PTI announces Senate election boycott in Sindh

• Alleges Aseefa’s win in NA-207 made possible by ‘candidate’s kidnapping’
• PPP insists PTI attempting to create ’unwarranted controversy

KARACHI: The PTI on Sunday announced boycotting Senate elections in Sindh, scheduled for April 2, alleging that pre-poll rigging could lead to the unopposed victory of all 12 candidates from the province, where the PPP enjoys majority.

The PTI’s Sindh chapter said the decision to boycott polls was made with consensus among the party leadership, which believes that after the Feb 8 elections, the PPP and its allies were “enjoying fake mandate” and the party was still being targeted for political vendetta.

“Senate elections are being won through rigging,” PTI leader Haleem Adil Sheikh said while addressing a press conference. “We fielded six candidates from Sindh (for Senate polls). And the fact is that if our mandate wouldn’t have been stolen on Feb 8, we could have won reserved seats of minorities and women as well.”

He questioned the justification of the Senate election, saying, “You have alre­ady twisted the mandate of the parties in the assemblies that have to elect these senators. The Feb 8 rigging emerges as pre-poll rigging for the Senate elections.”

The PTI Sindh leaders said the recent unopposed election of PPP’s Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari from the National Assembly constituency NA-207 was “just a reflection” of their apprehensions.

“Our candidate from NA-207 was kidnapped and forced to withdraw his nomination,” said Ali Palh Advocate, the secretary general of PTI Sindh.

“How can you expect free and fair elections in such a situation? Those who won elections as per Form 45 are not part of the Sindh Assembly. The PTI-backed candidates were made to lose the elections through the tampered Form 47. We won 180 seats in the general elections, but most of them were taken away,” he added.

With the PTI’s boycott, PPP will likely win 10 seats from Sindh in the upcoming Senate election and one by MQM-P. It is, however, unclear whether independent candidate Faisal Vawda could muster enough votes to win the Senate poll on a general seat.

The 11 candidates fielded by PPP include Syed Masroor Ahsan, Syed Kazim Ali Shah, Jeean Khan Sarfaraz Rajar, Nadeem Ahmed Bhutto, Dost Ali Jessar, Ashraf Ali Jatoi, Sarmad Ali, Zamir Hussain Ghumro, Poonjo, Quratul Ain Marri and Rubina Qaimkhani. Amir Chishti is MQM-P’s only candidate.

‘Unwarranted controversy’

At a press conference in Bilawal House, PPP leaders said that the PTI was attempting to create unwarranted controversy around the uncontested victory of Aseefa in NA-207.

Sindh Home Minister Zia Lanjar, Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani and other leaders emphasised that the PTI should gracefully acknowledge its defeat.

“If by-elections were conducted, Bibi Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari would have undoubtedly secured between 150,000 to 250,000 votes,” Mr Ghani said.

He dismissed the allegations of abduction of the PTI candidate in the NA-207 by-election as unfounded and baseless, firmly refuting such claims.

He clarified that the rejection of PTI candidate Sher Muhammad Rind’s nomination forms stemmed from his court-declared status as an absconder in a Balochistan case, whereas his son and covering candidate, Bahawal Rind, faced rejection for failing to disclose his assets in accordance with legal requirements.

Mr Ghani also refuted Ghulam Mustafa Rind’s claim of abduction before the elections as baseless. He said that the nomination forms of Mr Mustafa’s, an independent candidate, were rejected due to his status as a defaulter of a power distribution company, Hesco.

Published in Dawn, April 1st, 2024

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Govt hikes petrol price by Rs9.66/litre

Ahead of Eidul Fitr, the newly elected government on Sunday hiked the price of petrol by Rs9.66 per litre for the next fortnight.

In an an­­nouncement before midnight, the Ministry of Finance said the new price of petrol would go into effect on April 1, as recommended by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra).

The new price of petrol is now Rs289.41 per litre from the previous Rs279.75 per litre, while the price of high-speed diesel (HSD) has decreased by Rs3.32 to Rs282.24 per litre.

The ministry said the changes were due to a corresponding rise in petrol prices and a decrease in HSD prices in the international market. It added the change was in line with the government’s policy of passing on price variations in the international market to the domestic market.

In its previous fortnightly review, the government kept the petrol price unchanged at Rs279.75 per litre and reduced HSD’s rate by Rs1.77 per litre to Rs285.56.

The petrol price was estimated to go up, owing mainly to higher import premiums and global prices.

On the other hand, the HSD price was down in the international market, and the import premium paid by Pakistan State Oil (PSO) remained unchanged at $6.50 per barrel. Thus, the rate of high-speed diesel was estimated to be down by Rs1.30 to Rs2.50 per litre, subject to the final exch­a­nge rate adjustment in pricing.

For price calculations, officials said the price of petrol had gone up by about $4 per barrel to $94.5 over the last two weeks, while HSD’s price inched down by about 60 cents per barrel to $98.4. The exchange rate has also improved, with the rupee gaining by about 1 per dollar to $278.6 over the fortnight.

The government is already charging a petroleum development levy (PDL) of Rs60 per litre — the maximum permissible limit under the law — on both petrol and HSD. Under the commitments made with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the government set a budget target to collect Rs869 billion in PDL during the current fiscal year.

It has already collected about Rs475bn in the first half (July-December) and is expected to mop up about Rs970bn by the end of the fiscal year, although the annual target has now been revised to Rs920bn.

Petroleum and electricity prices have been the key drivers of high inflation. Petrol is mostly used in private transport, small vehicles, rickshaws and two-wheelers and directly affects the budgets of middle and lower-middle classes.

At present, the government is charging about Rs82 per litre tax on both petrol and HSD. However, there is no general sales tax (GST) on any petroleum product.

Compared to Rs60 per litre PDL on both products, the government is charging Rs50 levy on high-octane blending component and 95 research octane number petrol. The government is also charging about Rs19-20 per litre customs duty on petrol and HSD.

Both fuels are the major revenue spinners, with their monthly sales of about 700,000 to 800,000 tonnes compared to 10,000 tonnes of monthly demand for kerosene.

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Labour loses 23,000 members over UK’s Gaza policy

LONDON: The United Kingdom’s Labour party reported a loss of membership by 23,000 over its Gaza policy and environmental messaging, new figures revealed.

Official figures showed that memberships fell from 390,000 in January to 366,604 last week, though the party is leading in opinion polls and widely believed to win in the next general election after a 14-year rule of the Conservative party.

A report in The Guardian quoted a senior Labour figure saying, “It is a big fall in just two months. People were surprised, even taken aback.” It added that Labour insiders believe the fall is primarily a result of “anger among Muslim and other Labour supporters over Keir Starmer’s position on Gaza” and his refusal over several months to call for an immediate ceasefire.

Labour leader Keir Starmer came under heavy criticism soon after the conflict erupted. On October 11, four days after Hamas killed Israeli citizens and Israel responded with an aggressive campaign of air attacks and blockades, Starmer gave an interview in which he said Israel had the “right” to cut off power and water from Gaza.

The party’s refusal to call for a ceasefire had also led to the resignation of at least 70 Labour councillors, triggering a loss of control in four councils.

The Labour Muslim Network, a British campaign group associated with the party, in February warned of the potential loss of support from Muslim voters if the party does not alter its stance on the Gaza conflict.

In a statement, it said, “…the Labour Party’s response has been unacceptable and deeply offensive to Muslims across Britain.

“Muslim voters have been watching and are now sending a clear message — they will not support any political party that does not fervently oppose the crimes committed against the people of Gaza. The Labour leadership must change paths now or risk losing the support of the Muslim community for a generation,” it added.

Mr Starmer has faced rebellions over the party’s stance on Gaza from his own MPs as well as frontbench resignations. In November, 10 frontbenchers resigned or were removed from his team after voting for a Scottish National Party motion calling for a ceasefire.

Reports suggest it has also faced anger from green supporters over its decision to drop a commitment to spend £28bn if it wins the general election on its green investment plan.

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2024

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Family cries foul as Muslim leader dies in Indian prison

NEW DELHI: The suspicious death of Mukhtar Ansari, a jailed politician from Uttar Pradesh, will be investigated by a magistrate after his family claimed he was poisoned, reports said on Friday.

A three-member team is expected to commence the investigation into his death shortly, an order by Chief Judicial Magistrate Banda said.

Mukhtar Ansari was declared dead on March 28 at a Banda hospital after he suffered a cardiac arrest. However, his family claimed Ansari was being given ‘slow poison’ inside jail, which led to his demise.

His death comes nearly a year after another Muslim politician was shot dead on live TV in Uttar Pradesh.

Opposition parties assail BJP govt over failure to ensure Ansari’s safety

Afzal Ansari, an MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur and brother of Mukhtar, claimed, “Mukhtar said he was given a poisonous substance in food in jail. This happened for the second time. Around 40 days ago also he was given poison. And recently, he was again given this (poison) due to which his condition was bad.”

Afzal said that during a hearing on March 21, his brother’s lawyer had told the Barabanki court that his client had allegedly been given “slow poison” in jail due to which his condition was deteriorating. The politician was hospitalised on Tuesday for 14 hours, but was released after his condition was reported as stable.

