EpaperLHR_2020-05-8

CMYK
Friday, 8 May, 2020 I 14 Ramzan-ul-Mubarak, 1441 I Rs 15.00 I Vol X No 310 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition
Pakistan eases loCkdown as
Covid-19 kills 46 in single-day sPike
g
GOVT ALLOwS OPENING OF
SMALL MARKETS, SHOPS, OPDS
AND ALLIED INDUSTRIES RELATED
TO CONSTRUCTION SECTOR
g
PLAN TO RESUME TRANSPORT SERVICES,
INCLUDING TRAINS AND FLIGHTS,
DROPPED AFTER PROVINCES’ RESISTANCE
Prime Minister Imran Khan chairs a meeting of the National Coordination Committee for Covid-19 on Thursday.
ISLAMABAD
MIaN aBrar
tHE federal government has decided
to gradually lift the lockdown
restrictions, imposed to contain the
coronavirus, from Saturday, Prime
Minister Imran Khan announced
after the National Coordination Committee
(NCC) meeting on Thursday.
“Today we have decided to lift the
lockdown in phases, starting from Saturday,”
said Imran while speaking alongside
Federal Ministers Asad Umar and Shafqat
Mehmood.
The announcement came in spite of
the 46 deaths, highest recorded so far in
the country, as the total number of coronavirus
cases shot to 24,954 with the addition
of over 1,300 cases in a single day.
From April 28 to May 7, 297 coronavirus
g
SCHOOLS TO REMAIN SHUT TILL MID-
JULy, ExAMS CANCELLED; HOTELS,
MARRIAGE HALLS, SHOPPING MALLS
AND PARKS TO REMAIN CLOSED
deaths have been reported in the country;
these account for more than 49.7 per
cent of the total number of deaths till May
7, which stands at 593.
Punjab and Sindh have the highest
number of infection, with 9,195 and 9,093
cases, respectively. Balochistan and Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa have reported 1,725
and 3,956 cases each. In Islamabad and
Gilgit-Baltistan, the infection swelled to 521
and 388, respectively. However, Azad
Kashmir has the lowest number of cases,
with 76 infections so far.
‘MARKETS ALLOWED TO RESUME OPERA-
TIONS, SCHOOLS TO REMAIN SHUT’: Revealing
the decisions taken in the
meeting, Minister for Planning and Development
Asad Umar announced that
small markets and shops in neighbourhoods
and rural areas will be allowed to
open from Fajr after Sehri till 5pm.
g
PAKISTAN REPORTS OVER 1,300
CORONA CASES IN ONE DAy
AS DEATH TOLL REACH 593
He said that all businesses, except outlets
of essential items such as food and
medicine, will remain closed two days of
the week on Saturdays and Sundays.
The minister said it was unanimously
decided to open allied industries of the
construction sector, which include paint
and pipe mills, tiles, electrical and industry
and hardware stores across Pakistan.
Selected OPDs will also be opened to
treat specific diseases and illnesses.
Educational institutions, which were
previously tipped to open on June 1, will
now remain closed till July 15. The government
has also cancelled all board examinations
and students will now be
passed/failed based on their results from
the previous year.
Announcing the decisions, Federal
Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood
said: “Students’ health and their education
cannot be compromised.”
Pakistan had reported its first Covid-19
positive case on Feb 26 following which
the government adopted a number of
precautionary measures short of a national
lockdown despite repeated calls by
the opposition parties and the civil society
to do so. The prime minister refused to
oblige, noting that a nationwide lockdown
will result in “poor dying from hunger”.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 05
COVID-19 likely
to peak by early
June, says
Qureshi STORY ON PAGE 03
India violates LoC
ceasefire yet again,
injures six Pakistani civilians
RAWALPINDI
staff report
Six Pakistani civilians, including four
women, were injured after Indian
Army opened unprovoked firing
across the Line of Control (LoC) on
Thursday, the Inter-Services Public
Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.
According to the ISPR, the Indian
forces fired heavy mortars, artillery
and automatic weapons in Nezapir
and Rakhchikri sectors, deliberately
targeting the civilian population.
“Six innocent civilians, including
three young girls and a woman,
were seriously injured in Kirni Degwar
Nar and Mandhar villages due to
the Indian attack,” the ISPR said. The
injured have been evacuated to a
nearby health facility for treatment,
it added.
On May 2, a woman sustained
injuries after the Indian troops resorted
to unprovoked ceasefire violation
at the Haji Pir and Sankh
sectors along the Line of Control
(LoC), ISPR said.
During a visit to the LoC on April
30, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General
Qamar Javed Bajwa had
warned that the Indian Army will always
get a “befitting response” to
ceasefire violations.
“Blatant atrocities by Indian occupation
forces on innocent Kashmiris
and unethical targeting of civil
population in (Azad Jammu and
Kashmir) is unacceptable,” the ISPR
quoted Gen Bajwa as saying.
He said that such provocations
by Indian forces are “a threat to regional
peace and stability” and that
the Indian Army “shall always get a
befitting response” to ceasefire violations.
“Pakistan Army shall protect
innocent civilians along LoC and
defend honour, dignity and territorial
integrity of motherland at all costs,”
said the army chief.
Tensions have been high between
the two nuclear-armed states
over the past couple of years. India
and Pakistan came close to war in
February last year after the Pulwama
suicide attack that left more
than 40 Indian soldiers dead.
India blamed Pakistan for aiding
militants who carried out the attack.
Islamabad denied the accusations.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 05
FO urges world
to take notice
of India’s
illegal actions
in Kashmir
STORY ON PAGE 02
Coronavirus in
Pakistan
Army to continue assisting govt in
fight against coronavirus: Gen Bajwa
lahore
sehr: 3:39 aM
iftar: 6:48 PM
lahore
sehr: 3:29 aM
iftar: 6:58 PM
fiqah-e-hanfia
islaMabad
sehr: 3:37 aM
iftar: 6:57 PM
fiqah-e-jafaria
islaMabad
sehr: 3:27 aM
iftar: 7:05 PM
karachi
sehr: 4:27 aM
iftar: 7:06 PM
karachi
sehr: 4:17 aM
iftar: 7:16 PM
more inside
CONFIRMED CASES:
24,954
RECOVERED: DEATHS:
6,464
SINDH:
9,093
KP:
3,956
AJK/GB:
76/388
593
PUNJAB:
9,195
BALOCHISTAN:
1,725
ISLAMABAD:
521
KOHAT
staff report
Pakistan Army shall continue assisting
other state institutions in
fighting the pandemic, Chief of
Army Staff General Qamar
Javed Bajwa said on Thursday.
The army chief visited
Kohat where he was provided
a detailed briefing on the operational
preparedness of the
armed forces and the “prevailing
security situation including
border security measures”
along the
Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
He was also provided a detailed
briefing on the army’s assistance
against coronavirus in
the area. Gen Bajwa interacted
with troops who were busy in relief
activities in the area and appreciated
their morale and
operational readiness as well as
vigilance, said the ISPR.
Later, the army chief visited
the Combined Military Hospital
(CMH) hospital in Kohat to inspect
the COVID-19 facility. He
instructed army officers to
“reach out to people particularly
those affected by COVID-
19 for bringing comfort in this
hour of distress”.
Earlier, COAS laid floral
wreath at Shuhada monument
to pay homage to martyrs who
laid their lives in the line of duty.
Suddle challenges
reconstitution of
‘toothless’
commission for
minorities
STORY ON PAGE 02
Pakistan added to
UN coronavirus
fund list
STORY ON PAGE 03
PM orders inquiry
into import of
drugs from India
despite ban
STORY ON PAGE 05
CMYK

02
NEWS
Sindh governor rejects
provincial cabinet’s
relief ordinance
KARACHI: Sindh Governor Imran Ismail on
Thursday rejected and sent back the Sindh
cabinet-approved coronavirus relief ordinance.
According to a statement released by the Governor
House, Ismail, who had tested positive
for the deadly virus back on April 27 after
spending 10 days meeting a host of people and
attending meetings, also apprised the provincial
government of his reservations against the
Sindh COVID-19 Relief Ordinance, 2020. It
is important to note that the COVID-19 Emergency
Relief Ordinance 2020 mandates a 20
per cent reduction in school fees, protection of
employees against mass layoffs, and offers relief
in utility bills. The governor raised the objection
that the Sindh government could not
provide any concession to people in the utility
bills, saying that power was directed to the
province from the national grid and that the
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leadership did
not have the authority to make such decisions.
According to the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority
Ordinance, 2002, matters pertaining to
gas were also under Centre’s jurisdiction, he
added. STAFF REPORT
naB chief orders probe
into theft of wheat
worth rs7bn in Sindh
ISLAMABAD: National Accountability Bureau
(NAB) Chairman Justice (r) Javed Iqbal
on Thursday ordered an inquiry into the alleged
theft of wheat worth Rs7 billion in
Sindh. Iqbal has directed the NAB Sukkur director
general to begin a probe after the Sindh
government forwarded the case to the accountability
watchdog on Monday. About 168,000
metric tonnes of wheat worth Rs7bn went
missing from the government’s warehouses in
Sindh in February, whereas wheat worth
Rs450m had also gone missing last year in
November. In a related development, 25,000
sacks of wheat were confiscated from a cotton
factory in Hala on Thursday. According to details,
the Sindh food authorities raided a cotton
factory in the vicinity where the sacks of
wheat were kept. A case has been registered
against the factory owner and all the wheat
sacks have been moved to a government warehouse.
STAFF REPORT
ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
d
R Shoaib Suddle, who is a
part of the one-man commission
on minorities rights
formed by the Supreme Court
for implementation of its 2014
verdict, on Thursday challenged the Ministry
of Religious Affairs and Interfaith
Harmony’s move to reconstitute an existing
National Commission for Minorities
(NCM) without statutory powers and financial
autonomy.
On June 16, 2014, the court ordered
the government to form a national council
for minorities. “The function of the said
council should inter alia be to monitor the
practical realisation of the rights and safeguards
provided to the minorities under the
Constitution and law. The Council should
LAHORE
STAFF REPORT
The Lahore High Court
(LHC) on Thursday directed
the National Accountability
Bureau (NAB) chairman and
other parties to submit a
reply till May 11 while hearing
a case filed by Pakistan
Muslim League-Quaid
(PML-Q) leaders Chaudhry
Shujaat Hussain and
Chaudhry Pervez Elahi regarding
the bureau’s jurisdiction
in opening a decades-old
case.
Justice Sardar Ahmad
Naeem of the Lahore High
Court (LHC) headed the
two-member bench which
conducted hearing on the
Pakistan Muslim League-Q
leaders. Elahi appeared before
the court.
The court directed the
NAB chairman and other
parties in the case to submit
reply till May 11 and postponed
the hearing.
In a statement on Thursday,
NAB alleged that the
bureau was facing propaganda
onslaught after the reports
of the reopening of the
alleged cases against the
PML-Q leaders. It said the
decision in this regard has
yet to be taken by the NAB
chief, adding the watchdog
has to take the decades-old
cases to a logical end instead
of sitting on the files forever.
The statement further
said the NAB was an independent
institution and
worked transparently without
an influence.
Chaudhry brothers had
moved the LHC against the
NAB chairman’s authority
and alleged that the anti-corruption
watchdog is involved
in political engineering.
The petition had maintained,
“Chairman Justice (r)
Javed Iqbal has reopened 19-
year-old assets beyond means
case against us in which the
anti-graft body failed to
prove anything earlier.”
It had also questioned the
jurisdiction of NAB to invoke
provisions the ordinance
and Anti-Money
Laundering Act 2010 simultaneously.
They argued that
the bureau had no power to
hold an inquiry into allegations
of money laundering
under the NAO 1999.
“The NAB chairman
does not have the authority to
reopen a 19-year-old case.
We belong to a political family
are being politically victimized.
The court should
declare the NAB chairman’s
step as illegal.”
Friday, 8 May, 2020
Suddle challengeS reconStitution of
‘toothleSS’ commiSSion for minoritieS
SAYS COMMISSION SHOULD BE INDEPENDENT STATUTORY BODY
WITH FULL ADMINISTRATIVE AND FINANCIAL AUTONOMY
also be mandated to frame policy recommendations
for safeguarding and protecting
minorities rights by the provincial and
federal government,” the order read.
The petition filed by the commission’s
registrar, Abdullah Shah, on Thursday
stated that the commission has constantly
been facing “defiance and non-cooperation
from the Ministry of Religious Affairs and
Interfaith Harmony”.
The commission recently found out
that the ministry moved a summary for
the cabinet to reconstitute an existing National
Commission for Minorities, the petition
read. “It did not consult the
commission in defiance of the court’s October
3, 2019 order.”
The body proposed by the MORA violates
the commitment made before the
court. “It does not have a statutory backing
and its very existence and composition
would be at the whims and mercy of
MORA,” it pointed out.
“Since its claimed existence there is
nothing on record to show that it did anything
of note in relation to the rights of the
minorities. In fact, minority communities
are not even aware of the existence of such
a body.”
The petition added, “There is a wider
consensus among minority leaders and
groups that the National Council for Minorities
should be an independent statutory
body with full administrative and financial
autonomy”.
He asked the court to withdraw the notification
and take the one-man commission
into confidence before the formation
of such a national commission.
MINORITIES REJECT NCM: Meanwhile,
different human rights organisations,
legal experts, educationists and civil
society members have also rejected the National
Commission for Minorities approved
by the federal cabinet on May 5.
Addressing a press conference in Lahore,
People’s Commission for Minority
LHC asks NAB to submit reply in
19-year-old case against Chaudhrys
NAB SAYS HAS TO TAKE DECADES-OLD CASES TO LOGICAL END
Punjab millers announce
rs2/kg increase in flour price
LAHORE: Punjab flour mills owners on Thursday announced
increase in flour prices by Rs2 per kg in the province citing
rise in prices of wheat. Punjab Flour Mills Association Chairman
Abdul Rauf Mukhtar, while announcing the decision, said
that the 20kg flour bag would now be sold out at Rs840, witnessing
an increase of Rs40. “These prices will be applicable
across the Punjab province,” he said, adding that the decision
was taken after an increase in wheat prices. He said that neither
they were allowed to purchase wheat nor was wheat provided
to them from the government quota. “We are facing shortage
of wheat stocks,” he claimed. It is pertinent to mention here
that former Federal Minister for National Food Security
Khusro Bakhtiar on March 27 had said that there was no shortage
of flour in the country as the government has enough
stocks of wheat to meet countrywide need. Talking to the
media, the federal minister had said that they have completed
a mapping process under which food commodities would be
provided across the country. TLTP
ISLAMABAD
APP
The Islamabad High Court has ordered
the Federal Board of Revenue
to conduct fresh bidding for the cigarette
tracking system in the country.
Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb
announced the reserved verdict
on Thursday.
On October 29, 2019 the FBR
granted the five-year contract to the
National Radio and Telecommunication
Corporation for a price of Rs731
per 1,000 stamps. The notification
now has been set aside as two petitioners
pointed out irregularities in
the bidding system. National Institutional
Facilitation Technologies (Pvt)
Ltd and Authentix Inc had raised
concerns over the bidding process in
two different petitions.
The NIFT, in its petition, said that
the board was supposed to give the
contract to the lowest bidder. The
companies were asked to send their
bids for the cost of 1,000 stamps. The
NIFT quoted a price of Rs868.36 per
1,000 stamps, while NRTC quoted
Rs0.731 per 1,000 stamps. It was,
however, later revealed that NRTC
made a typo and submitted the cost
of one stamp by mistake. The company
tried to reason with the government
and changed its quote to Rs731
per 1,000 stamps. The FBR accepted
Rights Chairman Peter Jacob said the Ministry
of Religious Affairs on February 19,
told the SC that the commission will be
formed through an act of parliament.
“However, the government has approved
its formation through the federal
cabinet. This is in violation of the SC order
and is tantamount to contempt of court. We
will challenge the cabinet decision in the
apex court,” he said.
United Nations former special representative
on human rights defenders
Hina Gilani and National Commission
for Status of Women former chairman
Khawar Mumtaz said an effective commission
on minority rights could only be
formed if it is constituted like other such
commissions.
An ad hoc council sans any authority
would be of little use, they said.
Dr Yaqoob Bangash said such ad hoc
council was first formed through a resolution
of the federal cabinet in 1990. “Such
councils have been formed time and again
but none of them have survived more than
a year,” he said.
Pm imran, nigerian
president discuss
socio-economic
challenges amid
covid-19
ISLAMABAD
APP
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday held
a telephonic conversation with Nigerian
President Muhammadu Buhari and discussed
matters of mutual interest including the unprecedented
socio-economic challenges arising
out of the Covid-19 pandemic. Both the
leaders agreed that Pakistan and Nigeria
faced similar circumstances, according to a
statement issued by the Foreign Office. “The
prime minister conveyed Pakistan’s solidarity
with the government and people of Nigeria,
and commended their effective measures
to contain the spread of Covid-19,” the communique
added. He also highlighted the steps
taken to curb the spread of coronavirus in
Pakistan. PM Imran focused on exceptional
challenge faced by developing countries to
save lives from Covid-19 as well as fighting
poverty and hunger. “While noting encouraging
response from the UN, IMF, the World
Bank and other stakeholders, the prime minister
underscored the need for additional
measures and resources imperative for regenerating
growth and livelihoods,” the FO
statement read. In this context, Premier
Imran discussed his call for “Global Initiative
for Debt Relief” for the developing nations.
