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A religious group has called off the third day of planned protests, saying that the government had agreed to their demand for a boycott of French products, the group’s spokesman said. Up to 5,000 protesters on Sunday had attempted to reach the capital Islamabad from the nearby city of Rawalpindi, but authorities blocked their path with shipping containers. Telephone services were restored late on Monday after being suspended in both Islamabad and Rawalpindi for two days, a common tactic used by authorities to prevent communication between protesters and leaders. Hundreds of protesters remained at the roadblock throughout Monday and into yesterday morning. Thousands of supporters had clashed with police on the edge of the capital, Islamabad, on Monday in protests over recent incidents in France. “We are calling off our protests after the government signed an agreement that it will officially endorse boycotting French products,” Ejaz Ashrafi, a spokesman for the Tehreek-e-Labbaik (TLP), told Reuters by telephone. The government spokesman was not immediately available for comment on the agreement, which, according to a copy provided by the TLP and seen by Reuters, was signed by two ministers, a top official, and the group’s leaders. The French embassy in Islamabad declined to comment and Pakistan’s foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment. The protests erupted after French President Emmanuel Macron defended France’s freedom of speech laws, in the wake of the killing of a teacher. The agreement between the TLP and the government also stipulated that the Pakistan parliament would decide within three months on whether to expel the French ambassador. Also, all detained protesters and their leaders would be set free immediately, the spokesman said, shortly after he was released. The TLP had blocked one of the main roads into the capital, demanding that the government sever diplomatic ties with France and expel its ambassador. Pakistan’s trade with France was valued at nearly $800mn in the last financial year, according to central bank data, with $422mn worth of exports and imports valued at $356mn. A senior government official who asked not to be named told AFP that the “government has no intention of cutting diplomatic ties with any country”. He added that the situation had been “handled accordingly” to ensure the protesters left peacefully. The TLP called off a similar protest in 2017, in which one police officer and six protesters were killed, after the government agreed to its demands, which included the resignation of the law minister. Adam Weinstein, a fellow at the Quincy Institute think-tank said it is unlikely the government would move to cut ties with France, but that the episode had shown the TLP’s “growing power to mobilise without warning”.

Pakistan has banned public political rallies after recording its highest daily coronavirus infections since July for four days running. The Covid-19 respiratory disease is caused by the coronavirus. Several huge religious and anti-government public rallies have been held in major cities in recent weeks. Prime Minister Imran Khan announced the ban, explaining that hospitals would be overwhelmed as they were in June, if people do not act responsibly. “We have decided to ban public gatherings in the country, including ours planned over the weekend, as large crowds help in the spread of the coronavirus,” he said on national television. After a peak of over 6,800 daily infections in June, the number fell to a low of 213 in August, and remained below 700 for most of the last three months. “No one followed safety precautions and we are seeing the end-result,” Dr Seemin Jamali, executive director of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center in Karachi, told Reuters. “It is high time people realise, or we will continue to suffer,” The country has registered a total 359,032 coronavirus cases and 7,160 deaths. Pakistan has witnessed a huge spike in the positivity rate of Covid-19 since July, climbing up to 7.21%. As per the National Command and Operation Centre, out of 29,511 tests across the country – much below its daily test capacity of 74,227 – 2,128 came positive, while 19 people lost their lives to the deadly virus. The positivity rate, according to the official tally, is now 7.21%, the highest since July 22. Alarmingly, the daily rate of deaths were being reported in double digits in the past week, while new cases have remained over the 2,000-mark for the last four days. As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Pakistani cities and districts which have recorded the highest test positive ratio in the past few weeks are Multan, Rawalpindi, Mirpur, Muzaffarabad, Hyderabad and Karachi. Meanwhile, a meeting of education ministers yesterday, chaired by Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood, has deferred the decision on school closure and early and extended winter vacations. In his remarks on the occasion, Mahmood said that the final decision regarding winter vacation and closure of schools will be taken in the next meeting of interprovincial education ministers on November 23. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah is the latest public figure to test positive for coronavirus. According to Sindh Chief Minister House, Shah had a mild fever on Friday and was tested for the novel coronavirus. His test result came back positive the same day, the Chief Minister House tweeted. On the advice of his doctors, Shah has gone into isolation. Last week, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Qamar Zaman Kaira and Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N)’s Captain (retired) Safdar tested positive for the coronavirus while campaigning for their parties in Gilgit-Baltistan. These leaders are among several politicians and lawmakers who have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic first emerged in Pakistan. Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid, PPP leader Saeed Ghani, PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Minister Taimur Jhagra contracted the virus and have now recovered. Last week, Pakistan lost Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Waqar Seth and PPP’s senior politician Jam Madad Ali to the coronavirus.

