Vol. XXXIX No. 61 Regd. No. 241 SHABAN 14 1443 -- FRIDAY, MARCH 18 2022 PESHAWAR EDITION 12 PAGES Price. 20

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Blinken- Qatari DPM

WASHINGTON DC (Agencies):Secretary of State Antony J.Blinken spoke yesterday withQatari Minister of Foreign AffairsMohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. Blinken affirmed that theUnited States and Qatar are unitedin their efforts to provide humani-tarian assistance to the Ukrainianpeople.

NASA rolls outWASHINGTON DC (AF-P):NASA's massive new rocket ispoised to make its first journey toa launchpad on Thursday ahead ofa battery of tests that will clear itto blast off to the Moon this sum-mer. It will leave the KennedySpace Center's Vehicle AssemblyBuilding at 5:00 pm Eastern Time(2000 GMT).

@thefrontierpost First national English daily published from Peshawar, Islamabad, Lahore, Quetta, Karachi and Washington D.C

BRATISLAVA (TASS):Pentagon chief LloydAustin said on Thursdaythat he could not yetannounce anything regard-ing the possible transfer ofS-300 anti-aircraft missilesystems (SAM) by Westerncountries to Ukraine. Hisspeech at a joint press con-ference with SlovakDefense Minister JaroslavNagy in Bratislava wasbroadcast by the Pentagon.

Austin was asked aboutthe possible transfer of airdefense systems toUkrainian military person-nel. "We are in consultationwith a number of our alliesand partners to make surewe get as much capacity aspossible to continue assist-ing the Ukrainian forces.<...> These consultationswill continue, but I havenothing to announce [aboutthe S-300]" - said theAmerican minister.

The United States is alsonot yet ready to announcethe transfer of air defensesystems to Slovakia to

replace the S-300. “I don’t have any

announcements [on thissubject] for you,” thePentagon chief said,answering a question aboutthe possibility of transfer-ring air defense / missiledefense systems toBratislava instead of the S-300. "We will continue towork on these issues withall of our allies. And, ofcourse, this is not just anissue [for] the UnitedStates. This is an issue [for]NATO," Austin said.

The US authorities donot intend to establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine, asthis would lead to conflictwith Russia, which Washi-ngton does not want, Austinsaid.

“President Biden hasmade it clear that our forceswill not fight in Ukraine. Atthe same time, we will doeverything possible to sup-port Ukraine and its effortsto protect its territory,” thehead of the Pentagon said."Establishing a no-fly zone

means, in fact, that you areparticipating in hostilities,in hostilities with Russia,"Austin said. "We said, ourpresident said that wewould not go to war withRussia."

"Establishing a no-flyzone means, in fact, thatyou are participating inhostilities, in hostilitieswith Russia," Austin said."We said, our president saidthat we would not go to warwith Russia." "In order tocontrol the airspace, it isnecessary that the airdefense systems be turnedoff. They are on the ground.Some of these air defensesystems are in Russia.There is no easy way to dothis," the minister stated.

Austin also noted thatthere is no possibility ofestablishing any "lite ver-sion" of the no-fly zone. "Ano-fly zone means that youare in conflict with Russia.Our position <...> is stillthat we will not do this,"the head of the Pentagonstressed.

US do not intend toestablish no-fly zoneover Ukraine: Austin

PARIS (TASS): IncumbentFrench PresidentEmmanuel Macron, who isrunning for a second termin the April elections, hasannounced plans to buildsix new nuclear powerplants in the country.

"We must expand the useof new energy sources. Thisincludes the creation of 50wind parks, the construc-tion of six new nuclearpower plants and the imme-diate design of eight morenuclear power plants," hesaid Thursday, presentinghis campaign program.

Europe must increasedefense investment to beprepared for a possiblehigh-intensity armed con-flict, Macron said.

"We must increaseinvestment [in defense] tobe ready for a high-intensi-ty war that could come toour continent," Macron sa-id. He made the statementthat the French armed forc-es are "the only full-fledgedarmy on the European con-tinent", and pointed out theneed to strengthen thedefense capabilities ofEurope as a whole.

The annual funding ofthe French Armed Forceswill grow to �50 billion by2025, he added. "Currently,funding for the army is�40.9 billion per year.

Despite the crisis, we havekept our promise and havebeen spending 2% of GDPon defense needs since2020. By 2025, we willreach the target of �50 bil-lion," he said.

He recalled that in 2017this figure was �32.3 bil-lion. Macron noted that thisstrategy for supporting anddeveloping the armedforces should be reflectedthroughout Europe. Acco-rding to him, France willplay a consolidating role instrengthening Europeansecurity.

The Presidentannounced his intention todouble the number ofreservists in the ranks of thecountry's armed forces inthe event of re-election inApril to the highest govern-ment post. "We should con-sider the possibility <...> ofexpanding the staff ofreservists, the number ofwhich will be doubled forour armed forces," he said.

“I confirm everythingthat I said, in 2019 I saidthat NATO was in a state ofbrain death and it was truein terms of the strategy andthe principle of the organi-zation,” Macron said, citingthe example of a clash atsea between Turkey andGreece - NATO countries."However, Russia gave a

wake-up electric shock," hesaid, referring to the specialoperation on the territory ofUkraine. Macron noted thathe never defended the deci-sion to withdraw fromNATO, but regularly advo-cated clarifying the strate-gic position of the alliance.He added that he alwaysconsidered NATO's supportto be valuable, especially interms of interoperability ofthe armed forces of differ-ent countries.

"The fighting launchedby the Russian troops creat-ed a sufficiently seriousthreat on the borders ofEurope, which provided astrategic clarification forNATO, returning the condi-tions of the conflict inwhich the organization wascreated," he said.

Macron spoke about theneed to end the unrest andrestore calm in Corsica, andalso promised the popula-tion of the island to carryout reforms.

"The status of Corsicawill be reflected in the Fr-ench Constitution," he ass-ured, presenting his elec-tion program on Thursday.The politician, who is run-ning for a second term, saidthat the reforms "willreflect the specifics of theposition of the island in therepublic."

Macron plans to buildsix new nuclear plants

MOSCOW (TASS):Presidents of the RussianFederation and TurkeyVladimir Putin and RecepTayyip Erdogan discussedthe course of the Russianspecial operation inUkraine in a telephone con-versation. This was report-ed by the Kremlin pressservice following the con-versation.

"Various aspects of thedevelopment of the situa-tion around the conduct of aspecial military operationto protect Donbass werediscussed," the press serv-ice said in a statement.

The Russian leader alsoinformed his interlocutorabout the course of negotia-tions between Russian andUkrainian representatives.

In addition, the leadersgave a positive assessmentto "the results of the recenttalks between the ForeignMinisters in Antalya andMoscow."

In turn, Erdogan thankedthe Russian Federation forassistance in the evacuationof Turkish citizens fromUkraine. "In the conversa-tion, special emphasis wasplaced on the humanitariancomponent. Recep TayyipErdogan expressed grati-tude for assistance in theevacuation of Turkish citi-zens from the territory ofUkraine, as well as in thesafe exit of ships withTurkish cargo from Russianports in the Sea of Azov,"the Kremlin noted.

The press service also

reported that Putin andErdogan are determined todevelop cooperationbetween the RussianFederation and Turkey,including in the energy sec-tor. "President of theRussian FederationVladimir Putin had a tele-phone conversation withPresident of the Republic ofTurkey Recep TayyipErdogan. Issues on thebilateral agenda were dis-cussed in detail. The moodwas expressed for the fur-ther development of mutu-ally beneficial trade andeconomic cooperation,including the implementa-tion of strategic projects inthe energy sector," theKremlin said in a state-ment.

Putin- Erdogan discussUkraine situation

Biden to holdtelephone

conversationwith Xi

WASHINGTON DC(TASS): US President JoeBiden intends on Friday ina telephone conversationwith Chinese President XiJinping to discuss, amongother things, the situationin Ukraine. This is stated ina written statement releasedon Thursday by WhiteHouse Press Secretary JenPsaki.

She stressed that theconversation between theheads of the two states willtake place on March 18.

"This is part of ourongoing efforts to maintainopen lines of communica-tion between the UnitedStates and China. The lead-ers will discuss the regula-tion of competitionbetween our two countries,as well as Russia's waragainst Ukraine and otherissues of mutual interest,"Psaki said.

Earlier Thursday,China's Ministry ofCommerce spokesman GaoFeng said China opposesU.S. anti-Russian sanctions"which destabilize theglobal market."

On March 16, USSecretary of State AnthonyBlinken said that the USwas concerned that Chinacould provide materialassistance to Russia againstthe backdrop of a specialmilitary operation inUkraine or help it circum-vent Western sanctions.

Army ChiefGen. Bajwavisits ASC

CentreNowsheraRAWALPINDI (APP):

Chief of Army Staff(COAS) General QamarJaved Bajwa Thursday vis-ited Army Service Corps(ASC) Centre, Nowsheraand appreciated contribu-tions and logistic support ofASC both during peacetimeand operation.

Upon arrival, COAS laidfloral wreath at Yadgar-e-Shuhada and offeredFathea for Martyrs, said anISPR media release.

The COAS pinnedbadges of rank on theshoulders of Major GeneralUsman Haq to formallyinstall him as ColonelCommandant of ArmyService Corps. Large num-ber of serving and retiredofficers attended the cere-mony.

IHC adjournshearing

ISLAMABAD (APP): TheIslamabad High Court(IHC) on Thursdayadjourned hearing till April11, in an intra court appealin missing persons’ case.

A division bench com-prising Justice AamerFarooq and Justice MiangulHassan Aurangzeb heardthe case filed by the federa-tion against the decision ofsingle member bench.

At the outset of hearing,the federation submittedthe written arguments tothe court in case of MahiraSajid, the wife of a missingperson. However, the courtgranted time to federationfor submitting comments inZainab Zaeem case.

The court instructed toshare the copies of writtenanswers to the lawyers ofvictim families. AdditionalAttorney General Qasiminformed the court that thematter of missing personswould be placed before thecabinet in its next meeting.The court adjourned hear-ing of the case till April 11.

Austin’smeets Danish

ministerF.P. Report

BRUSSELS: Secretary ofDefense Lloyd J. Austin IIIand his Danish counterpart,Minister of DefenceMorten Bødskov, met inBrussels March 17, 2022.Both leaders reaffirmed thestrong defense relationshipbetween the United Statesand Denmark, and con-firmed their readiness tomove forward with negoti-ations on a bilateralDefense CooperationAgreement.

NEW YORK (RIA Novo-s-ti): The United Nations Se-curity Council has extendedthe operation of the UnitedNations Assistance Mis-sion in Afghanistan (UNA-MA) for a year - until M-arch 17, 2023, RIA Novosticorrespondent reports.

The mission's mandateexpired on Thursday.

The document says that"The Security Councildecides to extend the man-date of UNAMA untilMarch 17, 2023." 14 mem-bers of the Security Councilvoted for the resolution,Russia abstained.

Explaining Moscow'sposition, Russia's perma-nent representative to theUN, Vasily Nebenzya, saidat the meeting that the

Russian side wishes themission to succeed, butdoes not want to "be heldresponsible if it is unable tofulfill all the tasks assignedto it."

According to him, whendiscussing the project, theRussian delegation tried "toconvey to the colleagues onthe Security Council theimportance of obtaining thehost country's consent tothe UN presence." "Thisimperative has been consis-tently taken into account atevery extension of the man-date of the special politicalmission for many years.However, this time its men-tion ran into oppositionfrom those who, all theseyears, pursued an irrespon-sible policy in Afghanistan,

did not contribute to solv-ing urgent problems and, asa result, abandoned thepopulation this country toits fate," he said.

The United NationsAssistance Mission inAfghanistan was estab-lished on March 28, 2002.

The UNSC decides thatUNAMA and the SpecialRepresentative of the UNSecretary General will con-tinue to carry out theirduties in close consultationwith all relevant Afghanpolitical actors and players,including, as appropriate,with the relevant authori-ties. The activities ofUNAMA and the SpecialRepresentative should beaimed at supporting thepeople of Afghanistan in

accordance with the sover-eignty of the country.

Much attention is paid tohuman rights topics in thetext.

UNAMA and the UNSecretary General's SpecialRepresentative are expect-ed to focus, among otherthings, on engaging with allplayers at the "state andsub-state levels" as well aswith civil society and inter-national NGOs to protectthe human rights of allAfghans. It is planned thatthe Mission and the SpecialRepresentative will alsomonitor the situation withcivilians, focus on the pre-vention and elimination ofviolence, including torture,sexual and gender-basedviolence.

UN Security Councilextends mission in

Afghanistan for a year

ISLAMABAD (APP): TheSenate Standing Committeeon Interior on Thursdaystrongly condemned thebrutal terrorist attack dur-ing Jumma prayer inside amosque in Qissa Khwanibazaar in Peshawar, whichkilled 63 people and injuredover 200 others.

The Committee whichmet with Mohsin Aziz inthe Chair discussed pointsof public importance, vari-ous bills and PSDP for theyear 2022-23 etc.

The Committee alsocondemned terrorist attacksin Sibi on FC personnel andloss of precious lives.

The committee offeredFateha for the departedsouls and passed a resolu-tion to condemn the tragicincident.

Reviewing details of thePoint of Public Importanceraised by Senator KamranMurtaza regarding the beat-ing of students from

Balochistan in theInternational IslamicUniversity, it was assertedthat students fromBalochistan feel discrimi-nated against since theyhave been suspended. TheCommittee took seriousnotice of the repercussionsthat could arise in matterssuch as these that couldtrigger grievances in small-er provinces.

It was asserted thatUniversity administrationshould not make any dis-crimination and make thedecisions while keeping inview the investigationreport.

The Islamabad Policeinformed the Committeethat out of 26 students, just4-5 were from Balochistan.

A report about the matterwould be submitted to theCommittee in the nextmeeting.

The Interior Secretarywas directed to hold a

meeting with the UniversityAdministration and submita report to the Committeein the next meeting.

Reviewing PublicPetitions regarding griev-ances of the petitionersagainst blocking of CNICsand non-issuance ofmachine readable pass-ports, the Committee wasinformed that the petition-ers were citizens of Burmawho were issued BM seriespassports.

In order to resolve theirgrievances, the matterneeded to be taken up atCabinet level as the currentlaws and rules did not per-mit issuance of passports tosuch persons.

The Public Petitionswere disposed of with therecommendation that thegovernment must disposeof the petitions according tolaw under intimation to thepetitioners.

Discussing the PSDP for

FY 2022-23, theCommittee recommendedthat the projects must becompleted within the stipu-lated time in order to con-trol the rise in the cost ofthe projects.

The Committee alsoendorsed the proposedPSDP of the InteriorMinistry for FY 2022-23.

The Committee alsopassed two bills includingthe Prohibition of Intereston Private Loans Bill,2021, the Price control andPrevention of ProfiteeringBill, 2022 after detaileddeliberation.

The meeting was attend-ed by Senators FawziaArshad, Seemee Ezdi,Rana Maqbool Ahmed,Moula Bux Chandio,Sarfraz Ahmed Bugti,Saifullah Abro, ShahdatAwan and senior officersfrom the Ministries ofInterior, Law and Justiceand NADRA.

Senate Body informed: Studentsfrom Balochistan feel discriminatedin International Islamic University

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: NationalGuard Commander ofBahrain General ShaikhMohammed bin Isa AlKhalifa called on PrimeMinister Imran Khan hereon Thursday and discussedmatters of mutual interest.

The National GuardCommander conveyed cor-dial greetings of the King,and the Crown Prince andPrime Minister of theKingdom of Bahrain toPrime Minister ImranKhan. Highlighting thehigh esteem accorded to theBahraini leadership by thegovernment and people ofPakistan, the prime minis-

ter warmly reciprocated thesentiments.

Imran Khan reaffirmedPakistan’s long-standingfraternal ties with Bahrain,rooted deep in shared faith,values and cordiality. Helauded the efforts on bothsides to build an enhancedpartnership and under-scored the imperative offorging deeper and diverseeconomic, trade and invest-ment cooperation.

Appreciating the suc-cessful measures byBahrain against Covid-19,the prime minister thankedthe Bahraini leadership forthe care afforded to thePakistani expatriates duringthe pandemic and urged

further strengthening of thestrong bond of friendshipbetween the two countries.

The National GuardCommander of Bahrainexpressed his country’sfirm resolve to furtherexpand cooperation withPakistan in diverse fields.He expressed thanks forPakistan’s steadfast supportand underlined that the twocountries always stood byeach other at difficult times.

He congratulated theprime minister on the des-ignation of March 15 asInternational Day toCombat Islamophobia bythe United Nations (UN) asa result of a landmark reso-lution introduced by

Pakistan, on behalf of theOrganisation of IslamicCooperation (OIC).

The prime minister saidhe looked forward to wel-coming the King as well asthe Crown Prince andPrime Minister of Bahrainin Pakistan at the earliestconvenience.

Pakistan and Bahrainenjoy traditionally closeand fraternal ties.

Bilateral relations withBahrain have been follow-ing an upward trajectorysince Prime Minister ImranKhan’s visit to theKingdom of Bahrain inDecember 2019, on theinvitation of King Hamadbin Isa Al Khalifa.

PM, Bahrain’s NationalGuard Commander discuss ties

F.P. Report

NEW YORK: UN RefugeeAgency chief FilippoGrandi called on Thursdayfor sustained internationalsupport for Afghanistan’speople, where the country’shumanitarian crisis is wors-ening.

Speaking from Kabul, atthe end of a four-day visitto Afghanistan, Mr. Grandisaid that he had met fami-lies “who do not know whatthey will eat for their nextmeal”.

Acknowledging that theworld is “rightfully preoc-cupied with the war inUkraine,” he pleaded forhelp with another humani-tarian crisis.

Grandi said the countryis experiencing “a verygrave crisis” and asked theinternational community tosupport Afghans both with-in the country and abroad.

Hunger and despair“We spoke with...women

heads of households afraidfor the health and well-

being of their children;mothers and fathers desper-ate to provide for their fam-ilies,” the head of the UNrefugee agency, UNHCR,said. “The needs here areenormous.”

Recent reports revealedthat a staggering 95 percent of Afghans are not get-ting enough to eat, a num-ber that jumped to almost100 per cent in female-headed households.

Mr. Grandi arrived inAfghanistan on Mondayand met with the interimAfghan Government aswell as others who continueto provide vital live-savingassistance throughout thecountry. He reiteratedUNHCR’s unwaveringcommitment to “stay anddeliver humanitarian aid.”

The UN Refugee Agen-cy has been in Afghanistanfor four decades providingemergency assistance andsupport to displaced andreturning Afghans.

During his visit, theUNCHR chief aims to

assess progress and discusshumanitarian challenges,particularly for those whoare displaced or are return-ing to their communities.

Since the beginning ofthe year the UN agency hashelped more than 500,000Afghans through assistanceand relief programmes –including more than130,000 people to survivethe winter, and over 370thousand who benefitedfrom health centres,schools, water systems andother infrastructure. Grandialso visited UNHCR-builtsites, including a healthcentre in Kandahar and agirls’ school in Jalalabad.

“Some 3.4 million peo-ple are internally displaceddue to conflict, the health-care system is experiencingsevere shortages amid theCOVID crisis and ameasles outbreak, keyworkers in vital serviceslike schools and hospitalsare without salaries, whilethe liquidity crisis, risingglobal food and energy

costs are having a devastat-ing effect,” he spelled out.

“Overall, 24 millionpeople throughoutAfghanistan requirehumanitarian support thisyear and we appeal todonors to fund a largehumanitarian effort.”

Highlighting the needfor “long-term political andeconomic stability,” Mr.Grandi reiterated theimportance of the interna-tional community whilealso noting that “humani-tarian approaches alonewill not suffice.”

He stressed the need torevitalize Afghanistan’sbanking system and econo-my while also resumingdevelopment projects to“lay the foundations” fordisplaced Afghans andrefugees to consider volun-tary returns “when condi-tions permit.” The UNHCRhead said that he has beenreminding the authorities ofthe need to build trust andto guarantee the rights ofAfghans.

World must deliver support toAfghans: UN refugee chief

ISLAMABAD: Commander of the National Guard of Bahrain GeneralSheikh Mohammad Bin Isa Al Kalifa called on Prime Minister Imran Khanon March 17, 2022.

Friday, March 18, 2022The Frontier Post, Peshawar

KARACHI: Hindu community enjoying with colours on eve of Holi festival celebration.

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: HisExcellency Ahmed AmeenRabaie, Ambassador ofPalestine in Pakistan metthe founders of AGAHIAwards, PurueshChaudhary and AmirJahangir here in Islamabadtoday at the Embassy of theState of Palestine.

Ambassador Rabaieshared his thoughts on therole of journalism in high-lighting the importance ofhuman values and dignity.He especially emphasizedthat Human Rights andFreedom are the fundamen-tal rights of any citizens ofthe state. AmbassadorRabaie appreciated the ini-tiative to collaborate andwork together for recogniz-ing Human Rights andValues with AGAHIAwards and its initiatives.

The AGAHI Awards inits 10th year will be cele-brating more than 500 jour-nalists from across Pakistanreporting in print, televi-sion, radio, and onlinemediums to be the winners

of the Awards. The AGAHIAwards this year will havean umbrella theme ofHuman Rights and will beheld on the Human RightsDay, 10th December 2022.

The Ambassadorexpressed his desire to seemore education related jour-nalism efforts in Pakistan.He informed the the foundersthat more than 50,000Palestinian students havegained their higher educationfrom Pakistan, the studentsreceived their specializationsin the fields of medicine,engineering, linguistics, pub-lic policy, and arts etc.

He presented the tradi-tional Palestinian keffiyehand embroidered shawlalong with the traditionalkey and flag to thefounders.AGAHI Awardsare focused on enhancingthe collective conscious-ness of a society thatenables professional ethicsof objective journalism,bolstered by social respon-sibility theory; and ethics tostrengthen human val-ues.“AGAHI Awards” arean annual series of journal-

ism awards to build theappreciation mechanismfor journalists in Pakistan.

