The Federal Government is due to hold talks with the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) today (Sunday) to peacefully end the party’s ongoing sit-in at Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh.
JI Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Saturday warned of expanding the party’s Rawalpindi sit-in to other areas across the country if the government failed to meet its demands regarding skyrocketing electricity bills and rising taxes.
As the protest entered its second day, Murree Road remained closed to traffic from Marrir Chowk to Committee Chowk, with containers placed on the artery that passes through the heart of the garrison city. As a result, business activities in the area were affected.
Under pressure from the JI, a government delegation led by Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar engaged in talks with JI protesters on Saturday night. As a result, it was agreed that both sides will hold a formal discussion today to address JI’s demands, according to the government.
“Negotiations between the government and Jamaat-e-Islami will be held this afternoon,” confirmed a post by PTV on the X platform, citing Tarar.
“The location of the negotiations will also be determined today and it is hoped that the talks will be fruitful,” the post quoted Tarar as saying.
It added that the meeting between the government delegates and JI last night was carried out in a “pleasant environment.”
An earlier post from PTV News, also citing Tarar, stated that the JI formed a negotiation committee headed by JI deputy chief Liaquat Baloch for the talks.
‘Power, tax hikes not a problem of Jamaat-i-Islami alone’
Meanwhile, addressing the sit-in on Sunday, Rehman thanked the protesters for their attendance and said that people hadn’t left their homes and opted to sit on the streets for nothing.
“Power and tax hikes are not just a problem for Jamaat-e-Islami but for the entire country”, he said.
The party leader added that there was no way to resolve the issue other than political struggle within the bounds of the constitution, which he reiterated, that the protesters were upholding.
“When Parliament and institutions are not working, it is our right to protest under the Constitution,” he said.
Addressing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the JI chief said, “Tell me how a common man can run his household with a minimum wage of Rs37,000. How will a poor man pay for electricity?”
He demanded that electricity bills be reduced and criticized independent power producers (IPPs), stating that their contracts were being “hidden from the people.”
He also stated that the salaried class in Pakistan was “paying more taxes compared to India” and slammed the “landlords and capitalists” for making the decisions.
Rehman also appealed to people from all walks of life to join the protest. “Students, lawyers, businessmen, and industrialists are welcome to be a part of this movement,” he said.
“The poor of this country have one path and that is to be a part of the Jamaat-e-Islami’s protest.”
‘Outsiders’ outnumber local supporters at JI protest
A large number of participants present at the sit-in at Liaquat Bagh came from central and southern districts of Punjab and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and many of them have vowed to resist the increase in power tariffs and heavy taxes imposed by the government in the federal budget.
About 3,000 people, mostly supporters, were present at the protest site in the morning, with the JI leadership conspicuous by its absence. Though the party had installed tents in the park for the protesters, participants chose to occupy the road to register their protest.
Speaking to Dawn, Mohammad Anwar, a resident of Okara, said he had come to Rawalpindi to protest inflation which was unbearable for the masses.
According to Anwar, the JI supporters were divided into smaller groups of five to seven people and most of them brought a few pairs of clothes. He, however, said they did not need sleeping bags because of the hot and humid weather.
“We can sleep anywhere in the park,” he said.
Bashir Ahmed from Bahawalnagar said he participated in the sit-in on the call of the JI leadership and his group comprised as many as 20 people. He said it was their duty to stage this protest against the back-breaking inflation and was planning to stay here for up to four days despite the hot weather.
JI demands immediate release of detained protesters for serious talks
On Friday, JI demanded that the government show its “seriousness for talks” with the party by releasing protesters detained by the police.
“Don’t conduct press conferences. Make an authorised committee that will talk with our committee. We will announce our committee shortly after consultation”, Rehman sent a message to the government while addressing the gathered party supporters at Liaquat Bagh.
“I also want to say to the government that all our workers they’ve arrested … they should be immediately released and if they are, then we will consider you are serious about talks.”
‘Arrests made’ as JI begins protests
The JI’s protests in Islamabad began on Friday evening and were soon met with arrests, the party claimed.
The district administration had sealed the federal capital’s D-Chowk by placing containers on the nearby roads and the police had arrested more than a dozen JI activists and local office-bearers. It also imposed Section 144, a legal provision empowers district administrations to prohibit an assembly of four or more people in an area for a limited period. It said prohibition of the order would lead to strict action.
In a statement released on Friday, JI information secretary Sajjad Ahmed Abbasi called on supporters to gather on the Islamabad Highway at the H-8/I-8 bridge situated between Faizabad and Zero Point at 5:30pm.
The party, in a post on X, said that its workers had “reached D-Chowk after surpassing all obstacles”, adding that police were arresting its workers while sharing a video of a person being forced into a police van.
The party’s secretary general alleged that “all over the country, raids are being conducted on the offices of the party and the houses of officials and workers, the convoys are being stopped and arrested. This cruelty and abuse is condemnable. The government is in a frenzy.”
Later, Rehman summoned all supporters to Liaquat Bagh.
]]>Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told Christians on Friday that if they vote for him in the upcoming US elections, “in four years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good, you’re not gonna have to vote.”
It was not clear what the former president meant by his remarks, in an election campaign where his Democratic opponents accuse him of being a threat to democracy, and after his attempt to overturn his 2020 defeat to President Joe Biden, an effort that led to the deadly insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Trump was speaking at an event organized by the conservative group Turning Point Action in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Trump said: “Christians, get out and vote, just this time. “You won’t have to do it anymore. Four more years, you know what, it will be fixed, it will be fine, you won’t have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians.”
He added: “I love you Christians. I’m a Christian. I love you, get out, you gotta get out and vote. In four years, you don’t have to vote again, we’ll have it fixed so good you’re not going to have to vote,” Trump said.
Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung did not directly address Trump’s remarks when asked to clarify them.
Cheung said Trump “was talking about uniting this country,” and blamed “the divisive political environment” on the attempted assassination of Trump two weeks ago. Investigators have yet to give a motive for why the 20-year-old gunman opened fire on Trump.
In an interview with Fox News in December, Trump said that if he won the November 5 election he would be a dictator, but only on “day one”, to close the southern border with Mexico and expand oil drilling.
Democrats have seized on that comment. Trump has since said the remarks were a joke.
If Trump wins a second term in the White House, he can serve only four more years as president. US presidents are limited to two terms, consecutive or not, under the US Constitution.
In May, speaking at a National Rifle Association gathering, Trump quipped about serving more than two terms as president.
He referred to the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Democrat, the only president to serve more than two terms. The two-term limit was added after Roosevelt’s presidency.
“You know, FDR, 16 years — almost 16 years — he was four terms. I don’t know, are we going to be considered three-term? Or two-term?” Trump asked the NRA crowd.
Trump’s remarks on Friday pointed to the need for both parties to energize their base voters ahead of what will likely be a closely fought election. Trump has enjoyed loyal support from evangelicals in the past two elections.
The race has abruptly tightened after the decision by Biden to end his reelection bid and with his vice president, Kamala Harris, becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Recent opinion polls show Trump’s significant lead over Biden has been largely erased since the torch was passed to Harris.
Jason Singer, a Harris campaign spokesperson, in a statement, did not directly address Trump’s remarks about Christians not having to vote again. Singer described Trump’s overall speech as “bizarre” and “backward-looking”.
]]>QUETTA: Fourteen people were injured when supporters of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), who were on their way to Gwadar to attend a rally on Sunday (today), came under fire in Mastung on Saturday.
While the BYC accused security forces of opening fire at their convoy, the deputy commissioner of Kalat in a press note stated that participants of the BYC march attacked a Levies checkpoint near Mastung.
BYC leader Bebarg Baloch alleged that personnel of “a law enforcement agency opened fire on our supporters” in Mastung when they were heading towards the Quetta-Karachi highway.
“At least 14 people were injured in the firing,” Bebarg said.
Five of the injured were in critical condition, according to a hospital spokesperson.
BYC, administration accuse each other of opening fire; govt places ban on rallies; Mahrang says over 200 people arrested
Mr Baloch said he himself was in the convoy when it was stopped at the Thana Sona Khan area and not allowed to travel to Mastung. He accused security agencies of using baton-charge and teargas shelling.
“But even then the convoy managed to reach the Quetta-Karachi highway. Here the forces opened fire at the crowd,” the BYC leader claimed.
