E-Paper PDF 5th November (LHR)

CMYK

Tuesday, 5 November, 2019 I 7 Rabi-ul-Awwal, 1441 I Rs 20.00 I Vol X No 126 I 16 Pages I Lahore Edition

Opp decides TO exTend AzAdi MArch siT-in fOr TwO MOre dAys g

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govt, opp Hold talks as jui-f mnas submit resignations to fazl

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kHattak Hopes for positive outCome in tHe next meeting

fazl says opp united against govt, Close to aCHieving objeCtives

ISLAMABAD

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staff report

he joint opposition on Monday decided to continue the anti-government protest sit-in for two more days as all parties agreed that insignificant gains should not be given preference over the issues of the masses.

This was decided in a Multi-Party Conference (MPC) held in the federal capital to decide the future course of action pertaining to the ongoing Azadi March.

Briefing the media about the decisions taken during the meeting, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Maulana Abdul Ghafoor haideri said that the meeting was “very positive”. he added that currently efforts are being made to resolve all issues through dialogue.

Responding to a question about the future of the march and whether the opposition would back off from its demand of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s resignation, he said that the protest will only end if the government agrees to the principle of “you give some, you take some”. he also said that the venue of the protest will not be changed as the protesters have all basic facilities available in h-9.

Meanwhile, Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal leader Maulana Abdul Wasay said that all JUIF’s MNAs submitted their resignations to party chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. he added that he

himself had handed over his resignation to Fazl.

Reportedly, the resignations would be used if the opposition decides to adopt this strategy.

After the MPC ended, the government’s negotiation committee led by Defence Minister Pervez Khattak went to Maulana Fazl’s residence in order to reach a mutual agreement regarding the Azadi March.

Following the session, Khattak and Fazl spoke to media, where the former said that the first round of talks seemed successful. he also said that another meeting will be held tomorrow at JUI-F leader Akram Durrani’s residence, around 3PM. “We hope that it will bear good results,” he added.

FAZL SAYS CLOSE TO ACHIEVING OBJECTIVES: Addressing the participants of the march, JUI-F chief said that they are close to achieving their objectives.

Fazl said that in Monday’s MPC, the opposition parties agreed that only they would decide when to call off the sit-in. “All political parties are on same page and government remains alone today,” he said, adding that all political parties have assured that they would not leave JUI-F alone.

Fazl dismissed the speculations that there were divisions between the opposition’s ranks. he said that rumours against Azadi March have lost pace, adding that he is truly grateful to opposition leaders who supported the march.

Speaking about the agenda of the march, he

said that the opposition wants to see a stronger Pakistan. “We want to pull Pakistan out of isolation,” he said, adding that there is something going on at every front.

“Imran Khan was first selected, now he is rejected,” said Fazl to the crowd. he said that Azadi March is voice of entire nation. he added that Pakistan s foreign policy is a failure and internally country is unstable, adding that loans taken in one year are more than those taken during the last 70 years.

JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman has criticised the PTI government’s economic policies, saying the country’s economy is now “fully in the hands of the IMF”. “We cannot tolerate further decline of Pakistan,” he told the Azadi March participants.

SHEHBAZ, BILAWAL SKIP MPC: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari were absent from Monday’s MPC due to their own reasons. earlier in the day, PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal had announced that Shehbaz would not attend the meeting and would be represented by a party delegation led by former National Assembly (NA) speaker Ayaz Sadiq. It is pertinent to mention here that PML-N, in a party meeting held under Shehbaz’s chairmanship in Lahore, decided to completely support JUI-F’s Azadi March.

Iqbal said that the party would present its point of view before the joint opposition’s Rahbar Committee, adding that the opposition should stand united in its struggle against the government.

Not negotiating any deal with PML-N, PPP, says PM Imran STORY ON PAGE 03

govt to raise azadi march issue in na on nov 7

Maryam Nawaz gets bail in CSM case g

lHC benCH orders release of pml-n vp on surety bonds wortH rs20m, deposit of additional rs70m and surrender of passport

STORY ON BACK PAGE

pm imran launches ‘largest ever’ scholarship programme STORY ON BACK PAGE

Interpol gives clean chit to Ishaq Dar editorial: pti’s debt collector

STORY ON PAGE 02

STORIES ON PAGES 03 & 08

Army will continue to support state institutions, Gen Bajwa reaffirms g

Pakistan resolves $1.2bn Karkey dispute with Turkey

Corps Commanders say won’t allow reversal of seCurity gains at any Cost

STORY ON PAGE 11

iHC suspends presidential appointment of eCp members STORY ON PAGE 03

STORY ON PAGE 02

CMYK Tuesday, 5 November, 2019

02 NEWS nawaz's platelets count remains 'unstable' LAHORE: Despite some improvement in his platelets, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s platelets dropped again to around 40,000 on Monday. The medical board, constituted to look after the former premier at the Services Hospital, examined him and conducted further tests, including the CBC. Sources revealed that the doctors have stopped giving blood-thinning medicines to Nawaz Sharif as the platelet count has reached the 40,000 mark. However, the sources revealed, his diabetes level is still critical and insulin is being used to control the disease. Last week, his personal physician Dr Adnan Khan had said that Sharif needs aggressive medical management. STAFF REPORT

Govt to raise azadi march issue in na on nov 7 ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to bring the matter of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam’s (JUI-F) Azadi March to the parliament for a political solution. In this regard, a National Assembly session has been summoned on Nov 7 at 04:00pm. According to details, Prime Minister Imran Khan will address the session and the opposition will also be given the opportunity to speak.

The session will discuss the incumbent government’s performance and the motives behind the anti-government protest led by JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

Further details suggest that the issue will be raised in both Houses – the Senate and National Assembly. STAFF REPORT

court extends physical remand of Khursheed shah in naB case SUKKUR: A district and sessions court in Sukkur on Monday extended the physical remand of PPP leader Syed Khursheed Shah for five days in a case pertaining to the accumulation of assets beyond means. Shah was produced before the court in an ambulance from the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) in Sukkur where he has been admitted due to cardiac disease.

Khursheed Shah recently underwent an angiography procedure at NICVD in Sukkur due to cardiac arrest. The NAB produced Shah before a sessions court judge as the accountability court judge was on leave. The NAB demanded further physical remand of the PPP leader. To which, the court extended the remand for five days. The extension followed the expiry of his previous 15-day physical remand. The PPP leader had been shifted to the hospital after he had complained of chest pain on Oct 27.

He underwent an angiography procedure and the report diagnosed his three cardiac arteries were clogged due to the shooting blood pressure. The doctors had handed over the medical report to the NAB. STAFF REPORT

Two securiTy personnel marTyred in Bannu landmine BlasT BANNU: At least two security personnel were martyred and one other injured in a landmine explosion in the North Waziristan district in the Bannu Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday. The security personnel were passing through the Mir Ali area when a landmine exploded, killing two security personnel and injuring another. The martyred personnel were identified as Sepoy Ansar Mehdi and Sepoy Shaftqt Shah and the injured was identified as Havaldar Murtaza. The security forces have cordoned off the area and started search operation. STAFF REPORT

iHc suspends presidenTial appoinTmenT of ecp memBers ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

N Islamabad High Court (IHC) bench on Monday suspended a presidential notification of the appointment of two Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) members and directed the government to solve the matter through parliament.

IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah, who was hearing a petition against the unilateral appointments of ECP members from Sindh and Balochistan by President Arif Alvi, said that the matter should be solved “as quickly as possible” as the incumbent Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza is retiring on Dec

7. “Resolve this matter before December 7 and tell the court,” the additional attorney general was told.

The petition, filed by Barrister Jahangir Khan, maintained that the criteria for the appointment of chief election commissioner and members had been laid down in the Constitution and the notification issued for the appointment of members on Aug 22 was “in violation of Articles 213 and 218” of the Constitution.

It merits a mention here that following the appointments, CEC Justice Raza had refused to administer the oath to both members-designate and, instead, wrote a letter to the Law Ministry, saying that the appointment of ECP members was not in accordance with relevant articles of the Constitution.

In an earlier hearing of the case,

Justice Minallah had said that the matter must be solved by the parliament and that National Assembly speaker and Senate chairman should resolve the issue through consultations.

Following Justice Minallah’s directions, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser and Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani had met with the government’s legal team and constitutional experts and had decided that opposition parties will be engaged to resolve the issue.

During Monday’s hearing, the IHC chief justice inquired about the progress of the consultation meetings. The additional attorney general informed him that so far three meetings had been held between Qaiser and Sanjrani but “no progress could be made due to deteriorating [law

Gen Bajwa gifted perfume to Fazl after ‘heated argument’, claims anchorperson time when the regional situation was critical,” an anchorperson had quoted the army chief as telling Fazl. “We have been doing what the constitution asks for,” the army chief reportedly said, according to the anchorperson.

While some, including exarmy officials, had denied the claims regarding any meeting between the two, no official statements were made as the journalist claimed it was “common knowledge”.

On Sunday, Klasra claimed that “not only did the meeting take place, but it also saw a heated exchange of words be-

tween Gen Bajwa and Fazl”.

“Even though both sides state otherwise, it has been confirmed that the meeting did take place. Not only did it occur, but it was also marred by a heated argument as Maulana Sahib defied the army chief,” Klasra said in a video doing rounds over the internet.

Klasra claimed that Fazl refused to budge on his plans and the situation got tense enough for the army chief to gift him a perfume on his way out. “My sources say that Maulana was gifted a bottle of perfume to calm him down,” he went on to say.NEWS DESK

Pakistan calls out ‘malicious’ Indian media reports to undermine Kartarpur project

575 people who will be part of the first Sikh delegation to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib after passing through the newly constructed corridor. Pakistan and India signed an agreement last month, paving the way for the inauguration of the Kartarpur corridor this month after a tricky negotiation process. The corridor will provide visa free access to Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, the final resting place of Baba Guru Nanak. According to Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), the first phase of the corridor comprised the construction of the main corridor up to zero point, main offices at zero point, basic polishing of existing building of the gurdwara, baradari, langar hall, angetha sahib, sarowar, administrative block and parking area. The second phase would include accommodation for about 10,000 yatrees, shopping malls, and five and seven star hotels.

The corridor’s inauguration would make it the world’s largest Gurdwara to pay respects to the founder of Sikh faith. NEWS DESK

TV anchorperson Rauf Klasra has claimed that Jamiat Ulemae-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman was gifted a bottle of perfume by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa to “calm him down” following a heated exchange during a meeting between the two.

Last month, media reports had emerged that the army chief held a meeting with Fazl ahead of the latter’s Azadi March in which he categorically told the JUI-F chief that he “stood by the constitution and democracy”.

“There is no possibility of a minus-Imran concept […] at a

The Foreign Office (FO) on Monday issued a statement categorically rejecting Indian media reports attributed to “intelligence sources”, saying they deserve nothing but contempt. It may be mentioned here that the reports in question implied the presence of alleged militant training camps in Narowal near Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib.

“Pakistan’s Kartarpur spirit is aimed at facilitating Nanak Naamlevas, especially Sikhs, to visit one of their most revered places of worship and promoting inter-faith harmony. The content of the media reports in question is part of a malicious propaganda campaign in India that cannot be condemned enough,” a press release from the FO stated. The FO statement also addressed allegations about Gurd-

wara Kartarpur Sahib being used for any purpose other than worship, saying that they are a deliberate attempt to misrepresent Pakistan’s goodwill gesture, undermine the corridor initiative, and hurt the religious sentiments of Sikhs all over the world. “We have no doubt that such mischievous attempts will be rejected with the contempt that they deserve,” the statement emphasised. Ready to be inaugurated on November 9 by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, the Kartarpur Corridor would make Pakistan a religious hub for Sikhs from India as well as across the globe. Former Indian cricket star and lawmaker Navjot Singh Sidhu has also been invited for the ceremony.

According to reports, India has shared with Pakistan a list of

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and order] situation.” He was referring to the ongoing anti-government ‘Azadi March’ sit-in that is being led

by Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) chief Fazlur Rehman and supported by opposition parties.

“The matter which you are referring to should also be solved in the parliament,” remarked Justice Minallah.

“How much more time do the National Assembly speaker and Senate chairman require?” the IHC top judge asked, regretting that that ECP was “almost non-functional”.

“Four more weeks should be granted,” Additional Attorney General Tariq Mehmood Khokhar said.

The judge directed Khokhar to inform the court about progress on the matter by December 5 and adjourned the hearing until then.

akram durrani’s bail extended till november 21 ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday extended the interim bail of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader and former federal minister for housing Akram Khan Durrani till November 21, in a case pertaining to possessing assets beyond means. IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah conducted hearing on bail petition wherein Akram Durrani appeared before the bench. During the course of proceeding, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor requested the court to grant more time for submission of answers against the bail petition. The former minister allegedly allotted plots owned by the DHA Foundation in sectors I-12 and I-16 to his near and dear ones and caused losses to the national exchequer. IHC Chief Justice Athar Minullah said the honor and dignity of Parliament should be maintained. Such matters should be settled down in the Parliament, he added. The court granted time to NAB to submit its reply and extended the interim bail of Durrani. APP

no compromise on occupied Kashmir: mushaal ISLAMABAD: Mushaal Mullick, the wife of Hurriyat leader Yasin Malik, on Monday said that despite all the force, power and continued lockdown in Kashmir valley, the people of the held valley will never compromise on Kashmir cause. “We will resist till our last breath,” she said. Talking to a private news channel, she said the brave people of Kashmir have been struggling for their right to self-determination for decades.

“We are highly optimistic that Kashmir will free one day and our efforts will pay off,” she added. She said the Indian government had deployed its heavily armed soldiers in the occupied valley in an attempt to deprive the innocent Kashmiri people of their basic rights, adding, it is a clear violation of the United Nations resolutions and international laws. Mushaal said the people of Kashmir are eyeing upon world powers to take notice of Indian atrocities and pressurize India to reverse its decision of scrapping the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. INP

CMYK Tuesday, 5 November, 2019

NEWS

army will conTinue To supporT sTaTe insTiTuTions, Gen Bajwa reaffirms RAWALPINDI

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STAFF REPORT

HE military top brass on Monday put their full weight behind the state institutions, vowing that reversal of security gains would not be allowed at any cost.

The pledge was made at the 226th Corps Commanders’ Conference which met with Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the military headquarters.

Addressing the senior army leadership, Gen Bajwa said that Pakistan Army as an organ of the state will continue to support national institutions as

and when asked in accordance with the constitution.

“We have attained better internal security and stability through cohesive national efforts and sacrifices rendered

by Pakistan’s armed forces, all national institutions and above all the nation. We shall not let it reverse to suit any vested agenda at any cost,” he said while presiding over the 226th Corps Commanders’ Conference at the General Headquarters. The military’s assurance of support to the state institutions came at a time when Jamiat Ulema-e-IslamFazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, along with all opposition parties, are encamped in the federal capital demanding the resignation of Prime

Minister Imran Khan.

The firebrand cleric, while addressing his supporters on Friday, called upon the “state institutions” to stay impartial and stop supporting the Imran Khan-led government. He didn’t name any institution though. Reacting to Fazl’s statement, ISPR chief Major General Asif Ghafoor said the Pakistani military is an impartial state institution, which always supports democratically elected governments in accordance with the Constitution. He also warned that nobody would be allowed to create chaos and instability in the country.

Meanwhile, the forum of the top generals also reviewed geo-strategic and national security environment and

discussed internal security, situation along the eastern border, Line of Control (LoC) and Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, said an ISPR statement.

The military commanders expressed firm resolve to defend the country against full spectrum threat at the meeting, it added.

Speaking on the occasion, Gen Bajwa said, “While Pakistan’s armed forces with support of national institutions and the nation are fully prepared and committed to thwart all threats including on the eastern border”. He added that the continued cohesion of all national stakeholders on key national issues is essential to defeat “inimical forces”.

Not negotiating any deal with PML-N, PPP, says PM Imran ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

interpol gives clean chit to ishaq dar The International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) has given a clean chit to former finance minister as it rejected Government of Pakistan’s request for issuance of red arrest warrant against him and ordered all its bureaus to delete all files in their systems, a local news outlet reported on Monday. The former finance minister, who now lives in London, and has been declared an absconder by Pakistan’s courts, had submitted evidence before Interpol, contending he is a victim of mala fide and false report of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) constituted by the Supreme Court (SC) to probe the Panama Papers leaks. He said that the report had charged him with tax evasion whereas he had been constant in paying his taxes during the last 34 years. He further stated that the JIT report had concealed the fact that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had cleared him of these charges and had misled the apex court into ordering the filing of a reference pertaining to possession of assets beyond known sources of income. Dar stated that he was being subjected to political victimsation by the incumbent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government and this is why the Interior Ministry had requested the issuance of his red arrest warrant. After carefully evaluating the evidence, the Interpol issued him a certificate, confirming that he is not subject to any red notice. Moreover the 109th session of the Commission for the Control of Interpol’s files, decided to remove all data related to him in its own systems and the systems which have access to Interpol’s files. “After a thorough examination of the elements before it, the Commission found that the data challenged raised questions as to compliance with applicable rules. As a result, it considered that the retention of these data in the Interpol Information System was not compliant with Interpol’s rules and decided that they should be deleted. This decision was forwarded to the Interpol General Secretariat which deleted the data challenged from Interpol’s files,” the notification stated. It further stated that “all international police cooperation via Interpol’s channels in this case would not be in conformity with Interpol’s Constitution and Rules”. Meanwhile, in a statement issued on Monday night, NAB said that Interpol does not have the right to declare anyone innocent and the government would exercise other options to bring Ishaq Dar back. "Dar has been declared an absconder because of the way he has been ignoring the courts in Pakistan. If he is certain of his innocence, he should present himself before the law," the statement added. NEWS DESK

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday denied that the Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf (PTI)-led government was negotiating any deal with the major opposition parties — Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) — as he claimed that there was enough evidence to suggest that foreign hands were behind the Jamiat Ulema-eIslam-Fazl (JUI-F)-led Azadi March in the federal capital. “The government is committed not to strike any covert deal with the opposition leaders facing corruption charges,” the premier said while addressing a joint meeting of parliamentary parties of the ruling coalition.

Imran also told the lawmakers that there was enough information to suggest that the Azadi March sit-in would end in the next couple of days.

“We will start the second phase as the opposition parties would soon end their protest and move towards debate in parliament. We have to respond to the opposition’s narrative inside the parliament now and all the ministers and parliamentarians should come to the parliamentary proceedings fully prepared. Our narrative will prevail,” a lawmaker quoted Imran as saying in the meeting. He said the prime minister also

restricted the party leaders from criticising opposition parties and told cabinet ministers to respond to their attacks responsibly. The parliamentarians also passed a resolution expressing full confidence in the leadership of Imran Khan and vowed to stand by the prime minister through thick and thin.

During his address, Imran told the treasury lawmakers that his entire focus was on economic reforms. He said that he was himself monitoring the economic situation of the country, which had now started to show positive indicators.

He said that the protests were aimed at destablising the economic revival, which pointed towards a hidden agenda of harming Pakistan.

On the occasion, Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, who is heading the government’s committee tasked with negotiating with the opposition leadership, gave a detailed briefing on the status of the talks and the demands made by the Rehbar Committee.

Earlier in the day, during a meeting with PTI leader Babar Awan, Prime Minister Imran said that “state comes first and then comes politics”.

“We will not let the state become weak. In the eyes of law, everyone is equal and the same law is applied to everyone,” Awan quoted Imran as saying.

“The dharna is a violation of the Supreme Court’s decision. The protesters had conditional permission for the jalsa only and not to stage a dharna,” the PM was quoted as saying. He added that the Kashmir cause has vanished from the scene because of Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

Awan stated that an improvement in the economy is the actual reason behind Fazl’s sit-in.

Strengthening state institutions was also among the agendas of the meeting to which Awan said, “The stability of Pakistan is associated with the institutions.”

Govt releases stamp to mark 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The government has released commemorative postage stamps to mark the 550th anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak – the founder of Sikhism.

With the image of Gurdwara Janam Asthan and worth Rs8, the stamps can be used commonly.

After the approval from Prime Minister Imran Khan, Minister for Postal Services Murad Saeed directed the Pakistan Post to issue a stamp in connection with the birth anniversary.

The stamps will be available for sale on Saturday and the Pakistan Post will establish a post office at Kartarpur complex to facilitate Sikh pilgrims. Another post office will also be opened in Nankana Sahib.