“It (post-mortem) is their procedure. I have written a letter saying that it should be done by doctors at AIIMS, Delhi. We don’t trust the medical system, the government and administration here...You know why I am saying this...Panchnama is done. District Magistrate has to make a decision. Let’s see what he decides. The post-mortem has not begun,” his son Umar Ansari said. “We hope the court will help investigate the suspicions that we are expressing. We will consult our legal team. We are confident that this is not a natural death but an orchestrated murder,” he added.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is seen as a trigger-happy head of India’s most populous state. Ever since the BJP government took over under his watch in Uttar Pradesh in March 2017, police have shot dead 190 persons in incidents of alleged exchange of fire that the state terms as “encounters”. From March 2017 to September 2023, police in UP also shot and injured 5,591 persons in these incidents.

The administration has issued orders to bar large gatherings across the UP state. Additional security personnel have been deployed in Banda, Mau, Ghazipur and Varanasi, as officials said two doctors would conduct the post-mortem examination, which would be video-graphed, before his body would be handed over to his son.

‘Govt anarchy’

Opposition Samajwadi Party chief and former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav attacked the UP government over his death. “A government that cannot protect life has no right to remain in power. Uttar Pradesh is going through the worst phase of ‘government anarchy’. This is the ‘zero hour’ of law and order in UP,” he claimed.

Former chief minister Mayawati demanded a high-level inquiry into the death. “The persistent apprehensions and serious allegations made by the Ansari family regarding his death in jail require a high-level investigation,” she added.

BJP leader Hari Sahani, however, insisted that the ‘gangster’ died due to disease.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2024

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Petrol may hit Rs290 ahead of Eid

ISLAMABAD: Ahead of Eidul Fitr, the petrol price is estimated to go up by about Rs10-11 per litre on Sunday (March 31) for the next fortnight, owing mainly to higher import premiums and global prices.

However, the price of another key fuel, high-speed diesel (HSD), is likely to drop by up to Rs2 per litre.

Given petrol’s current ex-depot price of around Rs280 per litre, the coming review may take its rate beyond Rs290.

Informed sources said the import price of petrol has increased by about $4 per barrel, and its import premium has further gone up to $13.5 per barrel from $12.15 a fortnight ago because of the geopolitical situation. As a result, the price of petrol is estimated to rise by Rs10-11 per litre, depending on the final exchange rate calculation.

Price of high-speed diesel expected to drop by up to Rs2 per litre

On the other hand, the HSD price was down in the international market, and the import premium paid by Pakistan State Oil (PSO) remained unchanged at $6.50 per barrel. Thus, the rate of high-speed diesel was estimated to be down by Rs1.30 to Rs2.50 per litre, subject to the final exch­a­nge rate adjustment in pricing.

For price calculations, officials said the price of petrol had gone up by about $4 per barrel to $94.5 over the last two weeks, while HSD’s price inched down by about 60 cents per barrel to $98.4. The exchange rate has also improved, with the rupee gaining by about 1 per dollar to $278.6 over the fortnight.

In its previous fortnightly review, the government kept the petrol price unchanged at Rs279.75 per litre and reduced HSD’s rate by Rs1.77 per litre to Rs285.56.

The government is already charging a petroleum development levy (PDL) of Rs60 per litre — the maximum permissible limit under the law — on both petrol and HSD. Under the commitments made with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the government set a budget target to collect Rs869 billion in PDL during the current fiscal year.

It has already collected about Rs475bn in the first half (July-December) and is expected to mop up about Rs970bn by the end of the fiscal year, although the annual target has now been revised to Rs920bn.

Petroleum and electricity prices have been the key drivers of high inflation. Petrol is mostly used in private transport, small vehicles, rickshaws and two-wheelers and directly affects the budgets of middle and lower-middle classes.

On the other hand, an increase in HSD’s price is considered highly inflationary as it is mostly used in heavy transport vehicles, trains and agricultural engines like trucks, buses, tractors, tube wells and threshers. It also adds to the prices of vegetables and other eatables.

At present, the government is charging about Rs82 per litre tax on both petrol and HSD.

However, there is no general sales tax (GST) on any petroleum product.

Compared to Rs60 per litre PDL on both products, the government is charging Rs50 levy on high-octane blending component and 95 research octane number petrol. The government is also charging about Rs19-20 per litre customs duty on petrol and HSD.

Both fuels are the major revenue spinners, with their monthly sales of about 700,000 to 800,000 tonnes compared to 10,000 tonnes of monthly demand for kerosene.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2024

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China’s Xiaomi enters car market with new electric vehicle

BEIJING: Chinese consumer tech giant Xiaomi launched its first electric vehicle in Beijing on Thursday, injecting itself into a fiercely competitive sector in the world’s largest car market.

China’s EV sector has grown rapidly in recent years — propelled by purchasing subsidies that were discontinued in late 2022 — and dozens of domestic automakers are engaged in a stiff price war to get ahead in a crowded market.

Xiaomi is known for its affordable smartphones and home appliances, and CEO Lei Jun says he is now putting his “reputation on the line” with the SU7 EV, challenging Chinese car giant BYD and Elon Musk’s Tesla.

A basic SU7 model will cost 215,900 yuan ($29,868), Lei told a glitzy launch news conference in Beijing on Thursday evening. The sleek and sporty SU7 will be available in nine colours and includes “sound simulation”, Lei said, “to recreate the thrill of driving a sports car”.

It also offers plenty of other gimmicks, such as karaoke equipment and a mini-fridge.

Xiaomi has promised it will be “the best-looking, best-driving and smartest car” priced under 500,000 yuan.

“The 200,000 to 250,000 yuan range, that actually is the most competitive segment in the China EV space at the moment,” Johnson Wan, an analyst at Jefferies Financial Group Inc, told Bloomberg.

Lei told Thursday’s news conference that his company’s debut vehicle was comparable to Tesla’s Model 3 and surpassed the American maker’s sedan in some aspects.

“I think we can provide a better product for Model 3 users,” he said.

Xiaomi is the world’s third-biggest smartphone maker, and its experience in that sector has helped shape its EV strategy.

Lu Weibing, Xiaomi’s president, told CNBC last month that there were around 20 million people who used the company’s premium smartphones, a figure that helped it price the SU7.

“I think the initial purchasers will be very overlapped with the smartphone users. So that’s our strategy,” Lu said.

Cut-throat market

“By entering the premium segment, Xiaomi can carve out a niche against established brands like Tesla and Nio,” Abhishek Murali, senior electric vehicle analyst at Rystad Energy, told AFP.

“Targeting affluent Chinese consumers with a premium EV allows Xia­omi to potentially offset the high manufacturing costs typically faced by EV startups,” Murali said.

The launch of the SU7 comes just days after BYD, the world’s top seller of EVs, posted record annual profits as it pushes a rapid expansion overseas into countries in Southeast Asia, as well as further afield in Latin America and Europe.

In a note attached to the earnings report, BYD CEO Wang Chuanfu acknowledged the year had not been all smooth sailing.

“At the beginning of the year, the recovery of automobile consumption was relatively lagging behind, affected by the switch in promotional policies and market price fluctuations,” he wrote.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2024

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Former PM’s lawyer ‘backs’ questioning by court-chosen counsel

ISLAMABAD: In an apparent bid to avoid a retrial in the cipher case, the counsel for former prime minister Imran Khan and foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Tuesday endorsed the cross-examination of key witnesses by state-appointed counsel.

The move comes as a surprise, as it contradicts the stance earlier adopted by the PTI legal team, which has maintained that the Special Court set up to prosecute the case had rushed the process of cross-examination by appointing state counsel.

In January, Special Court Judge Abual Has­naat Muhammad Zulqar­nain, cancelled the defence counsel’s right to cross-examine the witnesses, citing “absence during two court hearings”.

The move irked the PTI founder, who dubbed the trial a “joke” because “the prosecution team and defe­nce counsels both belonged to the government”.

During previous hearings, PTI leaders’ counsel, Barrister Salman Safdar, claimed that the trial court-appointed state prosecutors cross-examined 21 witnesses within a very short span of time.

It is believed that the change in strategy by the counsel is aimed at avoiding a retrial in case the Isla­m­­abad High Court (IHC) sets aside the convictions.

The IHC has already declared the proceedings illegal once and sent the case back to the court for a fresh trial.

During the hearing on Monday, Barrister Safdar endorsed the contentious episode, saying that they “were not aggrieved by this cross examination”.

He was arguing before an IHC division bench comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb. Mr Safdar also read out selected paragraphs of the cross examination before the bench to substantiate his contention that the case against Mr Khan was based on hearsay.

According to him, the cipher was not produced before the court and the text message — reportedly sent by a US diplomat — referred to as proof that the issue ruined Pak-US relations was presented in the court without recording the sender’s testimony.

The much talked about demarche issued to the US was also not brought on judicial record, argued Mr Safdar. The case’s star witness, former principal secretary to PM Azam Khan, and other key witnesses, former ambassador to the US Asad Majeed Khan and then additional secretary in the Pakistan embassy, Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, “did not support allegations against Mr Khan”.

