FARUKH SHEHZAD

PALESTINE, JUN 16: Israeli aircraft carried out a series of airstrikes at sites in the Gaza Strip early on Wednesday, the first such raids since a shaky ceasefire ended 11 days of violence last month.

The airstrikes targeted facilities used by Hamas fighters for meetings to plan attacks, the Israeli military said, blaming the group for any act of violence emanating from Gaza. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

On Tuesday, hundreds of Israeli ultranationalists, some chanting “Death to Arabs,” paraded in east Jerusalem in a show of force that threatened to spark renewed violence. Palestinians in Gaza responded by launching incendiary balloons that caused at least 10 fires in southern Israel.

The march posed a test for Israel’s fragile new government as well as the tenuous truce that ended last month’s violence between Israel and Hamas.

Palestinians consider the march, meant to celebrate Israel’s capture of east Jerusalem in 1967, to be a provocation. Hamas called on Palestinians to “resist” the parade.

With music blaring, hundreds of Jewish nationalists gathered and moved in front of Damascus Gate. Most appeared to be young men, and many held blue and white Israeli flags as they danced and sang religious songs.

At one point, several dozen youths, jumping and waving their hands in the air, chanted: “Death to Arabs!” In another anti-Arab chant, they yelled: “May your village burn.”

In a scathing condemnation on Twitter, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said those shouting racist slogans were “a disgrace to the Israeli people,” adding: “The fact that there are radicals for whom the Israeli flag represents hatred and racism is abominable and unforgivable.”

The crowd, while boisterous, appeared to be much smaller than during last month’s parade. From the Damascus Gate, they proceeded around the Old City to the Western Wall, the holiest place where Jews can pray.

Ahead of the march, Israeli police cleared the area in front of Damascus Gate, shut down roads to traffic, ordered shops to close and sent away young Palestinian protesters.

Police said that officers arrested 17 people suspected of involvement in violence, some of whom threw rocks and attacked police, and that two police officers needed medical treatment. Palestinians said five people were hurt in clashes with police.

The parade provided an early challenge for Israel’s new prime minister, Naftali Bennett, a hardline Israeli nationalist who has promised a pragmatic approach as he presides over a delicate, diverse coalition government.

Though there were concerns the march would raise tensions, canceling it would have opened Bennett and other right-wing members of the coalition to intense criticism from those who would view it as a capitulation to Hamas.

The coalition was sworn in Sunday and includes parties from across the political spectrum, including a small Arab party.

Mansour Abbas, whose Raam party is the first Arab faction to join an Israeli coalition, said the march was “an attempt to set the region on fire for political aims”, with the intention of undermining the new government.

Abbas said the police and public security minister should have canceled the event. “I call on all sides not to be dragged into an escalation and maintain maximum restraint,” he said.

In past years, the march passed through Damascus Gate and into the heart of the Muslim Quarter, a crowded Palestinian neighbourhood with narrow streets and alleys. But police changed the route on Tuesday to avoid the Muslim Quarter.

Instead, the route went around the ancient walls of the Old City and through Jaffa Gate, a main thoroughfare for tourists, and towards the Jewish Quarter and Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray.

Damascus Gate is a focal point of Palestinian life in east Jerusalem. Violence erupted in April and May during Ramazan as Palestinians were attacked by Israeli police over restrictions on public gatherings.

That violence spread to the Al Aqsa Mosque compound when Israeli police raided the mosque, a flashpoint site sacred to Jews and Muslims. Tensions at the time were further fueled by protests over the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers, also in Jerusalem.

At the height of the tensions, on May 10, Israeli ultranationalists held their annual flag parade. While it was diverted from the Damascus Gate at the last minute, it was seen by Palestinians as an unwelcome celebration of Israeli control over what they view as their capital.

In the name of defending the holy city, Hamas fired long range rockets at Jerusalem, disrupting the march and sparking the 11-day violence, which claimed more than 250 Palestinian lives and killed 13 people in Israel.

Hamas had called on Palestinians to show “valiant resistance” to the march. It urged people to gather in the Old City and at the Al Aqsa Mosque to “rise up in the face of the occupier and resist it by all means to stop its crimes and arrogance”.