Moreover, these stamps will be provided in 192 member countries of the Universal Postal Union.

On Oct 29, the government issued commemorative coin to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Baba

Guru Nanak.

The Sikh pilgrims, during their visit to the Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib this month, will be able to buy the coin worth Rs50.

Prime Minister Imran will inaugurate the project on November 9, three days before the 550th birth anniversary Baba Guru Nanak that will be celebrated on November 12.

In October, he also laid the foundation stone of Baba Guru Nanak University in Nankana Sahib.

Khan, in a message shared on social media, had reiterated that the work on the Kartarpur Corridor entered the last stage.

He had further mentioned that Sikhs from all countries would be able to travel to the world’s largest Gurdwara. “This Gurdwara will strengthen local economy […] many jobs will also be created in traveling, religious tourism and hospitality sectors,” he had stated. “Buddhists have also been coming to visit different religious spots in Pakistan.”

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While Sikh pilgrims do not need a visa for Pakistan; however they are required to obtain a permit before their departure.

The shrine is about 4 km (2-1/2 miles) from the border. The crossing and corridor – including a road, bridge over the Ravi River and immigration office – will replace a drawn-out visa process and circuitous journey through Pakistan.

Pakistan had accepted India’s demand for facilitating visa-free movement of 5,000 Sikh pilgrims per day, and now they will have to just obtain a permit to visit Kartarpur.

In November last year, Prime Minister Imran laid the foundation stone for the corridor, months after he assumed office. India’s cricketerturned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu and other officials had attended the ceremony. The Sikh minority in India has long sought easier access to the temple, which is just over the border in Pakistan.

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Bilawal seeks party workers’ permission for joining sit-in ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday left the decision of joining the sit-in in Islamabad to his party workers as he said that his party would never cease its struggle for the rights of the people. Addressing a rally in Uch Sharif, he said that the masses have taken to the streets to oust the “puppet” government, adding that PPP would fight the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government till its last breath in order to provide the people with their basic rights. He said that despite pressure, his party will not compromise on its principles and will continue the struggle for the resolution of the public’s issues. He added that his party had supported Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) Azadi March to an extent but would join the sit-in if the party workers agree. Criticising the government over alleged political victimisation, the PPP chairman said, “Nawaz Sharif was arrested first, then his daughter Maryam Nawaz. Even former president Asif Ali Zardari is behind bars even though he has not been convicted in a single case. They are not even providing him [Zardari] proper medical treatment.”

The government is trying to suppress the nation’s voice. They are even trying to turn media into “selected” media so that journalists are not able to talk about the problems of the people. “It is okay for the media to air videos of RAW agent Kulbhushan Jadhav, an India pilot and terrorists but the same TV channels have been barred from showing interviews of Zardari, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. This is selected media,” Bilawal said. He said that the government wants to crush the poor segments of the society. “PTI government has provided benefits to the rich while we had provided employment opportunities to the masses,” he said. “The government is killing farmers economically and electricity, gas and other necessities have also become expensive. The incumbent government has pushed the masses into a tsunami of inflation,” he added. The PPP scion said that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and economy cannot work together and the business community also says this every time it meets the army chief. “This government is treating the white-collar class as thieves and NAB and Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) are being used to target the people,” he added. The PPP chairman said that the country is being governed by a “puppet” government, which came into power through rigging and snatched the rights of the people. “They have made the lives of the people miserable and we are now convinced that this is not an elected government,” he concluded. He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan was not elected, but “selected”. “We know how they rigged the 2018 election. The polling agents were kicked out of the stations and the votes of the people were stolen,” he added.

abbasi suffering from hernia, gallbladder stones: medical report ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The initial medical report of former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was revealed on Monday. According to the medical report, Abbasi is suffering from Hernia and gallbladder stones. He has been admitted to the hospital where currently he is being treated for hypertension. A cardiac surgeon checked him after examining his blood pressure. Doctors treating ex-premier told media that he also suffered from excessive cholesterol 4 years ago. His Hernia surgery would be conducted on November 7 but doctors have cautioned that prior to any kind of surgery, blood pressure of the patient should be in the normal range.

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Tuesday, 5 November, 2019

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LCWU beGInS reCrUItMent For key PoStS Under dUbIoUS CIrCUMStanCeS LAHORE

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SHAHAB OMER

AHORE College Women University (LCWU) has started the recruitment process for long-vacated seats of registrar and controller examination whereas Ishtiaq Ahmed, the former personal staff officer (PSO) of Punjab Higher Education and Information Technology Minister Raja Yasir Humayon Sarfraz, is the most prominent candidate for the registrar's post, Pakistan Today learnt on Monday.

Well-informed sources in the higher education department (HED) while informing this scribe said, “There are 24 public universities in Punjab and almost 80 per cent of them lack proper and permanent officers for the posts of examination controller, registrar and treasurer.

These seats are currently under officers

working on an additional charge.”

“These seats, having a grade of BPS 20, are very important and can only be filled with the approval of the chancellor i.e. the Punjab Governor, who had given directions to keep these posts filled on a regular basis through a letter to the universities. The letter was written on August 9, 2019, and sent to all public universities in Punjab with a deadline of three months. Later, universities requested the governor for an extension in the deadline which has now been set on November 30, 2019,” sources added.

Sources further informed, “Interestingly, all three posts were vacant in LCWU for 6 years yet the recruitment process was still initiated for only two posts as the Lahore High Court (LHC) had given a stay order on the recruitment for the post of treasurer. This was because LCWU had advertised for the post in 2015

IGP urges cops to work with dedication LAHORE: Inspector General of Police, Punjab, Arif Nawaz Khan on Monday said that different challenges faced by police could be countered effectively only by adopting honesty, commitment and hard work. Talking to ASPs who paid visit to Central police office (CPO) here, he said that it should be top priority of officers to seek better performance and output from his subordinates, therefore, the force should be dealt with politeness, soft behavior and better attitude by their officers. The IGP said that police officers should ensure timely and immediate steps for resolving the issues of people with full responsibility and commitment, adding that young officers should prefer challenging positions at the start of their career so that they would be groomed in better ways.Answering to queries asked by the ASPs, the IGP said that Punjab police was paying special attention towards public service delivery despite maintaining supremacy of law in the society so that all ASPs should prepare themselves for helping hapless, aggrieved and poor citizens under Open Door Policy.Arif Nawaz Khan said that for the elimination of crimes from the society, police officers should be well-aware of the modern technology and modern policing parameters, therefore, they should continue modern training courses for enhancing their efficiency. However, the trainee officers visited 8787 IGP Complaint Centre, Monitoring and Control Room and other branches. APP

LHC moved against Maulana Fazl LAHORE: A petition seeking the arrest of Jamiat Ulema-eIslam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman was filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday. According to the plea, Fazl is inciting the people against the incumbent government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Prime Minister Imran Khan during his Azadi March. “His speeches can spark anarchy among the people,” the petition added. The plea further said that provoking masses against the government comes under rebellion and requested the court to issue directives to detain Maulana Fazlur Rehman. STAFF REPORT

Muzaffargarh man accuses wife of ‘regular thrashing’ MUZAFFARGARH: A woman allegedly assaulted her husband over a domestic spat in Muzaffargarh, police said on Monday. According to details, Muhammad Sharif lodged a first information report (FIR) with a local police station wherein he said that his wife had assaulted him after a domestic dispute. He also accused his wife of regularly thrashing him. Police said they would initiate further legal action following a medical test of the accuser. INP

and only one candidate, the university's director of the scholarships Mr Abdul Ghaffar Ali, who was already working on an additional charge for the post of treasurer, had appeared. The university's search committee had forwarded his application for approval to the chancellor who rejected it because as per law, there should be a panel of three candidates for such posts. Abdul Ghaffar Ali also appealed to the chancellor for his appointment but it was again rejected. The decision regarding his application will now be made upon the directions of the LHC.” Further, sources informed that currently, additional registrar Uzma Batool is working as registrar on additional charge whereas the head of environmental sciences department Dr Tahira Mughal has an additional charge for the post of controller examination. An official of LCWU requesting anonymity said, “Prominent candidates for

the post of the registrar are Uzma Batool who is already the acting registrar, LCWU principle intermediate college Mahrukh Bukhari and Ishtiaq Ahmed.”

The official further informed, “Ishtiaq Ahmad was a grade 17 lecturer serving as a PSO. He was also posted at Government College Pattoki and he managed to get deputation in the Punjab HED eight years ago. He is very influential due to his political connections and there are a number of complaints against him. Now, he is trying to get the post of LCWU registrar and his powerful links are backing him”.

On the other hand, another official of LCWU said revealed that the university has formed a search committee for the selection of the candidates for these posts.

The HED additional secretary, Rawalpindi Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU) former VC Dr Samina Qadar, Faisalabad University of Agricul-

ture former VC Dr Iqrar A Khan and MCWU VC Dr Bushra Mirza are members of the search committee.

"Shortlisting of applications and scrutiny of candidates for the said posts have also been finalised whereas the interviews of the shortlisted candidates will be conducted on November 6 after which the committee will finalise a panel of three candidates for each post that will be sent to the governor who will issue a final notification in this regard," the official said. The minister did not respond to calls or messages despite repeated attempts; however, LCWU VC Bushra Mirza while speaking to Pakistan Today said, “These posts were vacant since the last six years and we are completing the process of recruitment as per the directions of the Punjab governor. We want all selections to be made on merit and so the university can function properly”.

Governor reviews arrangements regarding Kartarpur Corridor project LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar on Monday along with Punjab Minister for Religious Affairs & Auqaf Syed Saeed ul Hassan Shah Bukhari visited Kartarpur Corridor project, Pak-India Zero Line and Gurdwara Sahib.

The Governor Punjab along with Sikh yatrees also installed gold made “Palki” at Gurdwara Sahib, whereas officials concerned including Project Directed Kartarpur Corridor Brig Atif Majeed and DC Narowal Dr Waheed Asghar briefed the Governor about various arrangements. Chaudhry Sarwar also inspected Immigration Shuttle Service besides other facilities for Sikh pilgrims during the visit.

Later, talking to the media, he said that despite Indian lame excuses and propaganda, Pakistan has completed Kartarpur Corridor project within the stipulated time.The Sikh community across the world paid tribute to the government of Pakistan for completing this project.He said that Gurdwara Sahib Kartarpur is a gift to the Sikh community across the world by Pakistan, adding that 5,000 Sikh yatrees from India could visit here daily after the inauguration of Kartarpur Corridor project by Prime Minister Imran Khan on November 9.The Governor said that he himself inspected all arrangements for Sikh yatrees from Zero Line to Darbar Sahib, whereas the FWO and other officials deserve appreciation for putting in place effective measures to facilitate the Sikh pilgrims.He said that owing to Pakistan’s clear and principled stance, India has also completed this project from its side.

The Governor said that tensions between India and Pakistan prevailed due to the current situation in Kashmir, adding that Kashmir issue

1,500 SIkH PILGrIMS to arrIve today LAHORE: Around 1,500 Sikh pilgrims from India would arrive here at Wagha border crossing on foot, on Tuesday, Nov 5, for the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Officials of Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) will receive them warmly. Soon after arrival here, the yatrees will leave for Janumasthan of Baba Guru Nanak in Nankana Sahib and perform their religious rituals. They will go to Kartarpur, Narowal, on Nov 7 to participate in inaugural ceremony of Kartarpur Corridor. They will perform their religious rituals on Nov 8. After the inaugural ceremony of Kartarpur Corridor, the yatrees would go back to Janumasthan in Nankana Sahib on Nov 9. The central ceremony will be held at Nankana Sahib on Nov 12. ETPB Chairman Dr Amir Ahamd said that all arrangements had been finalised to welcome yatrees in Pakistan. He said the yatrees would be provided special facilities of foolproof security, accommodation, journey, medical, etc, during their stay in Pakistan. APP should be resolved through the dialogue process, not war but if India wishes to impose war, then Pakistan would give it a befitting response.

Kartarpur Corridor project could also help in bringing both countries closer, he maintained.To a question, he said that Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazalur Rehman’s representatives had signed an agreement with government be-

fore Azadi march but now they are violating the agreement, adding that despite this, the government has no objection if they wanted to stage and continue their sit-in but no one would be allowed to take law into hands and create unrest.

Those who want to create unrest in the country would be foiled, he said and added that the next general elections would be held on

time in 2023 as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government would complete its constitutional tenure.To another question, he said that the government has no link with the cases of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against opposition and the government would implement the orders of courts pertaining to such cases, he asserted.

Minister says govt trying to improve quality of medical education LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Punjab Health Minister Dr. Yasmeen Rashid has said that education system can be improved through reforms in Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC).

She had a brief meeting with delegation of Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) at

Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education on Monday. President PMA Lahore Prof. Dr. Ashraf Nizami, General Secretary Dr. Shahid Malik, Dr. Tanveer, Dr. Ahmad Naeem, Dr. Kamran Shaikh, Dr. Azeem Uddin and other office bearers were also present on the occasion.

Dr Yasmeen Rashid had brief discussion with PMA leaders about reforms in Pakistan Medical and Dental Council.

The PMA leaders presented their reservations to Minister Health regarding PMDC reforms.

The health minister said that this is the basic responsibility of this government to bring real change in education system of medical colleges.

Dr Yasmeen Rashid said, “We are trying to improve education quality in all medical colleges.”

Tuesday, 5 November, 2019

JUI-F’s AzAdI MArch cUrbs FreedoM oF MoveMent In twIn cItIes ISLAMABAD

F

STAFF REPORT

ROM blockade of main arteries of Islamabad and inter-city highway to the suspension of business activity and closure of schools and transport, the ongoing sit-in by Jamiat Ulema-e-IslamFazl had caused a serious disruption to the life in the twin cities.

Sitting on the Kashmir Highway of the federal capital to press their demands, the JUI-F protesters had virtually taken over the surrounding areas, markets and mosques bringing the daily life of the residents and commuters to a halt.

Some have erected their tents on roadside while others roam around or found sleeping inside mosques or corridors of markets and Metro hindering movement of people besides posing security risks.

The business community looks to be the major sufferers who either had lost access to their workplaces owing to the road blocks or get a minimal clientele across the day as the residents had put off their visits to the markets.

“Usually, I open my shop at 1100 hours but today, I reached at 1300 hours due to a detour.

Now I am sitting idle since hours.

During last three days, I got only a few customers,” said Amjad Abbasi who runs a hardware store in Peshawar Mor. “Why doesn’t the administration specify a protest venue outside the city? The protest is usually held against the government but it is the people who always suffer, be it the traders, students, job holders or commuters,” Hi-

dayat Khan said while sitting outside his otherwise crowded garments shop.

Due to security concerns, the city administration and private schools bodies had announced holidays on Thursday and Friday.

“My mid-term exams are going on.

But since last four days, I could not attend my school.

Till night, I remain uncertain whether the school would open tomorrow or not until I get confirmation from my school,” said Adyan, a school student.

The parents also feel insecure to send their children to schools fearing any untoward incident.

“It is better for the children to stay at home until the protest is over.

I don’t know what kind of people are around.

I can’t risk the life my innocent children,” said Amina Hashmi who lives in sector G-9 in close proximity to the protest venue.

As the government had also suspended mobile data service around the protest venue, it had badly affected the working of those who were associated with any IT-based businesses or offices.

Hundreds of residents who used to travel through Metro Bus Service daily between the twin cities now have to use local vans or taxi services which either remain hesitant to go to the area or charge excessively.

The residents looked unanimous to demand the government not to allow any such protest in or around the residential or commercial areas.

However, if it is done, it should cast no impact on the daily routine of the residents.

NEWS

05

Four dengue cases reported in Gilgit GILGIT APP

At least four cases of dengue were reported from the Chillas area of district Diamir where patients were referring to PIMS Islamabad due to insufficient diagnostic and treatment facilities at hospitals. According to local sources, a 50-year-old, Ghazi was brought to Chillas hospital due to high fever, where doctors discharged him after giving first-aid.

The condition of the patient was further deteriorated and referring to PIMS Islamabad where he was diagnosed dengue positive.

Similarly, three other patients were also referred to PIMS hospital due to high fever and were also diagnosed with dengue positive.

The local people urged the provincial government to provide dengue diagnostic and treatment facilities at Chillas hospital to provide treatment to the locals besides conducting awareness workshops to sensitize the masses regarding the severity of the issues.

First lady urges lawmakers to expedite work on pending disability bills ISLAMABAD APP

Welfare of 10m expats govt’s top priority: Zulfiqar Bukhari ISLAMABAD APP

Sayed Zulfiqar Bukhari, the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development has said that the government will give top priority to its overseas nationals in social protection projects and take inclusive steps to ensure their welfare.

“Around 10 million Pakistanis are residing in foreign countries and over 0.5 million go abroad every year for different job opportunities,” Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari said in an interview with Arab News.

He said that the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (OP&HRD) would take every possible step to facilitate overseas residents who were playing a pivotal role in strengthening the economy with remittances every year.

“Overseas remittances have increased from $19.914 billion to $21.842 billion in the last one year, which is an increase of 9.68 percent. It shows that people trust the system a little bit more, so we need to further increase those figures,” he said.

Several initiatives have been launched for the purpose in a very short period of time, he said, including the decision to abolish the “condition of

NICOP for outgoing labour, opening of the Qatar Visa Facilitation Center, launching of the Naya Pakistan Calling Portal, and increasing the pension amount for those registered with the Employees Old Age Benefit Institution”. As a result, since September last year, 568,464 Pakistanis were able to procure jobs abroad resulting in a 26 percent increase when compared to the same period last year, Bukhari said.

“To increase the export of manpower from Pakistan, 69 new licenses were issued to the overseas employment promoters during one year which took a total number of valid license holders to 2251,” he added.

Moreover, a special counter has been set up in the Model Police Facilitation Center in Islamabad for overseas Pakistanis to resolve all issues in a timely and swift manner. “Similar facilitation centers will also be established in other parts of the country including in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. Land grabbing and property disputes are on the top of the list of issues facing overseas Pakistanis,” he said, adding that plans are in place to establish fast-track courts to address these concerns.

Bukhari added that 843 complaints had been lodged by expatriates through the Pakistan Citizen Portal since October last year, out of which 517 were resolved, while 120 did not meet the criteria.

“We have also solved 5,544 cases out of 6,105 of overseas Pakistanis who lodged their complaints in PM portal,” he said.

“We have turned the Overseas Pakistan Foundation (OPF) to a profitable organization as it is in a surplus of 111 million rupees in just eight months,” Bukhari said, adding, “more OPF went into profit more we can spend on the welfare of these people”.

Additionally, the SehatInsaf Card which was launched to provide expatriates and their families in Pakistan with free medical facilities has also been approved, while an additional Rs6 million has was distributed to the children of overseas residents as part of a scholarship program, Bukhari said.

For now, the government is trying to facilitate skilled workers to enhance their productivity, a move which will see the private sector play a key role in the process.

“It is the government’s job to govern and provide policy. Unlike the previous regimes, however, we don’t like to try and take on things ourselves which have nothing to do with us. We’re trying to entice the private sector to really lead in opening up vocational training centers and technical training centers. The result will be a big mushroom growth in the country,” Bukhari said.

First Lady Samina Arif Alvi on Monday called upon the parliamentarians to pace up work on legislation for persons having disabilities to ensure their mainstreaming in all spheres of life. Addressing at the 2nd annual Khadija Tul Kubra Awards here, the First Lady said it was important for the society to provide a levelplaying field for disabled persons to make them productive citizens. The award ceremony was organized by Women Parliamentary Caucus, STEP (Special Talent Exchange Programme), UN Women and the U.S. embassy to honour 16 disabled women who proved role models in the domain of disability rights and for 20 male and female champions of empowerment for disabled women. Begum Alvi said the government, private sector and civil society in the country had joint responsibility for facilitating access of disabled people to opportunities of education, healthcare and employment. She called the need for accommodating disabled children in general schools instead of marginalizing them in special needs institutions. She mentioned her social work in a personal capacity with the Karachi chapter of Network of Organizations Working for People with Disabilities Pakistan (NOWPDP) and expressed her desire to expand the initiative to other parts of the country as well.

FGTA demands early appointment of FDE chief AIDS-infected woman denied admission at CMCH ISLAMABAD: The Federal Government Teachers Association (FGTA) Monday demanded of the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training to appoint a permanent head of Federal Directorate of Education as soon as possible.

They said that the post of Director General FDE, a body regulating above 400 public-sector educational institutions in the city fell vacant in 2016 which yet waited for the permanent appointment.

