 billion during September.

President stresses modern techniques to uplift agri sector BUSINESS DESK President Dr Arif Alvi has stressed the need to adopt modern agricultural techniques with the support of China to improve the country’s agricultural sector.

Addressing Pak-China Agricultural Cooperation Forum in Islamabad on Wednesday, Dr Alvi said Pakistan needs to learn from China latest techniques regarding efficient use of water in the agriculture sector.

National Food Security & Research Minister Sahibzada Mehboob Sultan, Kashmir Committee Chairman Fakhar Imam, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing, China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC)

Chairman Zhang Chun and MNSF&R Secretary Dr Hashim Popalzai were also present on the occasion.

The president said with the active interest of farmers' community, joint research could be conducted for the production of quality seeds. China could also help Pakistan improve its livestock sector while joint ventures can be chalked out for the manufacturing of modern machinery, he added.

Federal Minister Sahibzada Mehboob Sultan said on the occasion that CPEC was the best thing that happened between the two countries, adding that the corridor would take the existing agriculture cooperation between

the two countries to new heights.

He recalled that the foundation for this extensive agricultural cooperation was laid down during the visit of the prime minister to China, where he had emphasized the importance of strong agricultural ties between the two countries.

Chinese Ambassador Yao Jing said, “We are including agricultural cooperation as one of the important components in CPEC. This agriculture cooperation will boost business in two countries.”

Later, President Dr Arif Alvi laid the foundation of PakChina Agriculture Exchange Centre, while an MoU was also signed between CMEC and Fatima Fertiliser.

CDWP approves seven projects worth Rs26.1bn ISLAMABAD: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on Wednesday approved seven projects worth Rs26.1 billion and recommended three projects worth Rs52.2 billion to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for consideration.

The CDWP meeting, which was presided over

by Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan, deliberated upon various projects related to energy devolution & area development, transport & communication, physical planning & housing and water resources.

Two projects related to energy devolution & area development were presented during the meeting. The first project titled "Bajour Area Development Project", worth Rs861.917 million, was approved by CDWP. The main objective of the project is to eliminate poppy cultivation by providing alternate livelihood facilities to the people of the area; construction of rural roads will also make the area accessible to political administration.

The second project titled "Mohmand Area Development Project", worth Rs796.564 million, was also approved in the meeting.

Meanwhile, a project related to transport & communication namely "Dualization & Improvement of Mandra, Chakwal Road", worth Rs12.77 billion, was referred to ECNEC. This project envisages improvement of the 64km-long existing road to a width of 7.3 metres and construction of an additional 7.3m wide road to make it dual carriageway.

A project related to manpower titled "Implementation of ‘Skill for all’ Strategy as Catalyst for TVET Sector Development in Pakistan”, worth Rs9.8 billion, was approved in the meeting.

The main object of the project is to ensure the provision of sufficiently skilled workforce for various national projects and international job markets.

Four projects related to physical planning & housing were presented in the meeting. The approved projects included "Gravity Flowwater Supply Scheme Mansehra", worth Rs6.47 billion; "Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Programme PC-II", worth Rs 2.57 billion; and "Up-gradation of Cabinet Division's 6 Aviation Squadron for Relief Operations and Enhancement of Security", worth Rs638.772 million. A project titled "Development of Kartarpur Sahib Corridor on EPC/ Turnkey Basis", worth Rs16.54 billion referred to ECNEC. STAFF rEPOrT

Lucky Cement posts rs1.27bn net profit for Q1FY20 BUSINESS DESK On a consolidated basis, Lucky Cement Limited reported net profit after tax of Rs1.27 billion after taking out Rs0.25 billion attributable to noncontrolling interests for the first quarter ended September 30, 2019, which translates into earnings per share of Rs3.93 as compared to Rs9.14 share during the same period last year. Further, on a consolidated basis, the company achieved gross turnover of Rs34.43 billion which is 9.9pc higher as compared to the same period last year’s turnover of Rs31.32 billion. On a standalone basis, the company’s overall sales volumes declined by 13.6pc to reach 1.64 million tonnes during the first quarter of FY20. The local cement sales volume registered a decline of 19.4pc and were 1.12 million tonnes when compared with 1.40 million tonnes during the same period last year, however, the export sales volumes of the company improved by 2.6pc to reach 0.51 million tonnes as compared to 0.50 million tonnes during the same period last year.

Further, with regards to company’s standalone financial performance, the gross sales revenue declined by 13.0pc to Rs13.93 billion compared to Rs16.01 billion during the same period last year. The decrease was mainly due to lower sales volume and cut-throat pricing on the back of lower demand and retentions on account of stringent ‘axle load’ limits’ implementation. Moreover, Lucky Cement recorded net profit after tax of Rs955.85 million, which is 61.7pc lower as compared to the same period last year. Similarly, the standalone EPS of the company is Rs2.96 as compared to the same period last year’s reported EPS of Rs7.71.

EDB invites stakeholders to discuss National EV Policy KARACHI BILAL HUSSAIN

The Engineering Development Board (EDB) has called a consultative meeting on November 1 at the Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) to discuss proposals regarding 'National Electric Vehicle Policy' for the automobile industry.

"You are requested to make it convenient to attend the meeting as per the schedule and bring your proposals for discussion and submission to EDB in hard form," said an EDB handout sent to 13 people, including NED University ViceChancellor Dr Sarosh Hashmat Lodhi and LUMS Professor Dr Fiaz Chaudhary.