In the afternoon, Hamas-linked Palestinians launched some incendiary balloons from Gaza, setting off at least 10 blazes in southern Israel, according to Israel’s national fire department.

Abu Malek, one of the young men launching the balloons, called the move “an initial response” to the march.

Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, of the internationally backed Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, called the march an “aggression against our people”.

In neighbouring Jordan, the Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning the march as “unacceptable”, saying it undermined efforts to reduce friction between Israel and the Palestinians.

Israeli media reported the military was on heightened alert in the occupied West Bank and along the Gaza frontier. Batteries of Israel’s Iron Dome rocket defence system were seen deployed near the southern town of Netivot, near the Gaza border, as a precaution.

Defence Minister Benny Gantz met with the military chief of staff, the police commissioner and other senior security officials. He “underscored the need to avoid friction and protect the personal safety of [...] Jews and Arabs alike,” his office said.

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COURTESY DAWN NEWS

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ISLAMABAD, JUN 15: Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said, "Peace in Afghanistan is a shared responsibility and no failure or mistake should be placed on Pakistan.

Pakistan Minister of Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmud Qureshi, " Afghanistan" Peace in Turkey is a shared responsibility and no failure or mistake should be placed on Pakistan," he said.

According to local media reports, Foreign Minister Qureshi said at the opening session of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Bilateral Dialogue Conference organized by the Regional Peace Institute (RPI) in the capital, Islamabad, that there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan.

Expressing that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan is in the interest of Pakistan and the entire region, Qureshi said that the Islamabad administration will continue to play its constructive role for the success of peace talks between Afghans.

Stressing his concerns about the anti-Pakistan statements of First Vice President of Afghanistan Emrullah Saleh and National Security Advisor Hamdullah Muhib, Qureshi said, "This blame game should end as it will not help.

Peace in Afghanistan is a shared responsibility and no failure or mistake should be blamed on Pakistan." said.

Warning against those who want to disturb the peace Noting that there are those who want to disrupt the peace inside and outside Afghanistan, Qureshi said that the stakeholders should be aware of the evil plans of those who want to disrupt the peace.

Stressing his concerns about the increasing violence in Afghanistan, Qureshi said that it is important to reduce violence and reach a ceasefire, and that the Afghan government and the Taliban should show flexibility in order to reach an agreement.

The peace process will be discussed with Turkish leaders on June 18On the other hand, Qureshi stressed that Islamabad is doing everything possible for border management with Afghanistan, and that the increasing presence of the terrorist organization DAESH in Afghanistan is a matter of concern.

Qureshi, Islamabad, Istanbul'in TurkeyNoting that he shared his views on the peace process in the trilateral meeting with Pakistan and Afghanistan, he noted that he would discuss the ongoing peace process with Turkish leaders on 18 June.

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COURTESY sondakika.com

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WATCH VIDEO: Need for Learning Tourism and Hospitality Management in Higher Education of Pakistan: A Proposal

WATCH VIDEO: Need for Learning Tourism and Hospitality Management in Higher Education of Pakistan: A Proposal

Dr. Mehmood Ul Hassan Khan

Capital of Pakistan has become hotspot because of widening “vacuum” and “deteriorating” law and order situation in Afghanistan.

There were flurry of predictions that the Taliban would move quickly to overrun government outposts, seize regional cities, and ignite a broader civil war or march on Kabul to topple the government and they lived up to this expectation. 

Taliban has now started their “victory march” toward Kabul. Violence and sabotage activities in numerous parts of Afghanistan have immensely increased which showed “inability” of Afghan government to tackle the “onslaught” of Taliban.

Constant geographical “marginalization” of Afghan government has forced it to use “dirty tactics” for “face-saving”.

Afghan National Security advisor crossed all limits of diplomatic norms, engagements and decency and termed Pakistan a brothel house which has now worsened diplomatic channels between Pakistan and Afghanistan.         

Moreover, alleged visit of CIA Director William Burns to Pakistan has opened a “hot debate” in local as well as international media. The New York Times (June 6, 2021) claimed that Mr Burns had travelled to Pakistan for meetings with Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and ISI Director General Lt Gen Faiz Hamid to explore the possibility of counterterrorism cooperation between the two sides.

