Back-to-back tremors jolt Pasni

Two tremors which were 10 minutes apart, along the coastal line in Balochistan jolted Pasni and other areas nearby of the provinces on Sunday evening, officials at the Seismological Centre of the Meteorological Department said. An earthquake of 5.6 magnitude on the Richter scale struck at 6:42 pm. Ten minutes later a 5-magnitute aftershock hit the region, according to the National Tsunami Center Director Amir Haider Leghari. He said that the earthquake was in the subduction zone in the ocean. Officials said that the epicentre of the 5.6 earthquake was in the subduction zone in the ocean at a depth of at 60 kilometres, while the aftershock’s epicentre was 30 kilometres deep. Leghari said that the 5- magnitude earthquakes did not create tsunamis. No immediate reports of casualties or damage to property were reported. The on-going torrential rains have already wreaked havoc across the province completely destroying over 6,000 homes, while around 10,000 houses remain partially damaged. The quakes come at a time when Balochistan is reeling from floods. Intermittent rains continued to lash most parts of Balochistan as authorities scrambled to rescue thousands who were left displaced due to flooding in over a dozen districts. Meanwhile, France-based European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said that an earthquake of 5.6 magnitude struck south-western Pakistan on Sunday, adding that the quake struck at a depth of 30 kilometres. (WITH INPUT FROM REUTERS)

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NEPRA decides on another hike in power tariff

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has once again decided to pass on about a 50 paisa per unit increase in electricity rates to all except lifeline and K-Electric consumers. The increase will come into effect for three months from September 1 and will impose an additional burden of Rs12.76 billion on the electricity consumers. In addition, industrial consumers availing the relief package will be exempted from the hike. The approval was given by Nepra for the third quarter of the financial year 2021-22. The regulatory has sent the decision to the federal government for its notification. It is pertinent to note that on July 28, the authority raised the power tariff for K-electric consumers by Rs11.37, an Rs0.01 less than demanded by the power utility. The approval was given in terms of fuel adjustment charges for June 2022 and the increase will not be applicable for lifeline consumers. The power utility has blamed the hike in prices of furnace oil in international markets by 42 per cent from March to June 2022 behind the increase. Power shortfall increases to 4,979 MW Meanwhile, the power deficit teetered toward 5,000 megawatts, currently standing at 4,979 megawatts.  Around four hours of loadshedding is being carried out in different parts of the country. Sources in Power Division said the total power generation was 19,21 megawatts against the demand of 24,000 megawatts. According to the details, 7,331 megawatts of electricity is being generated from water while the government thermal plants are generating 1,101 megawatts. The total production of private sector power plants is 6,785 megawatts whereas wind power plants are generating 785 megawatts and solar plants 105 megawatts. Nuclear fuel is generating 3,290 megawatts of electricity, sources added.

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PML-N trying to ‘create rift’ within PPP

The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is trying to create a rift within its ally, the Pakistan Peoples Party, by nominating the latter’s candidate for the post of Punjab Assembly deputy speaker without informing its leadership. A senior PPP leader said while responding to a question – why PPP MPA Ali Haider Gillani did not file his nomination papers for the post, giving the PTI candidate a walkover. The joint opposition parties’ candidate, Ali Gillani, did not file his nomination papers for the deputy speaker’s elections that were held on Saturday. According to several news TV channels, Gillani had not filed his nomination papers in protest against the way the election process for the speaker’s election was carried out. The senior PPP leader, however, denied the media reports, saying that the PML-N was trying to play dirty by bypassing their party leadership and nominating a PPP MPA for the deputy speaker’s elections on their own. “Neither the provincial hierarchy nor the central party leadership was informed about the decision,” he said, adding that secondly, who gave the PML-N the right to decide which PPP MPA would contest the deputy speaker’s slot. “This was his party’s (PPP) prerogative.” Gillani told The Express Tribune on Wednesday after a joint coalition partner parliamentary meeting that the PML-N proposed the PPP to pitch its members for the speaker’s elections. He said his party would either nominate Hasan Murtaza or him for the position. Interestingly, the position that Gillani claimed was offered to the PPP was retained by the PML-N, as they had nominated their own MPA Saiful Malook Khokhar, a not so popular name in the PML-N, for the position of the Punjab Assembly speaker. Malook’s nomination did ruffle some feathers in the PML-N but given his ties with Jati Umrah, the honour was bestowed upon him. Surprisingly, it was revealed that the offer even on Wednesday was made just to Gillani, and the party’s parliamentary head was not taken on board regarding the decision. The source said if the PML-N wanted PPP to nominate their speaker, they should have contacted the party. “Even on Saturday, the provincial leadership came to know about the decision of nominating Ali Gillani for the deputy speaker’s elections through the media.” He said that since the leadership had not given any approval, Gillani did not file his nomination papers, adding that the PML-N had earlier tried playing with the party in a similar fashion while nominating cabinet ministers from their party. Gillani was reached multiple times, but he was not available for comments. PPP MPA Usman Mehmood told The Express Tribune that it was out of protest that they did not file the nomination papers. He said that the speaker’s elections were held in an unfair manner, which they had challenged in the court. To a question as to why the deputy speaker’s elections were boycotted due to the said “dubiousness” during the process of the speaker’s elections as both had no correlation, he said he was not privy to why exactly these elections were boycotted.

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Four suspects held for killing woman in Kotli Sattian

Police arrested four suspects, including three women, for their involvement in the murder of a woman in Dhan Garan area of Kotli Sattian three days ago. Police said the suspects killed the woman and portrayed her death as a suicide. The deceased Ayesha Bibi had tied the knot with Shamraz Satti three years ago. She was found dead in mysterious circumstances at the house of her in-laws. Muhammad Bilal, the brother of the deceased, filed a case in the Kotli Sattian police station, in which he claimed that he was informed by Muhammad Nawaz, father-in-law of his sister, that his sister had committed suicide by shooting herself, and that the people of the village had brought the body to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, Kotli Sattian. However, when Bilal reached the hospital, he saw his sister's body lying in a pool of blood. Suspecting the murder of his sister, he had filed a complaint alleging that Muhammad Nawaz, Muhammad Shiraz, Kausar, Rashida Bibi, and Saila Bibi had together killed Ayesha for unknown reasons and had, later on, try to portray her death as a suicide case. The police arrested the accused after a thorough investigation, moreover, the SHO stated that her in-laws had tried to stage a drama of suicide. The arrested include the woman's father-in-law Muhammad Nawaz, Muhammad Shiraz, Arshad Bibi, and Kausar. SP Kohsar Haider Ali said that all legal requirements will be fulfilled to ensure that the arrested accused are punished. No matter how vicious the accused are, they cannot escape from the grip of the law.   Published in The Express Tribune, July 31st, 2022.

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Over 100 sculptures of Buddha showcased

Punjab Council of Arts Director General Saman Rai inaugurated the 'Gandhara Art Exhibition' at the Rawalpindi Arts Council (RAC), in which over 100 sculptures of Buddha made by Muhammad Shafiq and Tariq Butt were on display. RAC Director Waqar Ahmed and other officers were also present on the occasion, while many art students participated in the exhibition. Saman Rai inspected all the sculptures on display and expressed deep interest in them and appreciated the skills of the sculptors and their works. Muhammad Shafiq and Tariq Butt have presented different periods of Buddha's life through sculptures, which are replicas of ancient statues of Buddha. Speaking on the occasion, DG Punjab Council of Arts said that the aim of 'Gandhara Exhibition' is to introduce the young generation to the ancient civilisations in Pakistan, as our country is also the host of the oldest religious civilisations in the world.   Published in The Express Tribune, July 31st, 2022.

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Damning report on PTI funding a godsend for beleaguered PML-N

