FARUKH SHEHZAD

ISLAMABAD, APR 15: The Fourth Session of the International Online Internship Program, “Contemporary Dynamics of Indonesia” was held. The internship program is jointly organized by the Embassy of Indonesia to Pakistan and the Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS), Islamabad.

The theme of the fourth session was “Indonesian Foreign Policy: Regionalism and Global Security Challenges” and the speaker for this session was Prof. Dinna P. Raharja, Associate Professor in International Relations, BINUS University, Jakarta Prof. Dinna, during her lecture, explained regarding Indonesia and Framework of Regional Political Security Cooperation, Regional Political Security Challenges, and Global Response to the participants.

Explaining the fundamental factors contributing to the formulation of Foreign Policy, she highlighted factors including Bureaucratic Patrimonialism, history, and desire of a state to go global.

Prof. Dinna also elaborated ASEAN and its evolution process over the years. According to her, at present ASEAN community aims enforce cooperation in politics and security among members with three main characteristics (ASEAN Vision 2020) which are rules-based community of shared values and norms, cohesive, peaceful, stable, and resilient region with shared responsibility for comprehensive security, and dynamic and outward-looking region in an increasingly integrated and interdependent world.

Furthermore, she explained three fundamental ways to secure national interest which are Multilateralism and Diplomacy, Economic Pressure, and Unilateralism and Arms Proliferation. According to her, if one becomes more important then other two factors get affected. Also, historically the major economies have mostly refused to cooperate.

The session was concluded with Adam Mulwaraman Tugio, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Pakistan’s closing remarks. He briefly talked about ASEAN and how individual states can not be impactful in international arena.

Hence, the integrated approach of the states resulted in formation of ASEAN.

The session was moderated by Ms. Palwasha Nawaz, Project Executive, Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS), Islamabad. Masters and Ph.D. level Students from across Pakistan are a part of this Online International Internship Program. This program will equip them with the knowledge of the contemporary dynamics of Indonesia and its various sectors.

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WATCH VIDEO: B4U GLOBAL CEO Saif Ur Rehman Latest Updates of Business in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, APR 14: An Online Meeting was held between the University of the Punjab, Lahore, Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Pakistan, and the Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS), Islamabad.

During the meeting, areas of mutual interest particularly research were discussed. Furthermore, it was decided that joint academic initiatives will be taken by the three institutions.

It was also decided that training programs and workshops for the capacity building of the students will be arranged. Moreover, the three institutions agreed to work together and explore opportunities to involve academia in multilateral fields.

Additionally, the modalities regarding the establishment of the Azerbaijan Study Center were finalized between the university, CGSS, and the embassy.

The meeting was attended by:

1. Dr. Fauzia Hadi Ali, Director, Regional Integration Center, University of the Punjab, Lahore

2. Mr. Elchin Mehdiyev, Third Secretary, Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Islamabad

3. Ms. Palwasha Nawaz, Project Executive, Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS), Islamabad.

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• Adam Mulwaraman Tugio, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Pakistan concluded the session with his remarks that there is a need for Pakistan and Indonesia to cooperate in various sectors.

ISLAMABAD, APR 14: The Third Session of the International Online Internship Program, “Contemporary Dynamics of Indonesia” was held. The internship program is jointly organized by the Embassy of Indonesia to Pakistan and the Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS), Islamabad.

The theme of the third session was “Indonesia’s Foreign Policy and Global Maritime Fulcrum ” and the speaker for this session was Drs. Berlian Helmy, M. Ec, Director of Ideology and Politics from National Resilience Institute, Indonesia.

Drs. Berlian discussed the components of the current efforts in-focus and foreign policies to strengthen and deepen the participation of Indonesia in the Global Maritime.

According to him the basic nature and the initial priority for the Indonesian Foreign Policy is to get engaged with the outside world. There is a certain ‘Global Maritime Ambition’ to project the country as a Maritime State. Therefore, the ambition of the Global Maritime Fulcrum is devised on five basic pillars where the rebuilding of the infrastructure of the shipping industry, application of maritime diplomacy, and Maritime Power to Protect is the priority for peaceful maritime relations.

Drs. Berlian also explained the contributions of Indonesia, Implementations of policies, tools to regulate those policies, and challenges –procedurally being overcome. He discussed that it is of vital significance for Indonesia to establish the combatting modules and the protection zones in the Asia Pacific Maritime, while the high standard ports, cost-efficient and effective markets are driving the Maritime connectivity. He also signified foreign policy to be a realm where the chances for the boundaries cooperation and exercises would thrive between the Pacific and the Indian ocean.

