E paper pdf 5th november (isb)

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5 November, 2017 I Safar-ul-Muzaffar 15, 1439 I Rs 27.00 I Vol VIII No 127 I 156 Pages I Islamabad Edition

LIvINg oN BoRRoweD tIMe?

PML-N waNts PPP to joiN haNds for a sharif cause g

Abbasi, Shehbaz discuss country’s political situation in London meeting

NAtIoNAL ASSeMBLy Set to tAke uP two cRucIAL BILLS AIMeD At SHAPINg ex-PM’S DeStINy ISLAMABAD

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MIAN ABRAR

AkIStAN Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is making last-ditch efforts to win the support of the Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) over very important legislation that will shape up the political future of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. However, the PPP is reluctant to respond. “though the PML-N has been trying to cut a deal with the PPP, there is no breakthrough yet. But mutual friends are making contacts and a breakthrough may arrive soon,” said a source within the ruling party on condition of anonymity. the PPP lawmaker and senator, Farhatullah Babar, told Pakistan today that “there is no contact between the PML-N and the PPP for supporting the 24th constitutional (Amendment) Bill”.

NAWAZ-LED HUDDLE REVIEWS SITUATION AHEAD OF AMENDMENT Ahead of the 24th constitutional (Amendment) Bill being tabled in the lower house, a PML-N huddle took place in jati umra with Nawaz Sharif in the chair.

During the meeting, the former premier also expressed concerns over factions within the party, and discussed a strategy to overcome these fissures. the meeting also decided to hold a rally in context with imminent general elections on November 12 in Abbottabad.

BILLS TO BE TABLED IN NA the National Assembly, in its ongoing session, is all set to take up the two crucial bills— an opposition-led bill seeking to amend Article 203 of the constitution and the PML-N-led 24th constitutional (Amendment) Bill. the NA secretary has provided copies of the constitution (twenty-Fourth Amendment) Bill, 2016, to the members of the house, informing them that the bill was to

be tabled in the current session.

Moreover, the opposition bill to amend Article 203 is also set to be taken up at the National Assembly, which seeks to bar any citizen to become a member or party chief of a political party who has been already termed ineligible or disqualified by any court of law.

Nevertheless, the Pakistan tehreeke-Insaf (PtI) reacted strongly to the bill, describing it as a bid to ease pressure on Sharif. talking to Pakistan today, Pakistan tehreek-e-Insaf (PtI) senior leader Dr Arif Alvi confirmed that the 24th Amendment Bill was being tabled. “yes, Secretary National Assembly has provided us copies of the Bill and also informed this bill is being tabled in current session,” he said.

Asked what would be strategy of his party, Alvi said that the PtI believed that the bill was ill-timed and aimed at clipping the powers of the judiciary. He said that the bill was person-specific as Nawaz Sharif’s corruption had been caught by the court. when asked whether the bill had a retrospective or prospective effects, Alvi said that the government had put an amendment that the aggrieved party could file an appeal in any verdict, in any case, decided on a petition under article 184/3 within three months’ time. He said that this bill could be tailored for a retrospective effect. “even its time limit could be omitted too. So if this bill is principally approved, the government may amend it again in next session to exclude the time limit. So this is a dangerous move (to clip wings of judiciary),” he maintained.

He said that under this Article 184/3, the courts may take up the issues of fundamental rights even if the matter is timebarred. So even if anyone does not appear in a court and the matter is timebarred, the court still may decide the

matter under this law.

Arif Alvi said that the ruling party was hell bent to amend each and every law to save the corruption money of Nawaz Sharif.

WHAT IS 24TH AMENDMENT BILL? National Assembly Standing committee on Law and justice in january this year passed the constitution (twentyFourth Amendment) Bill, 2016. the bill seeks provision of right to appeal to an aggrieved party against a suo motu order under Article 184 (3) of the constitution in the apex court. the members of opposition parties including PtI, PPP and jamaat-e-Islami (jI) had opposed the Bill. the bill proposes new clauses to Article 184 of the constitution. According to the Bill, the new clauses are “(4) any person aggrieved by an order passed by the Supreme court under clause (3) may, within thirty days of the passing of such order, prefer an appeal to the Supreme court.” “An appeal preferred under clause (4) shall be heard by a bench larger than the bench, which had passed the order appeal,” says the Bill, moved by Minister for Law, justice Zahid Hamid.

Farhatullah Babar told Pakistan today that though the PPP had been supporting legislation for striking balance to unbridled powers given to judiciary under Article 184/3. However, the timing of tabling the bill was not right, he added. “the party in recent past has said that the bill is illtimed. But we would take a decision on the bill when and if it is tabled,” he added. “when there were rumours that the bill was being tabled, the party had viewed that as ill-timed. Perhaps there was an intention to clip the wings of the judiciary as Nawaz Sharif sahib was in a tight spot during the proceedings of the Panama Papers case. However, once the bill is tabled, the Party would take a decision,” he added.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 03

STORY ON PAGE 02

Maryam not named in Dawn Leaks, court decisions should be respected: Nisar STORY ON PAGE 03

New Delhi asked to probe 2,080 mass graves in Occupied Kashmir STORY ON PAGE 02

British govt moves to remove anti-Pakistan ads from London cabs STORY ON PAGE 02

US strikes caused at least 13 civilian casualties: Afghan officials STORY ON PAGE 03

LEBANON PM HARIRI RESIgNS, cITINg THREATS TO HIS LIFE

STORY ON PAGE 06

Imran says Abbasi ‘weakest prime 45 days minister’ he has ever seen before

complete restoration of power supply: Awais Leghari STORY ON PAGE 02

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SAyS PuNjAB govt DoINg NotHINg to ADDReSS SMog ISSue STORY ON PAGE 03

Police registers FIR against journalist Hamid Mir STORY ON PAGE 03 CMYK

02 NEWS

Sunday, 5 November, 2017

BrItIsh govt moves to remove aNtIPakIstaN aDs from loNDoN caBs

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HE British government has taken action to remove antiPakistan advertisements from London cabs after the Pakistani government raised the issue with British authorities.

The Pakistani High Commission had taken up the issue with Transport For London (TFL) after a few iconic cabs were spotted carrying ‘Free Balochistan’ slogans in parts of Zone 1 & 2 in Central London, while Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua had summoned British High Commissioner Thomas Drew at the Foreign Office on Friday to convey Islamabad’s concern over the

slogans seen on some cabs in London.

According to the Foreign Office, Drew was told that the propaganda against Pakistan’s territorial sovereignty would not be tolerated. The issue was raised with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office by Pakistan’s High Commissioner to England Syed Ibne Abbas as well.

The campaign is being run by a group calling itself World Baloch Organisation (WBO). According to reports, the London campaign is similar to the one conducted in Geneva last month by an outfit called ‘Baluchistan House’ which ran an expensive campaign across the transport networks of the city. High

DIDN’t lIke the way JINNah was ‘worshIPPeD’, DINa waDIa tolD JourNalIst Dina Wadia had said in an interview with BBC that she didn’t like the way her father— Muhammad Ali Jinnah—was “worshipped”, while talking about Jinnah’s reputation, and the manner in which he is commemorated across Pakistan. Speaking about her decision of not residing in Pakistan, Wadia had said that Bombay (Mumbai) was her city – though she spent long periods in London as well as New York. She went to Pakistan for her father’s funeral in 1948, and twice more to visit her Aunt Fatima, Jinnah’s sister. She said that she had been invited many times, by Benazir Bhutto and others, but had persistently refused – she didn’t want to be used as a mascot. She complained of leaders who had “robbed” the country and warned that democracy hadn’t flourished in any Muslim country. Sharing independence-era memories, she said that Jinnah liked Gandhi; she said that Sardar Patel was “straight”; but she regarded Nehru as easily flattered and not her father’s equal; while Mountbatten, she said, was simply “untrustworthy”. During the interview, she also spoke of her pride in Jinnah. Yes, they had quarreled over her marriage to Neville Wadia – who was born a Parsi but converted to Christianity – but they made it up, and often spoke and wrote to each other. She said her father rang her from Delhi to say “We’ve got it!” when he won the Muslim League’s demand for Pakistan. NeWS DeSK

Police unable to identify Noorani’s attackers ISLAMABAD: Inspector General of Police Islamabad Khalid Khattak said on Saturday that closed circuit television (CCTV) footage of the attack on senior journalist Ahmed Noorani does not show the faces of the assailants clearly but the probe has revealed that four men riding on two motorcycles had followed the journalist’s car from Rawalpindi and attacked him near Zero Point. While briefing the Senate’s Standing Committee on Interior at Parliament House, Khattak said that Noorani’s case presented a challenge for the police but they are working hard to solve it. He said geofences were being set up in the area where the attack took place. Geofencing would create a virtual geographic boundary, enabling software to trigger a response when a mobile device enters or leaves the area.The assault on Noorani took place on the federal capital’s Khayaban-e-Suharwardy Road. His car was stopped near Zero Point Interchange while he was on his way home to Islamabad from Rawalpindi. The attackers severely beat up Noorani and his driver with iron rods after throwing out the keys from the car’s ignition. Staff RePoRt

Commissioner Abbas told a media outfit that Transport for London had ordered the removal of the offensive ads from London cabs immediately after the matter was brought to their notice.

“TFL has confirmed that it has initiated an enquiry into the matter and has also assured us that it will take disciplinary action against the perpetrators of this malicious campaign,” he said.

A TFL spokesman said that it had received a complaint from the Pakistani government and that an enquiry has been initiated.

It’s understood that Pakistani authorities told TFL that its own rules on

advertisements were violated.

The TFL rules state that its licensed public carriers cannot be used for political purposes and their license was only for commercial and business purposes. TFL receives adverts from various commercial agencies and in this instance, a Baloch exiled leader paid the advertising agency to book the political campaign.

The spokesman said that TFL has appointed an enforcement officer who will ensure that the offensive slogans are removed and that the drivers not obliging the rules will be suspended from work.NeWS DeSK

New Delhi asked to probe 2,080 mass graves in Occupied Kashmir India’s human rights commission has asked New Delhi to investigate at least 2,080 unmarked mass graves discovered in border areas of the Indian-held Kashmir region, Al-Jazeera said in a report on Saturday.

The Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP), a human rights group in Kashmir, told the commission there were 3,844 unmarked graves – 2,717 in Poonch and 1,127 in Rajouri, that lie along the Line of Control (LoC) dividing the disputed territory between Pakistan and India. The commission, in response, acknowledged the presence of 2,080 unmarked graves and asked the Indian government for a comprehensive probe to be completed in six months, including DNA tests of the bodies to compare it with family members of the disappeared.

In 2011, the commission directed India to investigate the mass graves. At the time, a special team from the commission said 2,730 unidentified bodies were buried in 38 sites across northern Kashmir. “The commission has no

hesitation to issue the same directions, which were already issued in the case,” the recent order said. APDP maintains that 8,000 people have disappeared and accuses Indian forces of staging gun battles to cover up killings. The association welcomed the commission’s latest demand to investigate mass graves in Indian-held Kashmir.

“It is an acknowledgment from the institution that is run by the government. It provides further legal remedies for the family members of missing,” Khurram Parvez from APDP said. “We have been demanding that there be an independent commission to do a credible probe on the mass graves.” Parvez said the probe might give an ‘answer’ to families of disappeared who do not know whether their relatives are dead or alive. “We have done a study of 53 cases for a report where the bodies were exhumed from unidentified graves. It was found that 49 bodies in the graves were of civilians and one was a local militant, three bodies were unidentified. These people were dubbed as foreign militants by

the government,” he added.

Since 2011, instead of complying with directions from the human rights commission, the government continues to avoid such an investigation on the pretext it would lead to a “law and order problem” in Kashmir, APDP said in a statement. The European Parliament adopted a resolution in July 2008 and called on India to ensure independent and impartial investigations into all mass graves, APDP said. Officials contacted, however, declined to comment on Friday.

Tahira Begum, 39, from Baramulla whose husband disappeared in 2002, said if the Indian government investigates the graves it would provide “emotional closure” to family members. “We want to know whether our family members are buried in these graves. At least, we will get an address to mourn,” she said. Tahira said she had to leave her three sons in an orphanage after her husband disappeared. “My kids would run from school and ask me where their father is. NeWS DeSK

Abbasi, Shehbaz discuss country’s political situation in London meeting LONDON INP

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi met with Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif and held discussions on important political matters in London on Saturday. According to a report, the Punjab chief minister extended his London stay to hold the meeting and will return to Pakistan on Sunday.

The prime minister arrived here on Friday afternoon to attend “Future of Pakistan 2017” conference where he will make a keynote speech on the country, while Shehbaz was in Londonto attend the high-level party meeting held last Sunday. The high-

Pakistan ready to help, cooperate with Afghanistan to restore peace: Dastagir ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Defence Engr Khurram Dastagir Khan has said that Pakistan is ready to help and cooperate with Afghanistan to restore peace in the war-torn country. According to Radio Pakistan, Khurram Dastagir Khan said that Pakistan wants peace in

level huddle of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in London decided on Monday that if victorious in next year’s general elections, Shehbaz will be the party’s prime ministerial candidate.

Afghanistan; however, all issues should be resolved through dialogue process. The defence minister said the incumbent government is making all-out efforts to completely wipe out terrorism from the country and region. He said Pakistan had been fighting a successful war against terrorism and rendered supreme sacrifices in that regard. He said when the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) came into power in 2013, the country was facing several issues, including energy shortage, terrorism and others, but today’s Pakistan is much better and developed. INP

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‘45 days before complete restoration of power supply’ ISLAMABAD: The power supply situation, which has been adversely affected by smog in Punjab, is expected to fully recover in the next one and a half months, State Minister for Water and Power Awais Leghari said on Saturday. The statement comes after a major threat of power outages across the whole country became apparent after the closure of several power plants due to the weather situation in Punjab. According to a statement released by the power division on Nov 3, the smog which has engulfed major portions of Punjab, led to the tripping of 11 grid stations, each with a distributing capacity of either 200 or 500KV. The repeated tripping in the national grid also led to the forced closure of all Chashma nuclear power plants, halting the supply of 1,200 MW electricity as per the security protocols. As per the power division’s disclosure, the power plants were expected to take up to 72 hours of maintenance work and technical support for their reactivation. However, according to the latest statement by the power minister, complete restoration of electricity in the country could take up to 45 days. Meanwhile, the power division has directed the National Power Control Centre (NPCC) to chalk-out a well-managed emergency load management plan till the restoration of the 1200 MW nuclear power plants. INP

‘Institutions should respect each other’ KARACHI: Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani on Saturday said that every institution of the country should work in accordance with the constitutional limits.

“Constitution should be supreme over all the institutions and should be respected,” Rabbani told reporters after addressing a seminar at the National Institute of Management. He advised state institutions not to interfere in each other’s domains.

Rabbani said that unconstitutional moves will hinder the implementation of the 18th Amendment and it was because of this that “currently nothing is going right in the country”. He commented that the 18th Amendment stood as a barrier against martial law in the country and that it was unfortunate that a military dictator General Pervez Musharraf ran away from the country and the state could not bring him to justice. Staff RePoRt

India, Pakistan relations depend on resolution of Kashmir issue: PM LONDON: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said on Saturday that civil-military relations in Pakistan were evolving, adding that it was nothing to be worried about as it’s an evolving relationship in every democracy. He was speaking at London School of Economics as part of LSE Future of Pakistan Conference. Regarding Pakistan’s relations with India, the prime minister said that the relations between the two countries cannot improve till the Kashmir issue is resolved. “Talks are the only way forward, without talks no quantum change is possible,” he added. On Nawaz Sharif’s disqualification, he said that “judiciary recently took a step; it removed the sitting prime minister. We accepted the verdict, the prime minister left office.” However, he continued, “We have left it to history to judge whether history accepts the judgement or not,” adding that the majority of the people were not happy with the verdict. Weighing in on the narrative surrounding ‘independent Kashmir’, Abbasi remarked that “the idea is often floated around but has no reality.”

There is no support for the independent Kashmir demand, he claimed. “The people of Kashmir should be given the right to self-determination.” Discussing the tenure PML-N government, he remarked that all that institutions have improved since 2013. “A majority of loans have been spent on improving country’s infrastructure,” he said, adding “we are taking steps to control Pakistan’s deficit.” NeWS DeSK

Sunday, 5 November, 2017

NEWS

03

ImraN says aBBasI 'weakest PrIme mINIster' he has ever seeN KHANeWAL

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Staff RePoRt

AKISTAN Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan went on another tirade against the government during his rally in Khanewal on Saturday, calling Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi the “weakest prime minister” he had ever seen.

"I have not seen a weaker prime minister than you Shahid Abbasi," Imran said. "You are the biggest coward I have come across.

Show some courage and utilise the opportunities which God has afforded you to do the right thing," he added.

PTI supremo lambasted PM Abbasi for “not taking a stand against corruption”

within his own party. He also lashed out at former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for the latter’s rejection of the “minus-one” formula, even though five Supreme Court judges had decided to disqualify him from holding public office. Commenting on the Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) recent decision to discontinue its flights to New York, the PTI chief said that PIA had once been a top airline of the world, whereas now it was ‘simply disappointing’.