Ironically, Dr Sarosh came to know about the invitation only a couple of days prior to the meeting through this reporter and he would not be available to attend

CRITICS BELIEVE EDB HAS INVITED 'WRONG' PEOPLE FOR THE CONSULTATIVE MEETING, AS THE LIST 'DOES NOT INCLUDE ANYONE WITH EXPERIENCE IN ELECTRIC VEHICLES' the meeting as he would be travelling abroad a day before the meeting.

"It came as a surprise to me that I have been invited to this meeting on electric vehicles. I have never attended any EDB meeting before. I have just heard its name and never had any working relations with the board. I would have loved to attend the meeting but this is not the right way to invite [on such a short notice]," Dr Sarosh told Pakistan Today. "They should have given the invitees ample time to plan regarding the meeting. I will be leaving for Umrah tomorrow (Thursday) but I will be

sending someone in my place."

Other people invited for the meeting included the managing director of Pak Suzuki, CEOs of Kia Lucky Motors, Pak China Motors, Daehan Dewan Motor Company, Ghandhara Nissan Ltd, Crown Motor Company, Gatron Industries Ltd, Master Motors, Khalid Mushtaq Motors, and chairmen of the Pakistan Automobile Manufacturing Association (PAMA) and KCCI Standing Committee on Automobile.

Meanwhile, Shaukat Qureshi, an EV Technologies Consultant who is heading the EV Auto Division, along with the

high officials of S Ziaul Haq and Sons (SZS) and Rahmat Group, criticised EDB for not inviting the right stakeholders.

Qureshi accused EDB of favouring the existing carmakers in different areas, including matters related to electric vehicles.

He said that the list does not include anyone who was working on electric vehicles.

"The Ministry of Climate Change took the lead in making a draft proposal on electric vehicles when the EDB failed to respond to the changing environment and market needs. After that, the Ministry of Industries and Production, which EDB is a part of, complained that it was their area of work," he said. "Only last month that the government decided the issue in favour of the EDB, which is now ‘apparently taking a lead’ in this regard."

Another proponent of electrification of vehicles, Association of Pakistan Mo-

torcycle Assemblers Chairman Mohammad Sabir Sheikh said that things were not going in the right direction as right decisions were not been taken.

Dr Sarosh was also of the view that except him and Dr Fiaz of LUMS, no one among the invitees would want to work effectively on drafting an effective EV policy, as all of them were related one way or another with the existing fuelbased car making industry.

"But this change in electric vehicle technology is inevitable and if someone is trying to hinder this by keeping some policy in the bag or whatever, is doing a crime,” said Dr Sarosh, who has been working on EVs from research perspective at the NED University.

EDB (Policy) DGM Engr Asim Ayaz remained unavailable for comment despite repeated attempts.

FOCUS PK

s

smog

HOLLYWOOD BOLLYWOOD

MOG is a type of air pollution, which is a mixture of smoke and fog in the air (smoke + fog = smog). Smog is formed when ash, sulphur and other harmful chemicals present in the smoke emitted by factories, vehicles, zoom farming, burning of coal and industrial plants, are exposed to the fog. This leads to many diseases caused by air pollution.

Smog contains a harmful mixture of fog, dust and air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, volatile organic compounds etc. Together, they make a dense layer of groundlevel ozone.

Smog is still a problem in many places. everyone can do their part to reduce smog by changing a few behaviors, such as: Drive less. Walk, bike, carpool, and use public transportation whenever possible.

Take care of cars. Getting

regular tune-ups, changing oil on schedule, and inflating tires to the proper level can improve gas mileage and reduce emissions.

Fuel up during the cooler hours of the day—night or early morning. This prevents gas fumes from heating up and producing ozone. avoid products that release high levels of VOCs. For example, use low-VOC paints. avoid gas-powered yard equipment, like lawn mowers.

Use electric appliances instead.

The credit for the use of the word smog for the first time goes to Dr. henry antoine Des Voeux during 1905. at the Public health Congress meeting, reading a letter entitled Fog and Smoke; Dr. Voeux used the word ‘smog’.

Significantly, London’s newspaper The Daily Graphic wrote in its July 26, 1905 edition that Dr. Voeux had named the combination of smoke and fog as ‘smog’.

F

rieha altaf honors with ‘Leader of industry award in event Management’ at Focus PK 1st Women of Substance Media awards Pakistan’s leading event Management Consultant Frieha altaf has recently bagged the ‘Leader of industry award in event Management’ at 1st Women of Substance Media awards, organized by atiqa Odho’s Focus PK Conference.

The honorable Governor Sindh imran ismail was the chief guest at the event which held last night at Governor house in Karachi.

The gist of the event was to recognize the efforts of courageous women in the field of media who have excelled against all odds. another purpose of the show was to create breast cancer awareness through this platform.

Frieha altaf in a twitter message thanked the jury of Focus PK awards for recognizing her efforts in the field of event management and considered it an honor to be counted among the high achievers of the media industry. “honoured to receive an award 30 Years in eVeNT MaNaGeMeNT! @Focuspk by the fabulous atiqa Odho @atiqaodho2009 among these high achievers,” altaf tweeted.

The other awardees included media industry bigwigs such as Momina Duraid, Sultan Siddiqui, Seema Taher Khan, Maheen Khan, Sheema Kermani, Samina ahmed, Fareshteh aslam, Noor ul huda Shah, Saba Qamar,

Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy and many more.

The pioneer of Pr and event Management business in Pakistan, Freiha altaf, has extensive experience of over 30 years of successfully executing over 3,000 fashion events all across the country. She started her event management career in 1989 by organizing a one-of-its-own kind solo fashion show for renowned fashion designer Maheen Khan. in a diverse career of over three decades, she has successfully managed several fashion events including solo shows for amir adnan, Sana Safinaz, Faiza Samee, Khaddi and many more. her achievement has not only limited to the fashion industry but she has been at the forefront in introducing and promoting new talent, doing new collaborations, bringing sponsorships for book launches, sports events and strengthening the local film industry through vigorous promotional plans.

