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A massive fire erupted inside Hafeez Centre located in Lahore’s Gulberg main boulevard area yesterday morning due to an electrical short circuit.  According to rescue officials, the fire broke out in a shop on the second floor of the plaza, where laptops, mobile phones and other electronic items are sold and spread to the fourth floor.  The fire brigade was called soon after the fire broke out around 6am in the morning. So far, no loss of life has been reported but it is being said that electronic items worth millions have been destroyed by the flames. The fire has engulfed 30-40 shops in total and has spread to the shopping centre’s backside as well, the rescue official said. The Gulberg Main Boulevard Road has been closed for traffic due to relief activities being carried out in the area. Twelve fire brigades and 60 rescue officials are carrying our relief activities in the area. Reports from the ground state that eight fire brigades have run out of water. Authorities have called for more fire brigades at the spot due to the intensity of the fire.

Tens of thousands of opposition supporters rallied yesterday in the city of Karachi as part of a campaign to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan, who they accuse of being installed by the military in a rigged 2018 election. Nine major opposition parties formed a joint platform called the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) last month to begin a nationwide agitation against the government. Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari; Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) vice presidents Maryam Nawaz and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi; Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazal chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chairman Mehmood Achakzai, among other leaders, arrived on the stage set up at Bagh-i-Jinnah late in the evening. Addressing the gathering, Bilawal said the opposition’s struggle was not for the power but to ensure the right of the masses via real democratic system. “All those doors are being closed through which rights of the masses can be ensured,” he alleged. He said Prime Minister Imran Khan was unaware of the issues being faced by masses including historic inflation and rising poverty, and that in the absence of democracy, the decisions were being made to protect the interest of few people. Bilawal said his grandfather Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and mother Benazir — both former prime ministers — sacrificed their lives to strengthen the democracy in the country. “We have to fight a war for the supremacy of law, democracy and Constitution.” Maryam, the daughter and political heir of the former three-time premier Nawaz Sharif, in her maiden address in this port city lashed out at the prime minister, saying she considered it “below dignity to respond to his allegations”. “When I came to Karachi... I remembered Benazir Bhutto. I just met her once and she spent three hours with me and treated me as a mother would in that time. I will never forget her kindness,” said the PML-N vice president.  “You could tell how one rally of ours [in Gujranwala Friday] had made the PM shudder,” she said. Maryam thanked the PPP leadership for giving her “historic” welcome, saying” “I did not find any difference between the streets of (her native) Lahore and Karachi”. “We’ve come together to protect and rescue the people of Pakistan,” said Maryam. “If this government is allowed to complete its term, that will destroy this country,” she told reporters before joining the rally. The protest campaign comes at a time when Pakistan is facing economic crisis, with inflation touching double digits and negative growth. The next general election is scheduled for 2023. The rally in Karachi followed a protest by the alliance in eastern Gujranwala city on Friday, which was the biggest demonstration against Khan since he took office. Speaking via video link from London to the Gujranwala gathering, former premier Nawaz Sharif accused army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa of rigging the 2018 elections and orchestrating his ouster in 2017 in what he said were trumped up charges aided by judiciary. The military, which has ruled Pakistan for half of its history since independence in 1947, denies meddling in politics or electoral wrongdoing. It has yet to respond specifically to Sharif’s accusations. Khan came to power on an anti-graft platform and denies the army helped him win. On Saturday he defended the military and the judiciary, threatening to get tougher on the opposition parties. But the opposition says Khan has failed the nation on all fronts from the economy to governance. Sharif, whose Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) is the main opposition party, has been a long-standing critic of the military. He was sacked by the Supreme Court in 2017 on corruption charges, and left for London last November for medical treatment. Interestingly, he was not invited to speak in yesterday’s public meeting and the jury was still out on why that was so. One of the notable speakers on stage last night was Mohsin Dawar, a Pakhtun member of the National Assembly — lower house of the country’s bicameral legislature — who was invited by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari whose party which hosted the power show. Dawar, a prominent leader of Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), was one of the speakers at the rally, and used the occasion to press for “real democracy and civilian supremacy”.    Heavy contingents of police were deployed across the route of the rally. According to a statement by Karachi police, about 3,740 officials were deployed along with 30 senior officials and 65 deputy superintendents of police to ensure fool proof security. Another 112 female officials of the special security unit were also posted in different spots. Additionally, 284 commandos of the SSU were also present at the venue and 159 officials of the Rapid Response Force pressed into service to provide security.

Pakistani authorities said yesterday they had foiled an attempt to smuggle dozens of endangered falcons worth more than one million dollars out of the country. Wildlife traffickers catch falcons in Pakistan’s mountainous north, often to sell them for lucrative profits in the Gulf region, where hunting with the birds is a popular sport. Customs officials seized 75 falcons and a houbara bustard at locations around the southern port city of Karachi in what they called an “unprecedented” anti-smuggling operation. “The birds are listed as rare and endangered species and their trade is strictly banned,” said senior customs officer Mohammad Saqif Saeed. He did not identify the species of the birds but estimated their value to be around Rs200mn (over $1mn) on the black market. Authorities have arrested two suspects and plan to release the birds into the wild. The houbara bustard is a desert bird whose meat is prized as an aphrodisiac. Falcons are often used by wealthy hunting parties from the Gulf who travel to Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province every winter to catch and kill the houbara. An earlier ban on the sport was overturned by Pakistan’s top court.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz said yesterday that the opposition parties staged a failed public show in Gujranwala Friday night despite making month-long preparations. He was addressing media persons along with Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry in Islamabad yesterday. Faraz said the opposition parties could not fill the stadium in Gujranwala because people rejected them for being well aware of their vested interests. He urged the opposition to learn from its flopped show.  “The opposition has no future plans, and they only want to protect their personal interests,” he alleged. Taking a swipe at what he described as disorganisation evident in the opposition ranks, Faraz said there was also no unity among the opposition alliance as Moulana Fazlur Rehman was asked to address when people had left the venue. He felt the opposition leaders, particularly Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Khawaja Asif, used indecent and inappropriate language in their speeches. The minister said some opposition leaders spoke the “language of the enemy” and targeted the national institutions in their speeches, which will not be allowed. Speaking on the occasion, Fawad Chaudhry said the opposition parties could gather only 15,000 to 18,000 in Gujranwala where millions of people live. He felt the people has rejected them again after the last elections. Chaudhry alleged that Sharif’s narrative was anti-state and amounted to an attack on the state.  He recalled that the Pakistan Army had rendered matchless sacrifices in the war on terror.