He said that Pakistan is blessed with fertile soil, coal and copper reserves, 12 seasons and many other blessings. What it needs now are only stronger institutions to prosper, he said, adding that the Pakistani nation had woken up now and had had enough. He said that the country’s position

had been worsening as “criminals” continued their rule, adding that his party would make the world respect Pakistan.

"We will improve our civil service, create an investor-friendly environment, and use meritocracy as the basis of employment to develop Pakistan as a nation and economy," Imran told the rally's attendees.

He said that minorities will be given equal rights under PTI’s rule, as per Quaide-Azam’s vision, and that it would set an example for the world to follow.

Talking about environmental issues, Khan said that he had never before seen such levels of smog as had engulfed Lahore this year, which was making many people fall ill. He said that the Punjab government was doing nothing to address the issue. He

Merchant accuses Vohra of joining PSP to influence money-laundering probe LONDON aGeNCIeS

Sarfraz Merchant, a former associate of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chairman Altaf Hussain has alleged that Karachi Deputy Mayor Arshad Vohra, who switched over his loyalties to Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) a few days back, was involved in money-laundering for the MQM and Scotland Yard had repeatedly sent him requests to visit London for interviews which he ignored and refrained from entering London while the investigation was ongoing.

He further claimed that Farooq Sattar and some leaders of PSP are still in contact with the MQM-London.

According to Merchant, Vohra had sought shelter with the PSP to get relief in the money-laundering FIR that has been registered by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Karachi on his complaint. He said, “It’s unethical that Vohra has jumped ship and seeking to

PML-N wants PPP to join hands for a Sharif cause cONtINUeD frOM pAge 01 Asked why the PPP had vowed to support this bill in the past, Farhatullah Babar said that the PPP supported the idea long before the Panama case was heard. Babar said, “We principally used to raise the issue in the parliament that the unbridled powers to the court under suo motu should be amended and there was a need to strike a balance”, adding “we will ponder the motives behind the bill along with a focus on its language.”

He said the Supreme Court had taken up the Panama Papers case against Nawaz Sharif under Article 184/3 of the Constitution which deals with the court’s suo motu powers. “We had said that we will read the language of the bill whether the effect of the legislation is retrospective or prospective.

OPPOSITION’S BILL SET TO BE TABLED IN NA: On the other bill, there was no indication when the bill was being tabled. The bill has already been passed by the Senate where the opposition enjoyed majority.

Now the bill would automatically be tabled in the NA. Regarding the bill, Babar said that “we will definitely evolve a strategy along with other opposition parties to get this bill passed by the National Assembly”. Asked whether there was any chance for the number-weak opposition to get the bill through NA where the ruling party enjoyed a comfortable majority, Babar said there is definitely a chance, as “the ruling party lawmakers don’t take interest in the legislation and most of the time there is a lack of quorum”.

Even the government failed to maintain quorum on very important bills. So there is a chance,” he concluded.

get ‘dry-cleaned’ to subvert the course of justice. This happened after I registered the FIR.” Sarfraz who divides his time between London and Karachi said that money transferred to the UK either by banks or Khidmat-e-Khalq Foundation (KKF) was generated from the bank account of Arshad Vohra and bank statements serve as proof.

Merchant said that he has provided all the necessary evidence to the FIA and that is the basis of the investigation.

He further alleged said that several MQM-Pakistan leaders were involved in money-laundering and used their personal bank accounts for this purpose. He claimed that the transfer of money continued after the MQM founder’s August 22 speech last year. He said bills of London office and fees of lawyers were being paid from Pakistan.

Farooq Sattar was also in the list of those involved in sending money to London. However, Sattar has denied the allegation in a press conference but

agreed that Vohra quit MQM after the FIR was registered.

Sarfraz Merchant said he was the only one who challenged British courts over his arrest in the money-laundering case linked to the MQM founder.

“My hands were clean. I challenged Scotland Yard in court for being arrested on money-laundering suspicion.

I spent thousands of pounds to take police to the court to prove that I have been wrongly accused of a crime which I did not commit. I also disclosed the truth that was related to the economy and security of Pakistan before courts.

I was cleared by the police because my money was clean,” he said.

Furthermore, Merchant regretted donating money to MQM. “I have been involved with the MQM, and I have been donating money to the MQM, but I admit that publicly and I am regretful.

I was living under illusions at that time and what I did was wrong, but I am not trying to dry-clean myself.”

said that the PTI had planted one billion trees in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) to purify the air, and that they would do the same throughout Pakistan if they were given the chance. In a party leaders’ meeting held earlier, it was suggested to Imran Khan to bring the government’s poor performance to public notice through a mass movement.

The proposed mass movement will be against the federal and provincial governments, except KP. Sources reveal that PTI is in contact with opposition parties, including Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q), over the prospect of joining PTI in its mass movement, which will be directed mostly PML-N and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

The movement will call out slogans of

“go Nawaz go” and “go Zardari go” to pave way for a boycott against PML-N and PPP in the next general elections. The movement will also seek to highlight the Panama Leaks case and the alleged corruption by Zardari and other political leaders.

Maryam not named in Dawn Leaks, court decisions should be respected: Nisar ISLAMABAD: Former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Saturday that court decisions should be respected and that politics of opposition should stop.

Addressing the media in Taxila, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader said, “I am loyal to my party and will always remain so”. He then went on to say that there were no allegations against Maryam Nawaz in the Dawn Leaks report, which he said should be made public. He added that party decisions should be taken consensually to avoid misunderstanding and conflict within the party. “Even though I am not currently in power, my party is. I cannot offer criticism on the government since I am not holding office,” he said. He said that there should not be clashes between state institutions, adding that this was bad not only for the country, but also for democracy and Nawaz Sharif himself. “It is part of our oath to not criticise the institutions,” he said.

“I would like to believe that the courts are deciding on the facts of the case presented before them,” he said. Staff RePoRt

Dar discharged from London hospital LONDON: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, who has been undergoing regular checkups at West London Hospital over the past week and who, it was speculated, might have to undergo an angioplasty, was discharged from the hospital on Saturday. Doctors at the hospital have advised complete rest to Dar. He is expected to undergo another checkup next week, sources reported. The minister’s son Ali Dar and other family members are also with Dar in London to look after him. On Thursday, an accountability court rejected a fresh application from Dar asking to be exempted from court proceedings. The court maintained his bailable arrest warrants in a corruption reference filed against him by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for owning assets beyond his means. It also endorsed NAB’s request to freeze Dar’s assets and properties based in Pakistan. Staff RePoRt

US STRIKES CAUSED AT LEAST 13 CIVILIAN CASUALTIES: AFGHAN OFFICIALS KUNDUZ aGeNCIeS

Airstrikes carried out by the American military killed at least 13 civilians on Saturday in the northern Afghan province of Kunduz, according to residents and officials in the area, a difficult battleground for both Afghan and American forces.

The airstrikes took place in the Chardara district, where Afghan commandos, often advised by the American military and supported by United States air power, had been carrying out operations for several days.

After overnight airstrikes against the Taliban, several residents said the fighters forced them in the morning to help them retrieve the bodies of their fighters from the rubble, at which point the airstrikes resumed.

Capt. Tom Gresback, a spokesman for the United States military in Afghanistan, said they were aware of the

claims and were looking into them.

Ahmad Saved Salem, a spokesman for the Afghan commandos, denied any civilians had been killed in their operations and said that American airstrikes had killed 25 Taliban fighters.

“Over the past three days of our operations in the village, we haven’t seen a single civilian,” Mr. Saleem said. “We have video of the eight people killed in the morning strikes, and all of them were armed.”

Afghan and American forces have struggled to clear the city of Kunduz and the surrounding area after the Taliban briefly overran the city twice in the past two years.

Following the first fall of the city, in 2015, American gunships mistakenly targeted the Doctors Without Borders hospital in the province, killing 42 people and destroying much of the hospital.

Then, last year, American aircraft were involved in another deadly episode in-

volving civilians, killing 33.

American airstrikes have more than doubled since President Trump announced in August a new strategy for Afghanistan. According to the United States Air Force, American aircraft dropped about 900 munitions in August and September, compared to about 260 for the same period last year.

Afghan officials have praised the strikes, saying they have helped fend off Taliban advances and decreased the risk that militants would take over cities and districts, but others have said the civilian toll from the airstrikes is unacceptably high.

Residents of Gharaw Qishlaq, a village in the Chardara district, said heavy fighting between the Taliban and Afghan commandos had continued for days, and Taliban targets in the village had been struck repeatedly.

“At night, they bombed many times in our area,” said Abdul Qayoum, a tailor

in the village who lost three cousins in the airstrikes. “In the morning, after prayer, people got out to see what happened. My dad went, but I didn’t go.

Then we heard another strike. When I came out, I saw people carrying bodies on carts.”

Haji Mahmoud, a resident, said the Taliban forced people in the village to retrieve the bodies of militants who had been killed the night before.

“They told us, and we had to, particularly when they said we are all Muslims and we can’t leave bodies lying out there,” he said. “I saw three Taliban bodies. When the boys were trying to dig up those bodies, the plane struck again.

Thirteen people were killed. I am wounded in my head and my arm.”

In a separate development in Kabul, a court sentenced seven bodyguards for the country’s vice president, Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum, to eight years in prison for abducting and raping a political rival.

Police register FIR against journalist Hamid Mir ISLAMABAD Staff RePoRt

A First Information Report (FIR) was filed on Saturday against journalist Hamid Mir over charges of murder at Ramna police station, sources have revealed. The FIR was filed by the widow of late Khalid Khawaja. According to the FIR, Hamid

Mir and Usman Punjabi, with the help of gangsters, kidnapped Khawaja from his home in sector G-10/2 on March 24, 2010, and transported him to North Waziristan. It further says that Khawaja was murdered by gunfire on April 30, 2010, at Karam Kot. His dead body was thrown away and was later brought back to Islamabad by his family, the FIR states.

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Khawaja was a former employee at a sensitive agency. He was murdered seven years ago. Earlier this week, the Islamabad High Court had issued directives to register a case against anchorperson Hamid Mir and Usman Punjabi for the murder of Khalid Khawaja.

According to reports, Mir has been charged under sections 302 and 365.

04 NEWS

Sunday, 5 November, 2017

Elections may face delay, if constituencies delimitation law not passed: railways minister ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique said on Saturday that the general elections 2018 may have to be delayed if the law for fresh delimitation of constituencies was not passed. Election authorities have warned the government that they would not be able to conduct elections on time unless the parliament amends the constitutional clause regarding delimitation of constituencies by the November 10 deadline. Speaking to media representatives in Jati Umra, the railways minister said, “Our party is aware of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s agenda but Asif Ali Zardari is working on an unknown agenda.” He criticised the holding of public rallies (jalsas) by political parties, saying that the holders of such rallies are in a hurry. “Public rallies should be conducted later. Right now, people should work on electoral reforms which will lead to general elections being held on time,” he said, adding that Imran Khan and Zardari should support PML-N in bringing the important constitutional amendment before they went for public meetings. Speaking about Nawaz Sharif’s appearance before court, he said that the former prime minister returned to Pakistan despite reservations, since there was no question about not appearing before courts. Sharif had to leave his ailing wife in order to fulfil his responsibilities to the country, he added.

Customs seize 80,000 more mobiles in Karachi KARACHI STAFF REPORT

The Customs Intelligence Department on Saturday confiscated another consignment of 80,000 Q-Mobiles from a house in Defence Phase-7, along with the arrest of five accused, the sources informed Pakistan Today. “The 80,000 mobiles phones were stashed in a DHA bungalow,” the official said, adding further investigations are underway to locate the 3rd container. Earlier, the department had claimed that they had confirmed reports regarding three containers of QMobiles phone, which were smuggled into Karachi without paying customs duties. On Thursday, the customs authorities had confiscated a shipment of 64,000 Q-Mobile phones worth Rs 350 million imported by Digicom Trading Pvt Ltd. Earlier, the authorities found one container in Saddar, Karachi that contained 64,000 mobile phones/tablets of Q-Mobile. On a tip-off by the arrested person, the source claimed that the authorities confiscated another consignment of 80,000 Q-Mobile phones from the aforementioned DHA location. The remaining container was still being traced out, and this consignment reportedly has been imported from Jebel Ali, UAE, by Digicom and was cleared by Karachi International Container Terminal (KICT), the official said.

EXTERNAL THREATS SHOULD BE TACKLED WITH UNITy: AHSAN THE MINISTER SAYS PML-N TURNED AROUND COUNTRY’S ECONOMY LAHORE

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STAFF REPORT

NTERIOR Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Saturday said that in the face of “extreme external challenges”, the only way forward for Pakistan is to maintain internal unity.

Talking to private TV channel in an interview, the interior minister said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is trying its level best to stabilize the country, adding any internal destabilization will be granting the enemy’s wishes," he stressed.

Ahsan said the problems of the country cannot be solved by just one political party, leader or institution; anyone who claims of solving the country’s problems singlehandedly is in need of introspection.

Commenting on the PML-N right to choose its chief, the minister said only the PML-N and the voters have to right to choose the party president, adding the Supreme Court or any other institution doesn’t have the right to select a party’s leader.

Alluding to the Panama Case judgement in which the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was compared to the ‘Godfather’, Ahsan said “godfathers or mafia” don't appear before the accountability courts.

Showing his full trust in Nawaz, Ahsan said no one can match the po-

litical acumen of the ex-PM and also termed his leadership really important regarding the problems being faced by Pakistan.

In response to a question about martial law, the interior minister said that he doesn't think that there is any possibility of a martial law administrator's decision to dismiss the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan.

"I completely reject the possibility of martial law administration in Pakistan because this decision would be a decision against our motherland," Iqbal said. "Our military establishment has a clear stance on the same."

Earlier in the day, Ahsan Iqbal said that Pakistan, despite all hurdles, was rapidly moving ahead towards the goal of economic development and political stability.

He said the PML-N government was fulfilling its all promises made with the public including raising their living standard besides overcoming the energy crisis.

Addressing the participants after inaugurating the NADRA office in Narowal, the minister said the PMLN had won the general election of 2013 on the promise of development and it fulfilled its commitment, besides ending terrorism and energy shortage to a larger extent.

Lauding NADRA for its efforts, he said the registration authority

played a key role in elimination of terrorism from the country.

In 2013, Pakistan was considered the most dangerous country in the world due to terrorism and deteriorating law and order situation, but due to party's strong policies, the government had been able to overcome these issues, including energy shortage.

The minister said the PML-N government had added around 10,000 MW of electricity to the national grid in the last four years as compared to 16,000 MW, which were added in the last 66 years.

He said that the national industrial development wheel was successfully moving ahead towards the goal of the industrial stability as well.

He said the PML-N government had completed a record number of social welfare and human development projects across the country.

Ahsan Iqbal termed the development of infrastructure from Gilgit to Gwadar an important milestone in the history of the country. He said that the project of Kachhi Canal had also been initiated in Dera Bugti which would provide water to around 72,000 acres of land.

Ahsan Iqbal said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project would change the destiny of Pakistan, as the two countries were taking ahead the project to its next stages successfully.

Earlier, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal launched the advanced One Window Operation services for 1.7 million population of Narowal district at the newly established NADRA centre in Narowal.

Islamabad admin asks IGP to submit report on public conciliatory committees ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad administration has recently written a letter to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), asking him to furnish a report on the present status of [ineffective] public conciliatory committees; however, despite the passage of one week, the IGP has not responded to the letter yet. During the Pakistan People Party (PPP) regime, public conciliatory committees were formed in June 2008 – comprising representatives of police and citizens – to resolve the public issues of minor nature on the directions of then interior minister Rehman Malik. The reconciliation committees were performing well till 2013-14 [on-and-off] at all the police stations of the capital and meetings were held almost every month with the relevant SHOs and Citizens Police Coordination Committee (CPCC) members; however, after the 2013 general elections, the committees had become almost dysfunctional, but still they were working ‘on papers’.

Sources said that last meeting regarding the performance of the CPCCs was chaired by the Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Operations Sajid Kayani in 2016. After that, no meeting has been arranged in this regard whatsoever. “At present, there are 22 police stations in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), and at least two dozen cases have been registered on a daily basis, and due to a lack of manpower and increasing work burden for the investigation officers, police cannot properly attend to the cases of serious natures,” said an official of Islamabad administration. FARID SABRI

Marriyum Aurangzeb raises eyebrows over increase in PTI rallies

Pak, Iran need to expand bilateral cooperation, says Iranian scholar ISLAMABAD MIAN ABRAR

Iranian scholar Dr Sadollah Zarei said on Saturday it was imperative for Pakistan and Iran to work together and expand bilateral cooperation in wake of the US President Donald Trump’s new policy for the region.

Delivering a lecture on ‘Prospects of Pakistan-Iran Cooperation for Regional Peace and Security’ here at Islamabad Policy Institute (IPI), he believed that need for cooperation between Pakistan and Iran had increased manifold.

“Iran believes that a secure Pakistan would make Iran more secure,” said Dr Zarei, who heads an Iranian think tank named Andishe Saza-e Noor.

He also said that there could be many elements of stronger ties between Pakistan and Iran, but the most important plank was the much needed bilateral security cooperation.

He warned that absence of security cooperation could lead to further in-

security and instability in the region.