Inaugurated on March28th, 2012, the AGAHIAwards are an annual seriesof journalism awards inPakistan. These arePakistan’s first ever jour-nalism awards recognizingthe best journalists acrossprint, television, radio, andthe internet. The Awardsrecognize more than 60journalists on different the-matic verticals. AGAHIand Mishal Pakistan organ-ize these awards in collabo-ration with leading pressclubs across the country,local and internationalmedia development bodies,regulatory authorities, andthe private sector.

The AGAHI Awards havebeen the foremost mediadevelopment initiative formedia and journalism in thecountry. The awards haveidentified some of the mosttalented and diligent journal-ists in the industry. The win-ners have now acquireddecision-making and leader-ship positions in the industryfor “Shaping the Future of

Journalism” in Pakistan.This year, the AGAHIAwards 2022 is creating newjournalism beats and cate-gories to make journalism inPakistan more diverse andinclusive. The new cate-gories will be included bycritically analyzing mediadiscourse for the past 12months with an objective tocreate appreciation for thekey challenges and opportu-nities reported by the media.

KARACHI (APP): Advisorto Chief Minister Sindh onReligious Affairs, Zakatand Ushr, Fayyaz Ali Buttsaid that the Urs of HazratLal Shahbaz Qalandarwould start from March 22and all possible facilitieswould be provided to thevisitors/pilgrims coming toattend the Urs.

He said this while chairinga meeting held here at OldKD Building on Thursday.The meeting was also attend-

ed by Secretary Auqaf ,Zakat and Ushr JavedSibghatullah Mehar andChief Administrator AuqafZahid Ali Shar. The meetingreviewed the arrangementsfor the 769th Annual Urs ofHazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar.

He further said that HazratLal Shahbaz Qalandar's UrsMubarak will be celebratedwith utmost respect. In thisregard all concerned depart-ments have been alerted.Adviser to the Chief Minister

Sindh on Religious Affairs,Zakat and Ushr Fayyaz AliButt also requested the pil-grims to cooperate with theSindh government and showdiscipline during the Urs cel-ebrations. The Urs celebra-tions will be inaugurated byFayyaz Ali Butt, Advisor toChief Minister Sindh onReligious Affairs. It shouldbe noted that the annual ursof Hazrat Lal ShahbazQalandar is celebrated everyyear on the 18th of Sha'ban.

ISLAMABAD (APP):Minister for Informationand BroadcastingChaudhry Fawad Hussainsaid on Thursday thatPrime Minister Imran Khanwas trying to save Pakistanfrom imperialism.

Addressing the KamyabJawan Green YouthMovement event here hesaid that internationalimperialism ruled India andsome local stooges alsosupported the foreign mas-ters. Fawad Hussain saidthat PML-N PresidentShehbaz Sharif has pro-posed that a national gov-ernment minus PTI shouldbe formed and this propos-al was tantamount to

installing a government of robbers to protect thieves.

ACP to host 5thSindh LiteratureFestival on 18thKARACHI (APP): The 5thSindh Literature Festival(SLF) will have sessions inSindhi and Urdu languages,is scheduled to be held onon March 18 at 4:30 pm,here at the Arts Council ofPakistan (ACP).

This was announced in ajoint press conference byPresident ACP MuhammadAhmad Shah, WriterNoorul Huda Shah, Dr.Ayub Sheikh, NaseerGopang and Zohaib Kakaat Hasina Moin Hall ACPhere. On the occasion, theopening ceremony of thethree-day festival will beheld at the ACP.

Ahmed Shah said thatearlier this festival washeld elsewhere and now ithas come to our home andwe are very happy that weare the partners of this fes-tival. While talking to themedia, well-known writerNoor ul Huda Shah said itwas started in difficult andunfavorable conditions. Itis going to be good workand it has to face criticism,she said.

This is the only way forevolution to run this coun-try," Naseer Gopang,organizer of SLF said thatSLF is working to bringpeople together, this year'stheme is Moin Jo Daroo,Moin Jo Daroo is hundredyears old, he said.

Dr. Ayub Sheikh said thatthere were many difficultiesin organizing this festival butthe Arts Council has openedits doors, Arts Council hasbecome so big that now weare all doing programmeshere, this is good news,Sindh Literature Festival is afive-year-old child, now allour institutions and pro-grammes cannot be com-plete without young people,especially women.

PM trying to save Pakistanfrom imperialism: Fawad

Shahbaz Qalandar’sannual Urs celebrationto begin on March 22

KARACHI (APP): Administrator KarachiBarrister Murtaza Wahab on Thursday vis-ited Mewa Shah cemetery and reviewedthe arrangements regarding Shab-e-Baraat. He was accompanied byMetropolitan Commissioner Syed AfzalZaidi and other officials.

The Administrator inspected the roadsleading to Mewa Shah graveyard fromRexer Lane and Bakra Piri and directedthe concerned officers to improve the san-itation and lighting arrangements.

On this occasion, Senior DirectorMunicipal Services Mazhar Khan gave abriefing on the arrangements made forShab-e-Baraat in Mewa Shah Cemetery.

Barrister Murtaza Wahab said thatMewa Shah is the oldest and largest grave-yard in Karachi. Like other cemeteries inthe city, a large number of people visitMewa Shah graveyard to offer Fateha atthe graves of their loved ones on the occa-sion of Shab-e-Baraat.

"All arrangements should be made inadvance for the convenience of the visitors

on this occasion. In particular, cleaning ofentrances, lighting arrangements andwater supply must be done on prioritybasis," he added.

The Administrator said that arrange-ments have been made in all the cemeter-ies under the administration of KMC andevery effort is being made to ensure thatthere is no shortage of any necessity.

He said that disinfectant sprays arebeing done, adding that city wardens arealso being deployed around cemeterieswhich will help in smooth flow of trafficon narrow lanes and roads.

"Providing better services to the citi-zens is our top priority especially on reli-gious festivals and important occasions,"he added and said that in each district astrategy has been adopted to work in col-laboration with the concerned MunicipalCorporation which is yielding positiveresults. He said that development of basicurban infrastructure including construc-tion and repair of roads is underway in alldistricts of Karachi.

KARACHI (INP): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Member of the NationalAssembly (MNA) Aamir Liaquat Hussainhas announced to remain 'neutral' in thecurrent political situation and support theright side and truth. Aamir LiaquatHussain made the announcement along-side the Sindh Governor Imran Ismail afterhe met him during the ongoing efforts toappease dissident PTI lawmakers.

He said that he remains neutral and hewill support the right side and truth. Thelawmaker added that he is still a memberof the PTI parliamentary party and hisdecision will be announced at an appropri-

ate time. The PTI-led government hasexpedited efforts to appease the disgrun-tled lawmakers ahead of the no-confidencemotion against Prime Minister ImranKhan, however, the internal conflicts ofthe ruling political party have not endedyet. Sindh Governor Imran Ismail andAamir Liaquat Hussain held discussionson the current political situation and mat-ters related to mutual interests duringtoday's meeting.

While talking to journalists after themeeting, "I'm here not to appease thedissident one but to have a cup of teawith my brother.

Murtaza reviewsarrangements of

Shab-e-Barat

‘Palestine and Pakistan can createmedia collaboration to highlight the

importance of Global Human Dignity’

Aamir says ‘will remainneutral, support right side’

Lost & Found

Ihave lost DeathCertificate of myMother Farhad Begum

Wife of Malik AhmadShah. If anyone found itplease contact. Zubair ShahS/o Malik Ahmad Shah.Cell No# 0349-9211466

DIGP Securityvisits parade

groundKARACHI (APP): DIGPSindh Security andEmergency Services DivisionDr. Maqsood Ahmed on theinstructions of IGP Sindh,made a visit to parade groundIslamabad to view arrange-ments and preparation ofSindh Police personnel forPakistan Day Parade-2022.

A special contingent of371 personnel of SindhPolice comprising 182 com-mandos of Special SecurityUnit (SSU), 131 personnel ofTraffic Police and other dis-tricts of Karachi Range and58 personnel of RapidResponse Force (RRF) is setto participate in Pakistan DayParade-2022, said a newsrelease on Thursday. On theoccasion, DIGP Security Dr.Maqsood Ahmed said moraleof Sindh police’s contingentis high and they are ready todisplay their drill skills onMarch 23rd, 2022 along withother armed forces.

Youth killeddue to kite

stringLAHORE (APP): A 24-year old youth died afterthe string of a stray kite cuthis throat at Iqbal Townarea, here on Thursday.

Police said that the victim,Danial resident of ShairanwaliKothi Samanabad, along withhis wife, Lubna, was travellingon a motorcycle when thestring cut his throat. As aresult, he received severeinjuries and was shifted to alocal hospital where hedied. Further investigationis underway.

Friday, March 18, 2022The Frontier Post 03

F.P. Report

PESHAWAR: KhyberPakhtunkhwa Minister forIrrigation Arshad Ayub Khan hassaid that after completing trainingcourses from Govt. EngineeringAcademy will help AssistantEngineers in increasing the capaci-ty of the irrigation department andwill overcome the staff shortage.

The provincial government isworking to improve and increase thecapacity of government employees

and in this regard various serviceacademies have been set up inKhyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He expressed these views intraining completing ceremony of21 Assistant Engineers ofIrrigation Department KhyberPakhtunkhwa at Govt EngineeringAcademy Lahore. The ceremonywas attended by ProvincialMinister for Irrigation PunjabMohsin Leghari, SecretaryIrrigation Punjab Captain R SaifAnjum, Chief Engineer North Zone

Nasir Ghafoor Khan and other offi-cials were present on the occasion.

Provincial Minister for IrrigationArshad Ayub Khan congratulated the21 Assistant Engineers of theIrrigation Department on the success-ful completion of the training courseand wished them well.

The first batch of 21 AssistantEngineers of the IrrigationDepartment of Khyber Pakhtunkhwahave completed the training coursefrom the Government EngineeringAcademy, Lahore.

21 Assistant Engineers completedthe training course

F.P. Report

PESHAWAR: The Instituteof Management Sciences(IMSciences) Peshawarconducted two-days tech-nical training for relevantgovernment stakeholderson “Remote Sensing &Geographical InformationSystems (RS/GIS): Basicsof Mapping andMonitoring of Water andLand Resources” under theWorld Bank and HECfunded Project “AchievingSDG 6: Inclusive

Governance of UrbanWater & Sanitation” at theInstitute of ManagementSciences, Peshawar.

In the opening remarks,Dr. Muhammad MohsinKhan, Director,IMSciences welcomes thedistinguished guests andhighlighted the role of tech-nology and scientific toolsin solving water and sanita-tion related issues in districtPeshawar. He furtherexplained that IMSciencesin collaboration with theprovincial and federal gov-

ernment departments is tak-ing up the steps to build thecapacities of the relevantgovernment department forsolving water and sanita-tion related issues.

The Co-PI of the saidproject Dr. Shakeel Hayatbriefed the participantsabout the milestonesachieved so far under theproject. Dr. Aftab Nazir, aGIS/Remote Sending expertfrom the IHE Delft Institutefor Water EducationNetherlands is the leadtrainer for this training.

IM Sciences hold technicaltraining on RS/GIS

for professionals

F.P. Report

PESHAWAR: SmallIndustries DevelopmentBoard (SIDB) KhyberPakhtunkhwa formallyacquired 1268 kanal landfor establishment of newindustrial estate at Zangali,Kohat Road, said aspokesman of the boardhere on Thursday.

The new small industriesestate is second project ofthe board initiated inPeshawar since 1962 willcalled SIDB EstatePeshawar-II. The initiativeis part of the provincialgovernment’s endeavorsfor facilitation of industriesand investment in theprovince.

On the directives of theSpecial Assistant to KP CMon Industries & Investment,

Abdul Karim KhanTordher, the DeputyManaging Director (DMD)Mohammad Saleem, DMDZulfikar Ali, Joint DirectorsSafdar Ali Abbas, JamalNasir and SahibzadaNasim, took the land intopossession with the assis-tance of local police.

A heavy contingent ofpolice was also deployed toavert any untoward inci-dent. The establishment ofanother estate for SMEs inPeshawar was long stand-ing demand of the localindustrialists and investorsand the provincial govern-ment has started practicalsteps to accomplish thatgoal. According to theManaging Director (MD)SIDB, Syed Zafar Ali Shah,the proposed industrialestate would be a specified

industrial zone whereinabout 15000 people will getemployment.

Similarly, he said that acommercial plaza wouldalso be constructed forindustrialists and workersof the estate and stepswould also be taken fortheir protection.Furthermore, he said thatspecial routes would alsobe constructed to the estate.The government hasplanned the establishmentof 800 industrial units inthe estate.

The Board is making all-out efforts for the provisionof all utilities includingelectricity, gas and water inthe estate to make it opera-tional in the shortest timeperiod and bring socio-eco-nomic change in the livesof the people of Peshawar.

SIDB acquires 1268 kanal landto establish industrial estate

F.P. Report

PESHAWAR: BreastCancer is slowly becomingendemic in Pakistan withone out of eight womenbeing at a lifetime risk ofdeveloping the disease atsome point. Factors liketaboos, stigmas, stereo-types, myths, and miscon-ceptions surround women'shealth and their bodies pos-ing hurdles in the earlypresentation of the cases intertiary care hospitals. Inorder to spread awarenessregarding the disease, shedlight on its causes and pre-vention, an awareness sem-inar was held at the KhyberMedical University(KMU), Peshawar in col-laboration with PublicHealth AssociationPHA),KP. Mr. MehmoodJan Deputy SpeakerKhyber PakhtunkhwaAssembly was the chiefguest whereas Ms. RabiaBasri chairperson of stand-ing committee on healthand Ms. Sajida Hanif MPAand member steering com-mittee breast cancer werethe guest of honors. Beside

others vice-chancellorKMU Prof. Dr. Zia ul Haq,Registrar Prof. Dr.Muhammad SaleemGandapur, president PHAKP Dr. Saima Abid, faculty,and heads of different insti-tutions were also present atthe occasion.

Mr. Mehmood Jan hassaid that early detection ofbreast cancer will save thelives of many women in thefuture and KP Assemblysupports the cause whole-heartedly. He gave direc-tives to the relevant policy-makers to follow up thePC1 of the first-ever“Breast cancer early detec-tion” program in KP withthe federal government toensure smooth approvalduring 2022. He said thattreatment of breast canceris free at IRNUM hospitalon sehat sahulat programwhich was a significantachievement of the presentgovernment.

Ms. Rabia Basri empha-sized on the importance ofself-examination and otherpreventive measures ofbreast cancer. Ms. SajidaHanif ensured the support

of policymakers for theestablishment of earlydetection centers and breastcancer control program inKP. Prof. Dr. Zia Ul Haqsaid that Mrs. President hasraised this issue to the toplevel and KMU is a strongsupporter of this noblecause. The renownedoncologist Dr. SafooraShahid, delivered aninsightful lecture on thevarious causes of the dis-eases, its management, andthe importance of readilyavailable treatment facili-ties. Dr. Mahvish furtheredthe discussion by talkingabout specific genetic can-cer markers.

Dr. Saima Abid dis-cussed the details of thePHA activities and con-cluded the session by pre-senting her report about thevarious projects executedso far to expedite the effortsin improving breast cancerresearch as well as, shareddetails about the inceptionof the breast cancer com-mittee in the process. Laterthe guests planted the olivetrees through the support ofthe forest department.

KMU organizes breastcancer awareness seminar

PESHAWAR (APP):Director General (DG)Excise Taxation andNarcotics Control KhyberPakhtunkhwa MahmoodAslam Wazir has given 15days deadline to all con-cerned Regional Directorsand Excise Taxation Officersof Excise Department forfurther improvement rev-enue recovery.

He issued strict instruc-tions to the ExciseDepartment’s officers toensure given revenue targetand said that all theRegional Directors andDistrict Excise andTaxation Officers shouldimmediately focus on rev-enue recovery and furtherimprovement in perform-ance. He expressed theseviews while presiding overa high-level review meetingon revenue recovery andperformance at the ExciseDirectorate on Thursday.

The meeting was attend-ed by Director RevenueSyed Alamin, DirectorRegistration SufianHaqqani, DirectorPeshawar Region Javed

Khilji, Dr Eid BadshahDirector Malakand Region,Hayat Wazir Director SouthRegion, MuhammadNoman Deputy DirectorAudit and Accounts and allDistrict Excise andTaxation Officers.

The meeting was given adetailed briefing on rev-enue recovery and perform-ance so far while a detailedbriefing was also given onthe illegal vehicles seizedand their legal process.

The meeting reviewed indetail the revenue recoveryand performance of theeight months of the finan-cial year 2021-22 from Julyto February.

It was decided at themeeting that the progressand performance reports ofthe Regional Directors andDistrict Excise andTaxation Officers would bereviewed in detail for thefuture while recommenda-tions would be presented tothe higher authorities andcompetent officers wouldbe appointed on key posts.

The Director General ofExcise has called for

expanding the scope ofintelligence-based opera-tions against drugs andespecially for freeing edu-cational institutions fromthe scourge of drugs, sayingthat a drug-free KhyberPakhtunkhwa is our com-mitment. He also directedto provide all kinds ofurgent facilities related toexcise department to citi-zens, car owners, con-sumers and the public.

He further directed toexpedite the ongoingreforms in the excisedepartment to enhance effi-ciency. He furthered thatdespite imposing additionalburden on the taxpayers,the Excise Department willexplore new rating areas inthe tax net and expandingthe scope of tax net. In themeeting, Mahmood AslamWazir also directed to dealwith the complaintsreceived on the PakistanCitizen Portal regarding theExcise Department in atimely manner and also fol-low up the court cases relat-ed to the ExciseDepartment well in time.

DG Excise directs RDs, ETOsto improve revenue recovery

F.P. Report

PESHAWAR: ProvincialOmbudsperson for the protection ofwomen against harassment at theworkplace Rakhshanda Naz saidThursday that an Ombudspersoncomplex would be set up inPeshawar. She expressed these viewsduring a meeting with Provincial LawMinister Fazal Shakoor Khan.

The provincial minister congratu-lated Rakhshanda Naz on taking oathas Provincial Ombudsperson andexpressed his best wishes. He saidthat this is an important duty and ful-filling its responsibilities with utmostseriousness and sincerity is essentialfor the present.

During the meeting various issueswere discussed in detail under whichseveral important steps will be takeninitially for the OmbudspersonSecretariat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa torun mutual affairs and development.

Under which first an ombudsper-son complex will be set up in

Peshawar for which suitable land willbe acquired.

Law Minister Fazal Shakoor Khanhas said that sub and regional officesof the Provincial OmbudspersonSecretariat will be set up to facilitatethe delivery of justice to the commonman at his doorstep.

Provincial OmbudspersonRakhshanda Naz informed the lawminister that after the implementationof "KP Enforcement of Women'sRights to Property Act 2019", thepowers to investigate and deal withcomplaints have also been given tothe Ombudsperson SecretariatKhyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The number of cases againstharassment of women in the work-place under the Khyber PakhtunkhwaProtection of Women (Amendment)Act, 2018 has also been increased.

The matter of creation of vacan-cies and related human resources forspeedy disposal of these cases will befinalized soon with the FinanceDepartment so that there is no hin-

drance in the delivery of justice.Fazal Shakoor Khan said that most

of the complainants belong to verypoor families who have very fewresources to lodge a complaint andfollow up and come to the Peshawaroffice for hearing the case. To thisend, sub-regional and regional officesof the Ombudsperson Secretariat willbe set up to enhance the confidence ofthe people in the administration of thestate by providing justice to them.

Provincial Law Minister FazalShakoor Khan directed the ProvincialOmbudsperson to organize variousseminars on Women Property Act inthe newly merged districts so that thewomen of these districts could bemade aware of it and women's rightscould be protected from being violat-ed. He said that awareness teamsshould be sent to all the districts ofthe province including the newlymerged districts so that the people arefully aware of this act and women canbe protected from inheritance depri-vation under the Act.

Ombudsperson complex to be setup in Peshawar: Rakhshanda Naz

Humayun Khan

PESHAWAR: A divisionalbench of Peshawar HighCourt comprising of JusticeMusrt Hilali and JusticeAttique Shah directed todevolved power to newlyelected Local Governmentoffice-holders within 10days during 1st phase ofelections, on Thursday.

The counsel for petition-er Babar Khan Yousafzaiand Additional AdvocateGeneral Rab Nawaz Khanappeared before court.

The writ argued thaton 19 December 2021election was conducted17 districts of KhyberPakhtunkhwa during 1stphase of LG electionswhile powers did notdevolved to newly elect-ed public-office-holders.The petition furtheradded that in accordancewith LG Act 2019 undersection 79(1) the powersshall be delegate within15 days of notificationissued of winning candi-dates while session

should also be called intimeframe.

The writ petition furtherargued that under sections78(1) and 80(1) of LG Act2019 should take oathbefore joining office andadded that residents of 17districts are impacting dueto failure in implementationof the Act. The divisionalhas directed competentauthorities to entrust pow-ers to LG members andcomplete the process in 10days while disposed-off theinstant writ petition.

Devolution of powers toLG members: PHC directs

to complete in 10 Days

Excise, taxationdept directed totimely achieverevenue target

F.P. Report

PESHAWAR: A meeting toreview performance andprogress on revenue recov-ery by the Excise Taxationand Narcotics ControlKhyber Pakhtunkhwa washeld here on Thursday.

The meeting which waschaired by DirectorGeneral Excise Taxationand Narcotics ControlMahmood Aslam Wazirgave 15-day time to thedepartment to show furtherimprovement on the rev-enue recovery front andensure a set target.

Director Revenue,Director Registration,Director Peshawar Regionand other officers, excisespokesman attended themeeting. The department’sspokesman said that themeeting reviewed revenuerecovery and performancefor 8 months starting July-February of FY 22-2021.

