FARUKH SHEHZAD

ISLAMABAD, DEC 5 – Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday categorically stated that he will give up his office but will not give any (National Reconciliation Ordinance) to the opposition.

The premier made the comments while speaking to actor Hamza Ali Abbasi during an interview on HumNews that covered a myriad of topics, including his own spiritual journey and his thoughts on Western culture.

Commenting on the opposition, PM Imran said that the parties have been blackmailing the government since day one to grant them amnesty. He maintained that the NRO given to the opposition by former military ruler retired Gen Pervez Musharraf had had disastrous effects on the country, leading to an increase in debt liabilities.

“Our biggest problem is that we have debt and there is a deficit between what we earn and what we spend.” He added that the opposition wanted to be “forgiven”, but said that even Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) had said he would not forgive his daughter when it came to corruption.

“If I want to let them go, then I should open up our jails,” he said, adding that he would “give up his seat but not give [the opposition] and NRO”.

Commenting on the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) upcoming rally in Lahore on December 13, the premier said that the government has decided to not grant them permission for staging the demonstration.

“Cases are increasing rapidly […] those putting up the sound systems and chairs, FIRs will be registered against them.” However, PM Imran made it clear that the government would not stop the opposition from participating in the rally.

“We will not stop them so that they can’t [act] dramatic and assume the role of revolutionaries [and] try to become Joan of Ark or Che Guevara.”

He maintained that the government had cancelled its rallies and public gatherings after the country witnessed an uptick in Covid-19 cases.

“We have once again started stressing on standard operating procedures (SOPs) for curbing the spread of the virus. But if this union of crooks thinks that this jalsa will put pressure on me, then they are wrong. No one has organised rallies as big as the PTI.”

He added that he will leave the office of prime minister but will never betray the country by giving relief to the opposition.

Development or lack thereof

When asked about the many issues being faced by Karachi, the premier said: “The situation with Karachi is very strange. Parties win votes from interior Sindh and come into power in the province. So they only focus their energies on the voter bank in interior Sindh and Karachi is left behind.”

He said that the federal government had announced the Karachi Transformation Plan to address the immediate issues being faced by the city and its residents.

“We don’t have the powers. The money from the federal government goes to the province and they decide where to spend it. But the transformation plan is exclusively for the city and all stakeholders are working on it together.”

He said that a permanent solution for cities such as Karachi would be a local government system. “Until it becomes a self-sustaining city, money allocated under the PDSP will never be enough”.

He added that the government was also working on addressing issues in other areas such as Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan. “We are working on giving provisional provincial status to GB,” he said, adding that the government was also spending money in Balochistan.

Addressing debt

The premier also touched on the two biggest problems being faced by the country, namely fiscal debt and diminishing exports.

PM Imran said that unless we make people pay their taxes, we can never become a modern country. “We are among those nations that give the littlest amount in taxes”. He said that when the government checked the data of the country’s tax payers, it discovered that there are 2.5 crore people who don’t pay taxes.

He added that diminishing exports were another problem the country was facing. However, now the country’s trajectory was changing due to the efforts made by the government, he said.

“For the first time now after the 1960s, we are going towards industrialisation,” he said, adding that this was key to making the country stand on its own two feet.

“If we just fix our tourism sector, we can earn a significant amount. Our northern areas are Switzerland plus,” he said, adding that Pakistan has more religious tourism than Malaysia.

“You have no idea the resources this country has been blessed with. But the problem is that we don’t have any money so we have to carry out [joint ventures]”.

The point is that we have been blessed with so much; if we can harness this potential then we can go back to the development we witnessed in the 60s, he said.

Spiritual journey

Abbasi kicked off the interview by asking the premier about his spiritual journey.

Elaborating on his experiences, PM Imran explained that he has had the opportunity to live a different life, one which very few people have the chance to live.

“I started in cricket and went to England at 18. I also studied there and spent my winters in Pakistan. So my life experience is very different.” He said that it was the difference between the two cultures that he experienced that eventually brought about change.

“When I was growing up there was a strong colonial influence which revolved around ghulami,” he said, adding that this had an impact on his upbringing. “When I went to England I realised they are trying to produce replicas of the British which is something we can never be.