“President Buhari expressed support
for the initiative,” the official communique
said. The two leaders agreed that both sides
would work closely in New York alongside
the UN Secretary-General and other interested
countries and partners to advance the
shared goals. Expressing satisfaction at the
current level of cooperation, PM Imran reiterated
his commitment to further deepen bilateral
relations with Nigeria, particularly in
the trade and economic domains, in the context
of Pakistan’s “Engage Africa” initiative.
He also extended a cordial invitation to President
Buhari to visit Pakistan at his earliest
convenience.
IHC orders FBR to initiate fresh bidding for cigarette tracking
it and awarded it the contract. The
rules of business, however, do not
allow companies to change their quote
once it has been submitted. Other
companies pointed out that in cases
where there are problems with the
lowest bid, then the contract should go
to the second lowest bidder.
The International Monetary
Fund has made it compulsory for
Pakistan to introduce a track and
trace system for tobacco products to
prevent its illegal trade.
The process requires each cigarette
packet to have a bar code from
which it would be determined
whether or not a sales tax on the
product has been paid.
CMYK

Friday, 8 May, 2020
covid-19 likely to Peak By
early June, SayS QureShi
ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
aS NUMBER of coronavirus
infection continue to see an
upward trend, Foreign Minister
Shah Mahmood
Qureshi has claimed the
pandemic will peak by the end of May
or in early June.
Chairing a town hall meeting with
the Pakistani community in Saudi Arabia
via a video link, Qureshi said that
nobody knew for sure how long this
outbreak would last, hence the policy
was being as the situation evolved.
“We have two goals: one is to stop
the spread of the epidemic and the
other is to ensure that the wheel of the
economy continues to turn,” he said.
“No one knows how long this epidemic
will last. In these circumstances,
a country like Pakistan cannot keep a
continuous lockdown.” He opposed an
Private schools reject
govt’s decision to
remain closed till July 15
LAHORE: Private schools have rejected the federal
government’s decision to keep the educational
institutions closed till July 15, as it announced easing
of the lockdown restrictions from Saturday,
May 9. In a statement, All Pakistan Schools Federation
President Kashif Mirza said that they
would not accept the government’s decision to
keep the educational institutions closed until July
15. Terming it “economic murder” of private institutes,
Mirza said that 90 per cent private school
buildings are rented while teachers are to be paid
their salaries too. “Around 50% schools would be
shut down permanently and one million people
would lose their jobs if educational institutes remained
closed until July 15,” Mirza said. “It is impossible
to recover educational losses due to the
coronavirus lockdown.” He demanded the government
formulate SOPs and announce reopening of
schools across Pakistan from June 1. The APPSF
president said if the government didn’t do so, then
they would be forced to reopen schools under their
own SOPs. He also demanded the government
withdraw the decision to cancel board exams. Earlier
in the day, Federal Education Minister Shafqat
Mehmood said that the government had decided
to extend the closure of all educational institutions
until the mid of July due to a surge in Covid-19
cases.Mahmood said that due to the ongoing crisis,
the board examinations for the ninth grade to
intermediate (12th grade) will not be held. He said
that students will be promoted on the basis of last
years’ exams, adding that on this basis, students
will be admitted to universities over their intermediate
first-year results. STAFF REPORT
covid-19 test mandatory
for lawmakers before
na session
ISLAMABAD: As President Arif Alvi summoned
the National Assembly session on Monday,
the participation of the lawmakers in the
proceedings has been interlinked with undergoing
a coronavirus test prior to the session. Special
Advisor to the Prime Minister on
Parliamentary Affairs, Babar Awan released a
video statement earlier in the day to confirm the
development. The NA session will be called this
Monday, May 11 at 3 pm, said Awan. Moreover,
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal
Bhutto Zardari will also undergo a coronavirus
test before attending the National Assembly session.
Other than Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the
deputy commissioners in Karachi, Hyderabad
and other districts of the Sindh province conveyed
the directives to the members of the lower
house of parliament to undergo the tests before
the assembly session. STAFF REPORT
indefinite lockdown in the country,
saying this would leave thousands of
people unemployed. “Our exports have
[already] fallen sharply. A large number
of daily-wage earners may lose
their livelihood,” he warned.
The foreign minister further said
that at least “30,000 Pakistanis from
Saudi Arabia want to return and we
are making arrangements for their
repatriation”.
Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Raja
Ali Ejaz told Qureshi that at least 30
Pakistani citizens have died of
COVID-19 so far in Saudi Arabia,
whereas a total of 150 Pakistani nationals
have contracted the disease.
He maintained that the Saudi
government was providing best medical
facilities to the COVID-19 patients.
The ambassador said that the
government was taking effective
measures to stop the spread of the
virus in the country.
PakiStan recording 1,000 new viruS
caSeS on average daily: who
NEWS DESK
Pakistan is recording 1,000 new coronavirus
cases on average daily, the World
Health Organisation (WHO) said in its
daily situation report about the disease
in the country.
The WHO report, dated May 6,
stated that the number of cases reported
per day has risen to 1,000 on average
this week in Pakistan, doubling since
mid-April.
On Wednesday, Pakistan recorded
1,523 new cases across the country, its
highest single day tally to date. In the
meantime, testing has also been ramped
up, especially in the Punjab province.
On Wednesday, Pakistan carried out
over 12,000 tests.
As per the WHO report, the highest
case density is reported from Gilgit-
Baltistan, followed by Islamabad and
Sindh. Comparing the testing numbers
of each province and the federating
units, the report notes that Islamabad has
the highest testing per million of its population,
followed by Gilgit-Baltistan,
Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa. Majority of the country’s
case fatalities have been reported from
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to the
situation report. Moreover, 84% of the
confirmed cases are between the ages of
20 and 64 years, while the highest mortality
rate, 74%, is amongst the age
bracket of 50-79 years.
Pakistan added to UN coronavirus fund list
NEW YORK
AGENCIES
The United Nations on Thursday issued
a new appeal for $4.7 billion in
funding to “protect millions of lives
and stem the spread of coronavirus in
fragile countries”.
The money is on top of the $2 billion
the UN already called for when
it launched its global humanitarian response
plan on March 25. It has received
about half of that money so
far.
“The most devastating and destabilising
effects” of the novel coronavirus
pandemic “will be felt in the
world’s poorest countries,” UN
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian
Affairs Mark Lowcock said in
the statement.
“Unless we take action now, we
should be prepared for a significant
rise in conflict, hunger and poverty.
The spectre of multiple famines
looms,” he warned.
The full $6.7 billion is expected
to cover costs of the humanitarian response
plan until December.
It prioritises some 20 countries,
including several in conflict such as
Afghanistan and Syria.
The new call for donations came
as nine more countries were added to
ISLAMABAD
APP
Minister for Maritime Affairs Syed
Ali Haider Zaidi on Thursday asked
the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)
government to justify spending Rs118
billion in health sector, which was in
a deteriorating condition.
While talking to a private news
channel, he said that after the 18th
Amendment. the provincial government
was responsible to bring improvement
in the health sector but
unfortunately the PPP rulers totally
neglected it.
The minister said that the resident
of Karachi were making a hue and cry
over mishandling the affairs in the
provincial capital. Voicing concerns
UN SEEKS $4.7BN IN ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO
PROTECT ‘MILLIONS OF LIVES IN FRAGILE COUNTRIES’
the list: Benin, Djibouti, Liberia,
Mozambique, Pakistan, Philippines,
Sierra Leone, Togo and Zimbabwe.
The funds are to be used to buy
medical equipment to test and treat
the sick, provide hand-washing stations,
launch information campaigns
and establish humanitarian airlifts to
Africa, Asia and Latin America, according
to the UN.
It also aims to develop new programs
to better combat food insecurity
that is growing as a result of the
economic crisis caused by the Covid-
19 pandemic.
“Extraordinary measures are
needed,” Lowcock stressed.
“I urge donors to act in both solidarity
and in self-interest and make
their response proportionate to the
scale of the problem we face,” he
added, warning of a long-term
boomerang effect if poor countries
are neglected by rich countries.
eu to SuPPort PakiStan’S
anti-corona fight with 153m euroS
ISLAMABAD
APP
Ambassador of the European
Union Delegation to Pakistan Androulla
Kaminara called on Prime
Minister Imran Khan on Thursday
and said the EU had allocated 153
million euros to support Pakistan
in its efforts to contain COVID-19.
over irregularities in the budget allocation
for health and other sectors, he
said that the PPP, despite being in
government for many years, had not
built a single state-of-the-art hospital
for treating the patients of contagious
diseases.
Commenting on the lockdown
situation, he said that in DHA, strict
measures were being observed but in
some other parts of the city, the situation
was totally opposite.
About the rising number of patients
in Karachi and other cities of
Sindh, Zaidi said after the 18th
Amendment, it was the responsibility
of provincial government to
take steps for overcoming the
health issue instead of doing politics
over it.
She briefed the prime minister on
measures by the EU to strengthen
Pakistan’s response to the COVID-
19 pandemic. The prime minister
expressed satisfaction on the growing
momentum in Pakistan-EU bilateral
relations. Further steps to
deepen the Pakistan-EU partnership
in all its dimensions were discussed
during the meeting.
PPP should justify spending Rs118bn
over deteriorated health sector: Ali Zaidi
Responding to a question about
lack of coordination in policy formulation
regarding virus pandemic,
he said that Prime Minister Imran
Khan and his cabinet members
were taking decisions in consultation
with all the stakeholders and
representatives of the provincial
governments. Despite meager financial
resources, all possible steps
were being taken by the Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government
to protect the citizens from the
deadly virus.
Meanwhile, Liaqut Shahwani, the
spokesperson of the Balochistan government,
said they had increased the
testing capacity and the number of
patients was rising everyday with increased
testing.
NEWS
03
covid-19 cases in
Balochistan may cross
300,000 in July, says
top official
QUETTA: Balochistan Director General of Health Dr
Saleem Abro on Thursday warned that coronavirus
cases in Balochistan will cross 300,000 in July if the
lockdown restrictions are not followed properly. Addressing
a news conference, Dr Abro said: “I am warning
you that if safety precautions are not followed then
the coronavirus cases may surge to 9.5 million by December.”
He said that there has been a rise in locally
transmitted cases throughout the province, adding that
the situation might worsen if people don’t take the outbreak
seriously. About the measures being taken to
curb the infection, Dr Abro said that the province was
conducting 700-800 tests daily. “We have two PCR
machines and young doctors have been provided
PPEs,” he said. He said that senior doctors in the
provinces were also getting affected by the coronavirus.
Dr Abro pleaded with the public to heed safety
precautions to keep themselves out of danger. On Tuesday,
the Balochistan government extended the ongoing
lockdown for 15 more days in view of the mounting
coronavirus cases across the province. Balochistan
government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani said that
coronavirus is spreading at an alarming rate and in
order to stem it, effective measures such as social distancing
and isolation should be practiced. He said that
the provincial government is extending the lockdown
until May 19. STAFF REPORT
uS pledges $15m to
help Pakistan fight
covid-19, says envoy
ISLAMABAD: The United States has committed
around $15 million to help Pakistan contain the coronavirus
pandemic weeks after designating it as a priority
country for the COVID-19 assistance. This was
stated by US Ambassador to Pakistan Paul Jones in a
video message released on Thursday on US Mission
Pakistan’s social media platforms. Ambassador Paul
Jones discussed how the United States is expanding
its partnership with Pakistan to alleviate poverty in
the country. “I’d like to highlight how together we are
protecting those most vulnerable to the economic fallout
from coronavirus,” said the ambassador. He announced
a new American contribution of $5 million to
support Pakistan’s Ehsaas Emergency Cash Program
and a $2.5 million therapeutic food program for children
diagnosed with acute malnutrition. He said that
since designating Pakistan a priority country for coronavirus
assistance, the United States has committed
nearly $15 million to Pakistan. STAFF REPORT
domestic flights
suspended till may 10
ISLAMABAD: The government on Thursday extended
the suspension of domestic flight operation till
May 10 in the wake of the surge in the COVID-19 infections.
Director Air Transport CAA has issued a
NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) regarding extension in
the suspension of domestic flight operations. “As per
the decision of the Government of Pakistan, the suspension
of Domestic flight operations as effected earlier
has been extended up to Sunday, May 10, 2020.
As per the decision of the Government of Pakistan,
the suspension of Domestic flight operations as effected
earlier has been extended upto Sunday, May 10.
The decision was taken after the meeting of the National
Coordination Committee (NCC), held in Islamabad,
announced the suspension of domestic flights
across the country. STAFF REPORT

04
LAHORE
LAHORE
APP
pUNJAB Chief Minister Sardar Usman
Buzdar on Thursday said that the lockdown
would be eased in phases to provide
relief to the common man. He said
that the provincial government has
taken decisions with unanimity with the federal
government and other provinces. “Decision has
also been taken to allow functioning of industries
linked with construction and concerned
shops,” he said, adding that permission had also
been granted to open more industries and concerned
businesses.
WEATHER UPDATES
FRIDAY 39 0 C 24 0 C SATURDAY 41 0 C 26 0 C SUNDAY 38 0 C 24 0 C
Lockdown being eased to provide reLief to masses: cm
The CM said that industries comprising pipe
mills, ceramics, sanitary-wares, paint, electrical
cables, switch boards, steel, aluminium and
other shops will also be allowed to operate. He
said that hardware stores will also be opened,
adding it had been decided to open small markets
and small shops across the province.
Buzdar maintained that small markets and
small shops will remain open from dawn till 5
pm. He underscored that small markets and
small shops will remain closed for two days in
a week. However, he added, this rule would
not apply to pharmacies, medical stores, milk
shops, karyana stores, tandoors, bakeries and
other shops that were already open, he added.
The chief minister said that the government
has also decided to open OPDs of hospitals. He
apprised that it had also been decided with consensus
that educational institutions would remain
closed till July 15th and examinations of boards
had been cancelled and promotions of students
in 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grades would be done
on the basis of previous year’s result.
The chief minister urged the masses to
fully cooperate with the government in the
perspective of its decision to ease lockdown.
He said that the government was working on
both ends by safeguarding lives of the people
of the province and resolving problems of the
common man.
Friday, 8 May, 2020
PRAyER TIMINgS
FAJR SUNRISE ZUHR ASR MAGHRIB ISHA
3:50 5:18 12:00 4:45 6:42 8:10
Renowned folk
singer Krishan Lal
Bhail passes away
BAHAWALPUR:
Renowned folk singer
Krishan Lal Bhail passed
way on Thursday.
Saraiki and Marwarri
languages folk singer
Krishen Lal, 55, was
suffering from chronic
kidney disease (CKD).
He fell prey to the
kidney failure and
breathed his last after
protracted illness. The
deceased performed at
dozens of musical
programmes not only in
Pakistan but also in other
foreign countries. INP
WCLA and
AKCSP complete
restoration of
Shah Burj Gate
LAHORE
SHAHAB OMER
The Walled City of
Lahore Authority
(WCLA) and Aga Khan
Cultural Service
Pakistan (AKCSP)
have finally completed
the restoration of the
main Shah Burj Gate of
Lahore Fort. AKCSP
restored the facade of
the Shah Burj Gate as a
part of the Picture Wall
project and the
scaffolding on the gate
would be taken off in
the next three days. The
restoration of the
wooden gate and the
interior of the main
gate, which had some
rooms, were completed
by the WCLA
conservation team. It is
worth mentioning here
that Shah Burj Wooden
Gate, the Postern Gate,
along with the main
gate’s interior, was
restored and
illuminated with a cost
of Rs1.8 million. The
official working on the
site said that the room
next to Shah Burj Gate
along with the upper
portion of the gate was
closed since ages and
had recently been
cleaned up by the
WCLA. The official
also said that the main
facade of the Shah Burj
Gate which had been
embellished with
fresco, ghalib kari and
tile mosaic was also a
neglected piece in
Lahore Fort despite
being the main entrance
to the fort and was now
being conserved by the
efforts of AKCSP.
WCLA Director
Conservation Najam
Ussaqib, while talking
to Pakistan Today, said
that the Shah Burj Gate
was constructed by
Mughal Emperor Shah
Jahan in 1631 and also
has inscriptions on it.

Friday, 8 May, 2020
PM orders INQuIry INto IMPort of
druGs froM INdIA desPIte BAN
ISLAMABAD
AHMAD AHMADANI
P
RIME MINISTER Imran Khan
has tasked Adviser on Interior Affairs
Barrister Shahzad Akbar to
probe into the misuse of permission
regarding the import of lifesaving
drugs from India.