The government on Saturday seized on the revelations made in a damning Financial Times report to grill the PTI over the prohibited funding case, describing it as the “biggest corruption” in the country’s history. According to the London-based publication’s report, Arif Naqvi, the founder of the Dubai-based Abraaj Group, held a cricket tournament at Wootton Place, with guests asked to pay between £2,000 and £2,500 each. The money, it added, was said to go to unspecified “philanthropic causes”. Although the fees were paid to Wootton Cricket Ltd, a Cayman Islands-incorporated company owned by the Abraaj founder, it was used to fund the PTI, with £2 million paid by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak al-Nahyan, a member of Abu Dhabi’s royal family, the report added. According to Financial Times, between February 28 and May 30, 2013, the account maintained by Wootton Cricket Ltd received millions of dollars from local and prohibited citizens, and the money was eventually diverted towards the PTI. The PML-N-led government, including two federal ministers, spent the day addressing news conferences and calling for strict legal actions against the party. They also wondered why PTI chief and deposed premier Imran Khan was not facing the music. Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, while addressing a press conference at the PML-N’s secretariat in Model Town, Lahore, maintained that Imran had collected tens of millions of rupees from overseas Pakistanis as well as taken money from them under the pretext of building a dam. He wondered why the former premier, who seeks open trials for others, “runs away” from one himself. “Imran Khan faced allegations of ball tampering in cricket, but in politics, he tampered with funding,” he added. Commenting on a “campaign” against him on social media, he said that he would sue the PTI chief for it. “Imran Khan, I am going to sue you. You prove me a liar or [else] I will prove you a liar,” he remarked. “We will not allow you to defame everyone,” he added. He also wondered why the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was afraid of Imran’s “threats”. “The Election Commission should independently decide on [the] prohibited funding [case] because this is the biggest corruption case in the country’s history,” the minister claimed. Iqbal maintained that the PTI had been unable to present any evidence of prohibited funding against the PML-N to the ECP. Addressing a separate news conference, PML-N leader Mohammad Zubair challenged the former premier to sue Financial Times over the story to set the record straight. He also urged the Supreme Court to take suo motu notice of the matter and  summon the PTI chief. A day earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also called for Imran to sue Financial Times over the report. During Saturday’s news conference, Zubair simply echoed the premier’s demand. Funding case, page 6 PM Shehbaz had tweeted that the charade of self-proclaimed honesty and righteousness had been busted by the Financial Times story that details the flow of prohibited funding into PTI bank accounts, while calling on his predecessor to sue the publication. Zubair further said as per the report, the money that was diverted to the former ruling party’s account was not even declared. The PML-N leader said the long-running prohibited funding case was delayed because the PTI chief and other leaders were not ready to give answers. Responding to Imran’s demand for hearing the prohibited funding case against the PTI alongside similar cases against the PML-N and PPP, Zubair claimed their cases were different as they had given all details to the electoral body. He also wondered how the system would ensure its reliability in the eyes of the people if the “law remains suspended for one person”. Minister of State for Petroleum Musadik Malik also addressed a news conference, wherein he once again raised questions about Imran’s integrity. “If a person is an accomplice in the money laundering of $250 million, is he Sadiq (truthful) and Amin (trustworthy)?” he asked. Referring to the FT report, he said: “This is the same Arif Naqvi who was sentenced to 290 years for money laundering in the American courts.” Malik raised the question how was Imran  living in a house of 250 kanals when he had no means of livelihood. Hinting at arrests, Malik said the government had formed a cabinet committee, and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had started  its work. “Documents have been sealed, and the government is not merely levelling allegations, but an investigation has also been started,” he added. The PML-N, using its official handle, tweeted that the man, who lectured people on corruption and mocked his political opponents for being corrupt, had devoured billions of rupees in prohibited funds. In response to PM Shehbaz’s tweet a day earlier, PTI leader Hammad Azhar had written: “The same article mentions your family having received 15 times the sum from the same individual (Arif Naqvi). Any comment on that?” He had added that PTI was the only party in South Asia that raised funds from Pakistanis transparently and in an organised way. “The others could not even produce records,” he had claimed. PTI leader Shahbaz Gill had also tweeted that the report mentioned PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and PM Shehbaz receiving $20 million in 2016 from the Abraaj Group in the form of bribe. “The PTI wrote the details of fundraising itself and submitted it to the Election Commission as part of the record. You should come and account for this $20 million,” he had added.

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AGP seeks structuring of SC elevation criteria

Throwing weight behind Justice Sardar Tariq Masood’s rationale for snubbing CJP Umar Ata Bandial’s five nominees for the Supreme Court, AGP Ashtar Ausaf Ali has emphasised that the requisite criteria must be structured for the elevation of high court judges to the top court. In a statement issued on Saturday night, the AGP noted that the elevation of “most outstanding” jurists in a manner that is rooted in merit and process was vital for the dispensation of justice. The statement said that the AGP was dismayed by the controversy arising from the recent proceedings of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan. He stressed that he had consistently taken the position that appointments to high judicial office must be premised on merit, and in light of Articles 175 and 177 of the Constitution of Pakistan, adding that it was imperative to structure the criteria. “This will ensure not only that elevations are made in the public interest, but also that the Members of the Judicial Commission may confirm appointments in an atmosphere of collaboration and mutual goodwill.” The AGP said he had put the same recommendation during the JCP’s proceedings on July 28, adding that he appreciated the hard work put in by Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and endorsed his stance. “I categorically stated that I agree with him.” He pointed out that in the interest of propriety, he refrained from commenting on the merits of each nominee. "I, however, observed, and continue to maintain, that the honourable Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court is eminently qualified to be considered for elevation to the apex court, and that such elevations, in any event, must be made against existing vacancies, no more and no less.” He further underlined that the rejection or confirmation of candidates must be regulated by guiding rules, adding that these rules must be settled beforehand, and the data of any new candidates must be thoroughly assessed accordingly. “It was for this particular reason that I suggested that the meeting be deferred until the approval of such criteria. It is hoped that those same self-evident reasons will no longer be misconstrued," the statement read. Ashtar Ausaf noted that to fulfil the sacred trust of appointments, members must afford one another a full and unimpeded airing of their views and regretted that the conclusion of the meeting precluded Justice Qazi Faez Isa from completing his remarks, “which we were all continuing to benefit from”. “By way of conclusion, I am constrained to observe that the proceedings of the Judicial Commission can no longer be marked by such acrimony. We find ourselves in these rather transient offices as fiduciaries: our duty is to the republic we serve, not the travails of our personal experience,” the statement issued by the AGP office concluded. Non-inclusion of IHC CJ in the list Meanwhile, several JCP members have expressed their concerns over the non-inclusion of Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah’s name in the recommendation for elevation to the apex court. According to JCP member Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, CJP Umar Ata Bandial, in an informal meeting, had said that there was no “concept” to elevate the IHC judge to the apex court. He, however, said that under Article 175 of the Constitution, a judge should be elevated from high courts. "We have the example of ex-IHC chief justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman who was elevated from the Supreme Court.” Justice Masood wondered why the name of IHC CJ had been ignored for the purpose and termed the recommendations as “contradictory”. He noted that new JCP member Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, who is retiring next month, was fortunate enough to appoint his own successor. However, the SC judge said that the Constitution did not allow anticipating a vacancy, adding that rules cannot override the Constitution. Justice Masood pointed out that in the case of the appointment of a junior judge there should be a valid reason to bypass the senior judges. He also referred to the previous meeting of the JCP wherein it was emphasised that there should be a criterion for the appointment of judges. He said a committee was constituted for the purpose but neither rules nor a criterion has been framed by it. While questioning the Sindh High Court (SHC) chief justice’s refusal to be elevated to the apex court, Justice Masood said that a letter submitted by him in this regard was not enough. If he refused then Article 206 (2) of the Constitution should be enforced as he would be deemed to retire as no judge can refuse, he said, wondering how the high court judges, who are ignored, could be appointed in future. He asked why the senior judges were not being considered now if they could be appointed to the top court in future. "We should not manipulate the system. Why discrimination is being done in our own institution," he added. The apex court judge also referred to the superior bars’ reservations for not adhering to the seniority principle in the appointment of apex court judges. He asked why data regarding the SHC CJ’s decision was not being provided. Justice Masood through comparative data established that senior judges of the SHC, as well as of the LHC, were more competent and efficient as compared to those who were recommended by the CJP. Another JCP member Justice (retd) Sarmad Jalal Osmani said that SHC judge Justice Aqeel Abbasi, who is ranked at number three on the SHC seniority list, should be considered for elevation to the SC. He hailed Justice Abbasi saying most of the cases disposed of by the SHC judge were related to tax as he had been a tax lawyer previously. "I believe he (Justice Abbasi) was bypassed twice. That is why he is slightly bitter,” he added. Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) representative in JCP Akhtar Hussain also advocated the elevation of IHC CJ as well as Justice Abbasi. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar conveyed to the Parliamentary Committee on Judges Appointment members, saying their decisions for not approving JCP proposals were not being honoured as 95 per cent of them were overturned by the superior courts. Tarar said the committee was a constitutional body, comprising members from the treasury as well as opposition benches. He stressed the name of IHC CJ should be considered for elevation to the top court. He said the top court’s judgement in the Munir Bhatti case should be revisited as it made the committee ineffective. Meanwhile, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, another JCP member, strongly supported all CJP's nominees.

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Two youths brave gushing flood waters to save two minor girls in G-B

It was a hot sunny day of July in Khanbary, a remote valley of Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamer district. Muhammad Asim decided to stay indoors till sunset to escape the scorching heat of the day. However, an hour later, dense clouds suddenly enveloped the sky followed by lightning. A sudden cloudburst resulted in flash floods hitting the valley. The climate change phenomenon is blamed for changes in weather patterns across the globe. However, underdeveloped and mountainous regions are believed to be worse victims of it. Asim, 20, stepped out of his home to take stock of the evolving situation. He then spotted two girls, stranded in the midst of gushing water. Read more: Rescuer's heroic act saves eight people from drowning in Bajaur As he closed in on the girls, he came to know they were about five to six years of age and sitting in a dry patch surrounded by water. He thought it was a matter of time before the gushing water could erode the safe patch to sweep the girls away. As the news of girls getting stuck in the midst of water spread, people started assembling. A quick makeshift arrangement with the help of a rope was then made by the volunteers to reach out to the girls. It was Asim who first ventured into it, risking his own life. He reached the girls with the help of rope. He was followed by Muhammad Jawaz, 22. “When I spotted the girls the first thought that came to my mind was to rescue them come what may,” Asim told The Express Tribune. “I knew I was endangering my life but there was a satisfaction inside somewhere that I was doing it to save two innocent lives,” said the 20-year-old who wants to be a bread earner for his low-income family in future. Also read: WATCH: Heroic driver speeds away burning oil tanker to save lives The second person to take part in the rescue operation was Muhammad Jawaz. Speaking to The Express Tribune, Jawaz said, “When I reached the spot, Asim was alone trying to rescue the girls. I immediately decided to help him without giving a second thought to my own safety.” He said the girls were shivering when he reached them. “But thank God it went well and the kids returned safely,” said Jawaz, a taxi driver. In a video that went viral on social media, the stranded girls could be seen sitting in the midst of water encircling them as people tried to rescue them. "You are the unsung heroes, we acknowledge your valour and courage,” said G-B Chief Minister Khalid Khurshid as he gave away checks and certificates to the boys in his office. "Your dedication to humanity is appreciable," he added. Diamer district is serene but lagging far behind in infrastructure, education and health facilities from rest of the Gilgit-Baltistan.

