FARUKH SHEHZAD

QUETTA, JAN 4 - Members of the Hazara community and political parties, as well as bereaved relatives of the colliers killed in the Machh massacre earlier today, took to roads in Balochistan's capital city Sunday afternoon to stage sit-ins and voice their grievances.

Several roads in Quetta were blocked as protests erupted hours after at least 11 colliers were shot dead by armed men who stormed the Machh coalfield in Balochistan's Bolan district on Sunday morning, took the miners to nearby mountains, and opened fire.

Four others were seriously wounded, police confirmed.

The Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) staged a sit-in at Quetta's Western Bypass, demanding the Balochistan government either arrest the terrorists responsible for the Machh massacre or resign.

MWM leader Syed Muhammad Agha Raza said Prime Minister Imran Khan should come to Quetta to meet with and reassure the bereaved families of the victims.

The Hazara community staged a separate protest, taking to the Western Bypass to mourn the incident and voice their grievances.

A traffic jam was reported at the thoroughfare from the Baleli check-post to the intersection at Quetta's Airport Road due to the protest, with dozens of vehicles stranded and passengers and transporters facing difficulties in travelling.

Meeting called

On the other hand, various Hazara political parties and organisations held a meeting to discuss the Machh massacre and strategies going forward.

Among the participants were Balochistan Assembly lawmaker Qadir Nayel, Hazara Democratic Party (HDP) Parliamentary Leader and Adviser Abdul Khaliq Hazara, Balochistan Shia Conference (BSC) President Syed Dawood Agha, Quetta Solidarity Council (QSC) leader Tahir Khan Hazara, and MWM's Agha Raza.

Earlier in the day, the government of Balochistan ruled out any security lapses, with its spokesperson, Liaquat Shahwani, telling Geo News that the incident was an act of terrorism.

Balochistan govt says massacre 'wasn't expected'

Shahwani said the law and order situation in the area "was satisfactory", which was why "this incident wasn't expected", and that the locality where the massacre took place was quite large. The Balochistan government would increase security in the area after assessing the situation, he added.

Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal took notice of the Machh massacre, expressing sorrow over the loss of life and seeking a report from the concerned authorities.

According to the deputy commissioner, the terrorists had entered the two of the rooms the colliers resided in, kidnapped them and tied their hands and feet, and shot them dead near a mountainside. The bodies of the deceased were later shifted to Hazara Town near Quetta.

'Pakistan's enemies' responsible

Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the "cowardly inhumane act of terrorism", saying he had advised the Frontier Corps (FC) personnel "to use all resources to apprehend these killers & bring them to justice".

"The families of the victims will not be left abandoned by the govt," PM Imran Khan said on Twitter.

The premier's aide on overseas Pakistanis, Sayed Zulfiqar Bukhari, held "Pakistan's enemies" responsible for the incident, saying they were "trying to create unrest in the country".

Terrorist attacks are not uncommon in Balochistan but their frequency had reduced over the past few years.

Terrorist incidents not uncommon

At least 100 people had died and more than 170 were wounded in the January 2013 suicide bombings at Quetta's Alamdar Road. A month later, over 70 were killed as yet another bomb ripped through a crowded market in the provincial capital's Akhtarabad neighbourhood.

A few months afterwards, in June 2013, more than a dozen people died when a bomb exploded inside a bus carrying students of the Sardar Bahadur Khan Women's University, followed by a gruesome suicide attack and an exchange of gunfire at the Bolan Medical College Hospital's emergency ward where the victims were transported.

Similar incidents were reported in various cities of Balochistan, including Mastung, Noshki, Hanna Valley, Taftan, and Ziarat.

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ISLAMABAD, JAN 2 - The World Economic Forum released the Global Competitiveness Report 2020 earlier this month. Mr. Amir Jahangir, Chief Executive Officer of Mishal Pakistan, a Country Partner Institute of New Economy and Societies Platform, World Economic Forum called on Honorable Mr. Justice, Javed Iqbal, Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) at NAB headquarters, Islamabad.