Following the change of status of Indian
Occupied Kashmir (IOK) last year by the
Modi government, the federal cabinet had
taken some drastic measures in August 2019
and imposed a ban on all kinds of trade with
India besides closing all land routes with the
neighboring country.
However, after one month in September
2019, the government allowed the import of
life-saving drugs from India as the local industry
managed to convince the government
NEWS
05
that import of some life-saving drugs from
India will be cheaper than importing the same
from other countries. However, instead of
importing only life-saving drugs from India,
a large number of other medicines, which
were also being manufactured in Pakistan at
cheap rates, were imported from there.
According to sources, the Health Ministry
had presented a report in this regard and
PM Imran, while presiding the cabinet meeting
on May 5, ordered an inquiry into the
matter. They added that the Akbar-led inquiry
team is expected to submit its findings
in the next federal cabinet meeting.
Sources said that the federal cabinet, on
finding complaints regarding import of these
drugs, had ordered Health Ministry and Drug
Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP)
on March 3 to provide a list of drugs which
had been imported by manufacturers/importers
from India. They said that on May 5,
the Health Ministry had presented a list before
the federal cabinet and informed that
429 drugs had been imported from India including
medicines/tablets of headache and
some vitamin including vitamins B1, B2 B6
& D, etc. They said that after a heated discussion
among cabinet members over the
matter, the PM, who was annoyed by the violation
of the cabinet’s order, had ordered an
inquiry into the matter. According to a copy
of the report presented by Health Ministry to
the government, manufacturers and importers
had imported 429 active pharmaceutical
ingredients, 12 different kinds of
vaccines and 59 medicines from India.
It is pertinent to mention here that the
government has so far not allowed importing
medicines of polio disease, dengue spray and
some chemicals.
NAB to file supplementary
reference against former
PM Abbasi in LNG scam
ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability
Bureau (NAB) has decided to file a supplementary
reference against former prime minister
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in the liquefied natural
gas (LNG) scam. Accountability Court-II judge
Azam Khan conducted the hearing in which Abbasi,
Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA)
officials Saeed Ahmed Khan, Uzma Adil Khan
and other suspects were present. Upon asking,
the NAB prosecutor said that record pertaining to
the reference could not be shifted from Karachi
to Islamabad as a result of inter-provincial traffic
suspension amid the Covid-19 outbreak. He
added that they will file the supplementary reference
against the former PM after collecting new
evidence. The court asked that why has former
Pakistan State Oil (PSO) managing director
Shahid Islam not been produced before the court.
To which, the court was apprised that Islam has
fled abroad. Subsequently, the court approved the
plea to declare Islam a proclaimed offender and
adjourned the hearing till June 11. STAFF REPORT
India violates LoC
ContInueD froM pAge 01
However, on February 26, 2019, Indian jets
bombed Balakot. The next day, PAF jets shot
down two Indian planes and captured an Indian
pilot, Wing Commander Abhinandan
Varthaman. On August 5, 2019, India illegally
annexed occupied Kashmir by revoking Article
370 of its Constitution, which guaranteed special
autonomy for the disputed region. Islamabad
responded sharply to the development, cutting
off diplomatic ties with New Delhi and
suspending trade with India. PM Imran Khan
has referred to his Indian counterpart’s policies
as ‘fascist’ and likened India under his rule to
Nazi Germany. With the civil and military
leaders of both countries trading barbs over the
past couple of years, unprovoked shelling across
the LoC has increased.
‘Speaking Persian on full stomach’: Minister
takes jibe at Asif over lockdown remarks
ISLAMABAD
APP
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting
Senator Shibli Faraz said on Thursday that Pakistan
Muslim League- Nawaz leader Khawaja Asif’s statement
was a classic example of ‘speaking Persian on a
full stomach’.
Asif had no feelings for the poor as otherwise, he
Jazz posts $2.09bn
revenue for 1Q2020
ISLAMABAD
SYEDA MASOOMA
Veon, the parent company of Jazz Pakistan, has published
financial results for the quarter ended 31st March 2020.
As per the financial report, the company made a total
revenue of $2,097 million, which is 0.3pc YoY higher in
local currency but 1.3pc lower if compared YoY on a
reported basis. EBITDA was reported to be $920 million,
which was 1.8pc lower in YoY in local currency and 29.1pc
YoY lower on a reported basis. The total mobile subscriber
base of Veon stands at 211 million. For Pakistan in particular,
the company said that excluding the impact of tax regime
changes, total revenue would have increased by 2.7pc in
local currency during 1Q2020. However, the reported
revenue decreased by 1.3pc YoY. The local currency data
revenue for Jazz remained strong for Pakistan with a 17.1pc
increase on the back of 4G investments. The revenue amount
collected from Pakistan in the first quarter of the current year
is reported to be $316 million, as opposed to $362 million in
the same quarter of 2019. Service revenue decreased from
$337 million to $293 million in the same period, while
EBITDA fell from $183 million to $147 million. The report
said, “Jazz continued to perform well despite the ongoing
competitive nature of the Pakistan market, particularly in
data and social network offers, and remained focused on
expanding its digital services to drive further growth.
would not have given such a statement, the minister said
in a statement.
Faraz said the entire nation held the corrupt rulers of
the past responsible for the country’s economic deterioration,
adding that Asif should persuade his leadership to
bring back the money and assets allegedly stashed abroad
to fix the national economy.
He said Prime Minister Imran Khan had the stance
from day one that the nation must be protected from both
the coronavirus and the hunger. He was taking decisions
in the larger interest of the nation and the country.
Shibli Faraz said protecting the nation from the pandemic
was the government’s topmost priority and it announced
the largest stimulus package of Rs 1.24 trillion in
the country’s history, to support the venerable segments of
society.
The minister asked the PML-N leadership to avoid
doing ‘petty politics’ on the issue.
Pakistan eases lockdown as Covid-19 kills 46
ContInuteD froM pAge 01
However, as the toll began to surge,
the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)
government in Sindh entered a
province-wide lockdown, bringing
life to a halt. The lead was followed
by the rest of the provinces/administrative
units which imposed quarantines,
even suspending intra-city
and inter-provincial transport.
The prime minister observed
that the country cannot afford to remain
in extended lockdown as “our
people are suffering financially”.
While acknowledging that the
government has launched Ehsaas
emergency cash programme — the
most “expansive and generous” social
welfare programme in the country’s
history — the prime minister
noted that due to dwindling revenues,
it was not possible for the
government to keep its welfare
services liquid for “much long”.
Prime Minister Imran announced
that public transport, however,
will remain suspended on
provinces’ concerns. “I believe it
[public transport] should be reopened
because it is the common
man’s mode of transport but the
provinces have reservations. We do
not want to make decisions unless
there is unanimity,” he said.
He acknowledged that the number
of positive cases is ticking up as
are fatalities. “We always knew that
this is bound to happen. Our concern,
however, was that the number
of cases should not rise so high and
rapidly that health facilities are burdened,”
he said, adding: “That has,
fortunately, not happened.”
“While the people are concerned
about the second wave of the
virus, the government has to take
into consideration the monetary implications
of the quarantine.”
“Every business has been affected
by this lockdown,” he said as
he noted that the low-income
groups have been hit the hardest.
“For how long can we do that
though,” he asked.
NO FLIGHTS OR TRAIN
SERVICE: According to an official
who was present at the meeting, the
provinces were fully on board with
the decision to relax the lockdown
and that the federal government took
all the reservations into account.
“The federal government was
of the view that inter-city transport,
trains and flight operations should
resume. However, the provinces
didn’t agree. Hence, the idea was
dropped for the time being,” the official
said. The official said that
mega malls, shopping plazas and
big markets will remain closed too.
However, the textile industry is already
functional.
Asked about hotels, parks, golf
and gymkhana clubs, the official
said that opening of parks was
under consideration but the decision
has been delayed for the time being.
“Luxury buildings like golf and
gymkhana clubs would be the last
sector to be opened. Hotels have not
yet been discussed. Restaurants,
marriage halls and marquees will
remain closed too. Only take-away
will be allowed from restaurants.
However, roadside restaurants will
open,” the official added.
‘GOVT MAY REPATRIATE 13-
14,000 PEOPLE PER WEEK’:
SAPM on National Security Dr
Moeed Yusuf clarified that not all of
the stranded Pakistanis being flown
back to the country are testing positive
for the coronavirus. “This is a
misconception. Please do not stigmatise
those returning to the country,”
he said.
He added that the government
is in the process of talking to those
countries from where 40 to 50 per
cent of the returning passengers had
tested positive.
“We can’t bring back all at once
because we would need to test every
Pakistani coming back. We are considering
to bring 13 to 14,000 people
per week,” he added.
Yusuf stated that the country’s
air flights to repatriate stranded
Pakistan will continue, as per the
prime minister’s directions, adding
that it was not possible for the government
to bring back all 120,000
registered at once.

06
Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad
Joint Editor
COMMENT
How not to ease
the lockdown
State must fulfill its responsibilities
LEAVING everything to Allah, the PTI
government has decided to lift the lockdown in
phases without taking the necessary measures
adopted by the countries that have so far decided to relax
the restrictions. In all such cases, two steps have
invariably been taken before the relaxation. One is mass
testing, while the other is flattening of the curve, which
implies a decline in the number of new cases leading to
fewer hospitalizations and deaths. Italy had conducted 2.3
million tests by Wednesday while it had already flattened
the curve by the beginning of April. The country however
waited till Monday to ease the lockdown with a mix of
anxiety and excitement. This has been the practice in
major European countries which are going for easing the
lockdowns. In Asia, Thailand too took the measures
before announcing relaxations.
Prime Minister Imran Khan had already made up his
mind to kick-start industry and open the markets without
maximising testing or waiting for the flattening of the
curve. This required the opening of the intercity and
interprovincial transport and the railways to ensure the
mobility of the labour force. The provinces, however,
were concerned that opening the transport when the
infection rate was on the increase could prove hazardous.
Further, it would be difficult to cope with the spread of
virus through increased interaction among the population.
With the delay in the opening of the transport system, the
industrial activity will remain constricted for the time being.
It was sensible to allow the markets to open for five
days in a week from early morning to 5 pm. Big shopping
malls, and other spaces which attract big crowds,
however, would remain closed for now.
The Prime Minister has stressed the need for the
people to observe the SOPs. The state cannot exonerate
itself from its responsibilities. Unless the business
community is told to keep the premises clean, take the
temperature of employees at arrival and maintain social
distancing, the virus could spread fast. Keeping people
safe and avoiding subsequent waves of severe infection is
as important as getting people back to work. The
government needs to create a system of oversight and
punishments to ensure that SOPs are fully observed.
Feeling the pinch
The Chaudhrys going to court shows
that all want NAB reined in
THE Chaudhrys of Gujrat have gone to the Lahore
High Court asking it to stop the National
Accountability Bureau from reopening a 20-yearold
case against them, involving having assets beyond
means. The interest is created by the fact that the pair, one
of whom is Punjab Speaker Ch Parvez Elahi, the other Ch
Shujaat Hussain, President of the PML-Q, are part of the
ruling coalition both in the Centre and in Punjab. Their
objection is not just that they have successfully defended
the case, but that NAB is used for what they have called
‘political engineering.’ This strengthens, though it does
not confirm, that NAB was used to help in the formation
of the PML-Q itself, which was originally founded by
those who deserted the PML-N under the Musharraf
Martial Law, and provided it a political platform and a
ruling party after the 2002 elections. It was after 2002 that
Ch Pervez became Punjab chief minister, and Ch Shujaat
had a six-week stint as PM after Zafarullah Jamali
resigned in 2004. Ch Pervez became Deputy PM under
the PPP, when the PML-Q entered a coalition in 2011,
until the 2013 election.
The Chaudhrys have thus been in power for some
time. That they are dissatisfied with NAB’s methods of
investigation, finds echoes within the PTI itself, with
Punjab Senior Minister Aleem Khan and PM’s
Parliamentary Affairs Adviser having only recently been
restored to office after some time under NAB
investigation. However, both the PPP and the PML-N
have complained that their leaders have been arrested
even, but no case has been proven against them. This
indicates all parties, both in and out of office, are mentally
prepared to amend the NAB Ordinance.
The government needs the parties anyhow, as the
ordinance it promulgated amending the law, excluding
businessmen and civil servants, from it, has now lapsed,
and must go before Parliament for legislation. The
question of how to observe social distancing while voting
on bills needs settlement, but will probably be solved as
was that of meeting at all. Passing such a law, which
prevents NAB going after either businessmen or civil
servants, is all the more necessary during the slowdown
caused by the pandemic.
Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami
Arif Nizami
Editor
Umar Aziz
Executive Editor
Asher John
Deputy Editor
Race for a vaccine
No ‘magic bullet’ has been found yet
At Penpoint
m A NIAZI
T
HE way out of the covid-19 crisis is a vaccine.
That is something that all agree on,
whether or not they favour the present lockdown.
However, a vaccine is not yet on the
horizon, even though some vaccines are under
trial in the UK, which are showing some signs of potential.
Though some medicines have been touted as
showing some effect against covid-19, there has been
no ‘magic bullet’, no single medicine which would cure
the disease in a twinkling of the eye, or at least as
swiftly as a pill cures a headache in a TV commercial.
One reason why a vaccine is supposed to be better
than a cure is because the former provides immunity
that it is not clear that the disease itself does.
Some diseases result in the body producing antibodies
that prevent the disease from recurring; vaccines
also produce antibodies, very often by giving the patient
a very mild infection, leading to the production
of antibodies, and thus provide protection from the
disease. In some cases, the protection is permanent,
as with measles or chickenpox; in others, the protection
is limited, and declines with time, to the point
where the patient is once again vulnerable. It is even
possible that one disease will act as a vaccine for another,
as someone getting German measles will never
get measles. As a matter of fact, that is the basis for
the first vaccine, the one against smallpox, when anyone
given cowpox, not only developed immunity
against it, but also against smallpox.
Pending a vaccine, a drug would be nice. At the
moment, all the doctors can do is manage the disease
until the body’s natural defence system overcomes the
disease, or until the patient dies. A medicine would
fight back, and kill off the disease-causing viruses.
However, the drug would be unlikely to act as a prophylactic,
so someone would have to be infected to use
the medicine with any effect. The patient would still
have carried the disease for some time, and would have
acted as a carrier of the infection to other people.
That is where vaccines come in. They give immunity
without the illness. That means the carrier
does not give the immune person the illness, and the
chain of transmission stops. That is why vaccinations
are so important in the eradication of any disease.
Pakistanis remember how polio vaccination was a
major issue. The purpose is not just to give people
immunity, but to break the chain of transmission. The
idea is to ensure that the population produces antibodies
without having undergone the disease, so that
if a sick person or other carrier is encountered, and
the infection caught, the person does not develop the
disease, as the infection is dealt with by the antibodies.
That person does not become a carrier, and the
disease is not spread. Ultimately, if enough vaccinations
take place, the disease dies out.
Though one would like to think that it is the milk
of human kindness that makes US President Donald
Trump so single-minded about finding a cure, it is
patently obvious that it is because of electoral calculus.
He faces an election in November. By that time, the
coronavirus would come
back to take advantage of the
expected winter surge. That
might mean that polling
might be disrupted in a large
number of jurisdictions. As it
is, certain states had to cancel
their primaries this winter.
This did not affect the result,
but it was indicative. Even if
polling is not disruptive, a
resurgence of the pandemic,
and the required social distancing,
would lower the
turnout, which would work
against Trump, as his present
poor approval ratings indicate.
Further, if there are any
more lockdowns, and thus
any further deterioration in
the economy, that would be
bad news for Trump, as his
ratings show that the damage
which has occurred so far
would lead to his defeat.
Trump is down, though not out. He is being compared
to Herbert Hoover, elected in 1928, and then
crashing to defeat in 1932. True, Hoover presided
over the recession, but it should not be forgotten that
the Great Crash which started off the Depression occurred
in 1929, and voters had endured three years of
Depression by the time Election Day rolled around.
Trump has thus been trumpeting anything that
looks like a remedy, much to the chagrin of doctors.
His first foray into the field was his spat with India
over hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malarial, also used
prophylactically, and which was thought to have
some promise. India’s Prime Minister Modi first
hedged, but then Trump got his way. Only to find the
drug killed: the death rate among patients given it was
higher than those who didn’t get it.
COVID19: A Chinese bio-weapon?
Conspiracy theories galore
Amjed jAAved
While the pandemic, the worst
mankind has faced in the last
century, rages on, it seems that
while it may have caused many
changes worldwide, it has not
stopped politicians trying to win
elections, by hook or by crook.
Politics, at least that of a
particular kind, has gone back
to normal, well ahead of
everything else
Friday, 8 May, 2020
There were better results with Remdesivir, which
has been approved for use, even though clinical trials
in the USA are continuing. Initial medical reaction is
that it will probably have to be used in combination
with other medicines that are thrown up by research.