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PTI directly benefited from foreign funding: FT

As the prohibited funding case continues to linger on, with both the government and the opposition trading barbs on the matter, a report published by the Financial Times (FT) has added fuel to the fire by alleging that the former ruling party directly benefited from foreign funding. According to the report, Arif Naqvi, the founder of the Dubai-based Abraaj Group, held a cricket tournament at Wootton Place, with guests asked to pay between £2,000 and £2,500 each. The money, it added, was said to go to unspecified “philanthropic causes”. Although the fees were paid to Wootton Cricket Ltd, a Cayman Islands-incorporated company owned by the Abraaj founder, it was used to fund the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), with £2 million paid by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak al-Nahyan, a member of Abu Dhabi’s royal family, the report added. It is illegal for foreign nationals and companies to fund political parties in Pakistan. However, between February 28 and May 30, 2013, the account maintained by Wootton Cricket Ltd received millions of dollars from local and foreign citizens, and the money was eventually diverted towards the PTI, the report added. While the scrutiny committee of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) identified Wotton Cricket Ltd as a company sending funds to Pakistan, it did not identify Naqvi as its owner, despite the same being reported previously. In its January report, the ECP said Wootton Cricket had transferred $2.12 million to the PTI but didn’t reveal the original source of the money. Naqvi has acknowledged his ownership of Wootton Cricket and denied any wrongdoing. The FT report also stated that Naqvi’s Abraaj Management Ltd directly transferred $1.3 million to a bank account maintained by the PTI in Pakistan, and the expense was added to the record of a holding company that controls K-Electric, the power provider company owned by Naqvi as well. It stated that following the receipt of money from the UAE royal, Abraaj transferred another $1.2 million to Pakistan, explicitly telling a company executive via email that it was intended for the PTI. The report then went on to discuss Naqvi’s rise and fall, and his bid to sell control of K-Electric to Shanghai Electric Power for $1.77 billion, for which he allegedly authorised the payment of $20 million to Pakistani politicians to gain their support. KE spokesperson Imran Rana tweeted that they had reviewed the article published recently by a London-based publication and “can confirm that it contains no allegation directed specially towards K-Electric”. “We would like to highlight that K-Electric has never made any payment to, nor received payment from, a Wootton Cricket Ltd. “K-Electric has not repatriated a single dollar to its holding company since privatisation and therefore there is no basis or possibility of any such payment being made using the company’s resources.” The spokesperson clarified that any attempts to link KE to the payments is “false and based on misrepresentation of information”. Rana explained that KES Power, the consortium of KE’s principal investors, had appointed a firm (Abraaj Investment Management Ltd) to manage its affairs in 2009. “This contract ended in 2020 and the management firm has no bearing on KE matters since.” Further, the FT also reached out to PTI Chairman Imran Khan, who confirmed his presence at the cricket event but said that he was neither aware of Abraaj providing $1.3 million through Wootton Cricket Ltd nor his party receiving any money that originated from the UAE royal. He told FT that “it will not be appropriate to prejudge PTI”. ‘Honest and trustworthy?’ Following the publication of the report, the government fired a broadside at the former premier over the information published therein. Minister of State for Petroleum Dr Musadik Malik, while addressing a news conference in the federal capital, said: “Illegal money and black money have been provided to the PTI under the pretext of funding.” He said that Naqvi, a provider of “black money”, had interests in Pakistan. “How is Imran Khan, who receives millions of pounds of black money, honest and trustworthy?” he wondered. The state minister said that under the Constitution of Pakistan, no political party could accept funds from foreign nationals or foreign companies.

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Pakistan concerned at Indian water release

The Foreign Office has expressed concerned over the release of water by India into the already flooded rivers of Pakistan, saying that the practice under these circumstances has been a “recurrent” problem. “I think we will have to check, as what you are referring to is very recent, so need to check with our Indus Waters Commission whether such decision to release water or the flood data was shared by the Indian side in a timely manner or not,” Foreign Office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar told reporters here at a weekly news briefing. Torrential monsoon rains have caused havoc in many parts of Pakistan with over 350 deaths and damage to property and livestock. In the midst of natural catastrophe, it was reported that India released 300,000 cusecs of water downstream into the already flooded rivers of Pakistan. “Regarding the floods, this is an unfortunate situation and that's why you would have seen a lot of focus and attention being paid to this matter, led by the prime minister himself, the issuance of directives to provide all possible assistance and to take all possible actions to tackle the situation,” the spokesperson said. Meanwhile, the spokesperson said Pakistan remained deeply concerned over the deteriorating health of Hurriyat leader Muhammad Yasin Malik. He continues to suffer for his legitimate political resistance to India’s illegal occupation of IIOJK. “We reject this judicial persecution and demand his immediate release. “The inhuman incarceration of Yasin Malik, his sham trials under fabricated cases, the fallacious conviction and the malfeasant attempts at tarnishing the legitimate struggle of the Kashmiris for their right to self-determination only further confirm India’s known credentials as a serial violator of human rights and usurper of fundamental freedoms of the Kashmiri people.” Pakistan called upon the Indian government to refrain from victimising the true representatives of the Kashmiri people by way of inhuman and illegal detentions and implications through sham trials in baseless and fictitious cases. Pakistan once again urged the international community to take cognisance of India’s inhuman and illegal detention and treatment of Malik and of other political leaders, and to ensure that the Kashmiri people can exercise their right to self-determination as promised to them by the UN and the international community. “More than 1.5 billion people of this region deserve to see the dawn of peace and prosperity - something that has been held hostage to India’s hostile agenda, hegemonistic designs and systematic violations of human rights in IIOJK.” About the visit of Pakistani Ulema to Kabul, Iftikhar said Ulema of Pakistan and Afghanistan “have longstanding relations due to our shared history, religion, geography, cultures and people-to-people contacts”. “In this context, a delegation of Pakistani Ulema led by Allama Taqi Usmani and including many leading scholars was visiting Afghanistan. They had meetings with the interim prime minister of Afghanistan, cabinet members and leading Ulema from Afghanistan,” he said. They discussed strengthening peace and stability and good relations between the two countries. “I understand this was a very good visit, and well received in Afghanistan, as is evident from the kind of interactions and meetings that have taken place. So, I would say that this has resulted in very positive engagement between the two sides,” Asim added.

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‘434 terror attacks’ reported against security forces

The country witnessed around 434 attacks on security forces carried out by terrorists during the first six months of the current year, a report presented in the upper house of parliament shows. According to details of the attacks on the security forces presented by the Interior Ministry in the Senate, at least 323 soldiers of security forces and other institutions were martyred in the wake of terror assaults. Meanwhile, 718 soldiers and officers of security forces and other organisations were injured. The report claimed that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) reported the highest number of militant attacks on the security forces, witnessing around 247 attacks on security forces during six months of the current year. In Balochistan, 171 incidents of terrorism took place whereas 12 attacks were reported in Sindh. Punjab witnessed the least number of attacks – one – while three such incidents took place in Islamabad. It is pertinent to note that a few days ago, a delegation of Pakistani Ulema was reported to have failed to convince the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to soften their stance in peace talks with Pakistani negotiators. The delegation, led by Sheikh-ul-Islam Mufti Taqi Usmani, flew into Kabul in a C-130 plane on Monday and was scheduled to stay in Kabul until Wednesday for making a last-ditch effort to convince the TTP leadership to soften their stance, with chances of them showing flexibility slim. A source in the Ulema delegation had told The Express Tribune that the TTP leadership listened to them patiently but refused to budge on their demands.

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5% of Nadra employees from armed forces

  Around 5.78% of employees working in the National Database Registration Authority (Nadra) were recruited from the armed forces, according to data shared by the Interior Ministry. The database authority’s staff comprises 19,161 employees whereas around 1109 of them belong to the armed forces – roughly six per cent of the total staff. According to details, nine directors general, 20 directors and 15 deputy directors were appointed from the armed forces. Likewise, four assistant directors and one assistant deputy director in Nadra are armed forces personnel. At least 247 drivers and 621 security guards were also recruited from the armed forces. Similarly, employees from the rest of the armed forces were recruited on a contract basis. However, only four per cent of retired military officers occupy managerial positions, whereas the remaining 96 per cent are posted on lower-level staff.

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Not COAS job to seek US help in securing IMF loan: Imran

Former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan has said that it was not the army chief’s job to approach the United States over the International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal. “If these reports are correct that [Chief of Army Staff] General Bajwa is seeking America’s help in getting IMF [loan] it means that the country is getting weaker,” he said in an interview with the local TV channel on Friday. اگر جنرل باجوہ امریکہ کو آئی ایم ایف سے مدد کے لیے کہہ رہے ہیں تو اسکا مطلب ہے کہ ملک کمزور ہورہا ہے کیونکہ یہ آرمی چیف کا تو کام نہیں کہ وہ فون کرے۔ اور کیا امریکہ مدد کے بدلے کوئی ڈیمانڈ نہیں کرے گا ؟ چیئرمین عمران خان #IKonARYNewsُ pic.twitter.com/lbjVGnwBUU — PTI (@PTIofficial) July 29, 2022 His statement comes as COAS Gen Bajwa reached out to the US administration with a request for help in securing an early dispersal of a tranche of bailout package from the IMF in an effort to stabilise the dwindling economy of Pakistan. According to security sources, the army chief spoke by phone with US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman earlier this week. They said Gen Bajwa made an appeal to the White House and the Treasury Department to push the IMF to immediately supply nearly $1.2 billion that Pakistan is due to receive under a resumed loan programme. “If America helps us in the current situation, what will it demand in return for help? I fear that the security of the country will be weakened,” Imran remarked. Commenting on the development, the ex-premier said the report implied that no one including the international community and people of the country has confidence in the coalition government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Imran said the only way to steer the economy out of crisis and to reverse the “regime change operation” was to hold early and transparent elections. Also read: Army chief appeals to US to help Pakistan secure IMF loan tranche The former premier said after the PTI dealt a blow to the PML-N in Punjab by-elections, the incumbent rulers were wary of going into the early polls. “Their [government] concerns are legitimate because Pakistan has changed as they were confident of winning the polls using the state machinery,” he said adding that ruling alliance were taken aback after his party secured landslide victory despite rigging attempts. Imran said that the people of Pakistan rejected the “regime change operation” which he alleged that engineered by the US to topple his government by backing then opposition parties’ no-confidence motion. “Someone must be responsible for the prevailing crisis..all economic indicators have deteriorated and markets have lost confidence..,” he said while referring to his ouster from power. Watch full interview here: https://ift.tt/obF6ies  