In his cross examination, Mr Azam stated that the former PM informed him that the cipher’s copy had been misplaced and directed his military secretary and PM Office’s staff to trace it, argued the counsel.

Also, the ex-secretary didn’t confirm if the document, waved by the ex-PM during a public gathering on March 27, 2022, was the original cipher, said Mr Safdar.

He suggested that the court may play the recording of Mr Khan’s speech at the rally.

Justice Aurangzeb remarked that the transcript of the speech was on judicial record.

Later, the court adjourned further proceedings till April 2 with CJ Farooq announcing that the hearing will start at 1pm and would continue till 4pm.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2024

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ATC grants bail to PTI’s former MNA, social media activist

LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court on Wednes­day granted post-arrest bail to PTI’s former MNA Aalia Hamza and social media activist Sanam Jav­ed in a case of Shadman police station attack during the May 9 riots.

Judge Arshad Javed allowed the bail to the women after hearing concluding arguments of their lawyers.

Advocate Naseeruddin Nayyar argued on behalf of Ms Hamza saying the police arrested his client, who was already in jail for nine months, after the Lahore High Court granted her bail in the last case of Jinnah House attack against her.

He said the police acted with mala fide to implicate the former MNA in a new case only to frustrate her release.

He asked the court to reject the police request and discharge the former MNA in the case.

On behalf of Ms Javed, Advocate Shakeel Pasha argued that the police implicated the petitioner in a new case to foil her release on bail in the last case against her.

He said the trial court allowed her bail in the case of torching PML-N office in Model Town, but the police affected her arrest in Shadman police station attack.

The counsel argued the petitioner was not even present on the alleged occurrence. He asked the court to release the petitioner on bail.

A deputy prosecutor opposed the bail petitions of both women saying the suspects attacked public and private property on May 9 in an organised manner. He said the suspects also provoked and incited the public to resort to violence against the state.

He said a challan (investigation report) had been filed in the court and the trial would be concluded soon.

The judge allowed the petitions and directed the petitioners to furnish bail bonds of Rs200,000 each.

Both Ms Hamza and Ms Javed, if not arrested in any new case, are likely to be released from jail on Thursday (today).

Ms Javed now has been granted bail in seven cases. She is a Sunni Ittehad Council candidate for Senate on women’s seat.

Also, an ATC granted bail to 31 suspects in the Jinnah House attack case.

Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2024

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IHC asks why Imran, Qureshi ‘singled out’ in cipher case

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Wednesday wondered why the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) was probing former prime minister Imran Khan and foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi for not returning the diplomatic cipher, while sparing other recipients who did the same.

Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb — a member of the IHC division bench headed by Chief Justice Aamer Farooq — made the observation during the hearing of appeals filed by Mr Khan and Mr Qureshi against their conviction in the cipher case.

Defence counsel Barrister Salman Safdar argued that the confidential diplomatic cable, at the heart of the cipher trial against the two PTI leaders, was sent to eight top offices, including the president, PM’s principal secretary, foreign secretary, army chief, director general of Inter-Services Intelligence, chief justice of Pakistan and cabinet secretary.

Justice Aurangzeb wonders why ‘pick and choose’ approach applied, other recipients of cipher not issued notices by FIA

However, he added, none of the recipients returned the diplomatic cable to the Foreign Office when the inquiry commenced in October 2022.

According to the counsel, the FIA could have issued notices to the then-army chief, Senate chairman and other recipients, but the agency had only nominated Mr Khan and Mr Qureshi in this case.

Barrister Safdar, the counsel for Imran Khan, presented a letter of the foreign ministry that documented the movement of the cipher. According to it, most of the recipients held on to their copies for well over a year and only returned them once the proceedings against the ex-PM and his foreign minister were formally underway. Justice Aurangzeb questioned whether the FIA was cognisant that the other recipients did not return the copies.

Barrister Safdar replied in the affirmative, saying the FIA was required to issue call-up notices to all recipients.

Justice Aurangzeb asked him to explain the reasons for which the investigation agency went after the two recipients while sparing others.

Barrister Safdar replied that it showed the “selective prosecution, political victimisation, colourable exercise of power and defective investigation”.

Justice Farooq observed that apparently it was a “pick and choose” and asked for the legal precedents in such cases.

The counsel informed the court that the evidence that documented the movement of cipher was presented by a senior official of the foreign ministry, who was also the custodian of the record.

When Justice Aurangzeb asked if the official was cross-examined by the defence counsel, Barrister Salman replied in the negative, saying the counsel appointed by the state had cross-examined the said witness.

Justice Aurangzeb noticed that the advocate general, who sought the permission to appear before the Sindh High Court a day earlier, did not depute anyone for court’s assistance. He expressed his displeasure and warned that the court would write to the federal government that the advocate general is not extending proper assistance.

Barrister Safdar argued that the prosecution also charged Mr Khan and Mr Qureshi for ruining Pakistan’s friendly relations with the US. However, he pointed out that the prosecution did not produce any evidence before the court to substantiate the allegation.

Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2024

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Levies officer martyred, 3 soldiers injured in Pishin

QUETTA: A Levies Risaldar was martyred, and three other soldiers were seriously injured in an exchange of fire with an alleged criminal gang, also involved in terrorism in Pishin district on Wednesday.

Security forces launched an operation after the firing incident and arrested two dozen suspects, including proclaimed offenders, and recovered stolen items, including motorcycles and illegal arms.

Officials said the encounter between Levies Force personnel and suspects in the Killi Manzari area of Pishin left four Levies officials injured.

They added that Levies Force rushed to the site soon after receiving information about the fire exchange and shifted the injured to the district hospital in Pishin, where one of the Levies officials died during treatment, while the other three were shifted to the Civil Hospital in Quetta.

“Levies Force arrested 24 suspected criminals who were also involved in terrorist activities,” Deputy Commissioner Pishin Capt (retd) Jumma Dad Mandokhail said, adding that the proclaimed offenders were involved in heinous crimes.

The Levies officer martyred in the gun battle was identified as Hameedullah Tareen, while Musa Jan, Bilal Khan, and Zahoor Agha were injured.

Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2024

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18 Gazans die trying to collect airdropped aid

• US defence secy calls protecting Palestinians ‘moral imperative’
• Tel Aviv withdraws from Doha talks

GAZA STRIP: Twelve people drowned and at least six were killed in stampedes trying to recover aid airdropped into Gaza, local authorities said on Tuesday.

The deaths occurred in the north of the besieged territory on Monday, with people rushing to collect packages dropped from planes along Gaza’s Mediterranean coast.

The UN humanitarian office called on Tuesday for Israel to revoke a ban on food deliveries to northern Gaza from the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, saying people there were facing a “cruel death by famine”.

Israel had earlier said it would stop working with UNRWA in Gaza, accusing the aid agency of perpetuating conflict. The agency said Israel told it that it would no longer approve its food convoys to north Gaza. Four such requests were denied since March 21, it said.

“The decision must be revoked,” United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) spokesperson Jens Laerke told a UN briefing in Geneva. “You cannot claim to adhere to these international provisions of law when you block UNRWA food convoys.”

A UN-backed report this month said famine was imminent and likely to occur by May in northern Gaza.

James Elder, spokesperson for the UN children’s agency Unicef in Gaza, described seeing “paper thin” children in a hospital in northern Gaza and incubators full of underweight babies from malnourished mothers.

“Tens of thousands of people crowd the streets,” he told the same briefing, describing his latest visit to the north on Monday. “They make that universal signal of hand to mouth desperately asking and seeking for food.

“Life-saving aid is being obstructed. Lives are being lost. I saw children whose malnutrition state was so severe, skeletal,” he said.

Other aid agencies also deliver food parcels to northern Gaza, although UNRWA is the biggest provider.

Protecting Palestinians

In Washington, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday that it was a moral and strategic imperative to protect Palestinian civilians in Gaza, and that the humanitarian catastrophe in the besieged enclave was getting worse.

He was speaking at the start of a meeting with Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant at the Pentagon as relations between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sank to a wartime low.

“In Gaza today, the number of civilian casualties is far too high and the amount of humanitarian aid is far too low,” Austin said.

“Gaza is suffering a humanitarian catastrophe and the situation is getting even worse,” Austin said, using more forceful language than he has in the past on the crisis.

He added that he and Gallant would discuss how to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Fighting rages on

On the ground in Gaza, the fighting raged on unabated, with Israeli operations in and around at least three major hospitals in the besieged territory.

The Israeli military said its jets had struck more than 60 targets in Gaza in the past day, including what it claimed to be tunnels, infrastructure and military structures.

Gaza’s health ministry said 70 people were killed early Tuesday, 13 of them in Israeli air strikes around the southern city of Rafah.

Dozens of Israeli tanks and armoured vehicles surrounded the Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Yunis, where thousands of displaced people have sought refuge, witnesses said.

The health ministry said shots were being fired around the sprawling complex, but no raid had yet taken place.

At Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital, the territory’s largest, Israeli troops have been involved in heavy fighting for the past nine days. Israel claims to have killed 170 Palestinian militants and arrested hundreds of others.