The Iranian scholar also underscored that both sides needed to show flexibility to overcome the minor problems in their relations. He also warned against the presence of continued external forces in the region and said that they had given nothing to countries here except for chaos and violence. He also noted that the US was wrong to accuse Pakistan of allegedly sponsoring terrorist elements, adding that it was rather the Americans that were benefitting from the situation.

National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiyar, who presided over the session, said: “Both the countries [Pakistan and Iran] are consulting on regional peace and security with a focus on Afghanistan, in keeping with their strong commitment to peace, stability and progress in Afghanistan.”

The scholar also observed that there was a strong determination in

both capitals to deepen mutual understanding, increase cooperation and scale up Pak-Iran relations. “Efforts being made to improve border management are a concrete manifestation of this forward-looking approach. Moreover, both countries are working on long-term projects that will increase the scope of economic relations,” he added.

The committee chairman maintained that projects like Pak-Iran gas pipeline, supply of electricity from Iran, starting of negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement, reactivation of Pak-Iran Business Council, opening of an additional international border and establishment of border markets could be tangible steps for revitalising PakIran economic relations.

IPI Executive Director Professor Sajjad Bokhari, speaking on the occasion, also emphasised on the need for greater cooperation for dealing with threats to regional peace including the emerging threat of Daesh.

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Saturday questioned the reason behind rallies being held by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) across numerous towns and cities of the country. She also asked if Imran is again waiting for the umpire to raise his finger as he did in 2014.

Aurangzeb also criticised Imran regarding the Ehtesab Commission in KP and said that according to the PTI chief, good performance was attacking the state television and the Parliament as well as lying and being abusive. She also claimed that Peshawar was the most polluted city in the country as the PTI chief spent four years making speeches and lying to the people.

The minister also alleged that deforestation in KP had increased by 74 per cent, which was the highest rate of deforestation in the country, adding that the country had suffered its repercussions in the shape of climate change. The minister also claimed that floods had increased in the country due to the deforestation. AGENCIES

Pakistani origin community in Madagascar condemned to stateless existence LAHORE ABDULLAH NIAZI

A community of Pakistani-Indian origins of at least 20,000 people in Madagascar is languishing in a stateless limbo as their home state fails to recognise them as citizens. The subsequent lack of documentation makes it impossible for them to travel back to their former homelands.

Details of the Karana community’s hardships have come to the fore as part of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) recent report on the current standing of the world’s stateless peoples, 75pc of whom are homeless because they are minorities.

According to the UNHCR’s report, the Karana community is a Muslim com-

munity residing mostly in urban centres of Madagascar, including the capital Antananarivo, and traces their roots to the South Eastern provinces of modern-day Pakistan as well as some areas in the Indian state of Gujrat.

The UNHCR reported that Madagascar has not allowed the Karana people to gain the Malagasy nationality even though they have been settled on the African island nation for numerous generations. The community had first moved to the then French colony of Madagascar in the latter half of the 19th century, well before the partition of the Indian sub-continent, as a result of increasing competition in the seafaring of the Indian Ocean.

The Karana’s peculiar predicament is made even worse by the fact that their

lack of documentation means they cannot travel to other parts of the world either. Other than this, they have been unable to attain education, and opportunities for employment.

One of the Karana women interviewed by the UNHCR, Sougraby Ibrahim, complained of this saying “I am 84 years old and have never attended school. I tried to go to school but they would turn me away saying, where is your birth certificate? But I did not have one!” “My family in our old home often asks us to visit them, but how do I tell them I cannot because they will not let me?”

Another interviewee, Saghir Rahmatullah also made his woes clear saying “I am a Muslim but without nationality, I

CMYK

have never been able to travel to Mecca.”

Despite these troubles, the community has found significant success and vitality in Madagascar and there is a general feeling among them that they wish to stay on in their newfound homes. However, after Madagascar’s independence in 1960, many of these were not allowed citizenship on the basis of their ethnicity, and neither were their children despite Madagascar’s jus sanguinis principle for giving nationality.

As revealed by the UNHCR’s report, virtually all stateless Karana reported having attempted to obtain Malagasy citizenship without success. Some retained lawyers to assist with the effort and continually requested citizenship over several decades without receiving any formal reply.

The situation is made even more complex by the fact that while many of the Karana would want to visit Pakistan and India, they would wish to do so as Malagasy nationals and not as Pakistanis or Indians, meaning the foreign services of both countries cannot do much to help the situation.

The UNHCR, on the other hand, is adamant that the community be given its full rights. In the same report, it also advocates for other stateless ethnicities such as the Roma in the former Yugoslav, the Pemba of Kenya among others.

It is pertinent to note that Pakistan itself, while not featured in the report, has often come under criticism for not granting citizenship to the Rohingya and Afghan refugees that it is host to.

WEATHER UPDATES SUNDAY

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ISLAMABAD 05

CDA ACCelerAtes operAtion AgAinst illegAl housing sChemes ISLAMABAD

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views while chairing a meeting at CDA Headquarters to review the progress of the authority’s Building Control Directorates.

Senior officers of the Building Control Directorates and Planning Wing were also present in the meeting.

During the meeting, the officials concerned were informed that strict action was being taken against illegal housing societies. In this regard, the meeting was informed that CDA had declared all phases of Ghori Town housing society in Zone IV and Zone V as an illegal housing scheme.

A public notice in this regard had been published in leading newspapers, which stated that per CDA Ordinance 1960, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) (Zoning) Regulation 1992 and Modalities and Procedures framed under ICT (Zoning) Regulation, Ghori Town (all phases) launched in

APP

AYOR of Islamabad and Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Sheikh Anser Aziz said Saturday that the authority has accelerated operation against illegal housing schemes in the federal capital.

He said all associated formations of the authority were acting upon a coordinated strategy to ensure enforcement of CDA’s prevailing rules by taking action against illegal housing societies. In this connection, a comprehensive media campaign was being launched to warn the general public about illegal housing societies in different zones of the federal capital.

The CDA chairman expressed these

Three members of banned outfit held for distributing pamphlets

Zone-IV and Zone V of the ICT by Raja Ali Akbar and a company run by Abdur Rehman Associates on Islamabad highway and Lehtrar Road, were illegal housing schemes being advertised and marketed without taking prior approval from CDA. The sponsors of the illegal and unauthorised Ghori Town scheme have not provided land/plots for parks, playgrounds, open spaces, schools, mosques, dispensaries, health centres, graveyard, public amenity plots per Land Use Standards prescribed in the ICT (Zoning) Regulation 1992, and the Modalities and Procedures framed there under.

Moreover, the meeting was informed that persons behind the housing society have failed to developed utility infrastructure networks, including water supply network, sewage network with sewage

Lady doctor allegedly resigns from LRH due to gender discrimination

PESHAWAR: The Special Police Unit (SPU) Saturday arrested three members of a banned outfit for distributing pamphlets of their organisation in the provincial capital.

On receiving a tip-off, the SPU team approached three members of a banned outfit while they were distributing pamphlets of a banned organisation at railway crossing near Firdous Chowk in Peshawar. The SPU confiscated the pamphlets and arrested all three members of the defunct organisation, who were shifted to an undisclosed location for interrogation. INP

Security forces arrest 21 suspects in search operations ISLAMABAD: Security forces conducted a search operation in Tarnol suburb of the federal capital on Saturday and arrested 21 suspects, while recovering arms and ammunition from their possession.

According to details, around 200 houses were checked during the operation and 320 persons were questioned by security forces personnel. At least 21 suspects, who failed to prove their identity, were taken into custody and arms were recovered from their possession. Security forces personnel also seized four kilogrammes of heroin from the suspects, while also recovering Rs 126,500 from them. Later, the suspects were shifted to Turnol Police Station for further investigation. INP

PESHAWAR SHAMIM SHAHID

Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) Peshawar Cardiology Department Assistant Professor Dr Lubna Noor has resigned from the office, alleging discrimination on gender grounds and indifferent attitude of her seniors.

In a two-page resignation letter submitted to LRH dean, Dr Lubna stated that she was facing gender discrimination in the cardiology ward since the last six years. In this respect, she mentioned the name of Cardiology Department Head Dr Adnan Gul Mehmood and his subordinates, including an outsider, Dr Adnan Gul, and stated that the same people had contradicted harassment

allegations during inquiry proceedings held in response to earlier applications. The lady doctor, serving in one of the busiest hospital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, tried to bring to the dean’s attention the previous applications filed by her in this regard, whereas, no action was taken against the persons concerned. In previous inquiries, allegations of harassment on gender grounds was confirmed by the persons concerned.

When contacted, LRH Public Relations Officer Zulfikar Babakhel confirmed that Dr Lubna Noor had submitted her resignation on a onemonth period. Soon after receiving the resignation, the dean and the hospital director ordered inquiry into the allegations leveled by Dr

Two-nation theory as important today as in 1947: AJK president MIRPUR: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan said Saturday that the two-nation theory is as important today as it was in 1947. Addressing a conference to celebrate works and contribution of Mujaddid Alf Sani, organised by Alami Idara Tanzeem-ul-Islam, the AJK president said that Mujaddid Alf Sani had led the first wave of Islamic renaissance in South Asia, thus laying the foundation for the two-nation theory. He said the people of AJK were being punished by Indian zealots because of their adherence to the two-nation theory. In 1947-48,

ISLAMABAD Participants at a four-day long capacity building workshop of local government officials, titled ‘Strong Cities Network Member Districts’, said on Saturday that members of provincial assemblies (MPAs) and bureaucrats are the major stumbling blocks in the establishment of the powerful local government (LG) systems. They expressed these views at the concluding session of the workshop organised by Individualland Pakistan (IL).

Local government representatives were of the view that the MPAs and the bureaucracy were not ready to empower the LG system, which was creating various hurdles in the process of devolution of power to the grassroot level. Forest and Wildlife Minister Obaidullah Jan Babat, Senator Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini and member of National Assembly (MNA) Sardar Kamal also spoke on the occasion. As many as 21 local government representatives, including mayors and councilors from Peshawar, Nowshera and Quetta, attended the workshop.

Participants complained that the MPAs and bureaucracy were creating

all sorts of impediments in their work, due to which they were unable to perform their duties effectively. They opined that if the local government representatives were not given administrative and financial power, the system would not give the desired results.

A local government representative, while seeking anonymity, said, “The main job of MNAs and MPAs is legislation, but unfortunately in our country they are more interested in developing projects instead of building public consensus on new legislation.”

Senator Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini said that though local government system had been put in place in all provinces, all provincial governments were yet to devolve actual power to the local bodies representatives.

He said that the local government representatives have good understanding of public issues in comparison to MNAs and MPAs. Hence, it was the need of the hour to empower them so as to resolve public problems in an efficient manner.

Speaking on the occasion, Obaidullah Jan Babat said that Balochistan had given power and funds to local government representatives to empower them

Lubna Noor against her colleagues.

Answering a query, Zulfikar said that both Dr Adnan Gul and Dr Lubna Noor were counted amongst the most decent, talented and hardworking doctors in the entire facility. He said, “At this stage no opinion can be given on this issue, but sometimes in a workplace, such misunderstandings and mistrust can develop between colleagues on different issues.” He confirmed that Dr Lubna had also named an outsider working with Dr Adnan in private capacity for harassing her, adding that all such matters were being probed by hospital administration.

Cases of harassment are increasing in Pakistan each day, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is not prone to this culture. Rukhshanda Naz, a women rights activist, said, “Women are harassed in public places and offices due to lack of proper action against the responsible persons by the quarters concerned.”

around 250,000 Muslims were killed in Jammu at the behest of the ruler of Kashmir and with the collusion of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) extremists. Masood Khan said that ever since that time, the Indian occupation forces in Indian Occupied Kashmir have never stopped torturing and killing Kashmiris. He said, “The Kashmiris were being chastised for being Muslims.” The occupier had also invited large waves of non-Kashmiri Hindus to change the demographics of the region, he added. He further said that Indian Hindu supremacists, mainly comprising of Brahmans, too believed in a two-nation theory, but did not want to admit it publicly. Their insidious agenda was to subjugate Muslims in India, kill them in Kashmir, and suppress the rising Muslim nations in the neighborhood, especially Pakistan, he added. APP

‘MPAs, bureaucrats major hurdles against empowering LG system’ HAMID KHAN WAZIR

treatment plant and drainage network, in Ghori Town (all phases) per set standards, thereby creating environmental hazards not only for the residents, but the entire surrounding area as well.

Furthermore, the meeting was apprised that these societies have been cheating the general public and minting money at the cost of the health and safety of the general public.

The meeting was also briefed about the public notice, stating that residential buildings/plazas and commercial buildings in the illegal scheme of Ghori Town (all phases) were being constructed without obtaining approval of building plans from CDA, which was alarming and a potential threat to life and property of the residents, as Islamabad Building Control Regulations 2005 were not being adhered

further. “We believe in democracy, therefore, making efforts to devolve power to grassroot level is our responsibility,” the minister added. He said that mayors and other local government representative have been given funds in Balochistan, under which various projects have already been initiated.

Addressing the participants, MNA Sardar Kamal said that the local government system could not prove effective in Pakistan until it was made financially strong, while adding that the system was currently ineffective because it was deprived of administrative and financial powers.

He said, “Our society is not aware about the effectiveness of the local government system and the need to empower them, therefore, there is a need to educate the masses in this regard.”

Executive Director IL Pakistan Gulmina Bilal Ahmad said that the LG system was presently a necessity and provincial governments have to honour the commitments made to people in order to strengthen the system. She said that her organisation was focusing on promoting and strengthening democratic procedures and enhancing the role of citizens in governance.

to. The meeting was told that the general public was hereby warned/cautioned in their own interest to refrain from making any booking, sale or purchase of plots in the above mentioned illegal housing society. Departments including Islamabad Electric Supply Company, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited and Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited have also stopped connections to the building structures (residential and commercial buildings) constructed without approval of CDA. The sponsors/management of the unauthorised Ghori Town scheme (all phases), namely Raja Ali Akbar and Abdur Rehman Associates, have been also warned by the authority concerned to refrain from advertising the project, and stop all activities in connection to booking, allotment, transfer and marketing of plots. Owners of the housing society were further warned that all construction activities in the illegal housing scheme should be stopped immediately.

In case of failure to adhere to the orders, strict action would be initiated against the sponsors of the illegal scheme under CDA Ordinance 1960 and ICT (Zoning) Regulation 1992.

Wardens fail to regulate traffic load on Murree Road RAWALPINDI: Traffic load on city roads, particularly Murree Road, has become a source of nuisance for the citizens as traffic wardens have failed to ensure smooth flow of traffic on the main artery of the federal capital. Long queues of vehicles were seen on the road at all times, particularly during peak hours, and traffic jams were a common sight on other important roads of the city as well. Long queues of vehicles were seen on Murree Road, Liaquat Road, College Road, Raja Bazaar, Marrir Hassan, Tench Bhatta, Mall Road, and other roads of the capital.

The motorists coming from Islamabad were earlier using Rawal Road to reach their destinations but, nowadays, this particular route had also become congested. According to Traffic Police Spokesman Wajid Satti, allout efforts were being made to regulate the traffic load, but due to illegal parking in different parts of the city, the traffic wardens were also facing problems while clearing main roads and intersections. He said that Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Yousaf Ali Shahid also visited different roads and directed the traffic wardens to work hard to ensure smooth flow of traffic. A motorist, namely Ali, while talking reporters, said that encroachments were the main hurdle in the way of smooth flow of traffic, but the authorities concerned have failed to remove these encroachments. He urged the authorities concerned to take strict action against the violators of traffic rules so that traffic woes of the federal capital could be resolved at the earliest. APP

06 FOREIGN NEWS lebanon pM resigns, says fears for his life BEIRUT Agencies

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced his resignation Saturday, citing Iran's "grip" on the country and threats to his life. "I announce my resignation from the post of prime minister," he said in a speech broadcast from Saudi Arabia by the Al-Arabiya news network. "I felt what was being covertly plotted to target my life," Hariri said. The two-time prime minister, whose father Rafik was assassinated when he held the same position in 2005, accused Iran and its powerful Lebanese ally Hezbollah of seeking hegemony in the region. The 47-year-old politician's resignation comes less than a year after his government, to which Hezbollah's political wing belongs, was formed. "Iran has a grip on the fate of the region's countries... Hezbollah is Iran's arm not just in Lebanon but in other Arab countries too," he said.

russia responds to Canada sanctions with tit-for-tat measures MOSCOW Agencies

Russia has reacted to Canada’s imposing sanctions on 30 Russian officials linked to human rights violations by announcing “mirror-image” measures. Canada on Friday had banned and froze assets of 30 Russians linked to the case of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who died in prison after exposing a $230-million tax fraud. “We have to respond with mirrorimage (sanctions),” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement late Friday. “If our Canadian partners like playing sanctions games, we will be forced to respond,” Moscow said. The ministry announced it had decided to “bar entry to Russia to a whole number of Canadian figures,” adding that this affected “dozens.”

It did not give any names but specified that those targeted are “Russophobic Canadian citizens who have consistently worked to destroy bilateral relations.”

indian pM describes opposition party as ‘termite’ NeW DelHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched a scathing attack on opposition the Congress party over corruption, describing it as "termite." Modi was addressing a political rally at Kangra in northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh when he used the term. He urged voters to abandon the party and vote his ruling Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP). "If you clean just on the surface, termites come back after a few days.