Former Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) chief ministers from the opposition Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have been defeated by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidates in the November 15 polls. PML-N leader and former Gilgit-Baltistan chief minister Hafiz-ur-Rehman, who was contesting from the GBA-2 Gilgit II constituency, suffered an embarrassing defeat, securing third place in the elections. The seat was won by the PTI’s Fattaullah Khan, who secured 6,696 votes, defeating the PPP’s Jamil Ahmed by two votes – the latter secured 6,694 votes. On the other hand, Rehman could only manage 3,964 votes. Former chief minister Syed Mehdi Shah of the PPP was defeated in GBA-7 by PTI candidate Raja Mohamed Zakaria Khan. Shah secured 4,140 votes, while Khan got 5,288 votes. The PML-N’s Mohamed Akbar Taban trailed the two with 1,429 votes. The results for the Gilgit-Baltistan election are still being counted after the voting ended on Sunday. A total of 745,361 voters have cast their ballots for 23 constituencies across 1,160 polling stations. The Gilgit-Baltistan region’s administration said that 15,900 law enforcement personnel were deployed to ensure security. Twenty-four seats of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly are up for grabs. A total of 320 candidates contested in the polls. Gilgit-Baltistan government spokesperson Faizullah Firaq has meanwhile rejected allegations of vote rigging, made by former premier and PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, media reported. In a statement, Firaq said that the region’s interim government provided an level playing field to the political parties contesting in the polls. He added that the elections were held in a transparent and peaceful manner. The official statement by the Gilgit-Baltistan government comes in the wake of Abbasi’s accusations that the interim government “managed” the polls. The former prime minister alleged that several PML-N candidates were forced to leave the party. The PTI is reportedly leading in the Gilgit-Baltistan elections, winning nine seats according to unofficial results. Independent candidates have so far managed to secure seven seats, followed by PPP candidates, who bagged four seats. PML-N candidates have clinched two seats. The Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM), an ally of the PTI, emerged victorious in one of the total 23 constituencies up for grabs. The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam – Fazlur (JUI-F) secured one seat. PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has announced that he will be joining a protest against the Gilgit-Baltistan election result. Bilawal tweeted yesterday: “My election has been stolen. I will be joining the people of Gilgit-Baltistan in their protest shortly.”

Sunday saw one of the most hotly contested elections in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region, which has assumed added significance in the wake of the promise made by the Centre-ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) earlier this month to grant provisional provincial status to the region. At the time of going to press, the PTI was said to be leading in 9 of the 24 seats on offer, followed by Independents 7, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) 4, Pakistan Muslim League –  Nawaz (PML-N) 2, Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI) 1 and Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) 1. These are however, unconfirmed results, according to local Gilgit-Baltistan Times magazine. All three major parties, PTI, PPP and PML-N, worked the circuit in a frenzied build-up to the election that has historically swayed to the party in Centre. As with PPP in 2009 and PML-N the last time in 2015, the general expectation is that it will fall to the PTI but possibly in a coalition-setting.   However, there is an extra edge to the elections this time given the rousing opposition campaign to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan from power under the banner of Pakistan Democratic Alliance from the Centre, which has seen a flurry of rallies across major cities. As many as 330 candidates, including four women, are vying for the 24 general seats in the third legislative assembly of Gilgit-Baltistan. According to data obtained from the GB Election Commission, a total of 745,361 people were registered to vote yesterday, 339,992 of whom are women. Nearly 1,234 polling stations were set up in the 24 constituencies. Citizens had lined up outside polling stations, wearing face masks and observing social distancing. Hundreds braved heavy snowfall in the upper areas of GB to cast their vote. Vote count in several cities in Gilgit-Baltistan began after polling, in what was one of the most hotly contested election the region has ever seen, came to an end at 5pm yesterday. PTI supporters here were seen celebrating party candidate Zakariya Khan’s victory, which has yet to be confirmed, in GBLA-7 Skardu-I, according to dawn.com, Pakistan’s leading web portal. It said Khan secured 5,290 votes while his competitor, PPP’s Syed Mehdi Shah, got 4,114. In Ghanche-I constituency, independent candidate Mushtaq Hussain reportedly defeated PTI’s Ibrahim Sanai with 6,051 votes. The latter got 4,945 votes. PPP candidate Mohamed Jaffar secured 2,615 votes. Independent candidate Wazir Saleem was leading the race with 3,380 votes in GBLA-9 Skardu-III constituency, followed by PTI’s Fida Nashad who secured 1,213 votes, according to unconfirmed results. PPP’s Engineer Ismail was in front in GBLA-24 constituency, Ghanche-III with 6,206 votes. He is followed by PTI’s Shamsuddin who has reportedly bagged 5,361 votes. Voting began at 8am and continued until 5pm without any interval. Polling in most constituencies went smoothly throughout the day. In Gilgit city, women and the elderly showed their enthusiasm and turned up at polling stations to cast their votes. However, in Ghizer, Hunza, Sost and Baltistan heavy snowfall continued, restricting citizens to their houses.