“I think my strength is that I always review my life. In cricket I used to breakdown my matches, to see where I went wrong. I couldn’t sleep until I did that. [And] I realised that Pakistan’s strength is that the people believe in God and the concept of an afterlife.”

He said that when he used to ask for donations for constructing the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital, the common man used to reach into his pockets and give money. “I used to be surprised [but] they said they are doing it for the afterlife”.

While there are many positive aspects to Western culture, it was influenced by the ‘sex, drugs and rock and roll’ movement that impacted society and changed the focus of the youth, he said.

He added that a person always has two choices in front of them at any given moment. One is true happiness while the other is mere pleasure-seeking.

“This temporary happiness has diminishing returns. I thought I knew happiness as a cricketer but I understood the difference the moment Shaukat Khanum opened its doors.”

He stated that there is no greater role model than Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) and government was working on introducing a subject for teaching Seerat-un-Nabi to students of grade eight and matric.

He said Al-Qadir University, which will be completed next year. will promote research on the life and teachings of Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) as well as Sufism.

Morality

The premier also said that while the family system had collapsed in the West, their morality was better than ours.

“Here journalists go to the high court and ask for Nawaz to be given permission to for giving speeches,” he said, referring to a petition challenging the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority’s order against airing the former premier’s speeches.

He stole millions, has several cases in court and they call it freedom of speech, he said. “This is damaging our society. Corruption cannot be eradicated without accountability.”

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 05 - Pakistan has rejected concoctions based on “fake news”, in a section of Indian media, alleging transfer of foreign fighters to Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

In a statement, Foreign Office Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez said that such fabrications are part of the Indian propaganda against indigenous freedom movement of the Kashmiri people for their inalienable right to self-determination enshrined in international law and the United Nations Security Council Resolutions.

He said that such Indian ploys are doomed to fail again. The spokesperson said by spreading such falsehoods, India can neither cast a shadow on the legitimate struggle of the Kashmiri people for freedom from illegal and inhuman Indian occupation nor can it escape censure by the international community for the gross and systematic violations of
human rights being perpetrated by the Indian occupation forces in IIOJK.

He said the completely baseless allegations of so-called “foreign fighters from Syria” serve only to further illustrate the virulent anti-Pakistan tirade that is the hallmark of the RSS-BJP dispensation.

The spokesperson said that instead of wasting more time in peddling falsehoods and fake news, India would be well-advised to comply with its international legal and moral obligations and let the Kashmiris exercise
their inalienable right to self-determination.

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ISLAMABAD, DEC 5 – “European Union’s decision to retain its ban on PIA operations in its member countries is another blow to our national airline and is a clear vote of no confidence in two years of gross mismanagement and neglect by the PTI government,” said Parliamentary Leader of the PPP in the Senate, Senator Sherry Rehman.

“It is rather shocking that despite the previous suspension, conditions laid down in ART 205(c)(2) of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulations were not met by CAA and it appears that now the only way this ban can be lifted is by the Pakistani aviation regulatory body clearing a new safety audit.

What is questionable is the government inaction and flat refusal to take responsibility for landing an already troubled airline in such international disgrace! Nobody takes responsibility for this combination of criminal negligence and indifference to the squandering of our national assets” she questioned.

Rehman said, “It’s not only EASA but the US and UK authorities who have also banned PIA. The national airline is facing a loss of millions along with being disgraced internationally. It has lost its coveted international routes and clearances, while a coterie of cannibalising corporate raiders looks like it’s actively colluding to shut the airline down.

The government should take this EU ban as a reminder that despite being banned internationally, PIA is still flying domestically, and questions will be asked about what it is doing to guarantee the safety of and lives of domestic passengers who have little option but to fly PIA.”

Talking about the fake license issue, the Senator said, “The Aviation Minister had claimed that there were 262 fake licences but recently Secretary Aviation told IHC that only 28 licences were fraudulent. Why then was the airline made to crash by its own minister? Why are Pakistani pilots paying the price all over the world with having their license brought under a cloud of suspicion, while they lose their jobs and credibly in other airlines?