The Congress party's depraved mentality is like termites," Modi described. "You cannot just change the government and expect to be done with it, you have to take them out from the roots. Only then we can free Himachal of this disease," Modi added. Agencies

Sunday, 5 November, 2017

Spain iSSueS arreSt warrant for Catalonia’S depoSed SeparatiSt leader MADRID

a

Agencies

Spanish judge issued an EU arrest warrant for Catalonia's deposed separatist leader Carles Puigdemont on Friday, a day after he failed to appear for questioning over his role in the region's tumultuous independence drive.

The announcement added to anger and dismay in a second straight night of demonstrations in the wealthy north-

eastern region, with protesters chanting and waving Catalan flags of red and yellow stripes with a white star.

Spanish prosecutors want to charge Puigdemont, holed up in Belgium, with rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds. On Thursday, the 54-year-old ignored a summons to appear before the same judge in Madrid.

A EU arrest warrant was also issued for four other Catalan ministers who failed to show up and are also thought to be in Belgium, a court statement said.

They, like Puigdemont, were dismissed

by Spain's central government a week ago. On Thursday, the judge had Puigdemont's deputy and seven other deposed regional ministers jailed pending a possible trial because of a risk that they might similarly abscond.

Speaking in an interview on Belgian television channel RTBF on Friday, recorded before the widely expected warrant was issued, Puigdemont said he was not hiding from "real justice" but from a "clearly politicised"

Spanish legal system.

He said he was not convinced by guarantees of a fair trial, decrying the "enormous pressure and political influence on judicial power in Spain."

"I have told my lawyers to inform the Belgian justice authorities that I am completely at their disposal," he said.

Belgian prosecutors said they would study the warrant and then give it to a judge.

RubbeR bullets: Spain's worst political crisis in decades flared up over the staging of a Catalan independence referendum on October 1 despite a court ban. Spanish police tried and failed to stop it, in some cases firing rubber bullets. An independence declaration by the Catalan parliament followed one week ago.

Spain's government responded by dismissing Puigdemont's government, imposing direct rule and calling fresh elections in Catalonia on December 21.

Twenty people, including Puigdemont and the Catalan parliament speaker, had been summoned for questioning on Thursday.

Puigdemont's Belgian lawyer Paul Bekaert, who has helped Basque separatist militants challenge Spanish extradition, said his client did not see the climate as "conducive to testifying".

Late Thursday, as television footage showed police vans with flashing blue lights driving Puigdemont's former ministers to different prisons, furious Catalans took to the streets.

About 20,000 people, according to police, demonstrated in the regional capital Barcelona, while others gathered across in towns, and thousands turned out again on Friday evening.

Spain’s most wanted: profile of ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont Catalonia's deposed leader Carles Puigdemont, who has fled to Belgium and is facing an EU arrest warrant, has been a convinced secessionist since his youth, long before the issue moved to the centre of Catalan politics. Spanish prosecutors want to charge Puigdemont, with rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds over his role in the region's tumultuous independence drive. The 54-year-old has ignored a summons to appear in Madrid. The former journalist had called for a plebiscite since he became president of Catalonia in January 2016, after an election in which separatists won a majority in the regional parliament for the first time.

His staging of a Catalan independence referendum on October 1, despite a court ban, has triggered Spain's worst political crisis in decades. Spanish police tried and failed to stop it, in some cases firing rubber bullets. An independence declaration by the Catalan parliament followed one week ago. Spain's government responded by dismissing Puigdemont's government, imposing direct rule and calling fresh elections in Catalonia on December 21.

“I was elected. What is the purpose of (new) elections?” Puigdemont said, accusing Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of “illegally” dissolving the Catalan parliament. A virtual unknown when became president of the northeastern Spanish region of 7.5 million people, Puigdemont, who combs his hair in a shaggy Beatles-style mop, has become the main enemy of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's conservative government. “In order to resolve political problems you need to play politics. You don't imprison those who think differently to you,” Puigdemont said, while adding that he was prepared to run as a candidate in the upcoming polls.

Always a separatist: In Amer, the small mountainous village of 2,200 people where he grew up, and in Girona, where Puigdemont served as mayor from 2011 to 2016, he is recalled as a convinced separatist. “In Catalonia, many people became separatists in an allergic reaction to Madrid's policies.

Not him, he always had these convictions,” said Puigdemont's friend Antoni Puigverd, a poet and journalist. Puigdemont has never hidden his separatist tendencies, not even when he joined his predecessor Artur Mas's CDC party in 1980 at a time

when it merely wanted to negotiate greater autonomy for Catalonia — far from the idea of breaking away from Spain.

His friend Salvador Clara, a leftwing secessionist councillor in Amer, added that Puigdemont had defended the independence of Catalonia “since he can remember”. In July 2015, Puigdemont became president of the Association of Municipalities for Independence, which brings together local entities to promote the right to selfdetermination. Agencies

35 Yemeni Houthi fighters killed in battles with government forces within 24 hours ADEN Agencies

Up to 35 fighters of the Shiite Houthi group were killed and 19 others wounded during intense gun battles with pro-government Yemeni forces across the southwestern province of Taiz within one day, a military commander told Xinhua.

Military units loyal to the Saudibacked Yemeni government launched military operations against Houthis in many areas of Taiz province, killing 35 militants, injuring 19 and arresting eight others over the past 24 hours, the mili-

tary commander said on condition of anonymity.

The pro-government forces also destroyed a factory of landmines and Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) building belonging to the Houthi rebels in Taiz outskirts, the source said.

The military commander did not mention if there were any casualties on the side of pro-government forces in Taiz fighting.

However, a local medical source confirmed to Xinhua by phone saying that "about 20 fighters loyal to the government were injured and transferred to

hospitals for treatment."

Elsewhere in Yemen, the pro-Houthi forces launched an all-out attack against areas controlled by the government in the neighboring province of Lahj.

Tribal sources said that local fighters supported by the Saudi-led Arab coalition managed to thwart the Houthi attack after several hours of fighting.

Yemen's internationally-backed government, allied with the Saudiled Arab military coalition, has for more than two years been battling Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels over control of the country.

FOREIGN NEWS 07

Sunday, 5 November, 2017

daeSh SayS new york truCk attaCker iS 'Caliphate Soldier' NEW YORK

d

Agencies

AESH has claimed responsibility for a truck attack this week that killed eight people in the deadliest assault on New York City since Sept. 11, 2001. The militant group on Thursday described accused attacker Sayfullo Saipov, 29, as “one of the caliphate soldiers” in a weekly issue of its Al-Naba newspaper.

The Uzbek immigrant was charged in federal court on Wednesday with acting in support of Daesh by ploughing a rented pickup truck down a popular riverside bike trail, crushing pedestrians and cyclists and injuring a dozen people in addition to those killed.

According to the criminal complaint against him, Saipov told investigators he was inspired by watching Daesh propaganda videos on his cellphone, felt good about what he had done, and asked for permission to display the group’s flag in his hospital room in New York.

Saipov was taken to Bellevue after being shot in the abdomen by a police officer before his arrest.

US President Donald Trump, who has called for Saipov to receive the death penalty, said on Twitter on Friday that Daesh had claimed as their soldier the

“Degenerate Animal” who killed and wounded “the wonderful people on the West Side” of Lower Manhattan.

“Based on that, the Military has hit ISIS ”much harder“ over the last two days. They will pay a big price for every attack on us!” Trump tweeted. In the Mid-

dle Eas,t Daesh’s self-proclaimed caliphate looked to be on the verge of defeat on Friday, with Syrian government forces seizing its last major city on one side of the border and Iraqi troops taking its last big town on the other.

The group’s leader, Abu Bakr al-

Macron, putin discuss situation in Syria over phone: elysee

Baghdadi, is believed to be hiding in the desert near the frontier, and regional officials fear it will reconstitute itself as a guerrilla force, capable of waging attacks without territory to defend.

Saipov’s sister believes he may have been brainwashed, and she appealed to Trump on Friday to ensure he gets a fair trial.

Speaking by phone from the Uzbek capital Tashkent, she told Reuters she hoped Trump would help make sure her brother was given “more time” and “a fair trial.”

In a separate interview with Radio Free Europe, she said she spoke with her brother the day before the attack and he was in a good mood. “It was a usual, good conversation,” she said.

Five Argentine tourists, a Belgian woman, a New Yorker and a New Jersey man were killed in Tuesday afternoon’s attack.

The attack unfolded just blocks from the site of the World Trade Center, where some 2,600 people were killed when suicide hijackers crashed two jetliners into the Twin Towers 16 years ago.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has said it has located another Uzbek man, Mukhammadzoir Kadirov, 32, who it said was wanted for questioning as a person of interest in the attack.

PARIs: The situation in Syria including access to humanitarian aid and political transition, topped a phone conversation between French President Emmanuel Macron and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday, the French presidency the Elysee said in a statement. Recalling "his commitment to a regular and frank dialogue with Russia", Macron told Putin, a key ally of the Syrian government, to do more "to ensure that the access to humanitarian aid is guaranteed and effective as soon as possible", notably in eastern Ghouta where many Syrian people were in a situation of great distress. Macron called on "the permanent members of the Security Council (to) put an end to the use of chemical weapons and preserve the non-proliferation regime". "France will not give in on the fight against impunity and the full and complete dismantling of the Syrian chemical program," he said. As Moscow was preparing to hold a Syrian congress for national dialogue on Nov. 18 in Sochi, Macron said, "All efforts to achieve a political settlement of the Syrian crisis must be within the framework of the United Nations Security Council." Agencies

Bangladeshi experts eye greater role for APEC in combating climate change, food security DHAKA Agencies

White House approves report linking climate change to human activity The United States government on Friday released a major scientific report that says climate change is "extremely likely" to be caused by human activity and will get worse without major cuts to carbon emissions. The findings of the federally mandated report were approved by the White House, even though they are starkly at odds with the position of US President Donald Trump, who has labelled global warming a Chinese hoax and named fossil fuel ally Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Climate Science Special Report spans more than 600 pages and is part of a larger report known as the Fourth National Climate Assessment, which is being issued in draft form for public comment. Based on "a large body of scientific, peer-reviewed research," global annually averaged surface air temperature has increased by about 1.8 Fahrenheit (1.0 Celsius) over the last 115 years (1901–2016), it says. "This period is now the warmest in the history of modern civilisation," said the report, available at science2017.globalchange.gov. Since the last report of its kind was issued in 2014, "stronger evidence has emerged for continuing, rapid, human-caused warming of the global atmosphere and ocean," the text said. "It is extremely likely that human activities, especially emissions of greenhouse gases, are the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century has been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century," the report added, noting there "is no convincing alternative explanation."

It was compiled by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with contributions from NASA, the Department of Energy and other federal agencies. Co-authors included more than 50 scientists from government agencies, universities and the private sector. "I am quite confident to say that there has been no political interference in the scientific messages from this report," colead author David Fahey, director of the chemical sciences division at NOAA, told reporters on a conference call. "I think whatever fears we had were not realised," he added.

WoRse effects AHeAD: After examining long-term climate records and data going back thousands of years, the report said that in the modern era, "average temperatures in recent decades over much of the world have been much higher, and have risen faster during this time period than at any time in the past 1,700 years or more." By the end of the century, "without major reductions in emissions, the increase in annual average global temperature relative to pre-industrial times could reach 9 Fahrenheit or more," it said. Sea level can be expected to rise "several inches in the next 15 years," and one to four feet by century's end, it said. Agencies

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) should make more positive contributions in combating climate change and food security specially this year as the focus of the current US administration is shifting, Bangladesh environmental watchers have noted. They stressed that 21 APEC economies, which account for approximately 60 percent of world energy consumption, should display more leadership dynamism in solving a series of climate change induced challenges facing the world.

Dhaka University's Dean of the Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences ASM Maksud Kamal told Xinhua that APEC is a very strong platform to deal with issues like climate change and food security in a changing world.

The Disaster Science and Management professor said hydrometeorological disasters

have caused frequent and increasing losses in recent years. Against this backdrop, developing countries like Bangladesh need enough resources and green technologies for adaptation and mitigation of climate change.

Kamal said climate-induced calamities will inflict far more suffering on poor people in countries vulnerable to floods, drought and diseases because of their feeble resilience to address climate change impacts.

The professor expected climate change and food security will be on the agenda for the coming 2017 APEC Economic Leaders' Week in Vietnam. Running on Nov. 6-11 in Da Nang, the Economic Leaders' Week is the culmination of Vietnam's year-long hosting of APEC meetings.

Qumrul Islam Chowdhury, chairman of the Forum of Environment Journalist Bangladesh (FEJB), expressed the hope that APEC now can play a role to address climate change and food security concerns.

"It is true that countries like

Bangladesh which are climate vulnerable need more resources for the mitigation and adaptation measures," he said. Chowdhury said climate change is posing a serious threat to agriculture in Bangladesh and elsewhere. Therefore, he said, food security is equally important for the countries which are regularly stricken by annual flooding, shortage of water during dry seasons, cyclones, storm surges, along with changing groundwater aquifer situations.

Given the current US administration's policy on climate change, APEC can do many things on climate change, Muhammad Mahmood, former head of the School of Economics and Finance of Victoria University of Bangladesh, told Xinhua.

MS Siddiqui, a professor at Dhaka's Daffodil International University, said the APEC region's natural resources are under stress from over-consumption, land and marine habitat degradation, fresh water scarcity and loss of biodiversity.

Unemployment rate in US falls to lowest in 17 years, White House hails outcome The unemployment rate in United States fell to its lowest level in nearly 17 years in October while job creation resumed climbing after the two late-summer hurricanes, the US Labour Department reported on Friday.

Analysts said the rebound was smaller than expected but upward revisions to job creation in the prior months meant the storms had caused less damage than originally feared, making for an upbeat report.

The White House hailed the outcome, saying the Trump administration's economic agenda was bearing fruit.

However, the report also showed a shrinking labour force and confirmed job creation in 2017 has lagged behind last year.

The US jobless rate fell to 4.1 per cent, down a tenth of a point from September, the lowest the US economy has seen since December 2000.

Employers added 261,000

net new positions as businesses reopened in the wake of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, although economists had forecast a rebound of 300,000 new jobs.

But the data for September turned out not be as bad as initially reported, with 18,000 new jobs created, rather than a loss of 33,000 positions. Together with the upward revision for August,

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an additional 90,000 jobs were added for those two months.

The results generally showed US labour markets in good health, easily bouncing back from the storms that idled the US energy hub in southeast Texas and forced millions of Floridians to flee their homes.

“With nearly 1.5 million new jobs since the president took office, including over 260,000 last

month, it's clear his agenda is putting Americans back to work,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said.

Nevertheless, average monthly job creation now stands at 169,000 so far this year, significantly below the 192,000 monthly average recorded through October of last year. The labour force participation rate also fell 0.4 points to 62.7pc and the employment-to-population ratio shrank 0.2 points to 60.2pc — suggesting the fall in unemployment may partly reflect a dip in the size of the work force as well as job creation.

The Fed starting to sweat?

The falling unemployment rate was likely to spark further debate among Federal Reserve policymakers, who appear set to raise the benchmark US interest rate next month despite doggedly low inflation even while a vocal minority argues the Fed should remain on hold. Agencies

08 foreign newS

Sunday, 5 november, 2017

ProMote PeaCe, ChiNa'S Xi teLLS SoLdierS at FirSt overSeaS baSe BEIJING

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AGENCIES

ROOPS serving at China’s first overseas military base, in the Horn of Africa country of Djibouti, should help promote peace and stability, President Xi Jinping told them in a video chat, encouraging them to promote a good image.

China formally opened the base in August on the same day as the People’s Liberation Army marked its 90th birthday. It is China’s first overseas naval base, although Beijing officially describes it as a logistics facility.

Djibouti’s position on the northwestern edge of the Indian Ocean has fueled worry in India that it would become another of China’s “string of pearls” military alliances and assets ringing India, including Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. Speaking to China’s Djibouti-based forces during a visit to a joint battle command center in Beijing, Xi “got a good understanding” of the base’s operations and the lives of the soldiers there, China’s Defence Min-

istry said late on Friday. Xi “encouraged them to establish a good image for China’s military and promote international and regional peace and

stability”, the ministry said.

The soldiers responded that they would not let Xi or China down, it said.

China began construction of the

base in Djibouti last year. It will be used to resupply navy ships taking part in peacekeeping and humanitarian missions off the coasts of Yemen and Somalia, in particular. Chinese President Xi Jinping is overseeing an ambitious military modernization program, including developing capabilities for China’s forces to operate far from home. During his visit to the command center, Xi also instructed the armed forces to improve their combat capability and readiness for war, the ministry said.

Xi said progress in joint operation command systems, especially in efficiency at the regional level, was needed and troops must conduct training under combat conditions. Djibouti, which is about the size of Wales, is at the southern entrance to the Red Sea on the route to the Suez Canal. The tiny, barren nation sandwiched between Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia also hosts US, Japanese and French bases.

There has been persistent speculation in diplomatic circles that China would build other such bases, in Pakistan for example, but the government has dismissed this.