In a fiery riposte to the opposition alliance that is campaigning to oust his government, Prime Minister Imran Khan yesterday promised to unleash a “new Imran Khan”, saying he would try his best to bring back “fugitive” former prime minister Nawaz Sharif from London and have him put in an ordinary jail without the luxury of “VVIP” airs.   Addressing a convention of ‘Tiger Force’ — a volunteer youth force set up by the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to participate in nation-building — he termed the opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)’s October 16 rally in Gujranwala Friday night a “circus”, saying the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo, who fled abroad by deceiving the government, is targeting the military and state institutions to create chaos in the country. He alleged Sharif could sell the country for his own gains, reminding that he had spoken against the country’s army chief and DG Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Sharif accused the security establishment of being behind his ouster as prime minister and for “bringing Imran Khan into power”. He attacked the army and ISI chiefs by name during an address at the PDM’s first power show in Gujranwala though a video link.  The remarks come less than a month after the army and ISI chiefs in a meeting with key opposition figures had counselled them to refrain from “dragging the military into political issues”. Sharif questioned “who made the state above a state and who was responsible for the two governments in this country, among other things” before blaming the two security chiefs by name. This wasn’t the first time Sharif had gone after the military leadership; during the opposition’s multiparty conference last month, he had bitterly criticised it, saying there was “a state above the state in the country”. However, he had refrained from naming anyone then. In his rejoinder, Prime Minister Khan without naming, said both (PML-N vice president) Maryam Nawaz and (Pakistan People’s Party chairman) Bilawal Bhutto had never earned a penny with hard work.  “I had already predicted 11 years ago that they would all come together. You saw that they all came together in the PDM public meeting,” the premier recalled. Taking a swipe at the two (Maryam is Sharif’s daughter and Bilawal son of former president Asif Zardari), the PM said both of them grew up on the  illicit earnings of their respective fathers, so it is useless to comment on them. “No-one in Bollywood can act like Bilawal and Maryam,” he chided. He underlined that the Tiger Force had an important role to play and had helped district administrations in dealing with crisis situations. Earlier this year, a month after Pakistan confirmed its first coronavirus case, the PM launched the ‘Prime Minister’s Covid-19 Relief Tigers Force,’ popularly known as the Tiger Force, which enlisted young volunteers from across the country to help combat coronavirus. However, the scope of the force has been widened since it was formed and volunteers are now helping with various other government projects. These include a tree plantation drive, a waste management project and Pakistan’s fight against the country’s worst locust invasion in over 25 years. The volunteers, which included men and women, had registered through a government app, and are working in different areas around the country in coordination with local administrations.  The volunteers have helped district administrations implement coronavirus standard operating procedures like social distancing in mosques and public places, distributed food and other essentials among the poor.  “I need Tiger Force to keep a check on hoarding, but volunteers need not interfere in official matters, rather they will just have to report any hoarding on the forces’ portal,” he advised. “The volunteer force has a high stature in society, because you have to protect the rights of our citizens. This is a big role in a democracy: Tigers, you have a big role. Pakistanis are a nation who stand for their country,” he said.  Regarding inflation and rise in prices of essential commodities, the PM said there were many reasons for rise in prices.  “There was a shortfall in wheat because in the last two years it rained at an inopportune time due to climate change,” he said. “I have called you today because there is inflation in our country and there are many reasons for it. The rupee has fallen against the dollar because when we got the government, we had the largest trade deficit (in the country’s history).” “There was a $40 billion trade deficit. When the rupee falls, whatever we buy from outside, the price of it increases — such as gas, petrol and electricity — all of this increases.  Referring again to the irregular rainfall, which he had blamed for the wheat shortage, the PM said, “It rained when the wheat was supposed to be thrashed. That decreased the supply of wheat, and we saw a deficit. We needed 7.2 million tonnes of wheat. When there was a deficit, the price of wheat increased.” “We found out about the shortage late, because the systems we had were not right. We reduced that deficit by importing [wheat].”

Supporters of Pakistan opposition parties converged on a stadium in the city of Gujwanwala yesterday to begin a countrywide protest campaign to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan, who they accuse of being “installed” by the military in a “rigged” 2018 election. Nine major opposition parties formed a joint platform called the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) last month to begin a nationwide agitation against the government. Khan, who came to power on an anti-graft platform and denies the army helped him win, said yesterday that he was not afraid of the opposition’s campaign, which he said is aimed at blackmailing him to drop corruption cases against their leaders. “We have come out for the supremacy of the law,” said Maryam Nawaz, the daughter and political heir of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, speaking from atop an SUV that was showered with rose petals as she left for Gujwanwala from nearby Lahore. “Our struggle is against injustice, unemployment and all-time price hikes.” Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) is the main opposition party. Sharif, a long-standing critic of the military, was sacked by the Supreme Court in 2017 on corruption charges and left for London last November for medical treatment. He blames generals and judges for what he says were trumped-up charges. Pakistan’s powerful military has repeatedly denied meddling in politics. The protest campaign comes at a time when Pakistan is experiencing an economic crisis, with inflation touching double digits and negative growth. The next general election is scheduled for 2023. “Go Imran go. Your time is up!” shouted tens of thousands of the opposition supporters gathered at the Gujwanwala stadium hours before the leaders arrived. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the son of assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, who heads her Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and a religious leader, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, were leading separate rallies to join the main gathering. “The time has come for the ‘puppet’ government to go,” said Bilawal.