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Pakistan team returns home after pulling out of India chess event

Pakistan’s chess team returned home via the Wagah border on Friday a day after Islamabad boycotted the world's biggest international tournament in protest as hosts India holding a torch relay for the event through Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). The Pakistani players had arrived in India to participate in the 44th Chess Olympiad being held in Chennai from July 29 to August 10 at the invitation of the International Chess Federation (ICF). "By passing the torch relay through Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir... India has committed a travesty that the international community cannot accept under any circumstances," the Foreign Office had said in a statement. It said the matter would also be raised with the International Chess Federation and condemned the "mischievous attempt to mix politics with sports". The Foreign Office said, "Regrettably, India has chosen to politicise the prestigious international sporting event by passing the torch relay of this event through Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK)." The torch relay passed through Srinagar on June 21. It said by passing the torch relay through IIOJK, in utter disregard of the globally acknowledged "disputed" status of the territory, India had committed a travesty that the international community cannot accept under any circumstances. "India must know that by such provocative and indefensible actions, it can neither seek nor claim international legitimacy for its unjustifiable, illegal and tyrannical occupation of IIOJK continuing for over seven decades," it said. Also read: Pakistan pulls out of India chess event The Foreign Office said, "Pakistan also strongly urges the international community to call upon India to end its gross and systematic violations of human rights in IIOJK, revoke its illegal and unilateral actions of August 5, 2019, and free all political prisoners including the true Kashmiri leaders." Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognised "disputed" territory between Pakistan and India. IIOJK has been under forcible and illegal occupation of India since 1947 and this dispute has remained on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council for more than seven decades. India has been politicising the global sports competition before Pakistan's Foreign Office has strongly condemned India's attempt to politicize sports Islamabad has also decided to raise this issue at the international level with the International Chess Federation The Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that India should know that such indefensible actions cannot legitimise its illegal occupation of the disputed valley.

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Model Town tragedy: PAT challenges Sanaullah's claim

The Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) on Friday challenged Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah’s claim that the PML-N leadership had been exonerated from the Model Town tragedy. Reacting to the claim, PAT Secretary-General Khurram Nawaz Gandapur said that the plan for the massacre of Model Town had been made under the patronage of then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, while Shehbaz Sharif and Rana Sanaullah were the masterminds using police and civil administration as a tool. He said that FIR No696 containing all these facts had been registered with the Faisal Town police station pending adjudication. He said that during the illegal rule of Hamza Shehbaz, an attempt was made to acquit the accused of the Model Town tragedy, but it was foiled due to the PAT’s active legal role. Read more: Former ally PAT distances itself from PTI’s May 25 long march He said they had presented concrete evidence of the involvement of the PML-N leadership before the anti-terrorism court but there’s an unnecessary delay in the delivery of justice. A petition to summon Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif and Rana Sanaullah as accused is pending in the higher courts, he said, alleging that Shehbaz Sharif as the chief minister and Sanaullah as the provincial law minister got distorted facts during investigations of the case conducted through managed police because the statements of the injured and eyewitnesses of the Model Town tragedy were not recorded by the investigators and a unilateral challan was presented to the ATC. Gandapur said that the party had been demanding an impartial inquiry into the case for the last eight years and a new JIT was formed on the order of the Supreme Court, but a stay order by the Lahore High Court for the last three years was barring its working. Sanaullah and the ilk could not claim innocence till a report of the impartial JIT was submitted, he said, adding the accused desired to shift their responsibility onto the police officers. He said that the police raid on PAT offices in Model Town back in 2014 was not a plan just to remove the road barriers outside but to intimidate and kill the leaders and workers of Minhajul Quran and PAT as the Nawaz government, afraid of Dr Tahirul Qadri, desired to stop him from coming to Pakistan. Gandapur appealed to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan as well as of the Lahore High Court to decide on the stay order regarding the impartial JIT as soon as possible so that the masterminds of the tragedy were exposed and justice delivered to the victims.

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Sindh Assembly urges ECP to announce foreign funding case verdict

As the coalition government in the centre reiterates its demand to announce the verdict of the foreign funding case, Sindh Assembly on Friday adopted a resolution demanding the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to immediately make public the final verdict of the case. The resolution was moved by PPP MPA Sadia Javed and signed by more than one dozen party lawmakers. Speaking on the resolution, the ruling party MPAs criticised the former prime minister Imran Khan for creating hurdles in the case by mounting pressure on the ECP to not issue the verdict. "The foreign funding case has remained pending for eight years before the ECP and has been delayed on one pretext or the other. The indecision poses a further risk to our national security since the foreign powers through such funds are in a position to influence the political discourse of our country," the resolution said, adding that there are sufficient pieces of evidence showing that the PTI got funds from Indians and Israelis to run political campaigns in Pakistan. Read more: Ruling coalition pushes for announcement of verdict in PTI foreign funding case As per the laws of Pakistan, funds received from foreign governments and multinational corporations are deemed as "foreign funding". Leading British newspaper the Financial Times, in its report, also disclosed complete details of how the PTI received funds in the name of charity and later utilised them for political purposes. Labour Minister Saeed Ghani while speaking on the issue said: "Imran Khan used to behave like the holy cow claiming that not a single penny corruption charges are against him. He and his party presented false information regarding the funding to the ECP. No one else but the State Bank of Pakistan has exposed how they have received the money from foreign nationals and companies," he said. Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, while referring to the report, said Imran Khan took money from Israel and India, adding that two companies in the name of Imran Khan were established in the US where millions of dollars worth amount were transferred from different countries. "The amount is never transferred to Pakistan," he claimed. He was of the view that President Arif Alvi, former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser and former Sindh Governor Imran Ismail were among others who used to operate the foreign accounts. Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah drew the parallel between Imran Khan and Adolf Hitler and said that Hitler was a fascist ruler who pushed the world into World War. It may be noted that the case had been filed by Akbar S Babar, who is a dissident but a founding member of the PTI, and has been pending since November 14, 2014. Babar had alleged serious financial irregularities in the party's funding from Pakistan and abroad. Earlier in June, the electoral watchdog had listed the foreign funding case under ‘prohibited funding’ and reserved its judgement a week later. The renewed vigour in the ruling coalition’s demand has come as it suffered a heavy blow in the Punjab by-poll upset and subsequent Punjab chief minister’s election.

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Punjab Assembly passes no-confidence motion against deputy speaker Mazari

The Punjab Assembly on Thursday passed a no-confidence motion against Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari with a majority vote two days after the election of PML-N leader Hamza Shehbaz as the chief minister was annulled by the Supreme Court. The Punjab Assembly session, chaired by Nawabzada Waseem Khan Baduzai, accepted PTI MPA Raja Basharat request to present the resolution to remove the deputy speaker and elect a new speaker, reported Express News. The motion said that the post of speaker fell vacant due to the election of Chaudhry Pervez Elahi as the chief minister, “therefore this House wants to suspend Rule 11 (1) and 12 (3) of the Rules of Procedure and elect the Speaker”. ڈپٹی سپیکر کے خلاف تحریک عدم اعتماد پنجاب اسمبلی میں پیش، کل ووٹنگ ہوگی۔#ایک_نیازی_سب_پہ_بھاری pic.twitter.com/EJcUTwKrey — Muhammad Basharat Raja (@RajaBasharatLAW) July 28, 2022 The PTI nominated former provincial minister Sibtain Khan for the Punjab Assembly speaker’s post. Voting for the speaker’s post will be held through a secret ballot tomorrow (Friday) at 4pm. “Sibtain Khan will be elected as Punjab Assembly Speaker tomorrow,” Basharat said in a tweet from his official handle. I’ve moved No Confidence Motion against Deputy Speaker Dost Mazari in Punjab Assembly Today. Voting will be held tomorrow at 4 pm.@SardarSibtain will be elected as Speaker Punjab Assembly tomorrow IA. The Nomination papers for Speaker can be submitted till 5pm.#رجیم_چینج_ناکام — Muhammad Basharat Raja (@RajaBasharatLAW) July 28, 2022 The joint opposition’s candidate Saiful Mulok Khokhar of PML-N has filed his nomination papers for the speaker election. Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari rejected 10 Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) votes which paved the way for PML-N’s Hamza Shehbaz to retain the post of the provincial chief executive during the elections held on July 22 (Friday). Subsequently, the Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down his ruling on the election of Punjab chief minister, paving the way for PTI-PML-Q joint candidiate Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi to ascend to the throne in the country’s political heartland.