Honorable Mr. Justice, Javed Iqbal, Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) thanked Mr. Amir Jahangir, Chief Executive Officer of Mishal Pakistan, a Country Partner Institute of New Economy and Societies Platform, World Economic Forum for their confidence and appreciation of efforts of NAB undertaken in eradication of corruption and recovered Rs. 714 billion through directly and indirectly from corrupt elements as NAB’s faith is corruption free Pakistan. There are more than 1230 corruption references of NAB are under trial in the respected Accountability Courts of the Country and their approximately amount is Rs. 947 billion. NAB under clause 33-C of NAO, 1999 has adopted strategy of aware and prevention to aware people about the ill effects of corruption which is the mother of all evils.

Mr. Amir Jahangir said that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Pakistan is playing a vital role and efforts for eradication of corruption in order to establishing the rule of law, transparency and good governance so that the corrupt should be brought to justice as per law. He appreciated NAB for recovering Rs. 714 billion directly and indirectly since its inception.  Mr. Amir Jahangir also appreciated the efforts of NAB in creating awareness among citizens under its media and communication strategy on the anti-corruption drive involving all other stakeholders including business community so that country should become prosperous.

The Chairman NAB was briefed by Mr. Amir Jahangir that almost one year after the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, the deep economic recession has triggered continues around the world to have profound economic and social consequences. While no nation has emerged unscathed, this year’s Global Competitiveness Report finds that countries with advanced digital economies and digital skills, robust social safety nets and previous experience dealing with epidemics have better managed the impact of the pandemic on their economies and citizens.

Mr. Jahangir further said, “the World Economic Forum has long encouraged policymakers to broaden their focus beyond short-term growth to long-term prosperity. This Report makes clear the priorities for making economies more productive, sustainable, and inclusive as we emerge from the crisis”.

Mr. Jahangir briefed the Chairman and said, “the success stories from Pakistan in the light of the Global Competitiveness Index 2020 is the performance and strengthening of the institutions, scaleup of digitization and service delivery both at the public and private sectors. He appreciated the digital presence of NAB among masses and hoped that it will be enhanced accordingly.

The recognition of the extraordinary developments in 2020 and of the unified global effort required to tackle the health crisis and its socioeconomic fallout, the Global Competitiveness Index rankings have been suspended for 2020. The 2021 edition will see a return to benchmarking, providing a refreshed framework to guide future economic growth.

During the year, the World Economic Forum will be hosting a series of communities and dialogues to develop new benchmarks, new standards, and new actions for building new economic models that combine productivity, sustainability, and shared prosperity. The Global Future Council on New Agenda for Fiscal and Monetary Policy, the Global Future Council on New Agenda for Economic Growth and Recovery, the Community of Chief Economists, the Champions for a New Dashboard for the New Economy and the Stewardship Board of the New Economy and Society Platform will be involved in shaping this effort. All readers are invited to share their views into this conversation, supporting collective efforts to “build back better”.

The Global Competitiveness Report is the flagship publication of the World Economic Forum’s Platform for Shaping the Future of the New Economy and Society. The Platform provides the opportunity to advancing prosperous, inclusive, and equitable economies and societies. It focuses on co-creating a new vision in three interconnected areas: growth and competitiveness; education, skills, and work; and equality and inclusion. Working together, stakeholders deepen their understanding of complex issues, shape new models and standards, and drive scalable, collaborative action for systemic change.

Over 100 of the world’s leading companies and 100 international, civil society and academic organizations currently work through the Platform to promote new approaches to competitiveness in the Fourth Industrial Revolution economy; deploy education and skills for tomorrow’s workforce; build a new pro-worker and pro-business agenda for jobs; and integrate equality and inclusion into the new economy, aiming to reach 1 billion people with improved economic opportunities.

Mishal Pakistan is Pakistan’s leading and reputed strategic communication and design company. It is also the country Partner Institute of the Future of Economic Progress System Initiative, World Economic Forum. Mishal is responsible to generate primary data on more than 100 indicators measuring Pakistan’s competitiveness. Mishal’s foremost domain of activity is behavior change communication, strategic communication with a spotlight on media and perception management.