Talking to APP, FGTA President Malik Ameer Khan said that around 423 educational institutions, with more than 15,000 teaching and non-teaching staff and nearly 250,000 students were under the educational directorate, but yet the appointment process of FDE head was not completed.

He said that issues like regularization of teachers hired on daily wages or contract basis, absorption of teachers from various provinces to serve in Islamabad were pending due to absence of permanent directorgeneral of the FDE. He said that the previous government had failed in appointing permanent DG FDE despite launching of Prime Minister Education Reforms Programme worth of Rs 4 billion to upgrade the infrastructure of schools and colleges.

It is worth mentioning here that the FDE has been run by five acting heads in three years but yet the problem is waiting for a permanent solution to give the department a direction.

After the retirement of the last permanent head of FDE Dr Shahnaz Riaz, the acting

charge of the directorate was given to then Joint Secretary at Ministry of Capital Administration and Development Division Ayesha Farooq by the previous government.

Later, the charge was given to HasnatQuershi, Dr Tariq Masood, Dr Ali Ahmed Khan Kharal respectively and now Syed UmairJaved has been awarded the acting charge of DG FDE. Syed UmairJaved, a Joint Secretary at education ministry was given temporary charge of acting DG FDE for 3 months, while after completion of his term, he was again given the charge till further orders, they added.

However, the parents and students of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) told APP that the largest department of education in the city did not have a head with an education background. They said that the post was being run on Adhoc-basis.

A father Farman Ali said that the education policies and development projects were delayed due to the non-availability of the permanent head.

A senior official from FDE said that schools and colleges were facing financial and administrative problems, while the department regulating 423 institutions does not have its own head.

Commenting on the issue, he said that the appointment of a permanent head of FDE would pave the way for resolutions of problems of the directorate.

He said the government must appoint a permanent head of FDE which should be taken from within the education department for at least three years. APP

LARKANA PPI

An elderly woman, hailing from Ratodero, suffering from AIDS was denied admission for treatment of her co-infections at the emergency department of Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH) on Monday.

She protested and laid down herself on the floor in front of the casualty department for about three hours before media persons reached the spot and aided her in getting admitted for treatment.

Larkana HIV/AIDS Treatment and Care Centre Incharge Dr Hola Ram said that the woman is registered with the centre since the last seven years as an HIV positive patient but her current Viral Load Test (VLT) is 180 due to which a viral disease has converted into AIDS. Her daughter Sakina told the media that her mother had several medical complications, including fever, hepatitis and other ailments.

She said that they were referred to CMCH from Ratodero for treatment but nobody was ready to admit her

whereas no reason was given for the discriminatory treatment.

Meanwhile, the issue which was shared on social media along with the aged woman's photograph went viral, bringing a bad name to the provincial rulers, health department, CMCH and the Sindh AIDS Control Programme.

Citizens are of the opinion that the above mentioned institutions have failed to motivate duty doctors to provide proper admission and treatment to HIV patients and refrain from subjecting them to discrimination based on stigma.

Sindh CM orders replacement of old sewerage lines with new ones in old Karachi KARACHI STAFF REPORT

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah taking a serious view of the collapse of a 66-inch dia sewerage line collapse at Club road has directed water board to reconstruct all the old lines in the vicinity and prepare a plan for replacing all the old lines with new ones.

The 66-inch dia sewerage line laid in 1956 on club road collapsed this

morning and a truck fell into it, as a result, all the gutters feeding the line in Saddar area started overflowing.

The chief minister directed water board to restore the collapsed portion of the line within 24 hours and simultaneously directed minister local government to replace all the old lines from Club Road, Ghazarfar Al Khan Road up to Clifton pumping station (Bument Road).

The chief minister also issued directives to the water board MD to

prepare a detailed scheme for replacing all the old sewerage lines with new ones in old city areas. He said that last time a 66-inch-dia sewerage line had collapsed on Dr Ziauddin Road near CM House and it took a number of days in its rehabilitation. Now a line has sunk at Club road and would again cause serious problems for smooth flow of traffic, the chief minister said and added, therefore, new lines may be laid to make system improved.

Tuesday, 5 November, 2019

06 WORLD VIEW

What makes a truly great leader ADAPTED FROM LEADERSHIP IN WAR BY ANDREW ROBERTS, PUBLISHED BY VIKING

TimE ANDREW ROBERTS

W

ITh the 2020 presidential election approaching, America is bracing to choose its next leader in a time of incredible change and upheaval. how can we recognize the kind of person we’ll need to lead us through these turbulent times? What are the qualities that a truly great American president needs? What can this person, regardless of political affiliation, learn from leaders of the past?

ENERGY: Many of the greatest leaders in history have been workaholics— Churchill is perhaps the most famous, though Margaret Thatcher, helmuth von Moltke the Elder, and Marshal Ivan Konev are other examples. Churchill melded his life entirely around his job during the Second World War, taking only eight days’ proper holiday in the whole six years of conflict, six of those spent fishing in Canada and two swimming in Florida, but even on the latter trip he was attended by his red ministerial boxes and he read all the newspapers. Similarly, he was able to work almost throughout his two major bouts of pneumonia during the war. Energy is an almost demonic attribute, hard to characterize, and takes many forms.

Churchill was undoubtedly energetic, and yet he often did not get out of bed until noon—and that was for a hot bath—although he had been hard working on his papers since before breakfast. “Concentration was one of the keys to his character,” recalled James Stuart, Winston Churchill’s chief whip. “It was not always obvious, but he never really thought of anything else but the job in hand.”

ABILITY TO PLAN—AND ADAPT: A leader’s ability to plan meticulously is important, despite Moltke’s dictum that few plans last beyond the initial contact with the enemy. “Plans are worthless,” agreed Eisenhower. “Planning is everything.” It is often forgotten that one of the most successful war plans in modern history—hitler’s blitzkrieg against the West that succeeded in knocking out France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and holland in six weeks in May and June 1940—was not the original one. When the first set of plans fell into Allied hands by accident only days before the assault was due to be launched, Erich von Manstein drew up a new one. It was this plan B that featured the famous sickle-cut maneuver, in which concentrated armor cut the Allies off from their supply bases, the Maginot Line was skirted, the mountainous Ardennes forest—hitherto thought impassable—was used as a conduit, and the Germans broke through at Sedan in six days and reached the Channel coast at Abbeville in only ten. Few plan Bs in history have been so successful.

A GREAT MEMORY: For planning in particular and for leadership in general a good memory is useful, or failing that an

excellent filing system. Churchill had a photographic memory, and not just for music-hall songs and Shakespeare. he would spend up to thirty hours memorizing his speeches and constantly practice them to make them word perfect, and would even make up ones he was not about to give but might be called upon to deliver sometime in the future. On occasion he would regale his entourage with speeches he would have given if he had been in the house of Commons at different periods of history. For a superb filing system one could hardly do better than Napoleon, who also had an excellent memory and who used his chief of staff, Marshal Berthier, to ensure that even in a carriage rattling along at full pace they were able to place geographically every unit in his army and send and receive messages as aides-de-camps rode up to the windows, grasp orders thrust through the windows, and rode off again to deliver them.

LUCK: Although impossible to quantify or predict, leaders need to be lucky as well as brilliant. Before he appointed anyone to the marshalate, Napoleon also wanted to know whether his generals were lucky, and luck undoubtedly does play a large part in war leadership. The role of chance and contingency in history is worthy of an entire book in itself and undermines the Whig, Marxist, and Determinist theories of history in which mankind’s progress through time are set on any definable tramlines.

UNDERSTANDING PUBLIC SENTIMENT: A great leader has to appreciate the political and economic terrain over which he is to campaign. Franklin Roosevelt might have wanted to bring the United States into World War Two earlier than he eventually did—such was the isolationist sentiment at the time—but in the 1940 election he still had to make his promise in Boston to American parents that ‘your boys are not going to be sent into any foreign wars,’ in order to retain the White house and face the storm that was to come. A leader has to be a realist, albeit one who appreciates the precise moment when it is possible to change public sentiment. In the event of course there was nothing foreign about the war that the Japanese unleashed on America in hawaii on December 7, 1941. FDR had kept to the letter of his campaign promise.

IDEAS: In this area, Abraham Lincoln was also a supreme war leader, easily the equal of any of the nine in this book. his almost preternatural sense of what the Union would be able to accept politically, and when it would accept it, of what he could ask for and what he simply could not at any particular time, and his willingness to ride political storms, do necessary deals, sack underperforming or disloyal generals, and employ oratory of the Periclean quality of the Gettysburg Address and the two inaugural speeches, makes him second to none as a war leader in the American pantheon.

‘WELL-TIMED UNREASONABLENESS’: “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world,” wrote George

‘A STATESMAN MUST,’ IN OTTO VON BISMARCK’S PHRASE, ‘WAIT AND LISTEN UNTIL HE HEARS THE STEPS OF GOD SOUNDING THROUGH EVENTS; THEN LEAP UP AND GRASP THE HEM OF HIS GARMENT’ Bernard Shaw in Man and Superman, “the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” A talent for well-timed unreasonableness is another attribute of the great leader. Queen Elizabeth I refused to name her successor despite continuous prompting from her Privy Council, thus protecting her country from the danger of civil war. She also refused to ratify the Treaty of Edinburgh early in her reign, despite the pleadings of her closest counsellor Lord Burghley, until the threat posed by the dukes of Guise had finally diminished. Elizabeth I had many of the attributes of a great war leader, in her oratory, in her determination and as a fine picker of men.

STEADY NERVES: having steady nerves in a crisis cannot be underestimated, but can be learned. Basil Liddell hart wrote in his 1944 book Thoughts on War that “the two qualities of mental initiative and a strong personality, or determination, go a long way towards the power of command in war—they are, indeed, the hallmark of the Great Captains.”

Although Stalin had something approaching a mental breakdown when he heard about Operation Barbarossa on June 22, 1941, retiring to his dacha for days as the Red Army and Air Force w e r e pounded on every front, by mid-October, when the Germans were at the gates of Moscow, his nerves had steadied enough for him to stay and fight it out. Charles de Gaulle’s behavior on August 25, 1944, when he attended the service of liberation in Notre-Dame while bullets were being fired within the cathedral itself, also showed rock-steady nerves. Margaret Thatcher during the Falklands crisis and after the IRA assassination attempt on her in October 1984, and Churchill throughout World War Two should similarly complete self-control in crisis moment, just as Napoleon had when his army retreated during the early stages of the Battle of Marengo. Such calm under pressure is the very quintessence of leadership.

INSPIRING PERSISTENCE: In October 1944 Patton defined leadership as a capacity for “telling somebody who thinks he is beaten that he is not beaten.”

As wars are won by the victor of the last battle, the capacity for inspiring the losers of the penultimate battle is key. here, the sheer doggedness of George Washington stands out supreme, alongside that of Churchill in 1940. Aside from the evacuation from Brooklyn across the East River in August 1776—where a weird combination of low mist and adverse wind direction somehow prevented the Royal Navy from scooping up a force that was down to only nine thousand—Washington enjoyed few successes in 1775 and 1776. As Churchill said of Dunkirk, “Wars are not won by evacuations,” but, also like Dunkirk, the sheer fact of survival and escape was in itself a victory for the American revolutionaries. Simply surviving the hardships of Valley Forge through the winter kept the cause alive and could not have been achieved without George Washington’s shining leadership by personal example. What Liddell hart was to call “mental initiative and strong personality, or determination” was personified by Washington in that freezing winter of 1776–77, and in all the other leaders in this book. Except through heredity, one does not become a leader in the first place unless one has a strong personality.

EMPATHY: Understanding the psychology of others is an important part of leadership.

Today it seems to be assumed that in order to lead one’s people one needs to have sprung from them, but that is not the case.

Many of those who have exuded leadership ability hail from the leisured or moneyed class of their countries— Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Napoleon, Churchill, both Roosevelts, and John F. Kennedy among a long list of them—yet they all had a strong sense of what motivated soldiers and citizens who hailed from backgrounds far further down the social scale. A capacity to empathize is far more important than one’s class background. Churchill was born in a palace the grandson of a duke, went to one of the top schools in the country, and never took a bus in his life, but he could speak directly to the needs of what he called the cottage home. When commanding in the trenches of the Great War, he put his earlier campaigning experience to good use in always trying to ensure the

men had their creature comforts, such as beer, fresh bread, and a good postal service to connect them with their families.

POLITICAL AWARENESS: Leaders must have a sixth sense for politics, such as in the importance of having a feel for the coup d’œil, a sense of timing, an aptitude for observation, the gift of working out what is genuinely important as opposed to merely diversionary, a faculty for predicting an opponent’s likely behavior in differing scenarios. Of course opportunism can never be underestimated.

“A statesman must,” in Otto von Bismarck’s phrase, “wait and listen until he hears the steps of God sounding through events; then leap up and grasp the hem of his garment.”

Sometimes, of course, having all these qualities is still not enough.

Napoleon had a staggering number of impressive leadership qualities. he was able to compartmentalize his mind, plan meticulously with a well-trained staff under Marshal Alexandre Berthier, appreciate terrain and guess what was on the other side of the hill, time his attacks perfectly, exhibit steady nerves to his entourage, encourage esprit de corps, publish inspirational proclamations, control the news cycle, adapt to modern tactical concepts, ask the right questions, and show utter ruthlessness when necessary. his charisma was not artificially created, and until the end he enjoyed remarkable runs of good luck. Above all, perhaps, he was single-minded in spotting the moment when he could exploit a numerical advantage at the decisive point on the battlefield. Napoleon had all of these important leadership traits, but he still made the terrible error at Maloyaroslavets on October 25, 1812, of choosing the wrong direction by which to take his army out of Russia. however generous the sprites and fairies are when they gather around the great leader’s cradle with their gifts, there always seems to be a malicious one present to snatch back one gift from the cornucopia.

If you want to know what will move hearts and command multitudes today and in the future, there is only one thing to do: Study the past. In May 1953 Churchill said, “Study history. Study history. In history lie all the secrets of statecraft,” and the same is true of statecraft’s vital subsection, war leadership. If there is one quality that all the great war leaders possessed, it is that which Lord St. Vincent ascribed to horatio Nelson. St. Vincent did not much like his fellow admiral personally, but he readily admitted that Nelson “possessed the magic art of infusing his own spirit into others.” Great leaders are able to make soldiers and civilians believe that they are part of a purpose that matters more than even their continued existence on the planet, and that the leader’s spirit is infused into them.

Whether it is a ‘magic art’ or ‘sinister genius’ can be decided by moralists, but in it lies the secret of successful leadership.

Roberts is the author of Leadership in War: Essential Lessons from Those Who Made history. he is also the bestselling author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny, The Storm of War: A New history of the Second World War, Masters and Commanders: how Four Titans Won the War in the West, 1941-1945, Waterloo: Napoleon's Last Gamble and Napoleon: A Life, winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for biography and a finalist for the Plutarch Award.

A slice of Aramco for the Indian market Economic TimEs In a historic move, oil giant Saudi Aramco, the world’s most profitable company, is to list on the Riyadh stock market in what may well turn out to the biggest initial public offering (IPO) globally. India, already the third-largest importer of crude oil, is likely to be the top driver of oil demand by 2024, and it would make eminent sense for Riyadh to list a slice of Aramco stock here to shore up the India-Saudi Arabia strategic partnership. Much is at stake.

Saudi Arabia is, of course, India’s second-biggest oil supplier after Iraq, our fourth-largest trading part-

SAUDI ARABIA IS INDIA’S SECOND-BIGGEST OIL SUPPLIER AFTER IRAQ, FOURTH-LARGEST TRADING PARTNER AND SAUDI INVESTMENTS OF ABOUT $100 BILLION ARE IN THE PIPELINE ner too and Saudi investments of about $100 billion are in the pipeline in sectors as diverse as energy, petrochemicals, infrastructure and agriculture. When Aramco is listed abroad, Riyadh needs to leverage market size, trading volumes and demand for an Indian listing. It is a fact that the second-biggest oil re-

serves are in Saudi Arabia, after Venezuela. Also, in terms of oil output, the kingdom is now second placed, after the US. But in terms of oil recovery costs, State-owned Saudi Aramco is perhaps the most competitive. The oil giant is reportedly valued at about $1.5 trillion, although reports say Crown

Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s administration pegs it at $2 trillion. The differences in valuation has led to some delay in the IPO. Crude oil prices may well have peaked and are likely to stay range-bound save for geopolitical flare-up risks. But the fact remains that there is a shift in the techno-economic paradigm in favour of electric mobility, away from the oil-driven internal combustion engine. We need to be proactive and rev up electric mobility going forward. But in the here and now, and in the foreseeable future, we must gainfully monetise oil demand to boost markets, enterprise and growth.

Tuesday, 5 November, 2019

FOREIGN NEWS 07

Iran spIns more centrIfuges on us embassy crIsIs annIversary TEHRAN

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AGENCIES

RAn on Monday broke further away from its collapsing 2015 nuclear deal with world powers by announcing it’s doubling the number of advanced centrifuges it operates, calling the decision a direct result of President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the agreement.

The announcement — which also included Iran saying it now has a prototype centrifuge that works 50 times faster than those allowed under the deal — came as demonstrators across the country marked the 40th anniversary of the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover that started a 444-day hostage crisis.

By starting up these advanced centrifuges, Iran further cuts into the one year that experts estimate Tehran would need to have enough material for building a nuclear weapon — if it chose to pursue one. Iran long has insisted its program is for peaceful purposes, though Western fears about its work led to the 2015 agreement that saw Tehran limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

Tehran has gone from producing some 450 grams (1 pound) of low-enriched uranium a day to 5 kilograms (11 pounds), said Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. Salehi dramatically pushed a but-

ton on a keyboard to start a chain of 30 IR-6 centrifuges at Iran’s natanz nuclear facility, where he was being filmed, increasing the number of working centrifuges to 60.

“With the grace of God, I start the gas injection,” the U.S.-trained scientist said. The nuclear deal limited Iran to using only 5,060 first-generation IR-1 centrifuges to enrich uranium by rapidly spinning uranium hexafluoride gas.

Salehi also announced that scientists were working on a prototype he called the IR-9, which worked 50-times faster than the IR-1. As of now, Iran is enriching uranium to 4.5%, in violation of the

erdogan may call off us trIp after congress votes

accord’s limit of 3.67%. Enriched uranium at the 3.67% level is enough for peaceful pursuits but is far below weapons-grade levels of 90%. At the 4.5% level, it is enough to help power Iran’s Bushehr reactor, the country’s only nuclear power plant.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will announce further steps away from the accord sometime soon, government spokesman Ali Rabiei separately said Monday, suggesting Salehi’s comments could be followed by additional violations of the nuclear deal. An announcement had been expected this week.

Iran has threatened in the past to

push enrichment back up to 20%. That would worry nuclear nonproliferation experts because 20% is a short technical step away from reaching weaponsgrade levels of 90%. It also has said it could ban inspectors from the United nations’ nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The Vienna-based IAEA did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday on Iran’s announcement.

Iran broke through its stockpile and enrichment limitations to try to pressure Europe to offer it a new deal, more than a year since Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord. But so far, European nations have been unable to offer Iran a way to help it sell its oil abroad as it faces strict U.S. sanctions.

Meanwhile Monday, demonstrators gathered in front of the former U.S. Embassy in downtown Tehran as state television aired footage from other cities across the country making the anniversary. “Thanks to God, today the revolution’s seedlings have evolved into a fruitful and huge tree that its shadow has covered the entire” Middle East, said Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, the commander of the Iranian army.

However, this year’s commemoration of the embassy seizure comes as Iran’s regional allies in Iraq and Lebanon face widespread protests. The Iranian Consulate in Karbala, Iraq, a holy city for Shiites, saw a mob attack it overnight.

Turkey says it will send back Islamic State prisoners even if citizenships revoked

ANKARA: President Tayyip Erdogan may call off a visit to Washington next week in protest at votes in the House of Representatives to recognize mass killings of Armenians a century ago as genocide and to seek sanctions on Turkey, three Turkish officials said. Erdogan is due in Washington on Nov. 13 at President Donald Trump’s invitation but said last week that the votes put a “question mark” over the plans. “These steps seriously overshadow ties between the two countries. Due to these decisions, Erdogan’s visit has been put on hold,” a senior Turkish official said, adding that a final decision had not been taken. Turkish sources say Trump and Erdogan have a strong bond despite anger in Congress over Turkey’s Syria offensive and its purchase of Russian air defenses, and despite what Ankara sees as Trump’s own erratic pronouncements. Those personal ties could be crucial given NATO member Turkey’s purchase of Moscow’s S-400 missile defense system, which under U.S. law should trigger sanctions. Turkey is already suspended from the F-35 fighter jet program in which it was both joint producer and customer, and the offensive it launched against Kurdish forces in northeast Syria on Oct. 9 set the stage for further U.S. retaliation. AGENCIES

ANKARA AGENCIES

Turkey will send captured Islamic State members back to their countries even if their citizenships have been revoked, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Monday, criticizing the approach of European countries on the issue.