Prime Minister Imran Khan yesterday announced a mega development project for South Balochistan areas featuring construction of 1,100 kilometre roads, skill training to 35,000 youth and expansion of power and gas supply networks.  During his day-long visit to Turbat, Balochistan, the prime minister also inaugurated Daar-ul-Ehsaas facility for the orphan and other poor children to provide them free shelter, food and education.  Khan also launched Waseela-e-Taleem programme, to help enrol additional 83,000 children in the schools and facilitate over 640,000 children through accelerated and distance learning programmes.  The prime minister performed the ground-breaking of various development projects, including extension of Turbat airport, 200-bed Makran Medical Teaching Hospital, University of Turbat and 146 kilometre Hoshab-Awaran section of M-8 motorway.  The package comprises of construction of 210 basic health units and improved nutrition for 7,000 households under Ehsaas Nashonuma programme.  Establishment of six border markets, three dates processing units and an olive extraction unit are also part of the development package.  Under the plan, 35,000 youth will be imparted skill training to enable them earn as freelancer besides extending internet facility to another 0.5 million people.  Moreover, 16 dam will be constructed and 0.15 million acres land will be cultivated.  The development plan is expected to create more than 120,000 jobs for the area where 0.7 million people of up to 35 years are unemployed. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced to introduce 4G Internet services and Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme in Balochistan for the benefit of common people. Addressing notables of South Balochistan in Turbat, he said young people, especially students of the province, can take maximum benefit from fast Internet facilities in the age of information technology. The prime minister said under the Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme the poor can get loans from designated banks on 5% interest to have their own house. Khan said it is part of his faith that no nation can progress unless it lifts its weaker segments. He reiterated that his government’s objective to uplift Balochistan was not only limited to mere announcements of projects but that it would fully focus on its development and progress to bring the province on par with other parts of the country. Highlighting importance of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor for the development of Balochistan, Khan said Gwadar Port offers massive connectivity to China, which is the fastest progressing country in the world. He said current volume of Chinese trade is around $2,000bn and Pakistan, especially Balochistan can benefit from this. The PM said no loan in last four months was taken, while domestic market witnessed record sale of cement, iron, and automobiles, which shows upward trajectory of country’s economy. During his day-long visit of Turbat, the premier performed laid the foundation stone for extension of Turbat Airport, 200-bed Makran Medical Teaching Hospital, University of Turbat Phase-II and Hoshab-Awaran Section of M-8. The PM was also briefed about the progress on Basima-Khuzdar Road N-30 and Development Package for South Balochistan. Khan inaugurated the Daar-ul-Ehsaas for orphaned and poor children where free shelter, food and education would be provided. The PM also launched Ehsaas’ Educational Scholarships for deserving primary school girls and undergraduates under Waseela-e-Taleem programme. Earlier addressing the youth in Turbat yesterday afternoon, Khan said the government was focusing on promotion of education and health sectors in the province as investment in the human capital is vital for national development. He urged the students to focus on education and after completion of education to come forward and play pivotal role in the progress and prosperity of the province and country.  The PM appreciated the Punjab Government for enhancing scholarships for Balochistan students from 135 to 360.  He said equal development of all the federating units is essential for a stronger federation.