Another BYC leader Dr Mahrang Baloch said, “Over 200 people bound for Gwadar” were arrested by security personnel.
Shahid Rind, the spokesman for the Balochistan government, denied that security forces had opened fire.
In a statement issued late on Saturday night, he said, “Some elements are trying to create a law and order situation”.
“But nobody is above the law and action will be taken against those who are out to sow strife,” he added.
The spokesman further said that the intention behind holding demonstrations in Gwadar “are clear”.
Shahid Rind said the government had conveyed to the BYC that it was ready to hold negotiations, recalling that Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti had already given a policy statement on the issue in the Balochistan Assembly.
Rallies banned
The Quetta administration has imposed a ban on all types of gatherings, processions and rallies, sealing all roads leading to the Red Zone by parking containers on major roads.
According to a notification released late on Saturday night, Section 144 has been imposed in Quetta and no one would be allowed to hold rallies in the Red Zone. Containers were placed on the city’s entry and exit points, including Hazar Ganji, Lakpass, Western Bypass and the Quetta-Sibi road.
According to eyewitnesses, highways leading to Gwadar had been blocked at various points.
A BYC leader said the administration had asked the body to hold its public meeting at some other place instead of Gwadar.
Meanwhile, a press note issued by the deputy commissioner of Kalat stated that participants of the BYC march had attacked a Levies checkpoint near Mastung and resorted to “extreme violence”.
“The security forces stopped the rally three kilometres outside Mastung for negotiations. However, an armed mob which was waiting for the marchers in Mastung city opened fired on personnel of the Frontier Corps (FC). Two FC personnel and four civilians were injured,” the note said.
“The injured were shifted to Trauma Centre, Quetta, after medical aid in Mastung.”
Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2024
]]>RAWALPINDI: A significant number of participants present at the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) sit-in at Liaquat Bagh have come from central and southern districts of Punjab and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and many of them have vowed to resist the increase in power tariffs and heavy taxes imposed by the government in the federal budget.
As the protest entered its second day, Murree Road remained closed to traffic from Marrir Chowk to Committee Chowk, with containers placed on the artery that passes through the heart of the garrison city. As a result, business activities in the area were affected.
About 3,000 people, mostly workers, were present at the protest site in the morning, with the JI leadership conspicuous by its absence. Though the party had installed tents in the park for the protesters, the participants chose to occupy the road to register their protest.
Speaking to Dawn, Mohammad Anwar, a resident of Okara, said he had come to Rawalpindi to protest inflation which was unbearable for the masses. According to Mr Anwar, the JI supporters are divided into smaller groups of five to seven people and most of them have brought a few pairs of clothes. He, however, said they did not need sleeping bags because of the hot and humid weather.
“We can sleep anywhere in the park,” he said.
Bashir Ahmed from Bahawalnagar said he came here on the call of the JI leadership and his group comprised as many as 20 people. He said it was their duty to stage this protest against the back-breaking inflation and was planning to stay here for up to four days despite the hot weather.
To get some respite from the heat, the JI protester said he had been staying at a nearby mosque till the evening. He added the JI leadership was expected to decide about the protest by Sunday afternoon.
Participants complain about shortage of bathrooms, vow to stay put despite heat
Nisar Ali, a resident of Lahore, has been staying at Liaquat Bagh since Friday night.
Kabir Khan, a resident of Bannu, said that he along with his friends arrived in Rawalpindi to lodge a protest against inflation which the incumbent government was not capable of managing.
Sajjad Khan from Peshawar said a large number of “outsiders” were seen at the camp because some local workers were busy arranging logistics for the sit-in participants, whereas a large number had returned to their houses after attending the protest.
Some protesters complained about the problem their sit-in was facing; for instance, bathrooms.
“We have been using washrooms of the park, at nearby mosques, and even the metro bus stations of Marrir Chowk, Liaquat Bagh and Committee Chowk,” said Shahmir Hussain, adding that the number of these facilities was insufficient for such a large number of people.
For water, a stall had been set up by some philanthropists at Liaquat Bagh but mostly protesters were buying water from nearby shops and vendors who had installed their stands near the park, seemingly to cater to the needs of the protesters.
JI Rawalpindi leader Malik Azam said the local chapter of the political party was providing three meals a day to the participants. “We have also provided carpets [to the sit-in] with the help of local workers and supporters so the people can sit on the ground and offer their prayers without any problems,” he said.
The JI leader said the local supporters of the party were busy making arrangements for the protesters which is why their number was smaller compared to those who had come from other parts of the country.
Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2024
]]>A Bangladeshi student group has vowed to resume protests that sparked a lethal police crackdown and nationwide unrest unless several of their leaders are released from custody on Sunday.
Last week’s violence killed at least 205 people, according to an AFP count of police and hospital data, in one of the biggest upheavals of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year tenure.
Army patrols and a nationwide curfew remain in place more than a week after they were imposed, and a police dragnet has scooped up thousands of protesters including at least half a dozen student leaders.
Members of Students Against Discrimination, whose campaign against civil service job quotas precipitated the unrest, said they would end their weeklong protest moratorium.
The group’s chief Nahid Islam and others “should be freed and the cases against them must be withdrawn”, Abdul Hannan Masud told reporters in an online briefing late Saturday.
Masud, who did not disclose his location because he was in hiding from authorities, also demanded “visible actions” be taken against government ministers and police officers responsible for the deaths of protesters.
“Otherwise, Students Against Discrimination will be forced to launch tough protests” from Monday, he said.
Islam and two other senior members of the protest group were on Friday forcibly discharged from a hospital in the capital Dhaka and taken away by a group of plainclothes detectives.
Earlier in the week Islam told AFP that he was being treated at the hospital for injuries police inflicted on him during an earlier round of detention and said he was in fear for his life.
Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan told reporters Friday that the trio were taken into custody for their own safety but did not confirm if they had been formally arrested.
Police told AFP on Sunday that detectives had taken two others into custody, while a Students Against Discrimination activist told AFP that a third had been taken on Sunday morning.
At least 9,000 people have been arrested nationwide since the unrest began according to Prothom Alo, Bangladesh’s largest daily newspaper.
While a curfew imposed last weekend remains in force, it has been progressively eased through the week, in a sign of the Hasina government’s confidence that order was gradually being restored.
Telecommunications minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak told reporters the country’s mobile internet network would be restored later on Sunday, 11 days after a nationwide blackout imposed at the height of the unrest.
Fixed line broadband connections had already been restored on Tuesday but the vast majority of Bangladesh’s 141 million internet users rely on their mobile devices to connect with the world, according to the national telecoms regulator.
Jobs crisis
Protests began this month over the reintroduction of a quota scheme reserving more than half of all government jobs for certain groups.
With around 18 million young Bangladeshis out of work, according to government figures, the move deeply upset graduates facing an acute employment crisis.
Critics say the quota is used to stack public jobs with loyalists to the ruling Awami League.
The Supreme Court cut the number of reserved jobs last week but fell short of protesters’ demands to scrap the quotas entirely.
Hasina has ruled Bangladesh since 2009 and won her fourth consecutive election in January after a vote without genuine opposition.
Her government is accused by rights groups of misusing state institutions to entrench its hold on power and stamp out dissent, including the extrajudicial killing of opposition activists.
Protests had remained largely peaceful until attacks by police and pro-government student groups on demonstrators last week.
]]>KARACHI: A young woman was allegedly axed to death in the name of honour by her maternal grandfather in Marfani Goth within the remit of the Awami Colony police station on Saturday evening, police said.
Korangi-SSP Tauheed Rehman Memon said that Shahzadi, 20, was killed by her grandfather Mohammed Sharif inside their home near Bagh-i-Korangi.
The Awami Colony police claimed to have arrested the suspect and recovered the axe.
He informed the police that she had married of her own free will in Jamshoro a year ago. The suspect brought her back home, where he allegedly killed her.
“The police are treating it as a case of killing in the name of so-called honour,” Memon said.
The body has been shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for a post-mortem examination.
Earlier this week, a free-will couple was shot dead in the Manghopir area in the name of so-called honour. The police had said that relatives of Saira Luqman had allegedly killed her and her husband, Adil, in the Amir Mohammad Goth home. The family of the deceased man had refused to lodge an FIR of the murder and the police had registered a murder case on behalf of the state.
Meanwhile, a widow seeking a third marriage was shot dead allegedly by her brother in Bahadurabad late on Friday night.