Turkey launched an offensive into northeastern Syria against the Kurdish YPG militia last month following a decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to withdraw troops from the region. The move prompted widespread concern over the fate of Islamic State prisoners in the region.

The YPG is the main element of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which has been a leading U.S. ally in beating back Islamic State in the region, and has kept thousands of jihadists in jails across northeastern Syria. The United States and Turkey’s West-

ern allies have said Ankara’s offensive could hinder the fight against Islamic State and aid its resurgence. Turkey, which views the YPG as a terrorist group linked with insurgent Kurdish militants on its own soil, has rejected those concerns and vowed to combat Islamic State with its allies. It has repeatedly called on European countries to take back their citizens fighting for the jihadists.

Speaking to reporters, Soylu said Turkey would send back any captured Islamic State fighters to their countries even if their citizenships are revoked.

“We will send back those in

our hands, but the world has come up with a new method now: revoking their citizenships,” Soylu said.

“They are saying they should be tried where they have been caught.

This is a new form of international law, I guess.” “It is not possible to accept this. We will send back Daesh (Islamic State) members in our hands to their own countries whether they revoke their citizenships or not,” he said.

Soylu had warned at the weekend that Turkey would send back Islamic State members captured by Turkey to their home countries and complained of European inaction on the matter.

The United States said last month that it had killed Islamic State’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in northwestern Syria, where Turkey and Russia have troops.

While Baghdadi’s death was hailed by world leaders, including Turkey, the group has vowed revenge against the United States.

IraqI protesters attack Iran consulate In karbala BAGHDAD: Dozens of Iraqi protesters attacked the Iranian consulate in the Shiite holy city of Karbala scaling the concrete barriers ringing the building, bringing down an Iranian flag and replacing it with the Iraqi flag, eyewitnesses said. Security forces fired in the air to disperse the protesters who threw stones and burned tires around the building on a street corner in Karbala south of Baghdad. There were no immediate reports of casualties in the incident, which comes amid ongoing protests in the capital Baghdad and majority-Shiite provinces in the south. They witnesses spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of security concerns. The protests are directed at a postwar political system and a class of elite leaders that Iraqis accuse of pillaging the country’s wealth while the country grows poorer. But protesters have also directed their rage at neighboring Iran and the powerful Iraqi Shiite militias tied to it. The anti-government protests in Karbala, Baghdad and cities across southern Iraq have often turned violent, with security forces opening fire and protesters torching government buildings and headquarters of Iran-backed militias. More than 250 people have been killed in the security crackdown this month. The protests have grown and demonstrators are now calling for sweeping changes, not just the government’s resignation. Tens of thousands of protesters have gathered in Baghdad’s central Tahrir Square and across southern Iraq in recent days, calling for the overhaul of the political system established after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. Protesters have also taken over a large tower in the square that was abandoned after it was damaged in the war.

Thousands of students have skipped classes to take part in the street rallies, blaming the political elite for widespread corruption, high unemployment and poor public services. Iraq’s prime minister on Sunday called on anti-government protesters to reopen roads saying “it’s time for life to return to normal,” after a month of massive rallies demanding wide-ranging political change. In a statement, Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi called for markets, factories, schools and universities to reopen after days of protests in the capital and across the mostly Shiite south. He said the threat to oil facilities and the closure of roads had cost the country “billions” of dollars and contributed to price increases that affect everyone. Earlier Sunday, protesters blocked roads around their main protest site with burning tires and barbed wire, unfurling a banner at one roadblock reading: “Roads closed by order of the people.” They appeared to be borrowing a tactic from Lebanon, where similar antigovernment demonstrations have been underway since Oct. 17, and have repeatedly blocked major roads in order to ramp up pressure on authorities.

Security forces have fired tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition at the protesters, killing at least 256 people in two waves of demonstrations since early October. AGENCIES

Indian Muslims anxious as court prepares to rule on destroyed mosque AYODHYA AGENCIES

In the Indian town of Ayodhya, minority Muslims are feeling under siege as they await a Supreme Court ruling on a centuries-old religious dispute that has cast a shadow over their relations with the majority Hindu community.

After a tangle of legal cases, the Supreme Court in August decided to hear arguments every day in an effort to resolve the dispute over what should be built on the ruins of the 16th-century Babri Masjid, destroyed by a Hindu mob in 1992. The uproar over the mosque triggered some of India’s deadliest riots, in which nearly 2,000 people, most of them Muslim, were killed.

The bloody controversy raised lingering questions about the role of religion in the officially secular country, and the place of Muslims in it. Last month, Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi finished the hearings and is expected to pronounce his verdict in the next couple of weeks.

Whichever way it goes, the decision is likely to have a significant impact on the fraught relationship between India’s Hindus and Muslims, who constitute 14% of its 1.3 billion people.

While most Muslim religious leaders want the mosque to be rebuilt, Hindus say there is evidence there was a temple on the site before the mosque was built in 1528 by a commander of Babur, the founder of the Mughal dynasty.

Construction of a “grand temple” in Ayodhya has long been an election promise of Prime Minister narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which won a second term with a landslide this year. Fearing tension after the court decision, Mohammed Shahid, 48, the grandson of the mosque’s last Imam, or prayer leader, has decided to move his family away. He has reason to be afraid. Shahid’s father, Mohammed Shabir, was killed by a mob of Hindus who rampaged through Ayodhya before tearing down the mosque on Dec. 6, 1992.

“In 1992, we decided to stay put – a

decision that we live to regret,” Shahid said, sitting in the courtyard of his rundown, two-storied house. “Other than killing my father, they set ablaze our house and a sawmill, our only source of income.” Shahid said he was glad that his grandfather, who had died in 1990, did

not see the destruction of the mosque.

Unlike Shahid, Haji Mahboob Ahmad, a 66-year-old Muslim community leader who lives near the site, doesn’t plan to leave. But he shares Shahid’s anxiety.

“We’re conscious of the fact that some bad elements can try to foment trou-

ble by taking advantage of the situation and that’s why I’ve requested authorities to ensure the safety of Ayodhya’s Muslims,” Ahmad said. Ahmad said India’s founding fathers established it as a secular democracy, and it must remain that.

The day Shahid’s father was killed, Hindu Hajari Lal, 57, escaped death.

Lal was among the hundreds of Hindus who destroyed the mosque with shovels, hammers and their bare hands, bringing down its domes before the whole structure collapsed.

Unfortunately for Lal, part of the building fell on him, trapping him in the rubble with broken bones.

“Since that fateful day of 1992, the only objective of my life is to see a permanent temple on the site. I can die in peace if I get to see the temple,” Lal said.

For Hindus, Lal said, the site in Ayodhya was as sacred as Mecca is in Islam.

That’s because Lal and millions of other Hindus believe the mosque was built at the birthplace of Lord Ram, one of their most revered deities.

Tuesday, 5 November, 2019

08 COMMENT A waypoint in Azadi March From showdown to sustained pressure

Life’s greatest tragedy Some crimes are their own worst punishment

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he Azadi March has shaken an arrogant government to the core. The sit-in that followed has given it another jolt. however, any further continuation of the sit-in would be counterproductive and might lead to bloodshed. Feeling the need to change the tactics and evolve a joint strategy, the JUI-F chief invited his opposition allies for consultation.

Meanwhile the hubris ridden PTI leadership has finally decided to enter into talks with the JUI-F chief.

The PML-Q’s Chaudhrys too are trying to fish in the troubled waters with an agenda of their own.

Both the PPP and PML-N have in the past strongly opposed the removal of an elected government through coercive moves that include sit-ins. Despite their designation of Mr Imran Khan as a selected PM, they are wary of taking resort to extra-constitutional means to remove him. With former President Zardari and former PM Nawaz Sharif both in jail, the two mainstream parties presently find it difficult to mobilise their sympathisers.

While with PML-N VP Maryam Nawaz getting bail, the party is likely to take increased role in protests, the PPP does not want to take confrontation to a point that might led to the dismissal of its Sindh government.

The APC is meeting to take the political struggle to the next stage. While the call for Imran Khan’s resignation is likely to remain at the top of the agenda, there are other important issues that concern the opposition like an end to rule through ordinances, empowerment of parliament which has been virtually shut down by the PTI, change in NAB laws through parliament, end to the persecution and torture of the opposition leaders through arbitrary NAB laws and freedom of press and electronic media.

While government change should only be affected through constitutional means, the opposition is within its right to hold peaceful protests both inside and outside parliament. While the JUI-F is likely to be dissuaded from a prolonged sit-in, the parties would like to keep up the momentum of the historic march. For this they might give the government a timeframe to meet the oppositions demands along with a reiteration of the steps that the opposition would take if these are not accepted.

PTI’s debt collector Now with a lot of egg on his face

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Very political party in Pakistan has a core issue around which its election campaign revolves and for the PTI it was unrelenting accountability that would ‘bring back looted wealth to the country’. This resonated with the party’s base so much that, despite little to no success in repatriation of those stolen and exported ‘millions of dollars’, still believes the country will see some that money, eventually. Former Finance Minister and de facto Prime Minister in the PML-N’s government, Ishaq Dar, has been public enemy number one in this respect, primarily- unlike his party’s leader and others- because he is unwilling to come back to Pakistan and face the cases against him. In 2018 the FIA under PTI government had approached Interpol to issue a red warrant for Dar’s arrest. A few months back this year, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Accountability Shahzad Akbar claimed that British authorities had agreed to extradite former finance minister Ishaq Dar to Pakistan under a memorandum of understanding. Britain immediately informed Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi that it would not sign any extradition treaty with Pakistan that could be used for politically-motivated cases, leaving a lot of egg on the government’s face. What is more, Interpol yesterday gave Dar a clean chit, refusing to issue any red warrant and to delete all data files on the latter from their system. Dar, who lives in London now, gave evidence to Interpol that was found satisfactory meaning that the case made and presented by the Pakistan government against him was too weak to act upon.

Domestically, some of the cases against opposition leaders being pursued by NAB also remain on weak footing as the prosecution either lacks the evidence, the competence to effectively argue its case or both. It is high time the PTI- employing the help of unelected ineffective ‘special assistants’- stop with the gimmickry for political point scoring. If it believes in true accountability it should first make it an across the board process that is transparent. Pursuing dead-end cases to deliver on undeliverable promises is a waste of the government’s time and resources that can be better spent elsewhere.

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Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

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haSaN aFTaB SaEED

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rIMe minister Imran Khan is set to inaugurate the Kartarpur Corridor on November 9. The project has been completed in record duration to make it in time for the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak, to be celebrated on November 12. On Sunday, Bilawal Bhutto was asked about the government waiving the passport requirement for pilgrims. This is what he had to say: ‘In isolation it would have been a good step; and we would have lauded it. But in the geo-strategic context [after Aug 5 and its aftermath], how can the prime minister claim to be an ambassador of Kashmiris and at the same time offer such concessions? The message he is sending to the Kashmiri brothers is that he is not only unwilling to fight for them; but is also unable to sympathise with them. Pakistan must reconsider its foreign policy; and dispel the impression that the government has made some sort of a deal on Kashmir – an impression reinforced by such gestures.’

[Author’s translation] Stripped of the geostrategic mumbo-jumbo, Bilawal’s argument is essentially this: to show solidarity with oppressed Kashmiris, Pakistan must make it difficult for the Sikh community to pay its respects at Kartarpur. It would be a gross understatement to say that this makes no sense whatsoever. Are we in some sort of a contest to decide who is more bigoted, India or Pakistan?

This would be one hell of a trophy to compete for, wouldn’t it? By the way, weren’t we told that Bilawal was a ‘progressive liberal’?

While there could be any number of legitimate responses, on the part of Pakistan, to political and religious suppression of Kashmiris in India; making it harder for the Sikhs to visit their pilgrimage sites is not one of those. Pakistan must treat people of other faiths (within and outside Pakistan) well, regardless of the maltreatment of Kashmiri Muslims and other minorities in India.

The Kartarpur Corridor is the best thing conceived and executed by the two countries in recent times. In fact, one would be hard-pressed to recall a more historic and meaningful step on our credit in a very long time (it’s not as though we are spoilt for choices in this regard).

Of course, Bilawal knows all this only too well. But he also feels obliged to play the role of an opposition leader. It’s useless to talk about morality here, realpolitik being what it is. Unfortunately for Bilawal, political expedience and petty dislikes often force one to go against one’s better judgment; and in the long run against one’s own good too. It’s a pity when this happens to somebody like Bilawal, who is often hailed as the leading liberal voice in politics.

Of course, Bilawal is not the only one guilty of this. Only the other day Ahsan Iqbal also expressed his displeasure on the passport relaxation. Not that many people take very seriously what he has to say on any given issue. At any rate, unlike Bilawal, Iqbal is hardly the champion of liberal values.

While the author has never been optimistic in this regard, there’s this hope shared by many that Bilawal could be the sane voice in politics that the country badly needs; especially on the

liberal side, considering how the liberals seem to have collectively lost their souls, a process fittingly culminating in so many of them pinning their hopes on Maulana Fazlur rehman and his march (talk about desperation). They have now been reduced to such a state that it’s a safe bet they would support the devil himself if he appeared to be in the opposite camp to Imran Khan, their ultimate nemesis- so much for our liberals.

Unfortunately, Bilawal too has been equivocal on Maulana’s ‘Azadi march’. he started in fine liberal style declaring that his party won’t condone playing of the religion card for political gains.

But before long he was found standing shoulder to shoulder on the container with the Maulana, beaming as the latter played to his gallery of religious zealots. Probably the only member of the PPP that gave a good account of himself was Aitzaz Ahsan, who had no qualms in calling a spade a spade. The rest of the party leadership was too blinded by their hatred for Khan to recall what they stood for- so much for the only mainstream ‘liberal’ party in the country.

While there are many tragedies in life, arguably the greatest of them all is to gradually become a replica of what one stood against. Liberals would admit to relating to this, to themselves in the weak moments just before and after sleep, even if not to anybody else. Some crimes are certainly their own worst punishment.

While there could be any number of legitimate responses, on the part of Pakistan, to political and religious suppression of Kashmiris in India; making it harder for the Sikhs to visit their pilgrimage sites is not one of those

Hasan Aftab Saeed is a connoisseur of music, literature, and food (but not drinks). He can be reached at www.facebook.com/hasanaftabsaeed

Noise of the silenced sheep And how to live, laugh, cry and die in a sheepdom

Shah Nawaz Mohal

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eT’S take the road we’ve never traversed before.

Without deviating from the usual practice of ending our column with a quote, this time let’s start with a fable, dearest sirs and ma’ams. It’s titled ‘A Little Fable’ and penned down by the inimitable Franz Kafka.

“Alas,” said the mouse, “the whole world is growing smaller every day. At the beginning it was so big that I was afraid, I kept running and running, and I was glad when I saw walls far away to the right and left, but these long walls have narrowed so quickly that I am in the last chamber already, and there in the corner stands the trap that I must run into.” “you only need to change your direction,” said the cat, and ate it up.

Many of us are mice. Our world is growing smaller. We are running around in circles as our sense of direction deteriorated beKarachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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yond repair long ago. The walls are getting closer. The last chamber awaits us. As we are about to run in the trap our salvation appears in the guise of a cat. We change our direction on her advice and alas, we die the death much worse than the one we’ve been running away from.

There are no morals to be drawn from our situation. No lessons to be learnt from our ordeal. The finest, most beautiful among us have either ran away to greener, less lethal pastures or are looking forward to making a dash as and when they get hold of an opportunity.

Don’t know why, but for past couple of months, I’ve been repeatedly thinking about and comparing two of my teachers from 7th grade. A charismatic mentor who taught us english in such a way that made many of us fall in love with both the language and the literature for all times to come and a Master Ji whose sole qualification was that he was always danda (stick)-happy (thank God he didn’t carry around a pistol), whenever we messed up our angles in geometry, bungled up formulas of Algebra or failed to reproduce theorems on our answer sheets, the danda corrected our course. The latter made us get our answers right by encashing on our fear of a beating; the former filled us with curiosity about the world around us.

Fifteen years have passed

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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since then, the english teacher left his Sheepdom back in 2014, and he said that he felt like the rat in Kafka’s fable, he decided to jump the walls as he doubted the cat, its directions, its motives and its intention. Now, he is in Canada.

The Master Ji of Mathematics, on the other hand, got promoted to Associate Professor and runs a sale and purchase property business on the side. his world got bigger, better and brighter. I feel, nah, I know that he is the cat in Kafka’s fable.

Look around, you’ll see those full of doubts in your classrooms, in your work places, they may stand right next to you during daily commute or may be an acquaintance on Facebook whose highbrow statuses you share every now and then. They may hail from the privileged, financially well-off families, or they may be ordinary, regular folks striving to make ends meet. These are the lads and damsels who find it impossible to make peace with stock truths and a one-size-fits-all belief system since they’ve read ‘do-chaar kitabain’ (a couple of books) that stirred something in their souls.

Whose headache are they? They are no one’s headache; so best not make them one.

‘Banish the thinking man,’ has become a rallying cry of those who join the chorus, toe the line, live sheepishly and belong to the clan of righteous true believers

Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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who are eternally incomplete, eternally insecure, as eric hoffer, an American philosopher describes them in his magnum opus, ‘The True Believer’.

Never is it possible to have a land where everyone falls in line and conforms to the same things, same ideas, same idols and same principles. There have always been dissenters and oddballs who see through the ‘One People United Forever’ ploy.

There have always been such folks and please don’t take my word for it, you better rummage through rusty old pages of history from Socrates onwards and you’ll find the Mansoors, the Marxs, the Sir Syeds, the Wildes, the Iqbals and countless others who were pronounced as heretics during their lifetimes. you know best how passionately they are loved, quoted and owned by the very sons and daughters of people who once loathed them.

I started with a fable, I’ll end with an equally haunting excerpt from the novel Blindness by José Saramago, “I don’t think we did go blind, I think we are blind, Blind but seeing, Blind people who can see, but do not see.”

All hail the Sheepdom of the blind and the bigoted.

Shah Nawaz Mohal is a law graduate and journalist based in Islamabad. He can be reached at mshahnawazmohal@gmail.com

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Tuesday, 5 November, 2019

COMMENT 09 Editor’s mail

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

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

Kashmir crisis

A tale for those who are tech savvy Taking risks; avoiding redundancy

aMNa KhaN

O

Ne of my most vivid memories while growing up is recalling all the VhS tapes stacked on overcrowded shelves with their names taped to them, placed strategically next to an imposing VCr which dominated most of the space in my living room, not to mention the majority of my childhood. Today’s minimalism-oriented world would never be able to devote that much space to movies, honestly speaking it shouldn’t be expected to either.

With the advent of the internet we’re now more used to Kindles than books and cellular livelihoods than reality itself. The influence that broadcast television has wrought on the modern world is undeniable. even on my own life. Personally it served as a means of travel and exploration, building my imagination & even becoming a surrogate parent of sorts. eventually, before I knew it, DVD’s replaced the VhS tapes, economising both size & picture quality but by that time instead of a traditional DVD player a personal computer became a safer place for me to enjoy the kind of films my immoral mind was more curious to watch.

DVD rental stores was the Vaping lounge of the 00’s, with the least overhead costs and big returns, you could find them everywhere.

It wasn’t until Torrents coupled with a minirecession, did people decide to save that rs150 and invest in better internet for the switchover that defined a century to come. hiccups like the youTube ban of 2012 made life difficult but VPN’s effortlessly solved even that, forcing the PTA (Pakistan Telecommunication’s Authority) to realise that the ‘Internet’ is too big to shut down, with an uncountable number of followers the world over. youTube’s return was welcomed with updates that included live streaming of channels directly from their satellites. This is what truly signalled the beginning of television’s demise, because channels adapted to devices to become commute friendly. They figured more people would be inclined to watch the show if it’s on their smartphones. Cable oper-

ators became hindrances in progress but called themselves middle men long enough that even the PTA was convinced to switch the system completely from analogue to digital in 2016.

