SC endorsed govt’s stance for transparent Senate polls: attorney general

ISLAMABAD: Attorney General Khalid Javed said on Monday that the Supreme Court (SC) has endorsed the federal government’s stance for holding transparent elections in Senate, ARY News reported.

Attorney General Khalid Javed told ARY News that the federal government has gotten what it was looking for regarding the Senate elections.

He said that the top court asked for a recognisable Senate paper and it was up to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) now whether to print bar code or write serial number. The Supreme Court (SC) also gave its opinion for holding transparent polls in the Senate.

Read: SC directed ECP to ensure transparency in Senate polls: Fawad

The apex court’s opinion was very important that secrecy of ballot papers was not absolute, added the attorney general.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court ruled that the forthcoming Senate elections are to be held through secret ballot under Article 226 of the country’s Constitution.

The apex court’s 4:1 majority decision, however, held that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is empowered to take all measures, including the use of the latest technology, to hold free and fair elections and curb corrupt practices under Article 218 of the Constitution.

Read: Political parties lawyers conclude arguments

A five-judge larger bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed and comprising Justice Mushir Alam, Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Yahya Afridi pronounced the reserved opinion.

Justice Afridi dissented from the majority opinion.

The court reserved its opinion after all the lawyers had concluded their arguments. At the last hearing, Justice Gulzar Ahmed observed that Parliament only passes resolutions for transparency of the electoral process.

Read: ECP issues deadline for Senate election campaigns

Attorney General Khalid Javed after completion of the arguments of the lawyers in his rejoinder argued that the scrutiny of the vote could not hurt the secrecy. “The presidential reference is not based on a political question, but it seeks an interpretation of Article 226,” the AG argued.

“Will the supreme court’s opinion will be final,” Justice Yahya Afridi asked. “The government will be bound to the court’s opinion,” AG said. “A review plea could be filed over the court’s opinion,” Justice Afridi said.

“Review petition could not be filed over the reference,” the state lawyers.

“The court has no relation with the politics, it will only interpret the constitution,” the chief justice said.

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PPP’s Palwasha Khan eligible to contest Senate election: SHC

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) dismissed on Monday an appeal challenging the acceptance of PPP candidate Palwasha Khan’s nomination papers for the coming Senate elections.

A two-judge bench of the SHC, comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Amjad Ali Sahito, heard the appeal.

Also Read: Senate elections to be held through secret ballot: SC gives opinion on presidential reference

During the hearing, the appellant’s lawyer Aqib Rajpar contended before the court that the PPP candidate got her vote transferred to Karachi through forgery to contest the Senate polls from Sindh.

At this, the court observed that there exits law that allows vote transfer. “How a person could be disqualified through a writ petition?” asked the bench. “How did vote transfer from Punjab to Sindh violate the law?”

“This court is not an appellate tribunal to examine documents,” Justice Mazhar observed.

Also Read: SHC declares PTI’s Saifullah Abro eligible to contest Senate election

Earlier, on Feb 22, an election tribunal had rejected a plea against the acceptance of Palwasha Khan’s nomination papers for the upcoming Senate elections. Subsequently, an appeal challenging the tribunal’s verdict was filed before the SHC.

The appellant stated that Palwasha Khan got her vote transferred from Punjab to Karachi overnight to contest the Senate elections on a reserved seat for women from Sindh. The vote transfer is a violation of Article 220 and 226 of the Constitution, he said.

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People want progress, not chaos: CM Buzdar

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has said that business activities affected amid the Covid pandemic are being speedily restored. In a statement issued on Sunday, he added that the people of the province wanted progress and prosperity, not chaos. “Those who were engaged in the politics of chaos should display better sense,” Buzdar said. He added, “Pakistanis would not be hoodwinked by these reckless elements nor would they allow anyone to create obstacles in the process of development and progress. Those who were trying to spread chaos in the country have been exposed.” Read more: Punjab sees highest number of deaths during last 24 hours: NCOC The CM emphasised that national resources were ruthlessly wasted on exhibitory projects by the former rulers in the past. The national exchequer was the trust of the people and now it would be spent only for their welfare and betterment, he promised and said that the government’s direction was right and intention good. Buzdar said, “Those who were leveling allegations should look into their past, which was rife with corruption. Published in The Express Tribune, March 1st, 2021.

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PBF demands subsidy package for agri sector

Pakistan Businesses Forum (PBF) urged the government to announce a comprehensive package for uplifting the agriculture sector. “The farmers comprised 65 per cent of the country’s workforce,” stated PBF Vice President (VP) Ahmad Jawad. Speaking to the media on Sunday, he said that farmers wanted fixing of the minimum support price (MSP) of wheat at Rs2,000 per maund. “They also wanted the MSP of sugarcane at Rs30.” In addition to setting a flat electric power rate of Rs5 per unit for agri tube-wells, subsidies on seeds, fertilisers and other expenses should also be offered as the farmers had had a tough 12 months, which affected the food supply chain, especially fruit and vegetable growers, the business forum VP asserted. Read more: Meeting considers lifting moribund farm sector “While the coronavirus pandemic posed a unique challenge to the entire world, Pakistani farmers also had to simultaneously cope with their annual nemeses - climate change and water scarcity - as the drought further exposed the country's agricultural fault lines.” The VP said, “The food industry of the country faced the worst crises over the past two years.” He elaborated that the performance of agriculture sector declined particularly after the 18th Amendment because of a lack of uniformity in policies, funding and expertise among the provinces. He stressed that a pro-farmer enabling environment was imperative to make the agriculture sector globally competitive and, for the purpose, the sector needed to be given back to federal authorities. The 18th Amendment, he said, made food and agriculture predominantly provincial subjects while food security and exports were in federal domain.   Published in The Express Tribune, March 1st, 2021.

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Pindi CPO transferred to K-P after 16 months

The establishment division has transferred services of the Rawalpindi Central Police Officer (CPO) Ahsan Younas from Punjab to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) under the Rotation Policy 2020, a spokesperson shared on Saturday. As per policy, no officer can remain posted in Punjab for more than two years while Younas served as CPO for 16 months. During his tenure, he introduced digital technology in police proceedings and also tried to improve the station culture through the conducting of open courts and biometric attendance at the police stations. The former CPO also established separate units to change the traditional investigation culture prevailing in the department while also introducing a mess facility at the Rawalpindi Police Lines where officers and personnel are provided free Wi-Fi, food, indoor games, and medical facilities round the clock. He introduced an investigative culture to get the suspects of serious cases sentenced by the courts by accelerating the preparation of challans against the offenders, which assisted the courts in meeting the judicial requirements. With Younas at the helm, the practices of unwarranted summoning of citizens and illegal detention in police stations were also terminated. Upon his transfer, police officers and citizens have put posts on social media in recognition of his services.   Published in The Express Tribune, March 1st, 2021.

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Ladies Club in G-10 to become operational

Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Aamir Ali Ahmed should immediately issue instructions for resumption of work on the long-closed Ladies Club project at Sector G-10 Markaz to provide effective health and club facilities to the citizens, residents appealed on Sunday. According to a CDA spokesperson, the civic authority is committed to restarting the Ladies Club project at Sector G-10. The structure of the project is 100 per cent complete, he said, adding that the building is 97,000 square feet covered area. Bakery shops, movie theatre, children's play area, two banquet halls, two bridal rooms, a swimming pool and other sports facilities such as a gymnasium, aerobics court, two squash and two tennis courts will be available at the facility. CDA chairman has directed the Engineering Wing to resolve all issues and complete the remaining works in the shortest possible time so that the public money spent on this facility can be used properly and club facilities can be provided to the citizens.   Published in The Express Tribune, March 1st, 2021.

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MCI set to regularise street vendors

In what can best be termed as a ‘first’ the federal capital’s metropolitan corporation has become the first municipal body in Pakistan to set-up a dedicated Street Economy Unit. The initiative is in continuation of MCI’s collaboration with Ehsaas programme and Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) for implementation of an effective intervention for streamlining street vending in Islamabad, a press release said on Sunday. Street hawkers are a vulnerable section of society surviving on low income and threatened by arrest and confiscation of inventory by the authorities in the name of anti-encroachment drives. Social activists and development economists have for long stressed for regularising the business of street vendors to protect them from highhandedness of the police and the metropolitan corporation’s officials. MCI Administrator Syeda Shafaq Hashmi was of the view that governance of street vendors had been a low priority area for city authorities. However, the situation had changed with the interest of Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation Dr Sania Nishtar in enhancing street livelihood for the poor and mostly migrant segment. Under her guidance, PIDE has facilitated MCI in the structuring of Street Economy Unit. Besides, instituting effectual governance of street vending, another key objective of this endeavour is to create recognition of street vending as a legitimate vocation and livelihood tool for the poor. Street vending in Islamabad, like other urban centres of Pakistan, is marked with lack of regularisation, haphazard vending, ineffective eviction campaigns, congestion, environmental and corruption issues.     Published in The Express Tribune, March 1st, 2021.