A fiery online series about a group of women who unleash revenge on men has sparked a backlash in Pakistan, where tough censorship rules prevent such shows from appearing on television. Filmed in Karachi but released by an India-based streaming service, Churails (Witches in English), centres on four women who open an underground detective agency under the guise of a clothing store to catch cheating husbands. The storylines cover often untouched topics such as taboo relationships, sexual exploitation, male dominance and obsession with fair skin. It caused a buzz among much of its audience online — often limited to affluent Pakistanis who can afford the platform’s subscription fee — but infuriated conservatives when clips began to circulate on social media. “When all of us read the script for the first time we thought to ourselves, ‘Are we even allowed to do this?’,” said actress Mehar Bano. She plays Zubaida, a young woman from a poor and traditional family who loves boxing but is forbidden from practicing the sport. “We knew what we were getting into, we knew that something like this would garner a lot of hate,” she told AFP. It is a rare women-centred script for strait-laced Pakistan, where shows are often limited to the stormy relationships between stay-at-home wives and their demanding mothers-in-law. “Before this, I had not heard or seen these women on television or on digital platforms or cinema, even though I knew they existed,” said British-Pakistani filmmaker Asim Abbasi, who wrote the 10-episode series. He faced relentless accusations of “making immorality glamorous” once the show began streaming, especially after a clip from the series went viral on social media. It portrayed a successful businesswoman character who discussed getting intimate with her boss in order to be promoted. Zee5 later temporarily pulled the series while it “addressed” a complaint from the Pakistan Television Authority. “How do we fix something when it’s not being talked about? It keeps the status quo in place,” said Bano of complaints by the “moral police”. The actress, whose character is rescued from a forced wedding while her parents are held at gunpoint, said the familiar portrayal of women as respectful and subservient was keeping Pakistani women at a disadvantage. Abbasi said he would never have been able to produce the show for Pakistani television, which faces heavy censorship from authorities particularly related to sexuality. International subscription streaming platforms do not face the same constraints, but tech companies do risk outright prohibition — Pakistan briefly banned Chinese short video app TikTok in September because of “immoral” content. Series star Sarwat Gillani told AFP people were “living in denial,” with the lives of Pakistanis “sugarcoated” for television. “We weren’t telling a lie,” she says of Churails, in which she plays a rich trophy wife who founds the detective agency after discovering her husband has been texting dozens of women. “We weren’t telling a story of another country. We were telling a story about our people,” she adds. Pakistan’s censorship crusade against supposedly indecent media has been gathering pace under Prime Minister Imran Khan, a former cricket star with a playboy past, who has sought to placate powerful conservative and religious constituencies. “The problem is that you cannot define indecency. It has a totally different definition for different segments of the population,” complained science minister Fawad Chaudhry, who opposes the government bans and says they are harming the country’s tech industry. In the past few months, foreign-made dating apps such as Tinder and Grindr have been blocked and YouTube has been threatened. There has been an “erosion of the kind of things we can talk about”, said filmmaker Hasan Zaidi, a former head of the Karachi Film Festival. “The avenues and space available for creativity have really shrunk in Pakistan,” he said. Series star Bano added that she understood it was “uncomfortable” for Pakistanis to see the flaws in their own society but said entertaining narratives gave audiences a chance to reflect. “Because of this banning culture, there are a lot of problems that are being swept under the rug,” she said.

Prime Minister Imran Khan launched the much anticipated Naya Pakistan Certificates for overseas Pakistanis here yesterday to incentivise investment.  The ceremony was attended by government officials, including Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Minister for Industries Hammad Azhar and Minister for Economic Affairs Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, among others. Shariah compliant Islamic certificates would also be available for a period of 3 months to 5 years. The depositor will be able to withdraw the capital even before the stipulated period. No tax filing will be required with only 10% holding tax applicable on net profit. The investment in Naya Pakistan Certificate is fully refundable and no approval would be required to transfer these funds abroad. In September, Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurated the Roshan Digital Account, which provides innovative banking solutions for millions of non-resident Pakistanis (NRPs) seeking to undertake fund transfers, bill payments and investment activities in Pakistan. Opening the Roshan Digital Account requires a basic set of information and documents, and only take 48 hours once all documents are complete. The customer can choose either a foreign currency or rupee dominated account, or both. Funds in these accounts will be fully repatriable, without the need for any regulatory approval. The PM informed the gathering that there had been no increase in the country’s debts in the past four months. Expressing satisfaction at the turnaround, he pointed out that Pakistan’s current account balance in the previous quarter had gone into surplus for the first time in 17 years. But he regretted the development “had not been highlighted” by the media. The premier also noted that the inflow of remittances has been on the rise owing to excellent incentives by the State Bank and urged the central bank’s governor, Reza Baqir, to continue efforts to ensure that overseas Pakistanis stack their money in Pakistan.  The Naya Pakistan Certificate, the prime minister said, is an important step in this regard as it offers returns to overseas residents at a time when interest rates across the world had fallen. He said thanks to the increase in remittances, the rupee was getting stronger and the economy stabilising “without any spending” by the government. He felt the economic situation of Pakistan would have been much better if the incumbent administration “did not have to bear the burden of past governments’ policies”. Earlier today, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) data had revealed that remittances during the month of October had risen 14.1 per cent year-on-year to $2.3 billion, clocking in above the $2bn mark for the fifth consecutive month.  During July-October FY21, workers’ remittances increased to $9.4 billion, recording a growth of 26.5 per cent over the same period last year. The SBP informed that a large part of year-on-year increase in October 2020 was sourced from Saudi Arabia (30%), United States (16%) and United Kingdom (14.6%). The SBP noted that improvements in Pakistan’s FX market structure and its dynamics, efforts under the Pakistan Remittances Initiative (PRI) to formalise the flows and limited cross-border traveling had contributed to the growth in remittances. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the workers’ remittances have managed to post strong growth. Remittances sent by overseas Pakistan increased by 31.2 per cent or $544 million to $2.283 billion in September 2020 compared to $1.74 billion received in the same month of the last fiscal year. Since June, the country is receiving over $2 billion home remittances monthly. June saw remittances soar to $2.47 billion, while the country received highest-ever workers’ remittances — $2.76 billion — in July and $2.09 billion in August.