The Cable Operators Association of Pakistan (COAP) invented the most professional sounding name they could in their attempt to matter and yet failed to adapt to the metamorphosis of modern television.

Now as the economy forces people to further tighten their pockets, digital cable or even a TV for that matter seems like an extravagant expense. If the printing press for newspapers is going out of business how far behind do you really believe digital television is? Only in Pakistan can you find inflexible mentality of resistance against inevitable change. Now adding to the list of several reasons why Indians reached the moon first is probably because the Pakistani scientists’ convinced themselves that it can’t be done.

Where India’s mission was to reach the moon, Pakistan’s would’ve been finding reasons not to. Where Indian’s are racing ahead in the fight for internet TV, Pakistan is betting on its citizens being too tech illiterate to adapt to it. Netflix, the leader in initiating ‘internet TV’, was founded on the premise that eventually the internet will take over TV itself that is why the founder kept its name ‘Netflix’. They envisioned a business of the future by hitting the jackpot of calculated guesses & betting on humanity’s ability to progress against any odds. everything was at some point impossible to do and naysayers can be identified all throughout history. Just not as much as they do over here - I’ll give us that.

Failure is the key to adaptation because if you’re not failing likelihood is you’re not trying or succeeding enough to matter. Technology becoming redundant are necessary disruptions that serve as a litmus test to assess a system’s health. In its initial stages when Netflix was competing with Blockbuster, people were resistant and skeptical about ordering online. however they stayed true to the ethos of perfecting what was coming next. They survived when Blockbuster - the world’s biggest video rental store couldn’t and didn’t get too comfortable because another even bigger challenge was waiting for them just around

the corner. When their business model was based on licensed content from other networks stopped being profitable Netflix started creating its own. They were largely inspired by hBO that began its own streaming service for its original content in 2013. Assessing this threat, Netflix pulled up its sleeves and took risks with shows like house of Cards, Orange is the New Black and hemlock Grove. Now Amazon and Netflix produce globally & leave no stone unturned in their quest to stay relevant. Variety in the world is meant to be enjoyed and celebrated, cashing in on that sentiment of uniqueness is Netflix’s sales pitch turned business model.

Broadcast television is like our fixed phone line - when was the last time you actually used it? Besides Pakistan’s broadcast revenues are already monopolised by youTube, I guess the blasphemy charges of 2012 didn’t convince people to stop streaming. People unwisely seem to be picking the cost effective and convenient options when it comes to viewing content - who would’ve thought? Predictions signalling the demise of linear television are also making the rounds and this gave the visionaries at Netflix the ingenious idea of creating interactive television. ‘Bandersnatch’ the producer of which won at the 2019 emmy’s because of his ability to keep the viewer engaged, unable to look at their phone and feel invested in the outcome of events. It amazes me what the world is capable of becoming and how less we are invested in helping it become all that it can be. Internet is our electricity, we wake up to check our phones to see who thought of us while we slept. We say our final goodbyes before tucking ourselves in for a restful night and throughout the day feel less alone because we know everyone is just a Snapchat away. And yes, it has its faults like all things do, as today’s version of Mother Nature for millennials does. Networking in a virtual existence amongst robots trained by AI is the future the world is headed towards, while Pakistani’s are betting on doomsday happening before they have to learn to adapt to any of it.

Only in Pakistan can you find inflexible mentality of resistance against inevitable change.

Now adding to the list of several reasons why Indians reached the moon first is probably because the Pakistani scientists’ convinced themselves that it can’t be done

Amna Khan is a freelance columnist.

The 74th annual session of the UN General Assembly is going to held from September 17 to 27, 2019. This is an opportunity for Islamic republic of Pakistan to present Kashmir issue in UNGA, as an independent participation with the help of P.5-countries (USA, russia, UK, France and China) and UFC-Coffee Club (Pakistan’s UN-group).

The purpose of the United Nations (UN) is the maintenance of international peace and security. It has mixed records. The UN has been successful in socio-economic field. But it is failure in political domain which overshadowed its social services. however, to analyse UN’s Policy and its mission and vision on Kashmir issue. One can say UN is failed in political arena to maintain peace in the World. There are many solutions. To present solutions of Kashmir issue, one ought to know current situation.

It is globally acknowledge, Kashmir is an International dispute in South Asia (especially between republic of India and Islamic republic of Pakistan). The dispute continued over 72 years.

On August 5, 2019, the current government of India under Mr Narendra Modi administration altered the status of Indianoccupied Kashmir through the revocation of Article 370 and 35A of the Indian Constitution. This move is illegal under the Constitution of India. It violates not only the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions on Kashmir, but also transgresses to the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP), statements of the first Prime Minister (PM) of India Late Jawaharlal Nehru on Kashmir’s solidarity, and the Shimla Agreement. The former Chief Minister (CM) of Indian Occupied Kashmir Mrs Mehbooba Mufti said in ‘App_ki_Adalat’ programme, “India wants territory of Kashmir not the People of Kashmir.”

Once Mr Modi said in election campaign 2019, “Atal Bihari Vajpayee had spoken about humanity, and the essence of being a Kashmiri.” To follow the Modi’s words, it can be stop very easy. India should let those people in the Kashmir; determine their own destiny through referendum, through the Ballot Box rather than through Bullets. It should be on the will of Kashmiris that either they want to join Islamic republic of Pakistan, republic of India or an Independent Kashmir!

SAdAM HuSSAIN CHANNA Shikarpur

Nepotism galore? eVer since PTI government came into power, Prime Minister Imran Khan has repeatedly reiterated his determination and commitment to create corruption free Pakistan. his led federal government also claims everything being done in a transparent manner without any nepotism and favouritism whatsoever.

But at least some members of the federal cabinet are reportedly doing contrary to what the PTI government claims and promoting nepotism and favouritism right under the nose of PM Imran Khan. Federal education Minister Shafqat Mahmood who hails from Lahore according to some reports is promoting nepotism in the National history and Literary heritage Division of which he holds additional charge. While he has not been able to show impressive performance as the federal education Minister all these months, still he holds the additional charge. Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) falls under the National history and Literary heritage Division which has announced vacancy on its website for senior position of the Director General PNCA though the same has not yet been advertised in the national dailies so far.

The Minister incharge is reported to be interested in inducting an elderly woman relative from Lahore to the top slot of the PNCA by hook or crook belying the federal government claims of transparency and no nepotism. his lady relative is already 77-year-old whereas the maximum age limit for the vacancy announced by the PNCA is 63 years.

The Prime Minister is requested to take some time off his otherwise very heavy internal and external commitments and engagements and order an inquiry in the PNCA affairs to ensure no nepotism is promoted, transparency prevails and the Minister incharge is not able to induct his cousin as DG PNCA by misusing his power, please.

OSAMA bIN ASIM Rawalpindi

Increasing tax revenues The present government has set an ambitious target for this fiscal year in terms of tax collection – rs5.5 trillion – to tide over its financial woes. It is commendable for Pakistan’s financial and tax managers to realise that the country must drastically enhance its tax collection system and bring those sections of society in the tax net that have evaded payment of taxes so far though they have been reaping high profits.

The tobacco and soft drinks sectors are the ones that make big profits. Among others, the government’s revenue collection machinery must focus on these sectors to achieve the new revenue collection targets. The government has already adopted various new means to increase its tax revenues. however, it is imperative for the tax managers to immediately introduce more innovative ways and means by which tax revenues can be further enhanced.

In this regard, the PTI government must not waste time reinventing the wheel and instead follow the most developed and efficient tracking systems prevalent both in the developed and developing economies to further expand the tax net through its own initiatives. It must take on board entities that meet international standards and regulations so that they can help it achieve its revenue targets through the use of technology, especially in those sectors that have a history of tax evasion.

The government can then channelise these additional revenues into a genuine national development regime.

SyEd OvAIS AKHtAR Karachi

Tuesday, 5 November, 2019

10 FOREIGN NEWS

NOrTh KOreA, US cOUld reSUme TAlKS iN mid-NOvember SEOUL

N

AGENCIES

OrTH KOrEA and the United States could hold another round of working-level talks as soon as mid-November to expedite progress before a year-end deadline set by the North, a member of South Korea’s parliament said on Monday.

North Korean and US officials met last month in Stockholm, for the first time since U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed in June to reopen denuclearization talks that stalled after a failed summit in Viet-

nam in February. But the talks in Sweden broke off with the North’s envoy saying the United States failed to show flexibility.

Both sides are expected to meet again no later than early December to get the negotiations going before a year-end deadline set by Kim, South Korean lawmaker Lee Eun-jae said after attending a briefing by the National Intelligence Service (NIS).

There was no immediate response from the U.S. Embassy in Seoul to a request for comment.

“The NIS expected the talks would resume this month or early December at the latest,” Lee told reporters. “It’s time for them to enter negotiations in earnest after check-

ing each other’s stance in Stockholm, and there’s a deadline given

by Chairman Kim.” Kim is eyeing another summit with Trump in December, and could possibly visit China before that, Lee said.

Kim first set the deadline in April, when talks were stalled after the failed summit in Vietnam.

He said in a speech he would wait until the end of the year for the United States to decide to be more flexible, and suggested the deadlock had made him question his moratorium on testing nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles.

Kim and Trump still play up the personal rapport they say they developed during three face-to-face meet-

ings. But North Korea has said in recent days it is losing patience and won’t hold talks for the sake of talks.

U.S. negotiators tried to set a time for another round of working-level talks when they met in Stockholm, but North Korean officials were uncooperative, a Seoul-based diplomat told reuters.

A spokeswoman for Sweden’s foreign ministry said it hoped the talks would be restarted soon and offered to host another meeting.

“We believe that the confidence that both parties have in us supports our ability to provide a platform for talks and we encourage them to avail themselves of the opportunity,” the Swedish spokeswoman said.

British MPs vote on new speaker after Bercow's departure LONDON AGENCIES

British MPs will on Monday select the new speaker of the House of Commons, once an unremarkable event but one now charged with significance following the previous occupant’s role in Brexit.

Eight MPs are running to replace John Bercow, who placed himself front and centre of the Brexit saga by choosing amendments and introducing procedures that Leave-supporting MPs claimed were designed to frustrate Britain’s departure from the European Union.

Bercow also faced accusations that he fostered a culture of bullying within parliament. But his colourful personality and eccentric performances in parliament gave him an international profile and raised the status of the office.

Lindsay Hoyle, Bercow’s deputy since 2010, is the odds-on favourite to fill his shoes but other political heavyweights are also vying for the job.

Hoyle has been a Labour MP for 22 years and was Bercow’s deputy from 2010, since when his distinctive Lancashire accent has rung out from the speaker’s chair.

In a sign that he may follow a different path from Bercow, he recently rejected amendments that would have

made it more difficult for Prime Minister Boris Johnson to force a general election, now due on December 12.

The 62-year-old is as unimpressed as his predecessor by rowdy MPs, once chastising Scottish Nationalists for humming the EU anthem “Ode to Joy” in the chamber.

Hoyle pledged in an interview published in the Sunday Times to repair

what he claims has become a “toxic parliament”. “I don’t want the abuse of each other and I think we have got to close that down quickly and make sure it is a calmer place to be,” he said.

‘IRREPLACEABLE’:His closest rival appears to be veteran Labour MP Harriet Harman, parliament’s longestserving female MP. She entered the Commons in 1982

and served as the Labour Party’s deputy leader from 2007-2015, leading the party twice, in 2010 and 2015, between leaders. The former justice minister is known for her ardent feminism and has been a long-time crusader on social justice issues.

Another woman in the running is Eleanor Laing, Bercow’s number two deputy since 2013. The 61-year-old Conservative entered parliament in 1997 and previously served as the party’s spokeswoman on Scotland.

One of the more colourful characters in contention is former Church of England vicar, and now Labour MP Chris Bryant.

The openly gay 57-year-old’s civil partnership ceremony in 2010 was the first held in the Houses of Parliament.

Bercow stepped down on Thursday after 10 years as speaker.

The man in the middle of more than three years of fiery parliamentary debates has proved a controversial figure, loathed by pro-Brexit supporters and hailed by its foes.

A social media mash-up by German television of Bercow trying to calm down rowdy MPs has been seen more than a million times. A Belgian newspaper called him “irreplaceable”.

Johnson paid guarded tribute to the outgoing speaker, likening Bercow’s glare to a “trademark Tony Montana scowl”, after Al Pacino’s character in the 1983 film “Scarface”. Opposition Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn added: “You’ve done so much to reform this House of Commons and our democracy is the stronger for the way you have done it.” Bercow will not stand in next month’s general election.

30 years after Berlin Wall fell, East-West divides remain BERLIN AGENCIES

The walls of the Bornholmer Huette pub were last painted in 1973, a light beige that has gradually cracked and darkened into a caramel brown from decades of cigarette smoke.

The “Huette,” as regulars call it, has been in Matthias Gehrhus’ family since 1954 and he doesn’t plan on changing it any time soon. Its Spartan styling recalls the days when it was a meeting place in communist East Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood, somewhere you’d go to catch up with an old friend over a cheap beer. Gehrhus, 50, was born into that world and doesn’t want it back. But he also understands the feelings of many former East Germans that, 30 years after the Berlin Wall fell and communism collapsed, not everything has improved.

“It was a simple life then. Today, everything’s so complicated you collapse under the weight of it, and there’s always new regulations, new rules,” he said.

“There was never a problem with money,” Gehrhus added, noting that life’s necessities were taken care of, even if travel abroad was restricted.

“Sure you couldn’t check out the world, but in the last 30 years I still haven’t checked out the rest of the world,” he said. A government report this year lauds the state of German reunification as “an impressive success story,” with per capita GDP in the former East Germany growing from 43% of that in West Germany in 1990 to 75% in 2018, and its unemployment rate falling from a crest of 18.7% in 2005 to 6.4% in October, not far above Germany’s 5% national unemployment figure. But the report notes many former East Germans still perceive themselves as second-class citizens, something Chancellor Angela Merkel, who herself grew up in East Germany, had highlighted.

“Official German reunification is complete. But the unity of the Germans, their unity was not fully complete on Oct. 3, 1990, and that is still the case

today,” she said last month. “German unity is not a state, completed and finished, but a perpetual process.” About three months after the Nov. 9, 1989, opening of the Berlin Wall, West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl spoke of wanting quick German reunification — saying it could come as early as 1995, said historian Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk.

Kohl’s prognosis and famous promise of “blooming landscapes” in the East seemed optimistic to many, who found it hard to believe that the Soviet Union — with a half-million troops in East Germany — would let it happen easily, said Kowalczuk, whose book on reunification, “The Takeover,” was published in German this year. In fact, reunification came just months later, as much a shock to the 16 million East Germans as to the rest of the world.

“Nobody could imagine that unification could

come so quickly,” Kowalczuk said. “Nobody in East Germany, nobody in the White House, nobody in Downing Street, nobody in the Elysee Palace, nobody in Bonn. Nobody could imagine that Moscow would give up its strategically most important outpost practically overnight for peanuts.” The opening of the Berlin Wall was even more abrupt. The first border crossing to open was on Bornholmer Strasse, only a few hundred meters (yards) from the Bornholmer Huette pub.

Gehrhus had gone to bed early that fateful night.

When his parents woke him up to tell him what happened, he grumpily told them to “drink a little less” and rolled back over to sleep. The streets were empty the next morning as he rode his motorcycle to the industrial kitchen where he worked as a cook. When he got there, the doors were open, the lights were on and nobody was there.

CMYK

Over 40 Afghan origin migrants found alive in refrigerated truck ATHENS: Forty-one migrants were found alive in a refrigerated truck in northern Greece on Monday, said police, who arrested the driver. The migrants, of apparent Afghan origin, were mostly in good condition. Seven of them were given first aid in hospital, the police said. “The truck contained men and boys. Identifying their nationality will require a couple of days,” a police source told AFP. The truck was immobilised by the police on the Egnatia motorway between the towns of Xanthi and Komotini. The driver, a man from Georgia, was arrested. The discovery came after 39 people, all believed to be Vietnamese nationals, were found dead in a refrigerated truck in Britain last month, highlighting the risks of illegal migrant routes to Europe, even for those avoiding perilous travel by sea. Another 31 Pakistani migrants were found on Saturday hid in a lorry on a motorway near the French-Italian border. AGENCIES

US opens national security investigation into TikTok WASHINGTON: The US government has launched a national security review of TikTok owner Beijing ByteDance Technology Co’s $1 billion acquisition of US social media app Musical.ly, according to three people familiar with the matter. While the $1 billion acquisition was completed two years ago, US lawmakers have been calling in recent weeks for a national security probe into TikTok, concerned the Chinese company may be censoring politically sensitive content and raising questions about how it stores personal data. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which reviews deals by foreign acquirers for potential national security risks, has started to review the Musical.ly deal, the sources said.

TikTok did not seek clearance from CFIUS when it acquired Musical.ly, they added, which gives the US security panel scope to investigate it now. The sources requested anonymity because CFIUS reviews are confidential. Below are key facts about TikTok that competes with the likes of Snap Inc’s Snapchat and Facebook Inc’s Instagram and Lasso. TikTok allows users to upload short videos with special effects, many of whom dance, jump and lip-sync to pop songs and music in the app. The app also offers easy-to-use editing tools, so users can simply edit the videos via their cellphones. It is one of the world’s most popular apps with more than 1 billion downloads globally, according to analytics firm Sensor Tower, becoming the first Chinese-developed consumer app to achieve an international scale. The app currently ranks fourth behind Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat as the most used social app in the US Google Play Store, according to researcher SimilarWeb. The app has especially created a buzz among US teenagers. Around 60% of its 26.5 million monthly active users there are aged between 16 and 24, the company said earlier this year. TikTok’s success in the US market can be largely attributed to its acquisition of the lip-syncing app Musical.ly in 2017. Its features and users were later added to the TikTok platform, and the deal helped TikTok’s US monthly active users increase by 30 million in the three months after the merger, according to app tracker Apptopia. AGENCIES

Tuesday, 5 November, 2019

BUSINESS 11

PakisTan resoLves $1.2 BiLLion karkeY disPUTe wiTh TUrkeY

CORPORATE CORNER

KARACHI: K-Electric held its 108th Annual General Meeting (AGM) at a local hotel on Monday. The meeting was chaired by KE Board Chairman Ikram Sehgal along with K-Electric CEO Moonis Alvi. PR

KARACHI: Marketing Association of Pakistan (MAP) President Masood Hashmi presents a memento to KEletric Chief Marketing & Communication Officer Fakhar Ahmed during MAP Talk. MAP Honorary Secretary Ali Hasan Naqvi was also present on the occasion. PR

T

BUSINESS DESK

hE Pakistani government has resolved the Karkey power plant dispute with the help of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Imran Khan announced on Monday.

In a tweet, PM Imran said the matter was resolved “amicably” and that Pakistan had successfully saved $1.2 billion — the sum the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) had imposed as a penalty on Islamabad.

“PTI Govt, with the help of President Erdogan, has amicably resolved the Karkey dispute and saved Pak USD 1.2 billion penalty imposed by ICSID,” the premier wrote.

Last month, Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) leader and senior lawyer

IN 2018, AN INT’L ARBITRATION INSTITUTION HAD ASKED PAKISTAN TO PAY $760M ALONG WITH INTEREST TO TURKISH SHIP-BASED ENERGY FIRM Babar Awan had told media that the $1.2 billion sum was likely to be waived off due to backdoor negotiations between the two countries.

“International institutions, through high-level backdoor contacts, have agreed to waive off the penalty,” Awan had told reporters at a press conference. “This is very good news for Pakistan. International institutions have shown their trust in Prime Minister Imran Khan.”

In 2018, the ICSID, an international arbitration institution established for legal dispute resolution and conciliation between international investors, had asked Pakistan to pay $760 million along with in-

terest to Karkey Karadeniz Elektrik Uretim, the Turkish ship-based energy firm involved in provision of floating power generation facilities, after it filed arbitration claims against the country under the Bilateral Investment Treaty. Pakistan lost the case in World Bank’s ICSID in 2017, which was filed by Karkey.

Following the decision, Karkey approached different platforms for enforcing the court’s ruling.

At that time, Pakistan’s assets abroad were at major risk of being taken over as security to enforce the international court’s verdict, which could have had huge financial implications for the country.

