FARUKH SHEHZAD

On December 11, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev attended the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council session, via videoconference.

The event, which was chaired by President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, was also attended by Honorary Chairman of the Council, First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Acting President of the Kyrgyz Republic Talant Mamytov and Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan.

President of the Republic of Moldova Igor Dodon attended the meeting as head of the observer state to the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), as well as invited President of the Republic of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez.

In accordance with the agenda of the summit, the issue of granting the Republic of Uzbekistan observer status in the EAEU, as well as current aspects of further development of multifaceted cooperation within the framework of this Union were considered.

In his speech, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, expressing sincere gratitude for supporting Uzbekistan’s application for obtaining the observer status, highlighted the growing international authority of the organization and wide geography of its practical cooperation with foreign countries.

It was emphasized that in the context of the ongoing important stage of large-scale socio-economic reforms, Uzbekistan is committed to consistently increasing and strengthening trade-economic and investment cooperation with all international partners, including the development of dialogue with the Eurasian Economic Union.

This is due to the following key factors.

EAEU countries are, first of all, main trading partners of Uzbekistan. In recent years, Uzbekistan’s trade turnover with the Union states has doubled.

The economies of the countries complement each other in many ways, as evidenced by the established effective cooperation and more than a thousand new joint ventures in various sectors of the economy.

Transport communications and infrastructure of Uzbekistan and EAEU countries are deeply integrated and closely interrelated.

In addition, today mutually beneficial relations within the framework of vast Eurasian region are characterized by high mobility of labor resources.

The Head of the state called for full use of huge potential of the countries’ economies, joint elimination of barriers and obstacles in trade relations and mutual formation of new markets.

Interest in deepening industrial cooperation, as well as formation of sustainable value chains based on best practices and innovative approaches was noted.

Special attention was paid to the importance of developing coordinated approaches in transport and transit, which will allow even more actively use the transport corridors, increase their competitiveness and significantly increase the load.

The importance of close cooperation in labor migration, which will help solve many current issues of employment and meet the growing needs of the country’s economies for qualified specialists, was noted.

All the above-mentioned factors led to the approval of the proposal by the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan on cooperation between Uzbekistan and the Eurasian Economic Union in the status of an observer state.

It was noted that this will allow to enter a qualitatively new stage of practical and multifaceted interaction, to better understand the important process taking place within framework of the Union.

The Head of the state emphasized that the development of such partnership should meet the national interests of the countries, be based on the principles of equality, mutual benefit and consideration of each other’s interests.

Following the summit, leaders of EAEU member states made a unanimous decision to grant the Republic of Uzbekistan observer status at the organization.

-------------------------------------------------------------

KYIV, DEC 12 - The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved a loan to Ukraine in the amount of US$300 million for the Second Additional Financing for COVID-19 Response under the Social Safety Nets Modernization Project.

“This additional financing will help strengthen Ukraine’s Guaranteed Minimum Income Program (GMI) to prevent around 1 million Ukrainians from falling into poverty due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the World Bank said in a press release on December 11, 2020.

It is the second Additional Financing under this Project, after US$150 million were approved on April 30, 2020, it said.

World Bank projections show that, due to the COVID-19 epidemic, poverty in Ukraine could increase by 4%, reaching around 23% by the end of 2020. The new funds will help finance Ukraine’s COVID-19 social protection emergency response by introducing fast cash transfers to individuals and households who have lost their jobs or income sources because of the pandemic. Poor households will receive benefits through the country’s GMI Program.

What is more, the loan also supports scaling up Ukraine’s social protection over the next years. According to World Bank estimates, 60% of the Ukrainians who may fall into poverty because of the COVID-19 outbreak do not currently benefit from any existing social protection program.

-----------------------------------------

COURTESY unian.info

-----------

TEHRAN, DEC 12 - Iran authorities on Saturday executed Ruhollah Zam, a former opposition figure who had lived in exile in France and was implicated in anti-government protests, days after his sentence was upheld.

State television said the “counter-revolutionary” Zam was hanged in the morning after the supreme court upheld his sentence due to “the severity of the crimes” committed against the Islamic republic.

Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili had on Tuesday said Zam’s sentence was upheld by the supreme court “more than a month ago”.

London-based human rights group Amnesty International, in a statement after his verdict was confirmed, described Zam as a “journalist and dissident”.

It said the confirmation marked “a shocking escalation in the use of the death penalty as a weapon of repression”.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced the arrest of Zam in October 2019, claiming he had been “directed by France’s intelligence service”.

State television said he was “under the protection of several countries’ intelligence services”.

The official IRNA news agency said he was also convicted of espionage for France and an unnamed country in the region, cooperating with the “hostile government of America”, acting against “the country’s security”, insulting the “sanctity of Islam” and instigating violence during the 2017 protests.

At least 25 people were killed during the unrest in December 2017 and January 2018 that was sparked by economic hardship.

Zam, who was granted political asylum in France and reportedly lived in Paris, ran a channel on the Telegram messaging app called Amadnews.

Telegram shut down the channel after Iran demanded it remove the account for inciting an “armed uprising”.

‘Corruption on earth’

Zam was charged with “corruption on earth” — one of the most serious offences under Iranian law —and sentenced to death in June.

As his trial started, state television broadcast a “documentary” about Zam’s “relations” with the Islamic republic’s foes.

The broadcaster also aired an “interview” with him in July, in which he is seen saying he believed in reformism until he was detained in 2009 during protests against the disputed re-election of ultra-conservative president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

He also denied having instigated violence through his Telegram channel.

Amnesty has repeatedly called on Iran to stop broadcasting videos of “confessions” by suspects, saying they “violate the defendants’ rights”.

Zam had lived in exile in France for several years before being arrested by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards under unclear circumstances.

Paris-based press rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Saturday it was “outraged” by the execution.

RSF had previously claimed that Zam had disappeared on a trip to Baghdad in October 2019, and accused Iran of abducting him in Iraq to face trial back home.

Zam is one of several people to have been sentenced to death over participation or links to protests that rocked Iran between 2017 and 2019.

Navid Afkari, a 27-year-old wrestler, was executed at a prison in the southern city of Shiraz in September.

The judiciary said he had been found guilty of “voluntary homicide” for stabbing to death a government employee in August 2018.

Shiraz and other urban centres had been the scene of anti-government protests at the time.

Three young men were also sentenced to death over links to deadly 2019 protests, but Iran’s supreme court said last week that it would retry them at the request of their defence teams.

Their sentences were initially upheld with the judiciary saying evidence had been found on their phones of them setting alight banks, buses and public buildings.

Amnesty International said Iran executed at least 251 people last year, the world’s second highest total after China.

-------------------------------------

COURTESY DAWN NEWS

-----------

ISLAMABAD, DEC 12 – Capital Development Authority (CDA) has completed work of repairing, restoration, and decoration of more than 50 parks.

Portable washrooms have been installed in the parks. Tenders have been issued for uplifting of Srinagar Highway and Landscape of Golra Interchange. The fountains across the city will be restored soon.

According to detail, CDA’s work for repairing, restoration, and beautification of all the small and big parks of the city is underway. In the first phase the work in all the big 50 parks including F-9 Park, I-8, I-9, I-10, G-9, G-10, G-11and others has been completed. Tenders have been issued for work in all the other parks.

Few tenders have been opened and work in few parks has been started. The work include repairing of swings, walking tracks, and green belts; plantation, cutting of dried wood and shrebs, anti dengue an anti coronavirus spray, and others. CDA’s department of environment will complete the work on restoration of fountains soon.

=========

ISLAMABAD, DEC 12: A special flight of Pakistan Air Force C-130 plane carrying relief assistance for Azerbaijan landed at the Heyder Aliyev International Airport, Baku.

The relief assistance containing essential items including large tents, blankets and ready to Eat meals has been sent by the Government of Pakistan for the Azerbaijan servicemen and other people working in the newly liberated areas to rehabilitate the returning IDPs.

