Think tank proposes Discos’ gradual sell-off

ISLAMABAD: The Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) has recommended the privatisation of power distribution companies (Discos) in a phased manner to analyse the regulatory framework and identify potential obstacles before scaling up the divestment of other companies.

This plan should begin with the most financially viable Discos and gradually include others, ensuring that the process is manageable and that lessons from earlier phases are applied to subsequent ones, SDPI suggests in its new report, “Privatisation of Pakistan’s Power Utility Sector”.

The report says the Ministry of Energy, in collaboration with the National Electricity Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra), must establish a framework that governs the privatisation of Discos, including precise and cost-reflective tariff-setting mechanisms, service quality standards, and consumer protection measures, ensuring that private investors are held accountable for meeting these standards while maintaining transparency in tariff adjustments.

Privatisation reforms should establish stringent protocols for issuing detection bills and enforcing higher penalties for electricity theft. Increased penalties and an enabling legal framework, such as lodging FIRs in case of power theft, should be implemented to deter theft, ensuring that the benefits of privatisation include improved revenue recovery and reduced losses.

Nepra, in support of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), needs to establish a consumer protection mechanism within 12 months. The report recommends that this mechanism should include a transparent grievance redressal system and enforce strict penalties for private entities that fail to meet service standards or engage in unfair practices.

If the privatisation of Discos is executed with a strategic and well-regulated approach, it can address Pakistan’s ‘3-E’ crisis –- energy, economy and environment, explains SDPI’s report. The privatisation of the power sector must be approached carefully and under a well-defined strategic framework to ensure its success and sustainability.

The report warns that without clear regulations, transparent processes, and strong oversight, privatisation could lead to unintended consequences such as increased tariffs, unequal access to services, or reduced accountability.

It is also essential to balance the profit motives of private entities with broader public interest and social equity. It says that a comprehensive strategy that includes stakeholder consultation, phased implementation, and robust regulatory mechanisms is crucial to mitigate these risks and achieve the desired outcomes of privatisation.

As of 2024, KE has been the only private sector company in Pakistan, and it faced challenges during the first five years (pre-2010), the entity has demonstrated positive trends while managing a challenging demography. While this already makes a positive case for privatisation of other Discos, it will further foster a competitive environment that drives continuous improvement and efficiency. Economically, this would lead to lower electricity prices, improved service quality, and increased consumer choice, contributing to higher consumer welfare and economic productivity, the SDPI report says.

The report says consumer perception and tariff management are critical for the success of privatisation. Transparent and fair tariff structures and effective communication strategies can build consumer trust and support. Macro-economically, transparent tariffs can prevent social unrest and ensure electricity remains affordable for all income groups. However, the reform measure to support this would go beyond just the private sector reforms to also bring consistency in policy decisions and planning processes.

In Pakistan, excessive and unequal taxation leads to infl­ated energy bills. Furthermore, inefficient planning has resulted in substantial debt commitments that must be serviced.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2024

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KU professor Dr Riaz released after 8 hours of ‘illegal detention’ upon outcry

Dr Riaz Ahmed, an associate professor and syndicate member at the University of Karachi (KU), was released on Saturday night after eight hours of alleged “illegal detention” by three police stations in Karachi upon protest and outcry.

Fellow colleague Prof Tauseef Ahmed told Dawn.com that Dr Ahmed left his home earlier today to go to KU but he did not reach the university and his whereabouts were unknown.

He said the KU professor was a member of its syndicate whose meeting was scheduled for Saturday to “decide about the degree issue of a judge of Islamabad High Court (IHC)”.

He added that Riaz had earlier posted on X where he alleged “external pressure” on the KU syndicate regarding the degree case.

Tauseef alleged that Dr Riaz’s “disappearance” could be related to the KU’s syndicate meeting.

He said that rights activists had reached Bahadurabad police station, claiming that Riaz was taken away from there in two police mobiles.

Bahadurabad Station House Officer Naeem Rajput denied the detention of the political activist. Dawn.com also reached out to East Senior Superintendent of Police Dr Farrukh Raza for a response but did not receive any.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Vice Chairperson Qazi Khizar told Dawn.com that Dr Riaz was brought to the Bahadurabad police station where he was released after the protest and pressure by rights activists, KU teachers and students, lawyers and labour leaders and intervention of higher police authorities.

Khizar said that Dr Riaz told them that he was taken away from Tipu Sultan Road when he left his residence to go to KU at 1pm. “He was detained for eight hours,” Khizar said.

Dr Riaz said in his recorded video at the police station that he was supposed to attend the KU syndicate meeting about the degree issue of the IHC judge when he was taken away.

He reiterated the same in a media talk after his release, saying he was due to attend the syndicate meeting to discuss the issue of the IHC judge’s degree. He alleged various procedural anomalies in how the issue was being conducted.

His wife, also in a recorded video from the police station, said that when she came to know from the university at 5pm that her husband had not attended the meeting, she came to the Bahadurabad police station where her husband was present who narrated the whole story to her but later on, he was taken away in police mobiles to an unknown location.

The HRCP condemned the disappearance of the KU professor.

Meanwhile, KU Teachers Society secretary Dr Asad Tanoli announced a boycott of all classes at the university on Monday.

The KU teachers’ body in a statement also expressed concerns over the “mysterious disappearance” of Dr Riaz.

He had also gone missing in 2018, but returned home a day later. He was taken into custody by Rangers in April 2017 for allegedly carrying an unlicensed pistol when he was on his way to the Karachi Press Club (KPC) to hold a press conference to demand the release of over 70-year-old retired professor and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London leader Dr Hasan Zafar Arif.

He was picked up minutes before he was to hold a press conference at the KPC to demand proper treatment for the late Dr Arif. Dr Riaz was subsequently released on bail.

The associate professor was also the core organiser of a seminar on Balochistan’s missing persons held at KU in 2015 after a similar session was cancelled by the Lahore University of Management Sciences.

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Flooding in Sindh’s Gaj River submerges roads in 200 Kaccho villages after heavy rain in Kirthar range

Flooding in Sindh’s Gaj River submerged roads and pathways in over 200 villages throughout the Kachho belt, including Wahi Pandhi and Gorakh Hill Station, officials said on Saturday.

The floodwater also submerged villages such as Jam Babbar, Sher Muhammad Talpur, Muhammad Bakhsh Lund and Tamo Chandio, resulting in the collapse of 30 mud houses.

The situation was further compounded by flooding at four points along the Nai Gaj River which severed all ground connections between Wahi Pandhi, Gorakh Hill Station and the rest of the Kachho area from Dadu Johi.

The inhabitants of Kachho complained that despite the severity of the situation, the Dadu district administration and Sindh government did not implement adequate measures.

They demanded the immediate restoration of the Wahi Pandhi-Johi road to facilitate transportation and ensure the supply of essential food and resources to the affected communities.

Special assistant to Sindh chief minister and focal person for the relief department Mansoor Shahani visited the flood protection (FP) bund near Johi and observed the flood situation of the mountain ranges in Kachho.

Speaking to Dawn.com, he said he had directed irrigation officials and the Dadu deputy commissioner to provide boats for transport to the residents of the Kachho area.

He said that road communication was suspended after roads were inundated in 200 villages in the Chhinni, TR Khan, Drigh Bala, Wahi Pandhi and Pat Gul Mohammad union councils of the Kachho belt. He said that efforts were taken to restore roads.

Increased water levels in Manchhar Lake

Heavy rainfall in the mountain areas also caused a rise in the water level of Manchhar Lake which reached 116.5 feet RL.

As a result of the increased water level, overflow from the lake began to flow into the Indus River via the Aral Tail Canal.

A further 300 villages were inundated along the Indus River in Dadu, Jamshoro, Naushahro Feroze, Shaheed Benazirabad and Jamshoro districts as medium flood passed at Dadu-Moro and Amri bridges.

Sindh home and law minister Zia ul Hassan Lanjar, also the focal person for rain emergency for Naushahro Feroze districts, visited the Indus River at Dadu Moro bridge along with irrigation officials.

He directed irrigation officials and the district administration of Naushahro Feroze and Dadu to provide all facilities to the people of the riverine area to shift them to safe places.

During a visit to the riverine area, the irrigation officials briefed the home and law minister about the rising floodwater situation.

Speaking to Dawn.com, Lanjar said the water level in the Indus River was rising in the riverine area of Naushahro Feroze, Dadu, Shaheed Benazirabad and Matiari districts upstream of Kotri Barrage but all embankments were safe.

Irrigation officials briefed him that the water level in the Indus River in the Dadu and Sehwan areas was rising and passing safely towards Kotri Barrage. They said that water levels at the Amri and Dadu Moro bridges had increased but all embankments along the river were secure.

He told Dawn.com that the Sindh government made efforts to mitigate the floods in the urban and rural areas, adding that all line departments, including municipal committees, town committees and Sindh Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), were working to drain rainwater.