Another medicine that held some promise was
Favipiravir, developed by a Japanese firm. One problem
shown in previous clinical trials was that it led
to so many aborted fetuses in animal testing that it
was never tested on human expectant mothers. Some
have argued that most of the covid-19 patients in danger
of death and thus in need of a medicine are the
elderly, and thus females are highly unlikely to be
carrying fetuses they need to protect.
It should be noted that both Remdesivir and
Favipiravir were initially developed for treating
Ebola fever, a different disease, but also viral. Both
are antivirals, and thus of limited success. One of the
problems with covid-19 is that it is viral, and while
anti-virals do exist, they are
nowhere near efficient as antibiotics,
which put paid to
bacteria.
One solution, the one
that was used for AIDS, another
viral disease, was to
use a ‘cocktail’ of drugs,
mostly anti-virals that slow
the progress of the disease,
not so much to cure the disease
as to manage it. For example,
the famous US
basketballer, ‘Magic’ Johnson,
was diagnosed as being
HIV+ back in 1991, but is
still alive today, because of a
regimen of anti-virals which
prevent him from developing
full-blown AIDS.
One of the problems is
nationalism. Trump is blaming
China for holding back
information, and has even accused
it of trying to get him
defeated in November. He has even got the Democratic
nominee-in-waiting (he has not been nominated, but he
is the only candidate left standing) Joe Biden involved,
blaming him for his involvement with China. It’s the
same Biden whose son Hunter he wanted prosecuted
by Ukraine, and because of whom he had to undergo
impeachment. He was acquitted by the Republican majority
in the Senate in a vote on party lines.
While the pandemic, the worst mankind has faced
in the last century, rages on, it seems that while it may
have caused many changes worldwide, it has not
stopped politicians trying to win elections, by hook or
by crook. Politics, at least that of a particular kind, has
gone back to normal, well ahead of everything else.
The writer is a member of staff.
U
S President Donald Trump thinks that
covid-19 is a `Chinese virus’. Conspiracy
theories are making the rounds that the
virus was compounded in a Wuhan laboratory.
Several US politicians suggested
the coronavirus is a bioweapon leaked from the
Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Americans are receptive to Trump’s tirades. When
he suggested taking disinfectants as cure for covid-19,
many Americans did so. A Pew Research poll found
that two-thirds of US voters had an unfavorable view
of China compared to 47 per cent two years back.
Wuhan’s lockdown was viewed as a “draconian” and
“undemocratic” step taken by the “despotic Orient”.
The truth remains that a nation’s ability to contain the
coronavirus depends on numerous factors: climate,
demographics, location, wealth, leadership, medical
stockpiles, healthcare system, and so on.
The WHO terms the conspiracy theories as “infodemic”
that “spreads faster and more easily than
this virus, and is just as dangerous”. 27 public health
scientists from the United States, Europe, and Asia
wrote in The Lancet: “We stand together to strongly
condemn conspiracy theories suggesting that Covid-
19 does not have a natural origin.”
They affirmed: “Conspiracy theories do nothing
but create fear, rumours, and prejudice that jeopardise
our global collaboration in the fight against this virus.”
On February 20, the Wuhan Institute of Virology declared
such rumours had severely disrupted its anticoronavirus
emergency efforts. This was the lab that
sequenced the coronavirus on January 2 before submitting
the virus’ genome to the WHO on January 11.
On February 28, the WHO-China Joint Mission
on Covid-19 cautioned that much of the world was
not ready to “implement the measures that have been
employed to contain Covid-19 in China”, which are
“the only measures that are currently proven to interrupt
or minimise transmission chains in humans. In
the face of a previously unknown virus, China has
rolled out perhaps the most ambitious, agile and aggressive
disease containment effort in history.”
China-bashing is a means to scapegoat someone
else for their own failures. China assisted over 120
countries and international organizations over the pandemic,
many of which had helped China in its fight.
Aid packages were sent without political preconditions.
Continued China criticism could increase volatility
in bond, stock and currency markets across Asia.
Trump may increase import taxes just when China is
experiencing Coronavirus-driven 6.8% contraction in
GDP. Trump’s volatile actions may reduce GDP not
only in China but also in South Korea and Singapore
and down through the economic food chain to Indonesia,
Vietnam and Myanmar. If Trump imposed
25% penalties on imports of cars and auto parts, it
would badly affect Thailand. The fallout would hit
growth from the Philippines to India.
After Huawei, Trump could ban more mainland
Chinese companies including those in artificial intelligence,
energy, micro processing, robotics and selfdriving
vehicle spaces.
China could devalue its currency. It could disavow
the phase one trade deal which guaranteed billions
in purchases from farmers in states Trump must
win come November. Beijing could threaten to dump
its $1.1 trillion of US government bonds, greatly increasing
Washington’s debt-servicing costs. It could
prohibit sales of US cars and trucks. It could impose
an Airbus-only policy, banning the USA’s Boeing
from its aerospace market. Besides, it could halt exports
of the rare-earth materials Silicon Valley needs
for batteries, memory chips and smartphones. It could
tell Apple, CNN, Goldman Sachs, Nike, Starbucks,
Tesla and others to leave.
The US Senate Republican campaign arm distributed
a 57-page memo to candidates, advising them to
address the coronavirus crisis by aggressively attacking
China. The memo provides candidates detailed
instructions, for use in public. It contains three main
assaults: That China caused the virus “by covering it
up”, that Democrats are “soft on China” and that Republicans
will “push for sanctions for its role in
spreading this pandemic”.
Some organizations and have filed “compensation
claims” against China for not doing enough to
contain the spread.
A law firm has filed a case in a southern Florida
court against the Chinese government, accusing it of
failing to curb the coronavirus outbreak, and letting it
become a pandemic. Missouri has also sued the Chinese
government, seeking damages for deliberate deception
and insufficient action. Some Indian NGOs have filed a
complaint with the UN Human Rights Council, demanding
China pay “compensation”. Besides, an American
lawyer has filed a “case” in the International Criminal
Court accusing China of “intentionally developing”
the virus, claiming the Chinese government and military
failed “to prevent the Wuhan Institute of Virology’s personnel
from becoming infected with the bioweapon and
then carrying the virus out into the surrounding community
and proliferation into the United States”. This was
a “crime against humanity”, the lawyer claims, and the
ICC should probe. China regards the claims as `ludicrous’.
It contends China as a `nation has complete sovereign
immunity.
China claims to adhere to absolute sovereign immunity
which rejects any jurisdiction from foreign
courts. Even according to the US’ relative sovereign
immunity, which allows for a commercial activity exception
to sovereign immunity, China’s outbreak prevention
and control work is governmental behaviour
rather than commercial activity, and therefore also enjoys
sovereign immunity.
The ICC is an international organization established
to investigate and try four categories of international
crimes- genocide, crime against humanity,
war crimes, and crimes of aggression.
The ICC’s investigation procedure can be initiated
by the prosecutors themselves, by the UN Security
Council, and by a signatory state. Other methods,
including submission of materials by individuals or
organizations, do not directly trigger an investigation,
unless an ICC prosecutor believes the materials submitted
are solid enough. The absurdity of the US
lawyer’s claim suggests this possibility is very slim.
China contends the UN Human Rights Council is
not an “international court” but an intergovernmental
body. Although, according to a 2007 resolution, individuals,
groups and NGOs can appeal to it, the plea
must meet certain strict conditions to initiate an investigation,
which the Indian NGOs’ complaint doesn’t.
There is no proof the virus originated in Wuhan.
Its origin is yet to be scientifically verified, and that
the epidemic was first reported in Wuhan alone does
not necessarily mean it originated in China. The unintentional
transmission of a disease by an infected
person to others is not an act committed on behalf of
his or her country, so such behaviour cannot be attributed
to a government.
The world should join hands to develop vaccines,
plasmas, and drugs to beat the virus. It is time to cooperate
not dissipate energies on a blame game.
Amjed Jaaved is a freelance journalist, has
served in the Pakistan government for 39 years and
holds degrees in economics, business administration,
and law. He can be reached at
amjedjaaved@gmail.com.
Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965 I Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9 I Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545 I Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk I Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Friday, 8 May, 2020
PM’s Ehsaas Programme &
its efficacy in COVID-19
The government has regained popular trust
sultAN m hAlI
P
RIME MINISTER Imran Khan’s
Ehsaas Programme was launched as a
massive welfare project way before the
onset of the global Pandemic covid-19,
which has wreaked havoc in Pakistan
too. The benevolent scheme assumes really meaningful
proportions in the current trying times.
Ehsaas was designed to create jobs, establish
safety nets and promote human capital development.
It was aimed at being a fundamental shift
in the extent to which the government is willing
to intervene in the market and the society. The
scarlet thread of the welfare project is the need
for redistribution— taking the gains from those
who are economically stronger and redistributing
them to those who are economically weaker.
Even a cursory glimpse of the modus operandi
of most welfare states depicts that they too have
adopted the policy of redistribution.
Besides poverty, another way of looking at
the role of modern welfare states is their ability
to provide an opportunity for people to share risk
systematically. Irrespective of suffering the vagaries
of facing poverty, average individuals and
families which were leading comfortable lives,
can receive support from the welfare state or
benefit from sharing the risk when faced with
shocks, unemployment or a sudden calamity.
Ehsaas is a multidimensional poverty alleviation
programme which comprises more than
115 policies and programmes which may be expanded
further at a later stage. It started with the
establishment of soup kitchens for the poor but
encompassed initiatives like the National Poverty
Graduation Initiative (NPGI) providing opportunities
for sustainable livelihoods for people living
below the poverty line. The components of the
NPGI are asset transfer, interest-free loans, and
vocational and skill training for proper utilization
of assets. The interest-free loan component under
the NPGI is being implemented by 24 partner organizations
of the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation
Fund across 100 districts in the country. One of
the salient features of this initiative is that 50 percent
of the loans are being provided to women.
The Ehsaas programme has been developed
based on four pillars and the NPGI is part of the
fourth pillar – ‘Jobs and livelihoods’.
It is planned that every month 80,000 interestfree
loans will be disbursed through more than
1000 loan distribution centres that have been set
up in 100 districts which are part of this initiative.
In the first three months, 274,903 borrowers were
granted loans worth Rs 9,124 million under the interest-free
component of the NPGI. It is expected
that more than two million people will get benefits
under this programme in the next four years.
The strategy of targeting women is noteworthy
since various studies show that when women
have control of spending, it is more likely that a
big chunk of expenditure will be made on children.
This factor was amply shown by Muhammad
Yunus, a Bangladesh social entrepreneur,
banker, economist, and
civil society leader who
was awarded the Nobel
Peace Prize for founding
the Grameen Bank
and pioneering the concepts
of microcredit and
microfinance. These
loans are given to entrepreneurs
too poor to
qualify for traditional
bank loans. Poverty alleviation
is a difficult
task. The burgeoning
population is denting
the poverty alleviation
efforts severely and is
quite alarming.
While Ehsaas was
still in its infancy, Pakistan
was struck by
covid-19. Adversity at
times brings out the
best in humanity. The pandemic forced the federal
and provincial governments to impose lockdowns.
The worst hit was the major segment of
society, which earns its living through daily
wages. Under normal circumstances, this strata
of our population barely ekes out a living as casual
labour. The lockdown forced everyone indoors,
depriving the daily wage earner to stay
home.
Prime Minister Imran Khan picked up the
gauntlet to provide relief to the needy. The government
kitty was empty. For a prime minister
who regularly quotes China’s example with regard
to poverty alleviation, and also endeavours
to establish a “New State of Madina”, this was
an uphill task.
The former cricketer-turned-politician took
the initiative of appearing on various television
channels in an Ehsaas Telethon to seek donations
for those affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Appealing to the opulent and better endowed
section of the society to contribute generously,
the Prime Minister’s personal sincere appeal and
charm bore fruit. At the conclusion of the
marathon session, it was revealed that the government
had been able to collect Rs 550 million.
This was no mean achievement and not only
The curve of covid-19 is
yet to be flattened in Pakistan
but those Pakistanis, who
suffered the brunt of the
lockdown, now have a hope of
survival. The beauty of the
welfare project is that it has
managed to reach out
irrespective of political, social,
religious and ethnic divisions
Pakistanis residing locally but the Diaspora rose
to the occasion and contributed generously. Prior
to reaching out to the people to loosen their
purse-strings, Imran Khan consulted various
heads of states as well as Chief Executive Officers
and movers and shakers of renowned charity
organizations and welfare projects like Bill
Gates. Sinking home the message that the government
alone cannot combat the pandemic, and
that the entire nation needs to chip in, the PM
brought to the fore the horrors of the unprecedented
trial and tribulation. People had heard or
read of the Spanish Flu, a pestilence like the
plague or Ebola, but they were occurring a considerable
time and distance away. Covid-19 has
targeted not just the world but the Pakistani society,
irrespective of class or creed.
Sharing his experience of collecting donations
for the Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital,
the Prime Minister said that he had encountered
various people from around the country while
building the Hospital.
He spoke of the virtues
of spending in the way
of Allah and the inner
peace achieved through
reaching out to the less
fortunate segment of society.
Collecting funds
was only the tip of the
iceberg. The greater
challenge lay in collecting
the statistics of
those in genuine need of
help, preparing a rational
database and disbursing
funds on merit.
This was an uphill task,
but when there is a will
there is a way, and the
Rubicon of reaching out
to the needy had been
successfully crossed.
Imran Khan’s initiatives to deal with covid-
19 are now being appreciated across the globe.
Even countries like the USA with a superior
health care system are seeking Pakistan’s guidance
in providing essential goods to the poor. Due
to the compassion of PM Imran Khan and the
trust of people, donations are pouring in Ehsaas
Programme, though more telethons arranged by
PM for this noble cause to provide assistance to
the needy and poor across the country. Owing to
mismanagement and corruption by previous Governments;
there was a trust deficit with the Government
but by the current reforms and effective
management of economy during the pandemic,
Imran Khan’s Government has regained the trust
of people of Pakistan inland and abroad.
The curve of covid-19 is yet to be flattened
in Pakistan but those Pakistanis, who suffered
the brunt of the lockdown, now have a hope of
survival. The beauty of the welfare project is that
it has managed to reach out irrespective of political,
social, religious and ethnic divisions.
Sultan M Hali is a retired Group Captain
and author of the book Defence & Diplomacy.
Currently he is a columnist, analyst and TV talk
show host.
COMMENT
Editor’s mail
Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today,
4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan.
E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk
Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively
PM’s cultural plan
07
PM Imran khan would like Pakistanis to watch this Turkey serial and learn
Islamic values through this serial. He called the series “interesting”, and
blamed Western and Bollywood films for diluting Pakistani culture.
He Said “Our Culture goes from Hollywood to Bollywood and then
here, a third-hand culture gets promoted this way, it is badly affecting our
children”. I have watched Ertugrul Ghazi first season recently, there are so
many lessons in it. One of the most interesting occurrence in the series is
when the tribal chiefs get together for feasts and pull their own personal
spoons out from the inside of their robes. At a time when water was scarce
it probably made most sense to bring your own spoon. The lesson learned
is that one should think about the ways on how not just to be a gracious
host but also a gracious guest.
There are many instances in the series where we see the most
“insignificant” pauper personally knowing the Chief of the tribe. It is clear
that in the old days, the leaders were not only well known by their subjects
but also had personal relationships with them. When we compare that to
our institutions now, from the smallest Masjid to the largest federal
Governments, it is as though leaders are only supposed to deal with the
second line of command and no one else. We need to slowly start changing
this and changes happens starts from the self.
One of the strongest characteristics of Ertugrul Ghazi is his ability to
keep his mind clear of confusions and stay focused on the task at hand.
Especially in today’s world of constant bombardment of negative and
sometimes “fake news” this is a skill which we all need to practice ignore
the noise and keep your eyes on the prize.
The most notable lessons from this serial are: maintain your
orientation towards establishing justice, protect the innocent, trust in God
and never give up. Perhaps the most popular quote is “The victory is not
ours, it belongs to Allah”, a sentiment that resonates deeply with many
Muslims. Adding that, “series and films would be produced on Muslim
history to educate/inform our own people and the world; Muslims would
be given a dedicated media presence.”
SibGHA ArSHAD
islamabad
Keep schools closed
THE announcement of the government about the closing of schools till the
15th of July is an excellent decision. As this crucial times, we need to play
very carefully about the future aspects of COVID-19. The spread of
viruses is much much vulnerable as related to other countries but proper
preventive measures require to maintain the situation in control. The
children have less immunity and they are more close to each other,
definitely, they can be a more effective source of Corona spread secondly
all over the country millions of students are enrolled in thousands of
private & public schools and their transportation, etc factor can remove the
social distance situation totally. It is the responsibility of the society to
maintain social distances as well as follow the government’s instructions in
order to beat the pandemic.