The director general saidthat progress and perform-ance reports of RegionalDirectors and DistrictExcise and Taxation Officerwould be reviewed and rec-ommendations would bepresented to top officials.Mahmood Aslam Wazir hascalled for expanding thescope of intelligence basedoperations against drugs,especially to purge educa-tional institutions ofscourge of drugs. He alsodirected for facilitating taxpayers, car owners and thepublic by extending themurgent help. The meetingwas also briefed about mat-ters pertaining to illegalvehicles seized and furtherlegal process in this regard.

The department wasdirected to expedite work onongoing reforms to enhanceefficiency. The meeting alsodirected to expand the scopeof the tax net instead ofimposing additional burdenon taxpayers. The depart-ment was told that promptmeasures should be takenfor addressing complaintsreceived through thePakistan Citizen Portal.

ECP teamspenalize

MNAs, MPAF.P. Report

PESHAWAR: The moni-toring teams of ElectionCommission of Pakistan(ECP) has started takingaction against violation ofcode of conduct issued byECP for second phase oflocal government electionsto be held in 18 districts ofthe province on March 31.

A statement issued heresaid that District MonitoringOfficer (DMO) ManseharHayatullah Jan Thursdayimposed a Rs 50,000 fine onFederal ParliamentarySecretary and MemberNational Assembly NA-13Mansehra SalehMohammad for not appear-ing before the monitoringofficer and sent his case toECP for further action.

Similarly DMO OfficerMansehra fined PTI candi-date for Chairman TehsilCouncil Buffal PakhalMansehra Abal ShakoorLaghmani with Rs 30,000for not submitting a reason-able reply over violation ofcode of conduct. A DMOimposed Rs 50,000 fine onMuhammad Azam KhanSwati for violating the codeof conduct. The DMOreferred his case to theElection Commission forfurther action.

Similarly a DMO sent thecase of PTI candidate forChairman Tehsil CouncilBalakot MansehraMuhammad Mushtaq Khanover second time violationof the code of conduct. Hewas already fined Rs 30,000for his earlier violation.DMO Mansehra also sentcase of MPA and SpecialAssistant to Chief MinisterSyed Ahmed Hussain Shahto the Election Commissionfor further action as he vio-lated code of conduct for thesecond consecutive time.

Wife of FidaUllah Sehraipasses away

F.P. Report

PESHAWAR: Wife ofProfessor Fidaullah Sehraidied on 15 march 2022 shewas the mother of Dr.Nidaullah Sehrai of Sirsahibzada Abdul QayyumMuseum, University ofPehawar and Arshed Khanshe was buried in BaghchaDheri. Her soyam was heldon 17th March inBaghicha Dheri.

Jhagra inauguratesRast Islamic Branchin MTI Hayatabad

F.P. Report

PESHAWAR: KPMinister for Health &Finance, Taimur SaleemKhan Jhagra inauguratedthe Rast Islamic Bankingbranch of the Bank ofKhyber (BoK) inHayatabad PostgraduateMedical TeachingInstitute on Thursday.

Speaking on the occa-sion, the provincial minis-ter said that the govern-ment is disbursing softloans in small and medi-um enterprises (SMEs) ofthe province through RastIslamic Branches of theBank of Khyber.

These loans, he said,are subsidized and willput no further burden onthe business communityas no mark-up will becharged during the firstyear of the disbursementand only 2% mark-up willbe charged during the sec-ond year of the repay-ment. Out of which 4%charges in head of mark-up will be paid by theprovincial government tohelp rehabilitate Coronaaffected SMEs.

Earlier, KP Ministerfor Health & Finance,Taimur Saleem KhanJhagra, who also holdsthe portfolio of health inthe provincial cabinetalso reviewed the moderntechnical lab inHayatabad PostgraduateMedical Institute. He saidthat after the establish-ment of the lab, the med-ical staff of the provincewill not need to travelabroad for training.

KP Minister for Health& Finance, TaimurSaleem Khan Jhagra saidthat for imparting trainingto the people they arereforming the old and out-dated training courses toconvert them into moderntechnical systems.

PESHAWAR: Lt. Gen. (Retd) Mumtaz Gul planting asapling of Magnolia at Pakistan Rural Academy.

PESHAWAR: Engineer Sabghat Ullah receiving degree from ProvincialMinister and Vice Chancellor UET Dr. Iftikhar Hussain.

In briefIn brief

Police arrests 35alleged culprits

F.P. Report

BANNU: Police duringsearch strike operationrecovered arms andammunition whilearrested 35 alleged cul-prits and initiated legalaction against over-speeding, double ridingand unregistered ten-ants. According todetails, a search andstrike operation hasbeen launched to main-tain law and order in thedistrict as per the visionof DPO Bannu ImranShahid. During thesearch and strike opera-tion conducted by ORural One Nabi ShahKhan in the area ofHowid police station,police recovered 01Kalashnikov, 06 pistols,02 rifles and ammuni-tion and seized 09speeding motorcyclists.During the operation,06 accused were arrest-ed under theUnregistered TenancyAct while 35 suspectswere also arrested.Support Bannu Policein prevention. It isimpossible to maintainpeace without the coop-eration of the people.

Fake doctorarrested

GUJRANWALA (INP):Punjab Anti Corruptionhave arrested a fakedoctor of BPS-17, itsurfaced on Thursday.According to PAC per-sonnel, accusedMuhammad Asghar hassubmitted his fakedegree of MBBS at thetime of his recruitment.He had been appointedas medical officer forsix years and four yearsdeputy district healthofficer. Not only this,his matric and interme-diate degrees were alsofake. Accused hasclaimed of completingdegree from a Europeancountry, Crimea.According to investiga-tions, accused hadnever been travelled toCrimea.

Public gatheringto be heldF.P. Report

CHITRAL: The PakistanTehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)would hold a mammothpublic gathering at D-Chowk Islamabad onMarch 27, a senior leaderof the party Ghulam BilalJavid said. Addressingparty workers here, thePTI leader said that PrimeMinister Imran Khanwould not compromiseand would not yield topressure tactics andwould come up to theexpectation of masseswho voted his party topower. “We are fully pre-pared and will reach D-Chowk and stand by theside of our leader and willoffer our lives and prop-erty to save the countryfrom the corrupted ele-ments,” he added.Ghulam Bilal Javedasked all party workers totake provisions and pre-pare banners for the pub-lic gathering at the D-Chowk. Ghulam Bilaldemanded of the seniorleadership of Peshawarregion that a rally shouldbe held before March 27in Peshawar fromHayatabad Chowk toGulbahar as preparationfor the rally.

Fire at office

TA N D L I A N WA L A(INP): Office recordand other equipmentworth Rs3.5 millionwere completely guttedin a fire that erupted at amunicipal committee's(MC) office in Tand-lianwala on Thursday.Computers, furnitureand stationery items ofthe account branch,audit branch and therecord room of theoffice were completelyburnt. MC workers toldthe media that the fireerupted because of ashort-circuit. Municipalcommittee employeesassisted the firefightersin extinguishing theblaze. It took them 20minutes to put out thefire while the coolingprocess took one morehour. A sanitary worker,an employee of thecommittee, was injuredwhen part of a roof sep-arated and fell on himwhile the flames werebeing doused.

The Frontier PostFriday, March 18, 2022District

F.P. Report

MARDAN: Two brotherswere gunned down by theirrivals in Chanuna area oftehsil Katlang over a land-related dispute in the prem-ises of Kharki police stationwhen they were on theirway to home, on Thursday.

The officials of relevantKharki Police Station quot-ed, Adnan Khan, brother ofthe victims, as saying thathe along with his fatheridentified as Shadaat Khanand his slain brothers SherDil and Murad and uncleLal Dad were on their wayback to home when theirrivals opened indiscrimi-nate firing over them thatled to killing of his two

brothers on the spot whilehe, his father and unclewere narrowly escaped inthe firing. He told policethat cause behind the mur-dered incident was a land-dispute between the tworival parties. The victimMurad belonged to policedepartment.

The alleged killers hadmade their escaped goodfrom the crime scene. ThePolice had lodged FIR onthe complaint of AdnanKhan against the accusedidentified as Mehboob,Qaiser, Ameer Khan sonsof Malang, Hamesh Guland his son Farid Gul andtheir accomplices Taj Waliand Mehtab Gul. Policeofficials that they began

further investigation intothe case and acceleratedtheir efforts to arrest theaccused nominated in theFIR.

Two brothers shot killedover land dispute

F.P. Report

HAFIZABAD: Police insuccessful operations againstorganized crime arrested 42robbers including 06 notori-ous robber gangs wanted inserious crimes like robbery,dacoity, street crime, burgla-ry, cattle theft, motorcycletheft and etc. The arrestedgangs include Dillo Cattlelifters, Inter-District TayyabDakait Gang, SikandarDakait Gang and AdeelDakait Gang. SPInvestigation KhalidMahmood Tabassum handedover the stolen goods recov-ered from the accused to 101owners.

More than Rs. 13 millionworth of stolen goods wererecovered and handed overto 101 owners. DPO BilalZafar Sheikh has said thatprotection of life and proper-ty of the people is our toppriority and we will not failin our responsibility.

Officials directed toresolve OverseasPakistanis grievances onpriority basis: DeputyCommissioner MuhammadAsif Raza has said that as pergovernment directives,through Overseas PakistanCommittee, steps are being

taken on full and concretebasis to solve the problemsfaced by Pakistanis livingabroad on priority basis.

The requests received bythe Overseas PakistanCommittee are being imple-mented immediately, so thatour Overseas Pakistanis whoare representing Pakistanabroad and playing impor-tant role in economic devel-opment through their foreignexchange in Pakistan aretruly recognized. Heexpressed these views on theoccasion of hearing the peti-tions and issues of variouspersons in the meeting ofDistrict OverseasCommittee.

Additional DeputyCommissioner RevenueImran Ismat and other mem-bers of the committee werealso present in the meeting.Ensuring immediate solutionto the problems faced byPakistanis living in the coun-try and providing them per-manent relief on solid basis.The Deputy Commissionerdirected all the concerneddepartments to deal with theproblems of overseasPakistanis on priority basisfrom which overseasPakistanis have got relief.

JI urged competent

authorities to take sternactions against outlaw:Acting District Ameer ofJamaat-e-Islami, AmanullahChatha has expressed graveconcern over the increasingincidents of robbery andtheft in Hafizabad andstressed on the need forimmediate and effective con-trol of street crimes whichhave created insecurityamong the citizens, causingintense sensation and fear.He was addressing a meetingof party leaders at the districtoffice.

Muhammad HanifGondal, Prof. MuhammadAyub Tahir and AzharQayyum Cheema alsoaddressed the meeting. Hesaid that the incidents ofarmed robbery starting fromCheema Medical StoreRailway Road have beencontinuing in the form ofincidents of robbery at pri-vate hospital, variousbazaars and roads and cattletheft in villages. He urgedthe administration and policeofficials to use all possiblemeans to eradicate theseorganized criminal gangsfrom the agencies of intelli-gence and police units toensure law and order in thearea.

Police arrests 42 dacoits

F.P. Report

KARAK: A women waskilled on the spot while aman was injured in ashootout between two sidesin a property dispute inKanda Sirajkhel area ofKarak district.

Opponents fled the sceneafter a woman was killedand a man namedSaqibullah was injured in aland dispute in KandaSirajkhel area of Kandahar.District Police OfficerShafiullah Khan Gandapurreacted strongly by regis-tering a case at TakhtNusrat Police Station onreceiving informationabout the incident and

directed the police to takeimmediate action. YaqubKhan Shaheed Farid KhanPolice Station along with15 rescue personnel andpolice party immediatelyregistered a case and startedsearching for the accusednamed in the case. Allahand Akhtar Zaman son ofMajeed Khan resident ofKandah Siraj Khel werearrested.

Police recovered twoKalashnikovs, a 12-borerifle and 45 rounds ofammunition, including amurder weapon. Policehave handed over thearrested accused to theinvestigation team andpolice have started interro-

gation. DPO Karak encour-aged the DSP, SHO andNusrat police to arrest themurder suspects on timeand commended them.

In this regard, DPOKarak said that killing andvandalism on trivial mat-ters is a moment of reflec-tion and a question markfor all the people living inthe society. That is why wetake extreme measures ona trivial basis whichdestroys our races. Thefuture of our children isdoomed. This is a questionmark for all members ofsociety. He added thattimely action by the policewould bring relief to thebereaved family.

Woman killed, maninjured over land dispute

M. Bilal Baseer Abbasi

MURREE: Despite Pakis-tan Tehreek Insaf’sMember NationalAssembly from Murree,Sadaqat Ali Abbasi, whopledges that recruitment ofteaching staff in Kohsarvarsity will be done purelyon merit, but candidatesbelieve that only those hav-ing influence will get therequired job.

As per details, the candi-dates, who applied for theposts of AssistantProfessors at the KohsarUniversity of Murree havealleged violation of merit inthe selection process andwarned of striving againstwhat it called favouritism.It was professed that those

students who had earnedgold medals in their aca-demic careers had beendenied during selectionprocess and those rankedlow were given call lettersfor interview.

Dr. Banzeer AhsanAbbasi is among one ofthem, who while reachingto this correspondent toldthat she had undeniable evi-dence of irregularities inselection procedure andwould produce them beforecourt of law. Dr Banzeerstated that she had appearedfor interviews here twicebut was each time denied inselection on one or theother pretext. She said thatwhen selection board wasannounced, she was neithercalled for an interview nor

her file was presentedbefore it. She firmlybelieved that the process ofselection was outlaw, so theprovincial governmentshould order an inquiry intoit for action against the rel-evant quarters.

Vice Chancellor andRegistrar KohsarUniversity Murree were notavailable for commentsdespite repeated attempts.It is worth mentioning herethat PTI MNA from thearea Sadaqat Ali Abbasi,who is also an educationiston a number of occasionshad asserted that theprocess of recruitment inKohsar varsity will be “fair,transparent and accordingto the rules and regula-tions”.

Candidates flay recuritmenton nepotism at KUM

F.P. Report

CHARSADDA: A two daybook fair was organized atGovernment Girls DegreeCollege Tajo BB Charsaddaunder the auspices ofNational Book Foundationto promote culture of bookreading among young gen-eration during the era infor-mation technology.

The special guest wasAdditional DeptuyCommissioner CharsaddaSania Safi inaugurated thebook fair along with theprincipal and other collegeteachers. On this occasion,representatives of NationalBook Foundation FazalWahman Khan and AlamKhan gave a detailed brief-ing on NBF books.

And also informed thespecial guest on special dis-count on discounted books

on which special guestADC Charsadda MissSania Safi appreciated theperformance of NationalBook Foundation andorganized NBF Book Fairat any place in Charsaddaon her behalf.

Assuring all possiblecooperation for this, ADCMiss Sania Safi whileaddressing the function saidAnd also informed the spe-

cial guest on special dis-count on discounted bookson which special guestADC Charsadda Miss SaniaSafi appreciated the per-formance of National BookFoundation and organizedNBF Book Fair at any placein Charsadda on her behalf.Assuring all possible coop-eration for this, ADC MissSania Safi while addressingthe function said.

Book fair at girl’scollege arranged

Hafiz Muhammad Aziz-ur-Rehman

HAFIZABAD: Member NationalAssembly Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Ch.Shaukat Ali Bhatti while addressing acrowded press conference here in PressClub Hafizabad said that the tweets ofTalal Chaudhary and Khawaja SaadRafique about them are full of lies. If theyhave such moral courage, then bring proof,because Bhatti’s can leave politics, theycannot join PML-N.

In these circumstances, the members ofthe Assembly who left Imran Khan will betraitors to Pakistan. We are the only politi-cal family in Hafizabad district which isinvolved in anti-PML-N politics. Myuncle was involved in the Fazal Haq mur-der case. Their houses were demolishedand their cattle farms were locked. He fur-ther said that he can never think of joiningPML-N. If the opposition breaks oneslave, we will break two, and if it breakstwo, we will break four. He said that PrimeMinister Imran Khan is the only PrimeMinister of Pakistan who is not accused ofcorruption and who is saying absolutelynot to the Superpower against the nationalinterest. Opposition body language showsthat they are confused. Ch. SikandarNawaz Bhatti was also present on theoccasion and has said that local politicalopposition is denying the worth of PMsjalsa which is only hypocrisy and denyingthe bright sunny day.

One critically injured in resistanceagainst dacoits: One person was critically

injured in firing by unknown armed rob-bers during resistance to robbery inSukheke. The robbers looted thousands ofrupees in cash and fled.

According to the details, Rafaqat Alison of Sakhi Muhammad Gondal had setup a shop in Lahore Road under the nameof Ali Bakers where four unidentifiedarmed criminals came in a car last nightand at gunpoint robbed Rafaqat of mobilephone and Rs. 50,000/- in cash. When acustomer Shiraz son of Akhtar Hussaintried to resist, the robbers opened fire andseriously injured him, after which the rob-bers fled while the injured Shiraz wasshifted to the hospital.

Irrigation labor union demandsincrease in salaries: Central President ofAll Pakistan Irrigation Labor Union Ch.Khushi Muhammad Khokhar has said thatthe federal government has increased thesalaries of its employees but the Punjabgovernment has not yet been able to copewith the tussle which is causing severeanxiety and uneasiness among the PunjabGovernment employees. He was address-ing a workers' convention here the otherday.

He demanded from the government that15% disparity reduction allowance at rateof current running basic should be given tothe employees across Punjab immediatelyand other allowances should also beincreased. The children of the employeesshould be recruited as soon as possible.Mehr Khalid Mahmood and MuhammadAzeem also addressed the convention.

Stand with PM,says Shaukat Bhatti

F.P. Report

TIMERGARA: The Pakis-tan Muslim League Nawazhere on Thursdayannounced to support theAwami National Party can-didate for tehsil top slot inBalambat Malik SajjadKhan Yousafzai while theANP would support thePML-N village councils’candidates where the ANPwas not contesting. Theannouncement was madeduring a joint meeting ofthe two parties held atTimergara.

The PML-N districtpresident Malik FarooqIqbal and general secretaryadvocate Javed Akhtarnegotiated with the ANPleadership. According tothe insiders both the partiesagreed to support each

other during the LB polls tobe held in the district onMarch 31. It was decidedthe PML-N will support theANP tehsil chairman candi-date in Balambat MalikSajjad while the ANP vot-ers would support thePML-N councilors in thevillage councils where theANP was not in the run.

Ulema role: Speakers ata workshop asked theulema and prayers’ leadersto play their active role inraising mass awarenessregarding the spread ofCovid-19, Dengue andPolio.

The workshop was joint-ly arranged by the PakistanRed Crescent Society andhealth department atTimergara here onThursday which wasattended by health profes-

sionals, ulema, prayers’leaders and khateeb. Theregional director health DrShaukat Ali, DHO DrIrshad Rughani, PRCS dis-trict secretary MuhammadIslam, program officerWahidullah and othersspoke on the occasion.

They said the role ofulema and khateeb wasimportant for raising massawareness regarding infec-tious diseases like Covid-19, polio and dengue fever.They asked the religioussegment of society to fullycooperate with the govern-ment in the prevention ofthose diseases. The DHOsaid that a total of 800, 00citizens had been providedwith the first dose whileabout 400,000 the seconddose against Covid-19 inthe district.

PML-N and ANPmake alliance inLower Dir tehsil

4 friends diein D I Khan

road accidentF.P. Report

D I KHAN: Four friendshave lost their lives andanother six injured in a hor-rific road accident in DeraIsmail Khan when a car andpassenger van collided onThursday. The victims weregoing to Kolachi Atal Sharifshrine when they met withan unfortunate incident.

The pilgrims belonged tothe Tehreek-e-MinhajulQuran. The accidentoccurred near village Lar intehsil Paharpur of DI khan.Three of the dead were iden-tified as Yasin, Irfan andKamran. The people of theirvillage drowned in sorrowupon receiving the deadbodies of the victims.

Springplantation

drive beginsF.P. Report

BANNU: The administrationwill plant around 12500plants in parts of Bannu dis-trict during the current springseason, claimed Bannudeputy commissionerMuhammad Zubair Niazi onThursday.

Chairing a meeting at hisoffice, he said that his admin-istration had arranged differ-ent varieties of plants to becultivated in parts of Bannuduring the drive. Officials oflocal government and ruraldevelopment department,tehsil municipal administra-tions and Water andSanitation Services Companywere in attendance.

The meeting discussed indetail the preparations theadministration with supportof other stakeholders hadmade to make the plantationdrive a success. Zubair saidthat increasing forest coverwas inevitable to controlglobal warming and climatechange issues. He said thatthe tree plantation would addto the beauty of urban andrural localities besides pro-viding a clean, green andhealthy environment to citi-zens.

“The municipal authori-ties will carry out tree planta-tion activities in their respec-tive areas of tehsils”, hemaintained, saying that theadministration has also for-mulated a mechanism to takecare of seedlings planted dur-ing spring season. Thedeputy commissioner calledupon people to take enthusi-astic part in tree plantationdrives and grow more andmore trees to increase thearea of forests in the district.

Govt paysattention to

sportsF.P. Report

ABBOTTABAD: SpeakerKhyber PakhtunkhwaAssembly Mushtaq GhaniThursday said that as per thevision of Prime MinisterImran Khan the provincialgovernment was paying spe-cial attention to infrastruc-ture development and sportsactivities in the province.

Addressing the inaugura-tion ceremony of ChinarSport Festival in districtAbbottabad, he said thatarranging mega sports eventsand award of sports scholar-ships were also part of theefforts to promote sportsactivities. He appreciatedDeputy CommissionerAbbottabad for holding Chiarsports festival and said thatAbbottabad city was famousdue to Chinar trees thereforethe name of the event wasselected accordingly.

ABBOTTABAD: Deputy Commissioner Tariq Salam presenting shield to Speaker KhyberPakhtunkhwa Assembly Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani during Chinar Festival.

QUETTA: A deserted view of busy road in provincial capital.