Lanjar also visited the vulnerable points of the riverine areas of Shaheed Benazirabad and observed the floodwater and rainwater situation.

Sukkur Barrage Chief Engineer Mansoor Memon told Dawn.com that there were four vulnerable points, including Bakhri and Koro Jo Bhan near Kandyaro, Mad at Sakrand and Bhanoth at Hala downstream of the barrage where the river was developing pressure but the situation was under control.

He said the Indus River had developed pressure at Bhanoth, Kalyan and Hala dykes but all of them were safe and under the strict vigilance of irrigation officials.

Superintending Engineer at Dadu Iqbal Ahmed Palijo said that patrolling along Larkana-Sehwan was initiated, adding that the flood situation was medium and safe.

Sindh Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro said the irrigation department was vigilant along the Indus River’s dykes and the flood was passing towards Kotri Barrage.

He said that patrolling at other sensitive points of embankments was continued by irrigation officials.

The water in the Indus River also began to rise in the Sehwan taluka area.

Shoro arrived at Manchhar Lake and visited Aral tail, Aral head canal regulators and Manchhar bund. He observed the situation of the floodwater coming from the Naj Gaj River and Kirthar Mountain Range.

Heavy rainwater from Balochistan floods into Qubo Saeed Lake

Meanwhile, recent heavy showers in Balochistan led to a significant influx of rainwater into Qubo Saeed Lake in Qambar Shahdad Kot district, resulting in an overflow.

The situation worsened as the excess water from the lake flowed into the Main Nara Valley Drain (MNVD) and the FP bund and moved towards areas of Dadu district through Hamal Lake and MNVD.

Sukkur Barrage Chief Engineer Mukhtiar Abro said officials were closely monitoring the situation to manage the potential impact on the surrounding areas. He said that efforts were underway to mitigate flooding and prevent damage to local infrastructure.

Sindh PDMA Director General Syed Salman Shah told Dawn.com that widespread rain and wind-thunderstorms with scattered heavy to very heavy, and isolated extremely heavy falls were expected in Tharparkar, Badin, Thatta, Sujawal, Hyderabad, TM Khan, Tando Allahyar, Matiari, Umerkot, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Jamshoro, Dadu, Shaheed Benazirabad districts and Karachi division until August 31, with occasional gaps.

He said that deputy commissioners, chairmen of district DMAs, and relevant authorities were urged to implement all necessary mitigation measures.

Shah said the Sindh PDMA continued to supply heavy-duty de-watering pumping machines in various districts.

Water situation at 3 Sindh barrages

Abdul Aziz Soomro, the official in charge of the Sukkur Barrage control room, told Dawn.com that the water level at Guddu Barrage upstream was 193,514 cusecs and downstream was 187,953 cusecs. He said that all water levels were recorded at 6am on Saturday at three barrages.

He said the water level at Sukkur Barrage upstream was 182,765 cusecs and downstream was 173,165 cusecs while the water level at Kotri Barrage upstream was 337,218 cusecs and downstream was 335,618 cusecs.

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NA informed Web Monitoring System deployed to block applications, websites not in agreement with law

The National Assembly has been intimated that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has deployed the Web Monitoring System (WMS) for internet content management which is used to block applications and websites not in tandem with the law, it emerged on Friday.

Internet speeds have witnes­sed a considerable decline over the past few weeks, and users are facing difficulties in sending or down­loading media and voice notes through WhatsApp when connected to mobile data, and experiencing slow browsing speeds, even on broadband.

The business community and internet service providers (ISPs) had alleged that the government’s efforts to monitor internet traffic — including a so-called ‘firewall’ — had caused the slowdown of digital services, resulting in economic losses.

While the country’s information techno­logy minister, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, had confirmed that the government was upgrading its “web management system” to cope with cyber security threats, she categorically denied rep­orts of the government “throttling” the internet.

The PTA, on the other hand, had last week blamed the internet slowdown on a faulty submarine cable while dismissing fears that the state was installing a firewall.

It emerged today that in a response to PPP MNA Shahida Rehman’s questions regarding the overall internet situation in the country, the minister in charge of the Cabinet Division submitted a written response, available with Dawn.com, that confirmed the WMS’s deployment.

“PTA has also deployed a WMS for internet content management within its technical limits, through which applications/websites requiring blocking within Pakistan are blocked through WMS.

“PTA so far has blocked 2,369 URLs and 183 mobile applications involved in exposing personal data/identity information,” the response reads.

It added that despite “geo-blocking at the gateway level”, unlawful content could still be accessed through virtual private networks (VPNs).

The response said that it was “well established that it is very difficult” for PTA to effectively comply with the obligations of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act without controlling VPN misuse.

The cabinet division said that based on complaints, the PTA had blocked a total of 469 mobile applications.

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Amir Muqam predicts bleak political future for Imran

MARDAN: Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions, Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan,Engr Amir Muqam has said that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has no political future as his chapter has been closed.

He was talking to journalists at the residence of Pakistan Muslim League KP provincial president of minority-wing Suraish Kumar here the other day.

He claimed that the incumbent PTI provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) had broken all records of corruption.

He also alleged that the PTI provincial ministers themselves were giving witnesses against corruption of their own party ministers and leaders, and the PTI lawmakers were fighting on even securing commissions for different public development schemes.

He said that the PTI leaders and workers were only struggling for the release of their party chairman Imran Khan and they were not bothered about people’s problems.

The federal minister lamented that Imran Khan had claimed that he would convert prime minister, governor and chief minister houses into universities and educational institutions, but the present PTI’s KP provincial government was busy in planning to sell the land of universities for gaining illegal gratifications.

He blamed that the PTI had been ruling KP province for the last 12 years but no visible change in public development projects had been made.

The federal minister claimed that the incumbent federal government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, had brought financial stability in the country. He said that the price-hike had been reduced to 11 per cent, adding that the dollar rate was now stable and intact on one place.

Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2024

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Optimism plummets as concerns about economy mount

KARACHI: An international survey conducted by Ipsos has suggested that only one in 10 Pakistanis believe the country is headed in the right direction. The survey, released on Friday, indicates that the rural population is more optimistic than urban residents.

According to the survey, optimism has significantly decreased, dropping from 18 per cent in the second quarter to 11pc in the third quarter, bringing it back to levels seen earlier this year.

“Economic problems continue to top the list of worrying issues for Pakistanis despite some improvement,” the report said. People are increasingly worried about rising electricity prices and taxes, it added.

Since the beginning of 2024, the perception of economic challenges as the most worrying issue has lessened in Pakistan, touching a two-year low. At the same time, concerns about the rising electricity prices and the burden of taxes have become significantly more pronounced, with concerns about taxes reaching a four-year high, according to the survey.

Survey shows only one in 10 Pakistanis believes country is on right path

It said that 13pc Pakistanis believe that the economic condition of the country is strong. Males, rural residents, post-graduates and the upper class are more optimistic.

Pakistanis calling the country’s current state of economy ‘strong’ decreased by 4pc in this quarter, whereas those who called it weak increased slightly by 1pc.

The percentage of Pakistanis who feel comfortable making daily purchases has dipped by four percentage points since the second quarter. About 94pc are less comfortable about daily purchases.

Since the beginning of 2024, optimism about local economic conditions has experienced a continuous decline, hitting the lowest point since November 2023, with only one in 10 Pakistanis now expecting improvements within the next six months, the survey said.

Similarly, optimism about local economic conditions has declined about three times since the first quarter of 2024, hitting a one-year low, with only one in 10 Pakistanis now expecting improvements in the next six months.

After a year of consistent growth in confidence about future savings, the trend reversed in the third quarter by 5pc, according to the survey.

Confidence in job security has shown signs of stability since the second quarter, reaching its highest point in three years since November 2021 but 85pc are less confident.

Moreover, 54pc of Pakistanis cited their fellow citizens as their favourite thing about the country. They highlighted qualities like hospitality, helpfulness, good morals, caring nature and respectfulness.

Some 42pc respondents expressed a deep appreciation for Pakistan’s diverse culture, including local traditions, languages, provincial cultures, way of living, cultural dresses and respect for women.

Pakistan’s stunning landscapes resonated with 35pc of the people. The Northern areas, diverse weather, majestic mountains, lush greenery and beautiful scenery were frequently mentioned.

A third of respondents highlighted the unique and flavourful culinary experience, particularly enjoying local dishes, biryani, vibrant eateries, fresh fruits and vegetables.

As a Muslim-majority nation, 16 per cent of Pakistanis take pride in their Islamic identity. This sentiment is rooted in the country’s foundation of Islamic ideology and values.

Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2024

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AI and gender-based violence

IT is said that we stand at the cusp of the “fourth industrial revolution”. The emergence and proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-based learning is set to usher in a new era of productivity, efficiency and governance across public and private sectors.