Climate change-fuelled drought drives Sri Lanka’s farmers to cities

Landmines threaten million of lives in South Sudan: UN JUBA AGENCIES Some 6 million people in South Sudan live in areas with the presence of landmines and explosive remnants of war, the UN mines agency in the East African country said Saturday. The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in South Sudan said decades of conflict have plagued nearly 90 0 million square meters of land with explosive hazards. The agency said an estimated 150 0 previously unknown hazards are discovered each month, with the full extent of contamination unknown, calling for a countrywide survey. UNMAS said the existence of explosive hazards prevent the delivery of humanitarian aid and hinder socioeconomic development in the world's youngest nation. "In addition to the threats posed to the safety of conflict-affected communities, explosive hazards prevent the safe movement of the population including those who must flee active conflict," UNMAS said in a statement marking the UN body's 20th 0 anniversary.

UNMAS said since it started operations in the war-torn country in 2004, 00 it has surveyed, cleared and released 1.184 million square meters of land back to the people of South Sudan. As the UN body celebrates its 20th 0 anniversary Saturday, it pledged commitment to implements all aspects associated with mitigation of the threats from mines and explosive remnants of war.

Cambodian king, PM wrap up annual Water Festival PHNOM PENH

COLOMBO

AGENCIES

AGENCIES

When Siri Hettige, a sociology professor at Colombo University, conducts surveys of young people across Sri Lanka, he never fails to ask one key question: Does anybody want to become a farmer? No, has been the overwhelmingly emphatic answer, he said.

That is one indicator of the growing poverty plaguing many farmers in Sri Lanka, something that is driving increasing migration each year out of rural areas. “Farmers are moving (out of their villages) because there isn’t enough money in agriculture,” admitted M.W. Weerakoon, a Ministry of Agriculture additional secretary.

A rice farmer needs two successful harvests a year on 2.6 acres (about one hectare) of land to earn the 17,760 rupees ($115) a month needed to keep a family of four above the country’s poverty line, he said. A maize farmer needs even more land – about 3.7 acres, he said. But most of the island’s rice farmers own less than an acre of land, and large numbers are facing worsening debt, particularly as droughts, floods and other extreme weather linked to climate change hit harvests. In some cases, farmers have used their land as a guarantee for loans, and face losing it if harvests fail, Weerakoon said. All of those pressures are driving an increase in migration, largely to urban areas, Hettige, Weerakoon and others said.

“If weather patterns bring more rain or less, a family member is placed in a city where such risks are moderated,” said Bilesha Weeraratne, a researcher with the Institute of Policy Studies, a Colombo-based policy agency. “Vast numbers are moving due to climate risks,” she said.

Government data shows that about 4 million Sri

Lankans – almost 20 per cent of the island’s people – are now internal migrants.

But the move is not always permanent – about 35 per cent of them remain in their new districts for less than five years, according to the Department of Census and Statistics.

Many farmers who own land move back home once enough rain – or other conditions needed to get a harvest – return, Weerakoon said. But some migrants, particularly the young and those who do not

own land, are reluctant to return.

Most migrants head for urban areas, particularly Colombo, Gampaha and Kalurara districts in the Western Province. For the most part they come from the country’s agricultural Central, South, North Western and North Central provinces, according to Sri Lanka’s Department of Census and Statistics.

In the two districts of Colombo and Gampaha, one in every four residents is now a migrant, department data shows.

Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, accompanied by Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen, attended the closing ceremony of the annual Water Festival here on Saturday. During the ceremony, the king presented awards to the winning teams in the boat races over the Tonle Sap River. Some 270 0 dragon boats with about 17,826 rowers joined this year's boat races, according to Bou Chumserey, head of the boat control sub-committee.

The Water Festival is Cambodia's largest annual festival. During the three-day holiday, over 1 million people from across the country took part in the festival, said Lieutenant General Chhay Kim Khoeun, a senior national police official in charge of the festival's security and public order sub-committee. "In sum, the situation of security and public order was good and between 1.3 and 1.5 million people joined the festival," he said in a report. At the festival, aside from watching the regatta during daytime, visitors enjoyed viewing the procession of well-lighted and decorated floats and fireworks over the Tonle Sap River at night. There were also trade fairs and concerts. According to history, the Water Festival traced its roots back to the 12th century when Angkorian King Jayvarman VII's navy defeated that of his Cham rivals. The festival is also a traditional event that marks the end of the rainy season.

US lawmakers seek to slap new sanctions on Myanmar military WASHINGTON AGENCIES

United States lawmakers proposed sanctions against Myanmar's military, in some of the strongest efforts yet by Washington to pressure the Southeast Asian nation to end abusive treatment of its Rohingya Muslim minority.

House Republicans and Democrats introduced legislation that would curtail assistance or cooperation with Myanmar's military and require the White House to identify senior military officials who would have US visa bans imposed or reimposed against them.

A bipartisan group in the Senate, including Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, introduced their

bill on Thursday.

It calls for renewal of import and trade restrictions on Myanmar, including re-imposing a ban on jade and rubies from the country also known as Burma.

“Our legislation would hold accountable the senior military officials responsible for the slaughter and displacement of innocent men, women and children in Burma, and make clear that the United States will not stand for these atrocities,” McCain said in a statement. The tough proposals came as US President Donald Trump departed for an extended trip to Asia, where he will attend a summit with Southeast Asian nations, including Myanmar.

The United States, while condemning the deadly violence that has prompted more than 600,000 people to flee to neigh-

bouring Bangladesh, has been careful to say it holds the military responsible, not Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government. House Democrat Eliot Engel said lawmakers wanted to send a “clear message” with the targeted sanctions, both to the military and the civilian leadership, about the violence that has left hundreds of people dead. “This violence must stop, perpetrators must be held accountable, and there must be meaningful civilian control over Burma's military and security forces,” Engel said.

Lawmakers also want Myanmar's military to ensure safe return of refugees displaced from northern Rakhine State, where the military has been accused by the United Nations of a campaign of ethnic cleansing.

foreign newS 09

Sunday, 5 november, 2017

WASHINGTON

P

AGENCIES

RESIDENT Donald Trump departed Washington for an almost two week trip to Asia, leaving a trail of invective and scandal that risks overshadowing efforts at top-level diplomacy.

Trump left Joint Base Andrews bound for Hawaii — where he will receive a briefing from United States Pacific Command — before travelling on to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines.

But before climbing the steps of Air Force One, Trump unleashed a Twitter barrage, pillorying his own Justice Department and calling for his former political opponents to be prosecuted.

"A lot of people are disappointed in the Justice Department, including me," Trump later said, complaining they were probing his campaign's ties to Russia but not adequately investigating his former Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

"There was no collusion, there was no nothing. It's a disgrace, frankly, that they continue."His comments dealt a fresh blow to the traditional barriers between the executive and the judicial system, breaking the taboo over presidential interference with investigations.

Trump will meet China's Xi Jinping, Japan's Shinzo Abe and other Asian leaders with his standing at home dramatically weakened by series of indictments against former campaign aides.

Ties To Russia: His week started with special counsel Robert Mueller — who is investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election — indicting Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort on money laundering charges.

Mueller also revealed that a Trump

trUMP LeaveS For aSia With heavy doMeStiC baggage

campaign aide George Papadopoulos had lied to the FBI about his contacts with Kremlin-connected officials, but then turned informant.

Trump said he did not recall a cam-

paign encounter with Papadopoulos, during which the young aide proposed a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. "I don't remember much about that meeting, it was a

very unimportant meeting. Don't remember much about it," Trump said.

'CRooked HillaRy': The president, who was elected one year ago, may be leaving Washington, but news from the

US capital is likely to trail him.

New indictments are rumored to be on the way, perhaps within days.

While he is away Republican lawmakers will also be working furiously to pass tax cuts that are make-or-break for his legislative agenda.

And there will also be gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey seen — in part — as a gauge of his popularity.

Trump tried to seize on Democratic infighting ahead of those votes, fired up by explosive revelations from a top Democratic operative that the 2016 presidential primaries were tipped in Clinton's favor. "Crooked Hillary Clinton, rigged the Primaries! Lets go FBI & Justice Dept," he tweeted.

Trump's trip itself had already promised to be anything but easy.

The main foreign policy item on the agenda will be efforts to contain or roll back North Korea's ballistic and nuclear missile programs. It is the longest presidential tour of Asia since George H.W. Bush visited in late 1991 and early 1992.

That culminated in the 41st president fainting and vomiting at a banquet in Japan. Trump used his departure to announce that the already marathon trip will be extended to include an East Asia Summit in the Philippines, which he had been slated to miss.

Washington better to value cooperation in new Asia-Pacific policy WASHINGTON AGENCIES

Go and form your own party, Zimbabwe’s Mugabe tells VP HARARE AGENCIES

A visibly angry Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on Saturday told his deputy Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa to go ahead and form his own party if he is not happy in the ruling ZANU-PF party. Addressing the ninth presidential youth interface rally in the second largest city of Bulawayo, Mugabe admitted he had made a mistake by appointing Mnangagwa as his deputy in the party. He complained that Mnangagwa had divided the party through factionalism and accused him of instigating party members to insult and ridicule him and his family. "Did I make a mistake by appointing him (Mnangagwa)? If I made a mistake I will drop him even tomorrow. If he wants to form his own party, let him go ahead. We can't have a party riddled with infighting. I don't like that," Mugabe said. The president said he had been shocked and angered by some party members who booed the First Lady while making a speech at the same meeting earlier. He said he got information that those who booed the First Lady had been sent by people belonging to Mnangagwa's faction. "We will not remain quiet and we can not continue to tolerate these divisive people in our party," Mugabe said. He warned that major decisions will be made at the forthcoming extra ordinary congress to be held next month in Harare. Mugabe said what annoys him is that Mnangagwa has remained silent on accusations that he is driving factionalism within the ruling party. Meanwhile, Mugabe challenged Bulawayo Province, a stronghold of the opposition, to make sure that ZANU-PF regains lost seats and becomes the dominant party in the province in next year's elections. Earlier, the First Lady openly castigated Mnangagwa and accused him of being the root cause of factionalism, which she said had resulted in some party members being suspended or expelled. She hit back at those who booed her and said she was a strong woman who can stand for herself. The First Lady said time had come for women in the party to reclaim their VP post which had been given to Mnangagwa in 2014 after Mugabe sacked former Vice President Joice Mujuru.

While awaiting US President Donald Trump's first visit to the region, Asian countries have been closely watching his soon-to-be-unveiled Asia policy. The White House host is well advised to divert his interest - if there is any - in the former US divide-and-rule strategies, and instead steer his country back onto the track of consultation and cooperation.

Considering its seven-month track record of backtracking on almost everything former President Barack Obama had promoted, the Trump White House is likely to depart from the previous administration's "rebalancing to Asia" strategy.

The White House has already hinted Trump's intended focus on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and trade during the trip. Both issues, requiring more than ever his readiness to act constructively for win-win results in the region, test the flexibility of his America First policy, as well as his "art of the deal" that demands convergence gain an upper hand over divergence in most cases. On the Korean Peninsula, the Trump administration has been sending mixed and frustrating messages.

The president and his Defense Secretary James Mattis have warned from time to time a full-scale military response to the nuclear ambition of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, however, insists that diplomacy remains the US centerpiece to settle the confrontation. Trump teased Tillerson, saying he was "wasting time" talking to Pyongyang, and direct talk was unrealistic in the foreseeable future.

The nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula is in essence a crisis of trust between Washington and Pyongyang. Compared with pressuring Beijing to tame Pyongyang and others to isolate it, the US willingness for dialogue and readiness to offer the country its much-needed security promise is a better option for all. If the Trump administration is indeed interested in cooling down the nuclear-related tit-for-tat wrangle, not just fanning the flames to justify its presence in the region, it needs to work with all relevant parties to create conditions for a peaceful settlement. On trade, the Trump administration said its top priority is to shrink the US mounting trade deficits with many economies. However, Washington's obsession with cutting them down is misplaced.

To achieve that end, it has ditched the Trans-Pacific Pact (TPP), and threatened to slap punitive tariffs against its trading partners. US trade deficits with regional

economies as well as with others worldwide are mainly caused by its low savings rate and persistent government budget deficits. If one consumes more than it can produce, its imports would certainly go up.

Thus foreign trade should not be blamed.

Also, resorting to punitive measures against others is likely to spark countermoves, which may even result in a trade war.

Expediting US high-tech export would be a constructive solution, as it will help Washington trade with a market-oriented region featuring increasing openness, mature economic structure and complementarity with the United States.

"Putting America first" is the watchword of the Trump administration. Yet in an increasingly interconnected global economy, multilateralism, open-mindedness and cooperation should be valued over go-it-alone-ism.

Chatty 7-year-old ‘Artificial intelligence’ boy granted residency in Tokyo An Artificial Intelligence (AI) character was made an official resident of a busy central Tokyo district on Saturday, with the virtual newcomer resembling a chatty seven-year-old boy.

The boy named “Shibuya Mirai” does not exist physically, but he can have text conversations with humans on the widely used LINE messaging app.

Tokyo's Shibuya Ward, an area popular with fashion-conscious young people, has

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given the character his own special residence certificate.

This makes him Japan's first artificial intelligence bot to be granted a place on a real-life local registry. The move comes days after Saudi Arabia granted citizenship to a robot named Sophia.

Mirai, whose name means “future” in Japanese, is supposed to be a first grader at an elementary school. He can reply to messages and make lighthearted alterations to

selfies he is sent.

Shibuya said the project aimed to make the district's local government more familiar to residents and allow officials to hear their opinions.

“His hobbies are taking pictures and observing people. And he loves talking with people... Please talk to him about anything,” the ward said in a statement with Microsoft, the joint developer of the AI character. AGENCIES

10 BUSINESS

Sunday, 5 November, 2017

TexTile exporTers demand reducTion in gas, elecTriciTy Tariff ISLAMABAD

gold imports hike by 62 per cent in first quarter

ISLAMABAD: The imports of gold into the country increased by 62.40 per cent during the first quarter of the current fiscal year compared to the imports of the corresponding period of last year.

Pakistan imported gold worth $5.6 million during July-September (2017-18) compared to the imports of $3.49 million in July-September (2016-17), showing an increase of 62.40 per cent, according to the data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

In terms of quantity, the imports of gold witnessed an increase of 49.48 per cent during the period under review, compared to the last year. According to the data, Pakistan imported 145 kilograms of gold during the first three months of the current fiscal year compared to the imports of 97 kilograms during last year.

Meanwhile, on the year-on-year basis, the gold imports into the country increased by 9.06 per cent during the month of September 2017 compared to the same month of last year. The country imported gold worth $1.16 million during September 2017 compared to the imports of $1.07 million in September 2016, the PBS data revealed.

In terms of quantity, the gold imports, however, decreased by 12.50 per cent during the month by going down from the imports of 32 kilograms in September 2016 to 28 kilograms in September 2017. On the month-on-month basis, the gold imports into the country decreased by 51.37 per cent in September 2017 when compared to the imports of $2.40 million in August 2017. AGENCIES

e

STAFF REPORT

xPORTERS of various textile products have demanded from the government to reduce the tariff of electricity and gas for their industry to reduce the cost of doing business.

The demand was made during a meeting of Federal Textile Board held on Saturday under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Commerce and Textile Muhammad Pervaiz Malik and State Minister for Commerce and Textile Haji Akram Ansari.

The meeting was also attended by the Textile Division secretary along with Ministry of National Food Security and Research secretary, senior officials of Textile Division, Commerce Division, Ministry of Industries and Production and Finance Division. The chairmen and senior representatives of various textile associations, including All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA), Pakistan Readymade Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PRGMEA), Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA), All Pakistan Textile Processing Mills Association (APTPMA) and others also attended the meeting.

The meeting discussed a multitude of issues being faced by the largest export industry of Pakistan and the facilitation given by the federal government. Representatives of the associations appreciated the federal government for providing policy and budgetary facilitations to textile industry of the country which resulted in an increase of textile exports as compared to last year.

Federal Minister Pervaiz Malik informed the meeting that the government had allocated Rs14 billion till date for the implementation of PhaseI of the prime minister’s package of incentives. He further informed that the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet amended the

prime minister’s package of incentives to further facilitate the textile sector, adding that now 50 per cent of the drawback will be provided without condition of increment and remaining 50 per cent will be provided if the exporter achieves an increase of 10 per cent or more in exports during FY 2017-18 as compared to FY 2016-17.

The meeting was also informed that to further facilitate the exporters and to diversify the markets, an additional 2 per cent shall be allowed for exports to non-traditional markets – Africa, Latin America, non-EU European countries, Commonwealth of the Independent States and Oceania. The minister also informed that relevant notification order had already been issued by the Textile Division.

The textile associations requested that while devising a medium to longterm plan for the textile sector, the government should consider a number

of recommendations such as reduction in tariffs by withdrawing tariff rationalisation surcharge, GIDC, disparity in gas prices across Pakistan, sales tax and customs refunds and extending zero-rating facility to packing material and power looms.

The federal minister requested the associations to diversify markets by accessing non-traditional markets for which government is also providing facilitation. He further requested the associations to encourage new investment feasibility studies, come-up with proposals for social and environmental compliance, skill development, research and development, and product and market diversification.

He also said that preparations for the GSP+ review were excellent and in this regard, all the federal and provincial departments were on board and very well prepared. He highlighted various efforts of his ministry to ensure smooth review.