The Central Intelligence Agency is said to be looking for bases around Afghanistan from where it could gather intelligence on Afghanistan and execute counterterrorism strikes after the completion of troop withdrawal from there.

In this context, the government of Pakistan clearly conveyed its decision not to host the spy agency’s drone bases on its territory.

However, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, responded that US sought a drone base in Pakistan and had constructive discussions in the military, intelligence and diplomatic channels with Pakistan about the future of America’s capabilities to ensure that Afghanistan never again becomes a base from which Al Qaeda rises or any other terrorist group can attack the United States.

Moreover, most recent visit of the US deputy head of mission to Gwadar indicated suspicious scheme of arrangements.  Even South China Morning Post (June 1, 2021) upheld the possibility of US bases in Pakistan after its withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Taliban allegedly supported by Russia, China and even Iran have already strictly warned all the regional countries about any kind of military “facilitation” with the CIA including drone bases. Russia has already snubbed Central Asian Countries to stay away from the US fatal trap.

Rise in violence, sabotage activities and acts of terrorism against armed forces of Pakistan in Balochistan and FATA have verified start of new bloodily spillover repercussions of Afghanistan on Pakistan.    

Conversely, diplomatic circle confirmed that Russia and China have already conveyed their displeasure, dissatisfaction and disbelief to Islamabad about allegedly ongoing serious engagements on US bases.

In the near past, discussions between Pakistan and the US on issue of bases have taken place at multiple levels between Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, NSA Moeed Yusuf and his American counterpart Jake Sullivan, Gen Bajwa and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, COAS/DG ISI and CIA chief, and the army chief and the US charge d’affaires.

Officials said the CIA chief wanted to meet Prime Minister Imran Khan, but was plainly told that only counterpart meeting between heads of government of the two countries was possible.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told the US that it would not give military bases because the country has to look after its own interests.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has already warned of resulting turmoil a day after Washington said almost half of U.S. troops and equipment had been sent home or destroyed since the drawdown formally began on May 1. He termed political settlement and stability in Afghanistan after Americans withdrawal.

The prime minister also said Pakistan fears terrorism will rise without a political settlement.

Islamabad maintains that anti-state militants have taken refuge in Afghan territory after fleeing Pakistani security operations and continue to plot cross-border terrorist attacks from there.

For its part, the Kabul government accuses Pakistan of covertly supporting the Taliban and allowing insurgent leaders to direct violence inside Afghanistan, allegations Pakistani officials deny.

Islamabad does not have any favour in Afghanistan because a Taliban total victory in Afghanistan may create strategic imbalance in the region and accordingly changed country’s ties with USA and China.  Pakistan’s security establishment supports “Afghan Own & Afghan Led” policy.

According to the latest situation report the Kabul government still controls 50 per cent of the country while Taliban holds sway over 30 per cent and the contest between the two for the rest of the 20 per cent is getting fiercer with government troops clearly on the run.

Pakistan has genuine fears that if warring parties in Afghanistan fail to reach a peace arrangement, anarchy will erupt in the turmoil-hit neighbour after the withdrawal of the United States and allied troops, threatening regional stability.

According to a United Nations report (June 2021) a significant part of the Al-Qaeda leadership resides in the Afghanistan and Pakistan region, including the group's leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, who is probably alive.

The Afghan government has longstanding reservations that Pakistan may be using the Afghan Taliban as a proxy but Islamabad has its own list of grievances such as a nexus between Afghan intelligence agency and anti-Pakistan terrorist groups operating out of Afghanistan.

Interestingly, the Turkish government has agreed to take over responsibility for Kabul’s international airport in a $130 million deal with NATO.

The deal is likely to be widely welcomed after weeks of uncertainty over the Turkish government’s continued commitment to defending Hamid Karzai International Airport.

It will provide assurances to the international community and it is a better solution because the Taliban have never attacked the Turks.

President Joe Biden announcement of US withdraw America’s 2,500 combat troops from Afghanistan before Sept. 11, 2021 started divergent and conflicting strategic orientations. Supporters termed it closing the book on America’s longest war.

Meanwhile, critics denounced the decision as reckless and dangerous. Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton warned it could have huge consequences including a surge in global terrorism and a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. 