In recognition of such potential, the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication laid out a draft National Artificial Intelligence Policy last year, which reportedly was to be presented before the cabinet this month. The policy sets out ambitious targets for the use, scaling and proliferation of AI, while recognising — though almost in passing — the need to ensure its ethical and responsible use, which upholds the fundamental rights and privacy of users. Given the state’s existing performance on cyber safety, particularly of women, these assurances appear unrealistic.

AI is a broad field that encompasses the development of computer systems capable of simulating human learning, comprehension, problem-solving, decision-making and creativity. It employs tools such as machine learning and deep learning to analyse data (including text and images) to identify patterns, make predictions and generate human-like speech.

ChatGPT may be the most commonly encountered/used generative AI tool. Generative AI generates texts and images in response to commands or prompts submitted by a user. The technology has been put to beneficial use in business settings to, for instance, improve efficiency through automation of simple tasks, synthesise and analyse data to enhance business decision-making, and assist with creative undertakings.

According to one study, while 26pc of women aged 18‑24 years experience cyberstalking, only 7pc of men in the same age range do so.

However, there is a flip side. Deepfake technology — a form of generative AI — can create realistic but entirely fake images and videos of persons by analysing existing audiovisual data.

Many of us have come across doctored video clips of prominent personalities online — some comical and others more pernicious in intent and nature. In fact, the latter are predominant on the web: 98 per cent of deepfake videos are pornographic in nature; 99pc target women or girls. These statistics are not surprising. Cases involving deepfake videos (often sexual in nature) targeting women journalists and women politicians have made headlines in Pakistan in the recent past.

Technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), such as deepfake content, also manifests as image-based abuse and blackmail, misinformation/ defamation, impersonation, cyberstalking and violent threats. While men, too, are subject to cyber violence, it is a gendered phenomenon worldwide. Women are the largest victims of online harassment in Pakistan. According to a Pew Research Centre study, while 26pc of women aged 1824 years experience cyberstalking, only 7pc of men in the same age range do so. Cyberspace is a more unsafe place for women across the world.

AI has now altered the arena where TFGBV plays out, greatly enhancing the apparent authenticity and believability of misinformation and fake news propagated on the internet. This is not just on account of deepfake technology. Generative AI can be used not only to create cyber-harassment templates, but also to generate and modify false, yet convincing personal histories of women, perpetuating the cycle of misinformation and fake news.

TFGBV violates women’s right to dignity, privacy and non-discrimination. Many times, it culminates in physical violence. Issues of consent and intellectual property rights also arise with the (often) non-consensual use of copyrighted data by AI technologies — a matter that gained prominence last year in the Hollywood strike against the unlicensed use of actors’ AI replicas by motion picture studios.

AI regulation is an evolving field. Given the risks that have arisen with the increased deployment of and access to AI technology, there have been efforts worldwide to regulate its use.

Taking the lead in a human rights-centric approach to AI regulation, the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, 2024, positions safety and compatibility with fundamental rights and freedoms as the guiding principles of AI regulation. It bars the use of AI for biometric surveillance and compilation of facial recognition databases (Article 5) and provides that where video, audio or image content is created with deepfake technologies, disclosure regarding such artificial generation/ manipulation be provided (Article 52).

Unesco’s Recommendations on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence Use (2023), also stipulate the protection of human rights and freedoms as the first guiding “value” in AI regulation. The US Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, a white paper published by the White House, articulates certain principles for the protection of civil rights and democratic values in the building, deployment, and governance of automated systems.

Pakistan’s AI policy also recognises the particular dangers of AI to create “fake content such as text, images and videos”, and envisions that the AI Regulatory Directorate (ARD) will issue guidelines to address “possible spread of disinformation, data privacy breaches and fake news”. The exact mechanism of such regulation may be more minutely spelt out in any AI legislation that is eventually passed.

For now, the existing mechanism, under the Cybercrime Wing of the FIA, has largely been ineffective in addressing the countless complaints of TFGBV made by women under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, which criminalises the transmission of false and defamatory information through an electronic system, distortion of a person’s pictures to show her/ him in a sexually explicit position, and cyberstalking. However, as scathingly observed by the Sindh High Court last year, the Cybercrime Wing does not have the “competency to effectively investigate cybercrime, let alone combating th[ese] [offences]”.

Blocking the flow of information and traffic on the internet will not serve as a solution. The state must ensure that any future regulation of AI-led TFGBV — to be laid out by the ARD or enforced by the newly formed National Cybercrime Investigation Agency — is effective and upholds the standards of ethics and human rights that its AI policy espouses.

The writer is a lawyer.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2024

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KP irked by security lack during CM’s visit to Punjab

PESHAWAR/TOBA TEK SINGH: The Khyber Pahtunkhwa government has sought action against Punjab officials for failing to provide security to KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, an official letter read.

The KP government, in the letter to the principal secretary to Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz, reques­ted for an inquiry over the negligence during Mr Gan­­­dapur’s visit to Fai­­salabad.

The document, a copy of which is available with Dawn, read that Mr Gandapur was scheduled to visit district Faisalabad and the chief minister’s visit was properly intimated by Mr Gandapur’s security staff to the police officials concerned, followed by an interaction over the phone with the relevant SSP operations. However, it added, no security arrangements were made during the CM’s visit.

“You would appreciate that these protocols are for the safety of all VVIPs and VIPs across Pakistan, so provided for in the blue book as well the norms and are critical to avoid any untoward incidents,” the letter read.

“Such inaction of not providing security unilaterally may lead to a rethink,” it read.

The letter requested principal secretary to the Punjab CM to bring the issue into her notice and initiate an inquiry into the circumstances, which caused the deviation from the set protocols.

Earlier on Wednesday, an anti-terrorism court of Faisalabad granted bail to Mr Gandapur in four May 9 cases until Sept 12. The cases were registered against him over his alleged role in the riots in Faisalabad following the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan in 2023.

PTI lawyer Khalid Sha­fiq told the media Mr Gan­dapur had come to join the investigations, but all five JIT members were absent.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2024

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Nationwide shutter-down inflicts colossal economic losses

• Traders’ associations estimate trade loss of Rs500bn
• Incessant rains, transport disruptions keep workers at home

KARACHI: The economy suffered substantial trade losses due to a countrywide strike called by the business community against high power bills and increasing tax burden on Wednesday, overshadowing claims of a major victory, while industrial activities exhibited a mixed trend due to various factors.

Industrialists’ bodies supported the strike by traders, while also urging the government to revise contracts with independent power producers (IPPs) without committing to keep their units closed.

One cannot rule out the impact of incessant rains and disrupted transportation in the port city, which forced many workers and staffers to stay at home.

Markazi Tanzeem-i-Tajiraan Pres­i­dent Kashif Chaudhry estimated a daily trade loss of Rs500 billion on Wednesday, resulting from the disruption of transactions between various business factions.

He also claimed that most industrial hubs in various cities remained shut, even though industrial associations had fully supported the traders’ strike, but were not compelled to close their units, unlike shops and markets.

Secretary General/CEO of the Overseas Investors Chambers of Commerce and Industry M Abdul Aleem said: “As per our information, the traders’ strike had no impact on our members’ operations, although some areas may have been affected due to the rains.”

Pakistan Business Council CEO Ehsan Malik said the strike had minimal impact on the industry. Instead, it caused inconvenience primarily for lower-income daily shoppers. He said monthly shoppers’ purchasing cycles will continue until around the fifth of next month, making it unli­kely that traders would risk losing business. Traders will suffer losses due to spoilage of perishable goods.

Mr Ehsan said shutter-down strikes are a test of the government’s resolve to bring traders into the tax net, emphasising the importance of maintaining its determination to broaden the tax base. He warned that if the government relaxes its stance, the industry will bear a greater burden of taxes.

North Karachi Association of Trade and Industry President Faisal Moiz Khan said that approximately 70 per cent of the 8,000 industrial units, ranging from small to large, remained closed, while 30pc of export-oriented units continued operations to meet export deadlines.

He estimated a production loss of Rs20 million on Wednesday, noting that the closure of industries affected local supply chains and disproportionately impacted daily wagers among the 300,000-strong workforce in the area.

F.B. Area Association of Trade and Industry President Syed Raza Hussain said that around 50-60pc of the 1,800 industrial units in the area remained closed, while export-oriented units continued operations. He added that industries in Karachi face numerous challenges, including discriminatory taxes and duties compared to other provinces, which may ultimately lead to their closure.

He said electricity prices have surged significantly in recent months, with consumers in Karachi being disproportionately charged a heavy fuel cost adjustment (FCA) compared to other cities.

Adding to the woes, water scarcity persists in various industrial zones, while the provincial government has introduced taxes on subsoil water, further increasing production costs, Mr Hussain said.

He warned that the current situation forces industrialists to either shut down, leave the country, or relocate to Punjab, adding that the government fails to recognise that small and medium-sized units.