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Traditional sports regain popularity amid Covid pandemic in Punjab

Traditional rural sports have gained the attention of the people during the coronavirus-related restrictions in Punjab. Amid limited recreational opportunities, the people took it as an opportunity to peep into their past and indulge in games they used to play in their childhood. During the early wave of the deadly virus, people remained stuck inside their homes with restricted outdoor activities. But before the start of the second wave, Muhammad Suleman from Chak 345WB started playing traditional games of his childhood like ‘Gulli Danda’, ‘Wanju’, Kabbadi, arm wrestling, volleyball, street cricket, Ludo, marbles’, ‘Stoliya’ and many other games which he played with his elders years ago. “The experience was an unforgettable joy,” he said and added that it also made his son Noman have the taste of the traditional games he had never heard of. Noman Ali said he played the games for the first time ever in his life and found them different and more entertaining than games on a smartphone. Read more: Cricket fever grips Pakistan The healthy activities were on decline in rural areas as people had left activities that they and their elders were once fond of. The lockdown forced countless people to move to their rural hometowns, either due to monetary problems after losing jobs, or, in case of affluent class, to spend some quiet quality time enjoying nature’s beauty and most importantly to be away from the virus risk in urban areas. Ali said, “Playing marbles with age fellows was more entertaining than online games.” An old landlord from the same village, Ashfaq Hussain, said the lockdown had affected life adversely but it did one big favour as it brought the scattered family members back home again to enjoy gossip with one another and play games they had almost forgotten. He said that his two sons were living in different cities for their jobs and they seldom came home due to official responsibilities. “Now my two sons and their families were back home and enjoying family reunion after seven long years under one roof as they used to enjoy over a decade ago. On the other hand, a large number of youngsters could be seen playing different traditional games in the villages while elders played cards, Ludo and other games on the other side.   Published in The Express Tribune, March 1st, 2021.

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Most Lahore parks in disrepair

The Lahore Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) is finding it difficult to fulfill its responsibility of providing a healthy environment and recreational facilities to the citizens due to shortage of funds and lack of interest of the official concerned. About 80 per cent of parks across the provincial capital are in a dilapidated condition, while one six major ones are better maintained. According to PHA Director General Jawad Ahmad Qureshi, a business plan has been prepared to overcome the shortage of funds. The amount generated by implementing the plan would be spent on the beautification of the city, he told The Express Tribune. He said the authority’s first priority was to bring all the parks in the city to the A-category standard, adding that the work would be completed as soon as the required resources were available. Qureshi said the parks were being improved by utilising the available resources. Read more: PHA uproots trees on Murree Road In most areas of the city, the parks lack grass and green belts, while bushes are growing unchecked. The swings are also broken. The dream of a green Lahore also seems to be slipping away. Although more than 7,000 gardeners and officers are receiving about Rs2.4 billion in salary annually, their work in most areas is negligible. According to some estimates, the population of Lahore city has crossed 15 million and the PHA had been assigned the responsibility by the Punjab government to ensure natural beauty and provide healthy recreational facilities to the citizens. Lahore has 813 parks and 3,000 acres of green belts. For their protection and care, there are more than 7,000 employees. The top officers are provided luxury cars, mobile phones, fuel, medical and other facilities. The officers and staff are receiving about Rs2.4 billion rupees in annual salary. A budget of over Rs100 million has been reserved for the maintenance of parks and green belts. All the entrance and exit points of the city are also in a state of disrepair. The major parks of the city like Jilani Park, Lawrence Garden, Iqbal Town, Gulshan-e-Ravi, Jallo Park and Greater Iqbal Park have been in a better condition but problems in their maintenance are also becoming evident. Especially the toilets and jogging tracks are starting to deteriorate. The number of trees appears to be decreasing instead of increasing. The green belts along the main roads are beautiful, but the residential areas present a worse picture. The PHA has divided the parks and green belts into seven zones with three directors and deputy directors in charge. Director Misbahul Hassan Dar oversees Zone V, which includes Gulberg, Faisal Town, Raiwind, Southern Bypass, Khayaban Jinnah and Ring Road. Apart from the major parks, the condition of those in residential areas is not good. Director Farhat Abbas Shah is responsible for Zone II, including north Lahore, Gujjarpura and Shahdara, where the condition of parks is deteriorating the most. Ali Nawaz Shah is responsible for Zone IV, which includes Samanabad, Gulshan-e-Ravi, Sunt Nagar, Sagyan, Babusabu and other areas. The Samanabad Ladies Park is better but the condition of other parks is worse. The condition of Sagyan Bridge Park is better but the condition of green belts is deteriorating. Zahid Iqbal has been assigned the responsibility of director for Canal Road and Jallo Park. However, the Canal Road green belts have given way to homes and business centres. Shah Nawaz Wattoo is Zone III Deputy Director but working as Director for the areas of Tajpura and Ferozepur Road. The condition of the parks in the area is not good. The green belts in Tajpura, Sahafi Colony and Mughalpura are also showing signs of disrepair. Zaheerul Hassan Shah is responsible for the VIP areas of Johar Town, Garden Town, University Road and Model Town in Zone I. The main roads and parks in Garden and Johar Town are good but the parks in the inner populated areas are not properly maintained. Ghulam Mustafa Shah, the Project Director of Gulshan Ravi, is responsible for monitoring parks and green belts in Raiwind, Faisal Town and Gulshan-e-Iqbal. The facilities in main Raiwind area are better maintained, while all other areas appear neglected.   Published in The Express Tribune, March 1st, 2021.

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Police arrest five robbers, recover Rs10m

The Islamabad, Nowshera and Mardan police have arrested a five-member gang of robbers involved in looting Rs10 million from the driver of a private firm on Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway. An official of Mardan police was also part of the gang, said Nowshera District Police Officer (DPO) Najamul Hasnain on Sunday. Talking to the media in the federal capital, DPO Hasnain said that the suspects disguised as excise officials had stopped the driver of a private company on Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway in the precincts of Nowshera police station and looted Rs10 million from him last Friday. The company’s driver, Nihar Ali had informed the police that he had gone from Nowshera to Chakwal to collect payment of the company. On his return, he was stopped by the suspects who introduced themselves as officials of excise and taxation department. However, the suspects took away cash in the vehicle and fled, Nihar Ali said. DPO Hasnain told the media persons that a joint investigation team (JIT) of Nowshera, Mardan and Islamabad was formed to catch the robbers. The team utilised all available resources to probe into the incident scientifically and succeeded in arresting the ringleader of the gang. Later, with the assistance of Islamabad police, a suspect Sharifullah was nabbed from the federal capital and was shifted to Nowshera. Police have recovered the stolen money from the suspects. The business community of Nowshera and Mardan districts and the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ICCI) have appreciated the swift action of police force.   Published in The Express Tribune, March 1st, 2021.

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Three-day spring festival concludes in Muzaffargarh

A three-day spring festival concluded at Fiaz Park on Sunday. A cattle show was arranged by the livestock department on the last day in which animals were presented for exhibition in Muzaffargarh, Punjab. On the occasion, Deputy Commissioner Amjad Shoaib Tareen said that the spring festival was a blessing for the people of the district. He said that the provincial government was utilising all available resources to provide healthy recreational opportunities to the people. Practical steps were being taken to promote local culture and tourism, he added. The DC said that such events would be organised in future also to provide entertainment opportunities to the citizens. Horse dance was also presented which amused the people a lot. Published in The Express Tribune, March 1st, 2021.

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SC directed ECP to ensure transparency in Senate polls: Fawad

ISLAMABAD: Reacting to Supreme Court’s opinion on presidential reference seeking Senate Elections through open ballot, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Monday said that the SC  has endorsed the narrative to end corrupt practices and horse-trading in the Senate polls, ARY News reported. 

Taking on the micro-blogging website, Twitter, Fawad Chaudhry said that the court has not accepted complete secrecy of the ballot in the Senate polls.

سپریم کورٹ نے کرپشن کے خاتمے ،ہارس ٹریڈنگ کی حوصلہ شکنی اور اراکین کے لین دین کے معاملات کو ختم کرنے کے مؤقف کو تسلیم کر لیا ہے اور مکمل خفیہ رائے دہی کا اصول نہیں مانا الیکشن کمیشن کو کہا گیا ہے کہ وہ شفاف انتخابات کیلئے اقدامات کرے جس میں Traceable Ballot شامل ہے

— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) March 1, 2021

 The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has been asked to ensure transparent elections, he added.