Being prominent regional geopolitical expert I suggest that policy makers should immediately initiate series of strategic meetings/dialogues with all the important countries, Russia, China, Turkey, Iran and Uzbekistan and follows a holistic and participatory regional scheme of engagement otherwise, Pakistan would be in awakened position.

Trump card is in favour of Pakistan because the government and establishment seem to be on same page.

Any misappropriation or out of the box arrangement or strategic concessional agreement would create strategic imbalance in the region which would ultimately harm country’s economic prosperity in terms of CPEC, energy cooperation (Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) on North-South Gas Pipeline Project, Russian) and regional connectivity.

Moreover, spoilers have their own agenda which needs to be minimized through collective political consultations with the country, region and beyond. USA unfortunately desires instability and deterioration of law & order in Afghanistan for its own military presence justification in the region.

Thus complex regional power politics should be tackled through wisdom and maturity and not by playing for press gallery.

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COURTESY ednews.net

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ISLAMABAD, JUN 14: China Cultural Center in Pakistan will launch a series of online activities to celebrate “2021 China Tourism and Culture Week” in mid-June.

The theme of the event is to promote the image of "Beautiful China", and tell the story of China by focusing on three major sections, which are "Beautiful Countryside and Intangible Heritage Protection", "Ice and Snow Tourism" and "Food Culture".

It also aims to promote the Beijing Winter Olympics, and showcases the charm of Chinese Culture and Tourism. 

So join us online to appreciate and experience China's magnificent natural scenery, colorful cultural deposits, rapid urban and rural development, and the beautiful visualization of people living and working in peace and contentment.

In the following weeks, China Cultural Center in Pakistan will be sharing a variety of interesting virtual and online activities through short videos, H5 mini-programs, trailers and posters covering performance, culture, cultural heritage, cuisine, beautiful landscapes and more.

Focusing on key projects of "Belt and Road" international cooperation in cultural and tourism industries, 6 distinctive tourism performing arts projects are selected and reproduced into short videos.

With the assistance of a H5 publicity program for mass communication, the broadcasting of the videos will mainly use the official website of cultural and tourist institutions abroad, and the local social media platforms designated for overseas promotion of these products during China Tourism and Culture weeks around the world.

Arts, Culture and Nature includes the best of art shows for tourism of China.

Some major cultural activities and project and activities of 2021 China Tourism and Culture Week include Creativeness of Craftsmanship, Yunnan Pottery,  Beautiful China and The food-themed micro documentary A Taste of China.

Creativeness of Craftsmanship: The Beautiful Countryside by Design is a project curated and executed by Beijing Saisi Boyi Culture and Art Co., Ltd. (directly affiliated with the Center of International Cultural Exchange) and Sichuan Fine Arts Institute.

Based on the research on rural cultural resources by fine arts academies from the perspective of creative design in recent years, the project aims at reinventing rural craftsmanship and catalyzing rural development.

By discovering the pathway to rural revitalization, the project reveals the idyllic beauty of the countryside, unveiling the "sweep changes" of China's rural landscape in the new development stage.

Yunnan Pottery: Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage Microclass. Yunnan province, located in the southwest of China, has a picturesque landscape and a long history of pottery making. It has a number of pottery-making skills, which belong to national intangible cultural heritage.

Jianshui Purple-Pottery found along the Red River, Nixi Black-Pottery of Shangri-La, Dai nationality Slow-wheel Pottery of Xishuangbanna, Blue and white pottery of Yuxi, Jinsha Pottery in old town of Lijiang...The rich natural resources and the colorful multi-ethnic culture are well-integrated to created splendid traditional handicrafts, which have been inherited for thousands of years and continue to shine.

Clay is the gift of nature, condenses people’s respect and reverence for nature of all ages. When it gradually takes shape in the hands of craftsmen, the clay seems to take on human nature with the magic of art.

Beautiful China - Ice and Snow Tour Series of Short Video Shows focuses on the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and the winter tourism resources in northern China.

This video series also introduces Chongli’s Taizicheng Town, one of the venues for the Winter Olympics, and the natural winter landscapes, folk customs and winter sports in Heilongjiang, Jilin, Xinjiang, Shandong and Inner Mongolia.

The series allows friends from across the world to enjoy China’s myriad winter tourism attractions and unique winter culture online.