NAB summons top OGDC management to probe ‘illegal appointments’ ISLAMABAD AHMAD AHMADANI ISLAMABAD: Pak Suzuki last month donated 29 used machines (drill, milling, vector & turret lathe machines etc.) to Pak Swiss Training Centre (PSTC). Pak Suzuki MD & CEO Masafumi Harano and Science & Technology Senior Joint Secretary Habib Ullah were present during the ceremony. PR

Cutlery exports surge 18.6pc in 3 months FY20 ISLAMABAD: The export of cutlery from the country witnessed an increase of 18.66pc during the first quarter of the current financial year (1QFY20) as compared to the corresponding period of last year. Pakistan exported cutlery worth $23.829 million during July-September 2019-20, as against the exports of $20.082 million during July-September 2018-19, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. On a year-on-year basis, cutlery exports during Sept 2019 increased by 12.92pc when compared with the same month of last year.

The cutlery exports during September 2019 were recorded at $6.973 million as against the export of $6.175 million in Sept 2018. Meanwhile, on a month-on-month basis, cutlery exports in Sept 2019, however, witnessed a decline of 14.56pc when compared with the export of $8.161 million in Aug 2019. APP

UBL concludes sale of its subsidiary in Tanzania United Bank Limited (UBL) Pakistan has concluded the sale of Assets and Liabilities of UBL Tanzania (UBLT) to Exim Bank Tanzania Limited, a company notice sent to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) said on Monday. UBLT is a wholly owned subsidiary of UBL Pakistan. The notice further said that the banking license awarded by the Central Bank of Tanzania has been surrendered and orderly liquidation of UBLT is in process. The decision is part of UBL’s strategy for global repositioning and realignment based on purely commercial considerations, read the notice. BUSINESS DESK

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned the top management of Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDC) to investigate the alleged illegal appointments at executive management level.

NAB has also sought from OGDC the provision all relevant record/information under Section 19 of National Accountability Ordinance (NAO), 1999, for logical and timely conclusion of the investigation.

As per the documents available with this scribe, NAB Rawalpindi has been conducting investigation against the management of OGDCL regarding “illegal appointments at executive management level”. In this regard, the bureau has asked the company secretary to arrange a meeting with OGDCL’s human Resources and Nominations Committee (hRNC) members, including OGDC Managing Director Dr Naseem Akhtar and hR Executive Director Muhammad Shoaib Baig, on November 6th and 8th, respectively.

According to sources privy to the development, the OGDCL Board, in 2015, had made certain changes in the qualification criterion for the important positions of executive director, general manager (GM) and manager.

The board, in its decision, had changed the required experience criterion from 26 years to 18 years for the post of ED; the experience criterion for GM was changed from 24 years to 16 years, while that for manager was changed from 20 years to 14 years.

Furthermore, the board had also created a new post of chief operating officer and had appointed Zahid Mir to the said position.

Following the decision of the OGDC Board, NAB started inquiry into the matter and had placed the names of OGDCL board members on the exit control list (ECL). however, despite the initiation of NAB inquiry, the OGDC board made appointments on the two important slots – executive directors (Petroserv and human Resources).

“Qualification criterion was changed by OGDCL board allegedly to accommodate some blue-eyed candidates on important slots,” the sources maintained.

Sharing the details of appointments at executive management level, sources revealed that incumbent ED (Petroserv) was found not qualified as per the advertisement issued in February 2019 due to lack of experience. however, apparently to accommodate the “favourite” candidate, another advertisement was issued in June 2019 for the said position.

Sources claimed that the incumbent ED (Petroserv) had only worked with service providing companies and never with E&P companies. The ED (Petroserv) looks after drilling operation, drilling services, maintenance, mud logging, civil work and rig maintenance.

According to sources, influence of a service providing company is increasing in OGDC as the incumbent ED had worked with the said company while a shortlisted candidate for the top post of MD had also worked with that same company.

A spokesman of OGDC, when contacted, confirmed that NAB has summoned top management of OGDC regarding alleged illegal appointments at executive management level positions.

In June 2019, Islamabad decided to open an escrow account in a European bank for depositing $50 million in partial security while seeking extension of stay in enforcement of the international court’s verdict. Karkey was one of the 12 rental power companies awarded contracts for electricity production by the Pakistan People’s Party-led government in 2009. The Turkish firm installed a 232-megawatt shipbased rental power plant and signed a rental services agreement in April 2009 under the Rental Power Policy 2008 to produce electricity in collaboration with Lakhra Power Generation Company.

PM satisfied with ‘improving economic indicators’ ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan, while appreciating the improving economic indicators, has said the government had made tough decisions during its first year which were now bearing fruits.

Chairing a meeting of his economic team on Monday, the prime minister said the international financial institutions, including the World Bank, had also acknowledged the government’s efforts in the economic sector and their outcomes. The meeting was attended by Economic Affairs Minister hammad Azhar, Maritime Affairs Minister Ali Zaidi, Planning Minister Khusro Bakhtiar, Advisor to PM on Institutional Reforms Dr Ishrat hussain, Special Assistants Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Dr Sania Nishtar, Yousuf Baig Mirza and Nadeem Babar, Board of Investment Chairman Zubair Gilani, State Bank Governor Baqir Raza, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Shabbar Zaidi, Naya Pakistan housing Authority Chairman Lt Gen (Retd) Anwar Ali haoder and former finance minister Shaukat Tareen. The meeting was told that during last few months, both the fiscal and budget deficits had been controlled, putting the national economy on the right track. The FBR had increased the revenue collection by 16pc and the government was no more borrowing from the central bank. The prime minister was apprised that in order to curtail the government expenditures, fiscal discipline was being strictly observed and around Rs50 billion had been saved by releasing no supplementary grant during the first fiscal quarter. The meeting also reviewed the administrative measures to control inflation by addressing the demand-supply gap.

The PM directed the authorities concerned to review the prices of daily use items on a weekly basis and ensure their strict monitoring in this regard. he said it was among the government’s priorities to control the prices of essential commodities and all-out efforts would be made to provide relief to the common man. The meeting decided to examine the pace of development projects to ensure the utilization of the allocated budget. In this regard, the PM sought monthly report from all the ministries on their respective development projects, besides calling for establishment of an effective monitoring mechanism. During the meeting, the prime minister directed to finalize the proposals to strengthen the banking courts within fortnight in coordination with the law ministry to ensure their timely implementation. The meeting also deliberated over the measures to revive the sick government units.

A progress report was also presented to the prime minister on the implementation of the decisions taken during the previous meetings to improve various sectors, including construction, special economic zones, incentives for the industries relocating to Pakistan, setting up of CPEC Authority, ease of doing business, SMEs’ promotion, engagement of foreign investors and firms to uplift the airports’ management and enhancing exports to China.

Other sectors included the issuance of Pakistan Banao Certificate, reforms in the FBR, uplifting agriculture sector, execution of North-South Gas Pipeline Project, additional LNG terminals, progress on ML-1 project, development of tourist points at Gadani Port, establishment of public private partnership authority, and revival of the Pakistan Steel Mill. APP

Oil prices creep higher on US-China deal hopes LONDON AGENCIES

Oil prices crept upwards on Monday, with Brent reaching its highest in more than a month after the previous day’s boost from growing expectations of a US-China trade deal and Iran flagging OPEC discussions of a deeper output cut next month.

Brent crude futures for January rose $0.8 to $62.49 a barrel by 1203 GMT, erasing earlier losses and reaching peaks last seen on September 27. December US crude futures also swung back into posi-

tive territory, up $0.64 at $56.84 a barrel.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump have been in continuous touch through “various means”, China said on Monday, when asked when and where the two leaders might meet to sign a trade deal.

On Friday, prices jumped by about $2 a barrel after US officials said a deal could be signed this month.

“For all of Friday’s feel-good factor, there is no guarantee that they will put pen to paper before the end of the year. This could be problematic, given that US tariffs

planned for December 15 remain on the table,” PVM analysts said in a note.

Capping gains, euro zone factory activity contracted sharply last month as demand was dented by the trade war and continued lack of clarity over Britain’s departure from the European Union, a survey showed. “The oil market faces ample supplies with global demand almost stagnant and supplies rising,” said Norbert Rucker, head of Economics at Swiss bank Julius Baer. “We (…) see oil prices trading around $60 per barrel in the near term and lower longer term.”

In an effort to prop up oil prices, production cuts by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Russia and other producers since January have reduced oil output by 1.2 million barrels per day. Yet Russia again fell short of its obligations under the pact, energy ministry data showed on Saturday.

OPEC’s output recovered in October from an eight-year low after a rapid rebound in Saudi Arabia’s production from attacks on its oil infrastructure in September, offsetting losses in Ecuador and voluntary cuts under the pact.

On Monday, however, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh was quoted as saying that he expects further production cuts to be agreed at the next meeting of OPEC in December.

Saudi Aramco finally kick-started its initial public offering on Sunday but valuations vary by more than $1 trillion, according to fund managers.

Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi’s Supreme Petroleum Council on Monday approved the launch of a new pricing mechanism for Abu Dhabi National Oil Co’s flagship Murban crude.

Tuesday, 5 November, 2019

12 BUSINESS

300Mw Power ProjeCT FinaLLY inaUgUraTed in gwadar ISLAMABAD

T

GHULAM ABBAS

hE much-awaited 300megawatt imported coal-fired power plant has been inaugurated in Gwadar with an estimated Chinese investment of around $600 million.

The project was jointly inaugurated

by Planning Minister Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar and National Development & Reform Commission (NDRC) Vice Chairman Ning Jizhe during their visit to the port city on Monday. Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, senior government officials and Chinese delegation members were also present on the occasion.

The NDRC vice-chairman has arrived in Pakistan along with a delegation to attend the 9th Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), scheduled to be held on November 5 in Islamabad. As per details, China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) would develop the 300MW coalfired power project, which is part of the flagship CPEC. The important project, which would meet the energy requirements of Gwadar Port, would be supervised by the Gwadar Port Authority (GPA)/Gwadar Development Authority (GDA). The project was already approved in previous JCCs of CPEC. It, as per the plan, would be completed by the last quarter of 2022.

The project has previously seen re-

Urea sales decline 74pc in october Urea sales for the month of October 2019 are expected to decline by 74pc to 122,000 tonnes, as compared to the same month of last year. Similarly, on a monthly basis, industry urea sales are expected to decrease by 70pc in Oct 2019, when compared with Sept 2019. According to data available with this scribe, the massive decline in urea offtake is due to prebuying by farmers/dealers, given the increase in urea prices in the previous month. Urea sales are expected to be recorded at 4.5 million tonnes during the first 10 months of 2019, down by a nominal 2pc compared with 4.6 million tonnes in the same period of 2018. Total urea inventory is expected to clock at around 800,000 tonnes. Among the companies, Fauji Fertilizer Bin Qasim (FFBL) is anticipated to post the highest decline of 81pc YoY in its urea off-takes, followed by Fauji Fertilizer Limited (FFC) and Engro Fertilizer (EFERT) which are projected to post a decline of 77pc (47,000 tonnes) and 69pc (44,000 tonnes), respectively. Imported urea offtake is predicted at 6,000 tonnes during the month of Oct 2019. Urea production in Oct 2019 is expected to decline by 7pc majorly due to a decrease in the production of FFC by 10pc to 200,000 tonnes, compared with 221,000 tonnes in the same month of last year. Total DAP sales are anticipated to be recorded at 205,000 tonnes in Oct 2019, down 61pc when compared with Oct 2018. For the first 10 months of the ongoing year, DAP sales are expected to decline by 23pc to 1.4 million tonnes.

Company-wise, EFERT is expected to record sales of 71,000 tonnes, followed by FFBL with 50,000 tonnes and FFC with 26,000 tonnes. Total DAP inventory is projected at around 680,000 tonnes. BUSINESS DESK

Textile exports up 2.9pc to $3.37bn in 1QFY20 ISLAMABAD: Textile exports from the country grew by 2.95pc during the first quarter of the current financial year (1QFY20) as compared to the exports of the corresponding period of last year. Textile products worth $3,371,974 million were exported during the July-September period, as compared to $3,275,303 million worth of exports during the same period of last year. According to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the export of raw cotton increased by 53.65pc, as around 6,980 metric tonnes of raw cotton (valued at $10,828 million) was exported as compared to the 4,619 metric tonnes ($7,047 million) exported in Q1FY19. Meanwhile, 3,778 metric tonnes of yarn (other than cotton yarn), worth $9,462 million, was exported during the period under review, as compared to the exports of 2,457 metric tonnes, valuing $7,759 million, during the same period of last year. Knitwear exports recorded a growth of 11.14pc, from $701,393 million last year to $779,548 million. APP

peated delays as well as changes in investor portfolios. Contractors had faced difficulties in land acquisition processes while some delays were caused due to managerial and environmental issues.

Sources said the early commencement of work on the delayed project was needed to ensure the provision of uninterrupted electricity to Gwadar, adding that the project would help promote business activities in the newly-developed port, especially with the establishment of special economic zones and export processing zones.

During the meeting between the planning minister and NDRC vice-chairman on Monday, discussions were held on the special incentives package on investments in Gwadar. The NDRC VC expressed pleas-

ure at the proposed package and hoped that it would help uplift the people of the area.

Meanwhile, a donation ceremony was held in Gwadar wherein 4,000 solar energy facilities and 700 school uniform were donated by China. Appreciating the donations, Khusro Bakhtiar noted that provision of 4,000 solar household units would ensure the provision of electricity to Gwadar.

On the occasion, unveiling ceremonies of China-Pakistan Government Faqeer Colony, Middle School Expansion Project and Gwadar Port Authority Commercial Complex project were also held. In addition, the dignitaries visited the sites of different projects being executed under the CPEC framework, including Gwadar North Free Zone Phase-II, Gwadar Inter-

India rejects Asia-wide trade deal, as others move ahead BANGKOK AGENCIES

Fifteen Asian countries agreed terms on Monday for what could be the world’s biggest trade pact, they said in a statement, but India delayed its decision on joining because of “significant differences over tariffs and other issues”.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is backed by China and also brings in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

Participating countries met in Bangkok alongside a meeting of Southeast Asian leaders. “We noted 15 RCEP Participating Countries have concluded text-based negotiations for all 20 chapters and essentially all their market access issues,” the statement from the leaders said, to allow for signing next year.

“India has significant outstanding is-

sues, which remain unresolved... India’s final decision will depend on satisfactory resolution of these issues,” it said. The United States-China trade war has given new impetus to years of discussions on the trade bloc. But India decided not to agree to it as it stands due to differences over tariffs, its trade deficit with other countries and nontariff related barriers, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was quoted as saying.

“Present form of the RCEP Agreement does not fully reflect the basic spirit and agreed guiding principles of RCEP,” Modi was quoted saying by Indian public broadcaster Prasar Bharati News Services in a tweet. “It does not address satisfactorily India’s outstanding issues and concerns.”

India has been worried that the agreement, which requires the gradual elimination of tariffs, would open its markets to a flood of cheap Chinese goods and agricultural produce from Australia and New Zealand that would harm local producers.

THE CPEC PROJECT, TO BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF 2022, WILL HELP ENSURE UNINTERRUPTED POWER SUPPLY TO GWADAR PORT national Airport and East Bay Expressway.

CHANGE IN 9TH JCC: In another development, it has been learnt that the Chinese delegation, headed by NDRC vice-chairman, would hold the 9th JCC of CPEC tomorrow (Tuesday) instead of November 6, as announced earlier.

Before the JCC meeting, the officials of the Ministry of Planning and the visiting Chinese experts would also hold meetings where each sector of both centre and provinces would discuss the investment proposals in detail. Besides, the Joint Working Groups of China and Pakistan in various sectors would also hold separate meetings to analyse the viability of proposed projects in their respective sectors.

FM Qureshi invites Malaysian investors to explore Pakistani market Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Monday invited the Malaysian investors to get benefit from the investment opportunities in Pakistan’s economy.

Talking to the business community during a reception in Kuala Lumpur, the foreign minister said that Pakistan’s economy is now heading towards stability as a result of difficult decisions taken by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government. he said due to sustainable economic policies, the confidence of the foreign investors has been restored in Pakistan and it is the first time in the last three years that the volume of investment has reached $340 million.

Qureshi said the government is undertaking sincere efforts to ensure ease of doing business and this is the reason that the World Bank has declared Pakistan among the top ten improvers in the ease of doing business. he invited the Malaysian investors to get benefit from investing in IT, energy, halal food, oil and gas and construction of inexpensive houses in Pakistan. Qureshi is currently in Malaysia on a two-day official visit to attend the Kuala Lumpur Summit. he was invited by his Malaysian counterpart Saifuddin Abdullah. BUSINESS DESK

MARKET DAILY

Bullish sentiment prevails as KSE-100 stages 900-point rally INDEX CROSSES 35,000-MARK FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FOUR MONTHS KARACHI STAFF REPORT

Bulls of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) remained dominant on the first trading session of the week, as the indices moved north right from the word go, helping the index cross 35,000mark for the first time in four months.

Foreign investors closed the previous week (Oct 28–Nov 1) as net sellers, offloading equities worth $3.13 million. According to media reports, cement sector has witnessed a growth of 9.19pc

in sales during October 2019. Despatches stood at 4.98 million tonnes as compared to 4.56 million tonnes in Oct 2018. Local sales appreciated by 7pc, while exports surged by 28pc.

The KSE-100 Index recorded an intraday high of 35,309.01 after gaining 931.40 points. The index settled higher by +2.55pc or 899.85 points at 35,277.46. The KMI-30 Index gained 2.57pc to close at 57,560.12, whereas the KSE All Share Index accumulated 462.07 points, ending at 25,192.01. Sectors that brought positivity to the KSE-100 Index included banking (+273.40 points), fertiliser (+135.48 points) and oil and gas exploration (+114.23 points). Among the companies, habib Bank Limited (hBL +94.14 points), MCB Bank Limited (MCB +73.64 points) and hub Power Company Limited (hUBC +73.38 points) remained the top contributors to the index.

The overall market volumes remained healthy

and were recorded at 207.78 million. Fauji Cement Company Limited (FCCL +1.91pc), hascol Petroleum Limited (hASCOL +1.35pc) and The Bank of Punjab (BOP +1.89pc) secured top positions on the volume chart. The scripts had exchanged 11.18 million shares, 9.40 million shares and 8.78 million shares respectively. The cement sector gained +4.63pc in its cumulative market capitalization. Big players, D G Khan Cement Company Limited (DGKC +4.98pc), Lucky Cement Limited (LUCK +4.73pc) and Bestway Cement Limited (BWCL +5.00pc) all closed with decent gains following the reports on cement despatches.

Meanwhile, the management of Dandot Cement Company Limited (DNCC -6.56pc), in a notification sent to the exchange, announced that the company would shut down its plant due to lack of finances for its own needs and to invest in the BMR project.

Pakistani messaging platform TelloTalk raises $1.6m seed capital BUSINESS DESK TelloTalk, a Pakistan-based messaging platform, has raised $1.6 million in seed funding from a consortium of international and local investors.

Those who participated in the round included UAE-based ALM holdings, Asian accelerator SparkLabs Fintech, US-based One Market Capital, hong Kong-based Cocoon Ignite Ventures, and Pakistani venture capital firms, i2i Ventures and TPL e-Ventures.

According to a statement, TelloTalk will invest the capital in expanding user acquisition, en-

gagement, activation. It will also invest in scaling its infrastructure and product development.

TelloTalk Co-Founder and CEO Shahbaz Jamote commented on the occasion, “We are delighted to have experienced foreign and local venture capital investors believe in us and support our mission. Pakistanis have a choice in messaging apps – TelloTalk is the single best local messaging app, customized for Pakistanis, fully committed to Pakistan, with all our technology and management infrastructure present in Pakistan.

“TelloTalk understands our local culture and values, for exam-

ple we provide our users with regional language keyboard, localized stickers and integrated content across a variety of categories. TelloTalk is also available to corporations of all sizes, for productivity improvement, internal communications or customer interactions via multimedia chat channels. It is the only messaging app that fully complies with local regulations to enable critical services such as digital payments and eGovernment.

We look forward to adding even more services and have even more Pakistanis enjoying TelloTalk with their friends and families.”

TelloTalk Chairman Arshad

Ashraf added, “With 150 million Pakistanis below the age of 30, it makes sense to digital connect the unconnected in Pakistan with a technology they are comfortable using. We strongly believe it is a matter of national importance to have a social networking platform that we can truly call our own. At TelloTalk, we aspire to digitize the economy of Pakistan and unleash the incredible creativity and talent of our nation’s youth.”