Hitting out at the opposition yesterday, Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that giving relief to his opponents from corruption cases is an “easy path” for him to take, but it is the “path to destruction”. “We have to make difficult decisions, and difficult decisions take us forward,” he said while addressing an inauguration ceremony at Islamabad’s National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST). He said that the country is “going in the right direction”, and that giving an NRO (national reconciliation order: an amnesty from legal action) at this moment would be the easy way out from the difficulties he faces as premier. “Many times in life, we have the choice of walking two different paths. We are encouraged to take the easy way out,” Khan said. “You wake up in the morning and you have all the dacoits gathered up against you, and [you want to] go for the easy way and compromise,” he said, perhaps hinting at the political choices he faces these days. The “easy way” is to “forgive them all and give an NRO”. “Our lives will also become easy. We will do speeches in parliament and three or four years will go by. But, this is the path to destruction,” Khan warned. He added that the path to betterment is never easy and that people therefore have to make “difficult decisions” that, in the future, define them. Earlier in his address, the prime minister expressed his happiness and congratulated the NUST on achieving the feat of producing locally made stents. He said that in Pakistan and the world, “most people die due to heart diseases”, noting that it is an expensive treatment. Khan said that the locally-produced stents will benefit the country by saving foreign exchange (by preventing imports) as well as helping treat more poor patients as they will be cheaper in comparison. “You saved our foreign exchange [reserves] and gave us the opportunity to provide treatment to more poor patients,” the prime minister said. Khan noted that exports of the country had fallen, adding that no country can prosper when “dollars go out more” and are “coming less” into the country. He added that, due to this, the country has had to go to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as the country’s “dollars decrease and reserves deplete”. “Reserves will fall when there is a trade gap of $40bn, the pressure will fall on foreign exchange reserves,” Khan explained. He also added that the same problem also causes inflation in the country. “If we want to develop our country, more dollars should come into the country than they go out,” he said. He shared the example of China and Turkey, which he said had prioritised exports, saying that China’s wealth increased when their exports went up. The premier also shared that Pakistan’s direction had been on course in the ’60s when its exports were increasing. The prime minister added that in the ’70s, the country got “confused” with “socialism or Islamic socialism”. “The direction now needs to be corrected again, and the mindset needs to be fixed. The challenge we face is that government departments need to be told that they have to go on this direction,” Khan said. Addressing the students, the prime minister urged them to recognise their potential, because if that is not done, they will end up underselling themselves. “From my experience, the most important lesson I want to give you that will benefit you is that humans have the potential that nothing else has,” Khan said. He added that, unfortunately, humans “limit their vision so much” that they put a cap on their own potential and put limitations on themselves. “The number one requirement for it [success] is, ‘What is your vision for life?’ Define what kind of human being you want to be, and when you decide what you want to become, that will define your potential,” the prime minister said. He told the students that the potential humans have is “limitless”, and urged them not to limit their imagination.

A mixed martial arts specialist is challenging a Pakistani ban on TikTok, the video sharing app on which he was pinning his hopes of gaining a mass audience and helping people get fit. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) last week blocked access to TikTok, which is owned by China-based ByteDance, citing unspecified public complaints about “immoral and indecent content”. Muhammad Ashfaq Jutt, 34, told Reuters he joined TikTok a year ago because it was becoming a popular platform and was cheaper than traditional advertising. “All kinds of people, from street sweepers to day labourers, have come to be world-famous using TikTok so I thought this was a good way to be known as well,” Jutt said. Jutt’s petition, which he lodged on Wednesday and was seen by Reuters, calls for guidelines on exactly how content is declared objectionable and his lawyer Usama Khawar said he is hopeful the Islamabad High Court will overturn the ban. TikTok has been downloaded more than 43 million times in Pakistan, analytics firm Sensor Tower said, while the PTA said it is the third most popular social media app after Facebook and WhatsApp, with over 20 million active accounts. Although he only has 209 followers so far, Jutt hoped to use TikTok to reach ordinary Pakistanis, joining a growing community of influencers in the country, some with millions of followers. Jutt, who has been practising mixed martial arts for 26 years, is the Senior Vice President of the Pakistan Kickboxing Federation, and says he has won several international titles. He runs three kickboxing centres in the eastern city of Lahore, including one teaching women self-defence, and his personal training clients include soldiers, police officers, and government officials. His short-lived TikTok account featured clips of him doing jumping jacks and push-ups, and sparring with students. “I thought this was a good way for me to help Pakistan, to help people get into shape,” Jutt said, adding: “It was going well but then the government decided to ban TikTok.” Critics say the government’s move against platforms such as TikTok is not only against freedom of expression, but has also hurt financially. PTA, which in September blocked five apps including Tinder and Grindr for disseminating “immoral content”, said this week it had met with TikTok’s senior management to discuss efforts to “improve content moderation”. It also blocked the popular PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds game but reversed the ban after the Islamabad High Court struck it out. The same court is now hearing Jutt’s petition challenging the TikTok ban, which is scheduled for next week.