Pervaiz Malik also directed the Textile Division secretary to immediately take up the matters with ministries and departments concerned and also asked the food security secretary to examine the cotton imports procedure and for early issuance of Plant Breeders Right Rules.

The minister, in his closing remarks, said that the government had taken bold steps to reduce the cost of doing business and in this connection, this meeting had been called to finalise the proposals of the textile sector. He added that he would take up these matters with the prime minister to provide a platform for the development of the textile sector.

State Minister for Commerce and Textile Haji Akram Ansari informed the house that to provide further facilitation to textile sector, short-term policy measures should be taken on a priority basis, especially rationalisation of energy prices.

Trade via Chabahar between India-Afghanistan not against Pakistan TEHRAN AGENCIES

Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) said on Saturday that the country does not regard Iran, India and Afghanistan’s endeavour to use Iranian southeastern port of Chabahar for bilateral trade as an alliance against the country and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

“We do not regard it as any kind of alliance against us. Our trade with Afghanistan, Iran and China continues as before,” a business newspaper quoted FO Spokesperson Mohammad Faisal as saying.

Commenting on the first shipment of Indian wheat to Afghanistan via Chabahar Port, the official said,

“Transport of wheat and other commodities to Afghanistan is nothing new, as Pakistan has been traditionally providing goods to Afghanistan.” He stated that it is Pakistan’s consistent position that Afghanistan as a landlocked country has a right of transit access through any neighbouring country according to its needs. On Chabahar Port, he reiterated, what the Iranians said earlier that “Chabahar and Gwadar Ports are complementary [to each other] in nature.”

India launched a trade route to Afghanistan via Iran through shipping its first consignment of wheat to Afghanistan on October 29, bypassing longtime rival Pakistan, a foreign news agency reported. The shipment was sent from the western seaport of

Kandla to be taken by trucks to Afghanistan from Chabahar Port. The new trade route follows an air freight corridor introduced between India and Afghanistan in June last year to provide greater access for Afghan goods to the Indian market.

Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said that the shipment marked the convergence among India, Afghanistan and Iran to spur an unhindered flow of commerce and trade throughout the region. India, Afghanistan and Iran last year decided to jointly establish a trade route for land-locked Central Asian countries. India committed up to $500 million for the development of Iran’s Chabahar Port along with associated roads and rail lines.

Businessmen playing due role in helping people with disabilities: minister LAHORE AGENCIES

Federal Commerce Minister Pervaiz Malik said on Saturday that bright future is the destiny of nations which take extra care of distressed segments of society by including them in the economic mainstream.

The commerce minister, who is also Lahore Businessmen Association for Rehabilitation of Disabled (LABARD) president, along with Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) President Malik Tahir Javaid inaugurated the LABARD Mela-2017 at Race Course Park in Lahore. Pervaiz Malik expressed pleasure that businessmen of Lahore were fulfilling their corporate social responsibility by ensuring that all the disabled children of the city were provided proper education and vocational training so that they could

join the mainstream economic activities.

Appreciating LCCI’s role in making the event a success, he opined that the chamber was also extending every possible help to Lahore Businessmen Association for the rehabilitation of disabled persons as they were an important segment of the society and their active participation was necessary for country’s development.

He added that there was a need to launch specific programmes for training and education of disabled persons.

The minister also said that it was the duty of every citizen to play his role for betterment of the society, citing that over 10 per cent population of all the developing countries consisted of disabled persons, which needed to be taken care of by the rest of the 90 per cent in the larger interests of the whole society. He also said that everyone should cooperate with organisations

like LABARD as around 200,000 physically challenged people were awaiting help in the suburbs of the city.

LCCI President Malik Tahir Javed suggested that frequency of LABARD Mela should be increased by arranging it twice a year. He said, “We should make collective efforts for enhancing skills of special persons so that they can become useful members of the society.” He also paid tributes to the organisers of the LABARD festival and said that the LCCI would continue to extend cooperation to the association for this noble cause.

He also said that there was a provision in the law that private sector and public sector would employ special persons by up to two per cent respectively. He assured that LCCI would continue to motivate its member companies to show a greater compliance to this law and may refer interested

members to contact job placement cell of LABARD to have suitable candidates. The physically disabled thoroughly enjoyed the festival as many games and cultural activities were arranged for them. Many of them performed at the stage as well and each of them was given a present containing some gifts and eateries.

LABARD festival for special children has become an annual cultural event of the city and has since its initiation been participated by a large number of disabled persons who enjoy all the entertainments like other healthy members of the society. As many as 5,000 special children belonging to various institutions took part in different activities at the festival. The basic aim of holding this event is to give encouragement to the disabled persons and make them useful citizens of the society so that they can be able to play a positive role in their life.

BUSINESS 11

Sunday, 5 November, 2017

KARACHI

f

STAFF REPORT

EDERAL Minister for Energy (Power Division) Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari has said that National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) should work out a better tariff, enabling KElectric (KE) to continue its investment in power uplift projects keeping in view the growing power demand in Karachi.

“I am sure the regulator must be considering all these factors as the betterment of the country is our prime objective,” he stated.

Talking to a private TV channel, the minister said although Abraaj Group did not have any experience to run a power utility company when it took over the management and control of KElectric it brought tremendous improvement in Karachi’s power supply over the years.

“We are also hopeful that the issue related to KE’s recent tariff determination will also be concluded amicably between KE and NEPRA, paving the way to bring the much-needed investment through Shanghai Electric Power,” he said.

KE is among the very few vertically integrated power utilities in the world which handle generation, distribution and transmission in the mega city and its adjoining areas.

Analysts claimed that after revising multi-

energy minisTer urges nepra To Work ouT pro-inVesTmenT Tariff for k-elecTric year tariff for K-Electric from 2016 to 2023, the company may stop further investment in its projects for the residents of Karachi and most of the K-Electric projects including 900 MW project being set up at Bin Qasim port area.

“The new tariff will stay in effect for the next seven years, from July 2016 to 2023. The cut in tariff is a negative for KE, impartial for consumers and positive for the administration,” the analyst said.

In a move that may cause severe implications for the residential and industrial power con-

sumers of Karachi, NEPRA has drastically reduced KE’s tariff for seven years against its review petition.

It is pertinent to note that Karachi is home to some of the largest industries in Pakistan and makes a significant contribution to the country’s GDP. In case the city does not meet the required investments for infrastructural upgrades in view of growing power demands, it may not only adversely affect the people of Karachi in terms of extended load shedding but will also retard industrial growth and operations.

pri director says no hormones used in poultry feed RAWALPINDI: Rawalpindi Poultry Research Institute (PRI) Director Dr Abdul Rehman and Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) Chairman Dr Muhammad Aslam have said that no hormones are used in the poultry feed. Talking to APP, they said that the chicken meat was the best food as it contained vitamins and minerals. Dr Abdul Rehman said that the poultry industry had flourished in the country due to the efforts of government and use of modern technology in poultry farming. He said that it was a misconception that unhealthy feed was being used in the farms for the fast growth of chicken. The feed, which was used in Europe and the United States for the growth of chicken, was used in Pakistan and modern control sheds and latest technology was also being used for the purpose, he added. He also said that hormones were not given to the chicken. Dr Muhammad Aslam said that minimum annual average chicken consumption per person in Europe and the US was 40 kilogram while in Pakistan it was around 8 kilogram. AGENCIES

QUETTA: A man loading kid’s cycles on motorcycle rickshaw. ONLINE

Bisp and World Bank discuss new interventions for welfare of beneficiaries ISLAMABAD: Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) and WB discussed the progress of various ongoing initiatives of BISP and the design and implementation of new interventions aimed at expanding the scope of the programme for the welfare of BISP beneficiaries.

Minister of State and BISP Chairperson MNA Marvi Memon, during a meeting with a team of World Bank (WB), the development partner of BISP, led

by South Asia Region Social Protection and Jobs Practice Manager Stefano Paternostro at BISP headquarters said that BISP

empowered women financially and politically by introducing the pre-condition of having valid CNICs to be eligible for financial assistance of BISP. Other participants of the meeting included BISP Secretary Omar Hamid Khan, Iftikhar Malik, Senior Social Protection Specialist Amjad Zafar Khan, Senior Economist Yoonyoung Cho, Senior Economist Syed Amer Ahmed, and Ali Qureshi from WB among senior officials of BISP. Marvi Memon also said that it is imperative that the conditions of birth registration forms, vaccination, and steps

against malnutrition be put in place for Unconditional Cash Transfer (UCT) programme to bring health revolution and to curb the menace of malnutrition, stunting and low IQ levels among beneficiary children. During the meeting, BISP team gave a briefing on the national rollout of BISP resurvey for National SocioEconomic Registry (NSER) update and enrollment of 1.7 million children in primary schools in 32 districts under Waseela-e-Taleem and plan for its expansion to 18 more districts in March 2018. Besides those, conversion of payment mechanism

to Biometric Verification System (BVS) in 43 districts, and plans of countrywide conversion to BVS also came under discussion. BISP secretary highlighted the importance of graduation strategy and reiterated that it was high time for the scheme to adopt a graduation model so that beneficiaries may be pulled out of poverty by making them selfsufficient through skill development and entrepreneurship. He also pointed out that two graduation models were under consideration which included ADB funded models and Harvard-MIT model.

ADB funded models include Comprehensive Coaching Model and Inclusive Business Model while Direct Cash Transfer Model is part of Harvard-MIT-LSC Model. Stefano Paternostro appreciated the progress of BISP initiatives and stated that BISP is one of the priority programmes of WB, and it is very keen to expand the social protection agenda in Pakistan for the welfare of the underprivileged.

He ensured that WB, being development partner of BISP and having global experience of social protection, would continue providing assistance and expertise in the progress of ongoing initiatives and in the design and implementation of new interventions. PRESS RELEASE

Jcr-Vis upgrades ratings of Hascol petroleum limited KARACHI: JCR-VIS Credit Rating Company Ltd (JCR-VIS) has upgraded the entity ratings of Hascol Petroleum Limited (HPL) to ‘AA-/A1’ (double A minus/A-one) from ‘A+/A-1’ (single A plus/A-one). Rating of HPL’s secured Sukuk issue of Rs2 billion has also been

upgraded to ‘AA’ (double A) from AA(double-A-minus). Outlook on the assigned ratings is ‘stable’. The ratings reflect increasing market share, significant ongoing and projected investment in infrastructure [storage, retail footprint and supply chain]

which will facilitate in sustaining growth momentum. The profitability of the company is expected to depict strong growth on the back of the volumetric increase in sales as sizeable new storage capacities will be operational in FY18 and FY19. PRESS RELEASE

CORPORATE CORNER ke condemns frivolous allegations, says meters are of international standards KARACHI: K-Electric strongly condemned the misinformation and frivolous allegations being spread by some quarters regarding digital meters terming them not just false but pure fiction. The power utility highlighted that digital meters are purchased from ISO certified manufacturers and installed as per respective guidelines.

KE spokesperson also highlighted that no mechanism exists to remotely influence meter readings of digital meters in any way. Any claims otherwise are factually incorrect, he said.

The spokesperson also highlighted that Smart Meters, on the other hand, are state-of-the-art metering systems that are used in developed countries to “read” the meters remotely to enable fully automated billing without any human intervention. Contrary to certain beliefs, even readings of Smart Meters cannot be influenced remotely, he said.

He further clarified that the government has implemented a “uniform tariff policy” across the country, including Karachi, and the slabs of electricity are also implemented across Pakistan. “No change has been made by K-Electric in the tariff, slabs or taxes charged to the consumers of Karachi,” he said adding that the applicable tariff charged was in line with the tariff notified by the government.

Moreover, billing is done as per regulatory processes and guidelines, he said.

The spokesperson also said that the K-Electric had invested significantly on technological up-gradation including implementation of SAP IS-U, the world’s leading system for billing and use of handheld devices for meter reading which ensures efficiency, eliminates human intervention and creates transparency.

He added that the KE had also been endorsed by various national and regional stakeholders for ensuring best practices of disclosure and transparency in its reporting.

“The power utility remains fully committed to its vision statement of ‘energizing Karachi’ and is determined to eradicate power theft,” he concluded. PRESS RELEASE

agp acknowledges savings in award of road contracts to nHa ISLAMABAD: The Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) in its annual audit report for the year 2016-17 has acknowledged that savings worth billions of rupees were made in the award of highway and motorway contracts to National Highways Authority (NHA) through an open and transparent process.

This was stated by NHA Chairman Shahid Ashraf Tarar during the meeting of the sub-committee of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) held at the parliament house today.

According to the report, management of the NHA has carried out an independent review of cost-effective procurement of major projects undertaken by NHA during the period July 2013 to December 2016.

According to the report, NHA entered into contracts for 104 works for Rs761.90 billion against the bid price/engineer’s estimate of Rs978.29 billion, resulting in a saving of Rs261.39 billion. In addition, another saving of Rs134.89 billion was observed by undertaking certain important and imperative projects on BOT basis without any financing from or through the government exchequer.

Such an acknowledgement in the AGP’s report by itself was unprecedented, said the chairman. He informed the committee that the entire process of bidding was made open and competitive as a result of which 56 highway construction projects that were initiated between January 2013 and September 2017, were awarded at 21.56 per cent below the original bid or engineer’s estimates.

“Similarly, 129 maintenance projects were awarded at 22.51 per cent below the original bid or engineer’s estimate for the same period,” he said.

The chairman also informed the meeting that works on several sick projects was initiated during the last four years. These projects were not only revived but also successfully completed, he added.

He also gave the example of Lowari Tunnel which he said was completed and opened for traffic in July.

Similarly, in Balochistan around 650-km road network was added with connectivity with Gwadar, and Lyari Expressway, another sick project, was in the final stages of completion which would hopefully be inaugurated next month, he added.

The sub-committee reviewed NHA’s replies against audit observations on Khanewal-Multan Motorway (M4), Indus Highway (N-55) and Hazara Motorway projects and recommended for their settlement after accepting the department’s reply. PRESS RELEASE

12 LEISURE

Sunday, 5 November, 2017

HaGar tHE HorrIblE

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

Someone close to you may push your emotional buttons today.

Although you try to look the other way, you probably won't be able to hide your annoyance while assertive Mars aligns with self-righteous Jupiter..

You might feel as if it's time to set the record straight. You are prepared for a confrontation, if necessary, but everyone seems to mellow as the day draws on. Setting aside logic enables you to ride.

It's one thing to be absolutely sure of what you want, but fixating on any one particular goal is likely to bring you unhappiness today. You have a special opportunity now to push past an associate's judgment.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Your current resistance to change may be an obstacle to intimacy today. It's risky to reveal your feelings, so you might just let the present moment pass without saying anything at all.

However, you have.

You can feel the magic of romance everywhere you go today.

However, a dynamic change in a relationship won't likely happen until you're willing to listen to your partner and receive the same support you.

You desire a quick resolution to a lingering disagreement and may try to force an issue in order to catalyze an already unstable situation. Don't push your luck by demanding that everyone stop in their.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

You may feel weary from following the dramas of your friends and associates, yet their stories have somehow become yours.

It's no simple task to separate yourself from all the interpersonal relationships.

You can't escape from your powerful feelings, even if it's not easy to integrate them into your day.

Although it's usually wise to share what you want with someone you love, it's unfair to make him or.

You may jump to conclusions today, assuming you can get your needs met without even considering how others might respond to your actions. An irritating aspect between warrior Mars and bombastic Jupiter.

dIlbErt

GarFIEld

baldo

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

You might try to resist the pressure to reexamine your feelings today, for self-exploration currently seems like a lot of work without much benefit in return. Unfortunately, your desire to cling to the.

A casual discussion with a friend or partner today might raise unexpected emotional issues.

Although this conversation may be constructive, it's easy to slip into disagreement over your conflicting needs.

Although it's not easy to comprehend all the forces that brought you to this very moment in your life, you're particularly clear about what you want to happen next. Unfortunately, current circumstances.

crossword

sUdoKU

word sEarcH

ACROSS

brIdGE

How to play Fill in all the squares in the grid so that each row, column and each of the squares contains all the digits.

The object is to insert the numbers in the boxes to satisfy only one condition: each row, column and 3x3 box must contain the digits 1 through 9 exactly once.