Doha talks at ‘dead end’

Meanwhile, Israel recalled its negotiators from Doha after deeming mediation talks on a Gaza truce “at a dead end” due to Hamas demands, a senior Israeli official told Reuters on Tuesday.

The official accused Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar of sabotaging the diplomacy “as part of a wider effort to inflame this war over Ramazan”.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2024

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Meta urged to lift ban on word shaheed

ISLAMABAD: Meta — the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp — has been asked to lift a ban on the use of the Arabic word shaheed (meaning martyr) on its platforms, though the restrictions on describing “terrorists” as such will continue.

Meta’s Oversight Board, which is funded by Meta but operates independently, said in its advisory opinion that the policy to refer the term shaheed to individuals designated under its dangerous organisations and individuals policy disproportionately restricts free expression.

The board has suggested that Meta’s current policy was unnecessary, and that the company should end this blanket ban.

The ruling comes after years of criticism of the company’s handling of content involving the Middle East, including in a 2021 study Meta itself commissioned that found its approach had an “adverse human rights impact” on Pales­tinians and other Arabic-speaking users of its services.

Those criticisms have escalated since the onset of hostilities between Israel and Hamas in October. Rights groups have accused Meta of suppressing content supportive of Palestinians on Facebook and Instagram against the backdrop of the war.

The Oversight Board noted that the recent events researched recommended to Meta on moderating the word shaheed held up, even under the extreme stress of events, such as the Gaza conflict, and would ensure greater respect for all human rights in Meta’s response to crises.

The Meta Oversight Board reached similar conclusions in its report on Tuesday, finding Meta’s rules on shaheed failed to account for the word’s variety of meanings and resulted in the removal of content not aimed at praising violent actions. “Meta has been operating under the assumption that censorship can and will improve safety, but the evidence suggests censorship can marginalize whole populations while not improving safety at all,” board co-chair Helle Thorning-Schmidt said.

The board said Meta interpreted all uses of shaheed referring to individuals it designated “dangerous” as a violation. However, the board observed, undue removal of content may be ineffective and even counterproductive.

The board said shaheed was at times used to indicate praise of those who die committing violent acts and may even “glorify” them, but it is often used, in reporting and neutral commentary, academic discussion, human rights debates and even more passive ways.

Among other meanings, shaheed is widely used to refer to individuals who die while serving their country, a cause or as an unexpected victim of sociopolitical violence or natural tragedy.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2024

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Mangi’s selection as US judge hangs in balance

Adeel Abdullah Mangi

WASHINGTON: The confirmation prospects for Adeel Abdullah Mangi, a Pakistani American nominated by President Joseph Biden for a US circuit judge of Appeals, seem increasingly precarious as partisan divisions deepen in the Senate.

With Democrats holding only a slim 51-to-49 majority in the Senate and lacking Republican support, Mangi faces challenges securing the simple majority needed for confirmation. If confirmed, Mangi would make history as the first Muslim American to serve as a judge on an appeals court, which has the final say on most federal legal disputes.

Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto and Joe Manchin recently declared their opposition to Mangi’s nomination. Cortez Masto cited Mangi’s affiliation with the Alliance of Families for Justice, a non-profit organisation advocating for criminal justice reform, particularly regarding cases involving individuals convicted of killing law enforcement officers. She stated, “I cannot support this nominee.”

Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana led a campaign against Mangi’s confirmation, labeling him as one of President Biden’s worst picks. Kennedy criticised Mangi’s ties to the Alliance of Families for Justice and alleged connections to individuals with extremist backgrounds.

With Democrats’ 51-49 majority in Senate, he faces challenges securing simple majority

Republicans also accused Mangi of sympathising with organisations like the Rutgers Centre for Security, Race, and Rights, claiming that this group sponsored events featuring speakers linked to terrorism.

The White House condemned the attacks on Mangi as an Islamophobic smear campaign. White House spokesman Andrew Bates stated, “Mr Mangi, who has lived the American Dream and proven his integrity, is being targeted by a malicious and debunked smear campaign solely because he would make history as the first Muslim to serve as a federal appellate judge.”

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin criticised the targeting of Mangi based on his Muslim faith, asserting, “I cannot be silent as I watch, in horror, as Adeel Mangi is ruthlessly targeted by members of the United States Senate.”

Sheila Katz of the National Council of Jewish Women also condemned the targeting of Mangi based on his faith, stating, “It was a heartbreaking scene for the first Muslim American federal circuit judicial nominee to face relentless questioning.”

The largest police organisation in New York, the Police Conference of New York, opposes Mangi’s nomination, joining 10 other law enforcement organisations. They expressed concerns about the Alliance of Families for Justice’s stance on cop-killers and its call for their release.

Mangi’s confirmation now hinges on bipartisan support, with some Republican senators needing to cross party lines to back his nomination. However, there’s no indication of this occurring as opposition from both sides of the aisle leaves his nomination in jeopardy.

In a letter to Senator Cory Booker, Mangi refuted allegations made against him, emphasising that any suggestion of sympathy for attacks on law enforcement is false. He condemned violence against law enforcement officers unequivocally and urged law-enforcement organisations to retract their claims, emphasising that the allegations are based on misinformation.

Supporters, including New Jersey’s Attorney General Platkin, argue that Mangi’s commitment to justice and respect for law enforcement is evident in his work and statements. They assert that his nomination deserves fair consideration based on facts and merits.

The White House criticised Republican senators for what they termed “cruel and Islamophobic attacks” during Mangi’s nomination hearing. Republican Senators Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, and Tom Cotton were singled out for a line of questioning perceived as malicious. The group accused Mangi of associating with an organisation that purportedly taught students to hate Israel and America, which the White House attributed to Islamophobia.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) criticised Republican senators for subjecting Mangi to aggressive questioning unrelated to his professional expertise or qualifications. They accused senators of berating Mangi with endless questions motivated by bias towards his religion.

In response, Mangi denounced terrorism and antisemitism and clarified his role in the advisory board. He stated that the board focused on academic research and that he did not conduct research on events, speakers, or topics unrelated to him.

The confirmation of Mangi remains uncertain, with bipartisan support needed to secure his nomination amid ongoing controversy and partisan divides in the Senate.

Published in Dawn, March 26th, 2024

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Pope skips Palm Sunday homily

ROME: Pope Francis, at the last minute, skipped reading his homily during a Palm Sunday Mass for tens of thousands of people in St Peter’s Square.

It is very unusual for a pope to totally skip a homily at a major event such as Palm Sunday, which marks the start of Holy Week, a busy period leading to Easter.

In recent weeks, the 87-year-old pope has been suffering on and off from bronchitis and influenza and has delegated an aide to read his addresses for him, but on Sunday his prepared text was not read at all. The Vatican gave no immediate explanation for why the pope skipped the homily.

An announcer on Vatican Radio then said the pope had decided to not read the homily. However, the pope, dressed in red vestments, continued presiding, reading parts of the Mass and was driven around the crowd in a popemobile.

The clerics, along with participants held palm fronds and olive branches at the service.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2024

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Six hurt in officials’ squabble at Torkham

KHYBER: People gather outside the immigration offices at Torkham after a physical clash between FIA staff and border security forces, on Sunday.—Photo by the writer

KHYBER: Six men from the Federal Investi­gation Agency (FIA) were injured during an altercation with Pakistani border guards at Torkham on Sunday.

The incident caused the border crossing to remain shut for over four hours as immigration staff refused to continue their duties in protest against the assault on their colleagues and interference in their work.

The FIA and the Fro­ntier Corps gave conflicting accounts of the incident, both accusing each other of malpractice and undue interference in their official responsibilities.

The immigration staff, including one of the inju­red, accused the border guards of forcing them to allow an Afghan national to cross without undergoing the necessary immigration formalities. They clai­med that the Afghan nati­onal in question possessed a fake travel document.

They said that security personnel first thrashed the FIA officer who refused to allow the Afghan national to cross, then a group of security personnel armed with rifles and batons entered the FIA premises and started beating up their staff, injuring six of them.

Video footage shared on social media showed security personnel beating FIA staff with sticks, with some of the injured screaming in pain.

Labourers and porters, as well as returning Afghan nationals accompanied by children and women, could also be heard screaming and running for safety in the video.

The injured FIA staff members were identified as Arif, Amjad, Zulfiqar, Mehmud, Anbar Shah and Herpal Singh. Three of the injured were taken to the District Headquarters Hospital in Landi Kotal.

The other three were detained by security forces, but were later handed over to FIA officials. One of them was later shifted to Peshawar for treatment of his injuries.

On the other hand, an FC statement accused the FIA staff of allowing Afghan nationals to enter Pakistan without legal travel documents after taking bribes.

It claimed that two days ago, border forces had arrested two Afghan nationals who had been ‘cleared’ by FIA immigration staff without being entered in the official record.

The FC further said that in retaliation for the arrest of illegal Afghans by the security forces, the FIA staff restricted the approach of security officials to its premises, which also resulted in an increase of number of Afghans at the immigration centres.