Prime Minister Imran Khan’s adviser Babar Awan has claimed that the government had evidence of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s activities in London. Awan made the statement while talking to a private television channel, as he claimed that they have details and footage of all such meetings. “We know whom he is visiting and holding meetings (with) in London,” he  said.  Earlier this month, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill had said the government knew that the PML-N supremo was visiting an embassy in the UK capital and meeting some people these days.  The PML-N however, denied the allegations and said their leader was being linked to India with planning by the PTI ministers.  PM’s adviser Babar Awan further claimed that new assets of the Sharif family have been unearthed with one of the companies carrying assets worth up to Rs25 billion.  “The details in this regard will further emerge in the next week or 10 days,” he said, adding that fresh revelations will be far greater than the previous ones.  He said that “everybody knows that the PML-N leaders have looted the national wealth and their entire political activity is aimed at seeking a deal for Maryam Nawaz so that she could reunite with her father in London”. Sharif left for London last year on medical grounds after successfully petitioning the court for his release from a prison sentence. Despite guarantees to the court, reportedly, he has hasn’t undergone medical procedures citing the adversity posed by the prevalence of Covid-19.  Awan said that Sharif is saying that his children would not go to Pakistan but asking others to hit the streets to safeguard his corrupt practices. “When he is not coming to Pakistan, how will he succeed in bringing people on the roads,” asked the adviser. The adviser said that Pakistan had a strong system in place and the public gatherings announced by the opposition parties could not bring the system down. “The incumbent government will complete its tenure,” he said, adding that they would allow the opposition to hold gatherings but any violent activity or speeches against state institutions will not be tolerated. He however, blamed Sharif for conspiring to topple three elected governments in the past.

Ahead of opposition’s anti-government rally in Gujranwala, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Accountability and Interior Mirza Shahzad Akbar has accused Maryam Nawaz of illegally doling out Rs2.5 billion to rig the 2017 by-election of NA-120 (now NA-125) and announced that the PTI government is going to file a reference before the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in this regard.  Flanked by Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmeen Rashid, Akbar stated this while addressing a news conference at the Punjab Information Department (PID).  The NA-125 seat, which got vacant after the disqualification of former premier Nawaz Sharif in the Panama Papers verdict, was later on secured by late Begum Kalsoom Nawaz in September 2017 by-elections.  The SAPM said after the disqualification of Sharif, the PML-N leadership had allegedly tasked Maryam to “rig” the NA-125 by-election.  “To ensure compliance of the order, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Maryam Safdar sat down and devised a plan to rig the election by using taxpayers money,” he alleged, adding that the Traffic Engineering and Transport Planning Agency (TEPA) was selected for routing out funds/public money. “The deputy commissioner’s office in Lahore was also used for this purpose,” he said. Akbar said that despite the fact that provinces are financially more viable than the Centre after the 18th amendment, Fawad Hassan Fawad, former principal secretary to Nawaz Sharif, allegedly earmarked Rs2.5 billion from the prime minister’s sustainable development programme for developmental schemes. “The entire work and disbursement of funds was made during the months of August, September and October 2017.  On the other hand, the tenders and work orders of the projects in questions were issued in January 2018,” he said, adding that the government has not only decided to file a reference before the ECP but it is also going to send this “high-profile” case to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) already being proved by the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab.  During the conference, the SAPM also showed and read out “confessional statements” of some National Engineering Services Pakistan (NESPAK) engineers.  “Maryam Nawaz during the by-elections in NA-120 had arranged funds from the federal government and later held a meeting with former director general of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) and chief engineer TEPA at her Jati Umra residence. During the meeting, they discussed in detail the utilisation of funds,” Akbar claimed while quoting statement of the engineers.  He questioned under which capacity Maryam held the meeting with the government officers. According to the SAPM, the officers in their statements “confessed” that the PML-N leadership had directed them to boost their contacts with PML-N MPAs Majid Zahoor and Bilal Yaseen and complete their developmental works with their coordination within the election days.  The prime minister’s advisor revealed that the ACE Punjab has successfully acquired forensic evidence in which details of PML-N leader’s phone calls, geo-locations, pictures and data shared on WhatsApp groups is attached.  When asked why police are conducting raids and picking up supporters of political parties before the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) anti-government rally in Gujranwala, Shahzad Akbar said that giving permission for public gatherings is the sole right of the local administration.  “In the last meeting of National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), it came to light that the trend of Covid-19 pandemic is increasing rapidly across the country and the provinces were allowed to decide about the fate of smart lockdowns by considering their scientific data,” he said, adding the government has no issue with the Gujranwala rally but urged the supporters to follow Covid-19 SOPs. Punjab Health Minister Yasmeen Rashid also confirmed that the trend of Covid-19 is rapidly increasing and said she had been informing people that Lahore, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Jhelum and Rawalpindi are the virus hotpots.  “Number of corona positive patients is significantly increasing and the Punjab government recently shut down eight schools in Gujranwala after several kids tested positive for the virus,” she added.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has termed Pakistan’s re-election to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) an important diplomatic achievement. In a statement yesterday, he said Pakistan was supported by every region in its election to the human rights council, including influential and important countries. In a tweet, Qureshi said Pakistan’s re-election is a manifestation of the international community’s confidence and trust in Pakistan’s commitment to progressive national and global human rights.  “The international community has once again reposed confidence in Pakistan, recognising our contribution to the national and global human rights agenda and strong credentials as a consensus builder in the HRC,” noted a statement issued by Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the UN in New York. “Pakistan remains firmly committed to upholding, promoting and safeguarding human rights and fundamental freedoms for all.”  Pakistan has been re-elected to the UNHCR for the fifth time, securing the highest number of votes — 169 votes in a 193-member UNGA. The count was held among five candidates from the Asia-Pacific region. China, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Nepal along with Pakistan vied for the membership. Uzbekistan secured 164 votes, Nepal 150, China 139, and Saudi Arabia 90.  Pakistan has served on the UN Human Rights Council since 2018 and will continue for another three-year term starting January 1.