PROhIBIT RATION REGIME REGULATION RELIEF REMORSE SCENE SEAT SECT ShELF STELE STORy STRIPE SULLEN TAkE TANGO TILL TINE TRIAL wRONG yORE

Today’s soluTions

HE wHo won't waIt

cHEss BLACK TO PLAY AND MATE IN FOUR MOVEs 8

crossword solution

7 6 5 4 3 2

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

chess solution

A

1...rxb6 2.axb6 Qc5+ 3.Kh1 bc6 4.Qb3 Qxg5 *

1

sudoku solution

1 Floppy-eared animal, to a small child (5,6) 9 Earnestly asked for (9) 10 For example (3) 11 Edible (or inedible!) animal organs (5) 13 Avoiding detection by moving carefully (7) 14 Go by (6) 15 (Of a ship) behind (6) 18 Look after (4,3) 20 Billionaire Bill — openers (5) 21 Sister (3) 22 Extempore (9) 24 List of teams setting out their relative performance (6,5) DOwn 2 Raises (3) 3 Pointers — goads (7) 4 Use again, with few or no changes (6) 5 Move (5) 6 Bankrupt (9) 7 Becoming out of date (11) 8 In the style of Cleese, Palin, Chapman, Jones, Idle and Gilliam (11) 12 Scent (9) 16 Italian Mrs (7) 17 Liqueur on crushed ice (6) 19 Chuck (5) 23 Buddy (3)

ALLEy ALOFT AMPLE AROSE BURdEN ChURCh CLASS COLA COUCh CROAk dIORAMA FACIA GUILT GUSTS hOAR LAdE MANTLE METhOd NIChE ORGAN PICkET

Sunday, 5 November, 2017

ARTS Reshma - Nightingale of Desert - lives on in hearts

13

ChINeSe DRama ‘BeIjINg YouTh’ To aIR oN PTV: ChINeSe amBaSSaDoR ISLAMABAD

a

KARACHI STAFF REPORT

Rangers and Sindh Police have uncovered a group involved in the theft of various cars used in criminal activities across Pakistan, Commander Rangers, Sachal Brigadier Naseem said on Saturday. Addressing a press conference in SITE area, Brigadier Naseem said that the Rangers and Sindh Police had initially nabbed two suspects in a joint operation in Nazimabad, who were found in possession of illegal weapons and a stolen car.

“Unprecedented revelations” followed after further investigation, which showed the two were part of a group involved in selling and using stolen cars in different parts of Pakistan, the brigadier said. “In the biggest car recovery operation in the country’s history, 51 cars were recovered and returned to their owners in record time. Most of the cars were various models of Toyota,” he said. The operation was conducted by a team comprising Rangers and Sindh Police personnel after the instructions of DG Rangers Sindh, he added.

‘Pakistan needs more cinema than India’ Shaan Shahid

KARACHI STAFF REPORT

Rangers and Sindh Police have uncovered a group involved in the theft of various cars used in criminal activities across Pakistan, Commander Rangers, Sachal Brigadier Naseem said on Saturday. Addressing a press conference in SITE area, Brigadier Naseem said that the Rangers and Sindh Police had initially nabbed two suspects in a joint operation in Nazimabad, who were found in possession of illegal weapons and a stolen car.

“Unprecedented revelations” followed after further investigation, which showed the two were part of a group involved in selling and using stolen cars in different parts of Pakistan, the brigadier said. “In the biggest car recovery operation in the country’s history, 51 cars were recovered and returned to their owners in record time. Most of the cars were various models of Toyota,” he said. The operation was conducted by a team comprising Rangers and Sindh Police personnel after the instructions of DG Rangers Sindh, he added.

Taylor Swift has more YouTube subscribers than Rihanna LOS ANGELES

STAFF REPORT

Chinese television series called Beijing Youth is due to air on PTV soon, tweeted Chinese ambassador Lijian Zhao Saturday. A 36 episode TV series Beijing Youth will be on air on PTV. It was dubbed into Urdu in Karachi. China Radio Intl translated it from Chinese — Lijian Zhao (@zlj517) This will be the first time any Chinese series is shown on the Pakistani national TV, which was decided in an agreement between China Radio International and the state television of Pakistan.

According to the agreement, 36 sets of Urdulanguage TV series Beijing Youth compiled by international networks will be broadcasted on the evening prime time of Pakistani state television from early November.

Beijing Youth will be a tribute to the 70th anniversary of Pakistan's independence, according to the Chinese ambassador.

The deputy director of the Pakistani state television praised the translation of the series and said that the translation of the drama is in place, the quality of the sound is good, the actors in the play are very capable and we can concentrate on the modern China's customs.

Documentaries and animated series have

been translated from Chinese to Urdu for the convenience of the audience.

As per a website, China Radio International

has developed rapidly in recent years by translating and broadcasting Chinese films and television programmes in various languages.

Netflix fires Kevin Spacey following sexual misconduct LOS ANGELES AGENCIES

Following allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct, Netflix has taken the decision to sever all ties with actor-producer, Kevin Spacey.

A statement released by the streaming service on Friday night said, "Netflix will not be involved with any further production of House of Cards that includes Kevin Spacey; we will continue to work with Media Rights Capital (MRC) during this hiatus time to evaluate our path forward as it relates to the show."

"We have also decided we will not be moving forward with the release of the film Gore, which was in post-production, starring and produced by Kevin Spacey."

"Gore" was a biopic of writer Gore Vidal staring Spacey that had recently wrapped shooting.

MRC, the production company behind "House of Cards," also con-

firmed that Spacey is off the show.

"While we continue the ongoing investigation into the serious allegations concerning Kevin Spacey's behaviour on the set of House of Cards, he has been suspended, effective immediately," MRC said in a statement. "MRC, in partnership with Netflix, will continue to evalu-

ate a creative path forward for the program during the hiatus."

Spacey has been accused by several men — including many who were underage at the time — of sexual harassment and assault. CNN reported that eight current or former House of Cards workers claim that Spacey made the production a

“toxic” workplace and one ex-employee alleges the actor sexually assaulted him.

Spacey has not yet been arrested or charged with any crime.

Representatives for the actor recently said that Spacey will "seek evaluation and treatment" following the series of sexual misconduct allegations against him. Spacey's agency and publicist have reportedly dropped the actor.

Netflix had previously halted production on "House of Cards" and announced that the upcoming season, its sixth, would be its last.

Producers were also reportedly talking about killing off Spacey's character, Frank Underwood.

Spacey is the latest high profile Hollywood figure to lose work and standing in a wave of sexual harassment that began when dozens of sexual harassment allegations were reported last month against film mogul Harvey Weinstein.

NYC police gathering evidence for Fan writes SRK heartpossible Weinstein arrest warrant wrenching open letter NEw YORK AGENCIES

The New York City Police Department said on Friday that it had a credible narrative from an unidentified woman who has made a rape allegation against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and was gathering evidence for a possible arrest warrant.

New York City Police Department Deputy Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce told a

news conference that the alleged victim “put forth a credible and detailed narrative.”

“We have an actual case here,” Boyce said. He said the police department became aware of the accusation on October 25. Boyce said it was a seven-year-old case and “we have to move forward gathering evidence.”

Boyce said that because Weinstein was out of state the police department would need a courtordered warrant for an arrest.

AGENCIES

Taylor Swift 's rapid-fire method of releasing new singles and videos appears to be paying off reports Eonline. The number of subscribers to the singer's YouTube Vevo channel has surpassed Rihanna's. As of Friday afternoon, Swift has more than 25,892,700, while Rihanna has at least 25,884,300. Fellow pop star Katy Perry, who has feuded with Swift in recent years, has 25,372,600. After months of staying out of the spotlight and three years after taking a break from releasing music, Swift made a social media music comeback in August with a new single, lyric video and full music video "Look What You Made Me Do," an electro-pop single about betrayal and power. She also announced a new album, Reputation, due to hit stores on November 10.

CMYK

More than 50 women have claimed that Weinstein sexually harassed or assaulted them over the past three decades.

Boyce said police had spoken to the woman and “we found corroboration along the way.”

He said the NYPD was working on the case with the Manhattan district attorney’s office. “Right now he (Weinstein) poses no threat to anybody in New York City. He’s out of state. So it’s a continuing investigation,” Boyce told the news conference.

Earlier on Friday, in response to media reports, Joan Vollero, a spokeswoman for Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., told Reuters, “A senior sex crimes prosecutor is assigned to this investigation, and the Office has been working with our partners in the NYPD since the new allegations came to light.”

Police in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and London have also said they are investigating sexual assault allegations against Weinstein but no charges have been brought against him

MUMBAI: Shah Rukh Khan recently celebrated his 52nd birthday and fans all over the world wished him in many different ways. One special fan took to Facebook and penned an open letter to the Kuch Kuch Hota Hai star on how he has made the entire generation believe in “unrealistic” love. Shruti Sonal writes: Dear SRK, I don’t like you one bit. No, not at all. It is because of you that I looked for my ‘Raj’ during every train ride and each journey turned into a major disappointment as the only ones that I met were coughing uncles and crying infants. The ‘King of Romance,’ Shah Rukh Khan recently celebrated his 52ndbirthday and fans all over the world gathered to wish him. One special fan took to Facebook and penned an open letter to the Kuch Kuch Hota Hai star on how he has made the entire generation believe in “unrealistic” love. It is because of you that I, a woman in her 20s, still cries like a baby while watching Kal Ho Na Ho for the 50th time. I’m not embarrassed to be honest. It is because of you that friendship bands became cool and countless nights were spent wishing upon shooting stars. It’s you who made me believe that if Veer could spend 22 years in jail for Zara, my crush could at least text me back. See, I am not a teen anymore. I know things in life don’t happen by wishing upon stars. AGENCIES

14

Sunday, 5 November, 2017

ARTS

Why cooks (and bakers) should give ghee a try LOS ANGELES

g

Man with rare medical condition 'hears the national anthem sung by a male voice choir in his head’ BILTON AGENCIES

An 87-year-old man in Bilton, England has a medical condition because of which he continuously hears the national anthem in his head. Ron Goldspink, 87, lives with a rare disorder known as musical ear syndrome, and says he hears “God Save the Queen” around 1,700 times every week., Mail Online reported. The version he hears is sung by a male choir. He said he hoped to meet Her Majesty when she visits Hull in two weeks’ time to tell her that he had heard the national anthem even more times than she had. “I complained about my next door neighbour who I thought was playing music and keeping me awake at night,” he added. ‘My son complained to the council and when they came down I told them I could hear this music coming from through the wall every night. They went next door and my neighbour said they were not playing anything, and I realised it was just me that could hear it.” Goldspink said although it was sung very well, it can at times be “deafening”, and was driving him mad.

Musical ear syndrome is a condition where people who have hearing loss develop musical hallucinations. The rare condition affects about one in 10,000 people aged over 65 in the UK. It also often affects people who already suffer from tinnitus.

“My doctor could not understand it, and had never heard of it before,” said Goldspink. ‘There is nothing you can do about it – the only possible way I can get a rest from it is if I put a hearing aid in one ear and have the TV on in the background.

That helps me with it, otherwise it deafens me.” Goldspink said he would like to meet the Queen when she visits Hull on November 16. “I want other people to know what I am living with, and to know about the condition,” he said. “I have no idea what caused it, I just know it is a group of men singing and they sing it very well. I just want people to know that I am not mad, and don’t just have something wrong with my head. I am telling the truth, and I hear the national anthem continuously.”

AGENCIES

HEE is the thing that bakers all over the world should try, reports Washington Post.

Ghee is butter that is simmered to remove the water and milk fats, then filtered, resulting in a cooking fat that is shelf-stable and usable at much higher heats than butter and most oils.

Dietitian Ellie Krieger, Nourish Schools co-founder Casey Seidenberg and certified health education specialist Elaine Gordon offer picks for meals from breakfast to dessert.

For those of you who want to run the other way from any relative of butter, either because you cannot tolerate dairy or it brings to life unpleasant images of high cholesterol, just wait. Ghee is almost entirely free of lactose and casein, the two reasons many people avoid dairy. Studies show that ghee does not increase cholesterol, as it is high in short- and medium-chain fatty acids, instead of the long-chain fatty acids most associated with heart disease.

Ghee has long been touted in Indian cooking and Ayurvedic medicine as

healing to the digestive tract and a contributor to strong eyesight, healthy skin and stable moods. Modern studies validate that ghee provides the fat-soluble vitamins A (for eyesight and skin), D (for bones and immune health), and E (to balance hormones and repair damaged tissue), and all of these vitamins are easily absorbed when combined with the natural fat in ghee. Ghee also has butyric acid, shown to support healthy digestion.

The smoke point of a cooking fat should matter to anyone cooking at home because when oil is heated beyond its smoke point, the oil changes structure and becomes much less healthy to consume. The smoke point occurs when the oil stops simmering and starts smoking, and every oil and fat has its own smoke point. Essential minerals and enzymes are destroyed at this point, and free radicals that can damage our bodies are released.

Ghee has one of the highest smoke points of any fat or oil, so it can be used to cook almost anything at almost any temperature. This makes it an incredibly versatile cooking tool. The ubiquitous extra-virgin olive oil has a very low smoke point and should never be

used over medium or high heat, only over low heat or unheated to season salads, pasta, vegetables and other roomtemperature dishes.

Just as ghee looks like butter and is made from butter, it is also a saturated fat like butter. The calories from saturated fats should make up less than 10 percent of an overall healthful daily diet. Luckily, very little ghee is needed to achieve a rich, creamy flavour. (Al-

The world's biggest grave robbery: Asia’s disappearing WWII shipwrecks LONDON AGENCIES

Dozens of warships believed to contain the remains of thousands of British, American, Australian, Dutch and Japanese servicemen from the second world war have been illegally ripped apart by salvage divers, reported The Guardian.

An analysis of ships discovered by wreck divers and naval historians has found that up to 40-second world war-era vessels have already been partially or completely destroyed. Their hulls might have contained the corpses of 4,500 crew.

Governments fear other unmarked graves are at risk of being desecrated. Hundreds more ships – mostly Japanese vessels that could contain the war graves of tens of thousands of crew killed during the war – remain on the seabed.

The rusted 70-year-old wrecks are usually sold as scrap but the ships also contain valuable metals such as copper cables and phosphor bronze propellers.

Experts said grave diggers might be looking for even more precious treasures – steel plating made before the nuclear testing era, which filled the atmosphere with radiation.

Large “crane barges” have been photographed above wreck sites, often with huge amounts of rusted steel on their decks. At the seabed, divers have found ships cut in half. Many have been removed completely, leaving a ship-shaped indent.

Cambodian, Chinese and Malaysian-registered vessels have been spotted above shipwrecks. In some

'Walking Dead' aims at becoming as successful as Pokemon Go

cases, their crews have been arrested. In one case, the looters had acquired a letter from a Malaysian university which said the work was authorised as “research”.

The illicit business, which appears to have rocketed in the past 18 months, remains shrouded in mystery, with some archeologists suggesting selling corroded scrap metal was not worth the costly process of removing it from the sea bed.

Archeologists believe the criminals might be turning a profit because the hulls are one of the world’s few remaining deposits of “low-background” metals. Having been made before atomic bomb explosions in 1945 and subsequent nuclear tests, the steel is free of radiation.

WhatsApp to get blocked in Afghanistan KABUL AGENCIES

Afghanistan’s telecoms regulator wrote to internet service providers this week ordering them to block the messaging services WhatsApp and Telegram but it was not immediately clear whether they had complied.

Use of social media and mobile instant messaging services has exploded in Afghanistan over recent years. Social media users and civil rights groups reacted with outrage to initial reports of the move and the letter sent by telecoms regulator ATRA was widely shared on social media.

Some media reports, citing unidentified sources, said the move had been ordered by the National Directorate for Security to thwart the use of the encrypted messaging services by the Taliban and other insurgent groups.

The acting minister for telecommunications, Shahzad Aryobee, posted a message on Facebook saying that the

though it can be substituted for butter at a 1-to-1 ratio, I often use a little less.)

So whether you jump on a ghee kick or just stash a jar in your pantry for a muffin emergency, ghee is great in small quantities.

Ghee is sold at most grocery stores with the Indian foods or with the cooking oils, and opened jars can be stored in the refrigerator as a solid for a year or in the pantry as a liquid for three months.

telecoms regulator had been ordered to put a gradual block on the services to improve their functioning after complaints had been received.

“The government is committed to freedom of speech and knows that it is a basic civil right for our people,” he wrote.

The letter by telecoms regulator

ATRA, dated Nov 1 and signed by an official of the regulator, directed internet companies to block Telegram and Facebook’s WhatsApp services “without delay” for a period of 20 days.

However, the service worked normally this week and still appeared to be working normally on Saturday on both state-owned operator Salaam and

private service providers.

On Friday, there were reports of interruptions but it was not clear whether they were caused by a deliberate shutdown or by the unrelated issues with WhatsApp services that were experienced in several countries.

Mobile phone services have been one of the big success stories in Afghanistan since the Taliban were ousted from power by a US-led campaign in 2001, but there are also frequent complaints from users about quality and coverage.

WhatsApp and similar services, including Facebook Messenger and Viber, are widely used by Afghan politicians and members of the government as well as by the Taliban, which has a sophisticated social media operation of its own.

The movement’s main spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, wrote to reporters this week giving his Viber number “in case WhatsApp is not working”.