“The immigration officials misbehaved with security officials and used objectionable language when they were asked to expedite the immigration process,” the statement said, adding that an effort was also made to approach FIA high-ups and apprise them of the situation, but to no avail.

The statement said that investigations had been initiated to ascertain the actual reason for Sunday’s incident, while efforts were underway to pave the way for smooth immigration process and stop all types of illegal border crossings.

The border crossing was reopened around midday after a series of meetings between the FC and FIA officials, with a resolve to evolve a strategy to avoid such incidents in the future.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2024

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New security law comes into force in Hong Kong

HONG KONG: A new national security law came into force in Hong Kong on Saturday despite growing international criticism that it could erode freedoms in the China-ruled city and damage its international financial hub credentials.

The law, also known as Article 23, took effect at midnight, days after Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing lawmakers passed it unanimously, fast-tracking legislation to plug what authorities called national security loopholes.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said the law “accomplished a historic mission, living up to the trust placed in us by the Central (Chinese) Authorities”.

The United States expressed concerns that the law would further erode the city’s autonomy and damage its reputation as an international business hub.

“It includes vaguely defined provisions regarding ‘sedition’, ‘state secrets’, and interactions with foreign entities that could be used to curb dissent,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

Australia and Britain on Friday criticised the law after a bilateral meeting in Adelaide, expressing “deep concerns about the continuing systemic erosion of autonomy, freedoms and rights” in Hong Kong.

The United Nations and the European Union recently noted the extremely swift passage of the law with limited public consultation, by a legislature overhauled in recent years to remove opposition democrats. Australia, Britain and Taiwan updated their travel advisories for Hong Kong, urging citizens to exercise caution.

Hong Kong authorities, however, “strongly condemned such political manoeuvres with skewed, fact-twisting, scaremongering and panic-spreading remarks.”

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2024

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Bahria Town-linked firm on FBR radar for ‘laundering Rs23bn’

ISLAMABAD: An inquiry conducted by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has detected alleged money laundering and tax evasion to the tune of billions of rupees by a trading company — Vicky Trading Pvt. Ltd — purportedly linked to the Bahria Town, one of the country’s leading real estate developers.

According to documents available with Dawn, proceedings against the said trading company are underway at the special court of customs, taxation, and anti-smuggling under the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) 2010. The FBR report claimed that Vicky Trading Company operated 18 accounts in various banks across the country.

“The accused admitted in its reply…all 18 accounts are solely dependent upon Bahria Town…and in both companies, all the directors are family members… The report conveyed fund inflows from Bahria Town to the bank accounts of Vicky Trading Pvt. Ltd amounting to Rs319 billion,” the report alleged, adding that the money was transferred from 2014 to 2018.

The documents showed that inquiry into the Rs23bn money laundering case was started on July 1, 2019, as a response to a complaint lod­ged by Moham­mad Ejaz, Ins­pector Intelli­gence and Investigation (Inland Reve­nue) of the FBR. The officer alleged that the directors of the Vicky Trading Company, “engaged in the business of purchase of land on behalf of Bahria Town”.

Report claims fund inflow from Bahria to Vicky Trading company is about Rs319bn; Accused company terms investigation ‘extreme action, harassment’

The inquiry pointed out “various anomalies in the account of the company and its directors were found, which prima facie, being used for the purpose of money laundering and tax evasion”.

The inquiry accused Vicky Trading Company’s directors of “knowingly and willfully” committing the offence of concealment of assets, non-disclosure of transactions of billions of rupees and tax evasion.

According to the report, following the preliminary inquiry, show-cause notices were served on the accused persons under Section 9 of the AMLA 2010.

The investigation report found that the trading company “is principally engaged in trading activities as well as to purchase and hold land on behalf of other companies”.

However, the inquiry claimed that the company admitted in its written replies that it had not purchased or held any land in its name out of funds transferred to it by other entities. It was revealed that the funds were used to purchase TDRs and later on disbursed back to Bahria Town, apparently for no economic reason.

“Investigation also revealed that the company is operated by directors or nominees only. There is no staff or employees on its payroll. In order to purchase/hold land on behalf of other companies, it is necessary for the company to have staff/employees on its payroll in order to account for and keep a record of transactions. Such non-existence of employees reveals a scheme of things on part of the directors to avoid tax and show the incoming receipts/disbursements payments from loan/debt sources in order to hide the true sources.”

The documents showed that a demand of Rs23.541 billion was generated to the company “on a discrepancy of Rs82.825 billion. Hence, it was found that the accused company received untaxed money with unclear sources in order to layer it and show it as taxed money paid back to Bahria Town as loan/advance repayment, including principal plus interest”.

The investigation concluded that “the accused are involved in offence of money laundering through predicate offence of concealment of income as they have no explanation with respect to receipt of funds from explained sources”.

Company’s response

The company Vicky Trading in its defence responded to the FBR that the investigation could assess the record from year 2017 onwards; however, it examined the record from year 2013 in violation of the AMLA.

It stated that the company was well-reputed and compliant entity to the state. It termed the investigation “an extreme action as well as harassment”.

The company claimed that they were doing business and adding revenue in the shape of heavy taxes to the national exchequer and the application of the AMLA was not specifically for the bona fide taxpayers.

It may be noted that the special court of customs, taxation and anti-money laundering is conducting the trial of accused persons, namely Waqas Riffat, Waseem Riffat, Bilal Bashir and Mohammad Awais, all the directors of Vicky Trading Company, under sections 3, 4 and Section XIIA of the Schedule-I of the AMLA. Special Judge Syed Irfan Haider is conducting the proceedings.

However, the trial is progressing at a snail’s pace as the court has issued notices to the accused persons with no further progress so far.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2024

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Human traffickers in Pakistan sharpen their cruelty

• 10 Pakistani citizens tortured, kidnapped by smugglers who lured them with promise of a better life in Europe
• One released after payment of Rs10 million
• Iranian police rescue two victims
• Agent taken into custody

LAHORE: Adding another layer of cruelty to the already vicious business of human trafficking, notorious human smugglers have started taking advantage of Pakistani immigrants trying to illegally reach Europe via Iran by holding them for ransom.

The smugglers in Pakistan with the help of their sub-agents detain and torture immigrants aspiring to reach Europe, film the ordeal, and send it back to their respective families to seek money for the safe release of their loved ones.

Over the past month, three such incidents were reported in which as many as 10 young men were tortured and incarcerated by these gangs. A few of them paid money to secure freedom while some were got released by the Iran police in collaboration with the Pakistani embassy in Tehran.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said that the dangerous trend of arranging the travel of illegal immigrants and detaining them abroad to extract heavy amounts — by local gangs in cohort with their international counterparts — has picked steam in recent times.

Last month, Muhammad Husnain, a resident of Hafizabad, along with his cousin Faisal and neighbour Anwar left for Iran via road to reach Europe. They travelled along with (travel) agent Muhammad Sarwar on valid visas who promised to take them to Greece via Turkey from Iran.

Upon arriving in Tehran, Sarwar sought $2,500 each from the trio to send them to Europe. The three contacted their families in Pakistan for the money. As the families failed to raise the required amount, Sarwar took them to a three-storey house in Tehran on the pretext that he would arrange their travel against a few hundred bucks.

“When we reached the house, the people present there overpowered us and shut us in a small room. After 24 hours, some three to four persons wearing facemasks gave us water and afterwards, they unleashed brutal torture on us. They also filmed the torture and sent it to our families in Pakistan demanding $5,000 each for freeing us,” Husnain told Dawn.

In the captivity, they treated the captives like animals. “When our families told the captors that they could not arrange the money they became crueller. They cut an ear of Faisal, burnt the hand of Anwar, and put nails into my feet. They would use electric shocks to torture us and send the videos to our families which finally paid a sum of Rs300,000 using ‘Easypaisa’ to a pointed person,” he said and added their captors subsequently put them in separate rooms.

Meanwhile, Husnain’s family approached the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation which contacted the Pakistan embassy in Tehran. The Pakistani mission took up the matter with the Iranian police and also flagged the FIA in Gujrat for backtrack investigation.

Before the Iran police could raid the whereabouts of the culprits on the information provided by Pakistan Ambassador Muhammad Mudassar Tipu, Husnain managed to escape from the custody of his captors and a Pakistani taxi driver helped him contact his family back home.

“After 22 days of captivity, I got a chance to escape. My captors were confident that there were nails in my feet and I could not walk. One day they didn’t bother to lock me from the outside and I managed to escape. On road, I came across a Pakistani driver who helped me connect with my family who requested him to drop me at the Pakistani embassy,” Husnain said.

Meanwhile, the Iran police recovered Faisal and Anwar and handed them to the Pakistan embassy. The embassy shifted them to a hospital for treatment.

“We have learned that gangs of Pakistani human smugglers, in collaboration with some Afghans and Iranians, have indulged in this heinous crime. They lure potential illegal immigrants to Iran and detain them to seek a hefty amount from their families,” FIA Liaison Officer in Tehran Aftab Ahmad Butt told Dawn by phone.

‘Rs10m for ransom’

According to him, the Pakistan embassy also pursued two more cases in which seven young men from Sargodha and Islamabad areas were rescued from their captors. In one such case, the captors forced the family of a captive to pay Rs10m ransom for his release.