Prime Minister Imran Khan is girding up his loins to deal with the profiteer mafia himself as the government faces heat over high inflation with the Opposition readying a movement to oust it. According to local media reports, Khan made the statement while chairing a meeting in the federal capital on prices of basic commodities, especially wheat and sugar, and their availability and prices. The PM said he was personally monitoring the situation and strict action would be taken against hoarders and profiteers, with the government machinery activated for providing the desired relief. While giving approval to the proposed measures, he said, “all possible administrative steps would be taken to bring down the prices of basic necessities”. Federal ministers Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Senator Shibli Faraz, Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, Hammad Azhar, Fakhar Imam, Ali Amin Gandapur, advisers Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Abdul Razak Dawood, Dr Ishrat Hussain, and special assistants Dr Shahbaz Gill and Mohamed Usman attended the meeting. Dr Waqar Masood, SBP Governor Dr Reza Baqir, senior government officials, Punjab Food Minister Abdul Aleem Khan, Punjab Industries Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal and provincial chief secretary attended the meeting through the video link. In the first part of the meeting, the availability of wheat in the country and prices of wheat and flour in different provinces were reviewed and the schedule of the arrival of wheat imported by the government and private sectors and arrival in the country to meet future needs was shared. Report on wheat and flour prices in different parts of the country from Tiger Force — a youth force of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) — and independent sources was presented during the meeting. A briefing was given on the administrative measures taken to ensure an adequate level of wheat prices and prevention of stockpiling, a detailed system for making reliable estimates of supply and demand of basic commodities in these measures. Measures to reduce price gaps between wholesalers and retailers, eliminating exploitation in the market and stockpiling, smuggling and speculation as well as making the monitoring system more efficient were discussed and reviewed. A briefing on new administrative measures was also given to the meeting. The meeting was apprised of the situation of the release of wheat by the Punjab government on a daily basis. The meeting was informed that the release would be started by the Sindh government between October 15 and 16. It was decided that the wheat released by Punjab government on a daily basis would be further increased so that ample supply of wheat could be available in the market. Briefing on sugar availability and imported sugar and its prices were the features of the second part of the meeting. The meeting was informed that imported sugar would be available to the people at lower rates than the current price. The meeting was told that the crushing season will start from November 10 in Punjab. Existing stocks, imported sugar and the early start of the crushing season will not only provide ample supply of the commodity but also reduce its prices.

The famed Roosevelt Hotel that reportedly had the eyes of President Donald Trump is in the news again. Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal, chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), has taken notice of its closure, ordering an inquiry into the matter. On October 10, the Pakistani government-owned hotel announced that “it is closing its doors permanently. However, Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan claimed the government had no intention to sell or dispose of the iconic hotel in New York. Since then the NAB chairman has directed the Director General of the Rawalpindi Bureau to investigate the matter. The hotel’s management has cited economic reasons for its abrupt closure. “Due to the current economic impacts, after almost 100 years of welcoming guests to “the Grand dame of New York” The Roosevelt Hotel is regretfully closing its doors permanently as of October 31, 2020,” a statement released on the hotel’s behalf said. The management offered alternate options “for those guests with future reservations, we are working on communicating alternative accommodations”. In July Pakistan’s government decided against selling the hotel and announced to run it through a joint venture. According to a Finance Division statement, the Privatisation Commission was to hire the services of a financial adviser to start the process of its privatisation. A report by accounting firm Deloitte from July 2019 recommended that “the highest and best use of the Roosevelt Hotel property is to redevelop the site into a mixed-use [property] (through a joint venture) of primarily an office tower over retail and condominium.”  Although the consolidated financial statements of PIA also showed that the hotel contributed a negligible amount in terms of annual cash flow to the airline, the incumbent government had put this hotel in privatisation list last June, which triggered severe criticism on the government. Later it was delisted by the Privatisation Commission with the decision to hire services of a financial advisor to lease out the Roosevelt Hotel site in Manhattan, New York, for setting up a joint venture project.  M/s Deloitte in its draft report dated July 18, 2019, after analysing multiple options recommended that the highest and best use of the Roosevelt Hotel property was to redevelop the site into a mixed use of primarily office tower over retail and condominium if necessary. Meanwhile, PIA spokesman said that the decision was made to save operating costs in a down market. Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan rejecting all rumours circulating in certain quarters regarding the sale of Roosevelt hotel, said the government had no intention to sell or dispose of the hotel. Such misleading news was nothing more than political point scoring, he drove him. He said the property had more than a thousand rooms and an area of 43,313 square feet, covering a whole city block centrally located at the heart of Manhattan area of New York. He said the main reason for its downfall was progressive decline of its infrastructure and dilapidated room conditions, further reinforced by Covid-19 coronavirus. The minister said the hotel was currently operational and had valid contracts till December this year with various other airlines. Multiple options were being considered for its future and all decisions were made collectively by the hotel’s board and the government of Pakistan, he added. The hotel originally opened in 1924, it was leased by the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) through its investment arm PIA Investments Ltd. (PIA) in 1979, with an option to buy after two decades. In 1999, during the second administration of the-then prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the government chose to exercise its option of purchase and bought the hotel, along with Prince Faisal bin Khalid bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, one of the investors, for $36.5 million. The hotel is operated through a management contract by Interstate Hotels and Resorts a subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management, a Canadian investment firm. The previous owners engaged in a year-long battle in court, arguing that since the hotel was worth at least $250 million at the time, they should not be obliged to sell at the previously arranged price. Later, New York courts ruled in favour of the Government of Pakistan in June 2000, though PIA was forced to pay off the $23 million mortgage on the hotel. In the early years of the Musharraf administration, the government came to own a prime piece of New York real estate and bought it at a steal of a price. However, the Roosevelt Hotel had lost money for PIA for nearly every year between 1979 and 1999. The government bought out the Saudi prince’s share in 2005 for $40 million. The government put up the hotel for sale in 2007 for $1 billion but was never able to close the deal, largely due to the near-simultaneous change in government in Islamabad and collapse in US real estate prices. In 2011, the government formally took the hotel off the market. It is reckoned to be highly valuable asset, leading to speculation that the US president was also interested in buying it. Earlier, the opposition Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had opposed the closure of the hotel by calling it an ill-timed move. “Is this the time to sell Roosevelt Hotel, when due to the pandemic property prices have come down significantly and it will result in a loss to Pakistan as we will not get the right price?” PPP leader Sherry Rehman said in a statement.  “The property is worth billions and it was making a profit when I was serving as ambassador to the US,” she added. In July, another report revealed that the President Donald Trump was interested in purchasing the PIA-owned Roosevelt Hotel. Roosevelt Hotel has been a symbol of Pakistan’s culture and PIA’s glory days for decades. The Pakistani government has not explained why the hotel is closing down only two months after it decided against the decision.