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'Govt committed to unlock full potential of CPEC', PM tells Chinese envoy

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday underlined the government’s commitment to unlocking the full economic and connectivity potential of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor through expedited and high-quality development of CPEC projects. He emphasised the importance of key projects like Main Line One (ML-1) and Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) in Pakistan’s development plans and expressed a desire to move towards the finalisation of these projects in the upcoming 11th meeting of the CPEC Joint Cooperation Committee. The prime minister expressed these views as he received Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong at the PM House in Islamabad, a statement issued by the PM Media Office said. Expressing satisfaction on the upward trajectory of high-level exchanges between Pakistan and China, the premier recalled his comprehensive and wide-ranging discussions with Premier Li Keqiang in a telephone call on May 16, 2022, and their consensus to further deepen and strengthen Pakistan-China All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership. He underscored that Pakistan and China were best friends, staunchest partners and iron brothers, adding that the two nations had always stood by each other through fair weather and times of challenges, and extended support on key issues of core interest. PM Shehbaz appreciated China’s support for Pakistan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and development, including in dealing with the emerging economic challenges and volatility in global supply chains and commodities. Read more: CPEC extension to Afghanistan discussed Sharing Pakistan’s focus on the early development of CPEC Special Economic Zones (SEZs), he welcomed the increased investments of Chinese enterprises, especially in the country’s industrial development. Referring to the increasing bilateral trade volumes and Pakistan’s record exports of $3.6 billion in 2021, the prime minister emphasised that enhanced market access for Pakistani exports to China would help realise the full potential of the Pakistan-China Free Trade Agreement. The premier was accompanied by Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail, Minister of State Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar and special assistants to PM Tariq Fatemi, Zafarullah Mahmood and Jehanzab Khan.

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Elections to be held on time, govt to complete its tenure: PDM

Amid calls by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for snap polls in the country, the Pakistan Democratic Alliance (PDM) has reiterated its stance that the general elections will be held on time and the coalition government will complete its tenure. The announcement was made after the alliance's top brass meeting held in Islamabad on Thursday following the Supreme Court's verdict in the Punjab chief minister case. The meeting was also attended by PML-N supreme leader and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif via a video link.  It discussed the ongoing political crisis in the country after the top court's verdict. https://ift.tt/V9L8HJi During the meeting, some resolutions were also passed. The PDM, an alliance of nearly a dozen of opposition parties, reiterated that the elections will be held on time and the assemblies will complete their tenure. It was decided that the federal government will send a Presidential Ordinance to the Supreme Court for the interpretation of Article 63A via a full court bench. It said that as per the Constitution of Pakistan, the executive and judiciary have been given responsibilities and no institution should cross the domain of the other. The PDM expressed concern over the recent verdict of the Supreme Court which created "chaos, confusion and political crisis" in the country. Read more: ‘Govt may call snap polls if PTI dissolves Punjab, K-P assemblies’, Sanaullah tells Imran On Tuesday, the Supreme Court struck down Punjab Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari's ruling on the election of 'trustee' chief minister, paving the way for PTI-PML-Q joint candidate Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi to ascend to the throne in the country’s political heartland. "The country's representative parties have expressed their anxiety on this issue. Legal experts, media and civil society have also not agreed with this decision," the resolution added. It further said that the different standards of justice and interpretations have justified the concerns of the ruling coalition, therefore, the presidential reference should be sent to the Supreme Court as soon as possible. Addressing a press conference flanked by PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz and other PDM leaders, Maulana Fazlur Rehman demanded the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to announce the verdict of the foreign funding case which had been pending for the last eight years.  "The PDM demands that the ECP must fulfil its mandate as per the Constitution," he added. The PDM president said that the PTI received funds from Indian and Israeli citizens and proof of it was presented during the foreign funding case hearings. "Turning a blind eye on the case is against national security." He said that this important case related to the organisation and financial affairs of political parties should be announced immediately. The JUI-F chief further said that former prime minister Imran Khan can only hurl accusations and he does not have a narrative. Speaking on the occasion, Maryam Nawaz said that everyone feared the demand of a full court bench because the one-sided decision was to be made and Ladla — a term coalition government leaders use for Imran Khan which literally means darling — was made the beneficiary. She said that if there was no malicious intention then a full court bench would have been formed. "If the court had made a mistake in its previous verdict then why did the correction result in the favour of Ladla," she questioned and termed the decision "murder of justice". Maryam said that if the courts wanted to correct their decisions then they should start with the Panama Papers case. Fazl proposes black day over SC verdict Sources told Express News that during the PDM meeting, Fazl proposed to observe a black day over the Supreme Court’s verdict. The PDM president also officially asked the PPP and the ANP to rejoin the PDM. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Aftab Sherpao, Owais Noorani, Tahir Bizenjo, Ghafoor Haidari and others also participated in the meeting.

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National Assembly speaker accepts resignations of 11 PTI MNAs

National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf has accepted the resignations of 11 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) parliamentarians, almost two months after 131 MNAs of the opposition party were summoned to verify if their resignations were “genuine and voluntary”. In an official statement issued on Thursday, the NA spokesperson said a notification of the resignations had been issued by the National Assembly Secretariat. “The Speaker of the National Assembly accepted the resignation by exercising the powers conferred under Clause (1) of Article 64 of the Constitution of Pakistan,” the statement added. اسپیکر قومی اسمبلی @RPAPPP نے پی ٹی آئی کے 11 مستعفی ممبران قومی اسمبلی کے استعفے قبول کر لیے۔ قومی اسمبلی سیکرٹریٹ کی جانب سے استعفوں کے نوٹیفیکیشن جاری۔ اسپیکر قومی اسمبلی نے استعفے آئین پاکستان کی آرٹیکل 64 کی شق (1) کے تحت تفویص اختیارات کو بروئے کار لاتے ہوئے منظور کیے۔ https://t.co/oOOxPuqyyb — National Assembly of Pakistan🇵🇰 (@NAofPakistan) July 28, 2022 The 131 PTI lawmakers had announced en masse resignations moments before Shehbaz Sharif was elected as the new prime minister on April 11 — a day after PTI chairman and former premier Imran Khan was voted out from the coveted slot through a no-confidence motion. Also read: Question lingers over PTI MNAs’ resignations Those whose resignations have been accepted include Ali Muhammad Khan (NA-22), Fazal Muhammad Khan (NA-24), Shaukat Ali (NA-31), Fakhr Zaman Khan (NA-45), Farrukh Habib (NA-108), Ejaz Ahmad Shah (NA-118), Jameel Ahmad Khan (NA-237), Muhammad Akram Cheema (NA-239), Abdul Shakur Shaad (NA-246), Dr Meher Ansa Shireen Mazari (reserved seat), Shandana Gulzar Khan (allocated seat), as per the NA statement. اسپیکر نےممبران قومی اسمبلی علی محمد خان(NA-22)، فضل محمد خان(NA-24)، شوکت علی(NA-31)،فخر زمان خان(NA-45)، فرخ حبیب(NA-108)، اعجاز احمد شاہ(NA-118)، جمیل احمد خان(NA-237)،محمد اکرم چیمہ(NA-239)، عبدل شکور شاد(NA-246)،ڈاکٹر مہر انساء شیریں مزاری،شندانہ گلزار خان کےاستعفے قبول کیے۔ — National Assembly of Pakistan🇵🇰 (@NAofPakistan) July 28, 2022 It added that the notifications of the resignations will be forwarded to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for further action. The PTI leaders had said that their resignations were accepted by then NA deputy speaker Qasim Suri on April 14. Suri had made the decision in his capacity as the acting speaker. However, the succeeding government made it clear that the resignations could not be considered valid unless they were verified.

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PTI's Barrister Ali Zafar won five legal victories in a row