SSP-East Dr Farrukh Raza said suspect Munir Shaikh shot dead his 45-year-old sister Waheeda over a domestic dispute inside their home in Dhoraji Colony and fled.
Area SHO Mohammed Naeem Rajput said that the victim was a widow and she had eight children from her previous two husbands. She wanted to get married for the third time, but her family was against it.
According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), honour killings remain a severe and persistent issue in the country.
In 2022, the HRCP recorded 520 incidents of honour killing, with 197 men and 323 women among the victims. In 2023, at least 226 women reportedly became victims of honour crimes.
Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2024
]]>Continued heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Gaemi triggered a landslide that killed 12 people in southern China, causing flash floods in the northeast and railway disruptions elsewhere, state media reported on Sunday.
Cyclonic winds from Gaemi, downgraded from a typhoon, had mostly dissipated by Sunday, but many parts of China remained under alert for flooding risks caused by earlier rains. Forecasters warned that the remnants of Gaemi’s vast cloudbanks could still dump rain on already waterlogged cities.
The 12 were killed in the landslide near Hengyang city in Hunan province on Sunday morning that trapped 18, state broadcaster CCTV reported. Six injured survivors were rescued. Hunan provincial authorities issued a flood warning as heavy rains continued through Sunday.
Two officials, including the deputy mayor of Linjiang city in Jilin province, went missing during flood rescue efforts, CCTV said, citing city authorities. More than 27,000 people in northeast China were evacuated and hundreds of factories suspended operations.
The most powerful storm to hit the country this year lashed towns in coastal Fujian province on Friday with heavy rains and strong winds as it began its trek from the southeastern coast into the populous interior.
Jilin province, bordering North Korea, issued upgraded warnings for heavy rains and flash floods on Sunday morning. Linjiang authorities shut schools, factories, and businesses on Sunday, warning that “major flood disasters may occur”.
Rail services were suspended in southern China’s Guangdong province and Hainan Island, while some passenger rail lines resumed in the southern provinces of Fujian and Jiangxi as the storm moved north.
Gaemi, which killed dozens as it swept through Taiwan and worsened seasonal rains in the Philippines, has affected almost 630,000 people in Fujian, with almost half of them being relocated, state news agency Xinhua reported.
]]>• Seeks removal of CEC over alleged misconduct
• Says ECP ‘disobeyed’ SC orders, ‘sabotaged’ its functioning as a political party
• Urges accountability for unconstitutional actions
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday instituted a complaint before the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) seeking a thorough inquiry by accusing Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sultan Sikandar Raja and members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) of becoming incapable of performing their constitutional duties and thus guilty of misconduct.
The complaint was jointly filed by the PTI and its secretary general Omar Ayub Khan, highlighting that the constitutional obligation demands the ECP to act independently without taking sides in favour of or against any political party. Other members of the commission named in the complaint are Babar Hassan Bharwana, Nisar Ahmed Durrani, Shah Muhammad Jatoi, and retired Justice Ikramullah Khan.
The ECP, under its constitutional obligation, cannot restrict or stop any political party from functioning and carrying out political activities, nor can it shut its eyes if any acts and violations are taking place due to which elections are not being conducted honestly, justly, fairly, and in accordance with the law, the complaint said.
The complaint emphasised that the ECP, through different decisions, actions, and omissions, acted contrary to the constitution, their oath, and disobeyed the orders of the Supreme Court, and sabotaged the functioning of PTI as a political party, the complaint alleged.
It claimed that the ECP blatantly disregarded any form of neutrality and even violated the fundamental rights of the people of Pakistan.
“Thus, the CEC and members of the commission are liable to be removed for misconduct in the interest of justice,” it added.
The complaint alleged that the ECP violated and breached its constitutional duties, obligations, and responsibilities; therefore, the CEC and other members must be replaced due to serious allegations of misconduct, including pre-poll, poll day, and post-poll riggings as detailed below.
The complainants seek accountability for the unconstitutional actions of the ECP, the complaint emphasised. It alleged that the ECP executed a grand scheme to disqualify former premier Imran Khan, and removed him as PTI chairman, thereby disabling him from participating in politics and damaging PTI as a political party, and then to “disqualify” PTI altogether from contesting the elections.
The first step that was taken by the ECP, which is contrary to the constitution and law, and violated its constitutional duty and obligation under Article 218 of the constitution, was to de-seat former prime minister Imran Khan from the National Assembly seat (Mianwali). This was done by the ECP at the behest of the Speaker National Assembly, who belonged to PML-N, the complaint alleged.
The complaint alleged that the ECP became a prosecutor by filing a criminal complaint before the Special Judge and obtained a conviction against Imran Khan on August 28, 2023, in the Toshakhana case, in which the sentence has been suspended, and later disqualified him. With the same mala fide intention, the complaint alleged, the ECP took up the prohibited funding case and conducted a manipulated investigation against PTI, which was still continuing.
On the other hand, no other political party was investigated for similar allegations despite the directions of the Supreme Court. To date, the investigations of other political parties are pending, as the ECP has thus ignored the directions of the Supreme Court and refused to conduct an inquiry into the finances of political parties other than PTI, the complaint said, adding that this reflects complete bias of the ECP against PTI.
‘‘Continuing with the alleged intention of harming and damaging PTI through illegal orders, the ECP decided that the reserved seats for women and minorities would not be given to PTI but allocated to other political parties proportionately. The reason given was that the reserved seats’ list given by PTI had been exhausted, and PTI could not add to this list. This too was an act contrary to the expressed provisions of the Constitution designed only to harm PTI,’’ the complaint alleged.
It further alleged the ECP decided that no PTI candidate would be recognised as a PTI candidate and instead would be treated as “independents” who would be allocated different symbols.
The idea of the ECP was to create complete chaos and confusion amongst the public in order to defeat PTI in the election.
The complaint alleged that the ECP allowed the caretaker set-up to continue inflicting atrocities upon PTI leaders and workers and failed to provide a level playing field for the election. ‘‘The events leading up to Feb 8 [elections] are well known and established.’’
Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2024
]]>ISLAMABAD: Three days after a key minister in Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s cabinet declared that the government had decided, in principle, to place a ban on the PTI, another minister on Saturday renewed talks offer to the opposition party to reduce political tensions and resolve economic issues being faced by the country.
Speaking at a presser, Federal Minister for Petroleum Dr Musadik Malik advised the PTI to come and sit together to help the government bring the country out of the current difficult situation but in the same breath he dubbed the PTI leadership “anti-state” allegedly for orchestrating the May 9 violent incidents.
The petroleum minister’s renewed offer for talks, however, met with a strong rebuke as PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan accused the minister of having “double standards”, stating that on one hand, the police and the law enforcement agencies were targeting and arresting the opposition members and on the other hand, the government was offering them dialogue.
Talking to Geo News on July 23, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar had stated that the government had decided, in principle, to place a ban on the PTI, but was waiting for a broader consensus among ruling allies to impose the ban.
Gohar accuses minister of dual standards after dialogue offer
During the press conference on Saturday, the petroleum minister also claimed successes in the government’s economic policies and highlighted the prime minister’s top priorities, including creating employment for the poor, reducing inflation, and alleviating poverty.
He, however, alleged that the PTI was bent upon creating hurdles in the government’s efforts to improve the country’s economy. The minister claimed that the government’s economic policies had started showing results as food inflation had dropped from 48 per cent to two per cent, and the overall inflation in the country had also decreased to 12 per cent from 38 per cent.
At the same time, he criticised the previous PTI government for giving $4 billion to the 100 richest people during its tenure. “The government is taking steps to eliminate terrorism, while the opposition speaks against these measures,” he said, adding the government had offered dialogue, whereas the opposition talked about destruction, sit-ins, and confrontational politics.
Dr Malik also criticised the PTI for maligning state institutions and their politics of sit-ins without offering solutions to current problems. He further accused the PTI chief of taking U-turns and misguiding his followers, recalling that Imran Khan used to claim that his government was removed by the US, but now he was seeking help from the US.
He even alleged that the objective of the PTI was to destroy the country and reiterated the narrative of the PML-N that military installations and memorials of the country’s heroes were targeted and attacked by PTI workers on May 9.
He claimed that the PTI chief had admitted to orchestrating the May 9 incident. “Anti-state elements are hindering progress. If there is Pakistan, then there is all of us,” the petroleum minister said, adding, “Now they are saying that the PML-N is instigating fight between the PTI and the “establishment,” but the leader of the PTI had clearly stated they would destroy the country, and the actions of the PTI were proving so.”