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COURTESY bnews99.com

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NEW DELHI, JAN 2 - Bollywood star Dia Mirza is without a doubt, one of the most environmentally cautious actors in the industry.

The 39-year-old has been using her platform continuously to spread awareness about climate change and the environment.

During an interview with Hindustan Times, the actor reminded her fans to follow a greener and earth-centric lifestyle.

“The last few years have clearly signalled that actions have consequences. And if the spate of natural disasters and the pandemic itself has taught us anything, it is that we need to reconsider the way we treat nature and the way we live,” she said.

“In 2021, let us resolve to become better citizens of our planet with our choices. We all have a part to play in helping the earth heal. And it is not very difficult to make a small change today that will collectively and positively impact our future in the only home that we have ever known,” she went on to say.

“Just one positive resolution can have a far-reaching impact on the well-being of Mother Earth but five can be potentially transformative. Taking showers that last less than five minutes reduces wastage of water and reminds us that it is not an inexhaustible resource. We must refuse all single use plastics,” she continued.

“We should segregate and compost waste at home as this not only makes the job of sanitation workers easy, it makes you aware of how much waste is being generated in a household, how much can be recycled, composted, is bio-degradable and how much is headed towards a landfill,” she added. 

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ISLAMABAD, JAN 2 - Pakistan's first 2021 rain and snowfall is expected from Sunday to Tuesday, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).

In a press release, the MeT said that a strong westerly wave is likely to enter Pakistan on Sunday and likely to grip upper parts of the country on Monday.

Talking further about the weather, the MeT said that under this system, thunderstorms with snowfall over the hills are expected in Kashmir, Islamabad, Potohar region, Gujrat, Sialkot.

It isalso predicted in Narowal Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Lahore, Sheikhupura, and Kasur from Sunday (evening) to Tuesday.

Meanwhile, there may be rain with snowfall over the hills in Gilgit-Baltistan, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Buner, Kohistan, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Haripur, Kohat, Peshawar, Kurum, from Monday to Tuesday.

"Rain is also expected in Mianwali, Khushab, Jhang, Sahiwal, Okara, T. T Singh, Faisalabad, and Sargodha during the period," it added. 

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MADRID, JAN 2 - Portugal officially assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of European Union (EU) on Friday, with a motto of “a fair, green and digital recovery”.

The COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit will be the main agenda of the EU for the next six months under Portugal’s presidency, taking over from Germany.

The EU will specifically focus on COVID-19 vaccination and reducing the socio-economic impact of the pandemic.

The outcome of the Brexit agreement will also be on the 27-member bloc’s agenda as the new trade deal between London and Brussels will be implemented in 2021.

Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva said Portugal can be an “honest broker” under the terms of the new deal with the UK, pointing to the diplomatic alliance between Portugal and the UK dating back to the 14th century.

In a statement announcing the priorities of its term presidency, Portugal pledged to “promote recovery leveraged by the climate and digital transitions.”

The country also aims to implement a “European Pillar of Social Rights of the EU as a distinctive element for ensuring a fair and inclusive transition” as well as strengthening Europe’s autonomy while remaining open to the world.

Portugal also plans to defend and consolidate the “rule of law” principle within the EU, combating discrimination and promoting pluralism in the media, according to the statement on the EU website.

Although EU member states reached an agreement for the 2021-2028 budget and recovery plan under Germany's term presidency, the technical process will be completed during Portugal's term presidency, with the funds set to reach 27 member states.

The postponed EU-Africa summit, trade negotiations with India, and the ecological and digital transition process will also be prioritised by the EU during the next six months.

Some international issues, such as the recent developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, Libya, and Syria, as well as the relations with Turkey and the EU, will also be on the bloc’s agenda.

Slovenia will take over the EU term presidency from Portugal on July 1.

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KARACHI, DEC 31 - Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed will hear a suo motu case on the burning of a Hindu temple in Karak on January 5 of next year.

The CJP, while issuing the notice, also directed the chairman of the minority rights commission, inspector-general of police and chief secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to submit a report on the incident by January 4.