Read more: Senate elections to be held through secret ballot: SC gives opinion on presidential reference

The Supreme Court (SC), in its opinion on the presidential reference on open Senate vote has said that Senate elections will be held through secret ballot.

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Oil prices climb after progress on huge US stimulus bill

SINGAPORE: Oil prices rose more than $1 on Monday on optimism in the global economy thanks to progress in a huge US stimulus package and on hopes for improving oil demand as vaccines are rolled out.

Brent crude futures for May rose $1.07, or 1.7%, to $65.49 per barrel by 0042 GMT. The April contract expired on Friday.

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures jumped $1.10, or 1.8%, to $62.60 a barrel.

“Oil prices are recovering this morning in line with most risk assets on the back of the US stimulus bill passing the House and as central banks continue to sabre rattle to ward off market-implied financial tightening,” Stephen Innes, chief global markets strategist at Axi, wrote in a note on Monday.

US House of Representatives passed a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package early Saturday. Democrats who control the chamber approved the sweeping measure by a mostly party-line vote of 219 to 212 and sent it to the Senate, where Democrats planned a legislative manoeuvre to allow them to pass it without the support of Republicans.

More positive news on the coronavirus vaccination front and signs of an improving Asian economy also boosted prices.

A US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory panel voted unanimously on Sunday to recommend Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 shot for widespread use, and US officials said initial shipments would start on Sunday.

J&J expects to ship more than 20 million doses by the end of March and 100 million by midyear, enough to vaccinate nearly a third of Americans.

Over in Japan, a private survey showed factory activity expanding at the fastest pace in over two years in February, adding to signs of a rebound in Asian growth.

On the flip side, investors are betting that this week’s meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies, a group known as OPEC+, will result in more supply returning to the market.

“More supply needs to come onto the market to ensure OPEC+ meets incremental demand and keeps internal discipline ducks in a row,” Innes added.

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ATC issues non-bailable arrest warrants of PTM leaders

KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Karachi has issued non-bailable arrest warrants of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) leaders Manzoor Pashteen and Mohsin Javed Dawar in a case related to inflammatory speech and sedition, ARY News reported on Monday.

The ATC made major progress in inflammatory speech and sedition case against the PTM leaders Manzoor Pashteen. During the hearing, the anti-terrorism court approved the interim challan against Pashteen and Dawar which declared the PTM leaders as fugitives.

Later, the court issued non-bailable arrest warrants against them and ordered the authorities to arrest and produce the accused till March 9.

Read: Accused PTM lawmaker Ali Wazir brought to Karachi in special flight

According to the police challan, five more arrests were made against those nominated in the case. The arrested persons included Javed, Tahir, Ibrahim, Naimat and Sarwar over allegedly delivering objectionable remarks against the national institutions.

It is pertinent to mention here that the case was registered against PTM’s Ali Wazir and others in the Sohrab Goth police station in Karachi.

Earlier in February, the ATC had ordered to block National Computerized Identity Cards (CNICs) of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) leaders Manzoor Pashteen and Mohsin Javed Dawar.

Read: Sindh govt approved case against Ali Wazir, investigaion officer tells ATC

Both Manzoor Pashteen and Mohsin Dawar had been declared fugitives in the case, after their continued non-appearance before the court.

The PTM, formerly the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement, gained momentum following the extra-judicial murder of Naqeebullah Mehsud in Karachi.

It sought capital punishment for the prime suspect in the Naqeebullah murder case, former SSP Malir Rao Anwar, recovery of missing persons and removal of landmines in tribal areas.

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Senate elections to be held through secret ballot under Article 226: SC

The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday announced that Senate elections would be held under Article 226 of the Constitution through secret balloting. However, the Election Commission of Pakistan is empowered to take all measures to curb corrupt practices under Article 218 (3). SC also said that secrecy is not absolute. Earlier, CEC appearing before the bench had stated that secrecy is absolute. Apex court bench member Justice Yahya Afridi has dissented with the majority opinion. A five-judge larger bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed conducted 19 hearings on a presidential reference. (This is a developing story and will be updated accordingly)

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Govt moves to woo disgruntled lawmakers ahead of Senate polls

With all eyes set on the forthcoming Senate elections, the top government officials and main opposition leaders have suspended most of their daily routine activities to spend the coming days, termed vital for electioneering, in the federal capital. Amid the expected tough contest in the upper house, Prime Minister Imran Khan himself has decided to spend the coming three days in parliament where he would hold meetings with disgruntled members of the ruling party and coalition partners in order to address their grievances and garner support. Sources privy to the development told The Express Tribune that Premier Imran would start holding meetings with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNAs from today (Monday). “Due to frequent meetings with lawmakers, the weekly cabinet meeting [on Tuesday] is likely to be postponed,” the sources said, adding that all focus is on the Islamabad seat where a tough contest is expected between PTI candidate Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and Pakistan Democratic Movement’s Yousuf Raza Gilani. “The PM would hold meetings with members of South Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and other provinces who have expressed their reservations over the choice of the candidates,” the sources added. Following the reports of horse-trading, not only the prime minister, but the PTI leaders and the federal ministers have also become stepped up the pace arranging dinner and luncheon programmes in honour of the lawmakers. In a surprising development, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) remained absent from the PTI’s luncheon organised for party and coalition members in Karachi on Sunday. The MQM-P reportedly missed the programme following their meeting with the PPP leaders who visited the party’s Bahadurabad office on Saturday and offered two seats -- one general and one woman’s -- from Sindh Assembly seeking support for Gilani in Islamabad. The MQM, however, sought time to discuss this matter with the party’s coordination committee. Regarding its absence from the PTI’s luncheon that was organised at the house of PTI leader Moulvi Mahmood, the MQM leaders clarified that they were busy with other party activities which was why they could not attend the event. “All parties are involved in preparations for the Senate elections on their own,” the party spokesperson said, adding that they were also involved in similar activities and therefore could not attend the event. “We are in constant touch with the PTI and GDA and there is no misunderstanding between us,” the statement issued from MQM head office said.  The PTI luncheon was attended by Federal Minister Asad Umar, Saifullah Niazi, the chief organiser of PTI, Ali Zaidi, and other leaders of the party along with MPAs and MNAs of the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) led by Pir Pagara who are coalition partners of the federal government. Sources said that Imran has sent his team led by Asad Umar to Karachi to have meetings with the MQM and GDA leaders in order to resolve their issues. “Sindh Governor Imran Ismail has also held meetings with Pir Pagara and the MQM members,” the sources said, adding that another meeting between the GDA, MQM and PTI leaders is also expected in Karachi over the Senate elections. Federal Minister Umar and Saifullah Niazi while speaking to the media persons said Sheikh would win the Senate seat. “There are dissenting voices in the PTI because of its democratic norms and everyone has the right to express their views. It’s not a league in which a worker is expelled from the party for disagreeing with Nawaz Sharif,” Umar said, adding that he had met the members about whom it was being said that they would not vote. “All members are ready to vote,” he said, dispelling the impression of division in the party. He said that in the current situation, our candidates – Sheikh and Fauzia Arshad – would be successful. Zaidi while speaking to reporters said that the opposition is scared that the PTI would win. “The opposition is accustomed to the politics of Changa Manga. We are an alliance; therefore, we have to give a message that we are all one and will continue to be one,” he said. On the other hand, Pir Pagara also held a separate meeting with his party MPAs and MNAs and visited his party MPA Sardar Ali Gohar Khan Mahar who has been inactive in the party following his differences with Pir Pagara over Ghotki by election and other issues. Speaking to the media, Pagara said that his party candidate and other coalition partners, including the PTI and MQM, would win the forthcoming Senate election from Sindh and other provinces too. “The rulers here in Sindh are corrupt due to which the province suffers from bad governance. We have to get rid of the PPP government and should support the PTI and other coalition partners,” he said. The Sources said PPP’s Gilani who happens to be a close relative of Pir Pagra has also approached the latter seeking support for the Islamabad seat, but no official statement or any word has been issued from both on the matter. The PPP has been striving to get more seats from Sindh where polls would be held for 11 seats. There are a total of 168 MPAs in the Sindh Assembly of which 99 belong to the ruling PPP. As per the PPP’s strength, it could win six seats while the other five could go to the joint opposition. But the PPP has been eyeing to bag six to seven seats, giving a tough time to the PTI candidates. Taking notice of Sindh Governor Ismail's meeting with the PTI leaders and coalition lawmakers over the Senate polls, the PPP registered a complaint with the chief election commissioner (CEC) for taking action. "It’s an illegal act because the president of Pakistan and governors of the provinces are not supposed to take part in the Senate election campaign in any manner whatsoever and shall not use their respective offices as well as houses in connection therewith," PPP leader Taj Haider, who is the election in-charge of the party, in a letter addressed to the CEC, said.