Man killedSHEIKHUPURA (INP):At least one person waskilled and five othersinjured when a passengerrickshaw overturned afterits tyre burst here onThursday, police said.

According to details,the accident took place inQila Sattar Shah at LahoreRoad in Sheikhupurawhere a qingqi rickshawcarrying passengers turnedturtled due to bursting oftyre.

The Frontier PostFriday, March 18, 2022

F.P. Report

LONDON: The Government will publish itslandmark Inclusive Britain strategy to tackleracial and ethnic disparities and ensure fair-ness in the UK. This strategy builds on theLevelling Up White Paper which providesthe blueprint for spreading opportunity moreequally across the country.

Inclusive Britain was developed inresponse to the Commission on Race andEthnic Disparities’ groundbreaking inde-pendent report which made 24 recommenda-tions to tackle ethnic disparities. InclusiveBritain addresses every single one of theserecommendations and goes further, settingout a detailed Action Plan to build a fairerand more inclusive society in the long-term.

Minister of State for Equalities KemiBadenoch said: “The Inclusive BritainAction Plan sets out how we are going totackle the racial and ethnic disparities thatpersist in the UK. We have laid out morethan 70 concrete actions which will practi-cally improve people’s lives. I stronglybelieve that Britain is the fairest and mostopen-minded country in the world, but thereis more we can do to foster inclusion andenable everyone to reach their full potential.

“We are building trust through improvingpolice scrutiny, promoting fairness in theworkplace with new evidence-basedresources that work, tackling serious youthviolence which disproportionately affectscertain communities, and fostering inclusionby designing a new Model HistoryCurriculum telling the story of the makingof modern Britain.

“The causes behind racial disparities arecomplex and often misunderstood. Our newstrategy is about action, not rhetoric and willhelp create a country where a person’s race,social or ethnic background is no barrier toachieving their ambitions.”

Chair of the Commission for Race andEthnic Disparities Tony Sewell said: “Whenthe Commission began its work in the wakeof the Black Lives Matter movement, we setout to examine the evidence and root causesfor the disparities faced particularly by eth-nic minorities and offer solutions to the

Government to address them. TheGovernment’s response, Inclusive Britain,does just that.

“This is a major step towards a fairer,more open and more inclusive society and,importantly, focuses on the practical actionsthat will improve people’s lives. We allshould throw our weight behind this strategyso we can build a better society for all.”

Secretary of State for Levelling Up,Housing and Communities Michael Govesaid: “Central to Levelling Up is equality –giving everyone the same access to a greateducation, a well-paid job and a good stan-dard of living – regardless of their back-ground. “The Inclusive Britain Action Planis fundamental to our ambitions, helping ustackle the root-causes of racial disparitiesand ensure equality of opportunity for all.”

The Inclusive Britain Action Plan sets out70 practical actions to tackle the negativedisparities that persist in our society underthree key themes identified by the commis-sion - Building Trust, Promoting Fairness,and Creating Agency - as well as a numberof measures that go beyond theCommission’s recommendations. Theseinclude:

Establishing a diverse panel of histori-ans to develop a new knowledge-richModel History Curriculum by 2024 to sup-port high-quality teaching of our complexpast; Working with a new panel of academ-ics and business people to promote fairnessin the workplace; Creating a new Office forHealth Improvement and Disparities whichis now working to improve health foreveryone – accepting a key Commissionrecommendation; Developing a new,national framework for how the use ofpolice powers, such as stop and search, arescrutinised at a local level in order toenhance trust and strengthen relationsbetween police forces and the communitiesthey serve; Piloting an automatic ‘opt-in’ tohelp ethnic minorities and others receivethe legal advice they need when in policecustody; Issuing guidance to employers onhow to measure and report on differencesin ethnicity pay so businesses can identifyand address disparities.

Govt launches landmarkinclusive Britain strategy

F.P. Report

LONDON: HMS Spey, anoffshore patrol vessel, is ona five-year operation to theIndo-Pacific region along-side her sister ship HMSTamar. Working alongsidepartners and allies the shipis helping tackle securitychallenges and supportnations against the impactsof climate change. The shiphas recently conductedpatrols to combat illegal,unregulated and unreportedfishing in the region. It hasalso carried out environ-mental surveys and deliv-ered humanitarian aid.

British HighCommissioner to Fiji, Dr.Brian Jones said: Buildingstrong, enduring partner-ships with Pacific IslandCountries is at the heart ofthe UK’s mission here.We’re focused on the prob-lems you face – climatechange, ocean protectionand security challenges,HMS Spey calling here isan opportunity to work evercloser with our Pacific mar-itime partners, cooperateeven more closely and torenew acquaintancesbetween our Navies.

Whilst visiting Fiji, thesailors onboard HMS Speywill be involved in severalcommunity engagements,

planned with the Republicof Fiji Navy: Officers fromthe ship will pay courtesycalls on Republic of FijiMilitary Forces counter-parts. They will also attenda medals ceremony forFijians who have graduatedfrom the Royal MilitaryAcademy Sandhurst andthe Britannia Royal NavalCollege, Dartmouth therewill be a visit to Nakelo tomark the strong linksbetween the village and theRoyal Navy, alongsidecommunity engagement inthe Suva area a female offi-cer will present to theWomen EntrepreneursBusiness Council, while theship’s doctor will lead adiscussion on mental healthat Albert Park Hall stafffrom the National DisasterManagement Office and theMinistry of Fisheries willvisit the ship.

They will learn about theship’s ability to combat ille-gal fishing and providehumanitarian relief severalsporting activities are alsobeing planned between theship’s company and mem-bers of the Republic of FijiNavy HMS Spey’sExecutive Officer,Lieutenant CommanderMacnae said: All of theShip’s Company arethrilled to be here in Fiji.

We are grateful for the verywarm welcome that hasbeen extended by Republicof Fiji Military Forces andlook forward to workingwith them in the comingdays and building linkswith our counterparts in theRepublic of Fiji Navy. Thecrew will also be celebrat-ing the links between theUnited Kingdom and Fiji,noting that at there are anumber of Fijian-bornsailors in the Royal Navy,including a member ofSpey’s crew.

Commissioned in 2021,it is the greenest RoyalNavy ship thanks to its ureafilter which reduces nitro-gen oxide emissions fromthe diesel generators byabout 90%. The mission sofar has seen the ship visitHawaii, French Polynesia,Tonga and Pitcairn. It hasalso worked with PacificIsland Countries includingSamoa, Tonga, CookIslands and Niue whilsttransiting their waters.Earlier this year, HMSSpey visited Tonga follow-ing the Hunga-Tonga vol-canic eruption and tsunami,delivering humanitariansupplies and supportingrepair work to communica-tions infrastructure. HMSSpey is expected to departFiji later this month.

Royal Navy shipHMS Spey visits Fiji

F.P. Report

LONDON: UK government’s biggestever sustainable, civil infrastructuredeal will help finance a new highspeed electric railway line in Turkeyto decarbonise travel, with major con-tracts awarded to British and Turkishbusinesses. The EUR2.1 billion greenfinancing will be guaranteed by UKExport Finance (UKEF), through itsBuyer Credit Scheme, with CreditSuisse and Standard Chartered struc-turing and coordinating banks arrang-ing the transaction.

This is the first UK-supported railtransaction in Turkey for over 160years, and forms part of Turkey’s planto transform high speed rail in thecountry. The new 503km electric-powered railway line will connectAnkara, Tukey’s capital, to the hugeport-side city of Izmir. When com-plete, the new line will provide afaster, lower carbon alternative tocurrent air and road routes betweenthe two cities, helping to fulfilTurkey’s climate change commit-ments made at COP26.

International Trade SecretaryAnne-Marie Trevelyan said: Turkeyis a vital trading partner for the UK.Our shared global outlook on freetrade and the environment is the driv-ing force behind economic growth inour two nations. It is fitting that UKExport Finance’s biggest ever civilinfrastructure deal is strongly sustain-able. This is a proud moment for theUK railway industry, using its indus-trial roots to reduce emissions inheavily polluted cities.

Treasury and Finance Minister forTürkiye Dr. Nureddin Nebati, said:

Referring to the BilateralCooperation Agreement signedbetween the UK and Türkiye in 1999;we have successfully achieved theclosing of the landmark financing ofAnkara Izmir High Speed RailwayProject under the green loan struc-ture. We have given utmost impor-tance to the environmental and socialprocedures during this project and asthe Ministry of Treasury and Financewe are closely following theimprovements of such issues. We alsodesire to be among the active andimportant players of the rapidlygrowing green finance market.

We are very glad for the coopera-tion and strong longstanding relationswith UK government and we hope tofurther strengthen our collaboration.Turkey is one of the UK’s mostimportant independent trading part-ners. The bilateral trading relation-ship was worth £17.5 billion in thefour quarters to the end of Q3 2021,increasing by £1.4 billion from thesame period in 2020.

The deal will secure major con-tracts for UK companies of all sizesto supply to the project, with severalnine-figure deals for UK companiesclose to being agreed. Engineeringand construction giants ERGInternational Group is using its closeties with the UK supply chain to sup-port the project. UK companies areexpected to supply British-made rail-way lines, turnouts, point machines,fasteners, material and equipment forsignaling, telecommunication andelectrification systems, as well asvital insurance and freight services.

The financing was led by CreditSuisse and Standard Chartered Bank

with support from UK ExportFinance and meets internationallyrecognised sustainability standardsand is aligned with the Green LoanPrinciples. Reinsurance is also beingprovided by international exportcredit agencies such as SACE inItaly, SERV in Switzerland andOeKB in Austria, reducing the risk tothe UK taxpayer.

Yoshi Ichikawa, Head ofStructured Export Finance forEurope, Standard Chartered Banksaid: We’re proud to further strength-en our relationship with the Turkishgovernment, providing a loan struc-tured with a clear focus on interna-tional social and environmental stan-dards, and working closely withCredit Suisse and UKEF. This sup-port is another in the line of StandardChartered’s financing in Türkiye tohelp the government deliver its rail-way infrastructure plan.

Murat Dedeoglu, ERGInternational UK, Group CEO said:ERG is honored with the achieve-ment and its historic milestone. ERGlook forward strengthening ties withUKEF and the Turkish Governmentin the construction sector and addingvalue to the economies by makingadvance engineering and technologi-cal solutions available. Like in all ourprevious projects over the last 50years, ERG is committed to createsustainable economic added value.

ERG’s Turkish and UK basedEnvironmental & Social teams willbring many years of internationalexperience to this important project,in order to ensure that IFC, EquatorPrinciples, and national standards areat all times met.

UK, Turkey agree on clean transportdeal in boost to British rail industry

F.P. Report

LONDON: Thank you Mr Chair. I’mgrateful to the UN Assistant HighCommissioner for Operations forbriefing us today. As he has just said,this week we passed a terrible mile-stone – 3 million people have beenforced to flee Ukraine. Forced to fleedue to President Putin’s war ofchoice. We are grateful to Poland andother neighbouring countries for thegenerosity and the compassion thatthey have shown to fleeingUkrainians.

Hundreds of thousands of peoplehave also left their homes withinUkraine seeking places of safety else-where in the country. We are gratefulto UNHCR for their work to supportthose who have fled their homes.Sadly, the numbers of those displacedis only likely to rise as we see Russiaincreasing the number of Ukrainiantowns and cities that it targets withshelling. Last week there were attacksreported on Lutsk in north westernUkraine and Ivano-Frankivsk.

As Martin Griffiths told us lastweek, it is vital that civilians areafforded safe passage to leave areasof active hostilities in the direction oftheir choosing. While we welcomereports that some civilians were ableto depart from Mariupol on Tuesday,we continue to be concerned by evi-dence that Russia has targeted evacu-ation corridors. Russia’s continuedattempts to force civilians to flee viaRussia and Belarus are cynical andunacceptable.

Meanwhile 12.7 million people arestranded in conflict affected areas asthe Russian government resorts toever more barbaric tactics. Russia isusing cluster munitions and thermo-baric rockets, weapons designed toinflict maximum damage whereverthey are deployed.

For those civilians who have been

unable to leave encircled cities likeMariupol and Volnovakha the situa-tion is life-threatening. Not only havethey been facing shelling daily, buthundreds of thousands of people arefacing critical shortages of food,water and life-saving medicines. Weare shocked by multiple reports thatRussian forces shelled a theatre and aswimming pool in Mariupol wherewe understand people were shelter-ing. Mr Chair, who can hear the har-rowing testimonies coming fromcivilians in Mariupol and not bemoved? Moved by anger at theRussian government’s actions andmoved by determination to bringthose responsible for atrocities to jus-tice.

Likewise, Mr Chair who can notbe moved by the bravery demonstrat-ed by Ukrainians? Ukrainiansprotesting Russian military control inKherson, Berdyansk and Melitopol.We are deeply concerned at reports ofarrests of protestors being made byRussian forces in those cities, as wellas reported abductions and abuse ofUkrainian activists, human rightsdefenders, volunteers, journalists,health-care workers and governmentrepresentatives in the areas ofUkraine under control of the Russianarmy. Russia must immediatelyrelease all illegally-detained personsin Ukraine.

Sadly, as the esteemed USAmbassador rightly pointed out lastweek, we know all too well theresults of Russia’s efforts to stampout opposition to their presence inUkraine. This week we mark eightyears since Russia’s illegal annexa-tion of Crimea, which they attempt-ed to seal with a sham referendumand enforce with brutal oppression.Our thoughts remain with allUkrainians wrongfully detainedsimply for expressing the truth –that Crimea is an integral part of

Ukraine.Russia’s attempts to subvert

Ukrainian democracy is an unaccept-able abuse of OSCE principles andcommitments. In the face of theseappalling violations of fundamentalfreedoms by Russia, the work ofhuman rights organisations is moreimportant than ever. We welcome theappointment of three eminent expertsto conduct an independent fact find-ing mission under the MoscowMechanism; a mission that is sup-ported by Ukraine and 45 participat-ing States.

This is important because, MrChair, facts matter. Even the Russiangovernment knows that facts matter –otherwise they would not be going tosuch lengths to conceal them from theRussian people. As the OSCERepresentative on the Freedom of theMedia has highlighted, Russia hasblocked access to several media web-sites and introduced a law on thespread of so-called “fake” informa-tion about the brutal actions of theRussian Armed Forces. SeveralRussian media representatives haveresigned in the face of overwhelmingeditorial interference. Those who,like Marina Ovsyannikova, dare todefend the truth, those individualsface arrest.

Mr Chair, we will not stand by asPresident Putin wages his campaignagainst the Ukrainian people. We willhold him accountable for hiscrimes.?We will work with prosecu-tors at the International CriminalCourt (ICC) to help them get theinformation they need. And we willnot relent in our mission to see justicedone. This hideous and barbaric ven-ture must end in failure. Howeverlong it takes, that will be the steadfastand unflinching goal of the UnitedKingdom. I ask Mr Chair that thisstatement be attached to the journalof the day.

Russia’s ongoing war of aggressionagainst Ukraine: UK OSCE statement

F.P. Report

WASHINGTON: The United States hasnow shared over 500 million safe andeffective COVID-19 vaccine doses, free ofcost, to more than 110 countries andeconomies around the world – for the solepurpose of saving lives.

Since the start of the pandemic, wehave provided nearly $20 billion in health,humanitarian, economic, and develop-ment assistance to over 120 countries,including rapid response support forurgent health needs and technical assis-tance to expand vaccine access. We havealso invested and supported the expansionof regional COVID-19 vaccine manufac-turing in Africa and Asia. Today, we con-tinue to work tirelessly with governmentsand international organizations, vaccineproducers, NGOs, the private sector, andothers to deliver vaccines, get shots inarms, increase testing and treatment, sup-port and protect healthcare workers, andmore. Our recently announced COVID-19Global Action Plan provides a clearroadmap for this international coordina-tion. Our work is making a differencearound the world.

In Paraguay, our donation of two mil-lion Pfizer vaccine doses were quicklyadministered. The government set up amass vaccination site based on a US modeland administered 500,000 doses within aweek. In Zambia, the President’sEmergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEP-FAR) used American Rescue Plan Actfunds to support the administration ofnearly two million COVID-19 vaccines

through more than 500 health facilitiesacross Zambia’s 10 provinces as part of itswork to combat HIV/AIDS.

In addition, a State Department granthelped Alfred Kankuzi in Malawi build hisown app to respond to the rapid spread ofmisinformation and disinformation acrosssocial media. Called COVID-19 NEBA, or“Hey Neighbor,” the app is offered in threelanguages – Chichewa, Tumbuka, andEnglish – and increases access to fact-based information from trusted sourcesincluding US Centers for Disease Control,World Health Organization, and Malawi’sMinistry of Health. Alfred has helped over648,000 fellow citizens access accurateCOVID-19 information.

In Thailand, State Departmentexchange alumni used a small grant tosupport Chiang Dao residents in theChiang Mai Province. Alumni joined com-munity organizations to create visual andaudio media in seven local languages onCOVID-19 prevention best practices, col-laborated with public health officials toconduct COVID-19 prevention workshopsfor village health volunteers, and providedeffective communication tools and tech-niques to village leaders to help residentsstay updated on COVID-19 – reachingmore than 70,000 people.

This work is critical because this pan-demic is not over. Many lives are still atrisk globally as countries contend withOmicron and we face the possibility ofnew variants. The United States will con-tinue to work with partners and communi-ties at every level to save lives and betterprepare for future pandemics.

US shares 500mCOVID-19 vaccine

doses worldwideSANAA (AFP): Yemen’s Al-Heswanature reserve was once hailed as abeacon of conservation efforts by theUnited Nations, but civil war hasturned it into a rubbish-strewnwasteland reeking of sewage. Theticket office has been abandoned atthe entrance to the 19-hectare (47-acre) site in Yemen's southern city ofAden, where trees have been cutdown and construction wastedumped. What was long a haven forflamingos and other migratory birdsis now swarmed by crows.

"Al-Heswa used to be a recre-ational outlet for residents andtourists," said Aden resident IbrahimSuhail. "It has now become a rub-bish dump, full of insects andsewage." Declared a nature reservein 2006, Al-Heswa was one of 35initiatives awarded the UN's EquatorPrize in 2014 for meeting climateand development challenges throughsustainable use of nature.Wastewater that had previouslyflown into the sea was treated andredirected to create an artificial wet-land on the site of a former garbagedump, attracting the migratory birds.

The initiative was the first of itskind in Yemen, improving liveli-hoods, creating jobs and generatingabout $96,000 in revenue in 2012."The communities behind Al-HeswaWetland Protected Area have suc-cessfully transformed a garbagedump into a functioning wetlandecosystem that provides a breedingsite to more than 100 migratory birdspecies," the UN DevelopmentProgramme said at the time.

But since 2014, Yemen, already

the region's poorest country, hasbeen embroiled in conflict betweenthe government, supported by aSaudi-led military coalition, and theIran-backed Huthi rebels. Thereserve has been left in ruins by thefighting. The director of Yemen'sdepartment of nature reserves,Salem Bseis, said the wastewatertreatment tanks had not been serv-iced since 2015.

Some nearby residents haveseized parts for their personal use."This led to a disruption in the main-tenance and treatment of sewage,"Bseis said. While visitors have most-ly stayed away, some parts of thereserve have been used as an "infor-mal waste dump", according to theUK-based Conflict and EnvironmentObservatory. The UN considers war-torn Yemen the world's worst

humanitarian disaster, and estimateshundreds of thousands of peoplehave been killed, directly or indirect-ly, by the war.

Millions have been forced fromtheir homes by fighting, pushing thecountry to the brink of famine."Insecurity from violence, war andconflict poses the most significantthreat to the long-term sustainabilityof this initiative," the UNDPDevelopment Programme said."Since the intensification of the con-flict in Yemen, visitor levels havedropped to zero." But the UNbelieves that all does not have to belost. "When peace is restored, thecommunity is committed to workingwith government officials toenhance the economic and environ-mental services provided by the pro-tected areas," it added.

Yemen war turns naturereserve back into waste dump

‘Statementon cessationof Russia’s

membership’F.P. Report

BRUSSELS: The Com-mittee of Ministers of theCouncil of Europe decidedto cease the membership ofthe Russian Federation inthe Council of Europe asfrom 16 March. The deci-sion was taken based onParliamentary Assembly ofthe Council of Europe(PACE) unanimous opin-ion, adopted followingRussia’s grave violations ofthe Council of EuropeStatute in accordance withthe due procedures.

With its unprovoked andunjustified aggressionagainst Ukraine, a fellowmember State of theCouncil of Europe, Russiaviolated the fundamentalprinciples of the Council ofEurope Statute, the UNCharter and internationallaw. We regret that theRussian Federation hasfailed to heed our calls tocease its military opera-tions in Ukraine immedi-ately and unconditionally.

As a result of Russia’sbehaviour, Russian citizenswill no longer benefit fromthe protections granted bythe European Conventionon Human Rights nor beable to take cases of viola-tion of their human rightsto the European Court ofHuman Rights. This ishighly concerning and yetanother restriction ofRussian citizens’ rights.The European Unionexpresses its support forhuman rights defenders,democratic forces, freemedia and independentcivil society in Russia. Weurge the RussianFederation to rapidly returnto compliance with humanrights, international lawand international humani-tarian law.

Cambodiaconvicts Opp

politiciansPHNOM PENH (Ag-encies): A Cambodian courthas convicted 19 oppositionpoliticians – including twoprominent leaders in exile –on charges of “incitement”and “conspiracy” and sen-tenced them to prison, aftera mass trial that rightsgroups have condemned asunfair.

In a decision handeddown on Thursday, thePhnom Penh MunicipalCourt sentenced the defen-dants, all members of thebanned Cambodia NationalRescue Party to betweenfive and 10 years in jail.The longer terms weregiven to seven leaders inexile overseas, includingformer CNRP leader SamRainsy and deputy leaderMu Sochua, who were triedin their absence.