Furthermore, acknowledging the role of Pakistan and her ties with Indonesia, Drs. Berlian stated that Pakistan can contribute in two major ways; by becoming a partner and investor in major energy projects of Indonesia and setting up a joint military cooperation scheme in the Indo-Pacific linkups which would decrease the potential tensions and harmonize the revolutionizing Maritime structure in the global maritime Fulcrum.

Adam Mulwaraman Tugio, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Pakistan concluded the session with his remarks that there is a need for Pakistan and Indonesia to cooperate in various sectors.

The session was moderated by Ms. Palwasha Nawaz, Project Executive, Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS), Islamabad. Masters and Ph.D. level Students from across Pakistan are a part of this Online International Internship Program. This program will equip them with the knowledge of the contemporary dynamics of Indonesia and its various sectors.

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ISLAMABAD, APR 14: Chief of his own faction of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) Maulana Fazlur Rehman has asked the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Awami National Party (ANP) to “reconsider” their decision of quitting the opposition’s alliance and declared that the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) will continue its struggle to achieve its objectives even if the two parties do not return to its fold.

“They (PPP and ANP) still have an opportunity to review their decisions and approach the PDM. We can remove their grievances when we will sit together,” said the Maulana while talking to reporters after presiding over the first meeting of the alliance after withdrawal of PPP and ANP from the alliance here on Tuesday.

After the decisions of the PPP and ANP to leave the opposition’s alliance, the PDM has now been reduced to an eight-party alliance. However, Tuesday’s meeting was attended by the leaders of five parties, including the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the National Party and Qaumi Watan Party.

The Maulana, who resumed his political activities after nearly two weeks, termed the reaction of the two parties to the show-cause notices issued to them for allegedly violating the PDM’s unanimous decision “immature and not in keeping with their political stature and experience”.

The JUI-F chief, who is also the president of the PDM, said the PPP and ANP should not have made the show-cause notices an issue of “self-respect” and they should have responded to the notices in a “dignified manner”. The two parties, he said, could have called for convening a meeting of the heads of the PDM or the steering committee to explain their viewpoint and resolve the matter. However, he regretted, the PPP and ANP chose to respond to the notices through the media.

• Says opposition alliance will continue its struggle even if the two parties do not return to its fold

“It was through the media that we came to know about the statements of the leaders of the two parties questioning the legitimacy of the notices and tearing up of the notice,” said the Maulana in response to the reports that PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari during the two-day meeting of his party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) in Karachi had torn apart the show-cause notice, thus showing the party’s clear intentions that it was no more interested to rejoin the alliance.

The ANP had already announced on April 5 that it was withdrawing from the PDM in protest over issuance of the show-cause notice to it for supporting Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani’s candidature for the office of the opposition leader in the Senate.

Speaking at a news conference in Peshawar, ANP’s Ameer Haider Hoti had also announced that the party members had resigned from the PDM offices.

The PPP also formally announced its decision to part ways with the PDM and sent resignations of those who were holding the PDM offices, including its vice-president Raja Pervez Ashraf.

Confirming that he had received the resignations of the PPP and ANP leaders, Maulana Fazlur Rehman said he had not accepted them yet as he wanted to give another chance to both the parties.

“Sadly, they have formally announced their decision to part ways with the PDM. The PPP and ANP members have already sent their resignations to me, but we are still trying and asking them to review their decision,” he said, adding that “the PDM is ready to hear you.”

“I want to say it in categorical terms that the PDM is a very serious forum. It is an alliance that was established to achieve objectives of serious nature at the national level and not for fighting over some offices,” said the Maulana, adding that for them, the future of democracy and politics in Pakistan is more important. He said that at a time when Pakistan was “economically sinking” and the people of the country were suffering and facing miseries, they would not make decisions on the basis of personal benefits or losses.

The Maulana refused to comment on the demand made by Mr Bhutto-Zardari that the PDM leaders should tender an apology to PPP and ANP for sending the notices.

“I don’t consider this question worth answering,” said the Maulana when a reporter sought his comment on the PPP chairman’s demand.

“We are actually stopping them from doing such things. They should show maturity and contact the PDM. We are waiting,” he said.

Responding to a question about the Mr Bhutto-Zardari’s allegations that some PDM parties were trying to blackmail his party, the Maulana taunted the young PPP chairman over his inexperience in politics by saying: “This is the difference between the age of 35 years and 70 years.”