The relief consignment was received by the Ambassador of Pakistan and the Defence Attache at the tramac and handed over to Colonel Rustam Gozalov representing ministry of Defence, International Military Cooperation Department in a simple but dignified ceremony.

Talking to the officials of the host government, Ambassador Bilal Hayee noted that the relief assistance sent by the Government of Pakistan is yet another testimony of Pakistans affection and care for the brotherly people of Azerbaijan.

Government and the people of Pakistan have always stood by Azerbaijan and are also willing to extend their full support during reconstruction in the liberated areas and for rehabilitation of the local people in their ancestral lands.

Azerbaijani officials thanked the Ambassador for the generous relief assistance provided by Pakistan at the start of the winter season.

-------------------------------------

ARAU, Dec 12 —The government cannot be closing the country indefinitely and not allowing the people to move freely, said Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri.

“In the end, we need to allow them to be free as Covid-19 will always be around us like dengue and so on,” he told reporters after an audience with the Raja of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Putra Jamalullail at Istana Arau here today.

Present at the audience was the Raja Muda of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Jamalullail.

Also present in the audience were Perlis Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azlan Man, Army Chief Gen Datuk Zamrose Mohd Zain and Defence Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Muez Abd Aziz.

Ismail said when the government allowed the people the freedom of movement, every individual should take preventive measures to avoid getting infected.

“As such the people have to comply with all the standard operating procedures (SOP) as well as all the instructions announced by the government from time to time. I believe if everybody cooperates, the Covid-19 graph could be flattened,” he said.

He said many countries have no movement control such as Taiwan where the people are disciplined and practise self-control so much so Covid-19 did not spread in the country.

Commenting on the rise of Covid-19 cases in the past few days, Ismail said the total cases detected rose after government enforced mandatory screening of all foreign workers in the country.

Yesterday, there were 1,810 new cases reported and the day before there were 2,234 cases.

“There are 888,000 workers (foreign workers) in the country…’just imagine’ if five per cent were positive, the figure would increase drastically and we have to be prepared with sufficient number of beds if there are Covid-19 cases among them.

“What I want to stress here is that ‘as long as’ it does not spread in the community, we would be able to control it as the number involved only foreign workers,” he said.           He said at the same time, the Human Resource Ministry is intensifying inspection of  worker accommodation as many factories did not adhere to Act 446 (Workers Minimum Standard of Housing and Amenities Act 1990) where employers are required to provide conducive living quarters for their workers.

“Two actions have to be taken, namely swab test for Covid-19 on foreign workers and we need to ensure their living condition is more conducive as living in cramped conditions with 20-30 people in an apartment can cause the disease to spread quickly,” he said.

Earlier the government made it compulsory for factory foreign workers to undergo Covid-19 screenings from Dec 1.

In another development, Ismail said the government has added two more new posts in the northern region of the country apart from increasing the purchase of new equipment such as drones to step up surveillance at the Malaysian-Thai border.

-------------------------------

ISLAMABAD, DEC 12 - The people of Swat valley and China’s region Xinjiang getting closer to each other, through their growing business contacts, says a report published by China Economic Net (CEN).

According to the report, the two sides enjoy centuries-old cultural and business ties. If someone looking for a variety of Chinese goods in northwestern Pakistan, the Mingora bazaar in the Swat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is the right place.

From clothing, footwear, baby toys, watches, cellphones, and their parts to electrical equipment, Mingora’s markets are flooded with quality Chinese goods.

Shaukat Sharar, Swat-based architect and historian told CEN that the people of Swat have been traditionally traveling through GB to Xinjiang to bring goods.

According to him, some people from both the regions had also entered into marital relations and “there is still some Pashtun population in Xinjiang”.

Currently, Mingora Bazaar is home to a number of markets and shops selling Chinese products. Popular markets dealing in Chinese goods in Mingora city, include Swat China Market, Pak-China Market, Mehmood Khan China Market, Shanghai Cloth Market, and Abaseen Plaza, etc.

There are hundreds of shops and street vendors in Mingora city selling Chinese products. The majority of the shopkeepers use the suffix or affix of the word “China” while naming their businesses, e.g. “Pak-China Cloth Centre”, “Insaf-China General Store”, “China Traders”, “China Toys Center”, and “China Hosiery Store”.