“Ambassador Mudassar Tipu has taken a keen interest in rescuing the Pakistanis and remained in constant touch with the Iranian authorities in this regard,” he said. There was a need to create awareness about the modus operandi of human smugglers operating in Pakistan, he added.

The Pakistan embassy had also informed the FIA about such cases in Iran, urging them to take strict action against the chain of these human smugglers in Pakistan.

“There is also a dire need for implementation of the policy of the Ministry of Religious Affairs regarding pilgrims going to Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia,” Ambassador Tipu said, adding that with the implementation of this policy, human smuggling could be curtailed.

“The governments of Pakistan and Iran are discussing signing an agreement for the security of pilgrims. We hope it is signed soon as it will be an important step forward in managing flow of people between the two countries,” the ambassador said.

‘Agent arrested’

Meanwhile, the FIA in Punjab arrested Muhammad Sarwar after he returned to Pakistan after “selling” the three men to the gang. According to Husnain’s brother, Muhammad Moazzam, all three victims are struggling to recover from this trauma.

“The three were jobless here and the families thought that they would earn handsomely once they reach Europe. But for all of us it turned out to be a nightmare. We are thankful to God that my brother and two others have returned safely,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2024

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Opposition protests as KP govt ignores assembly session order

PESHAWAR: The opposition and government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are headed for legal confrontation after the government refused to follow the order of the governor, who had called a session of the provincial legislature.

On Friday, opposition members staged a protest demonstration against the government for refusing to call a sitting of the KP Assembly.

They alleged that the government wanted to deprive the women and minority members, elected on reserved seats and notified by the Election Commission of Pakistan, of casting their vote [in the Senate polls slated for next month].

“This is their [women and minority members’] right to take oath. They [Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf] want to take four extra seats in the Senate polls,” said Dr Ibadullah Khan of PML-N, who is leader of the opposition in the KP Assembly.

Dr Ibadullah, who was joined by opposition members from other political parties, regretted that on one hand PTI was complaining about alleged changes in Form-45s and Form-47s aimed at depriving them of several seats in the Feb 8 elections, while on the other hand it was itself violating the law.

He said KP Governor Ghulam Ali was empowered to call a sitting of the assembly under Article 109 of the Constitution, adding that 45 members from the opposition parties had requested the governor to call the session.

Mr Khan stated that they came to the assembly, but the offices of Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, Deputy Speaker Suriya Bibi, and secretary, along with the assembly building were locked.

On Thursday, opposition legislators announced legal action against the government for not calling the assembly session after the secretariat didn’t issue a notification for the session even though the governor had issued orders to that effect.

“We are going to the high court [against the provincial government for not calling the sitting on March 22],” PPP lawmaker Ahmad Kundi told Dawn.

Meanwhile, Speaker Swati approached the Law Department seeking to know if the governor’s order was in line with the Constitution.

The speaker’s move came after the governor, on Wednesday, called a sitting of the KP Assembly on March 22 for the swearing-in of members who had been elected to reserved and minority seats and notified by the ECP on March 4, said an official document.

However, the move resulted in a tiff between the governor and the newly-elected government, headed by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, who described the governor’s actions as unconstitutional.

“The governor can request the speaker of the provincial assembly to call a session, but cannot call a sitting on his own. It is the discretion of the speaker to call the assembly and prepare its agenda,” claimed adviser to the chief minister on information and public relations Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif in a statement.

According to the statement, the government is in contact with its legal team about its response to the governor’s “unconstitutional” order.

The KP Assembly has 30 reserved seats — 26 for women and four for non-Muslims.

The Sunni Ittehad Council, which has 90 PTI-backed members in the assembly, was denied its share of the reserved seats by the ECP.

Those seats went to other parties that have presence in the house, including the JUI-F, PML-N, PPPP, ANP, and PTI-Parliamentarians.

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2024

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Security pledges for workers as CPEC set to expand

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday assured Chinese workers of top-level security as it pushed for the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) through the launch of five special industrial zones.

At a meeting with the Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, Jiang Zaidong, Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal assured the Chinese side that Pakistan had made significant efforts to safeguard the security of Chinese workers and would further implement top-level security measures for Chinese personnel.

He said security was a prerequisite for development, and Pakistan acknowledged the full recognition of CPEC construction and security risks. However, these risks would not disrupt work on CPEC projects, he added.

The two sides agreed to intensify efforts to establish a new working group on five new economic corridors under the second phase, aligning with the Five Es framework — export, energy, equity, environment and e-Pakistan — already prepared by the planning ministry.

Pakistan, China to form working group on five new economic corridors under multi billion-dollar project

The Chinese ambassador congratulated Mr Iqbal on assuming the role of planning minister for the fourth time.

“Both sides have agreed to expedite Phase 2 of the CPEC, while deciding to establish a working group on five new economic corridors, including the Corridor of Job Creation, Corridor of Innovation, Corridor of Green Energy, and Inclusive Regional Development,” an official statement said.

Both the planning ministry and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of China will prepare separate concept papers on the new economic corridors, which will provide a clear roadmap for each sector in the future. These concept papers will be consolidated before presentation at the upcoming Joint Coordination Commi­ttee (JCC) meeting, which is expected later this year, the statement said.

The planning ministry has already initiated the implementation of the Five Es framework. This framework will be aligned with the five new economic corridors to advance Pakistan’s prosperity in each sector under the vision of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Mr Iqbal told the meeting, highlighting the importance of accelerating Pakistan’s export capabilities through enterprise development and job creation.

During the meeting, Mr Iqbal outlined a strategic approach to maximise the success of special economic zones (SEZs) within Pakistan. He proposed a “One plus Four” model, wherein each SEZ in Pakistan would be partnered with one province from China, one industry group to develop specialised clusters within these zones, one zone from China to provide technical expertise, and a state-owned enterprise to spearhead SEZ development.

Mr Iqbal said this collaborative framework would speed up establishing and growing special economic zones in Pakistan, enhancing their competitiveness and attractiveness to investors.

“The Chinese envoy appreciated Pakistan’s efforts to implement the CPEC, particularly the initiation of Phase 2,” the statement said.

Addressing Pakistan’s need to boost the efficiency of special economic zones to increase foreign exchange, the Chinese envoy suggested that officers in charge of the zones must visit Chinese industrial parks to observe firsthand the efficiency measures practised by Chinese authorities.

The minister noted that the success of special economic zones was dependent on their ability to become clusters of specific industries, fostering economies of scale and creating a vibrant ecosystem conducive to innovation and growth.

The discussions also focused on enhancing regional connectivity, emphasising critical infrastructure projects like the Gwadar Port and the M-8 motorway, which will strengthen trade links and facilitate regional integration.

Mr Iqbal also appreciated Chinese assistance in helping Pakistan develop its exports and conceded that Pakistan’s current challenge was to determine how quickly it could build its exports through earned foreign exch­ange, not borrowed money.

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2024

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Zardari pleads presidential immunity in two NAB cases

ISLAMABAD: Presi­dent Asif Ali Zardari has filed for immunity under Article 248 of the Cons­titution, aiming to stop the ongoing criminal proceedings against him in the Islamabad Accountability Court pertaining to the Thatta Water Supply Pro­ject and Park Lane cases.

Mr Zardari also intends to extend the immunity claim to two other cases concerning Toshakhana vehicles and fake bank accounts, his lead counsel, Senator Farooq H. Naek, told Dawn on Thursday.

Article 248 of the Constitution safeguards high-ranking officials, in­­cluding the president, from legal proceedings in court for actions taken during their term of office. It states that such officials “shall not be answerable to any court for the exercise of powers and performance of functions of their respective offices” and prohibits any criminal proceedings or arrests during their tenure.

The accountability court has since issued a notice to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), seeking a response to Mr Zardari’s application for immunity by April 22.

In the Park Lane case, NAB accuses Mr Zardari of misappropriating funds through Parthenon Private Limited and Park Lane Estate Private Limited, among others. NAB alleges that Park Lane received a Rs1.5 billion loan, which later increased to Rs2.8bn, from a joint venture of the National Bank of Pakistan and Summit Bank, and the company later defaulted.

Mr Naek has claimed that NAB overlooked all the financial laws in this reference. He argues that NAB could not have proceeded in this matter without mandatory approval of the reference from the State Bank of Pakistan since it was a case of wilful default.

The Thatta Water Supply reference alleges that the accused illegally awarded different contracts to private contractors. Mr Zardari and Ijaz Khan, Hassan Ally Memon, who headed the committee responsible for the water supply scheme procurements, Omni Group CEO Khawaja Abdul Ghani Majeed, Menahel Majeed, and nine others are among the accused.

The Toshakhana vehicles reference is related to the payment of three luxury vehicles obtained from Toshakhana. Mr Zardari got two vehicles, while one was given to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. Another former premier, Yousuf Raza Gillani, is also among the accused.

The fake bank accounts case has been transferred from an Islamabad accountability court to a banking court in Karachi.