Korangi Association of Trade and Industry President Johar Qandhari said production activities in 4,500 units were 30-35pc lower due to reduced worker attendance, caused by inadequate public transportation and rainfall, which also impacted export shipments.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2024

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Tajir Dost fails to boost tax compliance

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) nearly five-month tax registration drive in 42 cities has brought thousands of traders onto the tax roll, but an average income tax collected from an individual under the Tajir Dost Scheme (TDS) is around Rs2,432 per month.

Despite contributing 20pc to the gross domestic product, the tax contribution of the retail and wholesale sector stands at a mere 4pc. The government has been striving for years to effectively bring this sector into the tax net.

Only 300,000 of an estimated 3.5 million retailers are actively filing tax returns. The TDS aims to bring the remaining 3.2m into the tax net.

Since April 1, tax authorities have registered over 64,000 traders under the scheme. In the first phase, the scheme was implemented in six cities: Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta and Rawalpindi. The registration scope was extended to another 36 cities in July.

Official sources told Dawn that on Wednesday, the FBR collected Rs503,363 in income tax from 207 traders in 42 cities. This indicates very low compliance, as the traders have registered under TDS but are unwilling to pay income tax.

The break up showed that 56,081 traders were registered in six cities — Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta and Rawalpindi. The remaining 7,919 traders were registered in 36 cities, indicating an inadequate registration push in those cities.

The highest number of 25,138 traders were registered in Lahore, followed by 9,562 in Rawalpindi, 7,971 in Karachi, 5,651 in Islamabad, 4,779 in Peshawar and 2,980 in Quetta, respectively.

A notification — SRO 457 of 2024 — was issued on March 31 to notify the special procedures of the Tajir Dost Scheme. Another SRO1064 of 2024 was issued on July 22, which notified traders of the area-wise monthly advance tax specified for them.

Under the scheme, tax rates will be collected from shopkeepers at a fixed rate of Rs100 to Rs60,000 per month based on the fair market value of the stores and sales. The scheme was implemented to bring traders and wholesalers into the formal tax structure as required by the IMF.

However, these attempts have yet to yield the desired results.

On Wednesday, a countrywide shutter-down protest was observed. The traders will announce the next strategy in the next couple of days.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2024

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Medical report found Karsaz accident driver was ‘under influence of crystal meth’: Sindh IG

Sindh Inspector General (IG) of Police Ghulam Nabi Memon on Wednesday said that the medical report of Natasha Danish, the driver booked in the case of the deadly Karachi traffic accident last week, shows she was under the influence of the narcotic methamphetamine (crystal meth).

On August 19, a speeding Toyota Land Cruiser, driven by Danish, hit three motorcycles and another car before overturning on the city’s Karsaz Road. Sixty-year-old Imran Arif and his 22-year-old daughter Amna were killed in the accident, while three others were wounded.

The driver was arrested and booked for manslaughter charges. In a court hearing on Aug 21, a counsel of the victim had called for a probe into the “kind of drug” that the suspect was allegedly under the influence of at the time of the accident. The court had subsequently sent Danish on a 14-day judicial remand.

IG Memon had previously said that the report of the driver’s blood test was expected soon, and in light of the medical reports, more sections would be added to the first information report (FIR) to guide the future course of action related to the probe.

Talking to Dawn.com today, IG Memon said the medical examiner’s office for the Sindh Government Services Hospital issued the medical reports of the driver.

“The medical report confirms that she was under the influence of the drug methamphetamine,” he told Dawn.com.

The report has not yet been made public.

Earlier in the day, Karachi Additional IG (AIG) Javed Odho also said that there was “something” in the medical report based on which he could say that the driver should not have been in the speeding vehicle.

In a brief exchange with a reporter, the Karachi police chief addressed media reports regarding the issuance of the driver’s medical report, stating that the investigation was still ongoing.

“I did not want to talk about it in a candid manner at this moment,” AIG Odho said.

However, he added that “something” about the findings of the report suggested that Danish should not have been driving the vehicle. He said investigators would approach medical authorities before reaching a “final conclusion” and seek opinions from medical experts.

The FIR

The FIR, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, was filed at the Bahadurabad police station on the complaint of Imtiaz Arif, whose brother and niece died in the accident.

The FIR invoked sections 320 (punishment for qatl-i-khata by rash or negligent driving), 337-G (punishment for hurt by rash or negligent driving), 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way), and 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

According to the complaint, Arif was informed at around 6:45pm on Monday that his brother Imran Arif, who was riding a motorcycle along with his daughter Amna Arif, was met with an accident.

Upon reaching the JPMC, the complainant found out that the suspect, who was driving a Toyota Land Cruiser, had hit his brother’s motorcycle from behind.

“Abdussalam, son of Mohammad Ishaq, who was riding on the motorcycle was also injured,” the FIR stated, adding that Imran and his daughter got several injuries and passed away later.

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Air pollution declines slightly but still the ‘biggest threat’

ISLAMABAD: After a consistent rise over the past two decades, air pollution in South Asia declined by 18 per cent in one year possibly on the back of above-normal rainfall in that year but still was the biggest external threat, said the 2024 report by the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI).

Despite this slight decline which also led to a drop in global air pollution levels, South Asia remains one of the most polluted regions, accounting for 45 percent of total life years lost due to high pollution. The report stated that the average person living in the region would gain 3.5 years in their lives if WHO guidelines of 5 g/m3 were met.

In Pakistan, pollution decreased the average resident’s life expectancy by 3.3 years. In more polluted areas, such as Peshawar and Lahore, it is shortening lives by more than 5 years. “In Pakistan…the PM2.5 standard is much stricter (set at 15 g/m3), and virtually the country’s entire population breathes air that doesn’t meet the standard,” the report noted.

According to the study, the impact of pollution on life expectancy is comparable to that of smoking, more than 4 times that of high alcohol use, more than 5 times that of transport injuries like car crashes, and more than 6 times that of HIV/AIDS.

AQLI report notes pollution in South Asia dropped by 18pc in 2022 due to above-normal rainfall

Slight drop

With the exception of Sri Lanka, all South Asian states witnessed a decrease in air pollution in 2022. In Pakistan, there was a 10 per cent decline in particulate levels (PM2.5) compared to 2021 with its PM2.5 concentration reported at 38.9 g/m3, down by 4 g/m3. The decline in Bangladesh was the steepest, where annual PM2.5 concentrations were lower by more than 15 g/m3, followed by India and Nepal where concentrations were lower by approximately 9 g/m3.

As per the study, the PM2.5 levels in South Asia had average 48 g/m3 between 2012 and 2021 but they were 41.4 g/m3 in 2022 — an approximate 14 percent decline compared to the decade’s average. This decline if sustained is equivalent to a potential gain in life expectancy of 7.9 months.

The study suggested that meteorological causes, such as above-normal rainfall in 2022 likely played a strong role in this decline and that it was too early to comment if the policy changes were having an impact.

Inequality as key theme

The report noted that inequality—both in pollution and policies—emerged as a key theme. “People in the most polluted areas of the world breathe air that is six times more polluted than those in the least polluted areas. As a result, their life expectancy is reduced by an average of 2.7 years compared to those living in the cleanest places,” the AQLI report noted.

“While air pollution remains a global problem, its largest impacts are concentrated in a relatively small number of countries—cutting lives short several years in some places and even more than 6 years in some regions,” said Michael Greenstone, creator of the AQLI along with colleagues at Epic.

Growing threat

Despite the decline, the threat of air pollution will grow without concerted policy action given the energy demand, the report said, adding that rapid industrialisation and population growth had led to skyrocketing energy demand and fossil fuel use across the region.

It noted that in India and Pakistan, the number of vehicles increased about fourfold since the early 2000s whereas in Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, and Nepal combined the electricity generation from fossil fuels tripled from 1998 to 2017.

In light of these practices, the study noted that sustained efforts and rigorous monitoring were critical to curb air pollution as weather-linked improvements may be temporary.

Dr Mohammad Afzaal, a director at the Pakistan Meteorological Department, agreed. Above-normal rainfall can improve air quality, but its impacts are temporary and without sustained and concerted measures the air quality will only worsen in the future, he noted. The Met official said almost 70pc of carbon emissions were vehicular and it was high time Pakistan moved towards electric vehicles and bikes.

The AQLI, however, did present a silver lining, saying governments in the region were beginning to respond due to increasing awareness about air pollution. “In Pakistan, the government began installing more pollution monitors and shutting down factories in highly polluted districts during the winter months when energy demand for heating is high,” the report said, adding Pakistan also encouraged brick kiln owners to shift to cleaner technologies.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2024

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Torrential downpour breaks 48-year record in Multan as Wasa imposes rain emergency

Multan experienced a record-breaking torrential downpour on Tuesday, the highest of the previous 48 years, as a rain emergency was imposed by the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa).