Riaz Ahmed is a trader in Mingora city who runs his business over Kanju Road and sells umbrellas. He started his business in 1992 and to become a successful trader, he learned the basics of the Chinese language as well.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, he has not visited China since early 2020. “Earlier, groups of traders from Swat would regularly visit China to buy goods but now we place orders over the phone and receive goods via cargo service,” he told CEN, adding that due to coronavirus, business activities have reduced by almost 40%.

According to Riaz Ahmad, the majority of traders from Swat import goods from Kashgar (Xinjiang), Hangzhou, Yiwu (Zhejiang), and Guangzhou cities. Until 2002-03, the traders of Swat would use only land routes to import Chinese goods.

Muhammad Ali, age 68, is one of those shopkeepers who started visiting China by land route in 1989-90. First, a hi-ace (van) would take them to Gilgit from Swat; from Gilgit, they would travel to Sost in small vehicles followed by their journey to Khunjerab Pass (border crossing between China and Pakistan).

Adnan Ali, a senior official of the Swat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) told CEN that thousands of people in Swat valley earn their livelihood in trading Chinese goods. According to him, around 800 shops are selling Chinese products in Mingora city.

At least 3,000 people are directly involved in these businesses while thousands of others indirectly earn from the business of importing and selling Chinese products.

“Around 300 businessmen from Swat go directly to China for business purposes while many others place orders via phone and receive their products via cargo service,” he said.

Mingora city attracts customers from all around KP and from Punjab province as well. “Here we find a variety of products while prices are comparatively cheaper,” Shahida Bibi told CEN. She had come to Swat China Market from Lower Dir district.

Saleem Rehman traveled 108 kilometers from Mardan city in KP to buy baby toys for his shop from Mehmood Khan China Market in Mingora.

The business community of Mingora demands the Government of Pakistan to start direct flights from Kabal Airport Swat to China to reduce travel expenses and time, the report added.

------------------------------------------

ISLAMABAD, DEC 12 – Sialkot University of Applied Engineering and Technology, to be constructed with the cost of Rs. 14 billion will be affiliated with Chinese renowned engineering universities, says a report carried by Gwadar Pro on Saturday.

It will provide skilled labor and technical training to meet the demands of the local industry.

The university will be built to foster innovation and promote new start-up companies with close linkages with the Chinese and Pakistani industries. Education cooperation and training youth for building manpower has always been one of the agendas for both Pakistan and China.

Under China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the Chinese infrastructure development teams have been already working for assistance and training of Pakistan’s manpower until they get properly trained to run those projects independently.

The biggest challenge for the government is to equip the youth with skills to meet the job requirement of the market. Each year, around 2.5 million people enter the local job market while the majority of them lack the basic necessary skills to meet the demands of the local industry.

Therefore technical collaboration with Chinese universities in this regard will be a great benefit for Pakistan not only in the successful completion of CPEC projects but also in providing skilled labor to increase its future exports.

---------------------------------------------

ISLAMABAD, DEC 12 – Fatma Azim, Acting President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) said that the industrial areas in Islamabad including I-9, I-10 and Kahuta Industrial Triangle are playing very important role in the development of the local economy by promoting industrial activities and exports but these areas are facing multiple problems due to the lack of focus from CDA for their better development.

She said that CDA has not done the required development work in these industrial areas for the last many years due to which infrastructure has deteriorated significantly and promoting industrial activities is becoming more difficult. She urged that CDA should take measures to address all issues of the industrial areas of Islamabad on priority basis that would help in promoting industrial activities and improving the regional economy.

Fatma Azim said that many roads in industrial areas of Islamabad are broken which makes it difficult for the heavy duty vehicles to ensure timely supply and delivery of goods to industries. The broken roads often cause the vehicles to break down causing heavy losses to them. She said that the industrial areas of Islamabad are boosting production activities, increasing exports and providing employment to thousands of people, therefore, CDA should pay special attention to the better development of these industrial areas.