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Barrister Ali Zafar is making strides in the superior courts after winning five high-profile cases in a row, shaking the country’s political earth with each legal victory secured for the party. The rulings on his pleas have rewritten the rules of Pakistan’s parliamentary democracy, notably his successful bid to convince the majority judges of the Supreme Court that voting by lawmakers against party directions under Article 63A automatically nullifies their vote. Although other legal wizards of the PTI have been also nailing their colours to the mast in the superior courts since April. However, Ali Zafar holds the distinction of grabbing key victories that have effectuated tectonic shifts in Punjab – the political heartland of the country now under PTI’s control after a series of single-minded, well-crafted legal bids. "I argued that the votes of the members which have been cast contrary to the directions of the parliamentary party have to be disregarded and cannot be counted under Article 63A of the Constitution,” Zafar, who is also chairman of Insaf Lawyers' Forum (ILF), said while talking to The Express Tribune. He shared that his argument was based on the principle that the fruit of a poisonous tree was fated to be poisonous and therefore, cannot be eaten. The apex court subsequently accepted this proposition on May 17 when it delivered its verdict on the presidential reference seeking interpretation of Article 63-A – a godsend ruling for the PTI that employed the premises of the ruling as a mainstay for its legal battles since ouster. Sieving the ambiguities out More than a month later, when the same provision of the Constitution became a bone of contention in the Punjab Assembly and landed back at the SC’s bench for clarity, Zafar appeared before the court again to challenge Deputy Speaker Dost Mazari’s decision to not count 10 votes polled in Elahi’s favour. This time, the ruling pronounced from the three-member bench served to sieve all ambiguities out from the majority opinion, enunciating the nuances and technicalities. “I had contended that the 10 votes could not be discarded because no directions of the parliamentary party had been violated by any of the members and therefore, Article 63-A could not be applied,” Zafar said. Twenty-five dissidents The PTI was still reeling from twin painful defeats it faced one after the other until May. Twenty-five of its members had pedalled out of the party’s folds and voted for Hamza Shehbaz in April 16 chief minister’s elections – a few days after it lost Islamabad to a mighty assemblage of parties that ‘roped in’ its allies and muscled the PTI out of power. In Punjab, the decisive factor in Hamza’s ascension to office was the support of dissident PTI lawmakers that were part of the Jahangir Tarin and Aleem Khan groups. Both groups announced they were backing opposition candidate Hamza Shehbaz. However, the calculations had altered in light of the SC’s majority opinion on Article 63A. The PTI's counsel mounted a legal challenge before the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) that the MPAs were issued instructions by the party's chief whip in the Punjab Assembly, as well as, Secretary General Asad Umar through a letter. Subsequently, on May 20, the ECP ruled that the 25 PTI lawmakers who voted in favour of PML-N’s Hamza Shehbaz as Punjab chief minister would be de-seated for defying their party. “Everybody was convinced that we will not be able to secure relief from the ECP. But we won the case and the 25 members were de-seated and by-elections were ordered. This was the second victory without which the elections would have never taken place,” he said. Five important seats However, in the wake of the decision that supposedly put the lid on the matter, the question that still lingered unanswered was as to who will replace the five de-seated defectors elected on reserved seats. In order to salvage the uncertain political future of the disqualified lawmakers, the PML-N deliberated upon ways in which legal nuts and bolts could be tapped into. The allocation of five vacant reserved seats assumed a great deal of political weightage. Of the 25 de-seated PTI MPAs, five were elected on reserved seats, which were to be distributed among parties on the basis of their current strength in the PA. “The opposition parties were of the view that the five members will be determined after the election of the 20 members on the general seats on the basis of proportionality. Hence, they requested ECP to wait for the completion of the House after the by-election. PTI’s case before ECP was that the five seats should be filled from the list of nominees of PTI,” the lawyer said. While the electoral watchdog decided to wait for the elections, Zafar filed a writ petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) which then set aside the ECP’s decision and directed that the five reserved seats are to be filled only by the PTI. Accordingly, five members of the PTI were notified on these seats which became instrumental in enabling the numerical strength for Elahi to win the Punjab CM elections. Challenge to Hamza’s office Emboldened by a series of victories in his deliberate and well-crafted legal defence, Ali Zafar went on to challenge the election of Hamza Shehbaz by filing a writ of quo warranto in the Lahore High Court (LHC). The LHC ordered the re-counting of votes for the election of Punjab's chief minister held on April 16, instructing that the votes of 25 dissident PTI lawmakers be excluded from the counting process. A five-member bench comprising Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan, Justice Shahid Jamil Khan, Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry, Justice Sajid Mahmood Sethi and Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh announced the verdict with a 4-1 majority. "My argument was that in the first round of the election, a chief minister needs a majority of the total House. Accordingly, in the Punjab Assembly this meant that a person who has acquired 186 votes could become the CM,” Zafar explained. However, since the Supreme Court had ordered that 25 defectors’ votes are to be ignored, Hamza had actually secured only 172 votes which meant that he was not validly elected under Article 130(4). He requested the court to order run-off elections for the chief minister’s slot to settle the constitutional crisis. “The matter was fixed before the full bench of five members. Hamza’s lawyers and the opposition lawyers argued that the election had validly taken place and that the judgement of the Supreme Court in the presidential reference was not applicable retrospectively,” the lawyer said, recapping the events and arguments in the case. “The court accepted my argument and passed the judgement that Hamza has not been elected as the chief minister in the first round of election because he has not obtained 186 votes and therefore was not validly elected chief minister." “The court held that the judgement of the Supreme Court in the presidential reference was applicable since the very beginning when Article 63A was introduced. The reason being that it was a declaration of law by the court and there was no question of retrospectivity.” In a short order issued after the hearing, the LHC instructed that votes in the election held on April 16 be recounted after excluding 25 votes of the defecting lawmakers. If the required majority for Hamza to stay the CM is not secured, the election will be held again under Article 130(4), unless another candidate has majority votes. According to Article 130(4), in the second round of voting, a member will not require 186 votes but simply needs a majority of those "present and voting" to be elected the chief minister.

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Chomsky urges Pakistan, India to accommodate each other

Renowned philosopher, linguist and cognitive scientist Prof Noam Chomsky has said that for Pakistan to start a new journey on the right track, first of all, it has to get itself free from the clutches of colonial legacy and institutions. Chomsky was speaking in the “PIDE debate” conversation with Dr Abdul Jalil, Prof of Economics at the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), Islamabad. The conversation between Prof Chomsky and Dr Jalil is part of the series of podcasts that PIDE regularly generates, with experts from around the world on various economic, governance, and public policy issues. When asked about his views on the reasons behind Pakistan's sad state of affairs; on the economic front in particular, and where should be the starting point for Pakistan to reset with the current circumstances, Chomsky started by mentioning multiple factors: country-specific, impeding growth, pluralism, openness within the society, and of course, development. “Pakistan, over the decades, has been pushed towards a certain type of religious orthodoxy that limits the growth of culture and rationality. In parallel, it is in constant conflict with India. So, these are the biggest roadblocks for Pakistan on the road to development. Nonetheless, these things are not only Pakistan-specific. The United States is also feeling the heat of religious extremism in recent years – very unusual for a western country. This phenomenon is also gradually squeezing the space for cultural and intellectual development in the US,” he said Chomsky mentioned that Pakistan is in a complicated position, as it has one foot in China and the other in America/west. Still, it can move with a degree of independence. However, Pakistan and India have to move towards a point of accommodation and constructive cooperation, and there is no other way. This may sound utopian now, but it may happen. It has happened in the past. Take, for instance, the case of France and Germany. Both, for centuries, massacred each other. Now both are cooperating, he said. Chomsky believed that there is an inherent ambiguity when talking about intellectual honesty and responsibility. “First of all, we should know what our moral responsibility as human beings is. Secondly, what service is expected of them within the existing power systems? I would mention Henry Kissinger here. He clearly identified that a polity intellectual's role is to formulate the ideas of the powerful in a clear and applicable form. "In simple words, it means to be a stenographer for power,” he said. “In contrast, there is a moral responsibility to be truthful and honest, certain values we should uphold, and so on. If you look at the history of intellectuals, almost all of them happened to be on the first side. They were in the chambers of power instead of being the critics. Those who had and have questioned have suffered and were dismissed to the margins,” enunciated Prof Chomsky.   Published in The Express Tribune, July 28th, 2022.

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JCP meets today amid criticism

Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial has summoned the meeting of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) to consider the names of high court judges for their appointment as apex court judges on Thursday (today). The five judges of the high courts would be considered for the Supreme Court. The JCP is responsible for approving the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court and five high courts of the country. The CJP also heads the commission as its chairman. The body comprises of four senior-most judges of the SC, the former judge, a federal law minister, the attorney general for Pakistan and a senior advocate nominated by the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC). One representative each is nominated by the provincial and Islamabad bar councils. According to Article 175-A of the Constitution, the JCP, after confirmation, will propose the names to the parliamentary committees for the appointment of judges in the superior courts. Controversy and rising criticisms It is noteworthy that the anticipated JCP meeting had earned vehement criticisms from within the legal fraternity that smells “favouritism” in the appointments and has demanded a restructuring of the laws pertaining to appointments of the judges and the discretionary powers enjoyed by the CJP. A day earlier, senior puisne judge of the Supreme Court Justice Qazi Faez Isa had advised CJP Umar Ata Bandial not to bulldoze the “due” process for appointment of more than one-third of the total number of judges in the apex court. In a letter written to the Judicial Commission of Pakistan, headed by CJP Bandial, Justice Isa deplored the manner of summoning the JCP’s meeting to consider the elevation of high court judges to the Supreme Court. READ Justice Isa pens letter against CJP Bandial's summoning of JCP meeting Justice Isa said it was surprising that the JCP’s meeting had been convened to consider the appointment of five SC judges during summer vacations. Justice Isa stated in the letter that “while on my annual leave I received a Whatsapp message from the Additional Registrar of the Supreme Court informing me that the Hon’ble Chief Justice of Pakistan has convened a meeting of the JCP on 28 July 2022 to consider appointing five judges to the SC. “When availing of annual leave no meeting of the JCP was scheduled but as soon as I left Pakistan the CJP decided to hold two meetings of the JCP to consider appointments to the Sindh and Lahore High Courts, and now a third unscheduled meeting of the JCP is to be held during the summer vacations of the SC. He stressed the need that “all appointments must be made in accordance with the Constitution, on the basis of predetermined and non-discriminatory criteria. And above all without any impression of favouritism. The Constitution does not grant the CJP any powers additional to those of the other members of the JCP; the CJP is only designated as the Chairman of the JCP.” It is pertinent to note that the JCP meeting was held on June 28, a day after Justice Isa’s three-page letter criticised the meeting and called for its postponement until the scheduled vacations of the court were over. Amendment in Article 175-A sought Similarly, superior bar associations from across the country on Wednesday strongly opposed the elevation of junior judges of the high courts to the Supreme Court. A joint meeting of the representatives of the SCBAP, high court bar associations of all the provinces, PBC and members of bar councils to the JCP demanded amendments in Article 175-A and Article 209 of the Constitution in order to unify the forum for appointment and removal of judges and to make it more inclusive and comprising equal representation of all the stakeholders (i.e. judges, bar, executive and the parliament). Likewise, former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association Hamid Khan and other leaders of lawyers’ professional group have also strongly opposed the JCP's move to ignore the seniority policy in elevating judges to the apex court. Khan regretted that chief justices of the high courts were being ignored by the JCP and the Supreme Court was being filled with junior judges on personal preferences.