We are still facing the aftermath of such reckless statements, but no one is made answerable in Madina ki Riasat. In any other government many heads would have rolled, but here there is total indifference to public safety, parliamentary caution or moral obligation to be answerable to the people”.

Parliamentary Leader of the PPP in the Senate, Senator Sherry Rehman concluded by saying, “The entire Licencegate issue tells us that the public is on its own, that questions in Parliament mean nothing, or beget only tirades, and that the revival of PIA is part of the many false promises made to Pakistan by Tabahi Sarkar. In any other country or government, those responsible would have been taken to task and would not be allowed to cover up their egregious misdemeanours.

We still must insist on an investigation as to why EASA conditions were not met. National institutions cannot be stripped of their worth and standing while cronies sit smugly and carry on.

It seems that the PTI thinks politics is only about maintaining a daily narrative of abuse against the opposition, and not to serve even notionally, the people of Pakistan, who have not been allowed to hold anyone accountable for the dismantling of not just their national airline but hundreds and thousands of jobs and reputations”.

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LONDON, DEC 5 – Virgin Atlantic Airways, a British airline, has been granted permission to operate to and from Pakistan.

It will be operating four direct flights a week from London to Lahore and three a week from London to Islamabad.

The CAA has approved the airline’s cargo and passenger flight operations.

Permission for passenger flights has been given from December 13 to March 27. According to Virgin Atlantic’s website, the first flight available to Lahore from London in on December 17.

The airline posted a message on its website announcing the new flights to Pakistan.

“We’re thrilled to let you know that we’re adding two brand new destinations to our flying schedule. From December, we’ll be flying four times a week from London Heathrow to Lahore, three times a week from Heathrow to Islamabad, and four times weekly from Manchester to Islamabad.”

Flight bookings started in September and the news was first reported in August.

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MANAMA, DEC 5 – Bahrain will not allow the import of Israeli goods produced in settlements in occupied Palestinian territory, state news agency BNA reported, disavowing comments made by the Gulf state’s trade minister earlier this week.

Bahrain’s Industry, Commerce and Tourism Minister Zayed bin Rashid al-Zayani had voiced openness to settlement imports, adding that Manama would make no distinction between products produced in Israel or in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights.

“The minister’s statement was misinterpreted and that the ministry is committed to the Bahraini government’s unwavering stance regarding adherence to the resolutions of the United Nations,” BNA said late on Friday, quoting an official source from the ministry of industry, commerce and tourism.

Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates formalised ties with Israel on September 15, in a US-sponsored deal billed by the Gulf states as being made possible by Israel’s shelving of a plan to annex West Bank settlements. Most world powers deem them illegal.

Under European Union guidelines, settlement products should be clearly labelled as such when exported to EU member countries. The Trump administration last month removed US customs distinctions between goods made within Israel and in settlements.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said his Bahraini counterpart, Abdullatif al-Zayani, also denied the industry minister’s comments in a phone call.

“The alleged comments […] totally contradicted his country’s [Bahrain] supportive position of the Palestinian cause,” a statement from Maliki’s office said.

Palestinians want to establish an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza with East Jerusalem as its capital, but the issue of Jewish settlements on land captured by Israel in 1967 has long been a stumbling block in the peace process, which is now in stalemate.

The administration of US President Donald Trump has made it even more difficult for Palestianians by providing full support to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

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• "I was 10 when I told my parents I wanted to research carbon nanotube sensor technology. My mom was like what?" said Gitanjali Rao

At only 15, Gitanjali Rao has been selected from a field of more than 5,000 US nominees as TIME’s first ever Kid of the Year.

ISLAMABAD, DEC 5 – Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) has urged that CDA should amend its building bylaws in consultation with ICCI, developers, builders and other stakeholders in order to give boost to construction activities in the federal capital as its existing bylaws were not conducive for the construction industry to boom.

He said that PM’s construction package was valid up to 31st December 2020 and urged that the government should consider extending it for one year that would enable the investors to take maximum benefit of it and generate more economic activities across the country.