Rainfall figures from Wasa as of 8:45pm showed that Chungi No 9 disposal station received 172 millimetres of rain, Kirri Jamandan disposal station received 137mm and Old Shujaabad Road disposal station received 90mm of rain.

A statement from the agency said the previous rainfall record was 134.5mm in 1976.

It added that Wasa Managing Director (MD) Khalid Raza Khan imposed a rain emergency and a drainage operation was underway with the MD continuously monitoring the operation.

Wasa said that MD Khan instructed all deputy directors to inspect the roads in their jurisdiction and remove the manhole covers on all roads while Multan Deputy Commissioner (DC) Waseem Hamid Sindhu visited different areas of the city to review drainage arrangements and directed that operations be sped up.

The agency also submitted a report to Multan Commissioner Maryam Khan, DC Sindhu and Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Director General Irfan Ali Kathia.

The Wasa MD requested the public to follow precautionary measures during the rains.

He said that people should stay away from electricity poles during the rain as they could be dangerous, adding that people should avoid going to places where water has accumulated.

“Prevent children from playing in the rain and keep them indoors,” he said.

Separately, the Punjab PDMA issued an alert about torrential rains in southern and central Punjab from Tuesday-Saturday.

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‘Ocean Odyssey’ brings fun and learning to life

KARACHI: The Dawood Foundation’s MagnifiScience Centre unveiled its latest exhibit, Ocean Odyssey, on Monday in an attempt to raise environmental awareness.

Located on the third floor of the Shahzada Dawood Building, the new exhibit was inaugurated by TDF trustee Abdul Samad Dawood, who is the vice chairman of Dawood Hercules Corporation.

The space was designed entirely in shades of blue, emphasising the movement and environmental impact of water. The floor, painted in varying blue tones to mirror ocean waves, added to the overall beauty of the exhibit.

Scientific facts were displayed on the walls in both English and Urdu, making the information accessible to all visitors. As the space is themed around oceans, the facts highlighted various aquatic organisms and species found beneath the water’s surface.

The MagifiScience Centre’s new section blends interactive fun with insights into marine conservation

In addition, there was a designated game corner for children where they could spot various ocean species, both animals and plants. Once a specie appeared on the screen, a neighbouring screen displayed detailed information about the organism as accurately as possible.

“I think this is a very good initiative not only for kids, but for adults who’re not very aware about what is happening around the world in terms of environment and climate. We rarely know anything about the rivers of Pakistan let alone knowing it on a global level. So spaces like these offer two in one package, fun with learning and what is better than that,” says Ali, a visitor who was accompanying his daughter.

The Ocean Odyssey section features a variety of interactive exhibits highlighting the beauty and significance of the oceans. Visitors can uncover the mysteries of the five oceans, learn about their role in oxygen production and climate regulation, and explore vibrant marine life in the Centre’s aquarium.

The exhibit also emphasises the issue of marine pollution and the importance of conservation efforts. With fish figurines hanging from the ceiling and shades of blue covering the floor, the space evoked a calm and reflective oceanic atmosphere.

“As an adult, this space is incredibly thrilling, especially the aquarium. It reminded me of Finding Nemo when I spotted a fish with the same colours as Nemo, which was so exciting. Here we can not only have fun but also learn about nature in a way that helps us contribute positively to society,” says another visitor Zoya.

The space also featured a section with printed pages of sea creatures, where visitors could colour the figures with crayons and watch them come to life under a scanner. Additionally, one corner focused on solutions for sustaining marine life, offering ideas such as eliminating plastic bags and recycling oil to prevent ocean contamination. This area, called ‘Threat and Mitigation,’ displayed various threats alongside their potential solutions.

“I am delighted to see how this section has turned out and it is definitely a great space for people to learn about nature, which derives everything, and learning is paired up with fun. I hope visitors walk away with a greater appreciation for the need to protect these ecosystems,” Mr Samad Dawood told Dawn.

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2024

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Over 300,000 still in shelters as floods ease in Bangladesh

FENI: River waters in low-lying Bangladesh are receding after days of deadly floods but 300,000 people are still in emergency shelters requiring aid, disaster officials said on Sunday.

The heavy floods, which killed at least 18 people in Bangladesh, have added to the challenges of a new government that took charge this month after a student-led revolution.

Rescue teams, including joint forces of the army, air force and navy, are helping those forced from their homes and bringing aid to those who have lost everything, disaster management minister Faruk-i-Azam said.

“The flood situation is improving as the flood water started to recede,” the minister said.

More than 307,000 people are in shelters and more than 5.2 million have been affected by the floods, the ministry said.

Floods fuelled anger between Dhaka and New Delhi, with India rejecting blame for deliberately releasing water from an upstream dam

“Now we are working to restore communication in the affected areas so that we can distribute relief food,” Azam said.

“We are also taking steps so that contagious diseases don’t spread.” Ordinary Bangladeshis have been crowdfunding relief efforts.

The floods add to the woes of a nation still reeling from weeks of political turmoil that culminated in the toppling of autocratic leader Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India by helicopter. She was replaced by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mohammad Yunus, who is heading an interim government that faces the monumental task of charting democratic reforms ahead of expected new elections.

Highways and rail lines were damaged between the capital Dhaka and the main port city of Chittagong, making access to badly flooded districts difficult and disrupting business activity.

Monsoon rains cause widespread destruction yearly but climate change is shifting weather patterns and increasing the number of extreme weather events.

The South Asian nation of 170 million people is crisscrossed by hundreds of rivers and has seen frequent floods in recent decades.

Much of the country is made up of deltas where the Himalayan rivers the Ganges and the Brahmaputra wind towards the sea after coursing through India.

It is among the countries most vulnerable to disasters and climate change, according to the Global Climate Risk Index.

Hard-hit areas include the southeastern regions around Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar, home to around a million Rohingya refugees from neighbouring Myanmar.

Floods across the border in upstream India have also left a trail of destruction, with at least 24 people killed in eastern Tripura state since Monday.

India’s Tripura disaster management authority said the waters were also receding but that more than 100,000 people were still sheltering in some 500 relief camps.

Many of their homes were swamped by the floods, with a total of 1.7 million people affected, it said.

The floods have also fuelled anger between Dhaka and New Delhi, with India’s foreign ministry rejecting accusations it was to blame for the floods and denying it had deliberately released water from an upstream dam.

India was a key supporter of Sheikh Hasina and many Bangladeshis have since been openly critical of their bigger and more powerful neighbour for backing her 15-year rule.

India said its own catchment area had experienced the “heaviest rains of this year” this week, and that the flow of water downstream was due to “automatic releases”.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2024

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Kukikhels to boycott polio campaign to press for IDPs’ return

KHYBER: The Kukikhel protesters on Saturday announced to boycott the polio vaccination campaign and block the main Torkham highway from Monday to press the government for acceptance of their longstanding demand of ensuring the early return of the remaining internally displaced persons to their homes.

Announcing their new plan at the Bhagiyaree checkpost where they have been stationed since Aug 21 (Wednesday), they said a jirga of tribal elders and politicians from seven merged districts would also be convened if there was no headway in their parlays with the government officials.

Barkat Afridi, a spokesman for the protesting Kukikhels, said they had been showing leniency towards private cars but the road would be completely closed from Monday morning, with only patients being allowed to proceed.

Attendance at the protest camp, however, remained thin on Saturday with organisers urging residents of Jamrud to attend the protest in large numbers.

Meanwhile, heavy vehicles loaded mostly with fruits and vegetables imported from Afghanistan have started shifting their merchandise to smaller vehicles to take it to Peshawar via the Shalman-Malagori Road.

Drivers and traders had earlier complained about rotting of a large quantity of fruits and vegetables due to the road blockade and hot weather.

Residents in Landi Kotal continued to suffer shortage of necessary daily-use items, especially vegetables, flour, milk, medicines and poultry due to the road closure. Shortage of these items has also pushed their prices in the local bazaars.

Meanwhile, some Afghan drivers, who requested anonymity, alleged that a group of Kukikhel protesters had allowed them to cross their protest camp in Bhagiyaree on the first night of their agitation after taking huge amount of money from them.

They said around 20 vehicles loaded with cucumber and onion got stranded near the Bhagiyaree checkpost soon after the protest camp was established by the Kukikhels on Aug 21.

The Afghan drivers said they were approached by a group of young protesters with a demand for Rs30,000 per vehicle to be allowed to continue their onward journey to Peshawar. “We paid them the money and got our vehicles released from the spot where we got stuck,” a driver said.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2024

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PTA denies reports of ATM closure, telecom blackout as ‘fake news’

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Saturday denied media reports about the potential closure of automated teller machines (ATM) and a telecommunication blackout in the country due to the non-renewal of long-distance international (LDI) licences.