HELSINKI: Finnish game studio Next Games said on Friday it will launch a new augmented reality smartphone game in the coming months based on AMC Networks’ hit TV show “Walking Dead”. The game, in which players fight zombies that are superimposed onto the real world on smartphone screens, is tapping into the trend of augmented reality (AR) which gained mass adoption last year with the release of Niantic’s Pokemon Go. Next Games said the “Walking Dead: Our World” game, which it hopes will mirror Pokemon Go’s success, will be available for test users on Apple’s App Store and Google Play in selected regions by January before a wider release later next year. The TV show tells the story of a world overrun by zombies, and the new game will use AR technology to let players battle the zombie characters in real-world environments. Based on the same show, Next Games has previously developed a mobile strategy game which has been downloaded by more than 16 million users. “I have an optimistic view on (the new game‘s) potential. I expect this game to reach similar levels of revenue to their previous game,” said analyst Jerker Salokivi at Evli brokerage, with a “hold” rating on the stock. Shares in the company, which was listed in March, jumped more than 100 per cent in August after the company released its first video trailer of the upcoming game. The stock fell more than 7 per cent on Friday as the company reported a loss from the first nine months of the year due to investments in game development. Its sales from January to September rose 30 per cent from a year ago to around 26 million euros ($30 million). This year, Google and Apple have both released augmented reality applications for their devices to compete for the attention of customers and software developers building such games. Pokemon Go, which has players walking around real-life neighbourhoods to catch and train creatures, has more than 750 million downloads. “AR games … need to give the player a reason to look through their cameras, to change their surroundings into something else. With zombies, you don’t luckily get to do it any other way,” Next Games CEO Teemu Huuhtanen told Reuters in September. In another recent AR initiative, Mattel and tech company Osmo launched an augmented reality version for “Hotwheels” toy car game. AGENCIES

Sunday, 5 November, 2017

Zidane says ‘neitheR nuMbeR one noR the woRst’ MAdRid

a

Agencies

FTER recently scooping an award for being the world's best coach, Zinedine Zidane claimed he is neither number one nor the worst as he aims to guide Real Madrid out of their recent slump.

Los Blancos have been beaten twice in the past week against Girona and Tottenham Hotspur away from home and have fallen eight points behind Barcelona in the title race.

As they aim to get back on track on Sunday against Las Palmas, the Frenchman insisted that while he isn't happy with recent results, he isn't overly concerned yet.

"The best way to explain the defeats is that this is football. Criticism is just something which I can't avoid," he told reporters.

"I'm not the best coach in the world, which maybe people said for a season, and I accept that but right now I'm also not the worst.

"I don't get too carried away, there is no euphoria when things are going well or getting too down when they go

wrong, I'm always in the middle.

"It is something which I learned as a player. What I think and what my players think is the same. We aren't happy about the two games we have lost but it doesn't change what we want to achieve."

The 1998 World Cup winner was also keen to remind people that Los

Blancos overcame similar adversity last season to enjoy a fine campaign and issued a blunt response to those who believe the team are playing poorly as well as picking up disappointing results.

"Bad streaks happen in football, it is nothing new. It happened last year and in the end we achieved great things

and want to do that again," he said.

"The only thing we can concentrate on is winning our next game and doing everything possible to make sure that happens. We can't control the outside, only our own hard work.

"I don't think it is true though that we are playing badly. Sometimes, we are a little worse but not for the whole game or all of the games. It is a bad moment but it isn't the worst of my career."

Zidane also provided an injury update on the sidelined right flank duo Dani Carvajal and Gareth Bale, who both trained on Saturday as they close in on their returns.

"We're happy that the two will return but we also need [Mateo] Kovacic but I think he'll be back next week," Zidane explained.

"Carvajal is fine and Bale has also taken part in his second session so it is just a normal process now but Dani must be given the necessary peace of mind.

"We also hope that Gareth isn't going to go with his national team [Wales called him in spite of his fitness problems] because we want him to stay with us so that he can return for Madrid as soon as possible."

'Monstrous' Messi to enter Barca's 600 club BARCELONA Agencies

Pepe twice rejected new deals to stay at Real Madrid MAdRid Agencies

After Real Madrid's humiliating 3-1 defeat against Tottenham Hotspurs, Cristiano Ronaldo was critical of the players that the club has let go, but before complaining he should look at his friend and former-teammate Pepe, who twice turned down deals to stay. Pepe moved to Beskitas after rejecting the first offer in the summer of 2016 as he wanted a two-year deal which Los Blancos denied him due to his age. Madrid still wanted Pepe to remain with Zinedine Zidane being the first and the central defender, who is now performing at a good level with the Turkish champions, was offered another deal, which he failed to respond to. The case with another player, James Rodriguez, who also left in the summer is more straight forward as he never saw eye to eye with Zidane.

Meanwhile, Alvaro Morata hesitated to return a year earlier and his departure did not seem important for Real. The striker wanted to seek a life away from the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu due to the lack of confidence he received during his time at the club. The last on the list is Mariano, who failed to achieve Zidane's trust in the previous season. Knowing all this, it would be more logical for Ronaldo to ask his former teammates about their departures before doubting the club's youngsters.

Lionel Messi will celebrate his 600th start for Barcelona on Saturday in what his manager Ernesto Valverde hails as "a monstrous" achievement.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner becomes only the third player to reach the milestone for the Catalan club after ex-playmaker Xavi Hernandez (767 appearances) and the current captain Andres Iniesta (642).

In his 599 games since 2004, the 30-year-old Argentine legend has scored 523 goals all competitions to be the club's all-time top scorer and the top scorer in La Liga with 360.

"It's monstrous, 600 matches for the same club, with all the goals he's scored, and all those assists, with all his vivacity," marvelled Valverde at the eve-of-match press conference on Friday.

"You run out of adjectives to describe Messi's journey. It shows his importance to this club.

"To reach 600 games, that's an awful lot of games! It's extraordinary, like everything he does.

"It's not only that he's appearing for the 600th time, it's the way he's

played in these 600 matches."

Against Sevilla at the Camp Nou, Messi has the opportunity to add to his Liga season-leading 12 goal haul which has lifted Barcelona to a four-point lead at the top of the table.

In contrast, his fellow striker Luis Suarez has endured a fallow period this term with only three

league goals.

"Luis is a goalscorer, it's only a question of perseverance," said Valverde.

"If there is one thing that sums him up it's this: he's obstinate, aggressive, committed in his work and we know that he's always got the chance to score goals...I don't think Luis Suarez is going to down tools."

SPORTS 15

FIFA and confederations look at expanding UEFA's Nations League ZURiCH Agencies

FIFA has confirmed it is considering ways to expand UEFA's new Nations League tournament on a global scale with ongoing talks involving a number of regional confederations considering radical proposals.

UEFA's Nations League starts next September and features four divisions of national teams, replacing friendlies with competitive fixtures.

While the format has yet to be tested, the idea of a similar style of competition has already been under consideration at CONCACAF, which governs the sport in North and Central America and the Caribbean. With UEFA's competition set to fill the international dates left for friendly games, teams in other confederations will find it difficult to get windows for games against European nations.

Responding to reports that UEFA was talking with other confederations, the global governing body said it was directly involved in the discussions. "FIFA has been always involved from the beginning in the process.

Thanks to the cooperative atmosphere FIFA will continue to have constructive discussions about the next steps together with UEFA and the other confederations," the global governing body said in a statement. UEFA said it had begun the process of consultation with all concerned bodies. "UEFA can confirm that it has initiated discussions regarding the evolution of the UEFA Nations League. These constructive discussions involve our national associations, European football stakeholders, all confederations and of course FIFA, with whom we have a very good relationship. "We have included them in discussions on this topic since the start. No decisions have been made at this time," it said in a statement. CONCACAF did not respond to a request for comment but in April their president Victor Montagliani told Reuters that the body was well on the way to creating its own version of UEFA's competition. "There has been overwhelming acceptance that it is a great idea and the way we need to go. There are a few formats that we have looked at and we have had various members coming back with ideas," he said.

"What people need to realise is that the world of friendlies is going to change, with Europe changing to the Nations League, it is going to get harder to get friendlies," said Montagliani who believes that will be no great loss. While discussions are at a relatively early stage, one of the ideas that has been floated in media reports is for regional 'leagues' with a minitournament involving the winners from across the world. Such mini-tournaments could also be held for teams from the lower divisions from different confederations, creating a sort of 'minnows World Cup'.

Every player feels he should be playing for the country: Kapil Dev on Sreesanth SPORTS dESK Two days after S Sreesanth claimed that The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was biased against him and treated him differently than other accused, former India captain Kapil Dev reacted and said that the tainted cricketer should give reasons to back his claim.

Dev told reporters on the sidelines of Krishnapatnam Golden Eagles’ Golf Championship in Bengaluru that all players feel they have the right to play for the country but it comes down to only 11 players who actually play. “If he thinks that way (BCCI has been biased), then he has to give enough reasons to back his claim. Every person feels he should be playing for the country but at the end of the day, only eleven players are going to play,” Dev was quoted by PTI as saying.

The former India captain however said that it was Sreesanth’s personal opinion. “These are Sreesanth’s personal views. I cannot comment much on his personal views,” he said.

Sreesanth said on Friday that he would approach the Supreme Court in a last ditch effort to lift the BCCI life ban that was recently upheld by the Kerala High Court. He said in an interview to Republic, “At that point of time, they were playing IPL. They are

still playing IPL. They were accused, so I can’t really blame them. My question here is if those names were there in Mudgal, even if they were later cleared, why is that one rule just for me? There should be one rule for each and every cricketer. Even if you look at Chen-

CMYK

nai Superkings and Rajasthan Royals, they were banned for just two years, because apparently they are teams. No player was questioned except three from Rajasthan Royals. But what about Chennai Superkings players? It doesn’t happen that way.”

SPORTS Sunday, 5 November, 2017

munro ton fireS KiWiS to SerieSLeveLLing Win AgAinSt indiA RAJKOT

o

Agencies

PENER Colin Munro smashed a blistering century to help New Zealand down India by 40 runs in the second Twenty20 international and level the series at 1-1 on Saturday.

Munro smashed an unbeaten 58-ball 109 to propel the Kiwis to 196-2 and in reply, the hosts could only manage 156-7 at the batting-friendly Rajkot stadium. Kiwi fast bowler Trent Boult claimed four wickets to flatten the Indian chase despite a valiant 42-ball 65 from Indian skipper Virat Kohli, who got little help from the other end.

Boult hurt India’s reply with his leftarm pace to get two wickets in his very first over and send the openers trudging back to the pavilion. The left-handed Shikhar Dhawan was bowled for one while Sharma, who scored five, was caught behind as India were left strug-

gling at 11-2 after two overs. Kiwi bowlers kept chipping away with regular wickets as Munro, who bowls right-arm medium pace, also contributed with

Shreyas Iyer’s crucial scalp. Kohli tried his level best during his fifty-plus partnerships with Iyer, who made 23, and then Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who scored 49,

but the climbing run-rate got to him. The star batsman finally fell to Mitchell Santner’s left-arm spin and with him India’s hopes faded away.

Injured Shinwari ruled out of int’l cricket for up to six months LAHORe Agencies

Love-ALL AS WozniAcKi AnnounceS engAgement LOS ANGELES: World number three Caroline Wozniacki announced her engagement to American basketball player David Lee on Friday. The Danish star, who won the seasonending WTA Finals last weekend, posted a picture of her diamond engagement ring on Twitter alongside a caption which read: “Happiest day of my life yesterday saying yes to my soulmate.” Lee, a 34-year-old NBA free agent who spent the bulk of his career with the New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors, also posted about the engagement. “She said yes! So thrilled to be engaged to my soulmate,” Lee wrote on Instagram alongside a picture of himself embracing Wozniacki in Bora Bora, French Polynesia. News of 27-year-old Wozniacki’s engagement comes three years after her split with golf superstar Rory McIlroy. McIlroy and Wozniacki were together for three years between 2011 and 2014 and had been engaged before splitting shortly after sending out wedding invitations. McIlroy, who has since married, later explained that the split was his decision. Agencies

Pakistan’s bowling unit have been a dealt a major blow as inform pacer Usman Shinwari has been ruled out of the upcoming series against the West Indies. A local media outlet reported that the medical camp of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has informed the team management that Shinwari may take next four to six months to recover from an injury. The pacer is facing a serious stress fracture of the back. The PCB is still waiting for a final word from Cricket West Indies (CWI) on the proposed tour of Pakistan by the West Indies team for a series of three T20Is. Meanwhile, a source in PCB has confirmed to Geo.tv that PCB has sent the proposed itinerary and the related plans to the CWI and the board is now waiting for the final approval. “We are hoping for a reply from them by Wednesday,” said the source. A joint

statement from PCB and CWI had stated that Cricket West Indies and Pakistan Cricket Board were advancing discus-

sions that would see the West Indies team play three T20 matches against Pakistan in Lahore in late November.

Australia batsmen hold key to potential Ashes whitewash: McGrath

Sydney Agencies

Legendary Australian paceman Glenn McGrath is fond of predicting Ashes whitewashes for his compatriots over England - but this time round he is not so sure. The 47-year-old, who brought the curtain down on his stellar Test career 10 years ago with a 5-0 cleansweep of England, told Saturday’s Daily Mail newspaper everyone is expecting him to say 5-0.

“Well, it would be rude of me not to, wouldn’t it?” jested McGrath.

“If our bowlers can stay on the park and bowl well there could be a good chance of that again.

“It’s always up to the batsmen.

Bowlers will win matches as long as the batsmen score enough runs. That’s coming from a bowler.”

However McGrath — who took 563 Test wickets in 124 Tests over a 14 year period — admits that prediction

could be tempered by a couple of personnel issues the Aussies are facing.

“I think it will be a fascinating series and I don’t think there’s a real stand-out winner,” said McGrath, not just a Test bowler but an integral part of the Australian side that won three successive One Day World Cups, “Both teams have got issues, there’s no doubt about that, and looking at the England squad, half the guys I haven’t really seen play before to be honest. “I don’t think the Australians have settled on their team.

“The No 6 position and the keeper are up in the air at the moment so we’ll see what happens. It’s still special. It’s still the ultimate.” McGrath says the Ben Stokes affair has obviously affected the balance of power between the two sides.

Talismanic all-rounder Stokes has had to remain in England as he awaits the outcome of a police investigation into an incident in Bristol in September

“Being vice-captain you do have to set the standards both on and off the field and what happened there was not good, you can’t say anything but that,” said McGrath. “The great shame of it is that he has the world at his feet. He’s such a good player. “He’s two players in one so it’s a big blow to England. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s not here for the entire series. “If he did come out here it will be interesting to see how the fans warm to him but there’s a lot to happen first before we see whether that can happen.

“It could be a distraction. “Of course it’s a blow to the series. “You want to play against the best players.

For Australia to win you want the opposition to be at full strength and that’s the way it’s always been.” McGrath was speaking ahead of taking part in the New York Marathon on Sunday. He is running for The McGrath Foundation which raises money for cancer, an illness that claimed his first wife Jane.

Published by Arif Nizami at Plot # 7, Al-Baber Centre, F/8 Markaz, Islamabad.

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Earlier, Munro put on 105 runs for the opening wicket with Martin Guptill (45), to lay a solid foundation after the Kiwis elected to bat first. Guptill hit Yuzvendra Chahal for two sixes and a four in the legspinner’s first over to make his intentions clear. Chahal finally got his revenge after denying Guptill, who smashed 3 fours and 3 sixes in his 41-ball knock, a fifty but the damage had already been done.

Munro made the most of his two reprieves, on 45 and 79, to register his second T20 ton — in just 54 balls — and pulverise the Indian bowling attack.

Debutant paceman Mohammed Siraj gave away 53 runs in four overs but got his maiden international wicket in skipper Kane Williamson for 12. The left-handed Munro, who hit 7 fours and 7 sixes, and Tom Bruce, who scored 18, signed off with a 56-run unbeaten stand for the third wicket. The action now moves to the third and deciding match in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.

Kohli calls Shoaib terrifying bowler Indian skipper, Virat Kohli has called Shoaib Akhtar a terrifying bowler for batsmen to face. During an interview with Breakfast with Champions, Kohli said after Akhtar the next bowler he was terrified of facing was Pakistan’s 7-foot left-arm paceman Mohammad Irfan. Kohli also spoke about his relationship with Indian actress Anushka Sharma and how she had played a vital role in his life. According to Kholi, the actress had provided him with motivation and confidence. When asked what made him finally come out and speak about his relationship in the open Kohli revealed that it was none other than pacer Zaheer Khan who gave him valuable advice and told him to talk freely about it. “A very big reason behind me not hiding my relationship is Zaheer Khan. Luckily he was one of the first guys I spoke to about this and he said whatever you do don’t try to hide it because you’ll stress yourself. And on top of that, you’re in a relationship, you’re not doing anything wrong. “I’m actually very grateful that my first interaction about this was with Zak. And he told me the right thing to do so I’ve followed it ever since”, Kohli concluded. sports Desk

Hockey squad named for event in Australia ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Saturday named a 16member squad for the International Festival of Hockey scheduled to be held in Melbourne, Australia from November 8 to 12. Pakistan, hosts Australia, New Zealand and Japan will be competing in the men’s event, said a PHF press release issued here.Muhammad Irfan Sr will led the team while Umar Bhutta will be his deputy. The team includes Amjad Ali, Irfan, Abubakr Mahmood, Atif Mushtaq,Hassan Anwar, Ammad Shakeel Butt, Tasawwar Abbas, Rizwan Jr, Arslan Qadir, Shajeeh Ahmed, Shan Irshad, Umar Bhutta, Atiq Arshad, Ajaz Ahmed,Bilal Qadir and Khizer Akhtar. The officials comprise Farhat Khan (Manager/Head Coach), Malik Shafqat (Coach), Muhmmad Sarwar (Coach),Dr Atif Bashir (Team Doctor) and Abuzar Umrao (Video Analyst). The team includes five players who have won selection for the National side Khizer Akhtar (Tando Jam, district Hyderabad), Shajeeh Ahmed (Sargodha), Hassan Anwar (Faisalabad), Bilal Qadir (Pir Mahal, district Toba Tek Singh) & Shan Irshad (Sheikhupura). Agencies