Sameer Chishty, who led the seed round as partner at SparkLabs FinTech, stated, “In our experience, localized messaging platforms can be highly successful in nations that

have large populations, with strong cultures, and well defined digital borders. Just like WeChat in China and KakaoTalk in Korea TelloTalk is uniquely positioned to be that app for Pakistan with a hyper-localized messaging platform that enables connectivity, content sharing, commerce, and corporate services.

“SparkLabs globally has made almost 300 investments in tech startups; this will be our 4th in Pakistan.

We are honored to be part of the TelloTalk journey and supporting Pakistan’s rapid digital driven economic growth.”

“With 15 years of experience in mobile communications, the Tel-

loTalk team is uniquely positioned to build a national messaging platform,” remarked Usman Sheikh, CEO of Auj Technologies and a Board Director of TelloTalk. “Not only do we have a passionate team of entrepreneurs building this robust platform but we are also blessed with the combined wisdom of an excellent group of global investors backing this exciting venture.” For most of the international investors participating in the seed round, this will be their first investment in Pakistan. The funds raised are being planned to be deployed for marketing & advertising, infrastructure expansion and product development.

A Piece of SrilAnkA 7 1

By Mehrunisa Malik www.scaryammi.com

Nazia Ali Khan has brings you the most flavorful dishes out there. Packed with years of experience from living in Sri Lanka; and motivated by the vision for her own restaurant.

Nazia brings the exotic tastes of authentic Sri Lankan cuisine right to your door step!

Where did the inspiration to start your home-based business come from? in Sri Lanka i was an avid admirer of nigela Lawson and used to watch her cooking shows. i would watch intently and learn new ways to cook, and try out new recipes. i never missed a single show…that got me hooked onto cooking differently and changing up my menu. gradually my friends and acquaintances in Sri Lanka also became frequent visitors to my house and they admired my Pakistani food. They would ask me to cook for their parties and luncheons. in a way i was extremely lucky, because the Pakistani restaurant owners were not actually Pakistani’s. Hence they couldn’t bring the true richness of our spices and tastes in their so-called “Pakistani” menus. Soon i became a famous chef in my social circle and things rolled on from there.

2

What was it like moving from Sri Lanka all the way to Pakistan?

Well initially it was quite difficult. The Pakistan i knew when i left had changed a lot. There was an initial culture-shock and i felt a bit displaced, people had changed, and our values were in a transitional phase. in short it was difficult in the beginning.

However gradually i caught up with friends, relationships and now i’m quite contently settled.

3

HOLLYWOOD BOLLYWOOD

What do you think are some of the major similarities between Sri Lankan and Pakistani food Well frankly there aren’t many similarities. it wouldn’t be wrong to say that, except for a few specific food items, we are quite opposite. For instance they have a taste for coconut oil, coconut cream, and their cinnamon has a flavor that is unmatched.

Their condiments are different too. in addition, their food is generally very spicy, unlike ours.

4

Do you hope to grow your business into a proper restaurant some day?

Of course! i am keen to follow my dream and make a name for myself in the restaurant business. Sir Lankan food is yet to be introduced in our market so i have a growing chance of making it a success; offering not only Sri Lankan cuisine but our own native Pakistani food as well.

Following nigela Lawson has helped me experiment by bringing variety into my food; and Sri Lanka has helped me add flavors and condiments not known in our cuisine.

5 6

Do you find that people in Pakistan enjoy Sri Lankan food?

So far the people i have offered it to have loved it. As a matter of fact, the well-known Daachi exhibits Administration also favored my Sri Lankan cuisine for their upcoming exhibition.

Has it ever been difficult to find traditional Sri Lankan ingredients that might not be available in Pakistan?

Oh yes, certain ingredients have been extremely difficult to obtain. For instance, as i mentioned earlier, Sri Lankan cinnamon powder is divine; however it’s very rare to find a genuine Sri Lankan product.

At the few organic stores where i do managed to find them, they are extremely expensive. The same is the case for the Sri Lankan leek; often unavailable and overpriced. There are several other items that add a kick to the Sri Lankan curries, but it’s difficult to acquire them easily and at moderate rates.

Have you always been a good cook or did you develop this skill over time?

This is quite difficult to answer. i believe it’s similar to what our elders like to say: that some people have a “knack” or special “talent” for bringing flavor to anything they cook. i think i’m lucky that i did have some skills and a knack for making food delicious. However, i have worked and consciously made efforts to learn and improve on my ideas and cooking skills. i’ve done this by watching others cook, trying out new things, experimenting, failing, and being consistent in my efforts to improve.

My friends’ constant motivation and support and their demands for food also acted as a stimulus that kept me going. And of course i could not have made such huge progress without the support of my husband.

8 9

Personally, what is your favorite item off of your own menu?

Prawn curry. i love making it and everyone who tries it asks more for it.

What were some of the most challenging obstacles you had to face while setting up your business?

Unfortunately my biggest challenge is the inconsistent attitude present in some people.

They don’t want to pay you the set price, they try to badger you with discounts, they pick on minor issues, cancel an order once it’s made etc. Thus i’m very selective in my clientele. i have clients who are very generous not only in their appreciation but in actually understanding the quality and the richness of the each meal. Those are the people i love cooking for. in my future plans, i think i would like to focus more on the monetary aspects of my business. i would also like to make a niche for myself. But in a city as rich in culture and taste as Lahore it will be quite the challenge. People in Lahore have a very different demand and taste as compared to other cities, so at times i customize Pakistani or Sri Lankan dishes to match my client’s preferences. Thus i think on a larger scale. in a restaurant, i’ll have to choose whether to let my menu remain a pure Sri Lankan cuisine or tweak a bit to meet the market. That is something i view as a huge challenge for myself and my inner self.

SINGER RABI PIRZADA CALLS IT A DAY

S

inger rabi Pirzada has bid farewell to the showbiz industry amid controversy surrounding her compromised images and videos, she announced on Monday.

Taking to Twitter, the singer wrote, “i, rabi Pirzada, have decided to distance myself from the showbiz industry.”

She further wrote, “May Allah forgive my sins and soften others’ hearts towards me.” The singer also confirmed the decision to quit the showbiz industry while talking to a private media outlet.

Last week, compromising videos of Pirzada went viral on social media. While a huge number of users called her out for ‘profanity’ others came out in her support and slammed the breach of privacy.

Robert Pattinson's Jiu-Jitsu Trainer Teases 'The Batman Is Coming'

Terminator: Dark Fate Box Office Tanks With Diversity Push

Rajinikanth’s Darbar to be dubbed and released in Hindi

A couple of weeks ago saw robert Pattinson tease that he is in the very early stages of getting buff to play the new Bruce Wayne, and now the 33-year-old actor's Jiu-Jitsu trainer teases The Batman. rigan Machado posted an image of himself with robert Pattinson on instagram from his school in Beverly Hills.

"Batman is coming," Machado posted, who has an 8th degree red and black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu having trained under Carlos gracie Jr. and is undefeated in more than 13 years of competition with a record of 365-0. Machado has also trained Ashton Kutcher, Vin Diesel, Wiz Khalifa, and Charlie Hunnam.

Obviously, since Batman is an expert at martial arts, robert Pattinson needs to be able to appear as if he is of similar expertise on screen. Personally, i wasn't that big a fan of the Christopher nolan Dark Knight Trilogy style of fighting, so i am glad to see Pattinson training in some form of jujitsu. While i'm not into sport jujitsu like Brazilian, i've trained in no-rules combat DanZan ryu jujitsu myself.

Terminator might not be back following its recent diversity push in Dark Fate, which sees fans stay away, as the movie absolutely tanks at the box office this weekend.

While initially tracking to a $40 million-plus opening weekend, Terminator: Dark Fate is estimated to only bring in $29 million, which is barely better than genisys, which bombed with a $27 million opener.

Terminator: Dark Fate does have a 70% Fresh rotten Tomatoes score from critics and an 85% Audience score, so maybe it's not all bad (depending on how you look at it, as TF reportedly cost $200 million to make or more). regarding the diversity push, the movie promoted Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor, Mackenzie Davis as the super-soldier from the future, and natalia reyes as Dani ramos as the stars of the movie.

Hamilton's Sarah Connor obviously takes the role of Arnold Schwarzenegger, with Davis as Michael Biehn's Kyle reese, and reyes as the "Sarah Connor".

Actor rajinikanth’s upcoming film Darbar, directed by Ar Murugadoss, will be dubbed and released in Hindi simultaneously with the original Tamil version.

Darbar, scheduled to hit the screens worldwide during Pongal festival next year, features rajinikanth in the role of a police officer after 25 years. He was last seen playing a cop in 1992 Tamil film, Pandian. reports have emerged that Darbar, just like rajinikanth’s recent releases Kabali and Kaala, will be dubbed and released in Hindi. However, Lyca Productions is yet to make an official announcement.

The first look poster of Darbar was released a few months ago. it featured the headshot of a happy rajinikanth, who is surrounded by all things police. From a rifle to belt and police badge, the poster has already set the expectations very high.

The film, which will also be dubbed and released in Telugu, also stars Suniel Shetty as the prime antagonist. Actor Prateik Babbar, nayanthara, nivetha Thomas and Yogi Babu play crucial roles.

CMYK

Tuesday, 5 November, 2019

14 SPORTS

nadal returns to numBer one in spite of djokoVic’s win in paris Gael Monfils returns to the top 10 for the first time since February 2017 after reaching the semi-finals in Paris while 20-year-old Shapovalov climbs 13 places to a career-high 15.

LONDON

r

AGENCIES

AFAEL Nadal's return to the world number one position for the eighth time in his career was confirmed when the ATP rankings were released on Monday.

The Spaniard leapfrogs Novak Djokovic even though the Serb sealed his fifth Paris Masters title on Sunday with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Canadian Denis Shapovalov.

Nadal, whose last stint at the top ended a year ago on November 4, 2018, withdrew from his semi-final against Shapovalov in Paris with an abdominal muscle strain.

Djokovic slips down the rankings because he loses the points that he won a year ago in London when Nadal was absent.

The 2019 battle between Nadal, winner of the French and US Opens, and Djokovic who triumphed in Australia and Wimbledon, is set to go to the

ATP RANKINGS AS OF NOVEMBER 4:

wire as either could still finish the year at number one.

If the Spaniard does not play or fails to win a round-robin match at the World Tour Finals, Djokovic must claim two group-stage victories and make the final to pass him.

Djokovic would also be sure of the year-end top ranking should he win the

tournament and Nadal does not reach the semis.

Nadal first reached number one on August 18, 2008 when he was just 22.

He has spent 197 weeks at the top, the sixth highest in ATP history behind Roger Federer (310), Pete Sampras (286), Djokovic (275), Ivan Lendl (270) and Jimmy Connors (268).

1. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 9,585 pts (+1) 2. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 8,945 (-1) 3. Roger Federer (SUI) 6,190 4. Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 5,705 5. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 5,025 6. StefanosTsitsipas (GRE) 4,000 (+1) 7. Alexander Zverev (GER) 2,945 (-1) 8. Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 2,670 (+1) 9. Roberto Bautista (ESP) 2,540 (+1) 10. GaëlMonfils (FRA) 2,530 (+3) 11. David Goffin (BEL) 2,335 (+3) 12. Fabio Fognini (ITA) 2,290 13. Kei Nishikori (JPN) 2,180 (-2) 14. Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 2,125 (+1) 15. Denis Shapovalov (CAN) 2,050 (+13) 16. Stan Wawrinka (SUI) 2,000 17. Karen Khachanov (RUS) 1,840 (-9) 18. Alex De Minaur (AUS) 1,775 19. John Isner (USA) 1,770 (-2) 20. GrigorDimitrov (BUL) 1,747 (+7)

Barty tops end-of-season women's ranking LONDON AGENCIES

Vardy playing with a smile, says leicester boss rodgers LONDON: Jamie Vardy is playing with a smile on his face after "little adjustments" helped him rocket to the top of the Premier League goalscoring charts, according to Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers. The 32year-old former England marksman took his tally to 10 league goals with the Foxes' second goal in their 2-0 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday which took them back into third place in the Premier League. Leicester are ahead of Chelsea on goal difference and six points clear of fifth-placed Arsenal, whom they host next weekend, in the early battle for a place in next season's Champions League. Vardy's goal was an ideal response to taunts from the Palace fans over his wife Rebekah's public falling-out with former friend Coleen Rooney, wife of former England captain Wayne. "Jamie is so thickskinned and is just one of those boys -- that makes him better," said Rodgers. "He knows he has taken a wee bit of stick over a couple of games but he is very concentrated on his game and very focused in the game."

Rodgers, who left Celtic after a successful spell to take over at Leicester after Claude Puel was sacked last season, said Vardy's form had improved due to minor changes.

"Firstly from a defensive perspective he is not having to press the whole back four," said Rodgers. "He is a guy who will run all day for you. Now it is a lot more synchronised in how we want him to press and he is doing short bursts of pressing, which he is very good at. "He is so clever at setting traps to press so he is a real focal point in that aspect. "He is a really top striker at this level and we have done some little adjustments which have helped him, but he is playing with a smile and really enjoying his football and that is always important as a player." AGENCIES

Ashleigh Barty of Australia tops the end of season women's tennis rankings released Monday, a day after her triumph in the WTA Finals in Shenzhen, China.

With 7,851 points, Barty, who has topped the rankings since early September, eclipsed second-placed KarolínaPlíšková (5,940 points) by almost 2,000 points.

Naomi Osaka (5,497) held on to third place from Simona Halep, who moved up one spot to fourth on 5.462 points.

Barty dominated Elina Svitolina in Sunday's final in Shenzhen, winning 6-4, 6-3 to collect the richest prize in women's tennis of $4.4 million (4m euros).

Svitolina rose two places to sixth in the rankings while Kiki Bertens moved up one to ninth at the expense of Serena Williams who slipped to 10th spot.

LATEST WTA RANKINGS RELEASED NOVEMBER 4: 1. Ashleigh Barty (AUS) 7,851 pts 2. KarolínaPliskova (CZE) 5,940

3. Naomi Osaka (JPN) 5,496 4. Simona Halep (ROU) 5,462 (+1) 5. Bianca Andreescu (CAN) 5,192 (-1) 6. Elina Svitolina (UKR) 5,075 (+2) 7. Petra Kvitova (CZE) 4,776 (-1) 8. Belinda Bencic (SUI) 4,745 (-1) 9. Kiki Bertens (NED) 4,245 (+1) 10. Serena Williams (USA) 3,935 (-1) 11. ArynaSabalenka (BLR) 3,120 (+3)

12. Johanna Konta (GBR) 2,879 (-1) 13. Madison Keys (USA) 2,767 14. Sofia Kenin (USA) 2,740 (-2) 15. Petra Martic (CRO) 2,617 16. Marketa Vondroušová (CZE) 2,390 17. Elise Mertens (BEL) 2,290 (+1) 18. Alison Riske (USA) 2,210 (+1) 19. Donna Vekic (CRO) 2,205 (+1) 20. Angelique Kerber (GER) 2,175 (-3)

Balotelli thanks support after Being racially aBused at Verona VERONA: Mario Balotelli on Sunday thanked his fellow players and supporters for their support after he was racially abused by Hellas Verona fans, the latest in a series of ugly incidents that have blighted the early weeks of the Serie A season. Brescia striker Balotelli scored in a 2-1 Serie A defeat at Verona that leaves his hometown side in the relegation zone, but his performance was overshadowed by his fury at Verona's notorious supporters, who have a long track record of far-right politics and open racism.

Despite denials of abuse from Verona, a video published on Twitter by a fan showed a number of supporters clearly directing monkey chants at Balotelli before the Italy international booted the ball at them in the stands. The 29-yearold, who was born in Palermo to Ghanaian parents but was raised just outside Brescia, then had to be held back by players from both teams to stop him from leaving the field of play. "Thanks to all the colleagues on and off the field for the solidarity expressed toward me and all of the messages received from you fans," Balotelli wrote in a message on Instagram alongside a video of the incident. "A heartfelt thanks. You're real men, not like those who deny the evidence." Verona coach Ivan Juric had earlier told Sky Sport that he heard "no racists chants, nothing at all" after a win that lifts his side to ninth, adding that "to say otherwise is a lie". The club's president Maurizio Setti then said that his club's supporters were "light-hearted, not racist" and were a crowd with "real sport in its DNA". "We are the first to condemn racism but it is wrong to generalise...

Maybe two or three people among 20,000 fans might have said something," he said to Sky. AGENCIES

Spurs consider appeal over Son's red card in Gomes incident LONDON AGENCIES

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino hinted the club may appeal against Son Heung-min's red card following the horrific injury suffered by Everton's Andre Gomes in the 1-1 draw on Sunday.

Pochettino -- whose side were denied a first away win in the league since January with a late stoppage time equaliser from CenkTosun -- blamed VAR for the red card as Son had been initially just booked.

The 26-year-old Portuguese international's injury -- a fracture dislocation to his right ankle which he will have surgery on Monday -- occurred as his momentum from Son's trip saw him crash into Spurs defender Serge Aurier.

Pochettino -- whose side remain in the bottom half in 11th place with 13 points from their first 11 games -- expressed his sorrow for Gomes but said a visibly distressed Son had not intended to provoke such an injury.

"It was clear it was never the intention of Son to create the problem that happened afterwards," said Pochettino.

"It is unbelievable to see a red

card. In that situation we need to help because the decision of the referee was a yellow card but the VAR changed the decision.

"It is the latest example of it being not clear. VAR needs to check if it was a bad tackle from Son and judge the action, not what happened after.

"I don't know what will happen now (in terms of an appeal). The club will see if it is possible but what we cannot change is what happened after (the incident)."

The Premier League issued a statement after the game to clarify why the card had been upgraded, in which it said: "The red card for Son was for endangering the safety of a player which happened as a consequence of his initial challenge."

Pochettino expressed his gratitude in the way the Everton players handled the incident and especially the behaviour of the captain Seamus Coleman, who suffered a similar injury in March 2017. "The players from Everton were fantastic," said Pochettino. "The captain came to the dressing room to console Son. "I want to say thank you to the players and Coleman, who came in on

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behalf of the squad of Everton."

Tosun said he and his team-mates could not understand what Gomes was saying. "Everybody is sad inside. Some players, they nearly cried," said the Turkey international.

"He was in shock, his eyes were open so big. He was like crying, shouting and screaming.

"I just tried to hold him and speak to him. I tried to tell him to stay calm.

We couldn't understand him."

Gomes has received plenty of messages of support, ranging from players in the Portugal national team to his former team-mates at Barcelona. Among Premier League players, Dele Alli, who scored Tottenham's goal in the match.

Tuesday, 5 November, 2019

can disarrayed pakistan stop australian juggernaut?

CANBERRA

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AGENCIES

HE rains in New South Wales and across the east coast of Australia this week brought so much relief to farmers in the droughtstricken region that there were videos of people dancing and celebrating in the streets. One set of foreigners who might gladly have partaken in such merriment was the visiting Pakistan cricket team in Sydney, staring defeat in the face when the heavens opened, forcing the abandonment of a game that Australia looked to be easing through.

While that means Aaron Finch's men don't go to Canberra with a 1-0 lead, they do enter the contest with significant momentum. Australia are on something of a T20I tear at the moment, having won their last five completed games. They

swatted Sri Lanka aside 3-0 just last week, the team that less than a month ago did the same to Pakistan in Lahore. David Warner finds himself in irresistible form again, as does Finch, who looked imperious in the short time Australia got to bat before the weather intervened. The bowlers, too, Adam Zampa excepted, had solid outings carrying on from the Sri Lanka series.

Meanwhile, Pakistan suddenly find themselves in disarray in their mostfavoured format of the last three years. In the first game, they scraped their way to a somewhat respectable total, down almost solely to new captain Babar Azam's exquisite half-century. There is the caveat of the rain bringing a somewhat abrupt conclusion to the innings, but it's hard to argue Pakistan were pacing themselves effectively either; regular loss of wickets combined with watertight discipline from

Australia's bowlers meant any total they put up in the allotted 20 would have ended up being somewhat below par.

The visitors must be careful not to let the second game also become a one-man batting effort. The sample size for the bowling isn't enough to jump to drastic conclusions, but on the evidence of the two overs Mohammad Irfan bowled, there's little to explain why the 37-yearold was brought out from the cold to join Pakistan on what has historically been their most challenging tour. On the whole, the visitors looked alarmingly off the pace in the first game, and this is their opportunity to demonstrate that it was something of an aberration.