Separately, the CJP also met Pakistan Hindu Council chief patron Dr Ramesh Kumar.

During the meeting, Kumar informed the CJP on the burning of the shrine of a Hindu saint by an angry mob in Karak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The CJP had deplored the incident in the meeting with Kumar.

Mob sets ablaze Hindu saint's shrine in KP's Karak

An angry mob on Wednesday attacked and set ablaze the shrine of a Hindu saint in the Karak district.

According to police officials, as soon as the incident was reported, police personnel reached the site and dispersed the mob.

As reported by Dawn.com, a mob comprising "more than a thousand people", led by local elders of a religious party, launched the attack to remove the temple.

Video clips going viral on social media show hordes of people breaking and desecrating the site while chanting slogans. Smoke could also be seen emitting from the shrine after it was set on fire.

Following the incident, the District Police Officer of Karak told Dawn News TV that area residents had called for a protest, guaranteeing it would be peaceful, but a local cleric instigated the crowd to resort to violence.

Area residents, according to the DPO, reported that the shrine was being "secretly expanded" which angered them.

Govt condemns the attack

Upon hearing the news, the Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari took to Twitter and "strongly condemned" the attack.

"Strongly condemn the burning of a Hindu temple by a mob in Karak Khyber Pakhtunkhwa," she stated.

"[The] KP govt must ensure culprits [are] brought to justice. MOHR also moving on this. We, as a govt, have a responsibility to ensure [the] safety & security of all our citizens & their places of worship," the minister wrote.

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LAHORE, DEC 31 - The University of Health Sciences  (UHS) Lahore on Thursday announced that the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) has decided to extend its full support to the university in terms of medical education in the province.

According to a report by Geo News,  the university sent a four-member delegation to visit the PMC, led by Vice-Chancellor Professor Javed Akram who called on PMC's President Dr Arshad Taqi and Vice-President Barrister Ali Raza.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed matters of mutual interest, while the delegation also raised important issues regarding undergraduate and postgraduate medical education in Punjab, the statement read.

The president and vice-president of the PMC assured their full support to the university in relation to medical education.

The UHS delegation included registrar UHS Dr Asad Zaheer, Principal Sargodha Medical College Professor Humaira Akram and team lead of admissions Dr Allah Rakha.

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ISLAMABAD DEC 31 - Former chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Shabbar Zaidi, has finally spoken up about his unexpected resignation from the post. Six months after stepping down, Shabbar has revealed that ‘pressures from disguised mafias,’ among other reasons, led him to this decision.

Taking to Twitter, the former FBR chairman shed light on his appearance in a TV show the other night where he spoke about his tenure as FBR’s chairman.

He wrote:

Glad to see politico-social awareness in the masses. Just shared some thoughts on ‘Dunya Kamran Khan Kay Sath’ yesterday night. The public listened, that is enough. I left FBR, pressures from the disguised mafia, the hypocrisy of so-called intelligentsia.

Zaidi commented that Prime Minister Imran Khan is on the right path and that he will continue to support his cause.

In another tweet, he urged Prime Minister Imran Khan to revisit his decision to shift the PIA headquarters from Karachi to Islamabad.

Having been directly associated with the company for over 30 years I do not see cogent reason. Imran Khan Sahib is suggested to re-examine.

 After a long, mysterious silence since quitting FBR, Shabbar made headlines on Tuesday by revealing that Pakistanis have stashed $150 billion in overseas bank accounts and earn peanuts in terms of lower interest rates.

He appealed to businessmen with foreign bank accounts to move their money to Pakistan.

The time has come for these businessmen to think about bringing back the huge sum of money to Pakistan.

Zaidi reflected on his meeting with renowned Pakistani business tycoons who had billions of dollars in countries like Malta.

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WASHINGTON, DEC 31 - Conservative lawmakers in both chambers of the US Congress launched yet another bid on Wednesday to prevent US President-elect Joe Biden from taking oath on Jan 20.

Supporters of the outgoing US President Donald Trump needed a senator and a member of the House of Representatives to challenge the election results, and on Wednesday a Republican senator — Josh Hawley of Missouri — offered to back the move.