Mr Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur, and others face charges related to opening fake bank accounts and engaging in illegal transactions amounting to billions of rupees.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2024

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Global sea levels jumped due to El Nino: Nasa

WASHINGTON: Global average sea levels rose by about 0.3 inches (one-third of an inch) from 2022 to 2023 — nearly four times the increase of the previous year — Nasa said on Thursday, attributing the “significant jump” to a strong El Nino and a warming climate.

The Nasa-led analysis is based on more than 30 years of satellite observations, with the initial satellite launching in 1992 and the latest in 2020.

Overall, sea levels have risen by around four inches since 1993. The rate of increase has also accelerated, more than doubling from 0.07 inches per year in 1993, to the current rate of 0.17 inches per year.

“Current rates of acceleration mean that we are on track to add another 20 centimetres (eight inches) of global mean sea level by 2050,” said Nadya Vinogradova Shiffer, director for the Nasa sea level change team and the ocean physics programme in Washington.

That would be double the amount of change in the next three decades compared to the previous century, she said, creating a future where flooding is far more frequent and catastrophic than today.

The immediate cause of the spike is the El Nino weather effect, which replaced the La Nina from 2021 to 2022, when the sea level rose around 0.08 inches.

El Nino involves warmer-than-average ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2024

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Lu admitted cipher’s existence, disagreed over content, claims PTI

ISLAMABAD: The PTI has clai­m­­ed that US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu has admitted the cipher’s existence, and his testimony has vindicated the stance of Imran Khan.

In a press conference on Thurs­day, PTI leaders said the testimony before the US Congress’ Foreign Affairs Committee established the “veracity and reality” of the diplomatic cable.

PTI Central Information Informa­tion Secretary Raoof Hasan said that Mr Lu “accepted the existence” of the cipher and only disagreed with its contents. He claimed that the US official “lied” before the Congressional committee about the then Pakistan envoy to the US, Asad Majeed, testimony that there was no conspiracy.

The former ambassador’s admission before two National Security Committee (NSC) meetings — one chaired by Imran Khan and another by Shehbaz Sharif as prime minister — led to a demarche to the US for its grave interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs, claimed Mr Hasan.

Even the second NSC meeting endorsed the minutes of the first meeting and termed the diplomatic cable “a grave interference in Pakistan’s affairs”.

Party leaders want Gen Bajwa, ex-envoy Asad Majeed summoned to ‘open trial’

The cipher was “no more a secret or a classified document” since its contents have been published by a US news organisation ‘The Intercept’.

The scoop, published in August 2023, claimed that the US administration was upset over Mr Khan’s visit to Russia in 2022 and warned Pakistan of severe consequences, signalling that things would be better if he was removed, said Mr Hasan.

The PTI founder didn’t lie about anything and was “unjustly being prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act” for making the cipher public, added Mr Hasan.

Imran Khan “even demanded formation of an independent judicial commission” to probe the matter, said Mr Hasan.

‘Summon ex-COAS and envoy’

Speaking on the occasion, former Gilgit-Baltistan CM Khalid Khurshid claimed Mr Khan “took a firm stand” against the US’s interference and did not surrender like former president Pervez Musharraf.

He demanded open trial of the cipher case and that former COAS Qamar Javed Bajwa and the ex-ambassador should be summoned and asked how a man could threaten a country of 250 million people of severe consequences if they did not remove their elected prime minister.

The US Congress was holding an open hearing on the cipher, but ironically, it was a crime to talk about the diplomatic cable in Pakistan, said Mr Khan.

PTI leader and Mr Khan’s lawyer, Naeem Haider Panjutha, said his client was “falsely” implicated in the cipher case instead of taking actions against the real culprits.

ECP’s credibility ‘wiped out’

About Mr Lu’s comments on the Feb 8 general elections, Mr Hasan said the US office faced harsh questions about the “mega elections robbery” and “midnight assault on public mandate” where clear winners were converted into losers through manipulation and tampering of results.

Separately, PTI Senator Ejaz Cha­u­dhry said the Election Commission of Pakistan’s credibility has been “wiped out” after Mr Lu’s observations on general elections.

Speaking to the media after his checkup at a private hospital in Lahore on Thursday, Mr Chaudhry said incumbent rulers were “bankrupting the country”.

Another PTI leader, Moonis Elahi, said the US official’s “confession” regarding the “rigging” proved that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif “were illegitimately occupying their offices”.

Mansoor Malik in Lahore also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2024

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‘Imran’s presence’ in Punjab PA stirs drama

LAHORE: Jailed PTI founder Imran Khan was conspicuous by his “presence” in the Punjab Assembly on Thursday as a portrait of the ex-PM, placed on the opposition leader’s seat, triggered chaotic scenes in the house, prompting a walkout by treasury members after the chair declined to take any action.

As the budget session resumed on Thursday after a two-day break with Deputy Speaker Malik Zaheer Iqbal Channar in the chair, PML-N lawmakers Malik Waheed and Bilal Yameen protested after noticing Mr Khan’s portrait on opposition leader Malik Ahmed Khan Bhachhar’s seat.

On a point of order, they demanded the chair remove the portrait of a person “who has been convicted by a court of law and is still behind bars”. They claimed that bringing the picture of a convict into the house was against assembly rules.

However, the chair urged the protesters to become a part of the general debate on the budget, instead of raising points of order. But the two PML-N members continued their protest, disrupting proceedings and then walking out when the deputy speaker did not pass a ruling against the portrait.

PTI founder’s portrait on opposition leader’s seat prompts walkout by treasury members

They were followed by some more treasury bench members, as a sloganeering match broke out between PML-N and PTI lawmakers, now part of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).

Interestingly, this was probably one of the first times in parliamentary history that members of a parliamentary party, in this case the SIC, had raised slogans for a non-parliamentary party — i.e. the PTI — in the house.

Opposition leader Malik Ahmed Khan Bhachhar criticised the boycotting MPAs, saying that they lacked tolerance and insisting that the issue of placing the portrait of a political figure did not qualify for a ruling from the chair.

He said that those objecting to a portrait of the PTI leader had printed the image of their leader (Nawaz Sharif) on Ramazan Package hampers and were sending the same leader back to London, because his party had allegedly rejected him.

Punjab Finance Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman urged the MPAs who had left the house to return and participate in the budget debate. The deputy speaker directed Food Minister Bilal Yasin to bring back the protestors to the house.

However, failing to keep the house in order, the chair adjourned the proceedings for 10 minutes to calm down the situation.

Proceedings

When the proceedings finally resumed after the break, opposition leader Bhachhar opened general debate on the budget.

Criticising the financial plan, he said that, unlike the population rate, no specific amount had been allocated for the minorities and that a meagre allocation was also likely to be spent at the chief minister’s discretion.

He suggested restoring health cards and endorsing the initiative of allocating funds for facilities like day centres. He said that wom­en in the formal sector get some facilities, but those in the informal sector are denied all the facilities.

Mr Bhachhar demanded that 15 per cent of the overall development budget be allocated for the youth to bring them forward through skills training.

Baba Phailbus, a Christian member of the ruling party PML-N, lauded the budget and party leadership.

He said the chief minister, for the first time in history, announced a special package of Rs100 million on Easter. He suggested regularising the services of daily wagers and providing them with safety kits to avert Faisalabad-like incidents in which two men were suffocated while clearing a sewer line.

Opposition member Hafiz Tahir Qaisrani lamented the widespread poverty in rural south Punjab and criticised the construction of a new cancer hospital in Lahore while ignoring the southern belt of the province in the provision of health facilities.

Sadia Muzaffar, a treasury member, called it a balanced budget that reflected the vision of the chief minister.

SIC MPA Sajjad Waraich suggested that tube wells and health and education facilities should be converted to solar energy as a cost-cutting measure.

Referring to the regional backwardness, he said the children living in south Punjab could not compete with the children of Lahore because of a wide gap in the provision of facilities in both regions.

More than 18 members participated in the discussion on the first day of the debate as the chair postponed the proceedings for Friday (today) morning.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2024

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Blinken in Mideast to bolster efforts for Gaza ceasefire

GAZA STRIP: US top diplomat Antony Blinken touched down on Wednesday in the Middle East to bolster international efforts to secure a truce in the war, as the threat of famine looms in besieged Gaza.

Global concern has mounted over the military conflict now in its sixth month. The latest flare-ups included an Israeli assault on Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital complex, an area crowded with thousands of patients and people seeking refuge.

Overnight bombings and battles across the territory killed 90 people, said the health ministry in Gaza, which put the overall Palestinian death toll at close to 32,000.

A senior Hamas official said on Wednesday that Israel’s response to the group’s latest Gaza ceasefire proposal was negative after mediators handed it over.

Hamas says Israeli response to its truce proposal is negative

“On Tuesday evening, our brothers, the mediators, informed us of the occupations position on the proposal … it is a negative response in general and does not respond to the demands… In fact, it retracts the approvals it previously provided to the mediators,” Osama Hamdan told a press conference in Beirut.

He said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government were responsible for the failure to negotiate a hostage release in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and stop the fighting in Gaza.

Blinken landed in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday as part of a regional tour to discuss efforts to secure a Gaza truce that includes a stop in Israel.