Saying that he was not expecting that the PPP would go to an extent of seeking the support of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) for the Senate opposition leader, the Maulana said that the PPP had committed an “excess” with Mr Gilani and damaged him politically.

Justifying the act of sending notices to PPP and ANP, the PDM chief said it was his right to seek an explanation from the parties for violating the PDM’s decisions.

Replying to another question, the Maulana said the nation would be with the PDM, when it would make “big decisions” after the month of Ramazan.

The PDM chief asked PPP and PML-N leaders to refrain from issuing statements against each other.

However, ignoring the Maulana’s call, PPP’s information secretary Faisal Karim Kundi in a video message said if the Maulana wanted reconciliation then he should tell them as to “who wanted to club the resignations with the long march and who is responsible for not complying with the PDM’s action plan”.

Mr Kundi, who is also a direct political rival of the Maulana, alleged that the JUI-F chief had usurped the opposition leader’s position in the 2002 National Assembly despite the fact that the majority in the opposition was of the PPP. He said the Maulana should not turn a political alliance of PDM into a political party, saying the rules of a political party cannot be rules for the political alliance.

Mr Kundi said it was ironic that the Maulana was unaware that the show-cause notices to PPP and ANP were leaked to the media and the public. He said the majority party had the right to bring its own member as the opposition leader in the National Assembly and the Senate.

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BEING a journalist in Pakistan is a dangerous proposition. A noose is put around your neck when you begin and it is tightened gradually as journalists you know are ‘disappeared’ or harassed or murdered outright. Many of those who manage to stay afloat are targets. The tiniest act of rebellion or upsetting someone powerful can constitute a real threat for the journalists of the country.

Ajay Laalwani, who worked for a newspaper, was in a barbershop in Sukkur on the evening of March 18. Suddenly two motorcycles and a car with four passengers drove up. They began to spray Laalwani with bullets and then sped away. Laalwani was taken to hospital but he did not survive the brutal attack. Ashiq Jatoi, the editor of the newspaper, said he believes that Laalwani’s writing and reporting could have motivated the killing. Once again, whether this was actually true will remain mired in mystery. Past tensions between the reporter and law enforcement were mentioned and the fear that investigations might not be carried out the way they should was expressed.

In the days before the incident, Laalwani had received threats and was being harassed. Those sharing the news on social media attributed the killing to well-known “unknown culprits”. In an effort to show that the case was being taken seriously and investigated, the police announced that a special team had been created to investigate the killing. This in itself is ironic because prior to Laalwani’s killing, the police had been harassing journalists, threatening them with consequences. On March 15, the police had arrested a number of journalists and political activists and registered cases against them under the Anti-Terrorism Act while they were protesting the killing of a Sindh University student named Irfan Jatoi in an alleged ‘police encounter’.

Of course, it seems fair to say that this case, along with so many others in which journalists have been killed, will not be solved. There are so many cases that require answers. One of them is the killing of Qais Javed who worked for the newspaper Ehadnama. He had also started his own web channel. He was shot dead in D.I. Khan in December 2020. But like so many others, he is just a number. One fine day, “unknown gunmen” appeared, sprayed him with bullets and absconded without being caught. Despite the passage of three months since the killing, there is no sign of the case being solved.

• Journalists’ murders are rarely solved in this country. Those who are out to get them do not fear getting caught.

The latest death is of a young man named Waseem Alam who was shot dead in Karak when he was returning home on his motorcycle on Saturday. Alam was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. An FIR has been registered. In Alam’s case, family enmity has been cited as a motive.

Police strongly suspect the involvement of Alam’s father in the deed. His family reportedly said that Alam had not conveyed to them that he had received threats. But unless such cases are pursued and investigated and the murderer convicted in a court of law, one will never know the truth. And journalists like him will continue to become yet another statistic.

One can go on and on enumerating the killing and intimidation of Pakistani journalists. One can go on and on about how the cases are never solved. All of it is pointless for the simple reason that everyone knows that those who do not toe the line or are outspoken are targeted and made an example of.

This then is the primitive state of public discourse in Pakistan. Instead of tolerating differing points of view, instead of creating forums where divergent views can be expressed and discussed and a culture of tolerance fostered, the voices of those who disagree are muffled in various ways by various actors, state or non-state. This is not very different from what primitive man faced when he did not agree with his tribe. He would be made an example of to warn the rest of the clan.