A group of conservative lawmakers in the House have already pledged to back Trump’s move to overturn the results of the presidential election.

Although Senator Hawley’s endorsement completes the process, other Republican senators also have indicated their intention to back President Trump’s move.

The letter that Congressman Mo Brooks, an Alabama Republican, sent to the House and Senate leaderships, has the signatures of 18 congressmen and women. In the letter, they wrote that they want Congress to “hold an election fraud hearing ahead of the Jan 6 electoral college vote submissions”.

"I cannot vote to certify the electoral college results on Jan 6 without raising the fact that some states, particularly Pennsylvania, failed to follow their own state election laws," Senator Hawley said in his statement.

All 438 members of the House and 100 Senators will meet on Jan 6 to consider and endorse the Dec 14 proceedings when all 538 electors met in the state capitals to cast their votes. A total of 306 electors voted for Biden while 232 voted for Trump.

If Congress meets on Jan 6 to consider submissions of the electoral votes, Biden will be confirmed and will take oath as the 46th president on Jan 20.

As the US media pointed out, the objections raised on Wednesday are unlikely to change the outcome of the election, but they can delay Biden's affirmation.

Democrats, who have a majority in the House, have already said they will reject the move and multiple Republican senators have also urged Trump to end his efforts to undo the results.

Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have also pointed out that Biden has beaten Trump in the popular vote too — winning 81,283,485 votes against his Republican rival’s 74,223,744.

Reports in the US media suggest Republican lawmakers want to avoid being asked to vote on whether to side with Trump or with the popular will of the voters. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has privately urged Senate Republicans not to join the move to undo election results.

Senate Majority Whip John Thune has argued against it publicly, but Trump still wants the Republicans to support him on Jan 6.

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KARACHI, DEC 31 - According to the annual report issued by Karachi Police, the department received 3,494,133 calls on its helpline during 2020.

Sadly 798,000 turned out to be prank calls, which consumed a considerable amount of the police’s time.

Karachi Police took decisive action on 2,726,500 complaints during the past 12 months and apprehended 474 offenders, confiscated 127 pistols, recovered 138 stolen bikes, 26 cars, and 65 Mobile phones.

It also seized other valuables including wristwatches and jewelry worth millions of rupees. All recovered items were returned to their owners, the annual report states.

A spokesperson for Karachi Police said that reviving the Madadgar-15 helpline helped the department in reducing its average response time to 7 minutes from the previous 40 minutes.

He implored the public to avoid indulging in prank calling as it consumes precious resources of the Karachi Police.

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ISLAMABAD, DEC 31 – The Interior Minister, Sheikh Rasheed has directed CDA to launch a sector for journalists and to accommodate those who did not get plots in the past.

He expressed these views during his visit to the apex civic authority on Wednesday and gave a number of directives to the city managers regarding the launch of the F-13 sector, the construction of the 7th Avenue interchange, the reconstruction of IJP road, and the regularization of the contractual CDA employees.

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has also been directed to launch the F-13 residential sector for the low-income group of the city.

The minister said that the new sector will be inaugurated on 23 March and that it will have flats for the people from the labor class.

Following the visit, he said in a press briefing that the 7th Avenue interchange will be built on the junction of the avenue and Srinagar Highway near Aabpara.

Sheikh Rasheed directed the civic body to restore 240 parks in Islamabad within two months and announced that people living in the F-6 and F-7 slums will be shifted to the I-9 and Farash Town flats.

He also directed the CDA to launch a sector for journalists and to accommodate those who did not get plots in the past.

He added that the Eagle Squad will launch 100 motorbikes as part of the measures to fight crime in the federal capital.

The CDA Chairman, Amer Ali Ahmed, and the members of its board briefed the Interior Minister on the overall performance of the body. 

The Minister was apprised about the PC-I of the 7th Avenue interchange project worth Rs. 2 billion, the reconstruction and expansion of the IJP Road project worth Rs. 6 billion, and the proposed 10th Avenue project.

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