The food-themed micro documentary A Taste of China is a journey of Xinjiang Cuisine. There are five episodes in first series, these episode cover five representative cities (Urumqi, Turpan, Altay, Ili and Kashgar) from different regions of Xinjiang, China.

A variety of border-less narrative techniques combining food, humanities and tourism are employed. Audience is expected to take a special journey to enjoy delicious food, unique customs, natural scenery, as well as the real life and timeless aesthetic connotation in different regions and cities of Xinjiang.

It will encourage a profound emotional resonance with the audience.

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Munaza Kazmi

In the last couple of years, tourism has become an important sector that could have a great impact on the development of Pakistan’seconomy. 

The main benefits of tourism are income creation, the country’s goodwill and obviously generation of jobs. For many places, like Malaysia, Dubai and Thailand etc. tourism is the most important source of welfare. 

It’s a known fact that Pakistan has so much to show to the world, but still it considered as lonely planet but due to the initiates done by recent government, there seems a hope for a good change. 

Therefore, it is appropriate time for Pakistan to respond to this importance proportionally, by developing the necessary infrastructure and increasing their abilities to supply the needs of upcoming tourists from around the globe.

That’s where the importance and need for inclusion of hospitality tourism and lies as well.

Tourism impacts environments and people on a socio-cultural aspect. It impacts the lifestyles and cultures of both residents and visitors. 

Hence, it’s imperative to learn about the cultures and traditions of other societies and the ways of being hospitable to manage the business soundly.  

A degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management can help in business management, marketing fundamentals, human resources, project management, sustainability, cross-cultural awareness and diversity.

More importantly this can help learning about sustainable tourism and how to mitigate the negative impacts of travel on the environment. 

With more and more people travelling each year, it’s important to understand the impact this could have on cultures, communities and on broader perspective our planet. 

Tourism has the potential to make the world a better place by bringing economic benefits to poorer destinations and keeping tourist hotspot flourishing. 

By learn about hospitality and tourismone can contribute to the creation of jobs with fair wages and environmental protection.

Moreover, Hospitality and tourism are among the hardest industries hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

While the world is beginning to open up again, things are far from the same. As a result, hotels, restaurants, theme parks, and other venues will have to adjust to everything from new consumer behaviors to altered operational practices.

Subsequently, new travelers and new travel preferences will require tourism executives to review and even rewrite the ways in which their enterprises are managed.

Even prior to COVID, the hospitality and tourism sector was undergoing rapid change. 

Now, the industry is being forced to pivot yet again with the responsibility for managing the transition landing on its leaders. 

Specifically, it will mandate the acquisition of new skills, including digital expertise, cognitive skills for redesign and innovation, and social and emotional skills toward collaboration, management and communication. 

Meanwhile, “soft skills,” such as adaptability and resilience will also be essential.

Bear in mind that by being part of such an industry, you are directly contributing to the revitalization and preservation of local traditions, customs, cultural life, handicrafts, arts, culture, artists, identity and heritage, renewal of local architectural traditions. 

Not all heroes wear capes, they say. Sometimes they simply belong to an industry that induces change, drives economies, or preserves history and culture, with advance education we can provide our hero’s with the magical wands.

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Munaza Kazmi has recently done Master of Philosophy from Bahria University Islamabad. Her debut novel is Unrequited Love.

She’s an author, columnist writing in different newspapers and a researcher having seven publications till yet, she’s been writing since 2016.

You can connect to Kazmi at twitter @munaza_kazmi or on research gate as munaza kazmi.

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Zahid Asghar and Mahmood Khalid

Accurate measurement of GDP growth and its constituents is critical for credibility, investor and consumer confidence and sound policy navigation. 

These measurements also need updating from time to time to maintain quality and integrity, especially because of rapid technological changes in production setups and information revolution. 

However, measuring economy has always been challenging, and we commonly perceive it as a complex and difficult task. Political and economic issues spring from these statistics influencing the future political landscape.

National accounts provide the basic framework for measuring economy, monitoring and evaluation of economic activity, income and expenditures at the national and sector level. 

These are central to informed decision making by policy makers, entrepreneurs and the public. 