DAniSH MALik
rawalpindi
Ramadan price hike
WHEN the Ramadan begins the prices of the kitchen items have registered
considerable raise with meat, milk, sugar, vegetables and fruits selling up
to 20% costlier. Shopkeeper in Ramadan want to earn extra money on
every food item because they know that this is the need every Muslim in
Ramadan. Ramadan brings unlimited happiness and blessings with it but
unfortunately most of the people are dejected in the holy month of
Ramadan. People are unable to afford the food items needed to break their
fast.Black marketing is also started before Ramadan due to which the
prices of items is increased. The Ramadan of 2020 is stared during serious
issue covid-19 which is also the main cause of inflation. Punjab
government should need to take strict action against these shopkeeper and
black marketer.
ArSLAn kHAn
Lahore
A nonagenarian’s plea
IN a democratic system the members of the National Assembly
(Lawmakers) are representatives of the public. They are obligated to make
laws for the progress of the state and the betterment of life of the people.
Unfortunately, our lawmakers initiate self-serving schemes to strengthen
their position with the aim to perpetuate their seat in their constituency.
Previously two mainstream political parties; PPP and PML-N ruled the
country while also raising the pay and pension of the government servants.
PML-N increased the pay and pension of government servants by 10%
whilst PPP enhanced these by 20% during their tenure. However, PML-N
once rose the perks and privileges of parliamentarians by 133% and pay
for the government servants by 10%. The current government is in the
grips of financial crisis and running on foreign aid and loans from the IMF.
The inflation is too high and likely to drown the economy even with loans
and aid from friendly countries. The current government could not increase
the pay or pension of the employees. Any increase seems to be an illusion.
This made the life of the government officials as well as pensioners
miserable. There are a few pensioners who served the government in the
British era before the partition and later in the Pakistan government. These
handful of pensioners still around, who are well into their nineties, live on
meager pensions. For example, there is a huge gap in pensions of those
who retired in 1969 as compared to those who retired on 1970. The
government tried to fix this anomaly in 1979, but to no avail and the
injustice prevails of a few nonagenarians still around. The current
government needs to provide justice to these old timers who not only
worked for the country on very low salaries, but also continue to struggle
to survive on paltry pensions for more than 40 years. Given the small
number of such individuals, any adjustment to their pensions won’t have a
noticeable impact on the exchequer. I request the PM to pay special
attention to the plight of very old pensioners and order a handsome
increase in their pensions to provide them some respite at a time when they
need it the most.
rAJA SHAFAATuLLAH
islamabad

Friday, 8 May, 2020
08 WORLD VIEW
The world order Is dead
IT WOULD BE FOOLISH TO EXPECT PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, WHO IS ONE OF THE
REASONS THAT TODAY’S INTERNATIONAL ORDER ISN’T WORKING, TO SPEARHEAD
PLANNING FOR A NEW ONE. WE MIGHT HAVE TO WAIT FOR A MORE INTERNATIONALLY
MINDED PRESIDENT TO FORM THE INSTITUTIONS OF THE NEW ORDER
PolitiCo
eDWArD FiSHMAn
I
nTErnATIOnAl orders seldom
change in noticeable ways. Just as
rome wasn’t built in a day, the Pax
romana was not a passing phase: it
persisted for centuries. The order that
arose from the 1815 Congress of Vienna didn’t
fully unravel until the outbreak of World
War I in 1914.
But at rare moments, confidence in the
old order collapses and humanity is left with
a vacuum. It is during these times that new
orders are born—that new norms, treaties
and institutions arise to define how countries
interact with each other and how individuals
interact with the world.
As the most far-reaching global disruption
since World War II, the coronavirus pandemic
is such a moment. The post-1945
world order has ceased to function. Under a
healthy order, we would expect at least good
faith attempts at international coordination
to confront a virus that knows no borders.
Yet the United nations has gone missing, the
World Health Organization has become a political
football and borders have closed not
only between countries but even within the
European Union. Habits of cooperation that
took decades to entrench are dissolving.
Whether we like it or not, a new order
will emerge as the pandemic recedes. U.S.
leaders should do everything in their power
to ensure that the post-coronavirus order is
equipped to tackle the challenges of the
coming era.
Five years ago, I represented the State
Department in an inter-agency project to
evaluate the future of the international order.
We studied past transitions and discussed
possible reforms. We recognized that the
order was fragile and needed repair, but we
also appreciated the power of inertia—it
takes extreme moments for leaders to accept
that the old order is broken and summon the
will to forge a new one.
now that extreme moment is here, and
U.S. leaders have an opportunity that typically
comes around just once or twice a century:
They can build an order that actually
works for our times—one that combats climate
change, cyber threats and public health
challenges, and that allows for the fruits of
globalization and technological progress to be
shared more widely. If, that is, they do it right.
Consider the lessons of America’s last
two major attempts to build international orders—in
1919 after World War I and in 1945
following World War II. The post-1919 order
was marked by the Great Depression, the
rise of totalitarian regimes and eventually a
conflagration even more devastating than
World War I. By contrast, the post-1945
order led to more than seven decades of
peace and prosperity, in which violent deaths
plummeted and world GDP expanded at
least 80-fold.
How can America avoid the errors of
post-1919 and emulate the successes of post-
1945? Three primary factors distinguish the
two projects.
First, U.S. leaders should plan for the
new order right now, as the crisis is ongoing.
When President Woodrow Wilson arrived at
the Paris Peace Conference in January 1919,
two months after the war had ended, none of
the core principles of the postwar order had
yet been agreed. Consequently, the allies’ deliberations
were plagued by contradictory
agendas, resulting in a pact incapable of managing
the problems of the world to come.
Conversely, President Franklin roosevelt
began planning for the post-World
War II settlement before the United States
even entered the war. America and Britain
issued the Atlantic Charter, which articulated
their goals for the postwar order, in
August 1941—four months prior to Pearl
Harbor. The Bretton Woods Conference,
which outlined the postwar economic system,
took place in July 1944. By the time the
war ended in 1945, the tenets of the new
order were already well established, enabling
the allies to focus on the critical details
of implementation.
The coronavirus will arrest our lives
longer than we’d like, but not forever—and
when the crisis passes, the contours of the
new order will take shape rapidly. To ensure
that brief window is put to good use and not
consumed by squabbling, U.S. and world
leaders should begin collaborating now to
formulate principles.
It would be foolish to expect President
Donald Trump, who is one of the reasons
that today’s international order isn’t working,
to spearhead planning for a new one. We
might have to wait for a more internationally
minded president to form the institutions of
the new order. But Trump’s presence doesn’t
mean that valuable progress can’t happen in
the meantime.
leaders in both parties—especially
younger leaders whose lives will unfold in
the wake of the pandemic—should urgently
start developing, debating and rallying
around objectives for the post-coronavirus
order. Before diving into specifics, such as
the future of the United nations, we must
align on basic goals. We are likely more
than a year away from the dawn of the new
order, and a contest of ideas, in which the
intellectual foundations of the system solidify,
will precede any institutional innovation.
Members of Congress, leaders in civic
organizations and businesses, and scholars
should follow the example of health care
professionals who have collaborated across
all manner of forums—from medical journals
to Twitter—to design strategies to treat
Covid-19. And they should know that any
principles they propose, even if only in print
or pixels, may eventually take on greater
significance: Both the post-1919 and post-
1945 orders originated in simple statements—the
Fourteen Points for the former,
the Atlantic Charter for the latter—that didn’t
win broad endorsement until months or
years after they were issued.
The second way U.S. leaders can learn
from the past is to avoid the blame game.
led by French President Georges
Clemenceau, the shapers of the post-1919
order were fixated on blame, forcing Germany
to accept “war guilt,” make territorial
concessions and pay reparations.
These terms sowed resentment that fueled
the nazis’ rise to power. By contrast, the
architects of the post-1945 order focused
on the future, committing to rebuild Germany
into a thriving democracy—notwithstanding
the fact that Germany was more
obviously at fault for starting World War
II than it had been for World War I. The
Germany of today, a liberal exemplar and
staunch U.S. ally, is testament to the wisdom
of that policy.
Despite temptations to find scapegoats
for a pandemic that has already killed more
Americans than the Vietnam War, U.S. leaders
should be generous in aiding post-coronavirus
recovery efforts around the world.
Though Beijing doubtless bears blame for
its suppression of early reports of the coronavirus,
America and the world would be far
better served by bolstering China’s public
health system than by seeking to punish Beijing
or embarrass it through racially insensitive
epithets.
nowhere is generosity more important
than in the race to end the pandemic with
novel therapeutics and, eventually, a vaccine.
Instead of hoarding the benefits of
such breakthroughs, as the Trump administration
hinted it might do when it tried to
poach a German vaccine company, America
should lead a global effort to develop, test,
manufacture and deliver these medicines as
quickly and broadly as possible. More than
anything else, America’s role in ending the
pandemic will determine how much moral
authority it has to shape the world that
comes afterward.
America should also be generous in supporting
the institutions of the new order.
Washington has already spent upward of $2
trillion to pull the country out from the coronavirus
abyss—and there’s more to come.
These infusions dwarf the $56 billion International
Affairs Budget, which covers the
State Department, the U.S. Agency for International
Development, foreign assistance
and contributions to international organizations.
If there was ever a crisis that demonstrates
why an ounce of prevention is worth
a pound of cure, it is this one: America
should fund the institutions of the new order
so that they are capable of averting the next
crisis before it spirals out of control.
Finally, the new order should be
grounded in domestic consensus. Wilson
didn’t include a single prominent republican
in the U.S. delegation to the Paris Peace
Conference, icing out not only radical isolationists
but also moderate internationalists
with whom he might have found common
ground. In the end, the Senate rejected the
Treaty of Versailles, 53–38, and America
never joined the league of nations. FDr
and Harry Truman learned from Wilson’s
mistake, focusing early on building support
for the post-1945 order. When the Un Charter
came before the Senate, it won overwhelming
approval, 89–2.
America’s influence in the post-coronavirus
order will hinge on whether its participation
is backed by domestic consensus.
This might seem impossible in our hyperpartisan
age. But nearly 70 percent of Americans,
including strong majorities of both
Democrats and republicans, favor an active
U.S. role in the world—among the highest
levels of support in the last half-century.
Even on specific international issues, Americans
agree more often than they think. A full
two-thirds of Americans believe the U.S.
government should do more to combat climate
change, and nearly 80 percent consider
cyberattacks a critical threat. now that the
coronavirus has disabused us of our collective
sense of invincibility, we can expect
even greater majorities to take global risks
seriously moving forward. U.S. leaders
should harness that support and make building
the new order a bipartisan project.
What exactly could this new world
order, one that actually tackles the problems
of the 21st century, look like? At the heart of
every international order is a tradeoff between
breadth and ambition: as membership
widens, goals must narrow. So we should
imagine a two-level system. At the global
level, the new order should focus squarely
on collective-action problems—including
climate change, cybersecurity and pandemics—that
will imperil our world in the
coming era as much as nuclear weapons did
in the passing one. The nuclear non-proliferation
regime has been successful because
it both sets clear rules and wields real power:
monitoring, inspections, export controls, interdictions
and sanctions work in concert to
check proliferation. Covid-19 has made us
all viscerally aware of our vulnerability to
public health challenges; we should channel
that trauma into norms and institutions just
as forceful as those that keep nuclear proliferation
at bay. Think, for example, of a
world in which countries make firm commitments
to reduce carbon emissions and
curtail cyber intrusions—and where those
commitments are enforced through commercial
restrictions and the threat of economic
and political consequences.
At the same time, we need a revamped
order among like-minded democracies—
which, as a smaller group, can be more ambitious.
The United States and its allies in
Europe and Asia should come together into
a council of democracies, expanding collective
defense beyond the military realm to
counter subtler menaces such election meddling,
disinformation and financial coercion.
On the economic front, it’s well past time for
an international system that prioritizes
human welfare over growth for growth’s
sake. America, the EU, Japan and other
democracies should seal new economic
agreements in which increasing market access
goes hand-in-hand with cracking down
on tax avoidance, protecting data privacy
and enforcing labor standards. Some level of
pullback from globalization is inevitable and
warranted. But absent planning now, that retreat
will be chaotic and blunt, throwing the
baby out with the bathwater.
“Without history,” the historian Donald
Kagan observed, “we are the prisoners of the
accident of where and when we were born.”
The post-coronavirus order is coming; there
is no going back to normal. While transitions
like this are rare, they have happened before,
and we should heed the lessons of history.
The stakes could not be higher: If we repeat
the errors of 1919, we may eventually remember
the coronavirus as the precursor to
an even bigger disruption—the World Crisis
I, perhaps, to climate change’s World Crisis
II. We have the chance now to chart a different
course—and navigate the history of our
times toward fairer seas.
Edward Fishman is a former member of
the Policy Planning Staff at the State
Department. He is a nonresident senior fellow
at the Atlantic Council and an adjunct fellow
at the Center for a New American Security.
Google and Apple can easily handle coronavirus ‘contact tracing’
RCM
KirK Arner
I
n the COVID-19 era, we are living through major
panic by politicians in the U.S., and around the
world. In response to this crisis, governments
have enacted extraordinary measures, ranging
from stay-at-home orders in the U.S. to mandatory
government surveillance systems in countries like Israel.
The latter of these tactics, known as “contact tracing,”
has been widely touted as a key tool to mitigate the
spread of COVID-19. With typical contact tracing systems,
a government tracks citizens’ geolocation data via
their smartphones and stores the data on a government
server. If a citizen tests positive for COVID-19, government
software then combs through her location history
and alerts anyone she was in close proximity with over
the past several days or weeks. Those individuals who
were in close contact with the COVID-19 patient, then,
are typically told to quarantine at home or face, in some
instances, potential jail time.
For Americans, such a system presents obvious problems.
Freedom of movement, along with 4th Amendment
protections against warrantless surveillance, are among
some of our most fundamental rights. A Big Brother,
government-run surveillance system would clearly violate
these rights—no matter the system’s intent.
But what if there was a better way? What if we
BOTH HAVE PLEDGED NOT TO
MONETIZE THE DATA COLLECTED
AS PART OF THE PROGRAMME
could implement a system that could track potential infection
events while simultaneously protecting individual
privacy and dignity?
Enter Apple and Google. Combined, their operating
systems run on over 99% of smartphones around the
world. The two companies recently announced a joint
contact-tracing program that will begin rolling out over
the next few months, via free iOS and Android software
updates. A product of two marquee American companies,
the system is, in many ways, uniquely American.
Here’s how it will work. When a participant signs
up, her phone begins emitting a unique, anonymized
Bluetooth “key” that changes every 10-20 minutes. A list
of these keys is stored locally on the participant’s phone.
When participants come into close physical contact with
one another, their phones exchange whatever “keys” are
currently being emitted via Bluetooth. Those collected
keys are then stored locally on the participants’ phones.
If an individual tests positive for COVID-19, and
only with her consent, her phone uploads the last 14 days
of her anonymized keys to an Apple and Google server,
where they are temporarily stored. Other participants’
phones regularly download the list of keys from this
server. If a key downloaded from the server matches a
key locally stored on a participants’ phone, the participant
will be notified that she came into contact with
someone who tested positive for COVID-19, with suggestions
regarding what to do next.
Apple and Google’s system has some limitations.
First and foremost, it’s voluntary. Many individuals
won’t participate. Thus, any tracking of potential infection
events will naturally be underinclusive. This underinclusivity
may instill individuals with unfounded
confidence to move about in ways they otherwise would
not, exacerbating the rate of infection.
Additionally, individuals with smartphones incapable
of running the latest software updates, smartphones
lacking the necessary wireless radios, or no
smartphone at all will not be able to participate. Moreover,
for privacy reasons or for battery preservation,
many smartphone owners do not keep Bluetooth constantly
on. That being said, 81% of all Americans own
smartphones, with over 99% of those smartphones running
either iOS or Android.
Finally, some worry about the potential for “big
tech” companies like Google, who already utilize personal
data, to further collect and to monetize user data.
However, data collection by private companies from
users with informed consent is surely preferable to warrantless
government surveillance. Apple and Google
cannot compel people’s participation in the program,
nor can they throw citizens in jail or otherwise limit
their freedoms.
The very structure of Apple and Google’s system
does not allow for the type of data collection feared.
Apple and Google have explicitly banned geolocationbased
data tracking from their system. Instead, close interactions
between individuals, with identities
anonymized via frequently changing keys, is instead
what is tracked here. Moreover, Apple and Google have
both pledged not to monetize the data collected as part
of the program.
Apple and Google’s system isn’t perfect. But, it’s
the only one of its kind that is fundamentally compatible
with the American way of life. It is perhaps the perfect
blend of American ingenuity and
ideology—sophisticated technologies that can help
slow the spread of COVID-19, while still respecting individual
liberty. In conjunction with more traditional
systems, such as the contact tracing “army” the new
York tri-state area is assembling, it may provide powerful
insights that might not otherwise have been possible,
and in the process save lives.
At the end of the day, Apple and Google’s proposed
system is a uniquely American tool in the war against
COVID-19. Once again, “big tech” shows its brilliance.