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has granted permission to let opposition parties hold rallies and public gatherings across the country following Covid-19 SOPs, media reported yesterday. As per details, the decision was taken during a meeting of the cabinet which was held to mull over political issues. Some cabinet ministers suggested to the prime minister that he allow opposition parties to hold rallies.  After weeks-long deliberation and confusions over what the future might hold for the opposition parties’ movement, the federal cabinet finally approved opposition’s plans to hold rallies against the government across Pakistan. The PM said that holding them back in their futile bid “will unnecessarily make them see like heroes”. The ruling members suggested that opposition be allowed to bring out their rallies at specific spots while the district authorities in the relevant areas ensure they follow coronavirus Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Representatives of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an alliance of major opposition parties, announced public rallies in different cities to gather momentum and public support as part of the movement against the government. As part of the schedule, the PDM will hold public gatherings and rallies in Gujranwala on October 16, Karachi on October 18, and in Quetta on October 25. The opposition parties’ will hold gatherings in Peshawar and Multan on November 22 and 30, respectively. Meanwhile, Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar said, politically, the government did not fear the opposition’s movement against it, but as the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Covid-19 chairman he was concerned about the spread of coronavirus. He said the data showed that Covid-19 infections, which had declined a couple of months ago, were rising again. He appealed to the opposition parties to avoid holding huge gatherings and follow SOPs like social distancing and wearing of masks during their protests, adding that “if the opposition wants to launch a movement against the government, it does not need to fill up grounds”. Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) vice president Maryam Nawaz has said the government can’t win war against the masses as people are standing by her father and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and soon they will get rid of the ‘incompetent and incapable’ government following the protest drive. She told a private TV channel that Imran Khan’s government “would be sent packing before January” following Pakistan Democratic Movement’s protest campaign. Maryam also demanded resignation of retired Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa from the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) chairmanship. “Resignation from the post of the special assistant to the prime minister on information and broadcasting is not enough. Bajwa should also resign from the chairmanship of the CPEC. CPEC is a game changer for Pakistan and a person who is facing allegations should separate himself from it,” she told reporters in Model Town where she had come to meet party leaders and workers to review the Gujranwala rally on October 16.

While this year’s monsoon rains bring hope for migratory bird species in Pakistan, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has urged for efforts to curb their illegal trade and hunting, warning they may cause irreparable damage to the environment.  On this year’s World Migratory Bird Day, marked on October 10, WWF-Pakistan asked the federal government to resume the Annual Winter Fowl Survey, which was conducted every year in the country to ascertain the number of migratory birds and their migration patterns. According to WWF-Pakistan, migratory birds are being hunted and poached despite local and international restrictions on their hunting.  The organisation also stressed the need to create awareness about the bird fauna of Pakistan and called for necessary measures to protect migratory species declining in the country.  This year’s theme, ‘Birds Connect our World’, indicates that birds bring nature and people together, emphasising that significant efforts should be made to revive dwindling populations. WWF-Pakistan’s Technical Adviser Mohamed Moazzam Khan pointed out that climate change was also affecting bird migration.  “Wintering birds started arriving in October every year. However, for the past few years, birds have arrived in November. It seems that the migration trends of birds are changing and the duration of these birds staying in Pakistan has decreased substantially,” he said. Khan stressed on the need for the protection of cranes in Lasbela and Zhob, which seem to be the last haven for these birds. He was of the view that these cranes flew through Pakistan and arrived in India where people protect them and treat them as sacred birds. Migratory birds face a number of problems in Pakistan, which include habitat loss and degradation, pollution, illegal trade, and ruthless hunting. Since all migratory species are hunted in Pakistan and ducks are hunted every year, the population of some duck species, including the white-eyed pochard, marbled teal, white eyed pochard and garganey, has drastically decreased. Cranes, because of their size and beauty, unique calls, and complex behaviour are hunted and trapped during their migration in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. In Balochistan they are hunted in Zhob and Lasbela, in the Sonmiani and Saranda Lake areas and hundreds are trapped and poached, while some are transported in appalling conditions to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where they are kept as pets. Hundreds die during trapping and transportation. The WWF-Pakistan said the wildlife departments of Balochistan and KP must curb this illegal trade and hunting. The organisation is working with communities in Lasbela district to control their trade. In its remarks, the WWF said: “The widespread rains in Sindh and Balochistan have helped improve freshwater bodies where thousands of birds come to visit in the winter season.” WWF-Pakistan believes that the rapid fall in population of migratory birds in the country is most likely one of the factors causing a rise in locust swarms, which destroyed crops in many areas in Sindh and Punjab. These birds not only help control the populations of insects and some fish species but improve habitat for other wildlife. WWF-Pakistan Director Wildlife Dr Tahir Rasheed pointed out that nature conservation, ecosystem services and the well-being of human beings are linked to the protection of migratory birds. “It is our joint responsibility to protect wild species including birds, which play a crucial role on Earth,” he said, and requested that the Ministry of Climate Change support the Annual Winter Fowl Survey. “This is an essential requirement to understand the changes in the migration pattern,” he added.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan yesterday issued a notice to Prime Minister Imran Khan for attending a ceremony of the PTI-affiliated Insaf Lawyers Forum (ILF) held in Islamabad last week.  “The prime minister is the premier of the whole country, not of one particular group. Why is he misusing the state’s resources?” Justice Qazi Faez Isa remarked while hearing a civil case against the Punjab government. He added that the matter was related to the Constitution and fundamental rights.  The apex court also issued notices to the attorney general, the Punjab advocate general and the in-charge of the Convention Centre where the ceremony was hosted. Justice Isa asked the Convention Centre’s in-charge to inform the court whether the expenses for the ceremony were paid for. Justice Isa added that the premier participated in the event in a personal capacity. In his remarks, the SC judge said that the premier could not align himself with one particular group. “The premier supported a particular group by attending the ceremony,” he said. Justice Isa referred the matter to Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed for the constitution of a bench. Addressing the ILF last week, the premier had said the opposition parties’ real issue with the military was that — unlike other institutions — they were unable to “control” the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) after the agency “found out” about their alleged corruption. He also touched upon tenures of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, saying the PML-N supremo “fought with every army chief” because he wanted to turn the military into Punjab police. Nawaz in recent weeks has levelled serious allegations of political interference against the armed forces.  “They (opposition parties) control all the institutions whose job it is to keep checks and balances, except one. They know the ISI is aware of all their theft. They try to control it and that’s where the conflict starts,” he had said. The PM had said Sharif’s real cause was not democracy but protecting his financial interests.