Frieha altaf was the mastermind behind PTV’s first magazine show, ‘Lux Style ki Dunya’, in the early 90s that changed the whole landscape of the fashion industry in the country. She was a pioneer in doing a beauty reality show, Veet Beauty Contest, which helped numerous aspiring models to show off their talent on national television. altaf was the first television host who did a bridal themed based show, ‘rukstati’ on indus TV. her forte extends to directing and producing with celebrity and model management.

Jesse Eisenberg Never Saw Justice League; Henry Cavill Is Captain Britain In Cool Clueless About Henry Cavill's Mustache MCU Fan Art in a new interview, Lex Luthor actor Jesse eisenberg reveals that he never saw the theatrical release of Justice League, isn't aware of the "Snyder Cut," and never knew about the controversy surrounding the henry Cavill Superman mustache.

Speaking with the Lights, Camera, Pod podcast, Jesse eisenberg is asked if the Snyder Cut of Justice League exists, with eisenberg having no clue.

"Does the Snyder Cut exist?" eisenberg questioned. "Oh, i have no idea. i don't understand... i genuinely don't know. What are you referring to? Like a director's cut? Oh, Justice League.

Oh. Got it. No idea. i have no idea. No clue. Zero." eisenberg does go on to confirm that he was in the post-credit scene, and he thinks some other scenes that he may have been involved with didn't make it into the movie. "i think i was in some other scenes, too," eisenberg said. "i guess they are not in the movie. i guess they turned it into an after the credit scene. But i have no idea, i really wasn't around for that process."

With henry Cavill rumored for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, check out cool fan art of the Superman actor as Captain Britain in the MCU. The fan art comes from apexform on instagram who thinks Captain Britain is the perfect role for Cavill. "henry Cavill as Captain Britain!!!! i think i may have found the perfect role for henry Cavill. if WB and DC, unfortunately, don't want to keep an actor of his caliber than i know Marvel Studios will gladly utilize his talents," the instagram account posted. "and i think he'd be a great Captain Britain. Would you like to see Captain Britain show up in the MCU? and do you think henry Cavill would be a good fit? Sound off in the comments." regarding the Marvel rumor, it has been said that both Cavill and Dwayne Johnson might be Marvel bound, with henry possibly wanted for the role of US agent, though that role might be played by Wyatt russell in the Disney Plus The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series, so perhaps Captain Britain would be available.

CMYK

‘Unmaking history’ opens at Lahore’s prC

An exhibition of 20 artists, titled ‘Unmaking History’ opened at the Research and Publication Centre in Gulberg on Wednesday.

The exhibition explores "... moments of erasure within... embedded systems..."

The event has been curated by Natasha Malik, Laila Rahman and Saher Sohail

Shilpa Shetty soaks some Phuket sun in an infinity pool, husband Raj Kundra says ‘When the water got too hot to handle’ Shilpa Shetty has flown with her family to Phuket for some post Diwali fun. The actor is accompanied by her husband raj Kundra and son Viaan and has been sharing pictures and videos from the scenic location. Shilpa has shared a picture of herself while soaking some sunshine and relaxing in an infinity pool overlooking the beach. She is seen in a blue floral swimsuit with her hair tied in a bun.

Giving a peek into the state of her mind, she wrote in the caption, “in the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you”, says Deepak Chopra. i truly believe in it too! if you can centre yourself and your thoughts even when there’s major chaos around you, that’s when nothing remains impossible. What you can achieve with a calm and composed demeanour, can never be accomplished when you have a reaction to everything that happens around you. Breathe easy and just sometimes, let it go.” #ShilpaKaMantra #SwasthrahoMastraho #SSapp #calm #composure #chaos #meditate #yogisofinstagram #peace #thoughts.”

Thursday, 31 October, 2019

14 SPORTS

Balotelli fails to stop inter going top of serie a MILAN

i

AGENCIES

NTER Milan moved to the top of Serie A with a 2-1 victory over Brescia on Tuesday as Mario Balotelli threatened throughout against his former side. Lautaro Martinez and RomeluLukaku scored either side of half-time as Antonio Conte's team climbed above champions Juventus.

An own goal from Milan Skriniar on 76 minutes gave Brescia hope but the home side remain in 18th place and are without a victory since September 21.

After the game Conte complained about Inter's congested fixture list which has seen his side play four games in nine days.

"Any situation or result is acceptable at that point.

All we can do is thank the players for the spirit they showed to hang in until the end," Conte said. "We are top of the table at this moment with 25 points, but we are pushing the engine to the max all the way and it can't go much longer like this," he added.

Conte made two changes from the side which

drew 2-2 with Parma on Saturday as Dutch international Stefan de Vrij started in the heart of defence.

Eugenio Corini, under mounting pressure as Brescia boss after a bumpy run, brought in four new faces after the weekend defeat at Genoa and included Alfredo Donnarumma up front to partner Balotelli while handing 31-year-old goalkeeper Enrico Alfonso a Serie A debut. The visitors claimed an undeserved lead after 23 minutes as De Vrij won a midfield header against Balotelli.

De Vrij's clearance fell to Martinez outside the Brescia box and his deflected shot hit the left foot of defender Andrea Cistana and lobbed Alfonso.

Three minutes into the second half Balotelli threatened Inter's lead but captain Samir Handanovic was equal to his low drive from outside the area.