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Petroleum levy set to rise on IMF demand

Pakistan was ready to meet the remaining one prior condition of a further increase in the levy on all petroleum products that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had set for calling the board meeting to revive the programme, said Finance Minister Miftah Ismail on Wednesday. The minister’s statement should quell speculations that the government might not increase the taxes from August due to the ongoing political crisis. “There is a schedule to gradually increase petroleum levy rates according to which the levy will increase further in the future,” said the finance minister while sticking to the commitments given to the IMF. The finance minister spoke at a seminar that had been organised under a condition of the foreign lender to qualify for the loan to reform the state-owned enterprises. The seminar was funded through foreign loan proceeds at a time when the country is at the verge of default. Ismail said that the IMF had set the prior conditions of approval of the new budget, a memorandum of understanding with the provinces to create cash surpluses, raising petroleum levy rates, increasing electricity prices in July, August and October and increasing interest rates. He said that these conditions have been met. Under the deal with the IMF, the government had imposed Rs10 per litre levy on petrol from July, which will have to be further increased by another Rs10 on August 1 until it gradually reaches to Rs50 per litre. The petroleum products prices may significantly go up from August due to massive currency devaluation during the past 10 days, which could stoke hyperinflation in the country. The rupee closed at Rs236, having depreciated 1.31%, according to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). The finance minister said that the IMF board meeting would take place later in August, although he wanted the meeting to be held in early August. The IMF board is expected to meet on August 25th. The finance minister also said that there was a structural benchmark to form a team of experts for the diagnosis of effectiveness of anti-corruption laws. “I have added strings to it that the team will also be determined whether these laws have been used in the past against political opponents and what is the trade-off between efficiency and the anti-corruption laws.” The previous Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government delayed the signing of the cheapest LNG deals in fear of being chased by the NAB, said the finance minister. “In consultations with the IMF, we will appoint a team of world and Pakistani experts to review these laws,” he added. “Even though we have NAB and PPRA rules for the last 20 years, the corruption in Pakistan has not reduced and the successive governments have not bought cheaper goods,” he said. He again made the case for government-to-government sale deals with the foreign countries by bypassing the existing laws. Read Pakistan 'will not default', assures Miftah “It is not only a matter of good boards and management but it is the matter of better laws, as the existing law does not facilitate the privatisation process,” Ismail said. He added that the privatisation law was not the right law, as it did not allow the privatisation. “If we want privatisation, we need to come up with better laws,” the minister emphasised. Pakistan’s privatisation policy has not succeeded over the years. The SME bank that has been making losses since 2007 and is on the privatisation list since 2008 could not be privatised till today, he added. “The Roosevelt Hotel may not be privatised right now but it is on the privatisation agenda for 36 years.” The federal cabinet on Wednesday allowed the president to present the Inter-government Transactions Bill 2022 in parliament by changing its earlier plan to implement the new law through a presidential ordinance. The Express Tribune reported last week that in a desperate attempt to save the country from default through emergency sale of state’s assets to foreign countries, the federal cabinet had approved an ordinance to bypass all the procedures for the process and also abolished regulatory checks, including the applicability of six relevant laws. Through the Inter-Governmental Commercial Transactions bill, the Centre wants to empower itself to issue binding instructions to the provincial governments for land acquisition, according to a copy of the proposed law. The government has also barred the courts from entertaining any petition against the sale of assets and shares of the government companies to foreign countries, as per the ordinance. The finance minister said that Pakistan was in talks with a friendly country for the purchase of shares of Pakistani companies that were listed on the stock market. However, he said: “We have not yet begun the negotiations,” adding that the government wanted to sell minority stakes with the buy-back option; therefore today’s prices were not relevant. The deal’s size is estimated at around $2-2.5 billion, depending on the number of shares being offered to the UAE and the price of the two-LNG power plants, according to people privy to these discussions. The finance minister said that the government might lift the ban on the import of luxury items in the next couple of weeks, including pet food. He said that the condition about vetting letters of credits for imports had helped reduce the import bill this month, which so far stood at only $3.7 billion. The imports may remain only at $4.4 billion, which would take the pressure off from rupee from next month, he added.

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Bars oppose elevation of junior judges to SC

Bar associations from across the country have strongly opposed the elevation of junior judges of the high courts to the Supreme Court and have pressed the government to enact laws to regulate the discretionary powers vested in the chief justice to constitute benches and fix cases. The resolution was adopted in a joint meeting of the representatives of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan (SCBAP), high court bar associations of all the provinces, Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) and members of bar councils to the Judicial Commission of Pakistan held here at the Supreme Court building on Wednesday. The meeting, presided over by SCBA President Ahsan Bhoon and PBC chairman of executive committee Pir Muhammad Masood Chishti, considered the situation arising out of the controversies linked to the judiciary’s independence with regard to the functioning of courts as well as the appointment of judges in the superior courts. It unanimously resolved that the legal fraternity did not harbour any personal agenda and that it practised complete impartiality, emphasising that the lawyers wanted strict adherence to the rule of law and principle of seniority. The meeting emphasised that the nominations for the appointment of junior judges to the apex court were in violation of the seniority principle and therefore, it was disapproved by the house. READ PM Shehbaz stresses equal justice for everyone after SC verdict Moreover, it reiterated its long-standing demand that the JCP immediately amend its rules to allow nominations for judicial appointments to be initiated by any member of the commission rather than the chief justice alone. It stressed the need to frame fair, transparent and objective criteria and procedures to gauge the suitability of prospective appointees. It was demanded that amendments in Article 175-A and Article 209 of the Constitution should be made in order to unify the forum for appointment and removal of judges and to make it more inclusive and comprising equal representation of all the stakeholders (i.e. judges, bar, executive and the parliament). Moreover, the house demanded that Article 184 (3) of the Constitution be amended in order to provide one right of appeal. Legislation to regulate suo motu powers Furthermore, the bar associations further demanded that the federal government immediately frame legislation in terms of Articles 175(2) and 191 of the Constitution regulating the manner of exercise of jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. The legislation, in particular, should be aimed at ending the sole discretion of the CJP to constitute benches, fix cases and initiate suo motu proceedings and vest the same in a committee comprising the five senior-most judges of the court. It also asked the federal government to immediately withdraw the curative review filed against the senior most judge of the Supreme Court Justice Qazi Faez Isa “as admittedly, it was wrongly filed”. And lastly, the house resolved that the Supreme Court rules be amended to ensure that the review petitions are heard by a bench different from the original bench and allow the engagement of different counsel for the review petition.

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Pakistani scientists develop low-cost anti-bacterial fabric

A team of Pakistani researchers has developed a low-cost antibacterial fabric that can be used in wound dressing, lab coats, masks and various types of packaging materials. The team led by Saadat Majeed, Associate Professor-Division of Analytical Chemistry at the Bahauddin Zakariya University in Multan, tested the eco-friendly Chitosan and silver nanoparticles modified fabric for four common types of bacteria. Bacteria are the most common cause of infectious diseases worldwide. The fabric was very effective in preventing microbial contamination. The research appeared in Nature, a prestigious science journal. Read more: 81 Pakistanis among world’s top 2% scientists The research team took the normal fabric and treated it with alkali, which created the active sites in the fabric for modification. Then they dipped the fabric piece in silver nanoparticles and Chitosan – a type of sugar from crabs and lobsters – which coated the cloth with an extra invisible layer. “This coating has active antimicrobial properties and kills the bacterial strains immediately upon contact," the lead researcher told The Express Tribune, adding that many other methods involve toxic chemicals or expensive equipment, but this method is relatively easy and affordable. "All we need is a beaker and cost-effective material for modifications," she added. SEM images of non-woven cotton fabric (NWCF) (a), AgNPs-NWCF (b), Chitosan@AgNPs-NWCF (c), and  N-halamine-chitosan@AgNPs-NWCF (d). Chitosan is a biomaterial used for many biomedical applications including antibacterial activities. It has excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability. The positive ionic charges created on the backbone of the chitosan during treatment effectively provide the sites for further modifications and immobilisation. On the other hand, silver nanoparticles are one of the emerging materials in scientific research and development. These nanomaterials exhibit large surface area and tuneable particle size which render them an effective tool in combating bacteria. The coating of these two materials in the fabric can allow protection against microbes with minimal cytotoxicity and synergistically. The piece was observed with different techniques to check how well the coating spread evenly. The fabric was double-checked with electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography. Pathogens loaded To check the antimicrobial properties, the team loaded the fabric with four common types of microbes, namely Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter aerogenes, and E.coli, responsible for pneumonia, infections, hospital contamination and diarrhoea respectively with other diseases. These microbes also cause serious infections in hospital settings and even turn a wound into an incurable ulcer in case of severe infection. Also read: Pakistani scientist sets two world records in solar cell technology In laboratory experiments, when compared to normal fabric, the antibacterial patch showed 85 per cent efficacy to kill the bacteria and prevented further spreading it to the other parts as a colony. The results showed that the fabric treatment method has the potential to be used for hospital fabrics, masks, and food packaging materials. More specific trials are underway. Speaking to The Express Tribune, Dr Saadat Majeed said that the global pandemic halted many imports including medical supplies so the team started exploring medical fabrics as an emerging field with research on anti-bacterial material, and decided to develop it with an innovative approach locally and the method is now about to be patent. The fabric is stable as the quality and strength is not compromised during the whole process. The textile does not lose its characteristics and modified contents even after rinsing 10-15 times with water. Promising shelf life Storage and shelf life is also an important aspect of the commercialisation of antimicrobial fabric. In this regard, many samples were strictly checked in light and darkness. One piece of cloth was exposed to UVA light for continues six weeks. The test was necessary to check the efficacy of the antimicrobial procedure. In another experiment, another cloth was put in the dark in the same observational settings. The fabric retains its maximum antimicrobial properties even after 12 weeks. “The overall treatment and modification of fabric do not affect the essential qualities of fabric,” said Tayyab Raza, senior PhD scholar and co-author. The fabric treatment method is a hallmark of teamwork of different institutes and scholars from diverse disciplines. It was a joint collaborative effort of Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences, Karachi University, Nishtar Medical University, Govt. College University Faisalabad and Abasyn University, Islamabad Campus.