He said this while addressing a delegation of Traders Welfare Association, G-11 Markaz, Islamabad that visited ICCI led by President Aftab Gujjar. Abdul Rehman Khan Vice President ICCI, Qaiser Shah Secretary General TWA G-11 Markaz, Ch. Nadeem ud Din PTI Coordinator Islamabad Administration and Convener Islamabad Task Force, Zafar Iqbal Gujjar President, TWA G-10/4, Islamabad, Khalid Chaudhry and others were also present at the occasion.

Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan said that CDA was not giving title to the purchasers of apartments and flats constructed on upper portions of commercial plots as title was given only to the plot holders. But due to this situation, owners of apartments and flats were unable to avail bank financing as without title, banks were not giving them loans. He stressed that CDA should amend its laws to give title to the buyers of such apartments and flats.

He said that the BCS department of CDA was issuing notices against additional storey in markets, which was a cause of great concerns. He said that demolishing additional storey in markets will cause great financial loss to the investors besides affecting the business activities. He stressed that instead of considering demolition, CDA should regularize all additional storey constructions with nominal charges so that business activities could flourish. He said that ICCI was working with CDA on SOPs for removal of encroachments from markets. He assured that ICCI will cooperate with TWA G-11 Markaz, Islamabad in resolving the key issues of their traders.

Speaking at the occasion, Aftab Gujjar President and Qaiser Shah Secretary General, TWA G-11 Makaz Islamabad stressed that CDA should urgently install streetlights in the G-11 Markaz as due to absence of streetlights, incidents of car thefts, mobile snatching and burglary in shops were on the rise in the area. They said that the G-11 Markaz was one of the major commercial areas of Islamabad and CDA should focus on its better development in order to facilitate the growth of business activities.

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ISLAMABAD, DEC 5 – Maize-soybean strip intercropping technology, an advanced agricultural technology introduced from China, achieved good harvest in various demonstration plots in Pakistan both under irrigated and rainfed conditions.

According to a report published by China Economic Net (CEN), the data indicated that the yield per hectare of the intercropping system was equivalent to the yield of crops on 1.5 hectares of the sole cropping system.

Therefore, the intercropping system is more profitable in obtaining a higher net income with less input.

More specifically, under irrigated conditions, in Vehari, the yields of intercropped maize and soybean respectively reached 7,608 kg/ha and 1,029 kg/ha, and in Bahawalpur, the data is 7,219 kg/ha and 887 kg/ha.

In sole cropping system in Bahawalpur, maize and soybean produced 1537 kg and 7894 kg per hectare.

Under rainfed conditions, at PMAS-Arid Agriculture University’s research farm, intercropped maize and soybean produced 4969.4 kg/ha and 940.1 kg/ha, while sole cropped maize and soybean produced 6052.75 kg/ha and 1263.5 kg/ha.

In the coming season, a larger scale of demonstrations around 50 hectares will be arranged at more research institutes and universities.

In addition to National Agricultural Research Center (NARC) and PMAS-Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF), Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, and Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, etc. will join this technology demonstration as well.

Moreover, enterprises like Nizami Industries will also arrange a plot on 25 acres of land, the report added.

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ISLAMABAD, DEC 5 - The Cloud signing ceremony of the Sino-Pakistan International Gene&Cell Technology Research & Transformation Center Project was held here, Gwadar Pro reported on Saturday.

The initiative by the Biotech & Biomedicine (Shenyang) Group and Dynamic Engineering and Automation Group Pakistan has added new impetus to deepening the cooperation between both countries in gene and cell health.

According to the report, it is a comprehensive project of Gene&Cell Technology Research& Transformation Center between the two countries.

Badar uz Zaman, Commercial Counsellor of the Pakistani Embassy in China, said at the occasion that through the epidemic, we realize that there is much room for improvement in medical technology in Pakistan.

“China has made important contributions to the world’s fight against the pandemic, we both sides are optimistic about the prospects for cooperation in the field of health care,” he said.

Li Junyuan, Deputy Director of Belt and Road Initiative Construction Promotion Center of National Development and Reform Commission, stressed that this collaboration is an important step for China to actively support Pakistan in responding to the epidemic and improving public health care.