Dr Malik spoke in detail over the May 9 incident, adding that on that day the memorials of martyrs were desecrated. He highlighted that inflation in the country was gradually decreasing, and all economic indicators showed that the country was moving towards stability and alleviating poverty, reducing inflation, and providing job opportunities to the youth are the government’s foremost priorities.
He said despite economic challenges, the government had allocated Rs600 billion in the current federal budget to uplift poor people. He said the current government had allocated funds for the construction of dams, roads, and motorways, which will create job opportunities.
He said development projects were being executed, especially in backward areas, to provide job opportunities to locals, and noted that Rs50 billion had been allocated to protect 86 per cent of electricity consumers in the country for the next three months.
The minister added that the government was determined to provide more relief to the masses and improve hospitals, digitise the Federal Board of Revenue and privatise state-owned enterprises.
PTI’s reaction
Commenting on the presser, PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan slammed the federal minister and accused him of dual standards. “On one hand, our workers are being picked by the police and other law enforcement agencies and, on the other, they are inviting us to talks,” Barrister Gohar Khan in a statement aired by TV channels.
He referred to the harsh language used by Mr Malik in his press conference and said this was not the way for a political party to address other political forces. “We will only take the talks offer seriously after your own attitude becomes serious,” the PTI chairman said.
Last month during the budget session of the National Assembly, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had made an offer to the opposition PTI for a dialogue, but it was immediately rejected by the opposition which made it conditional with the release of former premier Imran Khan and other party leaders and activists.
“If any hardships are being faced by your [PTI’s] founder in jail, then [let’s] talk about them,” the PM had stated in the National Assembly, addressing PTI members who kept highlighting their alleged political victimisation and decried the alleged mistreatment of Mr Khan in jail during their speeches on cut motions related to the federal budget.
In his speech, Mr Sharif recalled how PML-N leaders such as Rana Sanaullah and Khawaja Asif were allegedly forced to sleep on the floor inside the jail. He, however, said they did not want to see their opponents facing the same hardships which they had faced in the past. “Once again I say today, come, let’s sit and talk, and we can sort out the problems,” he added.
“In 76 years (since the country’s independence), we’ve [politicians] reached a point where we are even hesitating to shake hands with one another,” he regretted.
Leader of the opposition Omar Ayub Khan, however, immediately responded with stringent preconditions and retorted that the “Form 47 prime minister has talked (about reconciliation). Had there been (members elected on) Form 45 people, Imran Khan would have been the prime minister today”.
He added: “Talks will take place when Imran Khan is out of jail and when our members are out [of jail].” He accused the government of subjecting Mr Khan to harsh conditions and subjecting party members to torture. “We will not talk. Imran Khan has been kept in a death cell and an oven,” he said.
Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2024
]]>NEW DELHI: A gunfight in India-held Kashmir killed the eleventh Indian soldier there this month, India’s military said on Saturday.
The military alleged “a group of two or three people” crossed the Line of Control and fired at an Indian army post in Kupwara “from close proximity”.
An Indian soldier succumbed to his injuries during treatment, while another was injured but in stable condition, the statement added.
The Indian military said one intruder was killed in the ensuing exchange of fire and weapons, ammunition and war like stores were recovered from him.
The soldier was the 11th killed in India-held Kashmir this month following a spate of attacks, mostly in the southern Jammu region.
Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2024
]]>• Proposal to withdraw free petrol for all institutions in second phase under review
• Defence minister claims parliamentarians do not get free electricity
LAHORE: The Ministry of Energy has devised a plan to end free electricity benefits for bureaucrats, judges, parliamentarians and other officials amid mounting criticism over the substantial capacity charges paid to independent power producers (IPPs).
According to a Geo TV report, the proposal suggests cutting off free electricity for all government and semi-government institutions, including bureaucrats, judges and parliamentarians.
However, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), Defence Minister Khawaja Asif rejected the impression that parliamentarians receive free electricity.
“The parliamentarians do not get free electricity facilities. I can show my electricity bills of 35 years paid from my personal pocket,” he said.
Mr Asif suggested that judges and bureaucrats should be asked about their electricity benefits.
The news channel’s report also indicated a proposal to eliminate free petrol facilities for all institutions in the second phase.
The ministry’s proposal comes as the country is going through a severe financial crisis, exacerbated by significant foreign debt. Experts say that the government must take extraordinary measures to avoid default and boost exports to $60 billion.
It was reported that according to the ministry’s proposal, legitimate facilities will be provided only to industries and businesses, while a proposal to reduce Maximum Demand Indicator (MDI) charges for factories was also under consideration.
The power division meeting also proposed reviewing the performance of the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) and the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra).
On Friday, the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) announced plans to petition the Supreme Court against IPP owners, seeking an audit of their projects.
At a press conference at the Karachi Press Club, Awaam Pakistan Party leader and former finance minister Miftah Ismail accused distribution companies (Discos) of overcharging electricity bills, contributing to the country’s instability due to high power tariffs.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Business Forum (PBF) president Khawaja Mehboobur Rehman and its south Punjab chairman, Malik Talat Suhail, criticised power purchase agreements (PPAs) with IPPs, stating they were made without proper consideration, pushing the nation and industry towards economic collapse. The business community of south Punjab expressed these concerns at a press conference in Multan.
Mr Rehman said that contracts with IPPs mandate the procurement of a set minimum quantity of power, with Chinese IPP payables alone nearing $2 billion and the government currently finalising a payment schedule for these debts.
The PBF president demanded that the federal government conduct forensic audits of IPPs, including investment, technical, and financial audits, to identify any financial irregularities or potential criminal behaviour. He also called for a fuel audit to verify the accuracy of IPPs’ reported fuel usage and expenses.
Mr Suhail urged the federal government to renegotiate contracts with IPPs to address tariff adjustments, payment terms and contractual responsibilities. He suggested exploring alternative energy resources, promoting hydroelectric and renewable energy, and paying IPP owners in rupees instead of dollars to potentially save Rs5.5 trillion.
Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2024
]]>LAKKI MARWAT: An anti-terrorism court remanded two dozen suspected militants on Saturday in the custody of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of police in Bannu for 25 days.
The suspects were held during a cleanup operation in Bannu following an agreement between Aman Jirga and the government.
An official said police had also seized arms and ammunition from the suspected militants, impounded their vehicles and eliminated their hideouts during the operation. He said the suspects were handed over to the CTD, where cases were registered against them under relevant sections of the law.
A day earlier Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur while addressing a public rally in Bannu had asked the police to go after armed groups across the province.
On Saturday, the CTD produced 24 suspects in the local anti-terrorism court and sought their physical remand for a month.
Sources said the suspects were identified as Niaz, Awaz Khan, Rehan, Rahman, Azizur Rehman, Armani, Hidayatullah, Masha Jan, Kiramatullah, Sheryar, Waseem, Ahmad Khaliq, Bakht Wali, Hamid Khan, Dashat Khan, Mulaqati Khan, Munir Shah, Mohammad Anwar Shah, Mohammad Ishaq, Abdul Hameed Shah, Wali Rehman, Junaid, Amjad and Asif.
After considering the facts and circ*mstances of the case, the court remanded the suspects in CTD custody for 25 days, subject to their pre- and post-medical examination, to complete investigation.
Police said the militants were charged under different sections including Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.
Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2024
]]>PESHAWAR: Security forces killed four militants in a joint intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Tank district on Saturday, the military’s media wing said.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement that the operation was launched based on reports of militant presence in the area. An intense exchange of fire ensued between security forces and the militants, resulting in the deaths of four militants.
“After intense fire exchange, four terrorists were killed,” the ISPR said, adding that weapons and ammunition were recovered from the deceased militants, who were involved in numerous attacks against security forces, as well as abductions and targeted killings of civilians.
It said that a sanitisation operation was underway to eliminate any remaining militants in the area.
On Friday, security forces reported the killing of a close associate of militant commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur in North Waziristan. The ISPR stated that the operation was conducted based on the reported presence of militants, leading to an intense firefight. One militant, identified as Razzaq, was gunned down.
It said that Razzaq was alleged to have facilitated a suicide attack in North Waziristan in May, which resulted in the martyrdom of seven security personnel, including two officers.
A group affiliated with Hafiz Gul Bahadur claimed responsibility for the attack.
Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2024
]]>VIENTIANE: The top diplomats of China and the US sparred on Saturday over the South China Sea, where Beijing is locked in a territorial dispute with US treaty ally the Philippines.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met on the sidelines of a foreign ministers meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Laos.
The US hailed the meeting as “open and productive,” after Blinken had criticised Beijing’s “escalatory and unlawful actions” in the South China Sea. Chinese and Filipino ships have clashed in the waterway, fuelling fears of a conflict that could drag in the US due to its mutual defence treaty with Manila.
The US should “refrain from fanning the flames, stirring up trouble and undermining stability at sea,” Wang said at the meeting, according to a foreign ministry statement.
During the meeting, which a State Department official said lasted one hour and twenty minutes, Blinken also raised US concerns over China’s support for Russia as it wages war in Ukraine. The two had had not arranged another meeting.
Stormy seas
Beijing claims the South China Sea — through which trillions of dollars of trade passes annually — almost in its entirety despite an international court ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.
According to a Chinese foreign ministry statement released later, Wang said the deal was a “temporary arrangement... to manage the situation,” without giving details.
On Friday, Wang called on the Philippines to “honour its commitments” under the deal rather than “backtracking or creating complications”, warning Beijing would “respond resolutely” to any violation.
Blinken’s stop in Laos is part of a multi-nation Asia visit to reinforce regional ties in the face of Beijing’s growing assertiveness, including in the South China Sea, and its deepening ties with Moscow.
He arrived in Laos two days after the foreign ministers of China and Russia met with the 10-nation Asean bloc.
Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2024
]]>CAIRO: At least 30 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school housing displaced people in Gaza on Saturday, Palestinian health officials said.
The Hamas-run government media office said 15 children and eight women were among those killed in the strike in the central town of Deir Al-Balah. More than 100 people were wounded, the media office and the Gaza health ministry said.
Israel’s military said it had targeted fighters operating there and that it had taken steps to reduce the risk to civilians.
Separately, nine people were killed in a rocket attack on a football ground in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday.
Eleven dead as rocket hits football pitch in occupied Golan Heights
At Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah, ambulances rushed the wounded in for treatment. Some people arrived on foot, their clothes stained with blood.
Reuters footage showed people returning to the site of the bombing to check on their belongings, and fires burning in the area.
Um Hasan Ali, a displaced woman living at the school, said it had only been a couple of months since she returned to Gaza from Egypt with her daughter who had been taken there for medical treatment. Now her daughter had been wounded in the strike and taken to hospital, she said.
Another woman, Ibtihal Ahmed, told Reuters she was sitting in a neighbour’s tent when she heard heavy bombing.
“I started running, my daughter was one place and I was at another, I saw people running towards the place that was struck. The people sheltering in Khadija school are all wounded people, they are innocent and this should not happen to them,” she said.
On Saturday, the military said it had instructed Palestinians to evacuate the southern neighborhoods of Khan Younis and move to the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone. Israeli attacks in Khan Younis on Saturday killed 14 people, health officials said.
UN and humanitarian officials accuse Israel of using disproportionate force in the war and of failing to ensure civilians have safe places to go, which it denies.
In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, blamed the Israeli attacks on the support of the US.
Rocket attack
A rocket fired from Lebanon hit a football pitch in an Arab town in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights on Saturday, killing 11 youngsters in what the army described as the “deadliest attack on Israeli civilians since October 7”.
The Israeli army alleged that Lebanese group Hezbollah fired the deadly rocket that killed the youngsters aged between 10 and 20 years when they were hit on the pitch in the town of Majdal Shams.
Hezbollah denied it was responsible for the deadly strike. “The Islamic Resistance has no connection to this incident,” it said, referring to its military wing.
Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said on X that 11 youngsters were killed in the attack, while the emergency service Magen David Adom said 19 others were wounded when the rocket hit Majdal Shams.
Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2024
]]>The federal government has formed a joint investigation committee (JIT) to probe those creating “chaos and disorder” in the country through “malicious social media campaigns”, it emerged on Saturday.
While the move comes days after the interior ministry announced a JIT was being formed to probe the suspicion of PTI’s alleged involvement in “anti-state propaganda”, the notification does not mention the party.
PTI information secretary Raoof Hasan was arrested on Monday during a raid conducted by the Islamabad police and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on the party’s Central Office.
Subsequently, it had emerged that the FIA’s cybercrime wing had booked Hasan and 11 others under Sections 9 (glorification of an offence), 10 (cyberterrorism) and 11 (electronic forgery) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 (Peca).
The physical remand of Hasan and eight others was extended on Thursday and is due to expire tomorrow, while two women named in the case were remanded into judicial custody.
PTI MNA Gohar Khan had linked the action against his party to the Supreme Court’s order in the reserved seats case, which set the PTI to emerge as the single largest party in the National Assembly.
In a notification issued on Friday, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, the interior ministry said the JIT was constituted in terms of Section 30 (power to investigate) of Peca.
Islamabad Inspector General of Police (IGP) Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi would convene the JIT with the other four members comprising the FIA’s cybercrime director, FIA’s Counter Terrorism Wing director, Islamabad deputy inspector general (DIG) of police (investigation) and the Counter-Terrorism Department’s senior superintendent of police
“Any other co-opted member” could also be made part of the JIT, the notification stated.
It added the JIT shall “investigate and determine the organised objectives of the accused and their accomplices who have created chaos and disorder in Pakistan through malicious social media campaign”.
It would “identify and prosecute the culprits in accordance with the applicable laws” with the Islamabad police headquarters providing secretarial support to the JIT, the ministry notification said.
According to Section 30 of Peca, onlyanauthorisedofficerofaninvestigationagencyshallhavethe powertoinvestigateanoffenceundertheact.
“Providedthatthefederalgovernmentortheprovincialgovernmentmay,asthecasemaybe, constituteoneormoreJITscomprisingofanauthorisedofficerofthe investigationagencyandanyotherlawenforcementagencyforinvestigationofanoffenceunderthis Actandanyotherlawforthetimebeinginforce,” it says.
]]>High expectations of our Olympians fizzled out on the first day of events in Paris as Kishmala Talat and Gulfam Joseph failed to advance to the finals in their respective 10-metre Air Pistol events.
Two-time Olympian Joseph finished 22nd in the qualification round with a final score of 571.
Saturday afternoon’s performance was markedly different from his 578 score at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics where he narrowly missed the finals with a ninth-place finish.
Serbia’s Damir Mikec led the 33-person qualifier with an impressive 584, followed by Italy’s Federico Nilo Maldini with a 581 and Germany’s Christian Reitz who scored 580 and picked up a bronze medal at the Tokyo Games.
The men’s final being held on Sunday will not be featuring any South Asians as India’s Sarabjot Singh — who took home gold in the event in Tokyo — finished in ninth place with a 577 while compatriot Arjun Singh Cheema ranked at 18 with a final score of 574.
Meanwhile, Talat finished in 31st place at her Olympic debut in the 10m Air Pistol Women’s event with a final score of 567.
The women’s field was led by Hungary’s Veronika Major, who finished in 34th place at the Tokyo Olympics and South Korea’s Ye Jin Oh, both scoring 584, while India’s Manu Bhaker finished in third place.
Bhaker made an impressive comeback in the event after a 12th-place finish in Tokyo following a gun malfunction.
The Pakistani duo will be back in action on July 29 in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event. Over on the Indian side are Cheema and Rhythm Sangwan, who finished at 15th place in the women’s event at her Olympic debut.
Earlier this year, 22-year-old Talat became the first Pakistani woman to directly qualify for the Olympics after clinching silver at the 2024 Asian Shooting Championships.
Her third and final event in Paris will be the 25m Pistol Women’s qualification round.
]]>Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Saturday warned of expanding its Rawalpindi sit-in to other areas across the country if the government did not accept its demands regarding high power bills and rise in taxes.
Addressing the sit-in at Liaquat Bagh, Rehman said, “If the government is thinking that the sit-in would continue on Murree Road only, it is its wishful thinking.
“If they do not reduce electricity bills in a genuine manner, do not address the matter of IPPs (independent power producers) and do not revoke the [tax] slab on the salaried class, then this sit-in would not remain limited to here; it would spread further to the entire country.”
A day ago, the government had managed to convince the party to agree to shift its protest against inflation and exorbitant electricity bills — which paralysed the capital and its twin city — from D-Chowk in the Red Zone to Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh.