The contribution to GDP of each sector is at the heart of the battle for national resources. In such a scenario, it is important that we not misrepresent any sector or even province in national GDP. 

Revision of National Accounts to account for structural changes in the economy, relative prices and replacing old base year with new base to better capture the economic activities is a routine matter for most statistical agencies in most countries. 

For a developing country like Pakistan, with a vast undocumented (or informal) sector and uneven quality of economic statistics, base year revision is usually an occasion to improve the methodologies, bring in newer and better databases, and address long held infirmities in the national accounts estimates.

Most Asian countries, including Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam have followed the practice of rebasing their accounts roughly every 10 years; while Korea and Singapore revise their base year after every 5 years. 

Developed countries undertake rebasing even more frequently. Bhutan and Pakistan on average took 20 and 17 years, respectively, to accomplish the same task[1].

If we do base year revision exercise regularly, it will lead to a marginal increase in absolute size of aggregate measures. 

Because of rebasing as economic activity get better presented with not much change in the growth rate of these estimates. With long breaks, it becomes difficult to assess whether changes in absolute size and growth rates are because of structural changes or some methodological changes. 

Pakistan has not revised its National Income Accounts (NIA) from base year 2005-06. And there appears to be only a remote possibility they are being updated soon. 

The Technical committee on National Accounts expressed reservations about CMI GVA calculations based on poor response rate of CMI. 

Moreover, the committee did not get any satisfactory answer to its queries. But in India they included the contribution of 36% of non-existing companies in revising the base year to 2015. 

But do we know how many shell companies exist in Pakistan? It is unlikely. There were many other issues including lack of technical capacity for revision which likely caused postponement of rebasing till now. 

Another issue with the current National Income Accounts is that LSM understates the size of manufacturing in national accounts based on 2005-06 CMI data as they only cover 15 broad categories, while the global practice is to include 22 categories. 

They include industries like office and accounting machines and computers, recycling of waste metal and non-metal scrap, plastics, packaged food among others in LSM. 

These industries have grown both in size and variety over the past 15 years. We do not base the contribution of the LSM on data provided by establishment or enterprise, but the main approach for National Accounts is functional or commodity approach. 

We assume the commodity approach is better than establishment approach. What is the gap between the two is difficult to measure unless we carry out some research studies out on the subject. 

LSM data is not a proper reflection of industrial data, as PBS has to rely on data provided by industries themselves. 

So there may be an issue of under-reporting due to evade taxes. For example, Pakistan Auto Manufacturing Association (PAMA) provides data on its members in the automotive industry, but this leaves out Chinese players. 

PBS relies on OCAC data related to “Refineries, Oil Marketing Companies and a Pipeline Company,” but numbers reported by the former differ many times than that of the latter.

Another major issue is that we assume Input-Output ratios are constant until next rebasing takes place. 

But delays in revision of base year when rapid technological changes and digital innovations are taking place implies that various sectors’ share is understated or overstated in GDP. 

Besides this, other variables such as investment are also under reported.

Just like any other asset, national accounts are also an asset that depreciates. Therefore, new periodic revisions are of immense value to gauge economic performance of a country. 

But this improvement does not come without cost since it requires collaboration with government officials, policy makers, academics, researchers, and businesses.

Government has rightly felt the need to develop quarterly GDP figures and Provincial GDPs. 

They have setup technical committees, but such committees are toothless and may not contribute as per the actual need. 

Therefore, there is a dire need to establish a center of excellence in research which continuously working on challenges faced in measurement of economic activity in modern times. 

Pakistan Bureau of Statistics has neither financial nor human resources to carry out such studies and work on such complex challenges. 

Besides being a government office has typical problems of governance. Universities have neither research interest in this matter because of limited number of international outlets to publish research work in the area nor any funding to carry out such type of research.

The only way forward for the government is to establish an independent research center in a university to work together on emerging issues and should continuously update on emerging issues. 

And this being a third party endeavor would increase the credibility of the National Income figures presented by the government as well as provide a robust database for many economic decision-making by private agents and policy makers.

Besides developing a state-of-the-art research center, we also need capacity building at a national level to deal with issues related to measurement of GDP and updating National Accounts. 

This requires research studies to be commissioned through the research center.