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has deputed two officers at the level of a director general to address public complaints and restore ‘Islamabad the Beautiful’.  Both officials have been made answerable to the authority’s members finance and engineering to ensure their decisions are implemented promptly. CDA Chairman Amer Ali Ahmed said Prime Minister Imran Khan had directed for the city to be restored in all its glory. He said Rs54 billion recently generated by the CDA will be spent on the city. He added that two SUVs being used by the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) management will now be turned into operational vehicles. Earlier this week, the CDA took over four MCI directorates – its environment wings, including urban, regional and parks, the Directorate of Sanitation and City Sewerage and the Directorate of Water, bulk water supply and water and sewerage development, and the Directorate of Engineering, including the Machinery Pool Organisation (MPO), streetlights and market roads and maintenance. Islamabad Mayor Sheikh Anser Aziz resigned the following day, saying that he had been pushed to a wall and it was no longer possible to serve the residents of the capital. CDA spokesperson Mazhar Hussain said the decision to take over the four directorates was made in response to complaints from Islamabad residents. “Residents were facing a number of issues related to water, sanitation, environment, roads, etc. The management of the CDA has appointed Naveed Tareen as the director general environment and he will be responsible for addressing the issues of parks, horticulture, sanitation, etc and will report to Member Finance Rana Shakeel,” he said. Member Engineering Ayaz Khan has been directed to ensure the repair of streetlights and the carpeting of roads, he added. Ahmed, the authority’s chairman, said that he pulled staff out of their homes on the weekend and remained on the roads himself to give a clear message that everyone will have to give 100%. “The fact is that nothing has been done in the last four years due to which it has been decided to do tendering of whole Islamabad to restore ‘Islamabad the Beautiful’. We have generated Rs54 billion, which will be spent on residents of the federal capital as there is a clear direction from Prime Minister Imran Khan to restore the city,” he said. Ahmed said tenders will take 20 days, after which the restoration of the city will be visible day by day. According to a statement, the chairman and other officers were in the field on Saturday to monitor the progress of road, market and street maintenance, park upkeep, sanitation, streetlights and horticulture. Sanitation staff continued a special cleanliness operation yesterday and special teams have been formed for this purpose, it added. The teams will clean markets, sectors and open spaces. Residents have been asked not to burn heaps of garbage in green areas and open spaces, and sanitation staff will work in shifts to remove garbage dumps in open spaces and other parts of the city. On Saturday, the MPO continued carpeting Islamabad Expressway. The eastern side of the expressway is being repairs in the first phase, after which repairs will be carried out on the western side. The environment wing, assisted by the Islamabad Capital Territory, removed wild growth in F-9 Park, where work on lighting has also been taken up. Around 1,500 environment wing officials were deputed to remove wild growth and carry out other beautification work around the city. The road maintenance directorate carried out patch work and repair maintenance on Jinnah Avenue, Abbas Center, Rehman Plaza in Blue Area and in F-10 Markaz, while the installation and painting of curb stones on Daman-i-Koh Pir Sohawa Road, Agha Khan Road, and Super Market F-6 was also taken up.

Retired Lt General Asim Saleem Bajwa yesterday announced he was stepping down as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Information and Broadcasting — more than a month after he submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Imran Khan.  “I requested the honourable prime minister to relinquish me from the additional portfolio of SAPM on Info and broadcasting. He very kindly approved my request,” he tweeted. He will continue to work as chairman of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority. Bajwa had submitted his resignation from the post of special assistant to the premier last month, in the wake of allegations levelled regarding his family’s assets. However, the premier had refused to accept his resignation at the time. The official PTI Twitter account had quoted the premier as saying that he was satisfied with the evidence provided by Bajwa about his family’s assets. He had also directed him to continue working as the SAPM on information and broadcasting. In August, journalist Ahmed Noorani broke the news on a website alleging that Bajwa had used his offices in setting up off-shore businesses of his wife, sons and brothers. After almost a week of silence, Bajwa issued a statement, saying he possessed all the documents about his family’s assets and was ready to present them and the money trail before any judicial forum. Following the publication of the report, opposition parties had called for Bajwa to face the allegations against him. Leading opposition politician Maryam Nawaz, daughter of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, had said that the evidence against Bajwa was “huge” and called for him to clarify his position before the nation. “If you have been appointed to a government post on taxpayers’ money and allegations are made against you and evidence is presented, you should face them,” she said. The Pakistan Democratic Movement – a newly-formed alliance of opposition parties – passed a resolution in September, saying that claims made in the news report regarding Bajwa’s assets and family business should be probed. The forum said that he should be removed as the chairman of CPEC Authority until the investigation is completed. According to the news report, Bajwa’s younger brothers opened their first Papa John’s pizza restaurant in 2002, the year he started working as a lieutenant colonel on General Pervez Musharraf’s staff. It says the Bajwa family’s companies spent an estimated $52.2mn to develop their businesses and $14.5mn to purchase properties in the US and that his wife Farrukh Zeba was a shareholder in all the foreign businesses and is associated with or a shareholder in 85 companies including 82 foreign companies. The estimated current net worth of businesses and properties of these companies jointly owned by Zeba stands at $52.7mn, the report concluded.