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Confusion mounts over troop pullback from Afghanistan

As the Afghan peace process hangs in the balance, Pakistan has advised the Biden administration to speak directly to the Taliban if it wants to extend foreign forces' stay in the war-torn country beyond May. Since taking charge in January, the new US administration, which is currently undertaking a review of the deal with the Taliban, has avoided talking to the Taliban. The policy is totally the opposite of the Trump administration, which had been engaged in direct talks with the Taliban. Pakistan, which has facilitated and brokered the US-Taliban deal, has no objection to the Biden administration's review of the accord but feels that not engaging with the Taliban is not the right approach. "If the US can't withdraw troops either because of logistic or any other reasons, they should directly speak to the Taliban," a senior Pakistani official, who has the firsthand account of the peace efforts, said. As part of the Doha deal, the US troops need to leave Afghanistan by May. However, the US as well as Nato have now indicated that they may not withdraw in summer. The US and Nato insist that troops’ withdrawal is condition-based. Both accused the Taliban of not honouring the commitment. Taliban have been accused of not taking steps to reduce violence as well as not cutting ties with the terrorist groups. The insurgent group, however, rejected the allegation and insisted that they were fully committed to the peace accord. The Taliban, while backing their claims, said since the February 29, 2019 deal, not a single American was killed in Afghanistan. The Taliban have warned the US and international forces of dire consequences if they extend their “occupation”. After a break of several weeks, the crucial intra-Afghan talks resumed in Doha last week. But the success of the process depends on the US approach. Officials here believe that the Biden administration has every right to review the deal but added that the ground situation suggests there is little the US can do other than sticking to the political process. Pakistan is of the view that the US needs to talk directly to the Taliban to convey its concerns and its future strategy. Former US ambassador to Islamabad Richard Olson recently said that the US and Pakistan were aligned on the issue of Afghanistan. However, he added that the alignment was the result of the US embracing Pakistan’s stance on Afghanistan. Pakistan has consistently advocated a political solution to end the war in Afghanistan. The US finally supported that approach during President Trump's tenure, allowing direct negotiations between Washington and the Taliban. But the Trump administration appeared to be indecisive and so far only spoken to the Afghan government. The lack of clarity on part of the Biden administration has further complicated the Afghan peace efforts.

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Cabinet reshuffle after Senate polls on the cards

The federal cabinet is expected to undergo a reshuffle after the much-anticipated Senate elections as Prime Minister Imran Khan is not happy with several key ministers’ performance and has decided that only those would stay in the cabinet who can deliver. Party sources said that performance and delivery are the only things that the premier is interested in as he feels exhausted by hearing excuses after excuses and inordinate delays in the completion of projects for one reason or another for a long time. “It’s time to deliver and the prime minister has this realisation,” a key federal minister, who holds a prominent portfolio, said while requesting anonymity. “The frustration is growing within the party circles and the premier strongly believes that the ministers must start delivering without coming up with excuses,” the minister said. “The threshold for staying in cabinet is performance,” the minister revealed, adding that “heads will roll after Senate polls.” The reshuffle is likely against a backdrop of declining popularity of the ruling party, performance in the by-elections and losing ground to opposition parties and voters expressing their disapproval with the government’s economic policies. While lauding that several economic indicators were moving in the right direction, the minister admitted that “blaming opposition for everything and giving a positive spin to lackluster performance is not working. We have to deliver without coming up with excuses.” The minister revealed that the core party leadership is also concerned that the key ministries are being run by non-PTI ministers and technocrats. Another challenge that the government is facing, the minister said, is that key ministers are neither presenting nor defending their performance on media and the crucial job of narrative-building through performance is left to those who do not have the requisite expertise. The premier frequently chairs spokespersons meetings and issues directions to defend government policies at all the forums, the party insiders said, adding that the they also have acknowledged that the narrative of blaming previous governments is not yielding the desired results anymore in and outside the parliament, saying it is time to back-up the claims earlier made through performance. Publicly, the party insiders said, opposition is blamed but internally there is realisation that performance-based narrative should be presented before people. Cabinet reshuffle, they said, is aimed at maintaining a strong grip on the party, keeping the allies pleased and uplifting the morale of the party. Once the Senate polls are over, they added, the premier will push harder to take government’s performance to a higher level in the remaining time of its five-year tenure. In December 2020, PM Khan while speaking at an event where he invited his cabinet to sign a performance agreement for the coming year had expressed that his ministers “must deliver” on key promises as “the time for performance has arrived”. It is learnt that the PM will rejig the portfolios of several of his ministers once PTI – as expected – takes majority in the Senate. Since 2018 when PTI came to power, the premier has reshuffled cabinet on a number of occasions. The last time he reshuffled his cards was in December 2020 when he elevated his adviser Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh as the full-fledged finance minister and brought high-profile political ally Sheikh Rashid to the interior ministry’s helm. Imran had picked Azam Khan Swati, who was serving as the minister for counter-narcotics, to replace Rashid as the railways minister, while Rashid’s predecessor at the interior ministry, Brig (retd) Ijaz Ahmed Shah, was given the narcotics control ministry, vacated by Swati. Earlier, the premier had carried out a reshuffle of ministers in cabinet positions in April 2020, appointing Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar as the federal minister for economic affairs after taking back charge of the minister for national food security from him two days after his name emerged as a major beneficiary in an investigation report into the recent sugar crisis. In the major cabinet rejig, Syed Fakhar Imam was made federal minister for national food security, Hammad Azhar as federal minister for industries and Azam Swati as federal minister for narcotics control. The prime minister had accepted resignation of MQM-P’s Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui as the federal minister for information technology and telecommunication and MQM-P’s Aminul Haq had replaced him. Among other changes, Babar Awan was appointed as PM’s adviser for parliamentary affairs. In April 2019, PTI stalwart Asad Umar was sacked. Hours after being shown the door, Umar had reportedly said that he was removed by PM because of his “performance” at the post. In the April 2019 cabinet reshuffle after criticism mounted on economic and security policies, the portfolio of information minister was taken away from Fawad Chaudhry, who was named as the federal minister for science and technology. Back then, Hafeez Sheikh was named the adviser on finance; minister of state for interior Shehryar Afridi was made the minister for states and frontier regions (Safron) and PM had made Brig (retd) Ijaz Ahmed Shah the interior minister. Ghulam Sarwar Khan, who previously was the petroleum minister, was named the federal minister for aviation.

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Unraveling mystery: A layman’s guide to senate elections