ICCI Acting President said that businesses and industries are already facing great problems due to Covid-19 pandemic while CDA and MCI have made manifold increases in property taxes and water charges on industrial plots, which has also increased the production cost. She demanded that CDA/MCI should reduce property tax to the previous level in order to provide badly needed relief to the business community in these tough times.

Abdul Rehman Khan, Vice President, ICCI said that a bridge over the Nullah in Street No. 1 in I-9 sector is broken since long causing accidents and great losses to vehicles. He demanded that the CDA should repair the broken bridge on an urgent basis to redress problems for industries and commuters. He further said that a bridge is needed at Nullah Lai to provide easy access to I-10/3 market and urged that CDA should construct the said bridge as soon as possible. He said that CDA should restore all faulty street lights in industrial areas in Islamabad and new street lights should be installed where they are not available. He further demanded that a dispensary should be constructed in industrial areas to provide first aid to the industrial workers in time of need.

-------------------------------------

IT works every time: whenever in doubt, shuffle the deck. This time around however, judges may have forced the politicians’ hands.

Sheikh Rashid has won the lottery by bagging the powerful interior ministry while jettisoning his Railways baggage. Retired brigadier Ijaz Shah finds himself in an un-envious position of being ‘demoted’ from interior to narcotics control ministry, while Azam Swati, who has braved the vicissitudes of temporary cabinet wilderness, chugs into the railway portfolio belching grand plans. But it is Hafeez Shaikh who has hit the real jackpot. From an adviser under a perceived cloud, he has been elevated to a full-fledged federal minister for finance and in all likelihood will also become a senator because as an unelected person he can only serve as a minister for six months.

So how did Sheikh and Shaikh hit the bullseye?

There were multiple reasons being whispered about the PM’s need to change his batting order.

Islamabad had been abuzz about a cabinet reshuffle for weeks. There were multiple reasons being whispered about Prime Minister Imran Khan’s need to change his batting order in the face of a mounting political run rate. The hapless information ministry had experienced the effects of a revolving door for ministers and advisers and if this were a harbinger of what portfolio mayhem was in store, many ministerial occupants, hopefuls and probables were bracing for their boss’s verdict.

There was also hushed talk that the prime minister would wait till the Senate elections to reshuffle the federal cabinet. These elections are expected to see a large number of new PTI faces becoming senators from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. The lobbying for the ruling party’s ticket is already under way.

The prime minister has always maintained he wants more people with expertise in the cabinet. In a meeting with columnists earlier this week, he reiterated this priority by saying that ministries like petroleum, power, IT, tourism and agriculture needed ministers who had specific knowledge of such areas. His grief was that people who won elections weren’t necessarily qualified to lead specialised ministries and therefore a talent pool of people had to be brought into the cabinet from outside the electoral reservoir.

However, the judgement of the Islamabad High Court threw a spanner in his works. It clearly stated that unelected advisers and special assistants could not run the functions of a ministry or division. The judgement explained that the elected minister was responsible for policymaking of the ministry while the federal secretary was the ministry’s principal accounting officer and exercised all executive functions. Advisers and special assistants could only advise the prime minister on the affairs of the ministry whose portfolio they were assigned.

The judgement created serious problems for the unelected ‘specialists’ who the prime minister had brought into the cabinet. Something had to give.

On Friday, it did.

Finance, interior and foreign ministries are generally perceived as the most important ones in the federal government. When PTI won the 2018 elections, all eyes were on who would bag these three ministries, plus of course the coveted posts of chief minister of Punjab and KP. It was Islamabad’s worst-kept secret that Pervaiz Khattak wanted interior, Shah Mahmood and Fawad Chaudhry wanted the CM Punjab slot and Atif Khan was the perceived choice for CM KP. In addition, Arif Alvi was almost finalised as speaker of the National Assembly and Asad Umar was a foregone conclusion as the finance minister.

In the end, Pervaiz Khattak was shunted to defence, Shah Mahmood grumbled his way into the Foreign Office, Fawad Chaudhry was parcelled off to information, Atif Khan was sacrificed to retain remote control, and Arif Alvi was laddered up into the presidency. Most of these choices have not aged well in terms of potential wasted or overestimated.