The short video-sharing app, TikTok, has approached the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and expressed willingness on further negotiations to comply with instructions for development of an effective mechanism for proactive moderation of unlawful online content. This was confirmed by PTA spokesperson Khurram Mehran while talking to local media yesterday.  When asked about reasons behind blocking TikTok, Mehran said that every country may have different reasons, but in Pakistan, the reason was indecent and immoral content, which led to blocking the video-sharing app.  The PTA blocked TikTok Friday after receiving number of complaints from various segments of the society against immoral/indecent content. Replying to a question, Mehran said that TikTok had formally approached the PTA and was ready to talk.  The authority is also open, if they (TikTok) want to negotiate, and comply with instructions for effective mechanism for proactive moderation of unlawful online content, Mehran further added.  A tweet issued by official handle of TikTok Pakistan said the company was working to restore its services in the country. However, no further information has been issued in this regard.  Keeping in view the complaints, and the nature of the content being consistently posted on TikTok, the PTA said it issued a final notice to the application, and gave considerable time to respond and comply with the authority’s instructions for development of effective mechanism for proactive moderation of unlawful online content.  Meanwhile, social media celebrity Hareem Shah slammed the restriction and called it a move to divert the public’s attention from real issues, such as wheat flour crisis.  “As you all know that TikTok has been banned and the reason that has been given for it is indecent content. I think that’s not a solid reason. It’s an entertainment app.  If there’s criminal content on it then the administrators [those who run it] of the app block it themselves,” the popular TikToker said.  “Instead of banning it, they [the government] should identify those who are involved in criminal or vulgar acts so that they could be punished and vulgarity is eliminated. In the US, they banned the app by giving a solid reason, which was their national security,” Shah said. If there is a national security issue in Pakistan, then it’s right. But vulgarity is not a reason. I will give you an example: when your fingernails grow big you cut your nails, not the entire hand,” she maintained. Shah received a volley of questions from journalists and answered all of them with poise and understanding at a press conference held at the Karachi Press Club to elicit her opinion on the government’s ban on TikTok app. “There are different institutions such as the Censor Board in Pakistan who can do this job well. You will find people with a positive attitude to life as well as those with a negative vibe everywhere. “If you look at it, then there is material on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, too, which is not good for the country’s reputation. India and the US had issues with China so they banned the app. If you are out to put an end to vulgarity you need to enforce the Islamic system in the country,” Shah pointed out. In reply to a question, she said, “TikTok brought out talents of people; how could one snatch that from them?”  Answering a question, she said vulgarity committed by man or woman, either way, was condemnable. (But) women compared to men have become the focus of attention more if something bad happens.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry discussed the challenges girls face in accessing education amid the Covid-19 pandemic as they joined Pakistani activist and Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai for a virtual chat on girls’ rights yesterday. The talk coincided with the International Day of the Girl Child. The Duchess of Sussex thanked Malala for speaking with her and Prince Harry, saying: ‘Just thank you so much for having us on such an important day. For girls all over the world, when young girls have access to education, everyone wins and succeeds. It opens the door for societal success.’ During virtual chat, the couple — who stepped back as senior royals earlier this year — also shared their own experience of education, with Prince Harry confessing he had ‘probably not been grateful’ for his schooling as a youngster. When Malala asked them about their own education, Meghan responded as saying: ‘In terms of education, not only did I have the ability to go to school at a young age but I also went to university.’ Meanwhile, Harry disclosed that he had taken his education ‘for granted’, adding: ‘It is a privilege but every single person, every single young person across the world needs an education.’ He added: ‘To know there are 113 million girls out of education, the numbers only going to go up. It worries me and probably worried all of us, the effect of that [a lack of education for women] has not only on the family but also on society as well.’ Harry said: ‘I’m hugely grateful for the education I was lucky enough to have. At the time, I certainly, probably wasn’t as grateful, but looking back on it now, I’m very, very blessed with having such an amazing opportunity.’ At one stage, Malala made the couple laugh as she responded: ‘I think it takes boys slightly longer to understand how important education is but they get there in the end. ‘You’re blessed you have such a great companion Meghan.’ Malala, who graduated from Oxford University earlier this year, shared the video on her social media. Meghan asked Malala about how she felt graduating from Oxford during the period of Covid. Malala recalled: ‘It was a very difficult time. I graduated at home, I took my exams at home. It was very difficult not to be in college anymore and not to be with friends. Not to have those traditionally ceremonies. “In Oxford, you go to your schools and celebrate with a trashing...It’s all part of that university life that we all missed. But I still was blessed that I still had the opportunity to learn from home.’  “You know, there are 130 million girls out of school but an additional 20 million are at risk of dropping out because of the pandemic.  “They are at risk of never being able to return to their schools because they are likely to be pushed into early child marriages, or they might become the bread winners or financial supporters of their families. “So I am more worried about those girls right now, and I think this pandemic is a crisis in the sector of education, and we need to focus on investment in education right now.”