The LDI operators’ main function is to provide international incoming and outgoing telecom call services. Most of the 10 operators’ licences will expire in July-August 2024.

The LDI operators are Worldcall, Redtone, ADG-LDI, Telecard, Dancom, Wise­comm, Circlenet, Wat­een, 4B-Gentel and Multinet. Most of them have not yet paid the principal overdue for the Universal Ser­vice Fund (USF) in their 20-year licence contract, which will soon expire.

Their total outstanding principal amount reportedly stands at Rs24 billion, and the PTA has asked them to settle their dues in order to renew their licences for the next 20 years. The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications has reconstituted a steering committee to address the issue.

Media reports earlier today said the PTA expressed concern during a Friday meeting of the IT standing committee that the non-renewal of LDI licences could potentially “significantly impact” the country’s telecom sector.

According to documents presented in the meeting, available with Dawn.com, the impact could potentially affect “service quality, business operations and the broader economy”.

More specifically, the PTA warned that around “50 per cent mobile traffic will be affected and many towers will be out of service, around 10pc of internet traffic will be affected, banking service will be affected, around 40pc [of] ATM banking machines will be out of service”, many corporate intranets will be out of service and international communication services and voice traffic will be disrupted as well.

However, a statement issued by the authority today rejected what it termed as “fake news” circulating in the media about the potential closure of ATMs.

“It is clarified that currently there is no such issue of non-availability/closure of LDI networks that may potentially impact IT or financial sector, including ATM networks.

“Please note that operations of the expired LDI licencees are not suspended or shut down.”

The development comes amid the Telecom Operators Association seeking the intervention of the prime minister to fix recent disruptions in the internet which may cost the national economy billions of rupees.

Over the past few weeks, internet users across Pakistan have reported significant drops in speed and disruptions to social media platforms, like Facebook and WhatsApp. The business community and internet service providers have accused the government of intentionally slowing down digital services due to the installation of a “firewall”, but the government has blamed these problems on VPNs. It later attributed the slowdown to a fault in submarine cables.

In reference to these disruptions, the telecom operators sought the intervention of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif through a letter on Thursday, saying the sluggish internet could cost Pakistan almost Rs12 billion annually. According to the association, the nationwide slowdown will cause significant and long-lasting economic repercussions if not identified and rectified immediately.

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Car export target to remain unmet if standards ignored, senators say

ISLAMABAD: Senators attending a house committee meeting on Friday cautioned that the 7pc export target set for automakers could not be achieved if locally-made vehicles failed to meet international standards.

The Senate Standing Committee on Industries and Production, which met with Aon Abbas in the chair, formed a three-member sub-committee under Saifullah Sarwar Khan Nyazee to analyse the country’s electric vehicle policy.

Officials informed the meeting that after the government had set the export target at 7pc for 2024-25, the companies obtained a stay order from a court, saying they would not be able to meet the target.

Senator Saleem Mandviwalla regretted that cars produced in the country were not of international standards, adding that it is impossible to find suitable export markets for these vehicles.

Senate committee discusses vehicle policy

Senator Nyazee stated that no manufacturer should be allowed to produce cars that do not follow the WP-29 regulations, questioning who would be responsible for the lives lost because of such vehicles.

The committee also discussed the country’s EV policy.

Officials of the Ministry of Industries and Production said the government had introduced the EV policy to combat the climate crisis and diversify the automobile sector.

Under the policy, there is 1pc customs duty on parts of EV vehicles compared to 30pc on traditional vehicles.

Besides, the tariff for EV vehicles is around 5-10pc compared to 25-30pc for traditional vehicles. These steps were taken to attract global EV manufacturers. Mr Mandviwalla stressed the need for building an EV-friendly infrastructure and said that in its absence the EV sector would not sustain itself.

Senator Abbas highlighted the issue of reimbursement by auto manufacturers to customers in case of the delivery of vehicles beyond a delay of 60 days.

He stated that eight car manufacturers, including Honda Atlas Cars, Indus Motor, Pak Suzuki, Hyundai Nishat Motors and Kia Lucky Motors, had paid around Rs5.32 billion in compensation to customers.

Officials informed the committee that the Competition Commission of Pakistan is the relevant forum for checking malpractices by car manufacturers.

Mr Abbas directed that a bifurcation of the amounts paid along with the models of cars and extra days for which the amount had been paid be provided to determine if the compensation justified the delay. The committee recommended that a universal mechanism be devised so that consumers and the departments concerned could conduct real-time checks on car manufacturers.

The committee was informed that 13 automobile companies were currently operating in the country. These companies have installed a production capacity of 500,000 units annually in more than 40 models with over 100 variants. They contribute 4pc to GDP, pay Rs300bn in taxes, and generate over 2m jobs in the country.

The committee also deliberated on the inclusion of cold storage in the industrial sector and the provision of affordable electricity rates.

Officials said the ECC had approved the matter and forwarded it to the cabinet for its approval to declare “cold storage” an industrial sector.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2024

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Karachi police resort to baton charge, aerial firing to disperse TLP protesters near Tower

Karachi police resorted to baton charges and aerial firing on Friday when Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) workers attempted to move towards the Central Police Office near Tower to register their protest.

The TLP workers had organised the protest for police not lodging a first information report (FIR) against the organisers of the minority march at Frere Hall for allegedly spreading “fake” propaganda against section 295(c) (use of derogatory remarks, etc., in respect of the Holy Prophet (PBUH)) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

City Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Arif Aziz told Dawn.com that the police resorted to baton charges and aerial firing to disperse the protestors as they allegedly attacked police personnel, injuring many and misbehaving with them.

A statement from the City police spokesperson said the protesters pelted stones at the SSP Aziz’s vehicle and injured several officers of the force.

Aziz said police contingents led by him and Keamari SSP Faizan Ali prevented the protesters from moving towards the Sindh inspector general of police’s (IGP) office after several of them reached Tower,

SSP Aziz added that the TLP supporters initially wanted to express their “reservations” against the Minority Rights March at Frere Hall, but later increased their demands and said that no objection certificate for such marches should be allowed.

He said that some protesters were also taken into custody.

However, TLP spokesperson Rehan Mohammed Khan told Dawn.com that the workers wanted to hold peaceful protests outside the IGP office for the last 12 days because the police were not entertaining their application for lodging an FIR against the organisers of the Minority Rights March.

He said they had announced that they would hold a demonstration if the FIR was not registered within 48 hours.

The TLP spokesperson accused the police of resorting to baton charges, aerial firing and shelling on their workers, resulting in injuries to some workers and the arrest of others.

Later on, the TLP spokesperson said the group ended its protest after the detained workers were released by the police.

South Deputy Inspector General of Police Syed Asad Raza also said the TLP workers wanted to lodge an FIR against the protestors of the Minority Rights March but were denied.

He said that several TLP workers were arrested during the protests as they attacked police vehicles and injured a few policemen.

Raza said that the protesters dispersed after assuring the police that they would not undertake such unlawful protests.

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UN team in Dhaka to discuss modalities of human rights probe

DHAKA: A United Nations team arrived in Bangladesh on Thursday to discuss with the interim government the process of investigating alleged human rights violations during the recent movement which toppled the government of prime minister Sheikh Hasina earlier this month.

About 300 people, many of them university and college students, were killed during protests that began last month after students agitated against quotas in government jobs. The protests spiralled into demands for ouster of Sheikh Hasina, who was in power since 2009.

An interim government, headed by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, was sworn in after Hasina fled the country and flew to New Delhi following the student-led uprising.

The UN office in Bangladesh said in a media advisory that the team from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights will be in Dhaka from Aug 22 to 29.

“The purpose of this visit is to understand their priorities for assistance in promoting human rights,” said the media advisory, adding that Bangladesh’s interim government had requested the UN to probe the killings during the protests.

“It is important to note that this visit is not an investigation, but rather it will focus on discussing the process for investigating human rights violations in light of the recent violence and unrest.”

Rory Mungoven, chief of the Asia-Pacific region at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, was leading the UN team, which met Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen on Thursday, according to two Bangladesh foreign ministry officials.

Two journalists arrested

A court in Dhaka remanded in custody two journalists accused of “inciting violence” against student-led protests.

The married couple, Shakil Ahmed and Farzana Rupa, were arrested on Wednesday at the airport in Dhaka as they waited to board a flight to Turkiye. They were accused of “inciting violence”, according to the remand application read in court.

The case against them was brought by the relative of one of the protesters killed in the demonstrations.

Prosecution lawyers said the journalist pair had “brazenly endorsed” Hasina’s government and Awami League party and had used their position to call for violence.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2024

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11 policemen martyred, 7 injured after ambush by dacoits in Rahim Yar Khan’s Machka area

Eleven policemen were martyred and seven were injured as a result of an ambush by riverine dacoits in the Machka area of Punjab’s Rahim Yar Khan on Thursday, police said.