The upcoming elections in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) will see a strong contest between the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), whereas Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) is lagging behind the two. This was revealed in two surveys conducted by Gallup Pakistan and Pulse Consultant. Gallup Pakistan asked the respondents who they will be voting for on November 15. Some 27% responded that they would vote for PTI, 24% said PPP, and 14% said PML-N. Similarly, Pulse Consultant survey revealed 35% would vote for PTI, 26% said PPP and 14% said PML-N. Gallup Pakistan and Pulse Consultant survey show a gap of 3 per cent and 9 per cent, respectively between the PTI and PPP. But both results reveal that PTI is the first choice, PPP second and PML-N third. The surveys also show that Prime Minister Imran Khan is the most popular leader in GB followed by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Nawaz Sharif while Gallup Pakistan survey revealed only 3 per cent named Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz as the most favourite leader. All three have campaigned in the region last week. In the Gallup survey, 31% said elections would be completely fair, 29% said they would be fair to some extent while 28% felt they could not say anything.  As per the Gallup survey, 66 per cent of GB locals are in favour of converting GB into a province, while 28 per cent were against it.

Pakistan and Iran have agreed to make joint efforts for peace and stability in the region, including Afghanistan.  The understanding was reached at a meeting between Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif here yesterday.  The two foreign ministers also expressed concern over the tendency of rising Islamophobia in some European countries and made it clear that blasphemous attitude in the garb of freedom of expression is not acceptable at all. They exchanged views on bilateral relations, promotion of bilateral co-operation in diverse fields, and the coronavirus pandemic. They also discussed better border management, promotion of mutual contacts, and provision of better facilities to the Zaireen. Qureshi said Pakistan and Iran can benefit from regional and other important forums for promotion of co-operation in bilateral trade, investment, security and other areas of mutual interest. Expressing grief and sorrow over deaths due to Covid-19 in Iran, the foreign minister appreciated the Iranian government’s efforts to control spread of the pandemic.  Qureshi said durable peace in Afghanistan is imperative for peace and stability in the region. He said the Afghan leadership has a unique opportunity in the form of intra-Afghan dialogue and they should not let this opportunity go. Zarif appreciated Pakistan’s positive role for regional stability, especially the Afghan peace process and pledged to keep working for better relations between the two brotherly countries.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) released a detailed report on the financial assets of National Assembly members, including Prime Minister Imran Khan, sources said yesterday. According to the report, the total value of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s assets stand at Rs80.6 million. The prime minister owns 10 immovable properties in Pakistan, while he has inherited a seven-Kanal house in Zaman Park, Lahore, which is valued at Rs40.53 million. According to the report, the prime minister received a 300-Kanal house in Bani Gala as a gift. Additional construction-related costs of the house cost him another Rs10.14 million. The document also provided details of his other assets, including a six-Kanal plot in Mohra Noori worth Rs0.5 million, and five inherited plots in Mianwali, Bhakkar, Sheikhupura and Khanewal. The assets’ report further noted that Khan has paid Rs10.19 million to buy two apartments at Shahra-e-Dastoor in Islamabad. He has four goats worth Rs200,000 in total, and Rs50.66 million in a Pakistani bank account. The PM also has Rs10.99 million in cash. Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi owns four properties in the country, including Pakpattan, Okara and Bani Gala. Khan has also sold one of his properties in Ferozewala, Sheikhupura for Rs70 million. The report also stated the premier did not have any offshore businesses or properties. He however, has four foreign-currency bank accounts: one of his accounts has £518, another one contains $328,760, while the third account has $1,470. He has no money in his euro account.