The decision to change location had come after the government held talks with the JI leadership. Around 40 JI workers and supporters were arrested from various areas while trying to make their way into the capital to attend the demonstration.
Due to the sit-in, Murree Road from Mareer Chowk to Committee Chowk is closed to traffic while Metro Bus service has also been suspended, prolonging residents’ hardships as extraordinary security measures had been employed earlier ahead of the JI and PTI protests.
In his speech today, the JI chief reiterated his demand to release all arrested workers and officially clarify details regarding a committee to hold talks with the party.
“I want to tell the government to not remain in any illusion. We have arrived here and will formulate a plan of action on a daily basis. We will not leave from here, God-willing,” he said.
“The government has only one way,” Rehman said as he detailed his party’s demands.
“If they would not bring the talks on the right path; if they would not form a proper committee, reduce electricity bills in a genuine manner, revoke this [petroleum] levy and end tax slabs on the salaried class introduced in this budget … these are genuine demands […].”
“[Power] plants had availed ten times the amount invested in them. Those running their plants properly should be renegotiated with, but a forensic audit should be conducted of those committing fraud,” Rehman asserted, demanding that government officials involved in wrongful business should be “punished strictly”.
Regarding electricity bills, the JI leader said that it was the first time in Pakistan that even industrialists were lamenting about not being able to pay their bills and attempting to get them deferred.
“I met traders and industrialists here in the past week and they lamented ‘we are at our limits and cannot run our factories anymore’,” he added.
Rehman pointed out that the closure of a single factory results in thousands of people losing their jobs.
He suggested that export duties on various sectors be revoked and that taxes be imposed on elites instead of adding them to the masses’ electricity bills. He also called on the government to end exemptions availed by its officials and reduce their own privileges.
“They say they’re bringing traders in the tax next under the banner of ‘Tajir Dost Scheme’. We and the traders are ready to be brought under the net […] If there is any rightful tax, the traders will accept it,” the JI chief said.
“If the government is serious, it will have to take action and grant relief [to the public,” Rehman asserted.
Speaking about the change in the sit-in’s location, the JI emir said he agreed to do so as otherwise, the government would have “sabotaged” the demonstration by using police force, leaving “no ray of hope” for the masses.
“If we wanted, we could have reached D-Chowk and they (government) could not have stopped us. But what would have happened? They would have created a ruckus.”
Meanwhile, in a post on X, the party announced a “grand public rally” tomorrow (Sunday) at Liaquat Bagh — the venue of the current sit-in — after evening Maghrib prayers.
Additional input from Tahir Naseer
]]>Two Japanese climbers went missing while attempting to scale the 8,611-metre-tall K2 peak, the second-highest mountain in the world, on Saturday morning.
Shigar Deputy Commissioner (DC) Waliullah Falahi told Dawn.com that Japanese climbers Kazuya Hirade and Kenro Nakajima fell down from a height of 7,500m, west of K2.
He said Pakistan Army helicopters conducted a search operation in the area, adding that two military helicopters flew from Skardu and searched for the climbers at the peak.
He said they spotted the fallen climbers below the 100m mark but it was observed that the men had no movement.
The DC said the helicopters could not land or hover at the altitude, adding that a ground rescue team would be prepared to retrieve the two men.
He said it was not known if either of them was alive or dead.
Meanwhile, 12 Pakistanis, one Russian and two Nepalese climbers summited Broad Peak (8,051m) on Saturday morning in a short window with good weather.
During summit pushes at K2 and Gasherbrum-I, climbers reached a decisive stage days before the end of climbing season at the Karakoram range, aiming to reach the summits on Sunday.
More than 2,000 local and foreign mountaineers are attempting to scale mountains in Gilgit-Baltistan this year, including eight-thousanders (mountains exceeding 8,000m in height) K2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum-I, Gasherbrum-II and Nanga Parbat.
According to Karakoram Expeditions, led by renowned climber Mirza Ali, nine members of the expedition Ahmed Baig, Arshad Karim, Rizwan Dad, Waqar Ali, Daulat Muhammad, Afreen Shah, Zaman Karim from Shimshal Valley of Gilgit-Baltistan, Murad Ali from Balochistan and Iya Pershina from Russia summited Broad peak at 7:15am today.
“We are excited to announce that Team Karakorum Expeditions has successfully summited Broad Peak and fixed ropes all the way to the summit this morning! Braving waist-deep snow, our team worked tirelessly through challenging conditions all night long,” the company posted on its Facebook page.
The post adds that the team departed from Camp 2 at 5:30am and continued from Camp 3 at 11am, “ploughing through deep snow and navigating new exposed crevasses”.
Mirza, whose sister is renowned mountaineer Samina Baig, expressed his pride: “I am overjoyed by the courage and tenacity of my team. Their ability to navigate through waist-deep snow and install fixed ropes all the way to the summit exemplifies the spirit of mountaineering.”
Another four-member expedition from the Pakistani Broadboy Adventures team, led by Shehroze Kashif — the youngest Pakistani climber to summit K2 — successfully scaled Broad Peak at 11:30am, raising the green flag high.
In a statement, Kashif said the challenging expedition had a narrow window but was worth every effort.
The summiteers included Aamar Butt, a resident of the USA; Anum Uzair from Lahore and Ali Akbar and Ali, both from GB’s Houshe.
“We are eagerly waiting and praying for their safe descent to Basecamp,” Kashif added.
Meanwhile, Sunu Sherpa from Nepal set a world record for climbing the peak a third time with Summit Karakoram.
Summit Karakoram CEO Iqbal Qadri told Dawn that Sunu was climbing in Alpine style. Sunu has summited the world’s 14 eight-thousanders twice.
“Sunu Sherpa now attempting to scale 14 eight-thousanders for the third time, he is going to set a world record,” he said.
He congratulated Sunu on successfully climbing Broad Peak. “Your determination, skill, and perseverance have paid off, and this achievement is a testament to your exceptional mountaineering abilities. Well done!” he said.
Imagine Nepal expedition member Pasang Namgyal Sherpa also conquered Broad Peak on Saturday morning.
A statement from the organiser read, “Our esteemed senior climbing guide, Pasang Namgyal Sherpa, has successfully summited Broad Peak this morning, on Saturday.
“We are profoundly proud of his extraordinary feats and eagerly anticipate his future pursuits in high-altitude climbing. Heartiest congratulations, Pasang Namgyal Sherpa, on this historic triumph!” the post concluded
Climbers waited at K2 base camp for good weather for one month, before pushing for the summit on Friday.
On Saturday, the foreign and local climbers were able to reach Camp 4. Mingma G, the owner of Imagine Nepal and one of the climbers, said on Facebook that a rope-fixing team was at work to help the expedition reach the summit.
“We didn’t expect this much snow on K2 this time after weeks and weeks of high wind. I am another Instagram finger activists reporting from camp3,” Mingma wrote.
“Hopefully write here again from K2 summit tomorrow morning.”
]]>Kazakhstan duo Alexandra Le and Islam Satpayev won the first medal of the Olympic Games on Saturday after claiming bronze in the 10-metre mixed team air rifle event.
Meanwhile, heavy rain disrupted the first full day of medal action at the Olympics as attention turned to sport after a spectacular but soggy opening ceremony.
Le and Satpayev cruised to victory over Germany’s Maximilian Ulbrich and Anna Janssen, outscoring their opponents 17-5.
A total of 14 golds are due to be up for grabs, with the first to come in the mixed-team 10-metre air rifle finals, taking place around 10:30 am local time.
But that number was swiftly reduced to 13 early on Saturday as the wet weather which deluged Friday night’s audacious opening ceremony along the River Seine continued to cause headaches.
The men’s street skateboarding competition, due to take place at the Place de la Concorde in the historic heart of Paris, was postponed until Monday due to rain overnight, organisers said.
The spectre of disruption also loomed over the opening rounds of tennis at Roland Garros, where only two of the 12 courts have roofs.
Torrential rain had lashed participants and spectators in Friday’s amphibious opening ceremony, where around 7,000 athletes paraded along the Seine in an armada of boats before a show-stopping finale which climaxed with a glittering light show at the Eiffel Tower and a performance from singer Celine Dion.
The ceremony received broadly favourable reviews, with France’s centre-right Le Figaro daily describing it as “full of surprises but often disjointed.”