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Formation of parliamentary committee imperative for judicial reforms: Bilawal

Hitting out at the institution including the establishment and judiciary for playing a "controversial role", Foreign Minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has demanded to form a parliamentary committee for judicial reforms. "Now is the time to form a parliamentary committee for judicial reforms. We will decide how many judges will sit on a bench. If the higher judiciary wants to announce verdicts then it's fine but all the judges will have to sit," Bilawal said in a fiery speech during a session of the National Assembly in Islamabad on Wednesday. He urged the lower house of parliament to work against the "violation of the Constitution and if it cannot do that then "we should put locks on the assembly". Also read: Govt decides to legislate to ‘clip powers’ of Supreme Court "It took us three years to make this Constitution. But when the time came to violate it, all institutions came together. It took us 30 years to restore the Constitution in its original shape," he added. The foreign minister said that they never tried to bring any institution by naming them X or Y and had only requested that when one institution is giving a verdict against another institution then a full court bench should be formed and whatever it decides, the government will accept. "Our demand was not restricted to [Punjab CM matter]. But when the previous government tried to sabotage the no-confidence motion and we approached the court, I had the same request. I had said that this was a constitutional matter and a full court bench should be formed. It was not created at that time and not at this time. Bilawal said that the former prime minister Benazir Bhutto accepted martyrdom in the struggle for democracy. "We restored the 1973 Constitution. We cleaned it from the Articles army rulers had included in it." Read more: Sanaullah threatens governor's rule in Punjab Talking about his party's achievements in the democratic process in Pakistan, the PPP leader said that the president used to have the right to dissolve the assembly whenever he wished but the PPP abolished it. "We snatched 58-2B from the president and gave it to this house. We signed the charter of democracy so that the judiciary can work freely, people can vote as per their wishes and journalists work without any fear." He regretted that a "nexus" was produced which kept on working on how it can make Pakistan a "controlled democracy". "There is no 58-2B now but the new 58-2B has gone to the court." He said that PPP workers struggled for former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry but the same person gave decisions which were not according to the law. "But the [PPP] govt did not attack the court. We kept working and ultimately reached our goal. We restored the democracy and also completed our term for the first time in the history of Pakistan." Bilawal said that political forces in Pakistan had decided to bring judicial reforms under the charter of democracy which was implemented, adding that they were "threatened to roll them back via the 19th amendment. "We were threatened that if it did not happen, the 18th Amendment will be eliminated. Today, I am admitting that it was our mistake that we fell for that threat and passed the 19th Amendment. We should have never done that. We should have said to the judiciary of that time that this is the Constitution of Pakistan and if you cannot follow it then you can go home but we will not change the Constitution." Bilawal said that the judiciary sent home a prime minister whose party had the two-third majority in parliament. He said that during the election campaign, some judges were taking part in a political campaign. "This house must take notice that the personalities who are not part of the political process what are they doing in election campaigns be it 2018 general elections or by-elections. I can tell you this that in the 2018 general election, CJP Saqib Nisar was running the election campaign against us. He came to Larkana and gave speeches and used to slap other judges. On polling day, our candidate Faisal Saleh Hayat was winning. The chief justice of Pakistan reached his opponent. The judge who was doing the recounting, how would he dare to go against the chief justice." To form a "selected" system, Bilawal said: The institutions are playing a "controversial role" and not constitutional. "We want them to play the constitutional role and not controversial whether it be establishment or judiciary... their role should not be controversial. That is why we had suggested forming a full court bench. It doesn't matter to me whether Hamza Shehbaz becomes the chief minister or Pervaiz Elahi but the country cannot be ruled by two separate constitutions," he added. LIVE #APPNews : Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressing his views in @NAofPakistan #Islamabad @BBhuttoZardari @MediaCellPPP https://t.co/vjMS5XkDs5 — APP 🇵🇰 (@appcsocialmedia) July 27, 2022  

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World Hepatitis Day: Pakistan ‘can’t wait’ to eliminate viral disease

Today is World Hepatitis Day. This day serves as a global reminder that nearly 1.5 million people still die around the world as a result of contaminated water, poor medical care, unsanitary injections, and a lack of disease awareness. In 2022 the theme of World Hepatitis day is ‘I Can’t Wait’. Fifteen million people suffer from Hepatitis B and C in Pakistan, making it the biggest killer among communicable diseases. Hepatitis B and C are both blood-borne diseases that are spread through unsafe injections, unsanitary practices at hospitals, dental clinics and tattoo parlors, among other causes. A lesser known but dangerous form of Hepatitis is Hepatitis E, which is water-borne, and  in Pakistan, is also one of the leading causes of deaths in expecting mothers and in patients with a history of liver disease. Read more: Scourge of hepatitis needs prudent handling, says expert Between 40% and 60% of Pakistanis living in the urban areas lack access to safe drinking water. Also, 25-40% of hospital beds in Pakistan are occupied by patients suffering from waterborne diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, typhoid, and Hepatitis E (HEV).  Maternal mortality rate due to Hepatitis E can reach 38%, while the fetal mortality rate can reach 48%, one of the highest in the world. Hepatitis E is a liver inflammation caused by infection with the Hepatitis E virus (HEV). The virus spreads through the fecal-oral route, primarily through contaminated water. Every year, an estimated 20 million HEV infections occur worldwide, resulting in an estimated 3.3 million Hepatitis E symptomatic cases. According to estimates, Hepatitis E took the lives of 70,000 people last year. A promising development in the country’s fight against Hepatitis E occurred last year with the introduction of Hecolin, the world’s first vaccine against Hepatitis E, introduced in Pakistan by Ferozsons Laboratories Ltd in partnership with Xiamen Innovax Biotech, a renowned Chinese biopharmaceutical company. Also read: Hepatitis patients awaiting medicine supply Hecolin is a promising Hepatitis E vaccine that can significantly reduce maternal mortality resulting from Hepatitis E. Results of its phase III trials and its long-term efficacy were published in The Lancet and The New England Journal of Medicine, respectively. With the vaccine now freely available, government has the option of vaccinating its citizens who are at higher risk of developing life-threatening complications due to HEV. “According to a recent estimate, over 200,000 new patients develop hepatitis every year, and 10% to 40% of people with chronic infection may develop cirrhosis and potentially liver cancer,” said Osman Khalid Waheed, CEO of Ferozsons Laboratories Ltd. “Many people contract the infection unknowingly, because of the reuse of syringes, dental equipment, and barber shop equipment,” he further said. Highly effective treatments for hepatitis C can cure the infection in over 96% of people and two lethal forms of viral hepatitis - Hepatitis B & E - can be prevented through vaccination.” “As a country, we need to focus on disease prevention through awareness and vaccination, and in the case of Hepatitis C in particular, elimination through treatment and cure,” he added.

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Govt jacks up power tariff by Rs3.50 per unit

The federal government on Tuesday announced an increase in the basic electricity tariff by Rs3.50 per unit to Rs20.41 with immediate effect. The government will increase Rs7.91 per unit in base electricity tariff from national average of Rs16.91 per unit to Rs24.82 per kWh to recover an additional Rs893.83 billion from consumers during the ongoing fiscal 2022-23. The government on Tuesday implemented the first phase of increase in base tariff by Rs3.50 per unit effective from July 26, 2022. In the second phase, the government will further increase base electricity tariff by Rs3.50 from August and 91 paisas per unit from October. In response to a motion filed by the federal government, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority had recently allowed charging uniform tariff from the end consumers of all power distribution companies and K-Electric by Rs7.91 per unit for the financial year 2022-23. Federal Minister for Power Khurram Dastgir and Minister of State for Petroleum Musadik Malik announced the increase in electricity tariff during a joint news conference on Tuesday. The power minister said that the cabinet had approved the increase in electricity rates.However, he said that the government had protected the poor segment of the society as the electricity rates had not been increased for users consuming one to 50 units a month. “There will also be no increase in tariff for consumers using 200 units a month.”Dastgir said energy prices would start decreasing from November, adding that by December, the basic electricity tariff would be Rs24 per unit. “Much of the increase in the bills will come in the form of fuel surcharges and there will be no increase on account of fuel adjustment due to higher electricity base tariff,” the minister said. Earlier, the government had increased in electricity rates in February. READ Power outages test Lahore’s patience Dastgir said that the federal cabinet had taken important decisions regarding electricity rates.There will be uninterrupted power supply to industrial feeders in the country, the minister said, adding that five major export-oriented sectors would be provided gas and electricity at low cost. He said the purpose of the decision was to benefit from exports and Pakistan's export industry was fully ready for competition.In June, he said, the electricity production from Tarbela Dam went up to 4,500 megawatts. The minister revealed that both coal and gas were not available in the world market at the moment, but gas was available from friendly countries. “Efforts are being made to increase power supply and ensure its availability,” he said, adding that the next few months would be difficult due to rise in the electricity rates.Dastgir claimed that circular debt had come down by Rs214 billion. Currently, the amount of unpaid bills to the Power Division amounted to Rs1,000 billion, the minister claimed. “The recovery of these bills stood at Rs300 billion in 2018 when the PML-N government left. Now, these bills have increased sevenfold.” Dastgir announced that a new law was in the works that would bring transparency in commercial transactions between governments. “Many friendly countries want to invest in Pakistan.” He added that there were delays regarding privatisation, adding that the draft law on privatisation for investment in Pakistan would soon land in the assembly for approval. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved the appointment of Privatisation Commission chairman. Abid Hussain Bhayo, the federal minister for privatisation, has been entrusted with the charge through a notification. Addressing the media persons, the minister of state for petroleum said that the efforts being made by the incumbent government to provide relief to the masses from soaring inflation would start yielding results from November this year. Malik again tried to shift the blame on the previous government for all the ills, saying had it increased electricity production prices, which had not been done since February 2021, “we would not have been facing such difficulties”. “These electricity prices will not have any effect on 45% of Pakistan's population,” Malik claimed, adding that around 13 million people were in the “protected” slab.

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