Rainsy condemned thecourt’s decision. “The jus-tice system has again beenused as a blunt politicaltook in an attempt to quashopposition to Hun Sen’sdictatorship,” he wrote onTwitter. “Opposing dicta-tors is a duty, not a crime.”The judge partly suspendedthe shorter sentences passedon more junior members ofthe party.

Cambodian PrimeMinister Hun Sen, who hasbeen in power for morethan 30 years, began tocrack down on the CNRPahead of the 2018 generalelections amid signs it wasbecoming increasingly pop-ular. Its leader Kem Sokhawas arrested in 2017 – he isfacing a separate trial oncharges of treason, whichresumed in January after atwo-year hiatus – and theparty forcibly dissolved.“The mass trial and convic-tions of political opponentson baseless charges is awitch hunt that discreditsboth the Cambodian gov-ernment and country’scourts,” Phil Robertson, thedeputy Asia director ofHuman Rights Watch, saidin a statement.

“Foreign governments,the United Nations, anddonors should call out thisattack on the political oppo-sition and Cambodia’sremaining vestiges ofdemocracy.”

During the trial, theprosecutor argued that thegroup had tried to “over-throw the government” cit-ing a 2019 effort for theparty’s exiled leaders toreturn home. He claimedwithout evidence that theyformed part of a “secretnetwork” that sought todisrupt Cambodia’s econo-my and use the COVID-19pandemic to undermineHun Sen’s government andengineer a popular upris-ing.

6 The Frontier Post LeaderFriday, March 18, 2022

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ICJ’s verdicton Ukraine

issueA

CCORDING to western media, theInternational Court of Justice (ICJ) hasdelivered its verdict on the request for the

indication of provisional measures submitted byUkraine in the case, Ukraine versus RussianFederation, concerning allegations of Genocideunder the Convention on the Prevention andPunishment of the Crime of Genocide. According todetails, the court in its binding order has said thatthe Russian Federation shall immediately suspendthe military operations that it commenced on 24February 2022 in the territory of Ukraine. Thecourt further said that despite halting aggressionagainst Ukraine the Russian Federation shallensure that any military or irregular armed unitswhich may be directed or supported by it, as well asany organizations and persons which may be sub-ject to its control or direction, take no steps in fur-therance of the military operations referred to inthe court's decision.

The Ukrainian issue is being discussed at all forumsof the universe besides several hearings in the UNSecurity Council (UNSC) and UN General Assembly(UNGA) during the recent weeks. After RussianFederation vetoed the western attempts twice to cen-sure Moscow at the UNSC, the western nations movedthe case to the UN General Assembly which not onlycriticized the Putin regime for its invasion againstUkraine but also called for the suspension of theRussian operation, however, the UNGA's resolutionsare not binding to belligerent Russia. Ukraine alsosubmitted an urgent application in the InternationalCourt of Justice (ICJ) against Russia. Ukraine pleadedwith the ICJ that Russia is trying to justify the war byfalsely claiming genocide in the Eastern Ukrainianregions of Donetsk and Luhansk and urged the forumto completely suspend Russian action against Ukraine.Ukraine was of the view that both Russia and Ukraineare signatories to the Genocide Convention, while theconvention does not allow an invasion to prevent geno-cide. According to Ukraine, Moscow must present theevidence at the ICJ to validate its claim againstUkraine. While Russia boycotted the hearing of thecourt and said that the ICJ did not have jurisdictionbecause Ukraine's request fell outside the UNGenocide Convention of 1948. Russia further claimedthat it acted in its self-defense. According to sources,the Hague-based international court has worked at anunprecedented pace and ruled out its verdict in theshortest possible time while urging the RussianFederation to suspend its invasion against Kyiv andtake measures to deescalate tension in the region.

Although the International Court had delivered itsverdict on the issue, hence the global community hasno hope about Russia's implementation of the courtdecision. According to experts, besides global censureof Russia's action at the UNGA and ICJ, theInternational Criminal Court is also investigating warcrimes in Ukraine committed by the Russian militarysince its invasion of the Country. According to ana-lysts, the court's verdict has a symbolic effect againstRussia, because if Moscow does not abide by the ICJ'sverdict, the court may refer the case to the UN SecurityCouncil, where Russia holds veto hence the globalcommunity will be helpless against the invader. In fact,inherited inequality at the United Nations is a majorsource of motivation for invaders as well as a hurdle inthe provision of justice to the weak nation by theforum.

Policing ofrevenue officersin Balochistan

ON Wednesday, the Supreme Court dismissedthe Balochistan Government's petition againstthe Balochistan High Court (BHC) orders

regarding appointments in levies force. A three-mem-ber Supreme Court bench comprising Chief JusticeUmar Ata Bandial, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah,and Justice Ayesha A Malik heard the case filed by theBalochistan government regarding registration ofFIRs and investigations by Tehsildars & NaibTehsildars in Levies Police Stations. According toreports, the Levies employees had challenged theappointment of Tehsildars in the Balochistan HighCourt, while the Balochistan government insisted thatit had made the appointment by the law. The courtinquired how the servicing officers of the RevenueDepartment could be posted in Levies. The court alsomentioned that the recruitment process did not followprescribed procedures and asked the government tovalidate its claim.

Balochistan is an important province of the countrywhich has unique characteristics, particularly the largestand mineral-rich province, hit with backwardness, depri-vation of basic rights, and victim of bad governancemainly due to a long history of feudal politics in the past.The province had been divided into three categoriesbased on law-and-order situations. The Levies Force con-trols category B areas which consist of 90 percent territo-ry of the province while Police maintain law and order inthe rest 10 % of category A area in Balochistan.

According to details, the government had assignedmost duties to the Levies force including the collection ofrevenue and Usher or agriculture tax, etc. in the remoteareas and for that purpose, the government inducted rev-enue officers in the department. However, it is an inter-esting fact that the Balochistan Levies are usingTahsildars as investigators to control the crimes in theprovince. However, the professionals did not welcomethis development and urged the court to protect their pro-fession. Although the Balochistan government is insistingon the effectiveness of its strategy, the court had raisedgenuine concerns about the scheme. Hence someonemust tell the Bizango that a Patwari has expertise in themanipulation of land while kneeling culprits is someoneelse's job.

DURING the threeweeks of the specialoperation in

Ukraine, Russian troops,armies of the DPR andLPR almost completelycut off the Armed Forcesof Ukraine from the coastof the Sea of Azov, occu-pied dozens of settlementsin the south of the coun-try, blockaded Kyiv,Kharkov and Chernihivin the north. Aviation andhigh-precision weaponsdestroyed the main mili-tary infrastructure of theenemy. About the mostpainful blows - in thematerial of RIA Novosti.

"On mercenaries -fire"

The Russian AerospaceForces quickly gained airsuperiority, and the Navytook control of the Sea ofAzov and most of the BlackSea. The Ukrainian air def-ense system ceased to existas a whole, and the surviv-ing aircraft were relocatedto western airfields.

Demilitarization is pro-ceeding, albeit on a grandscale, but very carefully:

the Ministry of Defense hasrepeatedly emphasized thatover four thousand militaryinfrastructure facilitieswere hit with precisionweapons.

It was with "smart"ammunition that the otherday they hit the notoriousYavorovsky trainingground in the Lviv region.Here, since 2015, NATOinstructors have been train-ing Ukrainian soldiers andofficers in the tactics ofmodern combined armscombat. With the start ofthe special operation, thetraining ground was re-qualified as a collectionpoint for Western merce-naries and a transshipmentbase for European and Am-erican weapons that comeacross the border every day.

Presumably, X-101 cru-ise missiles from Tu-160 st-rategic bombers were usedhere. According to the Ru-ssian Defense Ministry, upto 180 private traders fromNATO countries and Ukra-inian military personnel, aswell as a large batch of We-stern hardware, were dest-

royed. According to numer-ous posts on social media,"wild geese" are returninghome en masse. They real-ized that fighting Russia isnot the same as fightingIraq or Afghanistan.

The Kiev authoritieswere finally convinced thateven the western regionsare within the reach of theRussian army. Moreover,Moscow said that convoyswith NATO weapons enter-ing the country fromPoland are also consideredlegitimate targets for pilotsand gunners. An attack onthe Yavorovsky trainingground will significantlycomplicate further supportof the Armed Forces ofUkraine by the West.

“A special military oper-ation is being carried outnot only along the line ofcontact in Donbass, butthroughout the entire mili-tary infrastructure ofUkraine using high-preci-sion weapons,” says mili-tary expert OleksiyLeonkov. The blocking of

the group in the Donbasswill continue, butUkrainian servicemen wholay down their arms are notin danger."

Rocket ultimatumAnother strategically

important result is theblockade of Zmeiny Islandin the western part of theBlack Sea. At first,Ukrainian border guardsrefused to disarm. But afterseveral rocket salvos fromthe ships of the RussianNavy, 82 servicemen sur-rendered without resist-ance. Now it is possible toplace air defense systems,coastal complexes here andkeep at gunpoint almost theentire Black Sea area andpart of southern Europe.

At the same time, theyattacked the military infra-structure, which was creat-ed for Kyiv by NATO spe-cialists. So, they hit thenaval operations center inOchakovo, which is beingbuilt with US money.Formally for Kyiv, in fact -for the Americans. It is

noteworthy that the 73rdNaval Special OperationsCenter of the UkrainianNavy was nearby.Obviously, saboteurs werebeing trained there to besent to the Russian Crimea.

They also struck at theobjects of the military-industrial complex ofUkraine, so that the ArmedForces of Ukraine could notrestore equipment andreplenish ammunition. Inparticular, on March 14they destroyed the largeArtem ammunition plant inKyiv and the Impuls enter-prise in the Sumy region,the only one in Ukraine thatproduces detonator caps,electric detonators, and det-onating cords. Taking intoaccount the fact that mostof the arsenals and ware-houses have already blownup, the disabling of thesesites will seriously affectthe combat capability of theArmed Forces of Ukraine.

After MariupolOn the Donetsk front,

the main target now isMariupol. The strategicallyimportant sea city is still

partially controlled by theArmed Forces of Ukraine,and as soon as it is finallycleared of the enemy, thefreed forces will be throwninto the encirclement of thegroup that is shelling thecapital of the DPR from thewest and north.

“The next stage of ouroffensive is Avdiivka andPeski,” said an officer ofthe DPR army with the callsign Bereza. “The Ukraini-ans fortified there for eightlong years. In recent days,Russian aviation has beenincreasingly attacking ene-my positions near Donetsk.The intensity of enemyartillery fire after such "vis-its" is sharply reduced."

As RIA Novosti was toldby sources in the republicanarmy, the groups in theDonbass were actuallybeheaded: the heads of theoperational commands"North" and "East" GeneralsDmitry Krasilnikov and YuriSolod died last week. Onlyone thing follows from this:the Armed Forces ofUkraine are now only capa-ble of focal resistance.

Rocket ultimatumAndrey Kots

ON Wednesday,Pre-sident JoeBiden g-ave a

speech anno-uncing thedeployment of $1 billionin weapons to Ukraine,including combat dronesand long-range anti-air-craft systems, for use inUkraine’s war withRussia.

Making no mention ofongoing efforts to find adiplomatic settlement tothe war, Biden warned thatthe United States should beprepared for “a long anddifficult battle.”

Biden announced thatUkraine would receive9,000 anti-armor systems,800 anti-aircraft systems,7,000 small arms and 20million rounds in ammuni-tion. US officials subse-quently clarified that theywould provide Ukrainewith offensive drones andSoviet-era long-range anti-aircraft missiles.

But the most significantaspect of the speech wasBiden’s statement regard-ing the background of thewar, which exposes theextent to which the US hadsystematically preparedUkraine for the conflictwith Russia. Biden present-ed a narrative of a years-long proxy conflict, inwhich the United States hasbeen pumping billions ofdollars in weapons intoUkraine. “In fact, we start-ed our assistance toUkraine before this warbegan,” Biden said.

We sent Ukraine moresecurity assistance last

year—$650 million inweapons, including anti-airand anti-armor equipmentbefore the invasion—morethan we had ever providedbefore. So when the inva-sion began, they alreadyhad in their hands the kindsof weapons they needed tocounter Russian advances.

And once the war start-ed, we immediately rushed$350 million in additionalaid to further address theirneeds: hundreds of anti-airsystems, thousands of anti-tank weapons, transporthelicopters, armed patrolboats, and other high-mobility vehicles, radarsystems that help trackincoming artillery andunmanned drones, securecommunications equip-ment and tactical gear,satellite imagery and—andanalysis capacity. And it’sclearly helped Ukraineinflict dramatic losses onRussian forces. Thesestatements refute themedia’s presentation ofUkraine as a small and hap-less nation suddenly setupon by a ruthless largerpower.

The Ukrainian military,assisted by US advisersworking within the coun-try, was ready for war,which the Biden adminis-tration instigated.Ukrainian civilians caughtin the crossfire were writ-ten off as the expendablelosses of US imperialism’santi-Russia strategy. Thevery fact that Ukraine isnot a member of NATO hasallowed it to be used as a

proxy, armed to the teethand used to bait theRussian government intoits disastrous and deadlyinvasion. Understandingthe background of the waris not the same as condon-ing the Russian invasion,which is as strategicallyimbecilic as it is politicallyreactionary. It was the des-perate response of thebankrupt regime thatemerged from the dissolu-tion of the USSR. But it isnecessary to refute thelying narrative withinwhich this war—which hascost thousands of lives andcan still escalate into anuclear war—has beenframed by the propagandaorgans of the US andNATO powers.

In 2013, then AssistantSecretary of State forEuropean and EurasianAffairs Victoria Nulandreported that the UnitedStates had spent $5 billionto help Ukraine “achieveits European aspirationsand other goals.”

The outcome of thisinflux of cash and moredirect forms of interventionby the imperialist powerswas the 2014 US-backedcoup, led by fascist forceslike Svoboda and the RightSector. Within months, theUkr-ainian parliamentrenounc-ed its country’snon-aligned status andannounced plans to deepenits cooperation with NATO“in order to achieve the cri-teria which are required for

membership in thealliance.”

The 2014 coup triggeredthe secession of Donetskand Lugansk in EasternUkraine, as well asRussia’s annexation ofCrimea, a mostly-Russian-speaking region, followinga referendum. In an effortto contain the war raging inEastern Ukraine, theDonetsk and Luganskrepublics signed a ceasefireknown as the Minsk agree-ments, which have beensystematically under siegein subsequent years.Despite the ceasefire, theUnited States continued topump billions of dollars inweapons into Ukraine andto actively train its military.

A critical inflection pointin this process was the firstimpeachment of DonaldTrump, which centeredaround allegations thatTrump predicated the dis-bursement of US weaponsto Ukraine on Zelenskyordering an investigation ofBiden’s son, Hunter, whoreceived approximately $1million per year for sittingon the board of Burisma, aUkrainian energy company.

During the impeach-ment, it became clear justhow central Ukraine was toUS geopolitical strategy. Inher testimony, formerAmbassador to UkraineMarie Yovanovich declaredthat Ukraine, “with anenormous land mass and alarge population, has thepotential to be a significant

… force multiplier on thesecurity side. … And nowUkraine is a battlegroundfor great power competi-tion with a hot war for thecontrol of territory and ahybrid war to controlUkraine’s leadership.”

As the impeachmentwas taking place, theUnited States was with-drawing from theI n t e r m e d i a t e - R a n g eNuclear Forces (INF)Treaty and developingmedium-range nuclearweapons that could reachRussia’s borders fromEastern Europe or evenUkraine. The withdrawalfrom the INF treaty was acritical element of the USpreparations for “great-power competition,” whichthe 2018 national securitystrategy deemed the “pri-mary concern in US nation-al security.” Biden’s com-ments clearly indicate thatlast year saw a major esca-lation in military assistanceto Ukraine, with the USgiving Ukraine, accordingto Biden, more military aid“than we had ever providedbefore.”

A key turning point thatyear was the US-UkraineStrategic Partnership,announced on September1, 2021, which declaredthat the US would “neverrecognize Russia’sattempted annexation ofCrimea” and “intends tosupport Ukraine’s effort tocounter armed aggression.”The strategic partnershipeffectively endorsed thedoctrine, codified in a

Ukrainian state strategydocument in March 2021,for Ukraine to “recover”Crimea and the Donbas, byforce if necessary. Inannouncing the “strategicpartnership,” the WhiteHouse noted that “TheUnited States has commit-ted $2.5 billion in supportof Ukraine’s forces since2014, including more than$400 million this yearalone.”

As the US continuedpumping billions of dollarsin arms sales into Ukraine,Russia published a set ofdemands for security guar-antees in December,including that Ukrainewould not become a mem-ber of NATO. In subse-quent interviews, RussianPresident Vladimir Putinexplained that Ukraine’sadmission to NATO wouldmake war inevitable.

The Biden administra-tion refused to acceptRussia’s demands for secu-rity guarantees, goadingRussia to take this action.As Biden declared inDecember, “I don’t acceptanybody’s red lines.”

This antecedent historyexplains the confidencewith which the WhiteHouse predicted Russia’sinvasion of Ukraine. AsBiden put it on January20, “My guess is he willmove in. He has to dosomething.” If Biden wasable to predict this situa-tion so directly, it wasbecause his administra-tion worked to bringabout this outcome.

US arming of Ukraine and the preparations for warAndre Damon

Afew days after theGerman govern-ment announced a

tripling of military spend-ing, the biggest rearma-ment drive since Hitler isbeing put into action. Thefirst purchase being madewith the Bundeswehr’s100 billion euro specialfund is 35 US F-35Lightning II stealthbombers, which can beused for nuclear strikes,among other things.

Lockheed Martin’ssupersonic jets are current-ly considered the mostmodern fighter aircraft inthe world and are used byseven European countriesin addition to the US.Equipped with nuclearweapons, they can hidefrom enemy radar and,depending on the design,are capable of vertical take-off and landing. Their oper-ational range of 1,090 kilo-metres corresponds to thedistance between Passau ineastern Bavaria and Lviv inwestern Ukraine. Theacquisition costs alone areestimated at well over 4 bil-lion euros.

On Monday, Defence M-inister Christine Lambrecht(Social Democratic Party,SPD) confirmed that theprocurement of the F-35fighter jets was to enablethe German government tofight a nuclear war. Spec-ifically for the task of nu-clear sharing, the decisionhad been made in favour ofthe American carriers,which offered “a uniquepotential for cooperation”at the European and NATOlevel. Luftwaffe (Air Force)Inspector Ingo Gerhartzadded that in the face of“Putin’s aggression,” a“credible deterrence” and“unity in NATO” were the“only answer.”

Under the NATO con-cept of so-called “nuclearsharing,” partner countriesof the US—Germany,Belgium, Italy, the Neth-

erlands and Turkey—candeploy US nuclear weaponsstationed in Europe. “Thepossible armaments includefree-falling nuclearweapons in addition to avariety of guided andunguided missiles as wellas cruise missiles andbombs,” says an article onthe official website of theDefence Ministry.

At the US airbase inBüchel alone, 20 B61 ther-monuclear gravity bombsare currently being fittedwith precision-guidancesystems. Although each ofthese hydrogen bombs hasan explosive power severaltimes those dropped onHiroshima, they are consid-ered “small” and “versa-tile” tactical weapons withhigh military operationalvalue. According toGerhartz, all 35 new F-35s“will go to Tactical AirWing 33 in Büchel, wherewe also perform the role of‘nuclear sharing’.”

With the acquisition ofF-35 fighter aircraft, theGerman ruling class is mas-sively accelerating its warplans. It represents a depar-ture from earlier proposalsto procure either AmericanF/A-18 bombers or newEurofighters to ensurenuclear sharing, as boththese models would firsthave to be converted andcertified for nuclearweapons use. This poten-tially years-long processhas now been eliminated.

Apparently, the selectionwas also about securing keyGerman-European tech-nologies against possibleUS interference.Newsweekly DerSpiegel,for example, writes that thepotential conversion of theEurofighters to nuclearbomb capability “wouldhave required the coopera-tion of the American side… among other things, forthe systems that wouldhave been necessary fordocking and releasing the

nuclear weapons.” Thiswould also have meant“disclosing large parts ofthe Eurofighter technologyto the Americans.”

Against this background,even the head of AirbusDefence and Space,Michael Schöllhorn, even-tually conceded that “the F-35 represents the simplerand faster way for theBundeswehr to fulfil itstasks for nuclear sharing,”DerSpiegel reports.

Schöllhorn and Airbusare also rejoicing becausethe upgrading of theLuftwaffe is not being lim-ited to the procurement ofthe American F-35 fighterjets. By 2030, all 93 of itsTornados are to bereplaced, including thosecovering the so-calledElectronic Combat Role(ECR) and the conventionalfighter-bomber role. Andhere, the decision wasmade for the “further devel-opment of the Eurofighter,”Lambrecht announced.

Immediately, 15Eurofighter ECRs will beprocured. A tweet from theDefence Ministry says:“The Eurofighter will alsobe retained for the armedforces and will be furtherdeveloped for the electronicwarfare role.” Thus,“important key technologywill be retained in Germany& Europe. In addition, weare securing a strongGerman role in the futureFCAS system.”

The “Future Combat AirSystem—FCAS” is an aircombat system driven byGermany, France andSpain, which is to be opera-tional by 2040. The plan isfor an integrated systemcombining a manned sixth-generation multi-role com-bat aircraft, unmannedescort aircraft (remote car-riers), drones, satellites andcommand and control air-craft, and possibly also

having its own nuclearcomponent.

The costs for the projectare gigantic and go farbeyond the 100 billioneuros estimated in the“Special Assets of theBundeswehr.” Financialdaily Handelsblatt reportedin 2019 that the system willdevour “up to 500 billioneuros by the middle of thecentury.”

In a “daily order on theuse of the 100 billion eurospecial assets of theBundeswehr,” also pub-lished on Monday,Lambrecht and InspectorGeneral Eberhard Zorn leftno doubt that the justannounced rearmament wasonly the beginning ofpreparing the German mili-tary for full-scale war.