Swimming duel
Elsewhere on the sporting front, swimming, badminton, rowing, cycling, hockey and basketball get underway along with the surfing competition, nearly 16,000 kilometres away on the French Pacific island of Tahiti.
Swimming will take centre stage at the La Defense Arena for the women’s 400m freestyle — one of the most-anticipated events of the entire Olympics involving three swimmers who have held the world record.
Australia’s defending champion Ariarne Titmus will dive in as favourite after clocking the second-fastest time ever last month behind only her own 3-minute, 55.38-second world best.
She stunned US rival Katie Ledecky in an electric Tokyo final three years ago, with the American great gunning for revenge.
Canadian teenage sensation Summer McIntosh, also a former world record holder, completes the hotly favoured trio.
Other gold medals on offer on the first night of action in the pool come in the men’s 400m freestyle and the men’s and women’s 4x100m freestyle relays.
Reigning French Open champions Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz are among the top draws on the first day of action on the clay courts of Roland Garros — weather permitting.
Women’s world number one Swiatek is first on court against Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu, with Alcaraz to follow against Lebanese world number 275 Hady Habib.
But the biggest focus will be on the men’s doubles, with Alcaraz teaming up with 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal in a Spanish dream pairing.
Chinese shooters Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihao will start as favourites for the first gold of the Games after a dominant victory at last year’s world championships in Baku.
Medals will also be on offer early Saturday in the diving pool, with the women’s synchronised 3m springboard final, where another Chinese pairing, Chang Yani and Chen Yiwen, are favourites to strike gold.
The first cycling medals of the games will be decided with the men’s and women’s individual times trials taking place on a challenging 32.4-kilometre course.French rugby fans will flock to the Stade de France to see if Antoine Dupont can lead the host nation to gold in rugby sevens.
France however must overcome South Africa in Saturday’s semi-finals to reach the gold medal match against the winner of the other last-four clash between holders Fiji and Australia.
Yoon says South Koreans surprised over ‘DPRK’ introduction
As the South Korean delegation rode a boat on the Seine River and entered the ceremony as the 48th participating nation, the French-speaking presenter introduced them using the official name for North Korea: “Republique populaire democratique de Coree” in French, then “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” in English.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol told IOC President Thomas Bach that mistakes such as introducing South Korean athletes as from North Korea should not be repeated, his office said.
Speaking by telephone, he conveyed his wish for a successful Olympic Games.
Bach conveyed an apology over the incident and Yoon said the people of South Korea, which has hosted summer and winter Olympic Games, were surprised and baffled, Yoon’s office said.
The error sparked displeased reactions in South Korea, a global cultural and technological powerhouse that is technically still at war with the nuclear-armed and impoverished North, as the 1950-1953 conflict ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
South Korea’s sports ministry also expressed regret over the gaffe during the opening ceremony.
South Korea’s sports ministry “expresses regret over the announcement during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the South Korean delegation was introduced as the North Korean team,” it said in a statement.
Second Vice Sports Minister Jang Mi-ran, a 2008 Olympic weightlifting champion, has asked for a meeting with International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Thomas Bach to discuss the matter, it added.
The sports ministry has also asked the foreign ministry to “deliver a strong protest to the French side” over the issue, it said.
South Korea’s National Olympic Committee plans to meet with the Paris Olympics Organising Committee and the IOC to voice their protest, request measures to prevent a recurrence, and send an official letter of protest under the name of the head of its delegation, the sports ministry said.
The International Olympic Committee issued an apology for the gaffe.
“We deeply apologise for the mistake that occurred when introducing the South Korean team during the broadcast of the opening ceremony,” the IOC said in a post on its official Korean-language X account.
]]>WASHINGTON: Influential US Senator Marco Rubio introduced a bill in Congress on Friday, pledging to help India combat China’s growing influence and address alleged threats from Pakistan.
The proposed US-India Defence Cooperation Act strongly supports “technology transfers” to India and urges the administration to “treat India as if it were of the same status as US allies such as Japan, Israel, South Korea, and Nato members.”
Rubio, a Republican senator from Florida who has held his seat since 2011, delivered the Republican response to President Obama’s State of the Union Address in 2013.
He ran for president in 2015, winning primaries in several states, but exited the race in 2016.
The bill requires the US administration to submit “a report to Congress on Pakistan’s use of offensive force, including through terrorism and proxy groups, against India”.
It proposes to “bar Pakistan from receiving security assistance if it is found to have sponsored terrorism against India”.
If enacted, this legislation could have significant implications for Pakistan, particularly at a time when Islamabad and Washington are working to strengthen their bilateral relationship.
Providing India with advanced weapons typically reserved for close US allies and Nato members could undermine Pakistan’s defence capabilities and constrain its ability to respond to Indian aggression in the region.
Although the bill is unlikely to advance in the current Congress, which is ending its session this year, it may be reintroduced in the next Congress, given the bipartisan support for enhancing the India-US relationship.
The bill argues that the US-India partnership is vital to countering influences from China and suggests enhancing Washington’s “strategic diplomatic, economic, and military relationship” with New Delhi.
Senator Rubio said the proposed legislation would “set a statement of policy that the US will support India in its response to growing threats to its territorial integrity, provide necessary security assistance to India to deter adversaries, and cooperate with India with respect to defence, civil space, technology, medicine, and economic investments.”
The bill suggests providing a limited exemption for India from CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) sanctions, which are a set of US sanctions aimed at countering Russia’s influence.
The CAATSA sanctions target Russian defence and intelligence sectors, and countries that engage in significant transactions with these sectors may face secondary sanctions.
The proposed exemption would allow India to purchase Russian equipment currently used by the Indian military without facing US sanctions.
The bill seeks a ‘Sense of Congress’ statement that “expeditious consideration of certifications of letters of offer to sell defence articles, defence services, design and construction services, and major defence equipment to India is consistent with US interests.” It notes that “it is in the interest of peace and stability (for) India to have the capabilities needed to deter threats.”
The bill seeks to authorise the Secretary of State to enter into a memorandum of understanding with India to increase military cooperation and expedite excess defence articles to India for two years. Seeking the same status for India as granted to other allies, it calls for expanding international military education and training cooperation with New Delhi.
Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2024
]]>DECAYING and decrepit are the words that jump to mind whenever a mention is made of the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, no less) and this can be attributed to the 14 years of Conservative rule that catered primarily to the needs of the few.
It is abundantly clear that from a social welfare state in the post-war years, it has now regressed to letting the less fortunate, the have-nots fend for themselves. The British pride, the National Health Service (NHS), the prime example, is in tatters, having been systematically deprived of adequate funding.
There was method to this madness. It was aimed at failing the state-run system and promoting and giving an ever-growing stake to the private sector companies in the health sector. This, despite the American example of a similar private sector-run system, which may provide state-of-the-art healthcare to those who can pay, but leaves millions without any cover because they can’t afford it.
Despite the growing footprint of the private, profit-driven, companies by stealth in the UK, the Tories continued to harp on about a system that was ‘free at the point of delivery’. That it may be so but gross underfunding of the NHS has created an existential crisis for it. And many on the right see a quick fix in an ever-great private sector role.
It is abundantly clear that from a social welfare state in the post-war years, the UK has regressed.
All opinion surveys show a majority of Britons prefer it over any alternative. Equally, the surveys demonstrate they are also unhappy with the state of affairs. That is not surprising. Underfunding has meant acute shortages of staff from doctors and nurses to technicians.
Our friends visiting us from the UK last week were shocked to see that in a relatively much less prosperous European country, Spain, we could get a doctor’s appointment literally for the next day, whereas they had to wait weeks if they needed to see their GP.
And the GP is the gateway for all diagnostic tests to referrals to specialists in case of need. The list of those needing elective (non-emergency) surgery in the UK has swollen to nearly eight million people. The NHS constitution mandates no more than 18 weeks waiting time for such procedures; the reality is that in many cases more than half the patients have to wait more than 52 weeks.
One could argue that non-emergency surgery can wait. But if you are suffering from cataract and have seriously impaired vision or need a hip or knee replacement because of acute arthritis you are dysfunctional and can’t live a normal life. Ergo, the waiting times are atrocious.
Shortages of GPs and non-availability of appointments mean that people who are ill end up in Hospital Accident and Emergency departments which themselves are short-staffed. Waiting times run into 18-24 hours at A&Es for ailments classified as non-life-threatening.