Bahawalpur Regional Police Officer (RPO) Rai Babar Saeed confirmed to Dawn.com that “11 personnel were martyred and seven were injured in the attack.”

A statement from the Punjab police said that two police vans were returning from weekly duties in Rahim Yar Khan’s riverine Machka area when one of the vehicles developed a malfunction, after which sudden rocket attacks occurred.

It added that the Rahim Yar Khan district police officer was present at the scene, while Punjab Inspector General of Police Dr Usman Anwar took notice of the incident, requested a report from the Bahawalpur RPO, and proceeded to the location with several other senior police officials.

The injured were transported for treatment, and the Punjab police chief ordered that they be provided with the best possible medical facilities.

Condemning the attack, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz vowed that it would not go “unavenged”.

She said her team of officials was dispatched with “clear directions to sort them out decisively”.

“Sacrifices of police personnel will always be remembered,” she said, directing the authorities concerned to take immediate action to recover the missing policemen.   CM Maryam also sought an immediate report from IG Anwar on the matter.

President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the attack and extended his condolences to the families of the martyred police officers.

The president emphasised the need for strict action against criminals in the riverine area and warned that attacks on personnel of police and law enforcement agencies would not be tolerated.

Condemning the attack, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered that “immediate and effective action” be taken against riverine bandits.

“The gruesome attack on Punjab police in riverine area is not only condemned as minister of interior but also as a patriotic Pakistani. The attack, which has resulted in a heavy loss of life, shows the unwavering commitment of the police force to fight with such a menace,” said Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.

Meanwhile, a statement from Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar ordered that the provincial police remain on high alert until further orders amid the incident.

“The morale of the officers and youths cannot be lowered by the martyrdom of the policemen,” he said.

Earlier this month, three policemen were killed by riverine dacoits in an attack on a police check post at the river Indus protective spur near Bhong.

After the attack, a police party began chasing the dacoits, and after an exchange of heavy firing, the police claimed to have recovered a body from a field, which was later identified as Samundar Indhar, a member of the notorious Indhar gang of dacoits.

Last month, a police official was martyred while four dacoits were killed by the Punjab police during an operation in the Machka area.

A statement from the Rahimyar Khan police spokesperson said that Machaka Station House Officer Sub-Inspector Mohammad Ramzan died from a heart attack during the operation while four dacoits of the Shar gang were gunned down.

In April, a meeting of the Na­­ti­o­nal Action Plan Imple­m­e­ntation Review Com­mit­tee at the National Counter Terror­ism Auth­ority (Nacta) headquarters had decided to launch another joint operation against the notorious dacoits of Sindh’s riverine area.

The interior minister had said that in order to eradicate terrorism, institutions would be equipped with modern technology while the federal government would provide all possible support to provinces in this regard.

---

Additional reporting by Nadir Guramani and Imtiaz Ali.

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Blinken leaves Middle East without securing Gaza truce

Palestinians watch as smoke rises from a building hit by an Israeli strike in the Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City, on Wednesday.—AFP

• Acknowledges differences, calls for ‘maximum flexibility’ from both Israel and Hamas
• Egypt tells top US diplomat ‘time has come to end the ongoing war’

DOHA: Top US diplomat Antony Blinken headed home on Wednesday after failing to secure a Gaza ceasefire, warning both Israel and Hamas his plan may be the last chance to avert a broader war.

The US secretary of state appealed to Hamas to urgently accept a US-backed truce proposal, while also entering into a public spat with Israel over its future presence in the Gaza Strip.

“Time is of the essence,” Blinken said after stops in key Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt as well as Israel on his ninth tour of the region aiming to halt the more than 10-month war.

“With every passing day, more bad things can happen to more good people who don’t deserve it,” he said before flying out of Doha.

“This needs to get done, and it needs to get done in the days ahead, and we will do everything possible to get it across the finish line,” he said of the truce proposal.

The United States has presented ideas to bridge gaps and, through Qatar and Egypt, pressed Hamas to return to talks this week in Cairo.

But a day after Blinken said US ally Israel was on board, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quoted by Israeli media as disagreeing on a key sticking point.

Netanyahu insisted Israel maintain control of the Philadelphi Corridor, the border between Gaza and Egypt that Israeli forces seized from Hamas, whom Israel says relies on secret tunnels to bring in weapons.

Sticking point

Blinken acknowledged differences and called for “maximum flexibility” from both Israel and Hamas. He said Israel had already agreed on the “schedule and location” of troop withdrawals from Gaza.

Since the conflict began, it was made “very clear that the United States does not accept any long-term occupation of Gaza by Israel”, Blinken said when asked about Netanyahu’s remarks.

Blinken and mediators from Egypt and Qatar have pinned their hopes on a US “bridging proposal” aimed at narrowing the gaps between the two sides in the 10-month-old war, after negotiations last week paused without a breakthrough.

A senior Biden administration official travelling with Blinken said the US expects the ceasefire talks to continue this week.

A senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy, called Netan­yahu’s “maximalist statements” unhelpful for reaching a truce.

Egypt, the first Arab nation to make peace with Israel, has been infuriated by the border takeover.

Blinken has sought to entice Netanyahu to compromise by offering Israel the prospect of greater normalisation with the Arab world, including Saudi Arabia.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, meeting Blinken in El Alamein, told him “the time has come to end the ongoing war,” a statement said.

Blinken then travelled to Doha to meet with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, but a US official said the Qatari ruler was feeling unwell and they would speak by phone.

Israel and Hamas have blamed each other for delays in agreeing a deal to end fighting, free Israeli prisoners and allow vital humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Netanyahu has faced public protests in Israel urging him to accept a truce, which would bring back prisoners whose plight has plagued Israelis.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2024

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Four bodies retrieved from British tech mogul Mike Lynch’s sunken yacht in Sicily

Four bodies were found on Wednesday aboard the sunken wreck of a yacht belonging to the wife of British tech magnate Mike Lynch, sources close to the rescue operation said.

The identities of the victims were not immediately given by the authorities. Three of the bodies were brought ashore and taken to nearby hospitals for formal identification. The fourth corpse was being taken to land as evening set in.

Britain’s Daily Telegraph reported that two of the dead were Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter. Local authorities in Sicily declined to comment on the report.

The British-flagged Bayesian, a 56-metre-long superyacht, was carrying 22 people and anchored off the port of Porticello when it was hit by a fierce, pre-dawn storm on Monday.

Lynch, 59, was one of the UK’s best-known tech entrepreneurs and had invited friends to join him on the yacht to celebrate his recent acquittal in a US fraud trial.

Besides Lynch and his daughter, the other people unaccounted for after the disaster were Judy and Jonathan Bloomer, a non-executive chair of Morgan Stanley International; and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo.

Specialist rescuers have been searching inside the hull of the sunken yacht for the past two days. The victims were believed to have been trapped in cabins, which have proved extremely hard to get to, with divers only able to stay in the vessel for 8-10 minutes before having to re-surface.

Fifteen people managed to escape the yacht before it capsized in the pre-dawn tempest, while the body of the onboard chef, Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, was found near the wreck hours after the disaster.

The Bayesian is lying on its side at a depth of around 50m, apparently largely intact.

Besides the diving team, the coast guard has deployed a remotely operated vehicle to scan the seabed and take underwater pictures and videos that it said may provide “useful and timely elements” for prosecutors looking into the disaster.

Mystery

The coast guard has been questioning survivors, including the captain of the Bayesian, and passengers on the yacht that was moored next to it who witnessed the ship going down, judicial sources said.

No one is under investigation at the moment, sources added.

Experts have been at a loss to explain how a large luxury vessel, presumed to have top-class fittings and safety features, could have sunk within minutes, as recounted by witnesses. The yacht anchored next to it was unharmed by the storm.

The Bayesian, which was owned by Lynch’s wife, was built by Italian shipbuilder Perini in 2008 and last refitted in 2020. It had the world’s tallest aluminium mast, measuring 72 metres, according to its makers.

Lynch has been referred to as Britain’s Bill Gates. He built the UK’s largest software firm, Autonomy, which was sold to HP for $11 billion in 2011, after which the deal spectacularly unravelled with the US tech giant accusing him of fraud, resulting in a lengthy trial.

He was acquitted on all charges by a jury in San Francisco in June. Morvillo had represented him at the trial, while Bloomer was a character witness on his behalf.

Bayesian’s captain James Cutfield, a 51-year-old New Zealander who survived the shipwreck, was a “very good sailor” and “very well respected” in the Mediterranean, his brother Mark told The New Zealand Herald.

Matthew Schanck, chair of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council, a UK-based non-profit organisation that trains sea rescuers, said the Bayesian was the victim of a “high impact” weather-related incident.

“If it was a water spout, which it appears to be, it’s what I would class as like a black swan event,” he told Reuters, meaning a rare and unpredictable phenomenon.