As voting day draws closer and nominees sweat in anticipation, there is yet a lot to be learned about the upcoming senate elections. Polling in the upper legislative chamber, unlike the general elections, remains a much more puzzling affair for many— including constitutional, legal, political and electoral experts. The prime difference being that this poll, which is held on the basis of what’s called a Single Transferrable Vote, is exclusive to elected representatives in the parliament.  Although the general public may remain out of polling, it is still important to understand the voting process of this national-dialogue-making election. In the past, owing to lack of information, secret ballots have led to many shocking election results. Often times, leaving the whole electoral process with a suspicious aftertaste.  Speaking in the regard, Former Election Commission Secretary Kunwar Dilshad said that the purpose of the Senate is to ensure equal representation of all provinces. “The Senate was formed to represent those who considered themselves separate. In a parliamentary system, the two houses never run by consensus. The National Assembly represents the people and the Senate represents the federal units. Both play important roles. It would be unnatural for the two houses not to disagree,” he told, highlighting importance of Senate elections.  Setting context  The senate, also referred to as the Upper Legislative Chamber or the Upper House of Pakistan’s parliament, is a council of 104 lawmakers; each serving a six year term. However, the entire body is never overhauled at once. Rather, senate elections take place every three years to replace half the senators each time. This year, the 52 senators who were elected in 2015 are due for retirement. Those who make the seat on March 3 2021, will be sent home in 2027.  Electoral ins and outs  The electoral process is such that all members of the National Assembly will be given two ballot papers— one for the general seat and other for the women’s seat. In Punjab and Sindh, members of the Provincial Assembly will be granted three ballot papers, for the election of general, women and technocrat seats. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan however, members of Provincial Assembly members will be given four ballot papers, where the additional ballot will correspond to a minority seat.  The said ballot papers will enlist candidate names in both, English and Urdu. While a blank box adjacent to candidate name on the ballot, is where members of assembly will mark the prefix number for their desired candidate. For instance, if 10 candidates are contesting from Sindh for seven general seats in the senate, then all the members of the Sindh Assembly will be given a ballot paper mentioning names of all 10 candidates without election symbol. The changes  After merger of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with the neighbouring province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, elections were to be held for 48 senate seats this time. However, following uncontested victory of candidates in 11 seats in Punjab, the March 3 elections will now be held for 37 seats instead. The 2021 Senate Elections will thus elect 11 senators from Sindh, 12 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan each, and two from Islamabad to join the Upper House. The math It is also worth knowing that the provincial assemblies also serve as the Electoral College for the senate elections, considering senators from the provincial quota are elected by the votes of their respective provincial assembly members. Senators from Islamabad however, are elected by members of the entire National Assembly.  There are a total of 168 members in the Sindh Assembly. Elections this year are being contested over seven vacant general seats of the senate from Sindh. There are two seats for women technocrats and two seats for which elections are going to be held in the respective provinces. Dividing these seats into 168 seats can therefore determine the golden figure for each seat, in other words, the required number of votes.  For instance: For general senate seats, 24 votes will have to be obtained from the Sindh Assembly. If the two women’s seats in Sindh are divided into a total of 168 members, then the required number of votes; the golden figure; comes down to 84.  Similarly, to secure a womens’ seat from Punjab, a candidate has to get 84 votes. Under the same formula, 21 votes will be required from the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly for general seats, while technocrats’ and women’s seats will require 73 votes. Likewise, a candidate from the Balochistan Assembly will have to secure nine votes to win, while for the seats of women and technocrats, he will have to get the required 33 votes.  Whereas, the entire National Assembly will vote in the two-seat Senate elections in Islamabad. The candidate who gets the majority of votes i.e. 172 votes will thus be considered successful for the elections to the general and women's seats in Islamabad. The legalities Talking about the Presidential Ordinance on Open Ballots and the Presidential Reference in the Supreme Court on Elections, Kanwar Dilshad said that the position of the Election Commission on Senate elections has always been clear and unequivocal. “As the Election Commission is a constitutional body, it is bound to discharge its responsibilities under the Constitution and in this regard, Senate elections cannot be open without amending Article 226 of the Constitution,” he told The Express Tribune

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Senate elections to be held through secret ballot: SC gives opinion on presidential reference

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that the forthcoming Senate elections will be held through the secret ballot under Article 226 of the country’s Constitution, reported ARY News. 

 

The apex court’s 4:1 decision, however, held that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is empowered to take all measures to hold free and fair elections and curb corrupt practices under Article 218. The bench observed that the secrecy is not “absolute”.

A five-judge larger bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed and comprising Justice Mushir Alam, Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Yahya Afridi pronounced the reserved opinion.

Also Read: Supreme Court reserves opinion on Presidential Reference

The court had reserved its opinion after all the lawyers had concluded their arguments. At the last hearing, Justice Gulzar Ahmed observed that Parliament only passes resolutions for transparency of the electoral process.

Attorney General Khalid Javed after completion of the arguments of the lawyers in his rejoinder argued that the scrutiny of the vote could not hurt the secrecy. “The presidential reference is not based on a political question, but it seeks interpretation of the Article 226,” the AG argued.

Also Read: Political parties lawyers conclude arguments

“Will the supreme court’s opinion will be final,” Justice Yahya Afridi asked. “The government will be bound to the court’s opinion,” AG said. “A review plea could be filed over the court’s opinion,” Justice Afridi said.

“Review petition could not be filed over the reference,” the state lawyers. “The court have no relation with the politics, it will only interpret the constitution,” the chief justice said.

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Lockdown enforced in Mirpur amid rising coronavirus cases

MUZAFFARABAD: Lockdown enforced in Mirpur district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), after alarming spike in coronavirus cases, ARY News reported on Monday.

All educational institutions, public transport will remain closed and other religious, political, social and sports activities have also been banned, according to an order issued by the office of the deputy commissioner Mirpur.

According to the notification, all grocery stores, bakeries, meat, fruit and vegetable shops, and LPG cylinder shops would do business from 8am to 4pm twice a week, (Tuesday and Friday), while pharmacies and petrol pumps will be open round the clock throughout the week in accordance with SOPs.

Read more: 1,392 new infections, 36 Covid deaths reported in 24 hours

All marriage halls, parks and recreation centres will remain closed for one month. No hotel would host a wedding party while wedding ceremonies in homes will not be allowed to host more than 25 guests.

Furthermore, only 50 persons are allowed to attend funerals in the district. Magistrates have been appointed to enforce the lockdown orders in the distrct.

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Can you spot the snake in this photo?

Snake catchers in Brisbane and the Gold Coast uploaded a photo of a garage in Australia’s Queensland which left the social media users stumped for spotting the reptile.

The users have been challenged to spot the snake in the picture of the garage in Sunnybank which was posted on a Facebook page with 34,000 followers.

Although the garage was not messy and plenty of space was available for a small reptile to hide, however, there were a few items that could be mistaken for a snake.

However, many users have failed to find the snake except for some of them.

The small snake was seen hiding a corner on top of the saw which was spotted by some social media users after zooming the picture.

The post Can you spot the snake in this photo? appeared first on ARY NEWS.

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1,392 new infections, 36 Covid deaths reported in 24 hours

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has recorded 36 more coronavirus-related deaths in the past 24 hours, surging the overall death toll to 12,896, ARY News reported on Monday.

According to the latest statistics of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the COVID-19 has claimed 36 more lives and 1,392 fresh infections were reported.

The total count of active cases is 22,098 and the positivity rate stands at 3.63 per cent.

In the past 24 hours, as many as 1,094 patients have recovered from the virus in a day and 1,568 patients are still in critical condition.

According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), with the fresh inclusion of the infections in the country the national tally of cases now currently stands at 581,365.

A total of 38,338 tests were conducted across the country during this period. Overall 546,371 people have recovered from the deadly disease so far while 8,990,176 samples have been tested thus far.

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Hamza out on bail after 20 months

Leader of the Opposition in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz on Saturday was set free from Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail on bail after being in custody for 20 months in a money laundering case against him. Accountability Court judge Akmal Khan had ordered the release of the PML-N leader after approval of his bail bonds.vHamza is required to appear before the court on March 4 for the next hearing in the case. On Wednesday, the Lahore High Court (LHC) had granted bail to the PML-N leader in the money laundering case and ordered the prison authorities to release him after the submission of bail bonds. A two-judge bench had announced the order after the lawyer for the National Accountability Bureau completed his arguments during the hearing. On Saturday, the PML-N workers who had gathered outside the Kot Lakhpat jail to welcome the release of their leader danced and showered rose petals on him. Speaking to his party workers, Hamza termed his arrest a “farce” and maintained that "today the whole nation saw the logical end of this accountability drama.” He said despite three years of the “worst victimisation”, the authorities could not prove a penny's worth of corruption against Nawaz Sharif's soldiers and the Sharif family." Censuring the PTI-led government, the PML-N leader alleged that the "hired spokespersons" of the premier continued to lie about cases such as the Broadsheet or the claims made by the Daily Mail against Shehbaz Sharif. Hamza said the government’s action were based on revenge and seemed to be escalating. "When nothing is found, then he [Premier Imran Khan] is angered, and that anger is vented out on Pakistan's 220 million people." Speaking about the recent Daska polls, he said the people of Nowshera had rejected the PTI and backed the PML-N. Earlier, while speaking to media outside her residence in Jati Umra before setting out to meet her cousin, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz hailed him saying “Hamza has faced with bravery the fake cases” against him. “[I am] really happy on his [Hamza’s] release. Together we will do more for the party. He was innocent but still he was put behind bars for two years.” Maryam said that the incumbent government could not win the Daska by-polls despite “rigging” and decided to “challenge the election commission’s decision because they were caught red-handed”. PML-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal also took to micro blogging site Twitter and said “Hamza had won his freedom today”. He alleged that Prime Minister Imran Khan had been “targeting” the PML-N leaders but their resolve had grown stronger with the passage of time. Earlier this month, Hamza had filed second petition with the LHC for post-arrest bail on merit in the reference related to money laundering and owning assets beyond means. The bail had also been sought on an additional ground of hardship and inordinate delay in the trial proceedings as the Supreme Court in January had rejected giving relief to the petitioner with a direction to approach the high court with fresh grounds for bail. The petition stated that Hamza was arrested on June 11, 2019, while the reference was filed on August 20, 2020. It said the charges were framed on November 11, 2020, after an "unconscionable delay" of 17 months. The petition further noted that the delay could not be attributed to the petitioner in any manner whatsoever. It argued that the petitioner was entitled to bail on this ground of delay alone without touching the merits of the case.