First, he said, it was nec-essary to “close gaps in thecurrent stockpiles. Our for-mations, the companies,battalions, brigades, divi-sions, ships, boats, batter-ies, and aircraft units willnot only be fully equipped,but also with uniformmateriel,” the order says. Inaddition, “new capabilitieswill be built, and researchand development will beadvanced to this end ... forexample, in the fields ofartificial intelligence orspace.”

There was a need for “aBundeswehr that maintainscapabilities across theentire military spectrum—above all, for national andalliance defence, but alsofor international crisis man-agement.” The goal was “afully equipped force thatcan hold its own in combatimmediately and every-where.” Every soldier mustbe “ready to be deployed atshort notice in our coremission of national andalliance defence.”

The Defence Report,which was presented yes-terday by Eva Högl (SPD),

the commissioner for thearmed forces, took thesame line. According to thereport, 2022 will be “a yearin which the Bundeswehrwill be challenged morethan ever before in its coremission of national andalliance defence.” The“decisive action of the gov-ernment and the announce-ment to create a specialfund of 100 billion eurosfor the Bundeswehr as wellas to increase the defencebudget” were “thereforevery welcome.”

The Daily Order justifiesthe massive rearmamentand war plans with “Putin’swar of aggression onUkraine,” which “calls intoquestion fundamental rulesof the European peaceorder.” Similar formula-tions can be found in theDefence Report. It is thefamiliar, mendacious prop-aganda.

In fact, the now pro-claimed “foreign policyturning point” was meticu-lously prepared behind thebacks of the population fora long time. The “specialassets of the Bundeswehr”were also discussed by theSPD, Liberal Democrats(FDP) and Greens duringtheir coalition negotiationslast October. This is notabout the defence of“peace” or “freedom” butthe enforcement ofgeostrategic and economicinterests by military means.

It is a fact that the “firstwar of aggression inEurope since the end of theSecond World War” wasnot waged by Russia but bythe imperialist powers.Thirty years ago, the recog-nition of Croatia andSlovenia, in violation ofinternational law, at theinstigation of Germany andthe USA triggered a terriblecivil war in the formerYugoslavia. This was fol-lowed in 1999 by NATO’sbombing of Serbia, whichculminated in the violent

secession of Kosovo.Then came the interven-

tions and regime changeoperations in Afghanistan(2001), Iraq (2003), Libya(2011) and Syria (since2014), which were in viola-tion of international lawwhich cost millions of livesand reduced entire coun-tries to rubble.

Putin’s invasion ofUkraine is reactionary, butNATO is also the aggressorin Eastern Europe. It hassystematically encircledRussia, and it orchestrateda right-wing coup inUkraine in 2014 to bring apro-Western regime topower in Kiev. The sameregime change operation isnow being pursued by theimperialist powers againstMoscow itself, threateningto provoke a third worldwar.

Like ChancellorScholz’s earlier war speechin the Bundestag, theDefence Report and theOrder of the Day are warn-ings. Eighty years after theinvasion of the SovietUnion by Hitler’sWehrmacht (Army) and thewar of extermination in theEast, Germany is againpreparing for war againstRussia. The Luftwaffe,which is now being mas-sively upgraded and pre-pared for the use of nuclearweapons, is already playinga key role in this.

“We, as an air force,were the first to have ananswer to the crisis inUkraine,” Gerhartz boastedin a recent Luftwaffe videoon the procurement of theF-35 fighter jets. “We werethe first as an air force tomove our Eurofighters toRomania. We are flying ourjets over Poland; we flewwith the Tornados over theBaltic Sea to pick up elec-tronic signals.” Moretanker aircraft are nowbeing brought to EasternEurope, and “air defencewill also be moved.”

German air force procuresAmerican’s nuclear bombers

Gregor Link & Johannes Stern

“I don’t believe in happy endings, but I do believe inhappy travels, because ultimately, you die at a veryyoung age, or you live long enough to watch yourfriends die. It’s a mean thing, life.”

– George Clooney

Quote of the day

MOST economiccommentatorsbelieve balance

of trade is a key factor ina currency’s exchangerate. All other thingsbeing equal, an increasein imports, which leads toa trade deficit, gives riseto an increase in thedemand for foreign cur-rency.

To obtain foreign curren-cy, importers sell theirdomestic currency for it.This strengthens the excha-nge rate of the foreign cur-rency against the domesticcurrency—i.e., there ismore domestic money perunit of a foreign money.

Conversely, all otherthings being equal, anincrease in exports leads toa trade surplus. When ex-porters exchange their for-eign currency earnings fortheir domestic money, thisstrengthens the domesticmoney’s exchange rate aga-inst the foreign money (the-re is less domestic moneyper unit of a foreignmoney).

Again, if a country expo-rts more than it imports,there is a strengthening inthe demand for the coun-try’s goods, and thus for itscurrency. Consequently, theprice of the domesticmoney in terms of foreignmoney is likely to increase.

Conversely, if a countryimports more than itexports, the demand for theforeigners’ goods and forthe foreign currency isstrengthened. Consequ-ently, the increase in thedemand for the foreignmoney raises its price interms of domestic money.

By the same logic, if for-eigners’ demand for anoth-er country’s money sudden-ly increases, this is going tostrengthen that currency’sexchange rate versus theforeign currency. If, how-ever, the foreigners’demand for the country’smoney suddenly declines,this will weaken that cur-rency’s exchange rateagainst other currencies.

Fundamental versusNonfundamental Causes

Many factors determinea currency’s exchange rate.For example, an increase inthe government foreigndebt is a sign of a deteriora-tion in economic funda-mentals ahead, which pro-vides a rationale to sell thecurrency.

Alternatively, considerwhat happens when thecentral bank tightens itsinterest rate stance. Theincrease in the domesticinterest rate, all other thingsbeing equal, attracts foreigndemand for the domesticmoney. This demand raises

the price of the local cur-rency in terms of foreigncurrency.

It would appear that gov-ernment debt, the interestrate differential, the state ofthe economy, and the bal-ance of trade are importantdetermining factors for acurrency’s exchange rate.Psychological factors alsoappear to be important: achange in individuals’ per-ceptions regarding the stateof the economy is likely toinfluence the exchangerate.

But rather than focusingon numerous factors, itmakes sense to identify thekey factor that determines acurrency’s exchange rate.

The RelativePurchasing Power ofMoney—the Ess-ence ofthe Exchange Rate

Relative changes in thepurchasing power of vari-ous monies, in our view, arethe essence of exchangerates. The price of a basketof goods is the amount ofmoney paid for this unit,and this means that theamount of money paid for abasket of goods is the pur-chasing power of moneywith respect to these goods.For example, if the price ofa basket is one dollar in theUS, while in the eurozone

an identical basket of goodssells for two euros, then theexchange rate between theUS dollar and the euro istwo euros per dollar.

Another important factorin determining the purchas-ing power of money is thesupply of money itself. Ifover time the US money su-pply’s growth rate exceedsthat of the European moneysupply, all other thingsbeing equal, this will putdownward pressure on thevalue of the US dollar.

Since the price of a goodis the amount of moneyoffered per good, thismeans that the prices ofgoods in dollar terms willincrease faster than pricesin euro terms, all otherthings being equal. Take anidentical basket of goodsthat now is priced at twodollars against the previ-ously price of one dollar. Itseurozone price is �2.5against �2.0 previously.This implies that theexchange rate between theUS dollar and the euro isnow �1.25 per dollar.

Since changes in thedomestic money supplyaffect its general purchas-ing power with a time lag,relative changes in moneysupply affect the currencyexchange rate with a timelag as well. When newmoney enters a particular

market, it pushes the priceof goods in this particularmarket higher, as moremoney is spent on givennumber of goods thanbefore. This means that pastand present informationabout money supply can beemployed in ascertainingthe likely future shifts inthe currency exchange rate.

Another important factordriving exchange rates andthe purchasing power ofmoney is the demand formoney.

For instance, if there isan increase in the produc-tion of goods, the demandfor money in a given econ-omy will likely follow suit.The demand for the servic-es of the medium of ex-change will likely increase,since more goods are nowgoing to be exchanged. As aresult, the purchasingpower of a given supplymoney will strengthen, allother things being equal.Less money will now bechasing more goods.

Exchange RateDeviation from RelativePurchasing Power SpursArbitrage

Any deviation of theexchange rate from the ratedictated by currencies’ rela-tive purchasing power willlikely create profit opportu-nities that will undo thedeviation. For example, a

deviation could emerge be-cause of the market respon-se to trade account data orbecause of a change in theinterest rate differential inthe domestic economy ver-sus overseas economies.These deviations will likelycreate profit opportunitiesin arbitrage, which willundo those deviations.

Assume the Fed raisesits policy interest rate whilethe European CentralBank’s policy rate remainsunchanged. The price of abasket of goods was onedollar in the US and twoeuros in the eurozone, andthe market exchange ratewas one dollar for twoeuros. When the interestrate differential betweenthe US and the eurozonewidens, an increase in thedemand for dollars pushesthe exchange rate towardone dollar for three euros.(The holders of the eurosare now exchanging moreeuros for dollars that willbe placed in dollar depositsin order to earn higherinterest rates.)

As a result, the dollar isnow overvalued under the

market exchange rate, asshown by the dollar’schanged relative purchas-ing power (which should betwo euros to one dollar, notthree euros to one dollar).In this scenario, a personshould sell a basket ofgoods for dollars, exchangethe dollars for euros, andthen buy a basket of goodswith euros, making a cleararbitrage gain.

For example, a personcould sell a basket of goodsfor $1, exchange the dollarfor �3, and then exchangethe euros for 1.5 baskets,which would gain him anextra half basket of goods(since the basket’s price inthe eurozone is �2). As dol-lar holders increase theirdemand for euros in orderto profit from the arbitrage,euros will become more ex-pensive in terms of dolla-rs—i.e., there will be moredollars chasing each euro—pushing the exchange rateback in the direction of $1for �2. Arbitrage is alwaysset in motion when the exc-hange rate in terms of cur-rencies’ relative purchasingpower deviates from the

market exchange rate.Summary and

ConclusionContrary to a popular

view, the state of the bal-ance of payments is not thedetermining factor in cur-rencies’ exchange rates, norare the interest rate differ-ential or various psycholog-ical factors. The key factoris the relative purchasingpower of various monies.

If the market exchangerate deviates from theexchange rate in terms ofcurrencies’ relative pur-chasing power, this sets inmotion arbitrage, whichworks toward realigningthe market exchange ratewith the currencies’ relativepurchasing power.Furthermore, the relativepurchasing power ofmoney, all other thingsbeing equal, is determinedby the relative supply ofvarious monies, althoughchanges to this are lagged.This, in turn, means thatcurrency exchange rates aredriven by the relative sup-ply of various monies, tak-ing the lag into account, allother things being equal.

The Frontier Post 7Opinion Friday, March 18, 2022

Important NoticeThe Frontier Post will not be responsible for the comments in the articlesand letters. The Frontier Post requests the writers of articles and lettersto please make sure that they write their email addresses and mentionthe names of the cities, towns, districts or tehsil of their residences at the bottom of their articles and letters.

NATO — a r g u a b l yhistory’s mostenduring and suc-

cessful military alliancefor preserving peace inEurope—is now facingthe most daunting chal-lenge in its seventy-three-year history. Russia’sunprovoked invasion ofUkraine has forced NATOto adopt a war-time readi-ness posture, redeploy itsforces, and face the immi-nent threat of escalationof hostilities, a wider con-flict across Europe, andpossible nuclear war.

The alliance is one ofmutual defense and assis-tance that has grown fromits initial twelve membersin 1949 to thirty nationstoday. With the disintegra-tion of the Soviet Union in1991, former Soviet Blocnations in the Baltics andEastern Europe sought tosecure their newfound inde-pendence by signing theNorth Atlantic Treaty andgathering under NATO’ssecurity umbrella. UnderArticle 5 of the treaty, anattack on one member isregarded as an attack on alland so makes allies of thir-ty nations—a powerfuldeterrent to Russian aggres-sion.

The alliance, however, isnow confronted by Russianaggression against a non-NATO nation and the veryreal possibility of a widerwar in Europe. Russia’sinvasion of Ukraine threat-ens to engulf borderingNATO nations. To date,U.S. and NATO officialshave resisted mounting a“no-fly zone” overUkraine. Such a zonewould escalate the conflictand require committingNATO aircraft for combat

air patrols, refueling, andsurveillance and risk thoseaircraft and crews toRussian fighters and anti-aircraft fire. A rigorouslymaintained no-fly zonecould also require deploy-ment to Ukraine of theU.S.’s advanced Patriotregional air and missiledefense system. With a no-fly zone in place, NATOaircraft would be unlikelyto operate from cross-bor-der safe havens immune toRussian attack. Russian air-craft currently launchingstand-off munitions wouldhave to be attacked inRussian airspace. A dizzy-ing spiral of escalationwould inevitably lead to abroader air-land battle.

The western militarysupply to beleagueredUkraine also passesthrough bordering NATOnations, most notably alongthe long western borderwith Poland. NATO nationsHungary, Romania, andSlovakia also share a bor-der with Ukraine and maywell become future sourcesof supply. Fierce Ukrainianresistance has hobbled theRussian advance, but thatresistance is reliant on opensupply lines not only forlight infantry weapons andammunition, but for drones,missiles, and rockets forattacks on Russian aircraftand armor. There are alsoreports that as many as15,000 volunteers with mil-itary experience cameacross the border to join thenewly formed InternationalLegion for the TerritorialDefense of Ukraine.Frustrated in its ambition tosee Kiev capitulate andfaced with mounting casu-alties, Moscow will nowattack to choke-off

Ukraine’s military logisticslifelines at their crossingpoints with borderingNATO nations. An errantcross-border attack imme-diately draws NATOnations into the conflict.

Moscow has been hitwith crippling economicsanctions and may soonseek to retaliate. Cyberatt-acks have the global reachto target not just bankingand financial networks:power-grids, telecommuni-cations, infrastructure, airtraffic control, e-com-merce, and social media areat risk. Numerous cyberat-tacks have already beenlaunched by Russia againstUkraine. If Russia were tolaunch effective cyberat-tacks on the United States itcould trigger counterattacksnot just by U.S. cyberforces, but even by conven-tional U.S. forces and thoseof other NATO members.U.S. warfighting doctrine iswholly unsettled on thenature of a proportionalresponse to cyberattack, buta cyberattack resulting inAmerican casualties wouldjustify strikes by cyber orconventional forces.

Russian occupation ofUkraine, and the installa-tion of a puppet govern-ment to act at the behest ofMoscow, would create aneastern bloc of nationsaligned against NATO andthe West.

Russian forces engagedin the invasion of Ukrainevastly outnumber the stoicdefenders. But Russianprogress has been made infits and starts with unevenleadership and poorly per-forming troops. In the faceof a stuttering advance by

their enemy, Ukrainianforces will continue to usetime to their advantage. Theweight of Russian armor,artillery, and troop strength,however, is still likely toprevail as field command-ers adapt to the situation onthe ground and unsnarl sup-porting logistics. NATOnations will use the timebought by Ukraine’sdefenses to continue to sup-ply Kiev with both arma-ments and a steady streamof tactical and operationalintelligence. As Russianforces continue to advance,their extended supply lineswill become more vulnera-ble to hit-and-run attacksby small units. Given theheroic and steadfast resist-ance of the Ukrainians,Russian-occupied areas ofthe country will likelybecome hotbeds of insur-gent attacks.

Russian occupation ofUkraine, and the installa-tion of a puppet govern-ment to act at the behest ofMoscow, would create aneastern bloc of nationsaligned against NATO andthe West. Moldova hasalready been drawn intoMoscow’s orbit and thestaging of Russian forces inBelarus has neatly accom-plished the military occupa-tion of that country. NATOnow faces the grim realityof an armed military fron-tier with the line drawnfrom the Baltic states ofEstonia, Latvia, andLithuania to the Black Seaand the borders of Greeceand Turkey—all membersof NATO. The Russianinvasion of Ukraine maywell be the start of aSecond Cold War.

The First Cold Warended with the collapse of

the Warsaw Pact militaryalliance and dissolution ofthe Soviet Union in 1991.In the decade that followed,the alliance embraced expa-nsion by inviting Europeannations to submit a Me-mbership Action Plan tojoin NATO outright, orengage in its Partnershipfor Peace initiative. The m-oves were calculated to dr-aw Eastern European natio-ns—once part of the SovietBloc—into the orbit of theWest. NATO made inroadson the buffer states thatbordered Russia; Moscowseethed impotently.

But all was not well inthe West either. Europeannations balked at therequirement to build uptheir military forces.President Trump openedhimself to ridicule at homeand abroad by demandingthat NATO nations meettheir alliance treaty obliga-tion and devote 2 percent oftheir GDP to military readi-ness. Critics of NATOdecried the cost and theburden of maintaining thealliance’s military forcesand castigated forwarddeployment of troops—especially U.S. forces—asunnecessarily belligerentand provocative. The U.S.Congress echoed the callsfrom the parliaments ofEurope and openlydemanded a “peace divi-dend” and cuts to militaryspending. A 2011 NewYork Times op-ed pointed-ly asked: “Who NeedsNATO?”

That was then; this isnow. Russia’s neo-Czaristambitions, land-grab, andaggression in Ukraine areproof enough that all thefree nations of Europe needNATO.

NATO’s renewed relevanceRalph L. DeFalco III

Understanding how balance of payments and exchange rates workFrank Shostak

UKRAINE in theinformation-phan-tom worlds has run

up a lot of all sorts anddifferent. Everyone cre-ates Ukraine for himself,that is, in fact, he speaksnot about her, but abouthis own, blood. In addi-tion, in one country, as itturns out on the exampleof the United States, therecan be two Ukraine: dem-ocratic and republican.

The differences betweenthe two come to light whenyou look at a public opinionpoll conducted by the soci-ological service of theUniversity of Quinnipackin Connecticut. There, itoccurred to someone to askthe Americans a question:what would you personallydo if you found yourself inthe same position as theUkrainians today — wouldyou stay and fight or leavethe country?

Here, by the way, we aredealing with yet anotherinformational phantomcommon to the entire West:that the entire Ukrainiannation, as one person, hastaken up arms and is fight-ing. The reality that seemsto be well-known to thesame Americans, in whicha couple of millionUkrainians have alreadyentered Europe via westernroutes, does not fit here. Atthe same time, no one in theWest knows the realitywhere 2.6 million otherUkrainians want to leavefor Russia today, but theyare not allowed there by theKiev authorities. Aboutalmost 300 thousand,which have already reached

Russia, it is possible not tomention at all. But after all,the suffering of refugees isa completely separate infor-mational construction thatdoes not intersect with theconcept of "they did not runand all as one took uparms." So they exist - eachon its own. And this is notto mention the fact thatpeople from the east ofUkraine took up arms pre-cisely, only in the oppositesense.

Nevertheless, sociolo-gists have asked the ques-tion - it is necessary toanswer it. And it turns outthat only 40 percent ofDemocrats want to stay inthe US and take up arms.Republicans - 69 percent -say let these Russians cometo our native Texas. Andothers are ready to runaway to emigrate or do notknow what to say.

But there is also a break-down by age. In both halvesof America, the older peo-ple are somehow moreready to defend themselves,but the most prone to flightteam is the youth of theDemocratic orientation.Something familiar…

And in many commentson this topic, we see that infact they are discussingabout themselves, lovedones, and not aboutUkraine as such, complexand real. And they useincomprehensible newsfrom this mysterious coun-try for the usual ideologicalbeating of opponents.

The meaning of the posi-tion of the democrats is thatin the first days of the spe-cial operation an avalanche

fell on our heads: the mainthing is to resist Russia andother autocracies aroundthe world. There is a battleof ideologies going on, andsuch - we will add - can bewaged from anywhere inthe world, moreover, takingup arms - we will add onceagain - is the fate of at leastthe Ukrainians. And let'snot forget the Democrats'key thesis that DonaldTrump and other "pop-ulists" have always shownan amazing soft spot for allautocrats, so that in the endeverything that happens istheir fault.

The position of theRepublicans is more com-plicated. "The poll shows acrisis of faith amongDemocrats and in society atlarge," muses one commen-tator. This refers to faith inthe constitution, and in gen-eral in everythingAmerican: Democrats showtheir complete disconnec-tion from their own coun-try, their lack of faith in itand the desire to sacrificethemselves to defend it.Here he recalls how theconversation began, andconcludes: but the peopleof Ukraine, all as one per-son, are a living reproach tothe democrats.

The conversation goesfurther and deeper, follow-ing the same pattern. Hereis another publication : yes,Ukraine, the crisis - and ourAmerica in this crisis doesnot show itself from thebest side. Ukraine actuallyloses (another obligatoryinformation phantom, we

recall, reports that it is win-ning). And the West in gen-eral? Are you saying thatthe events in Ukrainerevived his very idea?However, they in no waycanceled the fact that theWest, and certainlyAmerica, remains indecline as it was.

And so begins a longenumeration of the symp-toms of decline, of whatwe—and everyone else—already knows. For exam-ple, the EuropeanParliament voted to subjectPoland and Hungary tofinancial sanctions, becauseeverything LGBT-relatedwas not liked there. Onewould think that since thesetwo countries acceptedrefugees from Ukrainemore than others, thenWestern solidarity shouldhave been shown to them,but there are things moreimportant than Ukraine,these same LGBT people.

Or - a crisis of family,faith and such a value as theright to speak freely. This iswhere the third topic beginsto sound : about the factthat Senator Mitt Romney(a Republican, by the way)threatened Tulsi Gabbard, aDemocratic congress-woman, with prison forhigh treason. For what?And she asked what theAmerican biological labo-ratories were doing inUkraine. Conclusion: patri-ots cannot talk about labo-ratories, but "if you do notparticipate in the mandato-ry two-minute hate speech-es against Putin, you shouldbe arrested and impris-oned."

And this, we recall, in acountry where representa-tives of the younger gener-ation of democrats areready to go on the run enmasse, just so as not todefend their homeland withweapons in their hands.