Friday, 8 May, 2020
CORPORATE CORNER
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan State Oil (PSO) has donated Rs71
million to provide support and relief to the underprivileged
segments of society affected by coronavirus across the
country. Out of the total package, Rs50 million has been
contributed to the Prime Minister’s Corona Relief Fund.
PSO MD & CEO Syed Muhammad Taha called on PM Imran
Khan and presented the cheque. PReSS ReleASe
Qatar Airways announces
‘phased expansion of network’
DOHA: Qatar Airways has announced that the airline will
begin a phased approach to expanding its network in line
with passenger demand evolution and the expected
relaxation of entry restrictions around the world. Having
maintained flights to at least 30 destinations where
possible during this crisis and to most continents, the
airline has been in a unique position to closely monitor
global passenger flows and booking trends to confidently
begin planning the gradual reintroduction of additional
flights and destinations to its network. Qatar Airways
Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said, “Throughout
this crisis our passengers have been at the centre of
our focus. Our airline has implemented industry-leading
hygiene practices and commercial policies enabling our
passengers to book and travel with confidence. We
have maintained a flexible and agile network to help
take over 1 million people home through our state of
the art hub in Doha and to transport more than
100,000 tonnes of essential medical and aid supplies to
where they are needed.” PReSS ReleASe
MARKET DAILY
Stocks succumb to
selling pressure, index
sheds 424 points
KARACHI
STAFF RePORT
The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) succumbed to selling
pressure on Thursday, with the benchmark KSE-100
Index, despite recovering losses accumulated in early
trade, shedding over 400 points by day's end. Foreign
investors offloaded equities for the fifth consecutive
session on Wednesday, registering a net outflow of $3.13
million. "Regardless of what the international crude prices
are being trading at, local exploration & production and oil
& gas management companies, which responded
positively to the ascend in international crude prices last
week, remained oblivious to further price gains," analyst at
Arif Habib Ltd stated. "Profit booking is clearly on
investors' minds, who have so far been cashing out from
fertiliser, cement, E&P and O&GMCs." Banks, on the
other hand, that have weathered the outflow from foreign
investors (possibly due to MSCI rebalancing), showed
initial signs of recovery on the prospect of expectation of
status quo in the upcoming monetary policy. "This is
reflected by the yield change in secondary market for 10-
year PIBs, which marked a low of 7.64pc on April 17,
2020, and have since recovered to 8.23pc today, indicating
that there may be a status quo on policy rate." Losing
489.30 points in the late hours, the KSE-100 Index marked
its intraday low at 33,238.88. It settled lower by 424.02
points at 33,034.16. Among other indices, the KMI-30
Index plunged 1,006.98 points to end at 54,061.39, while
the KSE All Share Index dropped 292.73 points, closing at
23,650.99. The advancers to decliners’ ratio stood at 74 to
209. The overall market volumes plunged from 208.88
million in the last session to 175.99 million shares, with
Hascol Petroleum Limited (HASCOL -4.85pc), Maple
Leaf Cement Factory Limited (MLCF -2.05pc) and DG
Khan Cement Company Limited (DGKC -2.59pc) leading
the volume chart. The scrips had exchanged 16.09 million,
12.56 million and 8.19 million shares, respectively.
ISLAMABAD
STAFF RePORT
ADvISER to Prime Minister on
Finance and Revenue Dr
Abdul Hafeez Shaikh on
Thursday formally launched
the Secured Transactions Registry
(STR) to enable financial institutions
file security interests online.
The STR, established under the Financial
Institutions (Secured Transactions)
Act, 2016, for registration of
security interests/charges created by entities
other than companies on their movable
assets, has been operationalised by
the Securities and Exchange Commission
of Pakistan (SECP).
“STR is an electronic register that
could be accessed through a dedicated
website by 24/7; financial institutions
could now file security interests online,”
said a press statement issued by
the Ministry of Finance.
The registration process is fully
BUSINESS 09
Govt lAuncheS 'Secured trAnSActionS
reGiStry' to fAcilitAte finAnciAl inStitutionS
automated and the registry is searchable
by general public, free of
charge, it added.
Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, State
Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor
Reza Baqir, SECP Chairman Aamir
Khan, Board of Investment Chairman
Atif R Bokhari, Karandaz Pakistan
Chairperson Dr Shamshad Akhtar,
Karandaz Pakistan CEO Ali Sarfraz,
Department Head of International Development
(DFID) Pakistan Annable
Gerry, Country Director of World
Bank in Pakistan Illango Patchamuthu,
and SECP Commissioners Shaukat
Hussain and Shauzab Ali were also
present on the occasion.
Dr Hafeez Shaikh appreciated the
support offered by the British government,
through DFID and Karandaz, and
collaboration between SECP, SBP, BoI
and WB for the successful implementation
of this reform.
He particularly lauded the commitment
demonstrated by SBP and SECP
teams for spearheading this initiative,
and its completion within a year of its
assignment in March last year.
The Adviser, while discussing the
importance of this initiative, highlighted
that Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises (MSMEs) played a vital
role in the economic development of
the country due to their significant contribution
in terms of output, exports and
employment.
“Particularly, SMEs constitute approximately
90pc of businesses in Pakistan,
employ 80pc of the
non-agricultural labor force and contribute
40pc in country’s annual gross
domestic product (GDP).”
Shaikh noted that despite playing a
significant role in economic growth of
the country, SMEs access to formal finance
is limited to only 6pc of the total
financing by the banking sector.
He was optimistic that this initiative
would prove to be a game
changer by improving the access to
Sindh govt urged to
reopen textile value chain
KARACHI
STAFF RePORT
All Pakistan Textile Mills Association
(APTMA)-Sindh/Balochistan
Chairman Zahid Mazhar has
demanded the Sindh government
to immediately allow the entire
textile value chain to restart production
activities.
“Otherwise, the textile industry
of the province would not be able
to survive, and this could lead to
complete closure [of industry] and
massive unemployment,” he said in
a statement issued on Thursday.
He, however, lauded the efforts
and measures taken by the
Sindh government to control the
spread of coronavirus, and assured
his cooperation in this regard.
Mazhar said that Sindh’s textile
industry, which was recently
allowed to resume operation, had
already adopted all precautionary
measures prescribed in the SOPs
for the prevention of coronavirus.
“But the government had only
given permission to either those
textile industries that have pending
export orders or those industries
having residential colonies
within their premises.”
He maintained that the government
efforts wount not bring
any positive resukt until and unless
the downstream textile industry,
including sub-sectors of
weaving, knitting, stitching, processing
and garmenting, which
provide intermediary material,
would not be restarted to complete
the business cycle.
"In the present situation, the
industry is not even running at
50pc of its capacity."
He further informed that the
industry was facing severe liquidity
issues, owing to which it was
not in a position to pay even utility
bills and wages to its employees.
"The only solution to tackle
this disastrous situation is to allow
the entire business cycle of the
textile industry to function across
the entire value chain. Otherwise,
it would be too late to regain our
export market, earn the much
needed foreign exchange and retain
the level of employment."
UBL appoints Shazad Dada as president
BUSINESS DESK
Shazad G Dada has been appointed as President
and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of United Bank
limited with effect from July 1, 2020, informed the
bank in a statement to the Pakistan Stock Exchange
on Thursday.
As per the statement, the Board of Directors of
UBL in its meeting held on May 6 2020, had decided
to appoint Shazad G Dada as President and CEO of
UBL for a term of three years.
Dada’s appointment is subject to the approval
of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and compliance
with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations
in this regard.
The board, while acknowledging services of
outgoing president and CEO Sima Kamla, has further
decided that Ms Kamil, who would complete
her 3-year term on May 31, 2020, would continue
to perform as President and CEO till June 30, 2020.
On Wednesday, Dada had stepped down as president
and CEO of the Standard Chartered Bank Pakistan
(SCBPL). The SCBPL Board had accepted the
resignation of Dada with effect from July 1, 2020.
finance for the MSMEs, Agri borrowers
and rural enterprises.
The commencement of the registry
would broaden the scope of assets so
that these under-served segments could
offer as a security for availing the finance,
he said.
On the other hand, this reform
would also help banks to expand their
lending portfolios while the operationalisation
of STR would contribute
towards improving Pakistan’s score on
‘getting credit indicator’, and in particular
raise its global ranking on the
World Bank’s Doing Business’ index.
In her address, Annable Gerry
lauded the efforts of the financial sector
regulators for their thought leadership
and progressive role.
Dr Shamshad Akhtar also praised
the SECP leadership and assured of
Karandaz Pakistan’s continued support
for SECP’s technology projects.
The SBP governor and SECP chairman
also spoke on the occasion.
Govt forms special
committee to
streamline dairy
sector
ISLAMABAD
SHAHZAD PARACHA
The federal government on Thursday formed a
special committee to ascertain the profit and loss
situation in the country's dairy sector. According
to sources privy to this development, Adviser to
Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul
Hafeez Shaikh held a meeting with the members
of Pakistan Dairy Association via video link,
wherein issues being faced by the dairy industry
were highlighted while suggestions that could
help the industry flourish and expand its base in
the near future were put forth. The association
members particularly requested "relief in taxation
matters", as that "could make the industry more
compatible with the informal sector". The adviser
was informed that all dairy companies were
facing financial contraints and that the sector was
currently operating at under 30pc capacity. They
maintained that the dairy sector was contributing
10,000 plus direct employment, besides more
than 0.5 million indirect employment. In addition,
they informed, the dairy companies were also
supporting 0.25 million farmers by paying them
Rs120 billion annually. Speaking on the occasion,
the adviser said he was aware of the importance
of the industry and that the foremost objective of
the current government was to support businesses
and provide employment. The adviser directed
that a special committee may be formed under the
chairmanship of the finance secretary and with
representatives from both the Federal Board of
Revenue (FBR) as well as the dairy industry.
"This committee shall give its report within two
weeks and provide information/data regarding the
profit and loss situation of the dairy business
across the country, the current rate of utilization
of its full capacity and future possibilities of
growth, the cost of relief requested from the
government, the overall implications of the relief
measures for the industry’s growth, institutional
arrangements that could help in the discharge of
their liabilities and any other factors that should
be considered." The adviser said that the
government shall consider the requests of the
dairy association with an open mind after
reviewing all the facts and related data that could
help in taking the best decision in favour of the
economy and well being of the people.
Indus Motor announces ‘support package’ for dealers, vendors
ISLAMABAD
GHUlAM ABBAS
At a time when nationwide lockdown has
disrupted the entire auto chain of Pakistan,
Indus Motor Company (IMC) has announced
a support package for its dealers
and vendors.
Although the details of the package have
not been shared by the company, sources in
the auto sector claim that the package was
aimed at supporting the company’s associated
businesses, which have also been badly
affected by the virus outbreak.
Sources informed that despite stagnation
in revenue generation activities, vendors and
dealers were bearing most of the overhead
costs and expenses (debt servicing and staff
salaries) and were refraining from laying off
their employees.
Apart from IMC, Honda Atlas Cars and
Pak Suzuki Motor have also not laid off employees
or reduced salaries during the past
two months. However, vendors of automobile
assemblers were in a quandary as they were
mainly dependent on sale of local vehicles.
Dealers said it was encouraging that one
of the biggest auto manufacturers of the
country has come forward to support those
striving hard to survive amid lockdown.
"IMC has announced different support
packages for us so we could cope with the
prevalent crisis," said Salim Godil, Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) of Toyota Central
Motors & Toyota Society Motors. "Under
one of the schemes, 'short term interest-free
loans' will be offered to vendors and dealers
during this month."
Feroz Khan, IMC vendor and CEO of
Omar Jibran Engineering Industries Ltd said,
"IMC has played a pivotal role in the development
of local engineering base for the last
three decades. This support package in such
crucial times further depicts its commitment
to the cause of facilitating the local industry."
It may be noted that at least 46 vendors
and 46 dealers were currently working with
IMC, the makers of Toyota vehicles in Pakistan.
It also has around 30 technical agreements
(highest in the sector) for technology
transfer in the country.
"As other vendors and dealers are likely
to lay off at least 20pc of the workers, leading
Japanese assemblers are yet to show the
exit gate to their workers and staffers despite
production closures since the second week
of March," said an industry insider.
Although the government has announced
to relax countrywide lockdown after May 9,
it was unclear as to what extent would the
'ease' be provided to large-scale industries.
It is pertinent to mention that the sale of
passenger cars had plunged by 71.8pc to
5,796 units in March 2020, as compared to
the same period last year.
According to data released by the Pakistan
Automotive Manufacturers Association
(PAMA), passenger car sales in the cumulative
period (July-March, FY20) dropped by 46.8pc
to 85,330 units, compared to 160,359 units
sold during the corresponding period last year.
With an exception to Suzuki Alto, which
was not available in March last year, all variants
of four-wheelers and above recorded a
decline in sales.

10 FOREIGN NEWS
Friday, 8 May, 2020
‘WhaT’S The pOInT OF STayInG?’:
GUlF FaCeS expaTrIaTe exODUS
DUBAI/RIYADH
AGENCIES
Trump administration
divided over new 5G
network
WASHINGTON: The Trump administration
is divided over the deployment of a new 5G
cellular network, with the Pentagon, NASA
and others at odds with other government
agencies. The five-member Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) voted in late April
to approve the deployment of a 5G cellular
network by Ligado Networks. Opponents of
the plan argue that it would use spectrum that
could potentially disrupt frequencies used for
commercial and military Global Positioning
System (GPS) signals. The FCC decision has
received the backing of Attorney General Bill
Barr and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. But
Pentagon chief Mark Esper, NASA, the Commerce
Department, Department of Homeland
Security and major airlines have voiced their
opposition. On Wednesday, top Pentagon officials
pleaded their case before a Senate committee.
“There are too many unknowns, and
the risks are too great to allow the proposed
Ligado system to proceed in light of the operational
impact to GPS,” said Dana Deasy, the
top advisor to the defense secretary for information
technology. AGENCIES
Kenya, Uganda latest
to receive IMF help
against pandemic
NAIROBI: The IMF on Wednesday approved
a $739 million emergency loan for Kenya and
$491.5 million for Uganda, as the East African
countries deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
Both face severe economic shocks amid
efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, the
Washington-based crisis lender said in
announcing the latest fast-disbursing aid as it
rushes to help countries deal with the
economic impact of the outbreak. More than
100 IMF members have sought emergency
financing, and the fund has warned that the
world’s poorest countries are most at risk. The
funding will help Kenya “provide muchneeded
resources for fiscal interventions to
safeguard public health and support
households and firms affected by the crisis,”
IMF Deputy Managing Director Tao Zhang
said in a statement. AGENCIES
MILAN/LONDON
AGENCIES
Can creative sparks fly through plexiglass?
Is the water cooler chat a thing of the past?
Company bosses preparing to reopen
offices shuttered due to the coronavirus
pandemic are contemplating radical
changes to the workplace to keep staff safe.
Hand sanitisers and thermal scanners
are just the start. Some firms are considering
remodelling their offices to minimise
the risk of a second wave of infections.
Long rows of desks may be out, work stations
sheathed with glass sneeze guards
may be in. As he prepares to return thousands
of staff to offices across Italy, Davide
Sala, Pirelli’s (PIRC.MI) HR boss, is applying
practices already adopted in the tyre
company’s operations in China.
apopular Saudi talk show host
told private businesses this week
it was their national duty to lay
off foreign rather than local employees,
warning that the dominance
of Saudi Arabia’s workforce by
expatriates was a “real danger”.
Khaled al-Oqaily’s comments on his
daily TV show encapsulated the dilemma
faced by 35 million foreigners who form
the Gulf’s economic backbone: as firms
shed jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic
and oil price crash, and governments
move to protect citizens’ jobs and wages,
should they stay or go?
The expatriate exodus is expected to be
larger than after the 2008-2009 financial
crisis and the 2014-2015 plunge in prices
for oil, the region’s main export, the International
Labour Organization (ILO) said,
without giving figures.
In Oman alone, the number of expatriates
dropped by over 340,000 in 2010 following
the 2008-2009 crisis, according to
official data. That year, Oman’s economic
growth slowed by 1.3 percentage points,
World Bank data show. This time around,
many foreign workers remain stranded
without a safety net as Gulf states try to organise
ways of getting them home.
Hundreds of thousands of migrants,
mostly Asians, have registered for repatriation,
according to figures from embassies
and authorities in the region, which has
seen COVID-19 spread among low-income
foreign workers in overcrowded living
quarters. Pakistan and India have
started evacuating citizens from the Gulf.
Egypt has begun repatriation flights from
Kuwait, where security forces quelled a
riot by Egyptians at a shelter housing residency
violators this week. In the United
Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar the numbers
leaving “could be very significant”,
said Ryszard Cholewinski, ILO’s senior
migration specialist for Arab states.
Farman, one of 60,000 Pakistanis registered
to leave the UAE, lost his job as a
school bus driver two months ago after education
centres closed under virus containment
measures. “I want to go home
because what’s the point of staying without
work?” he said, standing in a dimly lit
street in front of communal housing in
Dubai’s Al Quoz industrial area.