An accountability court in Lahore has declared former prime minister Nawaz Sharif a proclaimed offender and issued non-bailable warrants against him in illegal land allotment case, it was reported yesterday. The court also ordered the authorities to seize property of the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) supremo. The verdict was issued by Accountability Court Judge Asad Ali. The court also instructed the National Accountability Bureau and revenue department to submit a report on the foreclosure of the property at the next hearing.  The hearing of the case has been adjourned till November 26.  On October 15, the accountability court gave deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif one month to appear before it in a case on the illegal allotment of plots. The court also ordered to post advertisements for summoning Sharif in the said case. The NAB in its reference alleged that Jang group CEO Shakilur Rehman illegally obtained 54 plots, each measuring one kanal, situated in Block-H, Johar Town.  According to NAB, the land was allotted in connivance with the-then Punjab chief minister Nawaz Sharif against the exemption policy and the laws for monetary gains. It stated the suspects caused a loss of Rs143.53 million to the national exchequer through allotment of the land in violation of exemption policy.

Chairman of Prime Minister’s Taskforce on Science and Technology Dr Atta ur Rehman yesterday remarked that the Pfizer vaccine, being celebrated worldwide, is not suitable for Pakistan. “This vaccine is not suitable for Pakistan in my opinion,” the former head of the HEC said and warned that it was “too early to celebrate” the news regarding the Pfizer vaccine. “We should not think much about this vaccine, instead focus on other vaccines that are being developed and have seen similar results but haven’t been announced with fanfare. They are working quietly,” said Dr Rehman. Explaining his reasoning, the scientist said he was cautious because he believes that the vaccine has “five problems” to deal with right now.  “The first problem is that the FDA has not given the approval, the regulatory bodies have to approve and will take two months,” said Dr Rehman. He added the regulatory bodies will have to see the results first then allow the company to move on to the next stage of the vaccine finalisation process. The other problem the scientist highlighted was that the vaccine needs to be kept at a temperature of -80C, which in his view was a major problem for Third World countries, including Pakistan. The former HEC chairman said the third world countries, including Pakistan, do not have the “cold chain” that will allow them to transport the vaccine in -80C temperatures from the point of origin to the hospitals. He added that giving two doses of the vaccine also make it difficult to rely on the vaccine. “The third biggest problem is that you do not know how many days it is effective,” said Dr Rehman. He explained that right now there was no “evidence, or any result” that has been seen by Pfizer and BioNTech to determine its effectiveness.  “In the beginning it is effective but [you don’t know] for how many months the anti-bodies remain in your body,” said Dr Rehman. The other two problems shared by Dr Rehman was of large scale production which he feels would take a year to reach subject to the vaccine passing all the steps required. The last problem he shared was of the price of the vaccine. Dr Rehman said that 11 other vaccines, apart from the Pfizer one, are in phase 3 clinical trials. The scientist explained that Pakistan which is administering trials of two Chinese vaccines were also showing positive results. “One Chinese vaccine, by Sinopharm, is also in phase 3 clinical trials and has seen good results in multiple countries, but they have not highlighted it like Pfizer and are working quietly,” said Dr Rehman. He added the trial of the vaccine is being administered in Karachi University’s International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences and Indus Hospital. The Task Force chairman also said the company has also committed to giving the vaccine to Pakistan at “reasonable rates”. He also shared that another Chinese vaccine’s phase 3 clinical trial is being administered at the National Institute of Health. Dr Rehman also explained that Chinese vaccines can also be transported in normal temperatures and do not have to be kept at -80C degrees which he believes makes it better “suited for Pakistan and Third World countries” “There are 12 companies whose vaccine are in phase 3 of clinical trial and Pfizer was one of them. And Chinese companies are ahead,” claimed Dr Rehman. Large-scale trials of a coronavirus vaccine candidate produced by Pfizer/BioNTech has revealed that it is 90% effective, said the manufacturer in a statement. In what is being touted as possibly the biggest news regarding the virus ever since it originated, the vaccine’s effectiveness can mean in can hit the markets for treatment by the year’s end in some countries of the world. The study shows that people who received two doses as part of the trial saw 90% fewer symptomatic cases of Covid-19 than participants who were given a placebo. “Today, is a great day for science and humanity. The first set of results from our phase 3 Covid-19 vaccine trial provides the initial evidence of our vaccine’s ability to prevent Covid-19,” said Dr Albert Bourla, the Pfizer chairman and chief executive. The study focused on 94 participants out of a total number of 43,000 people. These participants were offered the two-dose vaccine and 28 days after they received their first inoculation, remained protected. “To me, this is the best possible outcome,” Ugur Sahin, co-founder and chief executive of BioNTech told the Financial Times. Pfizer expects to produce 50 million vaccine doses in 2020 and up to 1.3 billion doses by 2021.