Those tribes that did this accrued a survival disadvantage. While unity, whether it is tribal or national is important, survival requires the existence of divergent ideas. Killing or intimidating journalists in this sense does not simply wreak havoc on the present, it condemns the possibility of the future.

Evolution after all is based on adaptability and the existence of diversity of thought and it is impossible without the truth tellers that present the reality of the situation. Without them, only one version of the truth thrives and difference of opinion is exterminated.

The people in this environment never develop the skills to tolerate words or ideas that are different. Moreover, they risk being duped, as there is no guarantee that the version of truth that they have been believing and reading is not actually what was happening in the country.

Pakistan’s legacy of authoritarianism means that no one pays much attention to the growing roster of threats to journalists. With everyone eking out a marginal and precarious existence, few have sympathy to spare for the brave men and women who die or are picked up or face extreme threats because they were not willing to give up on a principle.

To those who target journalists, principles such as the belief in the freedom of speech is an indulgence. An attitude such as this is the consequence of decades of devaluation of speech, denigration of the bravest in the nation and a low regard for the truth. In the meantime, the bodies keep piling up, the ‘unknown” gunmen appearing again and again to kill or kidnap those who have the courage to tell the truth and to believe in a principle.

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The writer is an attorney teaching constitutional law and political philosophy.

rafia.zakaria@gmail.com

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KYIV, Ukraine, APR 14: The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has congratulated Muslims on the beginning of Ramazan, the holy Islamic month in which faithful across the globe fast from dawn until dusk.

“Ukrainians differ in their religious beliefs, but are united in their desire to become better. Ukraine is a home and homeland for the Muslim community, including Crimean Tatars. At the beginning of Ramadan, I wish faith strengthening and prosperity in our common land,” President Zelensky wrote this on his Twitter account.

Ramazan is the ninth month of the Islamic Calendar observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (sawm), prayer, reflection, and community.

The annual observance of Ramazan is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam and lasts for 29 to 30 days.

Muslims in Middle Eastern Countries including Saudi Arabia observed the first of Ramazan on April 13 while faithful in Pakistan and India are likely to begin marking Ramazan on April 14.

NEWS DESK

Notwithstanding, the recent rise in COVID cases, Pakistan has been showing signs of a fragile economic recovery with a gradual resumption of economic dynamism, according to a new World Bank report.

Pakistan’s economic growth is expected to reach 1.3 percent in FY2021 and strengthen to an average of 2.7 percent for FY2022-23, according to the Pakistan Development Update released. The baseline economic growth forecast, however, is highly uncertain, especially given the third and more-contagious wave of the pandemic currently circulating in the country.

Private consumption is estimated to have picked up over July to December 2020, in part due to the record increase in remittances inflows, social assistance support from the Ehsaas program, the government’s construction package, and a return to pre-COVID mobility levels from September 2020. Investment is also estimated to be recovering, as machinery imports and cement sales both recorded double-digit growth rates during this period.

“It is crucial to sustain the positive reform momentum to continue to boost the competitiveness of Pakistan’s economy and lay a strong foundation for a more robust, inclusive and sustainable recovery,” said Najy Benhassine, World Bank Country Director for Pakistan. “Increasing competitiveness and stimulating private investment and exports will require continued macroeconomic stability, maintenance of a market-determined exchange rate, and improving the business environment to enable all firms, particularly SMEs, to access markets and compete openly in a leveled playing field. The potential for a strong recovery and a growth acceleration is there. Reforms to make it happen need to be further sustained.”

Given the scope and magnitude of the COVID-19 crisis, understanding how the pandemic affected Pakistan’s private sector will be key to informing the design of new policy measures or refining existing ones to prevent widespread long-term firm closures and job losses.

This edition of the Pakistan Development Update also presents the findings of two waves of World Bank Business Pulse Surveys and suggests several key policy measures to further support the recovery of the private sector and the Pakistani economy.

“Despite some recovery in the private sector, many firms remain vulnerable and require support to prevent closures and further job losses. Policy measures that prevent permanent firm closures and further job losses will contribute significantly to sustaining the recovery,” said Derek H. C. Chen, World Bank Senior Economist for Pakistan.

The policy measures that can be considered include enhancing private sector access to formal finance, in particular for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, streamlining regulatory and administrative requirements to ease compliance costs, and providing support to firms in digitizing and establishing an online presence.