And it is not only blue-collar workers
who are caught up in the coronavirus
squeeze. Many qualified professionals have
not been spared. “You go online, you apply
for thousands of jobs, but they’re all expired,”
said Egyptian-American architect
Nada Karim, who was due to start a new
The changes included temperature
tests, face masks and more space between
desks that allowed the group to resume at
least some office work. “We’re going to
use the China model elsewhere,” Sala said.
“There will be more space for staff, fewer
people in rooms and the layout of the offices
will have to change.” Sala is looking
at whether to designate staircases for entry
and exit, limit lift use to one person per
ride, introduce a shift system for lunch,
stagger work times while also having people
still work from home and re-imagining
desk layouts. “The real break with the past
will be in redesigning the offices,” he said.
China is ahead of most of the world in
lifting restrictions put in place to slow the
spread of the virus and Pirelli is one of
many multi-national companies to have
tested post-lockdown measures there. How
job in Dubai when the firm froze hiring.
“I can resist here for two or three
months without a salary, then I’ll have to
leave.” Samer, a Lebanese-Canadian working
at an advertising agency in Saudi Arabia,
has been put on six-month unpaid
leave and is considering moving to Canada
if things do not improve.
“It is very confusing and worrying
when you suddenly cannot plan for your
future,” he said.
DOWNTURN: The Middle East is headed
for an economic downturn this year that
dwarfs 2008 and 2014/2015 as countries
are hit by the double blow from coronavirus
closures and record low oil prices,
the International Monetary Fund said.
“Fewer expats will crimp demand for
everything from pizzas to villas, and the
danger is that this leads to a cascading deflationary
impact with secondary job
losses,” said Tarek Fadlallah of Nomura
Asset Management Middle East.
Official unemployment data is not
available, but several Gulf airlines and
ride-sharing firm Careem have said they
are laying off hundreds of workers.
Dubai, a business and tourism hub,
was hoping for an economic boost from
hosting the Expo world fair this year but
the event was postponed until Oct. 2021
due to the pandemic. Last week, Expo
2020 Dubai made redundant 179 employees,
according to an internal document
seen by Reuters.
Israel top court approves coalition
deal, new govt to be sworn in May 13
TEL AVIV
AGENCIES
Israel’s Supreme Court on Wednesday
approved a coalition deal between
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
and his rival-turned-ally Benny Gantz,
paving the way for a unity government
to be sworn in next week.
The alliance formed last month between
the right-wing incumbent and his
centrist challenger followed three inconclusive
elections in less than a year.
Under the three-year deal, Netanyahu
will serve as prime minister for
18 months, with Gantz as his alternate,
a new position in Israeli governance.
They will swap roles midway
through the deal, with cabinet positions
split between Netanyahu’s Likud party
and Gantz’s Blue and White alliance, as
well as their respective allies.
Israel has been without a stable government
since December 2018 and the
deal offers rare political stability as the
country seeks to repair the economic
damage wrought by the novel coronavirus,
which has infected more than
16,000 people in the country.
The pact’s opponents sought to torpedo
it in court, arguing Netanyahu
should be barred from forming a government
while under criminal indictment
and that certain provisions in the
agreement broke the law. But the
Supreme court ruled that “there was no
legal reason to prevent the formation of
a government” led by Netanyahu.
SERIOUS CHARGES: Netanyahu has
been charged with accepting improper
gifts and illegally trading favours in exchange
for positive media coverage.
He denies wrongdoing and his trial
is set to start on May 24.
While Israeli law bars ministers
from serving while under indictment,
there is no such law for prime ministers.
Opponents of the deal had argued at
a court hearing this week that Netanyahu
is not currently a normal prime
minister, but rather the caretaker leader
of a transitional administration who is a
candidate to form a government. They
claimed he should be barred from doing
so due to the charges against him.
NO ROOM TO INTERVENE: The
deal’s opponents also mounted legal
challenges against specific provisions in
the Gantz-Netanyahu agreement.
Those included the creation of a
government with a three-year mandate,
instead of the traditional four, as well as
a clause that defined the first six months
of the government as an “emergency”
phase tasked exclusively with confronting
the pandemic.
radical and permanent those changes are is
not yet known, as scientists struggle to fully
understand the virus and drug companies
strive to find a vaccine that protects people.
PACKED LUNCHES: For the world’s
biggest advertising company WPP, staff
will return gradually and on a voluntary
basis, Chief Executive Mark Read told
Reuters. “What we can say with confidence
is that more people will be working
from home in the future, and I think we can
say we’ll still have offices,” he said. Almost
all WPP’s 107,000 staff have been
working from home since mid-March. In
China, it has slowly introduced its 7,000
staff back to its 50 offices over the past two
months after a four-week shutdown.
WPP has also adopted flexible working
hours, limited the number of people in elevators
and, with the canteen buffet off the
GaS leaK aT SOUTh
KOrea-OWneD FaCTOry
In InDIa KIllS 13
VISAKHAPATNAM: At least 13 people
were killed by a massive gas leak at a
chemical plant in southern India, with 800
others taken to hospital. The leak from the
LG Polymers plant in the city of
Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh state came
as people slept. Doctors said patients have
been complaining of a burning sensation in
the eyes and difficulties breathing. Areas
around the plant were evacuated. The leak
may have been due to negligence, officials
said. Reports suggested that initial attempts
to control the gas leak were unsuccessful but
the company and state officials said the
situation was under control. LG said in a
statement that it was investigating the cause
of the incident, and was looking at ways “to
provide speedy treatment” for those affected.
Rajendra Reddy, a senior official in the
Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board,
said that the leaked gas was styrene, which is
usually refrigerated. Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi also called an emergency
disaster meeting. AGENCIES
Japan approves Gilead
Sciences’ remdesivir
as COVID-19 drug
TOKYO: Japan on Thursday approved Gilead
Sciences Inc’s remdesivir as a treatment for
COVID-19, making it the country’s first
officially authorized drug to tackle the
coronavirus disease. Japan reached the
decision just three days after the U.S.
drugmaker filed for fast-track approval for the
treatment. “There has so far been no
coronavirus medicine available here so it is a
significant step for us to approve this drug,” a
Japanese health ministry official said at a press
briefing. Remdesivir will be give to patients
with severe COVID-19 symptoms, he added.
With no other approved treatments for
COVID-19, interest in the drug is growing
around the world. Administered by
intravenous infusion, it was granted
authorisation last week by the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration for emergency use for the
disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
Gilead says the drug has improved outcomes
for people suffering from the respiratory
disease and has provided data suggesting it
works better when given in the early stages of
infection. Japan, with just over 16,000
infections and under 800 deaths, has recorded
fewer cases than other major industrialized
nations. However, a steady rise in cases has
put pressure on medical facilities in some parts
of the country, and a drug that helps patients
recover more quickly could help in freeing up
hospital beds. A trial performed by the U.S.
Institutes of Health (NIH) showed the drug cut
hospital stays by 31% compared with a
placebo treatment, although it did not
significantly improve survival. On Monday,
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe extended
a month-long state of emergency until the end
of May in an attempt to slow the spread of the
coronavirus. AGENCIES
The return of the cubicle? Companies rethink office life post lockdown
menu, staff are bringing in their own food.
PageGroup, the UK-listed recruitment
company, has set aside one entrance at offices
in China where staff line up each day
for a temperature check and to collect a
mask, Rupert Forster, managing director of
the China business, said. It’s also encouraging
people to bring in their own lunch to
avoid busy communal areas and is minimising
large group meetings.
Those measures will form the blueprint
for the management team overseeing the
return of some 7,500 staff to other offices,
Forster said. It’s a similar story elsewhere.
Since reopening its seven main
branches in China last month, Rentokil’s
600 staff stay in the office for about 4-5
hours a day, a spokesperson said. It has
also rejigged seating plans, making sure
there’s an empty seat between each desk.

Friday, 8 May, 2020
CLuBS GeAr uP FOr BuNdeSLiGA
reStArt iN NiNe dAyS’ tiMe
SPORTS
11
BERLIN
AGENCIES
B
UNDESLIGA clubs were racing
Thursday to get ready for the
restart of the season in nine days’
time, amid concerns about
whether the players will stick to
the strict hygiene guidelines implemented to
ensure the campaign is completed.
Twenty-four hours after Chancellor Angela
Merkel’s government gave the German
Football League the green light to return, the
league said it will resume the season on Saturday,
May 16. The Bundesliga will be the
first top European football league to restart
matches since the outbreak of the coronavirus
forced lockdown measures to be imposed
across the continent.
All games will be played without spectators.
The opening day’s key game is between
second-placed Borussia Dortmund
and arch-rivals Schalke in the Ruhr derby at
Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park — but instead
of being roared on by an 81,000 crowd, the
teams will play in an empty stadium.
France has already ended the Ligue 1
season, with football in England, Spain and
Italy still suspended.
The situation gives “German football a
huge head start”, according to Eintracht
Frankfurt sporting director Fredi Bobic.
Until Merkel gave the go-ahead, clubs
had still been training in small groups. On
Thursday, Dortmund, who were four points
behind leaders Bayern Munich when the
league was halted in mid-March, held full
team training for the first time in seven
weeks. “We have had very constructive talks
with the local health authority about it,” a
club spokesman told AFP subsidiary SID.
Borussia Moenchengladbach also resumed
team training, despite announcing
Thursday that one of their backroom staff
had “a very weak” positive test of the coronavirus
and had been quarantined.
“The coaches and the team have worked
under unusual conditions over the past few
weeks. Everyone is happy team training is
permitted again,” said Borussia’s sporting
director Max Eberl. The Bundesliga wants
to complete the last nine rounds of matches
before June 30 to secure around 300 million
euros ($325 million) in television money.
‘STARTING FROM ZERO’: However, it
is a step into the unknown. “One must not
forget, we are now in a situation that we do
not know,” admitted Bayern Munich chairman
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
“We’re all starting a bit from zero. One
cannot rule out that there are one or two surprises.”
The worry is that an outbreak of the
coronavirus in the league could again halt
the resumed season, this time for good.
There were 10 positive cases from 1,724
tests of players and staff at the top 36 clubs
in the first wave of testing.
The onus is firmly on the players to follow
the hygiene guidelines, including avoiding
contact at all times. Hertha Berlin striker
Salomon Kalou, 34, was suspended earlier
this week by his club for posting a video on
social media where he shook hands with
team-mates. Kalou issued an apology, but
politicians pointed to the Ivory Coast forward
as an example of how not to behave
during a pandemic which has so far claimed
over 7,000 lives in Germany.
Germany captain Manuel Neuer has said
Bundesliga footballers have a “enormous responsibility”
to be role models. To drum
home the point, German daily Bild translated
“Follow The Rules!” into 28 languages for
the 278 foreign players in the league.
‘A WARNING’: “I was horrified,” Dortmund
CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke told Bild
when asked about the Kalou video.
“I will tell our players again that we have
a big responsibility. “Hertha did the right
thing. Such individual cases have to be sanctioned
harshly.” A similar message will be
the mantra at Bayern. “I hope that the Kalou
video remains an isolated case and we have
received a bit of warning with it,” added
Rummenigge. Bayern will also have a tough
fixture as they resume their search for an
eighth consecutive title. Bayern travel to
Berlin on Sunday, May 17, where Union will
not be able to rely on the usual cauldron-like
atmosphere of their home ground.
Australian Open
organisers admit
cancellation possible
MELBOURNE: Tennis Australia conceded
Thursday that January’s Australian Open faces
cancellation under a worst-case scenario, but
said it was looking at a range of options in
hope the COVID-19 crisis eases. This year’s
tennis calendar has been suspended until at
least July 13 and, with global borders closed,
there is uncertainty about when the
international circuit can resume. The seasonopening
Grand Slam is scheduled to take place
in Melbourne from January 18-31, more than
eight months away, and Tennis Australia said it
would abide by whatever restrictions were in
place at that time. “We’ve certainly made no
secret about the number of scenarios that we’re
looking at,” a spokeswoman told AFP. “We’re
hoping for the best but planning for
everything.” Possibilities range from
cancellation to imposing quarantine on
overseas players and allowing only Australian
fans into the event. “We have to look at all the
angles because a lot of the decisions will be
beyond our control and related to government
guidelines and restrictions,” she said. “We do
need to have all the protocols in place to
ensure everyone’s safety.” This year’s
Wimbledon has been cancelled for the first
time since World War II and the French Open
postponed until the end of September. The
United States Tennis Association will decide in
mid-June whether or not the US Open will be
able to begin on schedule in New York in
August. Australia has banned all travel into the
island nation for non-residents. While talks
have begun on opening up borders to
neighbouring New Zealand, which like
Australia has successfully controlled the
epidemic, officials have said it could be many
months before other international arrivals will
be allowed. AGENCIES
BERLIN
AGENCIES
With the German Bundesliga resuming next week and
other leagues around Europe making preparations to
restart after the coronavirus-induced suspension, could
France end up regretting the decision to call an early end
to its football season?
That is the fear of Jean-Michel Aulas, the outspoken
president of Lyon who had hoped Ligue 1 could still be
played to a conclusion despite last week’s announcement
by the French Prime Minister that it “cannot restart” any
time soon. “Why rush into saying it’s difficult to play before
August, when we don’t know if other countries are
going to have the same judgement,” he told sports daily
L’Equipe. “We should have done the political rounds of
the other four major leagues.”
Instead, the French league ended the season with 10
rounds of matches unplayed, crowning Paris Saint-Germain
champions, relegating the bottom two, Amiens and
Toulouse, and leaving Lyon seventh, denying them European
qualification. France is not alone. The Dutch season
was abandoned, and Belgium is unlikely to restart.
In contrast, the Bundesliga will return on May 16,
while Turkey, Hungary, Croatia and Serbia have set out
resumption dates.
Portugal is on track to resume, and Spain hopes to
restart next month. The Premier League is committed to
finishing the season too, although the situation in Italy is
Wood willing to spend nine
weeks in England camp
LONDON
AGENCIES
England fast bowler Mark Wood has said he is prepared to
spend more than two months away from his family if that’s
what it takes to play this season’s home international series
amid the coronavirus pandemic.
According to a report in the Guardian, the plan is for the
squad to be kept in an ‘isolation bubble’ so as to reduce the
risk of players contracting COVID-19, with daily temperature
checks and swabs also part of the regime. Plans are now being
discussed for England to play six Tests, six ODIs and six T20s
in just over two months from the start of July, with the centrepiece
two three-Test series against the West Indies and Pakistan.
The start of the English cricket has been delayed until
July 1 at the earliest by the pandemic, with the West Indies
series already postponed from its original June dates.
Trying to salvage lucrative men’s internationals is the priority
for the England and Wales Cricket Board, with chief executive
Tom Harrison warning a complete wipeout of the
2020 season could cost the governing body £380 million
($469 million). England players can be with their families
less clear even if clubs have been given the green light to
train again. “The return of the Bundesliga is great news
for the football industry,” said Javier Tebas, the president
of Spain’s La Liga.
Speaking to L’Equipe, Aulas suggested that, in contrast,
French clubs now stood to lose almost 700 million euros
($755m) from ending the season early. “I have noted almost
10 European countries where they have restarted training.
So it really makes you wonder. By adapting our methods,
we probably could have finished the season,” he said.
PROBLEM OF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RETURN:
Ligue 1’s revenue in 2018 was barely half the Bundesliga’s
3.2 billion euros according to UEFA. Nor does
France compare favourably with its neighbour when it
comes to the coronavirus, with nearly 26,000 confirmed
deaths against 7,000 — although deaths in the UK, Italy
and Spain are all higher.
Nevertheless, it is understandable that France might
measure itself against Germany. They are the two largest
economies in the European Union, with the largest populations.
There have been reports that French President Emmanuel
Macron wanted Europe’s other leading leagues to
follow France’s example, but German Chancellor Angela
Merkel emphatically denied that any conversations took
place. In Germany they are aware of football’s importance
to the economy, with the sector employing 56,000 people.
“The clubs don’t want to risk everything. But it’s also important
to get back on track for the economic survival of
the clubs,” Freiburg player Jonathan Schmid told AFP.
CMYK
between matches during a standard home season, but Wood
said what was being proposed was not that different from a
tour schedule. “I’d be willing to do it,” he told reporters in a
conference call on Thursday. “Being away on tour for long
periods of time you sort of get used to it.
“It would be very hard but as long as the environment is
safe, my family are safe and everybody else there is safe then
I’d be willing to do it,” added Wood, currently in lockdown
with his wife and baby son.
Some 30 players could be chosen for a run of six Tests
behind closed doors staged at the Ageas Bowl, the headquarters
of southern county Hampshire, and Manchester’s Old
Trafford. Both venues are considered to have greater ‘bio-security’
than other Test match grounds thanks to the presence
of on-site hotels.
‘DESPERATE’: Meanwhile Wood said he and his teammates
were “desperate” to get going again. “I think everybody
in the squad, as long as the conditions are right, would
be willing to come back and play some cricket.”