Sikh communities all around the world celebrated the first anniversary of the opening of Kartarpur Corridor yesterday. On November 9 last year, Prime Minister Imran Khan fulfilled the dream of some 30mn Sikhs worldwide by formally opening it in a grand ceremony. The opening of corridor was widely recognised as “a new symbol of peace” by the world community, which also took place on the eve of 550th birth anniversary of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev. Darbar Sahib Kartarpur is located in Narowal district, which is the last resting place of Baba Guru Nanak, who had settled there and preached for about 18 years of his life.

President Dr Arif Alvi has congratulated US President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris. In a tweet, the president said that Pakistan is looking forward to an improving US role towards world peace, especially in Afghanistan, as well as the entire region. The president said that Pakistan looks forward to the continued long-term friendship and a dignified relationship between the two nations. Meanwhile, the chairman of the Kashmir Council Europe, Ali Raza Syed, has expressed the hope that Biden would play significant role in the settlement of Kashmir dispute. In a statement in Brussels, he urged the President-elect to not ignore security issues in South Asia, especially that of the Kashmir dispute because it is essentially related to peace in this region. Syed said that the people of Kashmir have a lot of expectations from Biden, who has already emphasised the restoration of their rights. He said the president-elect should use his good offices and influence for a peaceful solution of the Kashmir dispute.

Former Balochistan chief minister Sardar Sanaullah Zehri has announced that he would quit the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N), and threw a challenge to the party to win even a single seat from the province without his support. “I challenge the PML-N to secure the win even a single seat from Balochistan now,” he said during an event where Abdul Qadir Baloch, another PML-N stalwart who left the party recently, was present. Zehri recalled that he and Baloch were awarded PML-N tickets from Balochistan when nobody was ready to contest polls on their party symbol in 2018. He lamented the way Sharif decided from London as to who would sit at the podium during a recent Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) rally in Quetta. “The King [Nawaz Sharif] is making decisions as to who will sit on the stage,” he mocked, while terming the PML-N supremo as an absconder who had fled the country and took shelter in London to launch attacks against the country. “We will now show him as to who owns Balochistan, whether it is the Baloch people, or him,” the former chief minister said. “I announce my resignation from the Central Executive Committee of Nawaz Sharif, and will now openly challenge him at every platform,” he said. Zehri further said that he would announce his future political plans after consultation with associates. It is pertinent to mention here that PML-N Balochistan chief Abdul Qadir Baloch had on November 1 announced his intention to part ways with the party, citing Sharif’s rhetoric against the Pakistan Army from the platform of the PDM.

ENENT, a startup founded by a team of electrical engineering graduates from National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) in Karachi has developed a device to reduce electricity use at home by 20%. The device patented as ‘Intellica-Three-Phase Load Balancer’ was one of the winners of 2020 UN Asia-Pacific Low Carbon Lifestyles Challenge organised by the United Nations Environment Programme in May. Osama bin Shakeel, CEO of ENENT, explained that installing Intellica at 1,000 homes would lead to 18,000 tons less carbon dioxide emissions and $500,000 would be saved, which is enough to power additional 200 homes in Pakistan. The cost of the device and its installation is $350, which pays off after seven-eight months of use. ENET has already conducted a 3,000-hour reliability test on this device and is now looking for funds to start mass production. Shakeel added that “there is a huge gap between supply and demand (in Pakistan), we believe that this load-balancing technology can play its part in making this band narrow, as up to 18 to 20 per cent line losses can be reduced if we balance the load among the three phases in real time and that is what Intellica is doing.” Although, the device is conceptually a good product, experts believe that more tests and before-and-after analysis is required before the startup starts mass-production.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s comments on Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif’s Gujranwala and Quetta statements will be a topic of discussion at the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) meeting today. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto said that he was “blindsided” when former prime minister Nawaz Sharif named top military leadership in a Pakistan Democratic Moment rally last month, BBC Urdu reported Friday. The PPP chairman sent shockwaves within the PDM and a storm in political circles on Friday with his remarks in an interview with the BBC over Sharif’s blistering attack on the current military leadership by name in a public meeting last month in Gujranwala. Admitting being blindsided by the speech, Bilawal hoped Sharif would soon reveal evidence to support the statement. “We avoid such comments during public gatherings. No-one person can be held responsible for bringing (current prime minister) Imran Khan to power,” the young Bhutto scion told the BBC. Both Bilawal’s mother — Benazir Bhutto — and grandfather Zulfikar Ali Bhutto were former prime ministers. His party’s supporters and many political pundits see him potentially following their path in the future.  Bilawal’s remarks are being seen as a blow to the newly-formed opposition alliance, and were peddled with glee by the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government. As well as discuss this, the PDM hopes to devise a strategy to deal with the eventuality of a response by the government including crackdowns on workers or leaders at any point in time during the movement. PDM president Maulana Fazlur Rehman, a firebrand cleric and chief of his own Jamiat Ulema Islam party, will take his colleagues into confidence on the desire of some parties to join the alliance, according to a report published in The News, a leading English daily. It said the PDM will also discuss the federal government’s alleged defiance of electoral laws and “pre-poll rigging” ahead of the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) legislative assembly elections including Prime Minister Imran Khan’s decision to announce provisional provincial status for the northern region. It is unlikely that PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz and Bilawal would attend the meeting owing to their GB campaign. The PDM will also discuss inflation, “worsening law and order situation” and other matters. The impact of US presidential outcome on the region as well as resulting international situation would also figure in the discussion.