We have said so far thatthere are, as it were, twoUkraines in the UnitedStates, that is, each sideexploits this topic in asquabble over purely itsown, internal issues. Afterall, this is only America.There are still many otherUkraines all over the world,when in fact everyone istalking about their ownaffairs.

Back in the turn of thecentury, there was a goodway to get Indians interest-ed in any conversationabout Ukraine: to say thatUkraine is "our RussianPakistan." And then every-thing became clear toeveryone, their eyes lit up,the conversation revived.

Recall why users of theChinese zone of the Inter-net are almost completelyon the side of Russia in thisstory: because they see in itan exact copy of their histo-ry with Taiwan, which allthe same Western playersuse to provoke Beijing.That is, here we haveanother Ukraine withChinese characteristics.

And we have mentionedonly three large countries.Therefore, at the next meet-ing with a phantom called"the whole world con-demns Moscow," try topass by and ignore it. Theworld is a little more com-plicated.

‘The whole world condemns Moscow’Dmitry Kosyrev

THE United Statescontinues to per-suade its European

allies to sever all resourceand energy relations withRussia as completely aspossible. However, despiteall the calls, exhortationsand sometimes even dire-ct threats, collective Euro-pe in its relations with M-oscow categorically refus-es to destroy the supplychains of hydrocarbonsand, first of all, of course,natural gas. Therefore,the United States is build-ing up pressure - and wh-ere the stick does not wo-rk, a crafty carrot is used.

Recently, the CEO of theAmerican company EQT,the largest LNG producer inthe country, said that the EUhas absolutely nothing tofear from breaking ties withRussia, since "the UnitedStates will easily replace thevolumes of Russian gas, forthis the Americans haveboth the opportunity and thedesire."

These promises are asinspiring as they are impos-sible to fulfill.

Such information stuff-ing has a purely propagandacolor and performs the onlyapplied task - they put thenecessary theses into unpre-pared heads, which,although completely inve-nted, live quite successfullyin the mass consciousness.This is how an alternativereality is being formed,which can be most clearlyobserved in the example ofneighboring Ukraine, wherethe population massivelybelieves, for example, thatNaftogaz has not been tran-siting Russian gas toEurope for three weeks.

To dispel the victoriousfog of anti-Russian rhetoric,we will use not emotions,but facts.

Let's start with basicfigures, in particular, thatEurope's dependence onRussian gas imports is justover 40 percent. Given theconstant growth in sup-plies in recent years,according to the results of2021, Gazprom expectsthat the volume of supplieswill be about 200-203 bil-lion cubic meters. Let'smake a reservation thatdue to the cold winter,record jumps in energyprices, as well as persistentrequests from E-uropeancountries to incre-asepumping, the results maybe even higher, but forsimplicity and clarity, wewill use these indicators.

Of the 200 billion cubicmeters of Russian gas, theabsolute majority is deliv-ered via main pipelines,which by default makes itcheaper than LNG, even ifthe transportation distancefor delivery is relativelysmall - let alone delivery bygas carriers across theocean. This fact is oftentried to be refuted bymanipulating the numbersand charts of market quotes,but our words are con-

firmed by Toby Rice him-self, the head of the sameEQT company mentionedabove.

As it is easy to calculate,the total consumption ofnatural gas by the EU coun-tries varies between 450-480 billion cubic meters.This indicator, contrary tothe mantras of eco-activistsand lobbyists for the con-struction of windmills andphotovoltaic panels, isgrowing year by year. Thatis, even if we imagine thatRussian gas by some mira-cle instantly disappearsfrom contract schemes, thenother suppliers will not onlyhave to replace the two hun-dred billion cubic metersthat have fallen out, but alsosystematically increase sup-plies. Russian gas pipelines,including the Ukrainiansegment, deliver their prod-ucts to Germany, fromwhich it already divergesfurther, for example, to thesecond main beneficiary,Austria. The countries ofsouthern Europe are fedfrom the Turkish Stream,which goes from Turkey toBulgaria, Serbia, Hungaryand Slovenia. By the way,by a mysterious coinciden-ce, it is the last two coun-tries that in recent years h-ave been the main suppliersof gas to Ukraine in termsof reverse, although it usedto be exactly the opposite.

Speaking of othersources of supply, the EUalso buys natural gas fromNorway and Algeria. And ifthe share of Russia is esti-mated at 41 percent, thenNorway and Algeria occupyniches with indicators of 24and 11 percent, respective-ly. It is easy to calculate thatthe share of all other suppli-ers, both pipeline and sell-ing LNG, is slightly morethan a quarter of the market.

Qatar has already givenup on increasing its LNGexports to Europe. TheNetherlands is leaving themarket altogether, alreadythis year, due to massiveand increasingly destructiveearthquakes, gas productionin the Groningen basin willbe completely stopped. TheTrans Anatolian gaspipeline (TANAP) fromAzerbaijan has a capacity ofonly 16 billion cubic metersand cannot be considered asa replacement channel inprinciple. Now that we havea better understanding ofthe schemes and volumes ofexisting gas contracts, let'sreturn to the American radi-ant promises.

The United States hasindeed made a quantitativeleap and, as of the end oflast year, came close to thefirst two main LNG produc-ers, Australia and Qatar, liq-uefying 87.5 and 77.5 bil-lion cubic meters of gas peryear, respectively. Let'sassume that the Americanshale producers manage tomaintain the set pace and bythe end of this year they will

be able to produce, say, 90billion cubic meters. Thisindicator, even with themaximum strain of Amer-ica's production forces, ismore than twice as short asthe volume of Russian gasthat Europe needs annuallyto ensure normal life.Accordingly, even if allwithout a trace of AmericanLNG is sent to Europe,completely ignoring thepremium markets of Asia,this will still not be enough.

Separately, it is neces-sary to keep in mind the factthat the States themselvesremain the main world con-sumer of gas. The UnitedStates consumes a mind-boggling 860 billion cubicmeters of blue fuel everyyear. For comparison: this istwice as much as Russiaconsumes, and three timesmore than China, which isone and a half billion peo-ple. It would be foolish tothink that their own power-ful LNG industry will not,in case of emergency situa-tions in the markets, insurethe American energy.

We add that the furthergrowth of LNG productionin the United States is avery big question. Thehumor of the situation isthat American environmen-talists are categoricallyopposed with the support ofthe ruling Democratic Party,which is actively promotingthe green agenda. Modernenvironmental doctrineconsiders the productionand transportation of LNGto be harmful to the envi-ronment, as a large amountof methane enters the air,which heats the atmospherefifty times more than theusual carbon dioxide. At themoment, in view of thesereasons, the constructionand launch of as many asfourteen new productionlines is questionable. Well,and finally, it is impossiblenot to note the purely phys-ical problems at the otherend of the supply chain. Weare talking about the possi-bility of receiving more liq-uefied gas by Europeancountries. France, Spainand the United Kingdom,which left the EU, have themaximum capacities forLNG regasification in theirports. Each of the countriescan receive, convert andsend to consumers about 50billion cubic meters of gas.As for Germany, the largestconsumer and importer ofgas, the Germans do nothave a single LNG terminalat all.

As you can see, all thepromises of the Americanstomorrow to rid Europe ofdependence on Russian gasare nothing more than pre-tentious buffoonery. Keepthis in mind when you seeanother piece of news thatthe Europeans no longerneed Russian energyresources, for which theWest has paid Moscowmore than $13 billion sincethe beginning of the specialoperation in Ukraine.

Promise does not mean marriageSergey Savchuk

ISLAMABAD (APP):Minister for Finance andRevenue Shaukat Tarin onWednesday said that incum-bent government had takenconcrete steps for introduc-ing measures to removestructural imbalances innational economy toachieve inclusive and sus-tainable economic growth.

Addressing the ‘1stPakistan PetrochemicalSymposium’, organized byCorporate Pakistan Group incollaboration with Board ofInvestment (BOI), Tarin saidthat these structural flawsand imbalances sloweddown the economic growthrate from last many years.

While giving the historicprospect of national econo-my, he said that local econ-omy was on rapid path ofdevelopment in era of 1960and Pakistan was ranked as4th largest economy, biggerthen South Korea, secondto China and Japan.

However, the massivenationalization and hugeinflow of refuges duringAfghan war were amongsome other factors, whichnegatively influenced theeconomic growth, he saidadding that war against ter-ror also incurred huge dam-ages to economic growthand development in terms of

financial and human losses.The Finance Minister said

that agriculture sector, whichwas the mainstay of nationaleconomy was ignored badlyby all previous regimes andresultantly productivity ofagriculture produces drasti-cally reduced, adding thatcountry had to fulfill itsdomestic requirementsthrough imports.

Due to reliance ofimported food commodi-ties, he said that import billof the country swelled andgap between imports andexports widen, adding thatCOVID-19 pandemic hadalso put negative impact onglobal economies as well asthe economy of the country.

Shaukat Tarin said thatdespite all these challengeseconomy was growing withan average of 5.1 percentby June 2021, adding that itwas not a bad growth rateduring the prevailing cir-cumstances.

The government haddecided to switch over theinclusive growth byenhancing exports, com-pressing imports and incen-tivizing local industrial sec-tor, besides allocatingresources for increasing theproductivity of agriculturesector to enhance output ofmajor and minor crops.

The government had alsointroduced several measuresfor broadening the tax base,besides making efforts forplugging the tax leakages byreforming tax collectionsystem and simplification oftax system to encouragecompliance culture in thecountry, he added.

He said that track andtrace system was also intro-duced in different industriesthat would also help inenhancing revenue collec-tion, adding that single win-dow tax system put on placeto avoid multiple taxation.He said that 18-20 percenttax to GDP was prerequisiteto achieve inclusive eco-nomic growth in the country.

The government wastaking other measures topromote local industrialsector and in this regardChina was urged to shift itsindustrial units in Pakistanthat would help in neutral-ization in the country andcreating about 20 millionadditional jobs.

Besides, he said that thegovernment was also takingmeasures for the promotionof small and medium enter-prises by facilitating themand providing them access tocredit, adding that there wereover 4-5 million SMEs in thecountry but their access to

credit was nominal.Shaukat Tarin lauded the

efforts of organizers of thesymposium and said that itwould help in formulationof medium to long termpolicy framework as wellpolicy guidelines for for-eign and local investors todevelop a robust economy.

Speaking on the occasion,President Organization ofIslamic Chamber ofCommerce and IndustryGhias Khan said thatPakistan has an under devel-oped petroleum sector, whichoffers immense investmentopportunities for local as wellas foreign investors.

He said that in mid-stream petroleum importswill cross $4 billion by2030 and investment willcatalyze the developmentof petroleum sector inPakistan and demand ofother related products willalso increase, adding thatpetroleum policy was needof the time as many compa-nies were keen to explorethe opportunities existing inthis particular sector.

He said in long run theseinvestment will generateeconomic dividends and helpin achieving imports substi-tutes, besides kick startingdevelopment of fertilizers,oil and auto industry.

ISLAMABAD (NNI): Adelegation of Austrian com-panies led by Ms. CarmenGoby, Vice President,Austrian Federal EconomicChamber visited theIslamabad Chamber ofCommerce & Industry andshowed keen interest toestablish long-term busi-ness partnerships inPakistan in hydropower,renewable energy, infra-structure, production of tur-bines, water treatment andother sectors.

The representatives ofAndritz Hydro, GeppertHydropower, Global Hydro,Gugler Water Turbines, ILFConsulting Engineers andLonsinger Maschinenbauwere in the delegation.

Speaking at the occa-sion, Ms. Carmen Goby,Vice President, AustrianFederal EconomicChamber said that theAustrian delegation hascome to Pakistan to exploreopportunities of joint ven-tures & investment in orderto intensify the economiccooperation with Pakistan.

She said that the delega-tion visit was a part of thevisit of the AustrianMinister of Foreign Affairsto Pakistan in the frame-work of refocusing Austria.

Richard Bandera,Austrian TradeCommissioner to Pakistansaid that this was the first

delegation from Europe toPakistan after Covid toexplore long-lasting part-nerships in Pakistan.

He said that Austrianenergy companies havealready contributed toreducing loadshedding inPakistan and they wanted toplay a more effective roletowards the economicdevelopment of Pakistan bysetting up partnerships here.

He said that South Asiawas emerging as a promis-ing region and Austria wastaking keen interest in it forbusiness relations. He alsoinvited an ICCI delegationto visit Austria to furtherstrengthen business cooper-ation with Austrian coun-terparts.

Muhammad ShakeelMunir, President, IslamabadChamber of Commerce andIndustry welcomed theAustrian delegation and saidthat Pakistan and Austriahave good potential toenhance bilateral coopera-tion in various fields includ-ing higher education,hydropower, renewableenergy, oil & gas, informa-tion technology, tourism andmany other fields.

He said that Austria wasan advanced economy andPakistan could benefit a lotby developing strong eco-nomic relations with it. Hesaid that the current level ofbilateral trade between the

two countries was notreflective of their actualpotential and both sidesshould make strong effortsto improve it. He assuredthat ICCI would cooperatein connecting Austriancompanies with right part-ners in Pakistan.

Jamshaid Akhtar SheikhSenior Vice President andMuhammad Faheem KhanVice President ICCI saidthat both countries shouldencourage regularexchange of trade delega-tions to explore alluntapped areas of mutualcooperation.

Khalid Iqbal Malik,Chairman, Founder Groupsaid that Pakistan wasestablishing many SpecialEconomic Zones underCPEC and Austrian compa-nies should explore JVs andinvestments in them to takeadvantage of their attractiveincentives.

The delegation membersheld B2B meetings withICCI members to exploreareas of business collabora-tion with them. ICCIExecutive MembersHamayun Kabir, Ch.Muhammad Ali, FaseeullahKhan, Akhtar Abbasi,Muhammad Shabbir,Muhammad Naveed Malik& Khalid Chaudhry formerSenior Vice Presidents andothers were also present atthe occasion.

WASHINGTON (Reuters):The U.S. Federal Reserveis acting "appropriately" totighten monetary policyand signal a higher futurerate path, but the policyshift does bring risks foremerging market countriesdependent on dollar fund-ing, IMF spokesman GerryRice said on Thursday.

Speaking at a regularIMF news conference a

day after the Fed raisedinterest rates by a quarterpercentage point for thefirst time since 2018 readmore , Rice said that coun-tries would have a moredifficult time assessing thepolicy impacts of the Fedmove, due to widely dif-fering post-pandemic eco-nomic circumstances andeffects from the war inUkraine.

Continuing to give clearforward guidance thatreacts proportionately toshifts in the data will helpkeep inflation expecta-tions anchored, Rice said."This faster pace of Fednormalization increasesthe risks faced by othercountries reliant on dollarfunding, especially inemerging and developingeconomies."

ISLAMABAD (APP):Chief Executive OfficerPakistan Furniture CouncilMian Kashif AshfaqThursday facilitated thePrime Minister Imran Khanfor getting adopted a land-mark epoch making historicresolution introduced byPakistan in the UnitedNations General Assemblydesignating March 15 asInternational day to combatIslamophobia.

In a statement he said Itwas a great achievementand commendable serviceto entire Muslim Ummah.

He said credit went tothe dynamic and sagaciousleadership of Imran Khanwho exercised his sphere ofwisdom based influenceand got persuaded theUNSC. He said the resolu-tion was sponsored by 57members of the OIC, andeight other countries,including China andRussia.

He said under its terms,

the resolution stronglydeplored all acts of vio-lence against persons on thebasis of their religion orbelief and such acts direct-ed against their places ofworship, as well as allattacks on and in religiousplaces, sites and shrinesthat were in violation ofinternational law.

He said first time in his-tory OIC just voice againstthe rising tide ofIslamophobia had beenheard at international leveland Pakistan image waselevated when “The UNfinally recognised the gravechallenge confronting theworld: of Islamophobia,respect for religious sym-bols & practices & of cur-tailing systematic hatespeech & discriminationagainst Muslims,”.

“Next challenge is toensure implementation ofthis landmark resolution,”Mian Kashif added.

He said at all interna-

tional platforms, includingthe United Nations GeneralAssembly, Prime MinisterImran Khan has been call-ing the world to act againstIslamophobia and askingthe world leaders to act col-lectively to counter thegrowing phenomenon innon-Muslim states.

He said the prime minis-ter also recently appreciat-ed Russian PresidentVladimir Putin’s “emphaticstatement” that the freedomof speech could not be apretext to abuse the ProphetMuhammad (Peace beUpon him).

Mian Kashif also saidthat another feather in thecap of Pakistan is holdingforthcoming meeting offoreign ministers of OIC inIslamabad which he addeda great honour for a countryas entire Muslim Ummahconsider Pakistan as citadelof Islam which is harbingerof durable peace in theworld he concluded.

NEW YORK (Reuters):Coupon payments onRussian sovereign bondsdue this week were receivedby correspondent bankJPMorgan (JPM.N),processed and the bank thenmade an onwards credit tothe paying agent Citi (C.N),a source familiar with thesituation said on Thursday.

The payment receivedwas a U.S. dollar payment,the source said. Afterbeing credited to the pay-ing agent, it would bechecked and distributed onto various bondholders,the source said.

Russia said on Thursdayit had made debt paymentsthat were due this week.Russia was due to pay$117 million in couponpayments on Wednesdayon two dollar-denominatedsovereign bonds.

The payments werewidely seen as the first testof whether Moscow wouldmeet its obligations afterWestern sanctions hobbledits financial dealings.

The source said thatJPMorgan's obligation as aforeign correspondentbank was to process pay-ments, but that given the

circumstances, also tocheck with authoritiesbefore doing so.

Sanctions imposed overMoscow's invasion ofUkraine have cut Russia offfrom the global financialsystem and blocked thebulk of its gold and foreignexchange reserves, whileMoscow has in turn retali-ated - all of which compli-cate payments.

The bank checked withauthorities before process-ing, the source said. Not toprocess the paymentwould have harmed bond-holders, the source said.

ISLAMABAD (APP):Pakistan and China agreedon Thursday to execute themuch awaited mega ML-1railway up-gradation proj-ect under China PakistanEconomic Corridor(CPEC) on priority basis.

The agreement wasreached at a virtual heldmeeting between CPECAuthority and NationalDevelopment and ReformsCommission (NDRC) ofChina to follow up on thedecisions taken during therecent visit of the PrimeMinister to China.

Special Assistant toPrime Minister (SAPM) onCPEC Affairs KhalidMansoor and DirectorGeneral NDRC co-chairedthe meeting. TheAmbassador of Pakistan inChina also participated.

The meeting decidedthat Pakistan Railwayswould immediately contactthe National RailwayAdministration (NEA), towork out further details ofthe project.

The NDRC Director

General said that the rele-vant Chinese institutionswere already taking thenecessary actions to imple-ment the understandingsreached during the visit.

He said that the Chineseside attaches the utmostimportance to the ML-1project and several internalmeetings between theNational RailwayAdministration and otherrelevant institutions havebeen held to work out themodalities & prepare forexecution of the first Phaseof the project.

SAPM CPEC Affairs stat-ed that Prime Minister’smeeting with the Chineseleadership had been extreme-ly fruitful and the relevantinstitutions of the two coun-tries were fully geared to takethe necessary steps to trans-late the understandingsreached at the highest levelinto actual actions on theground at the earliest.

The meeting also dis-cussed projects in the powersector including the 300MW Power Project in

Gwadar and the 1320 MWThar Coal Block-1 Powerproject. It was noted that allactions relating to these proj-ects had been completed onPakistan side. It was decidedthat the Chinese side wouldexpedite the next steps relat-ing to these projects.

The meeting expressedsatisfaction at the pace ofimplementation of variousprojects in Gwadar such asthe East Bay Expressway,New Gwadar InternationalAirport, Pak ChinaFriendship Hospital etc.

The meetings also dis-cussed the schedule forholding of meetings of JointWorking Groups (JWG) forvarious sectors. It wasdecided that meetings of theJoint Working Groups forIndustrial Cooperation,Information Technology,Science & Technology andAgriculture would be heldin the near future.

SAPM on CPEC Affairsexpressed his gratitude tothe NDRC for their supportand facilitation in forward-ing the agenda of CPEC.

The Frontier Post Friday, March 18, 2022

SIALKOT: A vendor is preparing food item (kachori) in connection with Shab-e-Barat. ––APP photo

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Shaukat Tarin while presiding over ameeting of Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet.

Measures introduced forremoving structural

imbalances of economy: Tarin

Businesscommunitymourns thedemise of

Haroon AgarKARACHI (NNI): FPCCIChief, Mr. Irfan IqbalSheikh, has expressed hisprofound condolences on thesad demise of one of themost the popular business,trade and industry leaders ofPakistan, Late Haroon Agar.

He added that HaroonAgar led an accomplishedand momentous life; both asa businessman and as a tradeleader. Mr. MuhammadSuleman Chawla, ViceChairman of FPCCI'sManagement Committee,said that the entire businesscommunity of the country ispraying for the departed soul;and, his leadership in policyadvocacy, struggle for therights of vulnerable businesssectors and trade politics willalways be remembered.

Mian Anjum Nisar, for-mer President of FPCCI,showered glowing tributeson the achievements ofHaroon Agar and men-tioned that Haroon Agarhad been a mentor figure tothe many of the leadingbusiness and trade figurestoday through thick andthin; and, that madeHaroon Agar one of themost admired and sought-after business leaders.

Mian Nasser HyattMaggo, immediate pastPresident of FPCCI, men-tioned that Haroon Agarfought for the cause of SMEsin Pakistan with courage, per-severance and a sense ofownership. Highlight of hismany leadership roles was histenure as the President ofKarachi Chamber ofCommerce & Industry(KCCI) in 2012-13, he added.

It is pertinent to note that,due to his polite, friendly andsocially-conscious nature,Late Haroon Agar wasimmensely popular amongpress & media fraternity aswell; and, his views andstatements were widelysought on fiscal, taxation,trade, socioeconomic andSMEs related issues.