“We’re desperate to get going. I know it would be a long
stint and it would be hard but it would be good to get back
out there at the same time.” Wood has played just 15 Tests in
five years since a 2015 debut, with his career blighted by injuries,
including ankle and side problems. But he insisted the
proposed new schedule, which could feature six Tests in
seven weeks, would not put him at a greater risk of breaking
down and that he had no expectation of appearing in all the
matches even if they had been played as scheduled.
“I wouldn’t have played every game, I’d be in and out of
the side to manage my workload and manage my body,” he said.
“I think that will probably be the same for the all the fast
bowlers, as long as we’ve got a good pool which I think we
have at the moment. Coming in and out of the side shouldn’t
be a problem.” But Wood said it would feel strange being unable
to go home if he wasn’t in the Test side. “We’ve never been
in these circumstances before where we don’t know what’s
going to happen on the down days –- I guess you can’t just go
home, so maybe you’ll have to train in small groups,” he said.
As European leagues plan for restart, will France regret stopping football season?
Lyon and Amiens have hinted at legal action to try to
overturn the French league’s decision, which may in any
case have been money-motivated — Ligue 1 has a record
new television deal starting next season, so needed as
much certainty as possible about when the 2020-21 campaign
might begin. UEFA is determined to reduce delays
to the start of next season too, but still hopes to complete
the Champions League in August. That leaves Lyon and
PSG in a bind, as both risk being badly underprepared
having not played since March. PSG are into the quarterfinals,
while Lyon lead Juventus 1-0 after their last 16 first
leg. The Lyon women’s team are also still hoping to retain
their Champions League crown.
Back-to-back MotoGP
races proposed for
Spain’s Jerez in July
BARCELONA: MotoGP promoters Dorna
made a proposal to the Spanish government on
Thursday to stage back-to-back races at Jerez
in July. The first, on July 19, would be the new
season-opener for MotoGP after the first 11
rounds of the coronavirus-truncated
championship were either cancelled or
postponed. Dorna then suggest slotting in a
second race, the Grand Prix of Andalusia, at
the same circuit on July 26. A round of the
Superbike Championship was also proposed
for Jerez on August 2. “Once authorisation
from the Spanish government has been given,
the three events will be proposed to the FIM
(motorcycling’s ruling body) for inclusion on
their respective calendars,” a Dorna statement
read. On Wednesday the Spanish parliament
voted to extend stringent coronavirus
lockdown measures for at least two more
weeks. The country has been one of the
hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic with
more than 25,000 people dead and over
220,000 infected. Dorna’s CEO Carmelo
Ezpeleta last week indicated that the opening
legs of the championship would most likely be
held without spectators. He said “the most
important thing” was to “organise races and
broadcast them on television”. AGENCIES
NFL wants protocols in
place to reopen team
facilities May 15
NEW YORK: NFL commissioner Roger
Goodell has unveiled protocols that would
allow clubs to reopen team facilities to nonplayers
and told all 32 clubs to have them in
place by May 15. In a memo outlining the
route to safely reopen workout areas, Goodell
asked each club to have an infection response
team in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic
that has shut down US sports leagues. NFL
facilities have been closed since March 25
due to the deadly virus outbreak. The NFL,
planning to start its next season on schedule
in September, says state government officials
must approve reopening facilities while social
distancing and other safety measures must be
followed. No more than 50% of team staff
would be allowed back into facilities,
although players who were recovering from
injuries would be allowed back as well in the
first phase of the gradual reopening plan.
“The protocols are intended to allow for a
safe and phased reopening,” Goodell’s memo
said. “The first phase would involve a number
of non-player personnel. “No players would
be permitted in the facility except to continue
a course of therapy and rehabilitation that was
underway when facilities were initially
closed. AGENCIES

Friday, 8 May, 2020
NEWS
FO UrGeS wOrld tO tAKe NOtICe OF
INdIA’S IlleGAl ACtIONS IN KAShMIr
ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
PAKISTAN on Thursday once
again urged the international
community to take notice of the
current regional situation and
hold India accountable for its illegal
actions which is “imperilling peace
and stability in South Asia”.
“We also urge the world community
to work for ensuring the peaceful resolution
of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute
in accordance with the United Nations
Security Council resolutions and the
wishes of the Kashmiri people,” Foreign
Office Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said
in her weekly briefing.
She reminded the global community
that May 7, marks the 227th day of continued
oppression in IOJ&K and of the inhumane
lockdown that the people of the
region were put under on August 5, 2019.
She added that it is a matter of grave concern
that the situation in IOJ&K continues
to deteriorate under the brutal military
crackdown by Indian forces.
Farooqui said that since yesterday,
Indian forces have once again completely
shut down Internet services in the occupied
valley after the life of another Kashmiri
resistance fighter was taken in a
“so-called encounter”. Moreover, the FO
British-Pakistani
cancer specialist
dies of Covid-19 in UK
A British-Pakistani cancer specialist has
passed away from coronavirus in the United
Kingdom, it emerged on Thursday. Dr Tariq
Shafi, 61, is the seventh professional of
Pakistani origin in Britain’s National Health
Services to die from the virus. According to
reports, Shafi developed symptoms on
April 2 but continued to work from home,
consulting with patients on the phone. He
was admitted to Darent Valley Hospital in
Dartford, Kent on April 9 — the same
hospital where he worked as a consultant
hematologist — and was eventually put on
a ventilator. However, his health continued
to deteriorate and he passed away on May
6. The deceased’s family called him a
martyr who died while fighting to save
others from the epidemic and said that his
life was dedicated to treating needy and
sick. “Tariq passed away in the blessed
month of Ramadan in line of duty. Even
after he had developed symptoms of corona
and isolated at home, he continued to do
telephone clinics,” his wife said. NEWS DESK
asserted, that there are reports of Indian
security forces firing pellet guns and live
bullets on peaceful protesters, killing at
least one innocent Kashmiri and wounding
scores of others. “These Indian actions
are highly condemnable,” she said.
“Pakistan strongly condemns the ongoing
state terrorism and extra judicial
killings of innocent Kashmiris in socalled
‘cordon-and-search’ operations in
IOJ&K,” stated the FO spokesperspn.
“The intensified resistance in IOJ&K
is a direct consequence of Indian campaign
of oppression and brutalisation of
Kashmiris. We also categorically reject,
once again, the baseless Indian allegations
of “infiltration”, which are designed
to divert attention from India’s grave
human rights violations in IOJ&K and to
create a pretext for “false flag” operation,”
she said.
“We once again call upon the international
community to take notice of the
situation and hold India accountable for
its illegal actions, which are imperiling
peace and stability in South Asia.”
‘UNITED AGAINST COVID-19’: The
press briefing also informed that President
Arif Alvi represented Pakistan at the
Special Online Summit of the Non-
Aligned Movement convened by the
president of Azerbaijan in the capacity of
NAM’s current chair, on the theme of
“United against Covid-19”.
According to the FO, the president
gave Pakistan’s perspective on measures
taken at the national level to mitigate
and respond to the coronavirus and
socio-economic challenges arising from
the pandemic.
“Pakistan’s national response includes
targeted approach of containment,
strengthening health system and financial
support to the vulnerable individuals and
small businesses.”
Stressing that the crisis should be
converted into an opportunity, President
Alvi underscored the importance of a holistic
response to Covid-19 with broader
development dimensions taken, along
with addressing the health system challenges,
stated the FO spokesperson.
In this context, he also highlighted
the significance of the prime minister’s
Global Initiative for Debt Relief, and the
response it had garnered from international
donors and financial institutions.
“In the wake of Covid-19 outbreak,
and as part of the national effort, the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs and our Missions
abroad continue to provide our overseas
communities with relief and assistance
wherever required,” she added.
Pakistani origin Britons at higher
risk of virus deaths, finds govt study
LONDON
AGENCIES
Men of Pakistani and Bangladeshi
origin and black people are nearly
twice as likely to die from the coronavirus
than Caucasians, even when
adjusting data for deprivation, a new
British report said on Thursday.
The statistics chimed with reports
in other Western nations, from Finland
to the United States, that non-white
ethnic groups have been worse hit by
the new coronavirus which has killed
nearly 263,000 people worldwide.
“The risk of death involving the
coronavirus among some ethnic
groups is significantly higher than
that of those of white ethnicity,” the
government’s Office for National Statistics
(ONS) said in a new report.
Scientists studying the novel
coronavirus have noted striking differences
in death rates based on age,
sex and ethnicity, and hope genetics
may hold clues for medicines or a
vaccine. But there are still vast holes
in knowledge.
Without adjusting for factors including
poverty, education and health,
Britain’s ONS found that black males
were 4.2 times more likely to succumb
to a Covid-19-related death and
black females were 4.3 times more
likely than white counterparts.
The adjusted model showed that
black people were 1.9 times more
likely to die from Covid-19 than the
white ethnic group.
Males of Bangladeshi and Pakistani
ethnicity were 1.8 times more
likely to die, and females from those
groups 1.6 times, according to the adjusted
model. But individuals from
the Chinese and mixed ethnic group
have similar risks to whites.
“The difference between ethnic
groups in Covid-19 mortality is partly
a result of socio-economic disadvantage
and other circumstances, but a
remaining part of the difference has
not yet been explained,” the ONS report
added.
INVESTIGATION URGED: Politicians
were appalled.
David Lammy, a lawmaker for the
opposition Labour Party, urged an investigation,
while London Mayor Sadiq
Khan said ethnicity should be recorded
on death certificates to shed more light.
Britain has the world’s second
highest coronavirus death toll, after
the United States, with more than
32,000 fatalities.
“People from Black, Asian and
minority ethnic backgrounds are
being disproportionately affected by
the outbreak of Covid-19 and we need
urgent action to reveal the true extent
of this inequality,” Khan said.
Occupation may be a factor in the
disproportionate deaths.
Non-white workers account for
more than a fifth of National Health
Service (NHS) employees — a higher
proportion than in the labour force.
And more than two in every ten black
African women of working age are
employed in health and social care.
British health officials have already
made research into the ethnic
breakdown of deaths a priority.
“We’re aware that this virus has
sadly appeared to have a disproportionate
effect on people from BAME
(black, Asian and minority ethnic)
backgrounds,” Britain’s health ministry
said in a statement reacting to the
ONS data. “It is critical we find out
which groups are most at risk so we
can take the right steps to protect hem
and minimise their risk.” The statement
added that the Public Health
England authority had been commissioned
to research the different factors
that influence the effects of the virus.
Saudi Arabia sets up
self-sanitisation
gates in Makkah’s
Grand Mosque
MAKKAH
AGENCIES
The General Presidency of the Affairs of the Grand
Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque has launched
self-sterilisation gates at the entrance of Makkah’s
Grand Mosque as part of measures to curb the
coronavirus outbreak, reported Saudi Press Agency
(SPA) on Thursday. Before anyone enters the
mosque’s courtyards, they must pass through the
gate which sterilizes them from head to toe using a
sanitising spray. The gates have been set up just one
week after thermal cameras were installed at
Islam’s holiest site, the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque
in Makkah. The cameras, which can accurately scan
the temperatures of up to 25 people at the same
time, were also placed at the entrances of the
courtyards. Similar cameras were put up in the
Prophet’s Mosque in Medina earlier this month.
Authorities closed the holy sites to the public as
part of measures to combat the spread of the
coronavirus. Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Islamic
Affairs in April denied rumors that mosques across
the Kingdom would reopen soon for congressional
prayers after the coronavirus pandemic forced their
closure last month.
International tourism
to plunge up to 80pc
due to virus: UN
LONDON
AGENCIES
The number of international tourist arrivals could
plunge by 60 to 80 per cent in 2020 owing to the
coronavirus, the World Tourism Organisation said
on Thursday, revising its previous forecast sharply
lower. Widespread travel restrictions and the closure
of airports and national borders to curb the spread of
the virus had plunged international tourism into its
worst crisis since records began in 1950, the UN
body said in a statement. Tourist arrivals fell by
22pc in the first three months of the year, and by
57pc in March alone, with Asia and Europe
suffering the biggest declines, according to the
Madrid-based organisation. “The world is facing an
unprecedented health and economic crisis. Tourism
has been hit hard, with millions of jobs at risk in one
of the most labour-intensive sectors of the
economy,” the body’s secretary general, Zurab
Pololikashvili, said. Airlines have suffered the most
since the outbreak began in China in late 2019 with
most flights grounded, but hotel groups, cruise
operators and tour operators are also reeling. The
UN body had forecast at the beginning of the year
that international tourism would grow by three to
four per cent in 2020 but then revised its forecast at
the end of March, predicting a 20-30pc decline. It
now said the full extent of the fall in international
tourism will depend on the duration of travel
restrictions and shutdown of borders. Under a bestcase
scenario, with travel restrictions starting to ease
in early July, international tourist arrivals could fall
by just 58pc. If borders and travel restrictions are
only lifted in early December the fall would be more
on the order of 78pc. If the restrictions are lifted in
early September the UN body predicts a fall of 70pc.
Under these scenarios, the drop in international
travel could lead to a loss of $910 billion to $1.2
trillion in export revenues from tourism, and of 100
to 120 million direct tourism jobs.
Grim economic data shows devastating impact of virus
NEW YORK
AGENCIES
Evidence mounted of the devastating economic
impact of the coronavirus pandemic
on Thursday as hard-hit Europe moved to
further ease lockdown measures that ground
its economies to a halt.
Germany and France reported major
slumps in industrial production and Britain said
its economic output would plummet by 14 percent
this year. The United States was also expected
to announce new jobless figures on
Thursday showing millions more out of work.
Governments around the world are
under immense pressure to ease the economic
pain caused by measures to stop the
virus, which has claimed more than 263,000
lives and left half of humanity under some
form of lockdown.
Some European nations are now cautiously
easing restrictions in the hopes of stabilising
their reeling economies, with some
shops and schools re-opening and even Germany’s
Bundesliga football league to resume
on May 15, though without spectators.
US President Donald Trump is also
pushing for lockdown measures to be lifted,
while engaging in a war of words with China
that saw him claim the pandemic was a
worse “attack” on the United States than
Pearl Harbor or 9/11.
But experts have warned that social distancing
will remain necessary until a vaccine
is developed — and governments are keen to
avoid a devastating second wave of infections.
The British government was on Thursday
reviewing lockdown measures, with a partial
easing expected to be announced this weekend.
TROUBLE FOR TOURISM: The easing
has already begun in Germany, Europe’s
largest economy, while on May 11 France is
due to start emerging from a lockdown that
began in mid-March, with Prime Minister
Edouard Philippe to announce on Thursday
how this initial de-confinement will take shape.
Many Europeans are anxious to get
back to work, like Elena Isaac, a restaurant
owner in Cyprus’s now-empty beach resort
of Ayia Napa.
“You can’t survive with no tourists… It
is impossible,” she told AFP, as nearby residents
enjoyed the loosening of a six-week
lockdown with swims in the Mediterranean.
Economists have been warning for
weeks that the pandemic will lead to a global
economic downturn not seen since the Great
Depression of the 1930s and new data is
bringing the impact into sharper focus.
The Bank of England said the economic
output of Britain — which has the secondhighest
number of deaths in the world —
was set to crash 14 percent this year.
The forecast came a day after the European
Union warned of a 7.7-percent eurozone
contraction in 2020.
Industrial production in Germany fell by
9.2 percent month-on-month in March, official
figures showed Thursday, the worst fall
since the manufacturing output data series
was started in 1991.
The slump in France was even greater
with industrial output dropping by 16.2 percent
in March on a monthly basis.
Airlines and travel are among the sectors
worst hit by the pandemic, with flights
grounded worldwide and social distancing
measures severely limiting leisure and business
trips.
The World Tourism Organization said
Thursday that the number of international
tourist arrivals will plunge by 60 to 80 percent
in 2020 because of the pandemic.
CHINA HITS BACK AT TRUMP: Most of
Europe has seen a significant drop in the number
of new infections and deaths from the
virus, though in Russia cases are on the rise
and on Thursday it reported another record increase
with more than 11,000 new infections.
The United States remains the hardest-hit
country — with more than 1.2 million cases
and over 73,000 deaths — but Trump has said
it is crucial to re-open the shuttered economy.
Heading into a re-election campaign
later this year, he has also ramped up his
rhetoric against Beijing, telling reporters on
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Wednesday that the disease that emerged in
the Chinese city of Wuhan last year “should
have never happened”.
“Could have been stopped at the source.
Could have been stopped in China,” he said.
“This is really the worst attack we’ve ever
had… This is worse than Pearl Harbor. This
is worse than the World Trade Center.”
China on Thursday called the remarks
“disharmonious, untruthful and insincere”.
“We urge the US side to stop shifting the
blame to China and turn to facts,” foreign
ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told
reporters in Beijing.
Tom Frieden, former director of the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, predicted
the US death toll could top 100,000
by the end of May.
The pandemic has hammered healthcare
infrastructure in many parts of the
United States, including New York City,
and its impact has been particularly severe
among the poorest Americans such as undocumented
migrants.