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PM expected at Nandana Fort today

The district administration has finalised arrangements for Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Nandana Fort on Sunday (today). Jhelum Deputy Commissioner (DC) Pervez Akhtar and Jhelum District Police Officer (DPO) Shakir Hussain Dawar visited Baganwala on Saturday to check the route and parameters of the premier’s visit to the ruins dating back to the eighth century. Pind Dadan Khan Assistant Commissioner (AC) Mian Murad Hussain Nikokara gave a detailed briefing on the arrangements. The Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan will visit Nandana Fort on February 28. He is also scheduled to lay the foundation stone of three national parks in the Salt Range Basharat area in Jhangar Valley. The project aims to increase wildlife conservation along with honey production and improvement in olive cultivation. AC Naikokara said a walking track was also being constructed at Nandana Fort for the convenience of tourists. Nandana Fort is a place of historical significance where renowned mathematician Abu Rehanal al Bairuni measured the circumference of the earth. Built in the eighth century, Nandana Fort was strategically located on a hilltop overlooking the salt range. Published in The Express Tribune, February 28th, 2021.

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Normalcy returns as Covid curbs go

In view of an improved situation, the Punjab government on Saturday lifted most of the restrictions imposed under lockdown policies last year in an attempt to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The provincial government issued a notification regarding the lifting of the restrictions. After the outbreak of the pandemic early last year, the government had taken safety measures to protect the citizens. All business, office, educational and recreational activities were suspended in the wake of the pandemic. Later, areas that reported over 4% positive cases of coronavirus were put under smart lockdown. Even now, the academic activities will not fully resume in the schools of seven districts of Punjab with a high number of Covid-19 cases. Meanwhile, the frontline health workers are being administered the Covid-19 vaccine in the first phase. According to Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare Secretary Captain (retd) Mohammad Usman, the restriction on working hours has been lifted for all business activities and amusement spots. Moreover, the orders for 50% staff working from home have also been withdrawn. With the implementation of the notification, all the staff will be allowed to work in offices. Indoor weddings and other events will also be allowed subject to adherence to the safety standard operating procedures (SOPs), while shrines and tombs will be opened for visitors from March 15. The cinema halls will also be opened. However, the people will have to strictly adhere to the SOPs, including wearing face masks. “By complying with the coronavirus-related SOPs, we have fulfilled our obligations as a responsible nation and protected ourselves from serious consequences of the deadly disease,” the official said. The complete lockdown was imposed during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic in Punjab. Later, the government eased the restrictions and imposed smart lockdown in specific areas. SOPs were issued for all the departments to observe social distancing. According to the health department, the SOPs would be fully observed even after the end of the lockdown and arrangements will be ensured for the treatment of the patients in hospitals. The country’s most populous province has reported 170,817 cases of the disease during the first and second waves of the pandemic, while the number of fatalities has reached 5,337. As many as 3,278,361 coronavirus tests have been conducted in the province, while 160, 685 confirmed patients have recovered. Lahore has reported the highest number of deaths from the disease of 2,134, while only two people succumbed to the virus in Khanewal. The total number of coronavirus patients reported in the provincial capital is 87,146. People aged 21 to 30 years were the most affected as more than 40,000 people from the age group contracted the virus. Similarly, 35,000 patients in the age bracket of 31 to 40 years were affected, followed by the 41-50 and 51-60 age groups. However, children aged below 10 years and people above 60 years of age were also affected during the second wave of the pandemic. The number of women patients also increased during the second wave. As per health department sources, administrative action, including imposition of smart lockdown, may be taken in areas where the number of patients increases in future. Presently, prime importance is being given to vaccination. After the frontline health workers, citizens aged above 60, and later those aged 50 to 60 years will be registered for vaccination. Published in The Express Tribune, February 28th, 2021.

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‘Online platform to facilitate HR practitioners’

The Human Rights Resource Portal will provide comprehensive training resources and online material which will be beneficial for human rights practitioners and personnel, said Ministry of Human Rights Secretary Inamullah Khan on Friday. Speaking to the media, he said that training resources would cover a range of topics such as Pakistan's International Human Rights Obligations and Human Rights Data Collection and documentation for the benefit of rights practitioner as well as researchers. He further said that these custom training resources aim at enhancing the capacity of the judiciary, prosecution, and law enforcement agencies. "The Human Rights Resource Portal is an important and innovative initiative that increases the availability and accessibility of information that is integral for promoting greater awareness about the importance of human rights in Pakistan," he added. "Ultimately, we are hopeful that it will cultivate greater civic engagement and play a part in creating an enabling environment for citizens to exercise their rights in Pakistan," he remarked. Khan also spoke about the significance of this initiative and said that the collaboration between the European Union and the Ministry of Human Rights in establishing this portal was a quintessential step towards ensuring good governance. "The platform will ensure that students, academics, practitioners, policymakers and the general public have access to updated and relevant information for the protection and promotion of human rights in Pakistan", he remarked. "Access to information is crucial for citizens in an open democratic and transparent society," he added. Published in The Express Tribune, February 28th, 2021.

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Ban on Friday vehicle bazaar being flouted

Despite the ban on the Friday weekly ‘Vehicles Bazaar' in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, it operates openly on Benazir Bhutto (BB) Road from Chandni Chowk to 6th Road Flyover. It seems that the departments concerned have turned a blind eye to the Friday Bazaar of cars and other vehicles for reasons best known to them. According to a resident of the area, namely Faisal, the illegal Friday bazaar causes inconvenience not only to the people living nearby but also to hundreds of commuters and motorists using the road. He said the City Traffic Police (CTP) had failed to take action against the car sale points and illegal weekly car bazaars mostly in Sadiqabad, Chandni Chowk, Sixth Road and different areas along Murree Road engage in the thriving business. He said that due to the bazaar, the vehicular traffic comes to a standstill and the citizens have to face severe traffic jams on Murree Road. The 6th Road Flyover has also lost its utility due to this vehicle weekly car bazaar. The citizens have demanded a crackdown against the organisers of this illegal weekly bazaar and slapping of heavy fines on them for violation of the ban. Published in The Express Tribune, February 28th, 2021.

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Youth killed resisting land grabbers

A youth was shot dead due to the firing of alleged land grabbers at a private housing society in the precincts of Chauntra police station on Saturday. The suspects bulldozed the guard room of the residential scheme and carried out heavy firing which spread fear in the area. Tariq Muhammad informed the police that the 22-year-old Muhammad Usman was killed by straight fire by the suspect Afzal Chotu. Usman, a resident of Azad Jammu and Kashmir was working as a security guard at the said housing project. The complainant said that Asim, Tahir, and Zahid wanted to grab the land owned by the housing scheme. The security guards put up residents on which the suspects opened fire on them. Police rushed to the site and moved the body to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital. The delay in the post-mortem provoked the victim’s family and they staged a protest outside the hospital. Chauntra police said they have registered a case against the suspects and raids were being conducted to arrest them. The body was later handed over to the family. Published in The Express Tribune, February 28th, 2021.

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Govt expects reduction in poverty in new survey

The government is all set to make public the latest poverty figures in the country next month, expecting that poverty would decline despite low economic growth and high inflation. Zafarul Hasan Almas, a senior official at the Planning Commission, expressed the hope that the poverty levels would come down to 22% in 2018-19 – the first year of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government – from 24.5% in 2015-16. “Our target is to release poverty numbers by March and the numbers would be published in the economic survey of Pakistan,” Almas said, speaking in the Express News talk show, The Review, referring to the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE)’s recent survey. Almas told the anchorpersons, Shahbaz Rana and Kamran Yousaf that in the 2015-16’s official numbers, 24.5% people were poor in the country but as per a 2018-19 PIDE study, he added, “it is expected that poverty will be reduced to 22%”. The official said that the Planning Commission was working on a three-year growth strategy and trying to make it equitable so that the government should be able to create opportunities in backward areas of the country. He lauded government’s cash-grant initiative during Covid-19 pandemic, saying it increased the falling consumption number. During the discussion, Almas also said that growth reflected opportunities and livelihood but it didn’t necessarily translate into distribution mechanism. Among other things, he said, the crop sector’s growth rate was 0.4 during the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) tenure – 2013 to 2018 – and the food inflation shock was there because of this aspect. "The incumbent government is striving to overcome it,” he added. In 2013-14, the Planning Commission had adopted the cost of basic needs (CBN) methodology and estimated the poverty line for the period as Rs3,030.32 per adult equivalent per month. The updated poverty line for 2015-16 was Rs3,250.28 per adult equivalent per month. In 2013-14, 29.5% of the population was considered poor in Pakistan, however, the number declined to 24.5% in 2015-16. The rural poverty reduced from 35.6% to 30.7% while the urban poverty reduced from 18.2% to 12.5%. In 2005-06, the national poverty ratio was 50.4%. In September last year, a Poverty Estimation Committee was setup to work out the latest poverty numbers in Pakistan on the basis of 2018-19 data, which are expected to be released by the end of March. Meanwhile, former SAPM on Revenues Haroon Akhtar Khan said that it was a dilemma that the prime minister, the FBR, the industry and the nation was ready to adopt the track and trace system but it was not being implemented because fingers were continuously pointed at the FBR. He said that the idea of IT-based solution for electronic monitoring of specified goods started in 2015, but added that no one in the FBR was ready to open the bidding, as applications were already moved before NAB.