The interior ministry works very closely with the establishment for obvious reasons. It commands law enforcement and investigation agencies like Rangers, Islamabad Police, FIA and Frontier Constabulary. The interior minister has traditionally been someone who the establishment is comfortable with, and vice versa. The holders of this portfolio in previous years have included Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Aftab Sherpao, Rehman Malik and Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. It is a well-known fact that retired brigadier Ijaz Shah was recommended as interior minister in the Imran Khan cabinet by the establishment.

But then some complications crept in.

Ijaz Shah was unable to get a grip on the affairs of the ministry. Senior officials acknowledge that he was unable to develop a close relationship of trust with the prime minister even though he came recommended from very high places. When the prime minister appointed his confidant Barrister Shahzad Akbar as adviser on interior with the status of a federal minister, it was clear who would hold sway over the affairs of the ministry. With the opposition breathing down the government’s neck and threatening a long march to Islamabad, and with Shahzad Akbar hamstrung by the IHC judgement, an elected, active, trusted, and establishment-friendly interior minister was needed. Sheikh Rashid fit the bill.

Hafeez Shaikh was also an establishment-approved replacement to Asad Umar as finance minister. However, the IHC judgement had locked him out of key forums including as chair of the National Finance Commission. It was too late in the five-year term, and too deep in the IMF programme to appoint a new finance minister. Although Hafeez Shaikh was under a cloud of uncertainty, the government figured he was the best bet at this stage — when the state of the economy is almost measured in existential terms for the government — and therefore was worth saving. This saving has translated into a full federal ministership and a likely Senate seat. This means this Shaikh could outlast the government he serves.

The force of circumstances have favoured Sheikh and Shaikh. Question is: can they carry the burden of their luck?

The writer is Dawn’s resident editor in Islamabad.

Twitter:****@fahdhusain

--------------------------------------------------------

COURTESY DAWN NEWS

------------

ISLAMABAD, DEC 12 - In a surprise cabinet reshuffle, portfolios of three ministers were changed and an adviser was appointed as minister on Friday with Sheikh Rashid Ahmed getting the coveted slot of interior minister, apparently to tackle the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) sit-in likely to be staged in Islamabad following the opposition’s public meeting in Lahore on Sunday.

According to a notification issued by Prime Minister Office (PMO), Azam Swati has replaced Mr Rashid as railways minister.

Adviser to the PM on Finance Dr Hafeez Shaikh was elevated as Minister for Finance and was administered the oath of his new office by President Dr Arif Alvi.

Outgoing interior minister retired Brig Ijaz Shah has replaced Mr Swati as minister for narcotics control. This is the fourth cabinet shakeup in less than three years of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government.

Hafeez appointed finance minister; Ijaz & Azam given portfolios of narcotics control, railways

Sources told Dawn that many cabinet members were aspirants for the slot of interior minister, including Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry.

When contacted, Mr Chaudhry conceded that his name had also been considered for the office of interior minister.

It seems that Mr Rashid’s desire to become interior minister has finally come true as he had tried to get the slot when the PTI came to power in 2018, but at that time Prime Minister Khan tasked Shehryar Afridi with looking after the ministry in the capacity of minister of state.

A PTI insider said that removal of Ijaz Shah was expected as he could not concentrate on his work due to some family issues.

He said the reason behind the appointment of Mr Swati as railway minister could be his good relationship with some Chinese government functionaries associated with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor under which Pakistan Railways’ Main Line-1 (ML-1) revamping plan was under way.

Despite attempts, Hafeez Shaikh, Ijaz Shah and Azam Swati could not be contacted for comment.

Meanwhile, soon after his appointment as interior minister, Mr Rashid called on Prime Minister Imran Khan and later held a press conference, hinting that he would give a ‘tough’ time to the PDM.

“Imran Khan had excelled after a public meeting at Minar-i-Pakistan but the opposition will dive after its Lahore rally,” Mr Rashid said in the press conference.