The Pakistan Development Update is a companion piece to the South Asia Economic Focus, a twice-a-year World Bank report that examines economic developments and prospects in the South Asia region and analyzes policy challenges faced by countries. The Spring 2021 edition titled South Asia Vaccinates, launched on March 31, 2021, shows that economic activity in South Asia is bouncing back, but growth is uneven, recovery remains fragile, and the economic outlook is precarious. The report also focuses on the different dimensions of vaccine deployment and provides a cost-benefit analysis of vaccination in the region.

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International travel was predictably impacted as a result of covid 19 and the tourism industry suffered severe losses.

According to the UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism organization) barometer, the period from January-October 2020 witnessed a whopping 72% drop in tourist arrivals (international tourist arrivals dropped by 900 Million when compared to the January-October 2019 period). The loss in export revenues, year on year, from the tourist sector were a staggering 945 Billion USD. Tourist arrivals across regions witnessed a drop. According to the UNWTO barometer, the drop in tourism would cause a loss of 2 Trillion USD to the global economy.

Countries looking to resume international flights

During the midst of the pandemic, agreements were signed to facilitate essential travel between various countries (priority was given to workers, students or individuals who had to travel for emergency purposes).

Countries which have been successful in dealing with the pandemic have been looking to gradually resume international flights. Since October 2020, Singapore whose economy is significantly dependent upon tourism  had signed agreements with certain countries to ensure that travel for important purposes was less restrictive — either the quarantine period was reduced, or in some cases was not required at all.

New Zealand will be allowing quarantine free travel from Australia for the first time from April 19. New Zealand PM, Jacinda Ardern:

‘The Trans-Tasman travel bubble represents a start of a new chapter in our COVID response and recovery, one that people have worked so hard at’

Australia has been permitting travellers from New Zealand to enter most parts of the country without quarantine, though this has not been reciprocated.

A travel bubble has also opened between Taiwan (which has reported a little over 1,000 cases and 10 deaths) and the Island of Palau (which has reported 0 deaths) where travellers need not quarantine themselves (there are a number of other restrictions though).

Vaccine Passports, Digital Pass and differing perspectives

As countries get ready to open up travel, there has been a debate with regard to using ‘vaccine passports’ (these are documents which show that travellers have been vaccinated against Covid-19 or recently tested negative for the virus).

One country which is using this experiment domestically is Israel. It has issued a document known as ‘Green Pass’ to those who have been vaccinated or if they have developed immunity. This Green Pass can be used  for entry into gyms, hotels,  restaurants and theatres. The UK and US too are mooting the idea of introducing such an arrangement. This idea has faced fervent opposition in both countries. In UK, opposition parties Labour, Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party (SNP) have opposed the idea of such a covid certification document. The reasons cited for opposition are concerns with regard to ‘equity, ethics and privacy’.  The UK government has stated that a covid status certificate would not be introduced before June, and trials of various schemes to ensure safe opening up of the UK economy would carry on.

In the US, Republicans are opposing the idea of a vaccine passport saying that such an idea would be an attack on personal freedoms. Donald Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr urged Republicans to ‘vocally and aggressively’ stand up against vaccine passports.

If one were to look at international travel, International Airport Transport Association (IATA) has introduced a travel pass, a digital certificate, which will confirm a flyer’s COVID-19 test result and vaccination status. Singapore will be accepting travellers using this mobile digital pass from May 2021.While the pass has been tested by Singapore Airlines, 20 airlines (including Emirates and Malaysia Airlines) are in the process of testing the pass.

While one of the pitfalls of a covid status certificate or Vaccine passport is the impingement upon privacy, it has also been argued that developing countries will be at a disadvantage given the relatively slow rate of vaccination in the developing world. While remarking in the context of Africa,Dr. John Nkengasong the head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said:

‘We are already in a situation where we don’t have vaccines, and it will be extremely unfortunate that countries impose a travel requirement of immunization certificates whereas the rest of the world has not had the chance to have access to vaccines.’

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is important for innovative ways to resume international travel. Safety needs to be balanced with equity, for this it is imperative that all actors engage in a constructive manner. A number of observers have suggested that vaccine passports/covid status certificates should be made optional, and that there is nothing wrong in using technology per se but it should not be thrust on anyone. The fight against the pandemic and revival of international travel are a golden opportunity for countries to reverse the increasing sense of insularity and inequity which has risen in recent years.

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Singh Maini is a New Delhi based Policy Analyst associated with The Jindal School of International Affairs, OP Jindal Global University, Sonipat, India

ISLAMABAD, APR 12: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that the government is inviting the world's attention towards investment opportunities in Pakistan through economic diplomacy, Radio Pakistan reported.