Despite Brescia's constant pressure since the break Inter doubled their lead after 63 minutes as Lukaku scored his seventh goal in 10 games this season. The Belgium forward, who joined the Italian club from Manchester United in August, picked up the ball on the right flank and charged forward before curling a shot past Alfonso with his left foot.

PARIS AGENCIES

Messi fit and firing in Barca demolition of Valladolid MADRID: Lionel Messi made it clear he is fit and back to his scintillating best by tearing apart Real Valladolid on Tuesday in a thumping 5-1 victory for Barcelona.

Messi scored another spell-binding freekick at Camp Nou after his sumptuous pass had already teed up Arturo Vidal for Barca's second. He then drove home his second late on before sliding through Luis Suarez to make it five. Yet in truth his two goals and two assists were just the start of it, the defining moments of another mesmeric all-round performance that was dotted with flicks, passes and dribbles, not to mention two humiliating nutmegs.

"I don't know what more I can say," said Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde.

"There were wonders coming out of his foot," said Valladolid's Michel. "You can only applaud and enjoy it." Valladolid had threatened to make a game of it when Kiko Olivas benefitted from a rare MarcAndre terStegen error to equalise, after Clement Lenglet had struck in the second minute. But with Messi in this sort of mood, the result never felt in doubt as victory sent Barcelona back to the top of La Liga, after Atletico Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw by Alaves a couple of hours before. Valverde's side have now won seven consecutive matches in all competitions, a run that began by beating Villarreal on September 24, when Messi returned from injury to make his first start of the season. He has needed time, admitting earlier this month he was still short of sharpness even as goals flew in against Sevilla, Eibar and Slavia Prague.

But this display sent a resounding message that Messi is back to his best even if Valverde feels there is more to come. "He is still getting back to full fitness," Valverde said. "But he is getting better and better." Valladolid were perhaps unfortunate the 32-year-old was fresh after the postponed Clasico on Saturday meant Barcelona and Real Madrid were given the weekend off. It meant this was the first game at Camp Nou since violent protests broke out across Catalonia after nine proindependence leaders were sentenced to imprisonment on October 21. AGENCIES

Daniil Medvedev suffered a shock second-round defeat by French world number 65 Jeremy Chardy at the Paris Masters on Tuesday, ending his bid to reach a seventh straight final, while his fellow Russian Karen Khachanov's title defence met a quick end.

Medvedev, who has climbed to world number four after his brilliant run of form, took the opening set but slipped to a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 loss at Bercy Arena.

"It's a shame. At first, I was angry (after the match) for 10-15 minutes, but afterwards you understand that it's life," said the 23-year-old.

"Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Even though I lost, I can take it as an experience." Chardy, roared on by the home crowd in the French capital, saved nine break points in a dramatic deciding set to book a last-16 clash against either 15th seed John Isner or Chile's Cristian Garin.

Medvedev's run of finals dated back to July, during which he had claimed the Cincinnati and Shanghai Masters titles and lost an epic US Open championship match to Rafael Nadal.

The second set on Tuesday ended a streak of 19 consecutive sets won by Medvedev, while the eventual loss snapped a nine-match winning run.

He appeared in control after breaking in the 10th game to seal the opener, but grew frustrated as Chardy hit back

Balotelli was denied a chance to halve his former side's lead with less than 20 minutes to go as he skied a rebound over the crossbar after Handanovic saved his point-blank header.

Brescia's hopes of denying Inter top spot were boosted with 14 minutes to play.

Dimitri Bisoli was at the end of a tidy one-two with Donnarumma and his shot flicked off Skriniar to make it 2-1 despite Handanovic's best efforts.

Substitute Alessandro Matri should have claimed a point for Brescia during additional time but he failed to control a cross cleanly at the back post.

Earlier on Tuesday, DarkoLazovic's 10th-minute thunderbolt claimed just a third success of the campaign for Verona as they beat Parma 1-0.

Juve can return top on Wednesday with three points over Genoa, who are coming off a win in their first game under new boss Thiago Motta.

Medvedev stunned by Chardy at Paris Masters, Khachanov out

to level. The fourth seed dominated for much of the third, but time and again Chardy held on, staving off three break points in the second game and four more in the fourth.

Medvedev cracked to trail 4-3, and although he carved out another break-

point opportunity as Chardy served for the match, the qualifier recovered to close out victory.

"At the end there everything was shaking, but I had nothing to lose," said Chardy. Earlier on Tuesday, defending champion Khachanov lost 7-6 (7/5), 3-

6, 7-5 to German Jan-Lennard Struff.

Khachanov beat four top-10 players, including Novak Djokovic in the final, to win the 2018 tournament, but was knocked out after an indifferent second-round display this time around.

The early exit ends the world number eight's slim hopes of qualifying for next month's ATP Tour Finals in London. Struff, ranked 36th, will next face either former Bercy winner Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Italian 10th seed Matteo Berrettini in the last 16.

Sixth seed Alexander Zverev boosted his hopes of qualifying for next month's ATP Tour Finals, where he would be the defending champion, by swatting aside Fernando Verdasco 6-1, 6-3. The 22-year-old, who holds the seventh and penultimate qualifying place, thrashed Verdasco in under an hour and will take on either Canadian rising star Denis Shapovalov or Monte Carlo Masters winner Fabio Fognini in the third round. Shapovalov, who won his maiden ATP title in Stockholm a fortnight ago, booked his spot in the second round for the first time when his opponent Gilles Simon retired injured with the opening set level at 2-2 in their match.

Bulgaria to play game behind closed doors, fined after England racism SOFIA AGENCIES

Bulgaria must play their next home game behind closed doors and have been handed a fine of 75,000 euros ($83,000) after racist chanting by supporters

marred their Euro 2020 qualifier against England earlier this month, UEFA said Tuesday.