“Prime Minister Imran Khan is not going anywhere, not in the least because of Minar-i-Pakistan rally,” said Mr Rashid whose ministry’s domain is confined to Islamabad’s territorial limits after the 18th Amendment which devolved law and order to the provinces.

However, some national organisations, like Pakistan Rangers, Federal Investigation Agency, Intelligence Bureau and Pakistan Coast Guards, still come under the purview of the interior ministry.

Mr Rashid said he would not stop the PDM rally from coming to Islamabad. “The opposition will be welcomed if it stages a march on Islamabad. I will serve Kashmiri tea to [PDM chief] Maulana Fazlur Rehman when he comes to the capital,” he added.

Mr Rashid said demonstrations and long march could not harm the government: “We have also staged a sit-in for 126 days [in Islamabad] but it made no difference,” he said, adding that the opposition leaders were instigating children of others to take to the streets in the chilly weather while their own children were enjoying life abroad.

On the other hand, Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, at a joint press conference with Pakistan Muslim League-N vice president Maryam Nawaz in Lahore, said the PDM’s long march would be the biggest ever show in the capital.

Although the PDM has not fixed any date for long march on Islamabad, it has hinted that it may be staged next month.

Mr Rashid said: “Three dates of December —14, 15 and 16 — will bring good news for Imran Khan.”

He claimed that as interior minister he would stand behind Islamic forces and would be their voice. “Our madressahs are pillars of Islam,” he added.

Responding to a question about his working relations with the PM’s Adviser on Interior and Accountability Mirza Shahzad Akbar, Mr Rashid said now National Accountability Bureau (NAB) would work under him, without realising that the bureau does not come under the purview of the interior ministry.

On this a senior NAB official said the bureau was an independent body and there was no plan to bring it under the control of the interior ministry.

“NAB does not want to react to these remarks instantly because it might be a slip of tongue or Mr Rashid might have said this in an emotional state during his first press conference after becoming interior minister,” the official added.

When contacted, Shahzad Akbar hoped that he would have good working relations with Mr Rashid and said after the recent orders of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), his role as an adviser to the PM was confined to giving advice to the interior minister.

Mr Rashid said the opposition posed “no threat” to Prime Minister Khan and claimed that he (PM) would also win the next general elections.

He said the opposition’s movement might harm the economy of the country and vowed that any effort to bring down economy would be foiled.

“There is no threat to Pakistan at the borders as our valiant soldiers are deployed there but the country is facing internal threats,” he added.

Mr Rashid said if the opposition had any problem, it should negotiate with the prime minister.

“But they say they will not speak to the prime minister. Then with whom you want to speak,” he added.

He said the opposition leaders wanted to save their ill-gotten wealth and get rid of court cases and that was why they were creating trouble for the government.

The cabinet reshuffle took place days after the IHC gave a ruling that “unelected advisers and special assistants” could not head government committees and set aside a notification of the Cabinet Committee on Privatisation, headed by Hafeez Sheikh.

The move was seen as a major blow to the government’s privatisation efforts that were being spearheaded by unelected members of the federal cabinet.

With the latest shake-up, the federal cabinet has been reshuffled four times since the PTI came to power. The first reshuffle took place in April 2019 — less than a year after the party came to power — when Mr Hafeez was appointed adviser to the PM on finance following resignation of then finance minister Asad Umar.

The premier also appointed Ijaz Shah as interior minister and brought in Firdous Ashiq Awan as special assistant to the prime minister on information and broadcasting, among other changes.

The second shakeup came in November 2019 when Mr Umar was brought back to the cabinet as planning minister while Khusro Bakhtiar was made minister for economic affairs.

The reshuffle came two days after the FIA team released a report on the sugar crisis and beneficiaries of subsidies obtained by the industry’s bigwigs. The report named Mr Bakhtiar, then minister for national food security, as a beneficiary.

Earlier this year, the prime minister removed Ms Awan as special assistant and replaced her with retired Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa. Senator Shibli Faraz was appointed as information minister.

------------------------------------------------

COURTESY DAWN NEWS

-------------