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SHC fines PIA for filing ‘frivolous’ applications

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) has imposed a fine on the Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (PIA) for filing frivolous applications seeking review of an earlier order.

Comprising Justice Muhammad Junaid Ghaffar and Justice Agha Faisal, the two-judge bench dismissed the review applications with costs of Rs25,000 each for being frivolous and devoid of merit, and directed the petitioner/applicant to deposit the same in the account of the SHC clinic.

The PIA had filed petitions in 2022, assailing respective interlocutory orders rendered by the National Industrial Relat­i­ons Commission (NIRC) and the SHC had dismissed the same in November 2022.

Thereafter, the bench noted that the petitioner preferred review applications ostensibly beyond the pale of limitation in January 2023.

The dismissal of the petitions was inter alia predicated upon the observation that since the governing law, Industrial Relations Act (IRA) 2012, contained no provision of appeal in respect of interlocutory orders, thus the same could not be construed to automatically become assailable in writ jurisdiction, it added.

The lawyer for the applicant argued that Section 58(2) of IRA did contain a provision to assail interlocutory orders and upon being requested to identify the relevant constituent in the provision, he submitted that a copy of the statute was not available therewith.

The bench then read out the relevant provision/statute to the lawyer, but he remained unable to identify any constituent therein to corroborate his argument.

It was further articulated that the absence of any provision for a statutory appeal provided entitlement to prefer a writ petition while such an argument was prima facie in conflict with his earlier submission, however, once again the counsel remained unable to substantiate his averment with any law, it added.

The bench also observed that the jurisdiction of the SHC in review proceedings was limited and the entire thrust of the arguments advanced by the counsel was directed towards merits of an already dismissed case and there was absolutely no effort to identify any mistake or error apparent on the face of the record or any other sufficient reason justifying a review of the order.

“It is thus the considered view of this Court that these applications are frivolous, devoid of merit, hence, were dismissed, with costs of Rs25,000 each to be deposited in the account of the Sindh High Court Clinic,” it concluded.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2024

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Lahore police file case as YDA, hospital staff protest against 5-year-old girl’s alleged rape

The Lahore police registered a case on Tuesday after the staff of the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) and the Young Doctors Association (YDA) alleged that a five-year-old girl was raped on the facility’s premises.

The protest was led by Punjab YDA President Dr Shoaib Niazi and Dr Azam Saeed, president of the YDA’s chapter for the hospital. The demonstration was also joined by the staff and students of the hospital as well as the Fatima Jinnah Medical University (FJMU).

A note of demands by the protesters said: “An incident of rape/attempt of rape on the premises of SGRH Lahore has occurred, which was pushed under the carpet by the administration. The victim was said to be a minor of five years old.

“The students of FJMU/SGRH demand transparency and an investigation of the case. The students further demand the administration to answer their criminal silence. If such incidents are covered up and silenced, it raises a question mark for the hospital administration!”

Among others, the protesters demanded that a first information report (FIR) be lodged and there should be transparency about any further steps taken regarding the case.

Meanwhile, Dr Hafiz Moinuddin, the hospital’s medical superintendent, told Dawn.com that the girl was sleeping with her mother in a corridor when a sanitary worker “touched” her at 2am in the night.

He said the girl screamed and wokr her mother up, prompting several people in the hospital to gather on the spot. The sanitary worker was then nabbed and taken to the security room where the security in-charge called the police and handed over the suspect to them.

Dr Moinuddin said the sanitary worker was not a hospital employee and the company responsible for hiring him had also fired him from his job following the incident.

He said the hospital administration was taking special measures for the security of the attendants of patients and would not tolerate any mismanagement.

The FIR was registered at the Civil Line police station on the complaint of Sub-Inspector Saleem Raza under Sections 376 (punishment for rape), 509ii (insulting modesty or causing sexual harassment) and 511 (punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or for a shorter term) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Sections 376 and 511 were added later to the FIR. Notably, the text of the FIR did not mention rape.

The FIR said the police received a call that a suspect had harassed a woman’s daughter on the hospital’s third floor and upon arriving, the police were informed that the suspect was a sweeper at the hospital who was surrounded by a crowd after the girl had created noise.

Videos of protesters on social media showed them criticising the FIR, alleging that it downplayed the incident and criticising officials for covering up the matter in an attempt to silence the victim’s family.

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Balochistan home minister Langove urges youth to reject politics of violence

QUETTA: Balochistan Minister for Home and Tribal Affairs Mir Ziaullah Langove on Monday said the youth should reject the politics of violence, anarchy and hatred and lead in the development of the province in a democratic manner.

Mr Langove, who is also the central vice president of Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), said talented youth were a valuable asset of the nation.

He was of the opinion that Balochistan’s was lagging behind in the progress because of those few self-interested people who provoked the youth to pick up guns instead of encouraging them towards education, health and employment. He said the top priority of the present government was to settle education, health and sports fields in the wider interest of the province.

The minister said that revolutionary steps taken in the education sector under the leadership of Balochistan CM Sarfraz Bugti were yielding positive results.

“Balochistan is a bouquet of different nations, we must embrace peace, love and brotherhood among ourselves,” he mentioned, adding that it was just a matter of time when the youth would be running the country.

He said that enemies wanted to exploit the Pakistani youth for their nefarious agendas, which would be foiled by security forces with the support of the masses.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2024

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British tech giant Mike Lynch among missing after luxury yacht sinks off Sicily

One man died and six people were missing, including British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, after a luxury yacht was struck by an unexpectedly violent storm and sank off Sicily early on Monday.

The British-flagged “Bayesian”, a 56-metre-long sailboat, was carrying 22 people and was anchored just offshore near the port of Porticello when it was hit by ferocious weather, the Italian coast guard said in a statement.

Eyewitnesses said the yacht vanished quickly beneath the waves shortly before dawn. Fifteen people escaped before it went down, including Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, who owned the boat, and a one-year-old girl.

The names of the dead and missing were not immediately released, but a person familiar with the rescue operation confirmed that Lynch was not accounted for. Italian media said the dead man was the yacht’s onboard chef.

The Italian coast guard said the missing had British, American and Canadian nationalities. Survivors said the trip had been organised by Lynch for his work colleagues.

“The wind was very strong. Bad weather was expected, but not of this magnitude,” a coast guard official in the Sicilian capital Palermo told Reuters.

The captain of a nearby boat told Reuters that when the winds surged, he had turned the engine on to keep control of his vessel and avoid a collision with the Bayesian, which had been anchored alongside him.

“We managed to keep the ship in position and after the storm was over, we noticed that the ship behind us was gone,” Karsten Borner told journalists.

The other boat “went flat on the water, and then down”, he added.

He said his crew then found some of the survivors on a life raft — including three who were seriously injured, and a baby girl and her mother — and took them on board before the coast guard picked them up.

Lynch, aged 59, is one of Britain’s best-known tech entrepreneurs. He built the country’s largest software firm, Autonomy, from his ground-breaking research at Cambridge University, and became known as Britain’s Bill Gates.

He sold the firm to HP for $11 billion in 2011, before the deal unravelled spectacularly following the acquisition, with the US tech giant accusing him of fraud.

Once lauded by academics, scientists and politicians, Lynch spent much of the last decade in court defending his name. He was acquitted by a jury in San Francisco in June after he spent more than a year living effectively under house arrest.

He said at the time that he was “elated” to be cleared in the criminal trial in which he denied any wrongdoing and blamed HP for botching the integration of the two companies.

Divers inspect wreck

The coast guard said divers were inspecting the wreck of the Bayesian, which was lying at a depth of 49m.

Prosecutors in the nearby town of Termini Imerese have opened an investigation to look into what had gone wrong.

Storms and heavy rainfall have swept down Italy in recent days after weeks of scorching heat, which had lifted the temperature of the Mediterranean Sea to record levels, raising the risk of extreme weather conditions, experts said.

“The sea surface temperature around Sicily was around 30 degrees Celsius, which is almost three degrees more than normal. This creates an enormous source of energy that contributes to these storms,” said meteorologist Luca Mercalli.

“We can’t say that this is all due to global warming but we can say that it has an amplifying effect,” he told Reuters.

The Bayesian was built by Italian shipbuilder Perini in 2008 and was last refitted in 2020. Its 75m mast is the tallest aluminium mast in the world, Perini said on its website.

The shipspotting.com website said the boat was owned by a firm called Revtom Limited. Lynch’s wife Bacares is named as the sole shareholder of the firm on company documents.

The yacht’s name would resonate with Lynch because his PhD thesis and the software that made his fortune was based on Bayesian theory.

The ship won a string of awards for its design and can accommodate up to 12 guests in six suites and a crew of 10, according to online specialist yacht sites.

The boat left the Sicilian port of Milazzo on August 14 and was last tracked east of Palermo on Sunday evening, with a navigation status of “at anchor”, according to vessel tracking app Vesselfinder.

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