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Pakistan confirms spread of UK variant

The national health services ministry has confirmed the detection of SARS COV-2 (VUI-202012/01) variant of the novel coronavirus, commonly referred to as the “UK strain”, in the country, but stressed that it was monitoring the situation through a robust surveillance system. The confirmation from the ministry includes the country in a bracket of 92 nations, where the UK strain has been detected. “The VUI-202012/01 strain is now being seen across the world and continues to be detected in samples in Pakistan,” the ministry said. “While this strain does not cause more severe disease, there is evidence that its transmission is faster,” the ministry added. “This highlights the need to continue following prescribed SOPs and guidelines issued by the government and to get vaccinated when your turn comes.” Medical experts in Britain identified the new variant – also called B.1.1.7 with a large number of mutations – in the autumn of 2020. This variant spreads more easily and quickly than other variants, the experts had warned. In Pakistan, the government had initiated the vaccination campaign to immunise the population against coronavirus. The campaign started with inoculation of the frontline health workers on a priority basis, from Feb 3. Next month, jabs will be administered to people 65 years of age. The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) – which supervises the government unified effort to contain the spread of the Covid-19 – reviewed the vaccination campaign in its morning session on Saturday. “The session took detailed stock of epidemic curve chart and the national vaccine strategy where provincial representatives of all federating units, including that of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit Baltistan (GB) participated via a video link,” said an NCOC statement. The meeting was apprised that all the federating units had geared up adult vaccination centres (AVCs) and arrangements to conduct mass vaccination. The forum was briefed that the new AVCs were being set up to enhance existing inoculation capacity. The provincial representatives briefed the forum that training of adequate staff was being carried out in varying working durations to ensure maximum and swift build-up of trained workforce. The forum was told that the AVCs would be made fully air-conditioned. The forum was also told that along with capacity and resource enhancement, per day vaccination of individuals would be ramped up to yield maximum dividends of the national vaccination programme. (WITH INPUT FROM APP)

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Political jockeying intensifies ahead of Senate polls

Amid a flurry of frenzied politicking ahead of the Senate elections, the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Saturday decided to cast its lot with the opposition in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa as the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) tried to woo the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) in Sindh. Saturday witnessed several breakthrough political contacts, days after the Pakistan Muslim League Quaid-e-Azam (PML-Q) leadership used its political influence in Punjab that paved the way for all the senators from the province returning unopposed. The political acumen of the Chaudhrys of Gajrat was mentioned with praises during the meeting between a Pakistan Peoples Party delegation and the MQM-P – and ally of the Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf (PTI) at the centre – in Karachi. In the meeting at the MQM-P’s headquarters, the PPP offered the MQM-P two Senate seats from Sindh and in return it sought votes for Yusuf Raza Gilani, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) candidate from Islamabad. However, a major political breakthrough was achieved in Peshawar, where the provincial leaders of the PDM parties plus the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) huddled together. They agreed to join ranks and decided to field five joint opposition candidates. As per the agreement, the PML-Nawaz’ Abbas Afridi, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) Maulana Ataur Rehman and the Awami National Party’s (ANP) Haji Hidayatullah Khan will stand for the general seats in the March 3 election. The PPP has been given a technocrat seat, for which Farhatullah Babar will be the joint opposition candidate, while Inayat Begum of the JI will be candidate for women’s seats, according to the announcement after the meeting. Under the agreement, all additional candidates of the opposition parties would retire from the contest on March 3. The opposition parties also decided to contact three independents, Ehtesham Javed Akbar, Faisal Zaman and Mir Kalam Wazir. The PPP received another boost in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as Senator Shamim Afridi and provincial assembly member Amjad Afridi announced their joining of the PPP during a rally addressed by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday. Welcoming both the lawmakers to the party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said in his address to the public gathering in Kohat that the opposition would send the ruling PTI packing after the Senate elections, next week. He claimed that people from all over the country would join them in the long march on Islamabad on March 26. “[The opposition will] send the ‘puppet’ prime minister home and establish a people’s government to serve the people of Pakistan,” Bilawal added. In Karachi, Sindh Minister Nasir Shah told reporters after the talks with the MQM-P that the PPP was prepared to get MQM candidates elected from Sindh without contest in return for government ally’s votes for Gilani in the National Assembly. “We will support the MQM on two seats and the MQM should support our candidates, including Yusuf Raza Gilani on a seat from the federal capital,” Nazir Shah, the provincial minister for local government, said. “The PTI was scared in Punjab, as it feared that many members would not vote for their own candidates [but] serious talks were held in Punjab and the PML-Q played a role in this matter,” he added. “The MQM has spoken about the Punjab model, we are ready for it,” he continued. “The MQM can win on one general and one women’s seats unopposed. But it takes two to clap. In return, the MQM will have to vote for Gilani at the Centre.” MQM-P leader Aamir Khan said the decision in this regard would be taken by the party’s coordination committee. Another party leader Faisal Sabzwari said the discussion on the Senate elections had nothing to do with the ruling coalition. “The PPP delegation was requested that the Punjab Assembly has given a very good model. Wouldn’t it be good if a similar arrangement was made in Sindh as well?” Sabzwari said. This year, a total of 48 senators – 12 each from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, 11 each from Punjab and Sindh, and two from Islamabad – will be elected on March 3. Voting for the would be held in the provincial assemblies for the provincial seats. The voting for two senators from Islamabad would be held in the National Assembly, where the most high profile contest of the current election is taking place between Gilani and the finance minister Dr Hafeez Shaikh. The opposition leaderships have struck a ‘super-confident’ posture that Gilani would defeat Shaikh, despite the majority of the ruling coalition, including the MQM-P and the PML-Q. “Success of Yusuf Raza Gilani will add to the prestige of the Senate and democracy will succeed,” Bilawal told the rally in Kohat. He warned that “If Finance Minister Hafeez Shaikh succeeded, it would “lead to increasing inflation …” Bilawal’s comments were echoed by PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz during her media talk at her residence in Jati Umra. She even claimed that the PTI’s own members would not vote for the party candidate in the Senate election. “Even his [Prime Minister Imran Khan] own party members will not support him in the Senate elections and are not ready to vote, because Imran Khan’s performance has shrunk his vote bank,” Maryam charged. (WITH INPUT FROM OUR PESHAWAR & LAHORE CORRESPONDENTS)

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UK’s Sunak to provide 5 billion pounds of grants to pandemic hit businesses in budget

LONDON: British finance minister Rishi Sunak will announce 5 billion pounds ($7 billion) of additional grants to help businesses hit hard by pandemic lockdowns in his budget statement next week, the government said on Saturday.

Shops, bars, clubs, hotels, restaurants, gyms and hair salons would be among nearly 700,000 companies eligible for new direct cash grants of up 18,000 pounds.

The government said the funding takes the total spent on direct grants to businesses during the crisis to 25 billion pounds.

Encouraged by the rapid roll-out of vaccines, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has unveiled a route out of lockdown for England. However, some businesses will need to remain shuttered until the summer.

“There’s now light at the end of the tunnel and this 5 billion pounds of extra cash grants will ensure our high streets can open their doors with optimism,” said Sunak.

Local authorities in England will also get an extra 425 million pounds to distribute grants to businesses not eligible for the restart grants, while the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will receive 794 million pounds of extra funding.

The government has already racked up more than 280 billion pounds in coronavirus spending and tax cuts, pushing Britain’s borrowing to its highest level since World War Two.