The disciplinary arm of European football's governing body also ordered Bulgaria to play a second match behind closed doors, but that punishment is suspended for a "probationary period" of two years.

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The punishment means Bulgaria will play their final European Championship qualifier at home to the Czech Republic, on November 17, in an empty stadium.

UEFA also ordered Bulgaria to display a banner with the slogan "No To Racism" at their next two home games. The Bulgarian FA was additionally fined a further 10,000 euros for "causing a disturbance during a national anthem" prior to kick-off of the game in Sofia on October 14, which England won 6-0. The English FA was fined 5,000 euros for the same offence.

The match at the Vasil Levski Stadium was halted twice in the first half due to abuse from sections of the home support, including monkey chants and apparent Nazi salutes. Despite the abuse, the England team opted to complete the match instead of walking off the pitch. "We sincerely hope the disgraceful scenes in Sofia are never repeated," said England's Football Association. "Our priority remains our players, support team and fans and we will do all we can to ensure they never have to endure such circumstances again.

"While we acknowledge UEFA's ruling today, a huge challenge still exists around racism and discrimination in society."

The game was played in a stadium already partially closed after racist incidents during matches against Kosovo and the Czech Republic in June.

"We sincerely hope that the Bulgarian football fans will prove with their behaviour that they have become targets of unwarranted accusations for lack of tolerance and respect to the opposition team," the Bulgarian Football Union said in a statement.

Thursday, 31 October, 2019

SPORTS 15

warner, smith hit fifties to Build on Bowlers' good work as australia seal series BRISBANE

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AGENCIES

T least there were no unwanted records this time.

At least the team total broke through to triple figures. And at least two batsmen made more than 20. Having been thumped by 134 runs on Sunday, these were the only minor improvements for Sri Lanka in the second T20I. Yet again, however, they were emphatically outplayed from the very beginning. A slow start, replete with regular wickets, coalesced into a total of 117 all out by the end of the 19th over. An imperious Australia then flew to their target with nine wickets in hand, and 42 balls remaining.

As had been the case on Sunday, David Warner led Australia with the bat, reeling off 60 not out off 41 balls, while Steven Smith hit 53 not out off 36 in his first international innings on home soil since the ball-tampering ban. But it had been Australia's intense bowling and fielding effort that defined the game, Billy Stanlake [playing in place of the unavailable Mitchell Starc], Pat Cummins, Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa all took two wickets apiece.

Kane Richardson was the only bowler to go wicketless, but it was he and Stanlake, who together set the tone with the new ball, conceding no more than nine from the first

three overs of the innings - the pressure they built also producing the run out of KusalMendis. Although Sri Lanka threatened to break the shackles soon after, with DanushkaGunathilaka hitting a four and an outrageous scooped six in Stanlake's next over, they never really managed to unhook Australia's claws from their flesh. By the end of of the Powerplay, Sri Lanka were 36 for 2 - Stanlake having bowled Gunathilaka in the final over of the field restrictions.

The middle overs were even more difficult for Sri Lanka as, while repeatedly failing to find the boundaries that might defibrillate the innings, they also lost Avishka

ficult as the chase got for Australia.

Smith leapt into T20 mode with successive fours off Nuwan Pradeep in the second over, first sending AUSTRALIA him scorching past 118 FOR 1 (WARNER point, before clip60*, SMITH 53*) BEAT SRI ping him over LANKA 117 (KUSALPERERA midwicket.

Warner did27, ZAMPA 2-20, STANLAKE n't score a boundary in his first ten 2-23) BY NINE balls, but when that WICKETS first one came, also against Pradeep, the fours arrived in a torrent. The fifth over, bowled by WaninduHasaranga, went for 17 runs, as Warner slapped, cut and bludgeoned him for four boundaries, three of which were consecutive. By the Fernando, NiroshanDickwella, time the Powerplay was done, AusKusalPerera and DasunShanaka for tralia were almost halfway there, at 22 runs in the space of 22 deliver- 58 for 1. There were occasional ies. At 6 for 75, they were in serious close calls. Warner could have been danger of falling short even of their run out for 55 in the 11th over had Lakshan Sandakan hit the stumps total of 99, from Sunday.

In the end, some modest contri- direct. Pradeep raised a confident butions from the lower-order bats- lbw shout next over, also against men, who batted with a mix of Warner, but the ball was shown to resignation and desperation, man- have pitched outside leg stump. But aged to push Sri Lanka to a less em- the game had long since slipped by barrassing score. But on a surface Sri Lanka by then.

Australia now go to the third that always seemed full of runs the reason why LasithMalinga match, in Melbourne, having sewn opted to bat first - this was never- up the series - the first time in four attempts they've beaten Sri Lanka theless a glaringly meagre total.

Aaron Finch nicked Malinga in a T20I series at home. Sri down the leg side third ball to depart Lanka's wildly unpredictable year for a duck, but that was about as dif- continues.

SLC 'very positive' about touring Pakistan in December LAHORE AGENCIES

Sri Lanka are likely to become the first team to resume Tests in Pakistan, in December. This time, they appear prepared to send what will be very close to a full-strength team.

Two Sri Lanka Cricket officials described progress on the tour as "very positive". Board CEO Ashley de Silva also said that players even the seniors who had pulled out of the recent limited-overs tour - have "consented" to touring, following internal discussions. The feedback from the senior players themselves is that while one or two have not fully committed to the tour yet, they are all open to being convinced.

The tour does have one, potentially two, significant hurdles to overcome before SLC confirms it. First, it must be approved by the board's executive committee, which is likely to make its decision "in about a week" according to de Silva.