Addressing a charged public meeting here in the Punjab city yesterday, Prime Minister Imran Khan said the journey to develop Pakistan as a welfare state had finally begun. After breaking ground of a brand new university, the prime minister recounted his government’s initiatives like health insurance card, shelter homes and housing loans before resolving to uplift all the areas neglected in the past. Accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Member of the National Assembly Shaukat Bhatti and other party leaders, Khan unveiled the plaque for the construction of the university which is being built at a cost of Rs6 billion. He announced extending the health insurance facility to half the provincial population by the current year and whole by the next year. The Sehat Insaf Card facility, Khan assured, would give a confidence to the low-income groups for having an insurance cover of Rs1 million for medical treatment of a family at public and private hospitals.  “This is happening for the first time in Pakistan’s 73-year history. Even the developed countries do not have such a facility as being provided to the people of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” the prime minister said. Khan felt the initiative would also lead to the development of a network of private hospitals across the two provinces because people with the insurance facility would confidently visit private hospitals for medical treatment. He said like the university, the government would also build a 400-bed District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) to provide better treatment facilities to the people of Hafizabad, which is the country’s 31st largest city. He said besides building shelter homes for the poor, the government had also launched the Naya Pakistan Housing Programme to push banks into providing easy loans to even low-income people to enable them to build their own homes.

BBC Urdu has reported that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto said he was “blindsided” when former prime minister Nawaz Sharif named top military leadership in a Pakistan Democratic Moment (PDM) rally last month. Reflecting on the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) supremo’s move to name military leadership in his Gujranwala speech, Bilawal said that it was the former prime minister’s personal decision. Admitting to being blindsided by the speech, Bilawal hoped that Sharif would soon reveal evidence to support his statement. “We avoid such comments during public gatherings. No one person can be held responsible for bringing (Prime Minister) Imran Khan to power.” Bilawal claimed that the incumbent government has lost the trust of the masses and blamed it for rising inflation and the current economic crisis. “The country is going through a difficult period,” he said, adding that a progressive democratic force is the only way out. “Even a weakened democracy is much better than dictatorship.” The PPP chairman said his party’s fight for democracy is three-generation strong. “We are pushing for civilian governance and a strong democracy through democratic channels.” Bilawal also said that the “kidnapping” of Sindh Inspector-General Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar as well as the arrest of PML-N leader Captain (retired) Safdar Awan from a Karachi hotel are both matters under investigation. He added that there had been no further correspondence with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on the Karachi incident. “I am confident the investigation will be completed,” he said, demanding that those responsible be identified and punished. “I am patiently waiting to be informed about the inquiry.” “The PDM demands the formation of a fact-finding commission to investigate the role of the establishment during democratic regimes,” Bilawal told BBC Urdu. “The commission should also probe the establishment’s role in the formation of the incumbent government.” He termed Prime Minister Khan’s promise to make Gilgit-Baltistan a province ahead of the November 15 elections as “rigging”. He said the premier and his party cannot be trusted due to their “U-turns”. “Imran Khan breaks all his promises. He promised to make South Punjab a separate province within the first 100 days of his government,” the PPP leader recalled. “But he didn’t.” Bilawal said his party will table a constitutional amendment in the Parliament on GB’s provincial status.

President Dr Arif Alvi conferring the award of Nishan-e-Pakistan on Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sefik Dzaferovic, at Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad yesterday. It is the highest civil award of Pakistan bestowed by the president for the highest degree of service to the citizens of the country as well as foreign nationals. The award was instituted in 1957.