For a game where Australia's bowlers had a leash on Pakistan, the only surprise was the slightly off-colour performance of Adam Zampa. The legspinner was crucial to his side's success in the series against

Sri Lanka, and comes into this tour in good form. He didn't get too much turn to assist him in Sydney, but Pakistan will have noted how quickly Zampa reverted to flatter, fuller deliveries when put under pressure by Mohammad Rizwan and Asif Ali. If they can get the legspinner to do that more often, he loses some of the wicket-taking threat Australia prize him for. Every follower of Pakistan cricket will have dreaded the moment they needed to worry about Fakhar Zaman's place in the T20I side, but it's now becoming difficult to turn a blind eye to it.

The opener's torrid run in the format continued in Sydney with a second consecutive golden duck. It is now 11 innings since he last managed 25 in a T20I innings, a match-winning 91 in Harare against Australia in the final of a T20I triseries. Right now, Fakhar looks worlds removed from the player who was capa-

SPORTS 15

ble of such sustained hitting, and for Pakistan to have a good start, that needs to change immediately.

Given how well the contest in Sydney turned out for them, it would be unsurprising to see Australia line up with the same team in Canberra.

PITCH AND CONDITIONS: It is expected to be a fairly cool evening in Canberra, with temperatures perhaps dropping under ten degrees by the time the game finishes. The Manuka Oval has never hosted a T20I before, so how the pitch plays in those conditions is something of an unknown.

Tom Banton in line for T20I debut Cyclone threat looms over second as England look to the future in NZ India-Bangladesh T20I in Rajkot

NELSON AGENCIES

Given the recent history between these teams, it's hardly a surprise that the series is level at 1-1. For both of them, though, these games are much more about looking to the future - and the T20 World Cup in Australia, which is less than a year away - than dwelling on the past.

Partly for that reason, England are using the series to take a look at fringe candidates who could force their way into that squad. So days like Saturday - when the inexperience is obvious and expresses itself in batting collapses, poor choices with the ball or, as was the case in Wellington, fielding errors - are probably unavoidable.

With that in mind, they look set to continue to experiment in the third match. Tom Banton looks likely to come into the side in place of the rested Jonny Bairstow, while there may be a temptation to look at leg-spinner Matt Parkinson, too. Chris Jordan, who

has been England's player of the series, could drop out safe in the knowledge that his longterm position is secure, while Sam Curran has also made a fine impression.

Even while accepting there is a bigger picture than victory in this series, England will be looking to improve markedly in the field. For while the England management will accept the odd spilled catch - there were four or five at Wellington, depending on harsh a judge you may be - they are less likely to tolerate any sense of timidity in the field. It's an area they will have to improve if they are to challenge in Australia.

New Zealand aren't at full strength either.

With Kane Williamson to miss the T20I series and Trent Boult not expected back until the fourth match, they have relatively few options among their 13-man squad. With legspin proving expensive in the series to date, though, they may be tempted to play an extra seamer. They won in Wellington largely due to their superior fielding, but they may be just a little concerned by the lack of runs from their top order. Martin Guptill at least registered his highest score in 12 international matches (dating back to June 1) but none of their batsmen have yet scored more than 44 in the series. Ross Taylor, who to be fair has slipped into the middle order, hasn't made a T20I half-century since March 2014.

With a squad of just 13 for these first three games, New Zealand's options are limited. They looked stronger in Wellington with the recall of Jimmy Neesham for Scott Kuggeleijn but, with an eye to the future, may be tempted to take another look at either bowling all-rounder Kuggeleijn or mediumfast seamer Blair Tickner, who has played only one international; a T201 victory over India. IshSodhi looks the most vulnerable if New Zealand decide they require only one spinner. Lockie Ferguson, who has bowled with impressive pace and control, is set to playhis final game of the series before Trent Boult replaces him in the squad for the last two matches.

former captain sarfaraz was sacked on pm imran’s directiVes: report Former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed was removed from his position upon orders from Prime Minister Imran Khan, Cricket Pakistan reported on Monday. According to the details, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) wanted to retain Sarfaraz in the same role till the T20 World Cup next year, however, the 1992 World Cup-winning captain was unhappy with his performance as a skipper. Earlier, the cricket governing body nullified the No Objection Certificates (NOC) granted to the players to feature in the upcoming T10 League. When players protested against the decision, they were told that the instructions had come from the Prime Minister Office (PMO). Reportedly, the premier had also instructed PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani to avoid the T10 League due to the involvement of Indian owners and financial benefactors. The same report cited a probable “mutiny” by the players in this regard as well. Reports further reveal that a PCB official leaked the news to media personnel so that the government could be blamed for the decision. The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) is also unhappy with the attitude of the PCB on this matter. NEWS DESK

DELHI AGENCIES

After hazardous air-pollution levels threatened to disrupt the first T20I between India and Bangladesh in Delhi, there is the very real possibility of a cyclone affecting the next match of the series, in Rajkot on Thursday. According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Cyclone Maha is expected to make a landfall in Gujarat on November 6, and could cause

"heavy or very heavy rains" in the state on November 7, the day of the match.

The good news, though, is that the cyclone "is very likely to intensify further till 5th November morning and weaken gradually thereafter", according to the IMD. Positioned around central Arabian Sea on Monday morning, just over 600 kilometres from the coast of Gujarat, the cyclone has been moving north-west from close to the Kerala coast for the last five days. It is, how-

ever, expected to take a turn towards Gujarat on Tuesday.

The met authorities said that the cyclone had intensified into an Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm and is likely to cross the Gujarat coast around midnight on Wednesday or in the early hours of Thursday. Rajkot, in central Gujarat, is just over 100 kilometres from the coast.

"Severe cyclonic storm Maha lay centered at 580 kilometres southwest of Diu and 550 kms southwest of Veraval," IMD director Jayanta Sarkar told PTI. "It is most likely to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm and make landfall between Dwarka and Diu on Wednesday night or early Thursday morning with wind speeds of 120 kilometres per hour. "The storm will cause heavy to very heavy rains in Saurashtra [the region of which Rajkot is a part] and south Gujarat on November 6-7. It is moving towards Oman but will recurve towards Gujarat coast on Monday." Bangladesh lead the series 1-0 after pulling off a sevenwicket win in the opening fixture.

Hoque, Ahmed star as Bangladesh clinch thriller to draw series LAHORE AGENCIES

Bangladesh fought off an almighty comeback from Pakistan to seal a thrilling one-wicket win and level the two-match ODI series at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The visitors won by one wicket and with one ball to spare, and for a few fleeting moments, it appeared they had thrown away what looked an impregnable position in the game just half an hour before its frantic finish.

Fargana Hoque anchored the chase of 211 smoothly, a similar target to the one Bangladesh had fallen short of in the first ODI. With 25 to win off the final eight overs and six wickets in hand, the victory appeared a formality, before Hoque's departure triggered an almighty collapse, and the panic in the Bangladesh camp almost cost them the series.

In the next 6.3 overs, five wickets were lost and just 18 runs were added to the score, with No. 9 Jahanara Alam and No. 11 Nahida Akhtar at the crease.

Bangladesh appeared to have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory at this point, but the pair had just about enough time to inch their way to 211, getting there on the penultimate delivery to draw the series level.

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Photo: Zubair Mehfooz

Pakistan opener Nahida Khan scored 63 to set up the innings, but beneath her, there were far too many starts that went unconverted.

Bangladesh all rounder Rumana Ahmed made regular inroads into Pakistan, stalling their momentum just when a partnership had built up.

The innings was marked by sloppiness, too; four run-outs in the lower order saw to it that the hosts wouldn't bat out their 50 overs, bowled ten balls short for 210.

Those unplayed deliveries proved costly in the end, but it appeared a minor detail when

Bangladesh's top order was clicking.

Diana Baig and Sana Mir struck early, but that was followed by a commanding 82-run partnership between Hoque and opener Murshida Khatun, and when Bismah Mahroof dismissed Khatun, another 57-run partnership took Bangladesh within touching distance.

It might have then appeared a stroll to the finish line, but Pakistan made sure the visitors would be forced to crawl towards it, gasping for air. Just before they ran out of breath - and overs and wickets - they had managed to stay alive.

Tuesday, 5 November, 2019

NEWS

MaryaM gets baIl In CsM Case LHC BENCH ORDERS RELEASE OF PML-N VP ON SURETY BONDS WORTH RS20 MILLION, DEPOSIT OF ADDITIONAL RS70M AND SURRENDER OF PASSPORT LAHORE

Pakistan embassy in Kabul closes visa section amid tensions KABUL: Pakistan’s embassy in Kabul said it was indefinitely closing its consular office in the Afghan capital due to security reasons, amid mounting tensions between the neighbouring countries. Closure of the visa section will come as a huge blow for many Afghans, hundreds of whom apply daily for permits to travel to Pakistan where they seek medical treatment, goods and university educations. A message shared on WhatsApp by an embassy spokesperson said the consular section would be closed as of Monday “until further intimation”. The spokesperson told AFP that the consular section typically processes about 1,500 visa applications a day. Foreign Ministry summoned the Afghan charge d’affaires on Sunday to “convey serious concerns over the safety and security of the diplomatic personnel of the embassy of Pakistan, Kabul, and its sub-missions.” In a statement, the ministry said embassy staff were being harassed.

“They were obstructed on the road and the embassy vehicles were also hit by motorcycles while going towards the embassy,” the statement read. Protests outside the Pakistani embassy are common, sometimes triggered by people unhappy about visa wait times or security while standing in long queues. Tensions have soured further in recent days amid clashes along the border in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Kunar.

Six Pakistani troops were wounded on October 27 and 28 in unprovoked mortar and heavy weapon firing by Afghan soldiers. Pakistani consular services remain open in Herat, Jalalabad and Mazar-i-Sharif, according to the embassy spokesperson, who recommended that applicants travel to Jalalabad if they needed a visa urgently. AGENCIES

India’s capital restricts cars as people choke in dirty air NEW DELHI: Authorities in New Delhi are restricting private vehicles from the roads on alternating days to control vehicular pollution as people in the national capital continues to gasp under toxic smog. The measure restricts private vehicles with odd-number license plates to driving on odd dates while even-numbered plates are allowed on even-numbered dates. Authorities say almost 1.2 million registered vehicles in Delhi will be off-road every day during the two-week restrictions. New Delhi is one of the world’s most polluted cities, and hazardous air is chronic from October until February. Authorities have already declared a public health emergency in New Delhi and ordered the closure of schools. AGENCIES

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STAFF REPORT

HE Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday granted bail to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills (CSM) reference.

A two-member bench of the high court comprising Justice Ali Baqar Najafi and Justice Sardar Ahmad Naeem announced the verdict. The legal representatives of Maryam and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) were also present in the court. The PML-N leader has been ordered to furnish two surety bonds worth Rs10 million each and deposit an additional Rs70million and surrender her passport to secure her release.

“Since the prosecution has shown the bank statement of the [… ] petitioner in which on 28.11.2011 […] Rs7 crores were withdrawn and the prosecution has apprehension of fleeing away of the petitioner, therefore, to satisfy our judicial conscience we would pass a conditional order,” says the court’s written order, granting Maryam bail under under Article 199 of the Constitution.

PML-N supporters gathered outside the court celebrated the

bench’s order while party president, Shehbaz Sharif, via a statement welcomed the decision. He also appealed to supporters to not indulge in celebrations or distribute sweets and instead, pray for former premier Nawaz Sharif’s health.

PPP Senator Sherry Rehman also welcomed the court’s verdict, adding, “Hope that the PPP leadership, including President Zardari who is in custody for questioning, will also be released soon. Keeping political opponents in jail with no wrong proven is bad news.”

On PML-N Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb said that bail has been given on merit not humanitarian grounds. She further said that the sum of Rs70 million has not been declared as ill-gotten money and has only been asked to be submitted as bonafide. The twomember bench had reserved its verdict in the case on Oct 31 after both the petitioner and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had concluded their arguments.

Meanwhile, NAB has decided to challenge the verdict, saying it has concrete evidence against the PML-N VP and she is perfectly healthy. Reportedly, approver Abdullah Nasir Lotha has also recorded his statement in the case.

Maryam and her cousin Yousuf Abbas Sharif were arrested by NAB

on Aug 8 in the CSM case. Later, on Sept 25, they were sent to jail on judicial remand by an accountability court in Lahore.

The accountability watchdog suspects Maryam of involvement in money laundering through investments of variable heavy amounts being the main shareholder of the mills. It has alleged that she was involved in money laundering with the help of some foreigners during the period of 1992-93 when Nawaz was the prime minister.

Maryam had approached LHC on Sept 30 seeking post-arrest bail in the case. Following the sudden deterioration in the health of her father, Nawaz Sharif, she then filed a miscellaneous petition on Oct 24 seeking immediate bail on the basis of “fundamental rights” and “humanitarian reasons”.

A two-member LHC bench comprising Justice Ali Baqar Najafi and Justice Sardar Ahmad Naeem heard the petitions on Thursday.

During the proceedings, NAB prosecutor Jahanzaib Bharwana opposed Maryam’s request for bail on humanitarian grounds and said: “It has been established by Supreme Court’s verdicts that a suspect can only be granted bail in extraordinary circumstances,” he said, adding: “Maryam Nawaz’s case does not qualify as an extraordinary one.”

“The jail superintendent had allowed Maryam Nawaz to meet her father [according to her wishes],” Bharwana argued.

In a previous hearing of the appeal, the court had asked Maryam’s counsel if she had been granted per-

mission to meet her ailing father Nawaz Sharif, to which her lawyer, Azam Nazir Tarar, responded in the affirmative.

Nawaz was rushed to the Services Institute of Medical Sciences (SIMS) last week after his personal physician raised alarm about his deteriorating health. He is currently admitted at the hospital.

Bharwana said that Maryam had played an “important role in money laundering” and added that a hefty amount of money was transferred from accounts opened by CSM to the petitioner.

NAB suspects Maryam of involvement in money laundering through investments of variable heavy amounts being the main shareholder of the CSM. It has alleged that she was involved in money laundering with the help of some foreigners during the period of 1992-93 when her father Nawaz Sharif was the prime minister.

The court was informed that Maryam had not been able to give satisfactory answers to NAB’s inquiries regarding her shares in CSM. She was also unable to explain how she attained the funds to establish Shamim Sugar Mills, Bharwana said.

The lawyer further said that the PML-N vice president had not filed her tax returns for many years and was suspected of owning assets beyond known means. Maryam and her cousin Yousaf Abbas were arrested by NAB on Aug 8 in the case. Later, on Sept 26, they were sent to jail on judicial remand by an accountability court in Lahore.

PM Imran launches ‘largest ever’ scholarship programme 50,000 SCHOLARSHIPS WILL BE OFFERED EACH YEAR OF WHICH 50 PER CENT WILL BE PROVIDED TO WOMEN WHILE PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED STUDENTS WILL GET 2 PER CENT QUOTA ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Prime Minister Imran Khan launched the “largest ever needs-based” scholarship programme on Monday. Addressing the launching ceremony, Imran said that the programme will bring a big change in the society. He said that the best way to reduce poverty is provision of opportunities to students from poor families.

He regretted that a colonial-era educational system was functioning in the country and criticised the multiple education systems which exist in Pakistan. “Three parallel systems — English medium, Urdu medium and religious seminaries — were being run in the society which was a big injustice and no one tried to [fix it] or talk about it,” he said.

“According to the last update I received, some 800,000 students are studying under the

English medium system, 30 million under Urdu medium and 2.5 million students are enrolled in madressas,” he said. He said that under the programme, 50,000 scholarships will be offered each year. Out of the total, two per cent quota will be allocated for physically challenged students, the premier announced, adding that 50pc of the scholarships will be provided to women.

He also emphasised the importance of a high literacy rate among women.

Titled “Ehsaas for Students”, the programme is another project of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s flagship social welfare programme, Ehsaas, and aims to provide scholarships to about 200,000 students from lower-income families over the next four years. “[Out of the] 50,000 [schorloships going to be awarded] every year, 50% of these [are reserved] for women to promote human capital develop-

ment,” he announced through his Twitter handle.

The project aims to “ensure that no student is deprived of education because of financial need”. Scholarships will be awarded to students admitted to any public sector university “on merit”, whose family income is “below poverty threshold”. The programme also encourages differently-abled students to apply and/or those who hail from rural or remote areas. The scholarship would cover the students’ tuition fee and also provide them with a stipend. The deadline to apply for scholarships is Dec 10. Ehsaas is an ambitious social safety and poverty alleviation programme launched by the government. Since the launch of the programme earlier this year, the prime minister has inaugurated multiple welfare projects under Ehsaas’ umbrella including Ehsaas-Saylani Langar Scheme and Panah Gah in order to provide food and shelter to the poor.

Justice Isa’s counsel seeks dismissal of reference over ‘constitutional breach’ MUNIR A MALIK TELLS COURT PRESIDENT ‘VIOLATED’ CONSTITUTION BY ACTING ON THE ADVICE OF PREMIER IN THIS MATTER ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Munir A Malik, the counsel for Justice Qazi Faez Isa asked the court to dismiss the reference against the Supreme Court (SC) judge as he contended that there had been violations of the Constitution during the filing of the reference.

Presenting the case before the full bench of apex court led by Justice Umar Ata Bandial, which resumed hearing on Monday, he said that President Dr Arif Alvi was bound by the Constitution to “apply his mind to the reference” instead of simply acting on the advice of Prime Minister Imran Khan. He added that the president had himself “confessed” to acting on the advice of the premier,

JUSTICE SHAH QUESTIONS LEGAL MERITS OF DATA COLLECTION, SAYS IT’S UNCONSTITUTIONAL TO BREACH A JUDGE’S PRIVACY

which constitutes to him taking an unconstitutional step.

He contended that the reference was based on “mala fide intentions”, therefore, the court must make President Alvi, PM Imran and Law Minister Justice Farogh Naseem part of the proceedings.

“While Article 248 makes it clear that prime minister and ministers cannot be made answerable to the court, they are bound to act in accordance with the Constitution and there cannot be imputing for anyone who breaches the Constitution,” he added. He once again reiterated that the reference had been filed without prior approval of the federal cabinet.

Justice Faisal Arab then asked him if it was mentioned in the reference that the president had not

“applied his mind” to the reference. Justice Manzoor Ali Shah also asked whether the phrase “applying his mind” means that the president had to supervise the collection of all evidence in the reference. Justice Shah further asked about the legal merits of the collection of material against the SC judge. “If the material was collected illegally, then it means the judge’s privacy guaranteed under Article 14 has been violated,” he said.

Malik said that the president should have “applied his mind” to know how the material was collected. He also said that the president’s act of acting on the advice of the premier in this matter was unconstitutional and constitutes “mala fide intent”.

Justice Isa’s counsel, while responding to Justice Bandial’s observation regarding the apex court’s jurisdiction under Article 184 (3), also said that the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) exceeded its jurisdiction by issuing showcause notices on points which were not raised in the reference.

The latter said that remedy under Article 184 (3) was not open to everyone as, after the SC judgment in the Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui case, the affected judge can now make a request to the SJC for a public hearing. However, Malik said the situation in this particular case was also extraordinary as this was only the second time in Pakistan’s history that a full bench was hearing the case of an SC judge.

Justice Muneeb Akhtar, while

comparing the Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry case with Justice Isa’s case, noted that in the former there were specific, direct and serious allegations of mala fide against thenpresident Pervez Musharraf.

In Justice Isa’s case, he said, there are general allegations against the referring authority.

“You have to give specific and direct incidents which could establish mala fide against executive authorities,” said the judge.

Justice Maqbool Baqar asked

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whether the issuance of a showcause notice by the SJC bars the apex court from entertaining the judge’s petition against the council’s proceedings. Malik, while referring to the Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry judgement, contended that there was no constitutional bar under Article 211 if the reference is based on mala fide, illegal and non coram judice.

Justifying Justice Isa’s decision to approach the SC, his attorney stated the SJC cannot strike down the presidential reference but the apex court can do the same in view of the principal laid down in the Iftikhar Chaudhry case. The case was then adjourned till Tuesday. The reference filed against Justice Isa alleges that he acquired three properties in London on lease in the name of his wife and children between 2011 and 2015, but did not disclose them in his wealth returns. Justice Isa has contested the allegation, saying he is not a beneficial owner of the flats — neither directly nor indirectly.