Then, SLC may send another security delegation to sign off on the arrangements. Although the board had commissioned reports on security plans for matches in Karachi and Lahore, ahead of the recent limited-overs series, they had not sent a delegation to Rawalpindi, where one of the Tests is scheduled to be played. Rawalpindi is the Pakistan military's headquarters.

While all SLC officials stressed that the board wanted to be sure of the security arrangements for themselves, de Silva also described the security plans sent over by the Pakistan Cricket Board as "quite convincing".

Although 10 senior Sri Lanka players had withdrawn from the recent limited-overs tour of Pakistan, almost all of those players are also understood to now be satisfied with the security situation. In addition to the reports provided by both boards, positive feedback from the players who did tour Pakistan last month, is understood to have helped win the senior players over.

More than one player did express apprehension about being confined to hotel rooms for the duration of their stay in Pakistan. But they did not believe that to be a substantial enough reason to refuse to tour. If the tour goes ahead as per the PCB's plans, these will be the first Tests played in the country in 10 years. Sri Lanka were also the last team to play Tests there; it was the ambush by terrorists on their team bus in Lahore in March 2009 that effectively ended international cricket in Pakistan. Several members of that team were injured in the attack, with ThilanSamaraweera the most seriously hurt among them, taking a bullet to the thigh. No international cricket was played in Pakistan in the first half of this decade, but cricket has gradually begun to return over the last few years. The return of Test cricket to the country, however, will be the biggest sign that Pakistan is ready to resume normal cricketing relations, instead of having to play their home matches in the UAE.

Pakistan women's cricket team claim t20 series against Bangladesh Pakistan women's cricket team outclassed Bangladesh to win the third and final T20 at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium by 28, claiming the series 3-0. According to a press release, issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the host team won the toss and opted to bat first and made 117 for seven backed by Javeria Khan’s half-century. Khan, who was first to bat, cracked a 48-ball 54, hitting seven fours during her innings. This was her second half-century on the trot after she had scored 52 on Monday. OmaimaSohail also presented a superb performance, scoring 31 runs, including two fours and a six, on 29 balls. From the Bangladesh side, pacer JahanaraAlam presented a splendid game as she took three wickets for 12 runs in four overs, while Rumana Ahmed took two wickets for 19 runs. Anam Amin’s leftarm spin put a dent in Bangladesh’s run-chase from the onset as she bowled Sharmin Akhter and Sanjida Islam in the space of three deliveries in the second over of the visitors’ innings. Bangladesh failed to recover from the early blows as Pakistan tightened their grip over the match.

Anam and debutant Saba Nazir finished with two wickets each for 10 and 22 runs, respectively. The best score in Bangladesh’s run-chase was 30 from 44 balls, which came from Nigar Sultana. With a 26-ball 27, FarganaHoque was the other notable runner. Javeria was awarded player of the match. For scoring 108 runs in three matches at an average of 54, BismahMaroof was named Pakistan player of the series, while JahanaraAlam bagged the Bangladesh player of the series award for taking nine wickets in three matches. NEWS DESK

india v Bangladesh test at eden gardens to Be day-night affair KOLKATA: The BCB has agreed to the BCCI's request for the second Test between India and Bangladesh to be a day-night fixture at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. "I'm pleased to announce that our long-term partner BCB has graciously agreed to play a day-night Test match," BCCI president SouravGanguly, who has spoken about day-night affairs as "a way forward" when it comes to bringing people to the stadiums to watch Test cricket, said in a statement released by the BCCI. "This is the beginning of something special in Indian cricket. It is a priority for the newly elected Office Bearers and members of Apex Council to take Indian cricket forward. The development comes less than a week after Ganguly took charge of the BCCI, and the BCB, despite the Bangladesh cricketers having played almost no daynight multi-day cricket - true of the Indians too - played ball. "I thank the Bangladesh Cricket Board President Nazmul Hassan and his team for accepting our request on such a short notice. I also thank India captain Mr. ViratKohli for his co-operation," Ganguly said. Hassan acknowledged the "very long history of support, co-operation and friendship" between the two boards, saying in the same statement, "Ours is a bond of strength and it is very heartening and reassuring for the BCB to have someone like MrGanguly as BCCI President who has been an integral part of this journey." AGENCIES

Disbelief, shock, outrage: The morning after Shakib Al Hasan's ban DHAKA AGENCIES

Disbelief, outrage and the anticipation of more revelations tumbling out - that summed up the mood in Bangladesh after the two-year ban (one year suspended) on Shakib Al Hasan for not reporting three bookie approaches.

There was plenty of support for the Bangladesh allrounder. After the news became public, social media was inundated with messages backing Shakib, including from his wife, his team-mates, friends, and fans. The day after, newspapers ran front-page headlines while there has been round-the-clock coverage in the news channels.

Bangladesh ODI captain MashrafeMortaza, on his Facebook page, wrote of his shock but also hoped for a strong comeback from his long-time colleague.

"Definitely I will have some sleepless nights seeing the recent incidents of my comrade of 13 years.

But I can also sleep in peace soon knowing full well that he will lead us to the 2023 World Cup. Because the name is ShakibAl Hasan," Mashrafe wrote.

Mushfiqur Rahim, who had gone to the same school and college as Shakib, wrote that he was going to be sad not to have his mate around for the foreseeable future. "Age level.. international... over 18 years of playing cricket together... very sad to even think about playing without you on the field.

Hoping that you come back soon like a champ. You always have my support and whole of Bangladesh.

Stay strong InSha Allah."