We should compel PBS to collaborate and share all necessary information and Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiative to set research issues in coordination with the research center to overcome measurement challenges of national economy.

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COURTESY PIDE blog

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MULTAN, JUN 14: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Sunday said that the previous government of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) had mishandled Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav’s case.

Talking to media after launching the construction of a park, the minister said Pakistan was implementing the ruling of the International Court of Justice.

“We have taken steps to implement the directive of the International Court of Justice. 

India wants Pakistan to deny consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav so that it could have grounds to go to the ICJ. 

The opposition should not show ignorance by making statements in this regard. It should avoid strengthening the Indian point of view,” he said.

He was referring to the ICJ (Review and Re-consideration) Bill, 2020, passed by the parliament recently. The law will allow fresh consular access to Jadhav under the ICJ ruling.

Qureshi said whoever was going through the process of accountability would be given an opportunity to prove himself innocent.

Reacting to Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s criticism of the arrest of Khurshid Shah’s son by NAB, Qureshi said: “We want transparent accountability and not revenge. 

If someone tries to become an obstacle in the accountability process, Imran Khan will not give an NRO to him. 

The prime minister has made it clear that there will be no injustice and concession to anyone who is involved in corruption. 

If Khurshid Shah’s son is innocent, no action will be taken against him. The law is the same for everyone,” he said.

Answering a question about Jahangir Tareen at another event here on Saturday evening, the minister claimed that Imran Khan had neither given nor would give any concession. 

“The investigations are underway and soon everything will be clear,” referring to the apparent relief given to the estranged PTI leader in the sugar scam may not be permanent.

He said that Pakistan had no intention to hand over any airbase to the United States while the CIA chief’s recent visit (to Pakistan) was part of a routine affair and there was nothing to hide.

The foreign minister said by allowing a limited number of locals to perform Hajj, the Saudi government had taken a precautionary measure in connection with the Covid epidemic.

He said that the finance minister had made it clear that there was no intention of a mini-budget.

He said before criticising the government over the defence budget, PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal should read the budget document.

Answering a question about G 7 intentions, Qureshi said China was working on CPEC projects and it would continue to do so. 

If the G7 countries also wanted to initiate the same sort of project, it would be a healthy competition.

Reply to a question regarding development works in Multan, the minister said that district coordination committees had been formed on the direction of Prime Minister Imran Khan in all the districts of Punjab which would supervise development schemes in their respective districts.

“The first meeting of the District Coordination Committee in Multan was held the other day in which the pace of work on the projects was reviewed while the next meeting of the committee would be held on June 26,” he said.

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COURTESY DAWN NEWS

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ABU DHABI, JUN 14: Asif Ali and Musa Khan starred as Islamabad United registered an epic 28-run victory against Lahore Qalandars.

While chasing a respectable total of 153, Qalandars went off to a decent start courtesy of 55-run partnership between Fakhar Zaman and captain Sohail Akhtar.

After the departure of Sohail, who scored 34 off 19 balls, Qalandars batting line-up collapsed and they were reduced to 99-7 in 14 overs.

They eventually bowled out for just 124 in the 19th over.

Fakhar was the top scorer for the losing side as he scored 44 off 37 deliveries.

For United, Musa Khan was the star of the show with the ball as he claimed three wickets for 18 runs in his four-over spell.

Earlier, after opting to bat first,  United lost five wickets with just 20 runs on the board.

However, Iftikhar Ahmed and Asif Ali made a crucial partnership to guide the side to a respectable total of 152.

Asif finished the innings with top score of 75 off 43 deliveries with the help of six boundaries and five maximums.

And that’s it. United secured an epic 28-run victory, courtesy brilliant spells from Musa Khan.

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COURTESY SAMAA

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ISLAMABAD, JUN 13: Prime Minister Imran Khan is expected to visit England next month.

According to The Pakistan Daily, leading digital platform, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson invited PM Imran Khan for the visit and to see the Pak-England one-day cricket match to be held on July 8.

The visit had not been finalized yet. However, the scheduling for the visit is underway and the visit could be finalized after the scheduling, according to The Pakistan Daily sources.

The PM, possibly, will meet his UK counterpart during the visit and talk about the bilateral relationship and trade between the two the country. PM will also meet with other high officials.

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