The US top diplomat touched down in Jeddah where he was expected to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said an AFP journalist on board.

Blinken is due to travel on Thursday to Egypt, which borders Gaza and has been involved in previous mediation efforts. The following day, he will head to Israel in a previously unscheduled visit that comes amid strained ties between US President Joe Biden and Israeli PM Netanyahu. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller announced the Israel visit as Blinken landed in Saudi Arabia.

The top diplomat will discuss with Israeli officials “the ongoing negotiations to secure the release of all hostages” and efforts to boost aid deliveries to Gaza, Miller said.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant will visit Washington in the coming week for talks with Pent­agon chief Lloyd Austin.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2024

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Lu highlights poll irregularities in House testimony

WASHINGTON: Ahead of his appearance at a Congressional panel on Tuesday, US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu submitted a written statement expressing Washington’s concerns about irregularities in the Feb 8 elections while also emphasising the need to stay engaged with Pakistan to help it navigate through the crises it is facing.

Mr Lu is the diplomat whose supposed warning to former Pakistan Ambassador to the US Asad Majeed was the subject of a cipher sent by the envoy to Islamabad. This is the same document that former PM Imran Khan used to allege a US conspiracy to oust his government in 2022, and Mr Khan is currently on trial for mishandling the same confidential document.

Mr Lu is scheduled to testify today before a subcommittee of the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs, at a hearing titled ‘Pakistan After the Elections: Examining the Future of Democracy in Pakistan and the US-Pakistan Relationship’.

This bipartisan hearing is expected to draw significant attendance from both Democratic and Repub­lican legislators.

US diplomat stresses need to help Islamabad navigate economic challenges

In his written testimony, Mr Lu highlights Washington’s concerns about election irregularities in Pakistan, which encompass restrictions on freedoms, electoral violence, and allegations of interference.

He also mentions that several political leaders faced obstacles, such as the inability to register specific candidates and political parties, which disadvantaged them in the electoral process.

Additionally, he highlights the harassment and abuse faced by many journalists, particularly female journalists, at the hands of party supporters.

However, he also acknowledges positive aspects, such as a significant turnout of over 60 million voters, including more than 21 million women, and a record number of women and minority candidates.

His statement emphasises the importance of fortifying Pakistan’s democratic institutions and fostering economic stability through avenues such as development grants, private sector investment, and humanitarian aid. He also recognises Pakistan’s mounting debt challenges and stresses the necessity of economic reforms and private sector-led investments to spur economic growth.

Underscoring the significance of counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan, Mr Lu also advocates for respecting human rights and religious freedoms. Additionally, he commits to collaborating with the subcommittee to implement US policy in Pakistan and advance a vision of a peaceful, democratic, and prosperous nation.

The written testimony, uploaded to the House subcommittee’s website a day ahead of the hearing, notes that Islamabad is an important US partner, being the top destination for Pakistan’s exports.

“Unfortunately, Pakistan is facing mounting debt challenges after the past decade of elevated borrowing, including from [China]. This year, nearly 70 per cent of the federal government’s revenue is expected to go to payments to service this massive debt,” Mr Lu says, explaining why the US needs to stay engaged with Pakistan.

“Pakistan needs economic reforms and private sector-led investments that will deliver economic growth for the Pakistani people and not dig their government deeper into debt,” he adds.

Published in Dawn, March 20th, 2024

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Cipher probe began before complaint, says Imran’s lawyer

ISLAMABAD: As the Islamabad High Court took up the PTI founder’s appeal against the conviction in the cipher case, the counsel representing former prime minister Imran Khan said the inquiry in the case was started bef­ore the complaint regarding the offence was registered.

Barrister Salman Saf­dar argued before the division bench comprising Chief Justice Aamer Far­ooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb on Tuesday.

He said the Ministry of Interior filed the complaint before the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) under Section 33 of the Official Secrets Act on October 12, 2022. The investigation officer during the cross-examination, however, stated that he was entrusted the inquiry in the case on Oct 5, almost a week before the registration of the complaint, said the lawyer.

CJ Farooq inquired about the mechanism and procedure adopted by the FIA and sought documentary evidence from the counsel. Justice Auran­gzeb asked about the reason for the initiation of the probe under the secrets law. Barrister Safdar responded that the federal cabinet referred the inquiry to the FIA but the foundation of the inquiry was flawed.

The defence counsel argued that the trial in the cipher case continued till late hours and the judge, without giving ample opportunity for defence, concluded the trial in haste.

He argued that the trial court judge appointed two state counsels as prosecutors despite the fact that the defence counsels were fully cooperating with the court.

The court perused the orders of the trial court, with Justice Aurangzeb saying that the court would compare the assertions made by the counsel with the conduct of the defence team.

The judge also inquired about the process adopted for the appointment of the state counsels.

The court was told by Imran’s lawyer that the trial court judge had sent an email to the Islamabad advocate general and the latter forwarded a list of proposed prosecutors.

The bench summoned the advocate general and adjourned further hearing till Wednesday (today).

Imran acquitted in two FIRs

Judicial Magistrate Shaista Kundi on Tuesday acquitted former prime minister Imran Khan in two cases registered against him in connection with violence during the May 2022 long march.

These FIRs were registered in the Sihala and Lohi Bher police stations of the federal capital.

The counsel said Mr Khan was booked in a number of cases in connection with the long march and for the violation of Section 144 but there was no notification in the field banning public gatherings at that time.

The counsel informed the judge that Mr Khan had already been acquitted in similar cases as well. After hearing the arguments, the court reserved the order for a while and later acquitted Imran Khan.

Published in Dawn, March 20th, 2024

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PIA plane back from Muscat after engine replaced

RAWALPINDI: A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Boeing 777 plane, which made an emergency landing at Muscat International Airport due to engine failure 13 days ago, returned home on Monday after its engine was replaced with another one.

The engine was replaced with one removed from another Boeing 777 plane grounded at Jinnah International Airport.

The engine was airlifted to Muscat on March 10 on a C-130 cargo plane.

Flight PK-714 from Madina to Islamabad carrying 392 passengers had to make an emergency landing at Muscat airport after one of its engines suddenly stalled and failed at 35,000 feet.

The aircraft, with 357 passengers and 35 crew members, had taken off from Madina one hour and 50 minutes late. After attaining an altitude of 35,000 feet, the pilot noticed some problem in the engine.

The plane was flying over Muscat when its left engine (engine number 1) suddenly stopped working. The cockpit crew decided to land at Muscat as it was the nearest airport.

After getting permission for landing, the aircraft safely landed with one operational engine in Muscat at 10.21pm.

The passengers were offloaded and were sent to the airport lounge.

Shortly after the plane landed at the airport, a group of engineers were sent to Muscat from Pakistan to get the engine repaired, but after examining it the engineers decided to ground the plane as the engine was damaged, probably after having been hit by an external object.

Later a relief flight was sent to bring back the passengers stranded at Muscat airport. After replacement of the engine, the PIA aircraft took off for Karachi.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2024

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President urges US, UAE to invest in stock market

US Ambassador Donald Blome calls on President Asif Zardari at the Aiwan-i-Sadr, in Islamabad.—APP

ISLAMABAD: Presi­d­ent Asif Ali Zardari on Monday emphasised the need for boosting trade ties with the US and the United Arab Emirates and invited businessmen of the two countries to invest in Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX).

According to the Presidency, the president underlined the need to enhance trade and investment relations with the US, besides exploring collaborative opportunities in diverse sectors. He said that American enterprises should be enc­o­uraged to invest in the PSX.

President Zardari made these remarks while talking to the US Ambassador, Donald Blome, who called on him at Aiwan-i-Sadr, President Secretariat said in a press release.

The president told the US envoy that Pakistan enjoyed a long-standing and broad-based relationship with the US spanning over seven decades, which needed to be further strengthened.

Envoys call on Asif Zardari, congratulate him on becoming head of state

The president said that climate change was a global issue and Pakistan was among the countries most vulnerable to its adv­erse impact.

Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Donald Blome said Pakistan and the US could enhance bilateral collaboration in the fields of trade & investment, climate change, renewable energy, agriculture and security.

He said the US had completed the Sindh Basic Education Programme to build climate-resilient scho­ols to strengthen Pak­i­stan’s education sector. He also congratulated the president on assuming the office for a second time.

UAE ambassador Later, Ambassador of UAE to Pakistan Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al-Zaabi called on President Zardari.

Talking to the UAE ambassador, President Zadari stressed the need for boosting trade ties between Pakistan and the UAE.

He stressed the need for increasing collaboration between the two countries in the aviation sector to facilitate the Pakistani diaspora in the UAE.

Talking about Sindh, the president apprised the UAE envoy that Pakistan had started investing in mang­rove forests and it was tra­ding carbon credits in the international market.

Mr Zardari said that projects had also been undertaken for lining of canals to overcome seepage and boost agricultural production.

During the meeting, the ambassador said the UAE was committed to Pakistan’s development.

The ambassador congratulated President Zardari on becoming the president for the second term and extended best wishes on behalf of the leadership and people of UAE. He invited Mr Zardari to visit the UAE, which the president accepted.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2024

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