A friend’s mother in her late 80s who suffers from dementia had to wait 30 hours before she was attended to. Because of her particular predicament, it created a very trying situation for her family members who’d taken her to hospital.
The patients are not the only ones on the receiving end. My elder daughter who is a doctor in the NHS has routinely spoken of feeling burnt out while working in A&E because of the long working hours and the stress of not being able to treat all patients within a reasonable time frame.
Two of her colleagues have said adieu to the profession after investing so much time and effort in becoming doctors because the stress became unbearable and they feared it impacted their decision-making ability adversely. They quit rather than take risks with patient safety.
There have been many signs of the decay in the UK under the Tories. One that affects me personally whenever I travel there is how poorly and callously under-resourced the facilities for the disabled are. I use a wheelchair as an injury has eaten into my ability to walk long distances in short periods of time, as I used to, despite having had polio as a child.
If you need a wheelchair, the UK must be at the bottom of the pile. Yes, we groan and moan endlessly and, I’d say, rightly about the lack of facilities and empathy for those needing extra help in Pakistan but at least at airports I have never experienced any issues getting a wheelchair.
Even with its free market, capitalist ethos, the US has legislation safeguarding the rights of the disabled/ differently abled. Over the years, whenever I have arrived at a US airport I have never had to wait for a wheelchair. It is waiting at the door and the cabin crew ensure I am first off the aircraft.
Spain is no different. In fact, those tasked with facilitating people with special needs always seem to take pride and pleasure in doing their jobs. They are forever smiling. My recent experience at Munich airport was identical.
I shudder at the thought of arriving at London Heathrow or Gatwick airport, for that matter, because the waiting times for a wheelchair and the attitude of most of the special handling staff makes me feel as if I am not wanted, as if my disability is a ruse to bother those presumably paid to assist me.
The family has to go one way and I another. More than once they have gone through immigration, picked up our luggage, exited the arrivals area and waited up to 45 minutes for me outside. A lovely South African-origin Swiss staff member who assisted me at Zurich airport just this last month said they never separated families from passengers with special needs, as it created avoidable anxiety.
When I groaned about how awful things were in the UK, he had the perfect explanation:
“Sir, they colonised us, looted and plundered our resources. That wealth seems to be running out now. And that’s the reason everything is falling apart.”
The writer is a former editor of Dawn.
abbas.nasir@hotmail.com
Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2024
]]>ISLAMABAD: Condemning the circulation of a lewd deepfake video targeting the information minister of Punjab, women lawmakers and other government officials on Friday announced the initiation of a legal battle against those behind the act.
The announcement came at a press conference addressed by Minister of State for IT Shaza Fatima Khawaja, PM’s aide on climate change Romina Khurshid Alam, MNAs Shaista Pervaiz Malik, Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar and others.
A couple of days ago, screenshots from a blurry video were circulated on social media platforms, with several pro-PTI accounts linking it to Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari.
The clip was debunked as being a ‘deepfake’ by fact-checking platform iVerify, which reported that the footage was taken from a p*rnographic video and the minister’s face was superimposed onto it.
IT minister points finger at PTI; pledges to pursue case through FIA
Ms Bokhari has already filed a petition before the Lahore High Court against those spreading the video.
On Friday, the IT minister said the government had obtained the original video and all relevant information, thanking social media platforms for removing the offending content.
She declared that the government would pursue the case effectively and forcefully through the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
Ms Khawaja accused the PTI of being behind the act, saying that they had used deepfake technology to target Ms Bokhari as part of a well-thought-out conspiracy.
Speaking on the occasion, Romina Khurshid Alam said that women serving in politics, media and all other fields of society deserved great respect, adding that the PML-N had pledged to stay away from malicious smear campaigns against women politicians.
MNA Shaista Pervaiz Malik said that no society allows disrespect of women and their use as a tool for nasty politics, calling for a ‘red line’ for all to avoid using foul language and crooked political gimmicks against women.
Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2024
]]>KARACHI: Concerns are rising in Pakistan’s financial sector amid negotiations with Chinese authorities over rescheduling energy sector loans.
On Friday, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb met China’s central bank governor Pan Gongsheng and exchanged views on bilateral finance cooperation, according to a statement from the People’s Bank of China.
Mr Aurangzeb reached Beijing on Thursday for talks on power sector debt relief alongside structural reforms suggested by the International Monetary Fund.
Stakeholders are anxious about the talks’ outcome, fearing significant repercussions for foreign investment and exchange rate stability if things don’t go as desired.
“We believe China will not outright reject Pakistan’s request to reschedule energy sector loans, but the final outcome appears bleak,” said a senior banker closely monitoring the situation.
He said that China was initially reluctant to discuss the issue, leading to a delayed visit, signalling their disagreement with Pakistan over talks related to energy loans.
China has been Pakistan’s largest foreign investor for years. Investment from Hong Kong, which is considered Chinese-approved, also plays a significant role. While Chinese investments have declined, they remain the largest in FY24. Combining investments from China and Hong Kong, foreign direct investment (FDI) amounted to nearly half of Pakistan’s total inflows, which increased by 17 per cent in FY24.
Despite this growth, total inflows were just $1.9 billion, with China ($568 million) and Hong Kong ($338m) contributing a combined $906m.
“Our dependency on China has increased as we negotiate to reschedule $15bn in energy sector loans, receive the highest FDI from China, and rely on them as our largest trade partner,” said S.S. Iqbal, a senior banker. “China has also been providing loans or rescheduling payments to strengthen our reserves.”
On March 23, 2018, the People’s Bank of China signed an agreement with the State Bank of Pakistan to provide a $2bn loan via China’s State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) to shore up Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves.
This loan has been rolled over annually since 2018, with the most recent rollover occurring on Feb 29, 2024. The loan was due in March and was extended for one year.
“While China has supported our reserves, the State Bank stopped a $1.8bn profit outflow to Chinese investors in FY24,” Mr Iqbal said, wondering, “How can the Chinese sit calm and cool with this kind of treatment?”
Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2024
]]>KARACHI: An FIR was registered on behalf of the state on Friday in connection with a gunfight between the two groups of the Bugti family that left five people dead and two others injured on both sides in DHA late on Thursday night, police said.
South DIG Asad Raza said the case had been registered through a police officer under terror and murder charges.
When asked why the case was registered on behalf of the state, the DIG said, “We want to give a strict message to both sides that such an act is not acceptable.”
He explained that if a case had been allowed to be registered by any of the two sides, they would have possibly reached a compromise. However, he added, versions of both sides had been included in the FIR.
DIG says case has been registered under terror and murder charges; versions of both sides mentioned in FIR
According to the FIR lodged by Sub-Inspector Mohammed Saleem Brohi of Darakhshan Police, nine to ten armed men from both sides (led by Fahad Bugti and Ali Haider Bugti) attacked each other near Animal Hospital in Nishat Commercial.
Those killed were identified as Fahad Bugti and Naseebullah on the one side, and Meer Mohsim Bugti, Mir Essa Bugti and Ali on the other.
Ali Haider Bugti and Qaim Ali were injured and taken to hospital.
The DIG said Ali Haider Bugti, who himself was injured, lost two sons in the shootout. Taking action, police detained 17 people from the Bugti clan.
“Eight individuals were arrested soon after the incident while remaining suspects were detained early on Friday morning,” said the DIG.
He stated that two injured members of the Bugti family were shifted to Aga Khan University Hospital for treatment where police had been deployed as investigators were treating the injured as suspects.
He said that both groups — one led by Fahad, nephew of the Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Bugti, and the other led by Mir Ali Haider Bugti, who is also maternal nephew of Nawab Akbar — gave different accounts of the incident.
Fahad’s side claimed they were attacked by Ali Haider’s group and they retaliated in ‘self-defence’. On the other side, the Ali Haider group also claimed that they had been attacked.
DIG Raza said CCTV footage showed Fahad Bugti along with his gunmen came out of his home in two luxury vehicles, while Ali Haider Bugti along with his gunmen/sons was travelling in a single vehicle and they hit Fahad’s vehicle with their car. Then a heavy gun battle broke out between the two sides.
Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed said post-mortem examinations of the bodies were conducted and they sustained multiple firearm injuries.
Meanwhile, Washne Bugti, grandson of Nawab Akbar Bugti and nephew of Fahad Bugti, on Friday urged Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah to look into the matter and instruct the IG police to ensure a fair and free investigation into the matter.
Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2024
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