He expressed the views late on Sunday at a dinner hosted in his honour at the Pakistan House in Berlin. The foreign minister is currently on a two-day official visit to Germany.

"Pakistan has transformed its geographical political priorities into geographical economic priorities," he said.

Qureshi said Pakistan is an emerging market of 220 million people where plenty of investment opportunities exist.

He said the government is providing all possible facilities, including e-visas, to foreign investors and welcomed German entrepreneurs and companies to invest in Pakistan.

Earlier, the foreign minister met with Speaker of Christian Democratic Union of Germany Nils Schmid. In a tweet, Qureshi said the two discussed the European Union, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and investment opportunities in special economic zones.

They also discussed developments in South Asia and the key role being played by Pakistan in Afghanistan.

Qureshi also met Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser and discussed areas of potential investment in Pakistan as well as transfer of technology, specifically in the power sector. "Welcomed Joe to visit Pakistan to take these opportunities further," he said.

The foreign minister also met Dr Gunter Mulack, the director of the German Orient Institute and former ambassador to Pakistan.

"Discussed the enhancement and promotion of the relationship between Pakistan and Germany and what we could do together for greater academic and economic diplomacy," he said.

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LAHORE, APR 12: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the schedule for the remaining matches of the HBL Pakistan Super League 6 (PSL 6), with the tournament set to resume from June 1.

PSL 6 had earlier been delayed in March after seven people participating in the tournament had tested positive for Covid-19. At the time, the PCB had said the decision was taken out of consideration for the health and wellbeing of all participants in the tournament.

On Saturday, the PCB's Board of Governors (BoG) held a meeting via a virtual conference call — their second of the year — according to a press release issued on Sunday.

"HBL PSL 6 matches will resume on June 1 with the final scheduled for June 20," said the press release.

The schedule of the 20 remaining matches — all of which will be played at the National Stadium in Karachi — was finalised after consultation with all the franchises.

Evening matches will start at 8pm. In case of double-headers, the first match will begin at 5pm while the second match will start at 10pm.

The schedule for the 20 matches is as follows:

• June 1: Lahore Qalandars v Islamabad United
• June 2: Multan Sultans v Karachi Kings
• June 3: Islamabad United v Quetta Gladiators
• June 4: Peshawar Zalmi v Lahore Qalandars
• June 5: Islamabad United v Karachi Kings; Multan Sultans v Quetta Gladiators
• June 6: Peshawar Zalmi v Karachi Kings
• June 7: Quetta Gladiators v Lahore Qalandars
• June 8: Multan Sultans v Peshawar Zalmi
• June 9: Islamabad United v Lahore Qalandars
• June 10: Quetta Gladiators v Karachi Kings
• June 11: Multan Sultans v Islamabad United
• June 12: Quetta Gladiators v Peshawar Zalmi; Karachi Kings v Lahore Qalandars
• June 13: Islamabad United v Peshawar Zalmi
• June 14: Multan Sultans v Lahore Qalandars
• June 16: Qualifier (1 v 2)
• June 17: Eliminator 1 (3 v 4)
• June 18: Eliminator 2 (loser Qualifier v winner Eliminator 1)
• June 20: Final

Covid-19 measures

During the meeting, the board received a presentation and an update on the report of the two-person fact-finding panel that was set up by the PCB chairman to review the bio-security protocols, bylaws and arrangements for the HBL PSL 6 and make recommendations on how to better ensure implementation of a bio-secure environment for future events, according to the press release.

The board discussed and debated the panel’s findings in detail and expressed its "disappointment at the failures that were highlighted in the report and advised remedial actions needed to be taken".

"The BoG endorsed all recommendations of the fact-finding panel, including robust and stringent implementation of the protocols, as well as maintaining a zero-tolerance approach towards all those who breach the Covid-19 SOPs (standard operating procedures), which are put in place for safeguarding the health and safety of all participants."

The PCB was also in the "final stages of appointing a globally-recognised safety management company that specialises in providing Covid-safe technology solutions, bio-secure monitoring & management, as well as response and reaction to positive tests", said the press release. The BoG was informed that this was part of the strategy to ensure that PSL 6 was resumed and completed in a "safe and secure environment".

The board was also informed that a mandatory seven-day quarantine period for all participants would commence from May 22 in one hotel and for the following three days of training sessions.

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