On to the newspapers, and Biswajit Roy wrote in The Daily Star, "You have name and fame and yes, you have had also some blunders in terms of discipline in your career. But what was revealed on the 29th October 2019 will remain the subject of be-

musement." Bengali daily KalerKantho, meanwhile, revealed that Tamim Iqbal was also among the seven cricketers that the ICC's anti-corruption unit had spoken to in January this year, as part of their investigation into Deepak Aggarwal, the bookie named in the Shakib files. But Tamim, who had blocked the individual on WhatsApp after being sent a few messages, had immediately reported him to the BCB's anti-cor-

ruption unit, so in January, he was cleared by the ICC's ACU. It is, however, not known who the other five Bangladeshi cricketers are.

At the same time, many average fans on social media questioned the timing of the announcement, especially in light of recent events in Bangladesh cricket, even though the ICC had clearly marked out the timeline of its investigation in its press statement. One post on Facebook said: "Something just does not smell right. I hope BCB had nothing to do with the timing!!". Actor AriqAnam Khan wrote, "So much happened due to a small mistake. I can't believe someone, as experienced as Shakib, can make such an error. I didn't expect this to happen. For nothing he got tainted.

Come back soon Shakib." Shakib led a players' strike from October 21 to 23, which ended when the BCB promised to fulfill all the players' demands.

SHAKIB'S ABSENCE 'WILL WORK AS MOTIVATION FOR US': Named Bangladesh's T20I captain just over an hour after Shakib Al Hasan was banned by the ICC on Tuesday, Mahmudullah has called on his players to "play with our heart" in the three-match series in India. Shakib's absence has weakened an already depleted team further. Tamim Iqbal had earlier opted out of the tour, while Mohammad Saifuddin was sidelined with an injury. Mohammad Mithun, Taijul Islam and Abu Hider have since been brought in as replacements, with Mahmudullah promoted to the leadership role.

Thursday, 31 October, 2019

NEWS

AzAdi mArchers hold power show in lAhore FAZL SAYS AZADI MARCH IS A NATIONAL MOVEMENT, REITERATES DEMAND FOR PM IMRAN’S RESIGNATION

CELLULAR SERVICES PARTIALLY DISRUPTED AMID SPECULATIONS OF GOVT INTENTIONALLY DENYING LIVE COVERAGE TO PROTESTERS

LAHORE

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SHEHBAZ ASSURES FAZL OF ‘COMPLETE COOPERATION’ IN AZADI MARCH AS PROTESTERS DEPART FOR ISLAMABAD Photo: Zubair Mehfooz

SHAHAB OMER

AMIAT Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) Azadi March on Wednesday reached Lahore where party chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman held a massive political gathering at Azadi Chowk.

Addressed a charged crowd of his supporters he had brought along at Yateem Khana Chowk, Fazl said, “Pakistanis, from Karachi to Islamabad, are in agreement that Prime Minister Imran Khan should resign.”

“The premier still has time to ‘respectfully’ submit his resignation,” he said, adding that Pakistanis now would not give him further time to do so.

He said that Azadi March reflects the voice of every oppressed soul in the country. “People from every section of the society have tied their hopes to the march and it has now transformed into a national movement,” he added.

He praised the party workers for being peaceful. “All of you have proved this to be a tranquil march,” he said.

Fazl also prayed for the recovery of former premier Nawaz Sharif and former president Shehbaz Sharif, while calling on the government to “stop the drama”.

“This country has no room for any more dramas. We wish to see them released from behind bars and be among the people,” he added.

Earlier in the day, the Azadi March

was welcomed in Lahore by supporters at Thokar Niaz Baig. Fazl thanked the people of the city for “welcoming them with open hearts”. He also thanked all parties and party workers for coming out for the Azadi March.

“The current rulers have no right to govern,” he said, adding that they should submit their resignation before the march reaches Islamabad.

As the marchers entered Lahore, cellular internet service was partially shut

LHC bars PEMRA from taking action against TV anchorpersons LAHORE STAFF REPORT

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday stopped the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) from taking any “adverse action” against anchorpersons who challenged a recent directive issued by the regulatory body, barring television anchors from giving their “opinions” during talk shows, until further orders.

On Sunday, the electronic media watchdog issued a notification directing the anchors hosting regular shows “not to appear as experts” in talk shows in their own or other channels.

Media houses had also been advised to select the guests in talk shows “with the utmost care and keeping in view of their knowledge and expertise in a particular subject”.

“Participants/invitees should be selected with due care having credibility as fair and unbiased analysts with requisite knowledge/expertise on the subject matter. As per Pemra code of conduct, the role of anchors is to moderate the programmes in an objective, unbiased and impartial manner, excluding themselves from their personal opinions, biases and judgements on any issue. Therefore, anchors hosting exclusive regular shows should not appear in talk shows whether own or other channels as subject matter expert,” the notification had read.

Following the notification, 11 television anchorpersons filed a petition against PEMRA directives in the high court, saying that the directive violated Article 19 of the Constitution, which grants every Pakistan citizen the “right to freedom of speech”.

The order was also in contradiction with Article 9 of the Constitution, which dictates that “no person shall be deprived of life or liberty save in accordance with the law”, the anchorpersons said. They urged the court to

suspend the notification until the issuance of a final verdict in the case.

During the hearing today, PEMRA’s lawyer said that the regulatory body has already issued a clarification on the matter.

He regretted those television anchors “talked about a deal [while] discussing a sub judice case” and added that the LHC did not have the jurisdiction to the hear the case as it can only be heard by the Islamabad High Court.

The high court accepted the petition for hearing and ordered all respondents, including Pemra and the ministry of information, to submit written responses. The hearing was adjourned indefinitely.