While Sunak’s March 3 budget will include more spending to prop up the economy during what he hopes will be the last phase of lockdown, he will also probably signal tax rises ahead to plug the huge hole in the public finances.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Sunak said he would use the budget to level with the public over the “enormous strains” in the country’s finances, warning that a bill will have to be paid after further coronavirus support.

Earlier on Saturday the government said Sunak is also expected to announce an initial 12 billion pounds of capital and 10 billion pounds of guarantees for the new UK Infrastructure Bank.

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Over 600,000 migratory birds flocked to Sindh this year: survey

KARACHI: More than 600,000 migratory birds visited Sindh this year (2020-21), according to a survey carried out by the provincial wildlife department.

Every year, the department carries out a survey of migratory birds, particulary waterfowls, visiting the province’s wetlands like Nariri Lagoon, Charwo, Phoosna, Runn of Kutch, Manchhar Lake, Lungh Lake, Sukkur Barrage, Mehrano, Kursh, Acch, Keenjhar, Haleji, Hub Dam, Hawksbay, Ibrahim Hyderi, Korangi Creek, and coastal wetlands of Thatta, Sujawal and Karachi.

Every year #Wildlife Department #GoS carries out migratory bird particularly waterfowl survey. Similarly this year’s (2020-21) survey held from 27th January to 18th February.
Many wetlands like Nariri Lagoon, Charwo, Phoosna, Runn of Katch,
Manchhar lake, Lungh Lake, 1/5 pic.twitter.com/t99uoGhhcp

— SindhWildlife (@sindhwildlife) February 26, 2021

“Historically survey methodology is to reach the target wetland[s], fill [out] information sheet by number counting, round block & transect methods,” the department said.

This year, as many as 612,397 migratory birds visited the province as compared to 741,042 in 2020, 248,105 in 2019, 153,916 in 2017, 150,000 in 2016 and 17,568,90 in 1990.

According to data, species’ diversity witnessed an increase as 32 new species of waterfowls were spotted whereas a total of 86 types of migratory water birds visited these wetlands.

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Myanmar police crack down on protests for second day; one dead, several hurt

Myanmar police shot and killed one protester on Sunday and wounded several as they cracked down in a bid to end weeks of demonstrations against a Feb. 1 military coup, a politician and media said.

Police opened fire in the town of Dawei, killing one and wounding several, politician Kyaw Min Htike told Reuters from the southern town. The Dawei Watch media outlet also said one person was killed and more than a dozen wounded.

Police and the spokesman for the ruling military council did not respond to phone calls seeking comment.

Myanmar was thrown into chaos when the army seized power and detained elected government leader Aung San Suu Kyi and much of her party leadership, alleging fraud in a November election her party won in a landslide.

The coup, which stalled Myanmar’s progress toward democracy after nearly 50 years of military rule, has brought hundreds of thousands of protesters onto the streets and drawn condemnation from Western countries, with some imposing limited sanctions.

In the main city of Yangon, several people, some bleeding heavily, were helped away from protests, images posted by media showed.

It was not clear how they were hurt but media reported live fire. Myanmar Now media group said people had been “gunned down”, but it did not elaborate.

Police also threw stun grenades, used tear gas and fired into the air, witnesses said.

Junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing has said authorities have been using minimal force to deal with the protests.

Nevertheless, at least three protesters have died over the days of turmoil. The army said a policeman has been killed in the unrest.

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Police introduce yet another patrol team

In another project tantamount to a formal admission that the Dolphin Squad, Police Response Unit and Punjab Safe Cities Authority did not come up to the expectation, the police introduced the Ababeel Squad, a patrolling force, on Saturday. The purpose of Dolphin Squad at the time of launch was precisely described as the same, “fighting crime in congested areas and hotspots”. Capital City Police Officer Additional IG Ghulam Mahmood Dogar inaugurated the Ababeel Squad by cutting the ribbon and riding a motorcycle at Qila Gujjar Singh Police Lines. Initially, the force comprises of 20 motorcycles and 40 police personnel. A ceremony in this regard was held at District Police Lines Qila Gujjar Singh. DIG Investigations Shariq Jamal, DIG Operations Sajid Kiani, SSP CIA, SP Security, SP Mobile Squad, SP Headquarters, all divisional SSPs, members of the Ababeel Squad and Anti-Riot Force (ARF) attended the function. While addressing the ceremony, Dogar said the Ababeel Squad was completely made up of city police’s own resources and the purpose behind its formation was to eradicate crime in hotspot areas of the city. Read Rape attempt on teenage girl foiled The Ababeel Squad in a group of 20 motorcycles and 40 armed police personnel will immediately move, cordon off the area of the crime scene to foil the efforts of criminals to flee as well as alleviate the sense of insecurity among citizens by improving visibility through flag march. He added that Ababeel Squad will function under the supervision of SP Mujahid Squad from Qurban Lines and immediately respond and reach the crime scene in a group of 20 motorcycles. The active visibility of the Ababeel Squad through patrolling will help to improve the sense of security among citizens and create an effective deterrence against crimes, Dogar claimed. Published in The Express Tribune, February 28th, 2021.

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‘Surprise Day marks tremendous feat’

In a special message on Surprise Day on Saturday, Punjab Law Minister Basharat Raja has said the astonishing performance of the Pakistan Air Force and the Army against India two years ago was commendable and unrivalled. “After that, the way Prime Minister Imran Khan handed over the imprisoned pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman to India after offering tea, he boosted the national pride and dignity,” the minister said. Raja further said the incident not only gave the nation a moral victory over India but also made the world believe that Pakistan has the best armed forces. “We are proud of our Pakistani forces, which on the one hand protected the country's borders from enemy's aggression and on the other hand won the biggest war on terror by sacrificing thousands of our soldiers,” he said. Raja said in the last two years, Indian Prime Minister Modi had been so humiliated by that incident that he had not dared to pose a challenge and was still busy putting up excuses before his people. The minister strongly condemned the Indian atrocities against the Kashmiri people. Raja said the struggle of the Kashmiri people for freedom would not go waste. Published in The Express Tribune, February 28th, 2021.

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Jail staff recalled from non-essential duties

Despite the Punjab prisons authorities' complaints of understaffing, hundreds of its employees are reportedly performing non-essential or protocol duties. The chief minister had taken notice of the issue and asked the jail authorities to submit a report and summon the staff deputed at the houses or other places with senior officers. The inspector general Punjab prisons, while disseminating the orders, asked all the superintendents of prisons in Punjab to inform him about the warders appointed on protocol duties. It came forth that their number was in hundreds. In Lahore, over 200 jail staffers had been appointed to serve senior officers of the home or prisons departments. At least 145 staffers of Camp Jail and over 60 from Central Jail had been deputed at places other than their or designated duty points. The IG prisons has called for deputing the warders back at their essential duty points. According to an officer, the prisons department is short of around 4,000 staff members.   He also referred to a commission report submitted to Islamabad High Court last year that had confined that the prisons in the country were overcrowded. The prison population in Pakistan was approximately 77,000, while they had the capacity to host only 56,634 inmates. The report revealed that in Punjab 29 out of 41 jails were overcrowded. It asserted that the overcrowding was the root cause many rights violations. Considering the gravity of the issue, report also included recommendations for police reforms. The recommendations included training of prison staff, immediate filling of vacant posts with trained and qualified staff, reduction in overcrowding of prisons by releasing deserving prisoners on probation, parole and remission, digitisation of prison data, creating standard operating procedures (SOPs) to expedite the process of seeking government approval to transfer sick prisoners to hospitals and ensuring their right to health and adequate medical treatment. The report also proposed external audits of prisons after allocation of adequate budgets for them. Besides overcrowding and understaffing, the report prepared by the commission of the Ministry of Human Rights also stressed that the jail rules did not refer to any training of the staff. Another gap related to the staff of jails and human rights violations, pointed out by the report, was that the prisons jails did not have a proper management system. Efforts were made to contact Minister for Prisons Punjab Fayyazul Hassan Chohan and IG Prisons Shahid Saleem but they did not respond. However, Punjab Minister for Law and Cooperatives Basharat Raja said that the Punjab government was planning to introduce a major reforms package for the employees of jails and common prisoners across the province which would significantly improve the entire prison system. He was visiting the office of Inspector General (IG) Prisons Punjab. Basharat Raja said he was on a mission on proposed prison reforms on the instructions of Chief Minister Usman Buzdar. He said for the first time any chief minister had thought of the helpless prisoners instead of rich ones. He said that the proposed package would provide quality facilities to the prisoners through legal, financial, social and administrative changes. "A proposal to increase the salaries and allowances of prison staff will also be considered," he added. Published in The Express Tribune, February 28th, 2021.

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