It is also helpful to make new contributions to building a closer, more beneficial and higher-quality China-Pakistan community with a shared future.

Participants emphasized that the project can provide technical support for the research and development of various pathogen detection kits and rapid testing equipment, and effectively enhance the ability of epidemic prevention and control in Pakistan, which is of great significance.

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ISTANBUL - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday he hoped France would get rid of Emmanuel Macron as soon as possible, the latest salvo in an escalating war of words between the two leaders.

Turkey is embroiled in a series of disputes with France and its EU partners, from tensions in the eastern Mediterranean to the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region.

The spat has risen to new levels in recent months as France has moved to crack down on extremism after several attacks on its soil.

“Macron is trouble for France. With Macron, France is passing through a very, very dangerous period. I hope that France will get rid of Macron trouble as soon as possible,” the president told reporters after Friday prayers in Istanbul.

He said the French should dump their leader “otherwise they will not be able to get rid of yellow vests”, referring to the protest movement that erupted in France in 2018.

“Yellow vests could later turn into red vests,” Erdogan said, without elaborating.

The Turkish leader has repeatedly suggested that Macron get “mental checks” and urged the Turkish people to boycott French-labelled products.

Turkey and France are also at odds over Nagorno-Karabakh, a region of Azerbaijan populated by ethnic Armenians that broke away from Baku’s control in a 1990s post-Soviet war.

Fresh fighting broke out in September, leaving several thousand people dead, until a Russian-brokered ceasefire deal was sealed last month.

Turkey is a staunch ally of Azerbaijan.

France along with Russia and the United States co-chairs the Minsk Group, which has led talks seeking a solution to the conflict for decades but has failed to reach a lasting agreement.

Last month, the French Senate adopted a non-binding resolution calling on France to recognise Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent state.

“Why? You are a mediator but on the other side, you have passed a resolution in your parliament... about a region on which you are supposed to be a mediator,” Erdogan charged.

He also repeated comments by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev that France should concede the Mediterranean port city of Marseille to Armenia if it wanted to establish a state for the Armenians of Karabakh.

“I am giving the same advice: if they are so keen, they should give Marseille to Armenians,” Erdogan said.

In September, Macron’s comments on the simmering eastern Mediterranean standoff, which has pitted Turkey against Greece and the rest of the EU, drew Ankara’s wrath.

“The people of Turkey, who are a great people, deserve something else,” Macron said while discussing Erdogan’s approach to the crisis.

France backs Greek claims in the row over the contested energy-rich waters, with Athens seeking EU sanctions to punish Ankara.

EU members will decide at a summit on December 10 whether to begin the process of applying sanctions against Turkey although many states are not convinced.

“Turkey has a bellicose attitude towards its Nato allies,” Macron told Al-Jazeera in October, condemning Turkey’s behaviour in Syria, Libya and the Mediterranean.

He said France’s wish was that things “calm down” but for this to happen, it is essential that the “Turkish president respects France, respects the European Union, respects its values, does not tell lies and does not utter insults”.

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OSLO, DEC 2020 - If the vaccination goes as planned, Norwegians will be able to get back to a more normal life by the summer, Minister of Health Bent Høie (H) noted.

There are now four vaccines under consideration in the EU. The first approval may come around New Year.

“1.2 million Norwegians can get the vaccine in the first period. 70% of everyone in the risk group and personnel who work with vulnerable groups,” Høie explained.

Then in the spring, the rest of the population will have access to the vaccine, he added.

“We expect good (vaccine) access during the first half of 2020,” he said.

Measures to be continued

“We will not get back to everyday life as soon as the vaccination is underway. There will be a need for infection control measures while the vaccination is in progress,” Høie said.

He added that things must be done in the right order.

“We must continue to keep our distance, keep our hands clean, stay at home when we are sick, and test ourselves for symptoms.”

The Minister of Health also said that Norway has the advantage of having a strong health and care service.

“Our municipalities are used to organizing vaccinations. But many in the municipalities are tired of dealing with the pandemic, and work with vaccination comes on top of this.

“Therefore, it is incredibly important to keep the infection down, even after Christmas, while we vaccinate,” he concluded.

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