The PEMRA notification had also attracted the wrath of the IHC, which issued a contempt of court notice to the regulatory body’s Chairman Saleem Baig a day earlier for using the court’s name to issue strict guidelines to media houses and anchorpersons.

PEMRA, in the notification, had referred to an order passed by the IHC on Oct 26, in the matter of Shahbaz Sharif versus the state, and said that the court had taken cognisance of various speculative TV talk shows whereby anchorpersons, in violation of the code of conduct, tried to malign the judiciary and its decision with mala fide intention. “The court has sought a report of Pemra’s actions on such violations with a reprimand,” the notification had added.

Meanwhile, PEMRA urged all satellite TV licensees to comply with a Lahore accountability court order against programmes “maligning the courts without any basis”.

According to a notification, an order issued by the accountability court on Oct 25, stated that “without legal acumen” politicians and media personnel were involved in maligning the court on television “without any basis”, adding that they “pass comments maligning the courts for their political motives”.

down across the provincial capital after the Punjab government directed the cellular service providers to do so in an apparent bid to stop Azadi March attendants from streaming the rally on social media.

Reportedly, Mobilink completely sus-

pended its internet service while Zong partially shut down the coverage of its mobile internet service.

SHEHBAZ ASSURES ‘COMPLETE COOPERATION’: Fazl also telephoned National Assembly (NA) Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif and inquired after his brother, former premier Nawaz, who secured an 8-week medical bail in Al-Azizia Steel Mills case on Tuesday. Reportedly, Shehbaz assured the JUI-F chief of his “complete cooperation” as the two exchanged views on the Azadi March.

JUI-F’S FEMALE MEMBERS BARRED FROM PARTICIPATION: Meanwhile, JUI-F Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, while speaking to reporters, said women party members have been banned from participating in the ‘Azadi March’.

“Other parties may call in their female members if they wish. There is no restriction on them,” he added.

He further said that women journalists wishing to cover the march are allowed to do so and denied knowledge of a female reporter in Karachi being prevented from reporting on it.

The rally, which kicked-off on Sunday from Karachi’s Sohrab Goth area, has largely remained peaceful as the law enforcement agencies have avoided any conflict with the protesters following the government’s decision to let the protest proceed “as long as parameters laid out by courts for lawful protest are not breached”.

India to divide Kashmir on Oct 31 amid harsh security clampdown, protests SRINAGAR AGENCIES

India will formally split up occupied Jammu and Kashmir into two federal territories on Thursday, aiming to tighten its grip on the restive region that has been in the grip of a harsh security clampdown for nearly three months now.

Street protests against the measures have erupted sporadically, while a dozen people have been killed in recent weeks.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Hindu nationalist government withdrew occupied Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status through a presidential decree 0n Aug 5 and announced its division into two territories to be directly ruled from New Delhi — one consisting of Jammu and Kashmir and the other the remote Buddhist enclave of Ladakh.

It merits a mention here that the Ladakh region is also disputed between India and China as former claims Aksai Chin, part of the Ladakh region and a border area between the two countries. The two

HELD VALLEY TO BE DIVIDED INTO TWO UNION TERRITORIES neighbors fought a brief war in 1962 in the disputed region.

China opposes India’s decision to annex Kashmir which, it categorically says, “undermines its territorial sovereignty”. “India’s action [to annex held Kashmir valley] is unacceptable and would not have any legal effect,” a spokesperson for Chinese foreign ministry said following the Aug 5 decision.

Following the presidential order, India poured thousands of more troops into the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley where Kashmiris have been fighting against Indian rule for decades and made sweeping arrests to prevent any outbreak of violence.

On Tuesday, Indian officials said five construction workers who had come to work from eastern India were shot dead, adding that

the killings appeared to be part of a campaign to deter outsiders from working in occupied Kashmir.

Crowds have also been gathering this week in the streets of Srinagar, the biggest city in occupied Kashmir, and elsewhere, throwing stones at security forces in protest against the continuing clampdown.

Dozens of clashes erupted in the valley a day earlier, officials confirmed, as a delegation of mostly far-right European lawmakers paid a contentious visit to the restive region.

NEW TERRITORIES: On Thursday, G.C. Murmu, a former bureaucrat from Modi’s home state of Gujarat, will be sworn in as the first lieutenant governor of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the government said.

Another former civil servant, Radha Krishna Mathur, will take office as the lieutenant governor of Ladakh, the Buddhist-dominated high altitude region that has long sought to disentangle itself from Kashmir, on grounds that the turmoil there had hurt its own growth prospects.

Firdous Ashiq gets contempt notice for criticising judiciary ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad High Court (IHC) bench on Wednesday issued contempt of court notice to Special Assistant to PM on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan for “criticising the institution of judiciary”.

The show-cause notice, issued under Section 3 of Contempt of Court Ordinance 2003, said that Awan maligned the IHC while saying that hearing of a petition on the release of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif

was “a special dispensation”.

The court directed Awan to appear in person on Nov 1 at 9:00 am to explain as to why she should not be proceeded under the contempt law.

The notice calls to attention that Awan while holding a press conference, “criticised the judiciary” and stated that bail granting the order to Nawaz Sharif will “open a floodgate of similar requests by prisoners suffering from various diseases”.

“That you while maligning the

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

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honourable courts went on to say that the case of the accused was heard during the evening ‘as a special dispensation’ […] that you as a Special Assistant to the Prime Minister and Spokesperson of the Federal Government made an attempt to scandalise the court in the eyes of the public, thereby, tried to lower the esteem of the judiciary,” adds the notice, which does not mention the date of the press conference in question. STAFF REPORT