Al HajAutomobile

F.P. Report

KARACHI: The restric-tions imposed in Malaysiaon business operatinghours, social distancing,and interstate travel will beeased from April 1, 2022.

Al-Haj Automotive (Pvt.)Limited has already com-menced the local assemblyand deliveries of PROTONSAGA since November2021. We would like toinform our customers thatthe supplies from Malaysiawill be streamlined startingApril 2022, enabling us toenhance the production oflocally assembled SAGAand start mass production ofPROTON X70.

The delivery schedulesof locally assembled PRO-TON X70 will be informedto our PROTON dealers bynext week. PROTON cus-tomers are requested tocontact their respectivedealerships for the deliveryschedule of PROTON X70starting next week.

Gold pricessurge by Rs

1,200 toRs130,150

per tolaISLAMABAD (APP): Theprice of 24 karat per tolagold witnessed an increaseof Rs 1,200 and was sold atRs 130,150 on Thursdayagainst its sale atRs128,900 in the local mar-ket the previous day.

The price of 10 gram 24karat gold also increased byRs 1,072 to Rs 111,583from Rs110,511 whereasthat of 10 gram 22 karatwent up to Rs 102,284 fromRs 101,302, All SindhSarafa JewellersAssociation reported.

The price of per tola and10 gram silver remainedconstant at Rs1,500 andRs1,286 respectively. Theprice of gold in internation-al market increased by $17and was traded at $ 1,942against its sale at $1,925,the association reported.

Mobile phoneimports

increase 7pcin 8 months

ISLAMABAD (MonitoringDesk): The import ofmobile phones into thecountry has witnessed anincrease of 7.63 percentduring the first eightmonths of fiscal year(2021-22) as compared tothe corresponding period oflast year.

Pakistan importedmobile phones worth US$1411.619 million duringJuly-February (2021-22) ascompared to the imports ofUS $1311.493 million dur-ing July-February (2020-21), showing growth of7.63 percent, according tothe Pakistan Bureau ofStatistics (PBS).

Meanwhile, on year-to-year basis, the import ofmobile phones howeverdecreased by 19.

69 percent during themonth of February 2022when compared to thesame month of last year.The import of mobiles intothe country duringFebruary 2022 wererecorded at $141.207 mil-lion against the exports of$175.821 million inFebruary 2021.

On month-on-monthbasis, the imports of mobilephones also witnesseddecline of 21.45 percentduring February 2022, ascompared to the imports ofUS $179.765 million dur-ing January 2022, accord-ing to the data.

Russian sovereign bondpayment received by

JPMorgan and processed

Pak, China agree toexecute ML-1

project on priority

PFC greets PM for gettingadopted a resolution in UNSC

to combat Islamophobia

Austrian companies interestedin long-term business

partnerships in Pakistan

IMF says Fed tighteningappropriate, adds to risks

for emerging markets

The Frontier Post Friday, March 18, 2022

In briefIn brief

Vettel out of BahrainGP with Covid-19

SAKHIR (Agencies) :Four-time world cham-pion Sebastian Vettelhas been ruled out ofSunday's season-open-ing Bahrain Grand Prixafter testing positivefor Covid-19. TheAston Martin driverwill be replaced byNico Hulkenberg.McLaren's DanielRicciardo missed thefinal test in Bahrainlast week after con-tracting coronavirus.But the Australian is fitfor race weekend,which begins withpractice on Friday,after returning a nega-tive test. Aston Martinreserve driverHulkenberg, 34, hasnot been a permanentF1 driver since 2019but has filled in forothers. The Germanmade three appear-ances in 2020 when hereplaced Sergio Perezand Lance Stroll, bothof whom missed racesbecause of coron-avirus. The secondrace of the season is inSaudi Arabia on 27March. If GermanVettel tests negativebefore then he shouldbe able to compete.

Shiffrin claimsfourth title

C O U R C H E V E L(Reuters): MikaelaShiffrin claimed theoverall World Cup titlewith two races to sparewhen she took secondplace in the final super-G of the season inCourchevel, France, onThursday. TheAmerican opened anunassailable 236-pointlead at the top of thestandings over second-place Petra Vlhova ofSlovakia, who finishedin 17th place outsidethe points. Shiffrin,who now has fouroverall World Cuptitles to her name andthree Olympic medals,recovered from a dis-appointing outing inthe Beijing WinterGames to finish theseason in style. The27-year-old unexpect-edly won Wednesday'sdownhill to take amajor step towardswinning the overalltitle, which she securedwith a precise perform-ance on Thursday. Shefinished just 0.05 sec-onds behind race win-ner RagnhildMowinckel of Norway,who clocked oneminute 13.68 seconds.Swiss Michelle Gisinwas third, 0.13 secondsoff the pace. Shiffrin,who won three consec-utive overall WorldCup titles from 2017-19, is now level withfellow AmericanLindsey Vonn on four,two shy of thewomen's record ofAustrian AnnemarieMoser-Proell, winnerfrom 1971-75 and in1979. AnotherAustrian, MarcelHirscher, holds therecord with eight titlesin a row from 2012-19.

'Tennis should banRussian players'

MOSCOW (Agencies):Ukrainian former tennisplayer AlexandrDolgopolov says tennisauthorities are being"too passive" andshould ban players fromRussia while there iswar in Ukraine. The 33-year-old told BBC Sportthe decision to allowRussian players, such asmen's world numberone Daniil Medvedev,to continue playing asneutrals and removingtheir flag "is not chang-ing anything". "Lettingthem play just by sayinga few words that theyare against war, I don'tbelieve this is enough,"he said. Former worldnumber 13 Dolgopolovhas returned to Kyiv tojoin Ukraine's territorialdefence unit and hashad recent militarytraining to learn howto use weapons. Whilehe was speaking toBBC Sport the air raidsirens in the city weresounded, and he said itwas "tough" to see"terrible things" hap-pening in his country.Russia and Belarushave been suspendedfrom international ten-nis team competitionsfollowing Russia'sinvasion of Ukraine.

09

RAWALPINDI (APP): Asmany as 13 athletics com-petitions were held at theGovernment GraduateCollege Asghar MallRawalpindi under the ongo-ing Sports Week beingorganised to promotehealthy co-curricular activ-ities in the historic almamater of the garrison city.

The Sports week startedon March 14 where theCollege was divided intofive groups of Potohar,Rawal, Kohsar, Margallaand Punjab houses to com-pete in various sports andliterary contests.

At the first two days of

the Sports Week, competi-tions in eight different cate-gories of Recitation, Naat,National Song, Urdu andEnglish essay writing wereheld. On the third, athleticsgames contest were startedthat comprised of 100meters and 200 meterssprints, javelin throw, shotput and long jump. On thefourth day, some 13 compe-titions were held on theseevents comprising 200meters, 400 meters, 800meters, relay races, tug ofwar and other competitions.

In the fourth day com-petitions, Margalla Housecame first with 7 positions

while Rawal House camesecond with 6 positions.Chairman, OrganizingCommittee for SportsWeek, Professor SajidMahmood Farooqi saidsuch unique and interest-ing competitions wereorganized with the cooper-ation of Principal of theCollege Dr Abdul KabirMohsin and the staff.

Hundreds of studentsparticipated in the literaryand sports competitions,he said, adding, the prizedistribution ceremony ofthese competitions will beheld on Saturday 19thMarch, he added.

13 Athletics Competitionsheld at Asghar Mall College

LONDON (Agencies):Manchester United for-wards Marcus Rashfordand Jadon Sancho wereThursday left out of GarethSouthgate's England squadfor friendlies againstSwitzerland and IvoryCoast.

Southgate also omittedManchester City defenderKyle Walker from his 25-man group for the games atWembley on March 26 andMarch 29.

Rashford has struggledwith form and fitness atOld Trafford this seasonbut Sancho has started toplay to the standard thatpersuaded United to spend£73 million ($95 million)on the winger last year.

Walker is another sur-prise omission, with TrentAlexander-Arnold andReece James the two right-backs included in the squadas England start to buildtowards the World Cup inQatar later this year.

Speaking about Sancho,Southgate said: "There areother attacking players inour squad who are ahead ofhim in our opinion. Jadon,in the last few weeks, hisperformances haveimproved, but it is an areaof the pitch where we havecompetition for places.

"With Marcus, he is in

the same position as every-one else -- whether they arein the squad or not they allhave to play well in thenext period. It is a difficulttime for him, he is clearlynot at his best.

"There is plenty of time.We know about Marcus,we know what he can bringto us."

The England boss,whose team reached thefinal of Euro 2020 lastyear, said he did not expectChelsea's players to beaffected by the sanctionsimposed on the club'sowner RomanAbramovich, whichinclude an asset freeze atStamford Bridge.

Defender James andmidfielder Mason Mounthave both been selected forthe upcoming matches.

"In the life of a foot-baller there are always dis-tractions," said Southgate."Your role is to focus onwhat you can control andthat is the way you trainand prepare.

"Everything else is out-side of your control. Youhave to play as well as youcan.

"They haven't called me.What is happening atChelsea isn't my business,but football clubs will goon. Unless there is gross

mismanagement, footballclubs survive."

Ben White is back in thesquad following a fine runof form at Arsenal andCrystal Palace defenderMarc Guehi has received afirst call-up.

Nick Pope returns inplace of Sam Johnstone asone of three goalkeepers,while Declan Rice andJames Ward-Prowse alsoearned recalls.

Injuries ruled out BenChilwell and KalvinPhillips, with Luke Shawnot only the soleManchester United playerin the squad but also theonly recognised left-back.

England squad:Goalkeepers: Jordan

Pickford, Nick Pope,Aaron Ramsdale

Defenders: TrentAlexander-Arnold, ConorCoady, Marc Guehi, ReeceJames, Harry Maguire,Tyrone Mings, Luke Shaw,John Stones, Ben White

Midfielders: JudeBellingham, ConorGallagher, JordanHenderson, Mason Mount,Declan Rice, James Ward-Prowse

Forwards: TammyAbraham, Phil Foden, JackGrealish, Harry Kane,Bukayo Saka, Emile SmithRowe, Raheem Sterling.

Rashford, Sancho leftout of England squad

KARACHI (NNI): ThePresident of HazaraMuhammadan FootballClub (HMFC), AbdulQayyum Afridi said thatFIFA should lift the banon football because theban causes hurdles andrestrictions for Pakistaniplayers and Pakistanifootballers are unable toparticipate in internationalevents while the talent ofour players is not onlybeing wasted but they arealso disappointed.

During the talking withparticipants of tournamentat KMC Football Stadium,Abdul Qayyum Afrididemanded immediate elec-tion and the Chairman ofNormalization Committee,Haroon Malik shouldannounce election sched-ule in this regard.

He said that withouttaking the practical steps,the football game cannotbe improved in our coun-try and if we want todevelop football inPakistan, we should haveto focus on grass root leveland encourage players ofschools and colleges.

He revealed that neitherwe have proper facility offootball grounds nor ouravailable grounds are ingood condition that’s whyfootball is becoming worstday by day and due to thisnastiest condition ourfootballers, organizers andsponsors are dissatisfied.

Afridi further asked toAdvisor to Sindh ChiefMinister for SpecialSports, Arbad Lutfullah totake urgent action in thisconnection and if the gov-

ernment will ignore ourdemand we will lose ourfootball talent.

He said that a lot offootball talent is availablein province of Sindh espe-cially in Karachi butbecause of noncoopera-tion, insincerity and igno-rance of Federal SportsBoard and other govern-mental concerned depart-ments, footballers are los-ing their sportsmen sprit aswell as their capabilities.

HMFC and our sister-concern organizationshave been arranging foot-ball tournaments and dif-ferent types of sportsevents to keep playersactive and energetic onself-help basis and we willcontinue our struggle withour level best in future too,he concluded.

FIFA Pakistan should liftban on football: Qayyum

HAMILTON (Agencies):Marizanne Kapp was againthe hero as South Africacame through to beat NewZealand by two wickets inyet another tight finish atthe Women's World Cup.

Kapp, whose all-roundperformance was key tobeating England, picked uptwo wickets in NewZealand's 228 all out.

The Proteas were easingto the target, only to losethree wickets for nine runsand find themselves 170-5.

With 27 needed fromfour overs, Kapp made itsix from one and ended on34 as the game was wonwith three balls left.

In beating New Zealandfor the first time at a WorldCup, South Africa move tofour wins from four games.

They join Australia oneight points and probablyonly need one more win fora place in semi-finals.

New Zealand face a cru-

cial meeting with Englandin Auckland on Sunday.The winners of that matchat Eden Park (22:00 GMTon Saturday) will be set fora spot in the semi-finals,while the losers will be onthe verge of elimination.

Kapp the hero inanother Proteas thriller

South Africa are makinga habit of winning thrillinggames - they have alreadybeaten Pakistan and Englandin last-over finishes.

This one should neverhave been close. The pacetrio of Shabnim Ismail,Ayabonga Khaka and Kapp,who is the tournament'sleading wicket-taker, wereexcellent to take NewZealand's last six wicketsfor 30 runs. The WhiteFerns were bowled out for amodest total despite 93 fromcaptain Sophie Devine.

In the chase, the Proteaswere cruising when LauraWolvaardt, who made 67,

and Sune Luus, with 51,added 88 for the third wicket.

However, leg-spinnerAmelia Kerr trappedWolvaardt lbw and hadMignon du Preez caughtbehind before seamerHannah Rowe found anedge off Luus.

A required run-rate thatwas once well below fivespiralled towards seven, butKapp kept the Proteasafloat despite further wick-ets falling around her.

She cracked back-to-backfours in the 47th over and,when 11 runs were neededfrom eight balls, hit Devinefor four then cruciallypinched a single to keep thestrike for the final over.

The first ball of the 50th,delivered by off-spinnerFrankie MacKay was hoist-ed for four over the leg side.With the game as good asover, Kapp took one, trust-ing number 10 Khaka to hitthe winning run.

Cricket World Cup

South Africa beat New Zealand

in thriller

INDIAN WELLS (Reuters): RafaNadal toppled big-servingAmerican Reilly Opelka 7-6(3) 7-6(5) to remain perfect on the yearwhile unseeded Serbian MiomirKecmanovic stunned world numbersix Matteo Berrettini 6-3 6-7(5) 6-4in the fourth round of Indian Wellson Wednesday.

Despite Opelka's serve reachingspeeds as high as 147 miles perhour, the Spaniard was the better intheir rallies, dictating points andeliciting errors from the baseline.

After a high-level first set, Nadalwobbled in the second, playing asloppy service game to go down abreak at 3-2 and he tapped his headin frustration during the changeover.

But he regained his focus, break-ing back to level at 4-4 and remain-ing perfect on serve in the secondtiebreaker. He sealed the victorywith a beautifully constructed pointthat pushed Opelka off the court.

"He is a very difficult player toplay against with his huge serveand huge forehand, but I think Iplayed my best match of the tour-nament so far," Nadal said in an on-court interview.

Nadal stood as far back off thebaseline as the court would allow

on his returns and often had to hitthem at head height or higher.

"It's not only about the speed.The spin is also difficult to read.Sometimes it's coming with top-spin, sometimes with slice.

"It's a great victory for meagainst one of the toughest oppo-nents I can play and I'm veryhappy. I can't thank you enough forall the positive energy that I receiveevery single day here." Nadal isnow 18-0 to start the season and ifhe can win his fourth title in theCalifornia desert, he will move intoa tie with Novak Djokovic for themost Masters 1000 titles with 37.

To do so, the 21-time GrandSlam champion will need to defeatanother huge server in AustralianNick Kyrgios, who advanced bywalkover after Italian JannikSinner withdrew from the tourna-ment due to illness.

Nadal holds a 5-3 lead overKyrgios in their previous meetings.

Earlier in the day Kecmanovicabsorbed Berrettini's power servein the first set, converting on abreak point chance in the fourthgame, as a frustrated Berrettini wonjust eight return points. ButKecmanovic, 22, was unable to

close out the match as a break pointopportunity slipped through his fin-gers late in the second set, in whichBerrettini, who reached his firstGrand Slam final at Wimbledonlast year, struck 21 winners andwon a tense tiebreak to level.

Berrettini saved two breaks in theeighth game in a tightly fought finalset to stay alive but Kecmanovicpounced to break the Italian's serveto love in the final game.

He will next play Taylor Fritzwho outlasted Australian Alex deMinaur 3-6 6-4 7-6(5). A breakdown in the third, it was the secondconsecutive match Fritz won in athird-set tiebreaker.

Elsewhere, Bulgarian GrigorDimitrov beat American John Isner6-3 7-6(6) and will face AndreyRublev in the quarters after theRussian won a tight opening setbefore easing past Hubert Hurkacz7-6(5) 6-4. Carlos Alcaraz becamethe youngest Indian Wells men'squarter-finalist since 17-year-oldMichael Chang in 1989, as the 18-year-old Spaniard beat GaelMonfils 7-5 6-1. Up next forAlcaraz in his first Masters quarter-final is 12th seed Cameron Norrieor Jenson Brooksby.

Rafa smashes Opelka, Kecmanovicshocks Berrettini at Indian Wells

LAHORE (APP): Uncapped Asif Afridiand Mohammad Haris have been namedin Pakistan squads for the three ODIsand one-off T20I against Australia.

Left-arm spinner Asif and wicket-keeper/ batter Haris have earned theselectors’ nod as a result of theirimpressive performances in thedomestic circuit, as the selectors havecontinued to provide opportunities tohigh-performing players as part oftheir strategy to increase the pool oftop-class cricketers and developing aformidable bench-strength.

In the recently concluded seventhedition of the HBL Pakistan SuperLeague, Asif took eight wickets in fivematches for Multan Sultans, while 20-year-old Haris scored 166 runs in fivematches at an impressive strike-rate of186.5 for Peshawar Zalmi. In theongoing Pakistan Cup, Haris hasalready scored 219 runs in sevenmatches at an average of just under 44for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while Asifhas picked up eight wickets in sevenmatches for Khyber Pakhtunkhwawith an economy-rate of 4.39.

Haris was named in the Pakistansquad for the home series againstNew Zealand but the series couldn’tbe played at the time as the Kiwisreturned home on the day of the seriesopener. Mohammad Nawaz, who hadwithdrawn from participation in theTest series for the Benaud-QadirTrophy due to a foot injury, has been

drafted in the side for both the ODIand T20I formats. However, hisselection in the playing line-up willbe subject to fitness test.

While the selectors have picked up20 players for the ODIs, which arebeing played as part of the ICC Men’sCricket World Cup Super League; theyhave chosen 17 players for the onlyT20I, leaving out Abdullah Shafique,Imam-ul-Haq and Saud Shakeel.

Pakistan ODI squad: BabarAzam (capt), Abdullah Shafique, AsifAfridi, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman,Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali,Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq,Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris,Mohammad Nawaz, MohammadRizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jr,Shadab Khan, Saud Shakeel, ShaheenShah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani,Usman Qadir

Pakistan T20I squad: BabarAzam (capt), Asif Afridi, Asif Ali,Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, HarisRauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed,Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris,Mohammad Nawaz, MohammadRizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jr,Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi,Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir

Muhammad Wasim, Chair of theSelection Committee said onThursday : “I want to congratulateAsif and Haris on their inclusions insquads for the Australia series. This isa reward for their hard work and con-

sistent performances in the domesticcircuit. Their selections are also amessage for all domestic players thattheir performances are being fol-lowed and whenever an opportunityarises, they will be rewarded with anational team call-up.

“Australia are an equally outstand-ing team in the shorter formats of thegame and, as such, we have decided togo with the best available and mostexperienced players. The four white-ball matches have significant context asthe 50-over games count towards the2023 World Cup qualification and the20-over will be a repeat of the ICCMen’s T20 World Cup 2021 semi-final.

“So, a lot to look-out for when thetwo sides will compete in coloured kits.”

The white-ball players will assem-ble in Lahore on 22 March and willundergo a three-day room isolationfollowing which they will be allowedto integrate with the national side.

Australia are ranked No.3 in ODIs,while they are the reigning T20 worldchampions, whereas Pakistan isranked sixth and third in the 50-overand 20-over formats, respectively.

In the ICC Men’s Cricket World CupSuper League, Australia are seventhand Pakistan ninth. Top seven rankedsides from this event plus ICC Men’sCricket World Cup 2023 hosts Indiawill qualify directly for the pinnacle 50-over competition, which will be stagednext year in October/November.

Pakistan name ODI and T20Isquads for Australia series

HAMILTON: Marizanne Kapp lets out a roar after South Africa finished the job, New Zealand vsSouth Africa, Women's World Cup 2022.

COURCHEVEL: From left, second placed United States' Mikaela Shiffrin, winner Norway's RagnhildMowinckel and third placed Switzerland's Michelle Gisin celebrate in the finish line of an alpine ski.

The Frontier PostFriday, March 18, 2022

In briefIn brief

ISPR releases songamid 23rd March

RAWALPINDI (APP):The Inter Services PublicRelations (ISPR) onThursday released thenational song Shad RahePakistan (May Pakistanremain happy) as part ofthe Pakistan Day celebra-tions. Shad RahePakistan is a unique songcomposed in connectionwith 23rd March which isa prayer in the name ofthis sacred land which isbecoming the voice ofthe heart of everyPakistani declaring thatPakistan was happy, ishappy and may remainhappy, said an ISPRnews release. "This songis a manifestation ofgood wishes like gloriouspast, determined presentand prosperous future", itsaid. The composition ofthis song was done byleading Pakistani com-poser Shuja Haider whohas written this song. Themelodious voices ofYashal Shahid and ShujaHaider have made thissong even more beauti-ful. The lyrics of the songsay, "May the crescentand the star shine like thisforever May your nameshine on the horizon likethis Our heart and soulsacrificed on the country,May this Pakistan behappy Above all, let hisname may Pakistan behappy Yours and mineidentity is one, happyPakistan This echoingvoice roars happyPakistan".

Opposition usingunconstitutional tacticsISLAMABAD (NNI):Special Assistant to thePrime Minister, forP o l i t i c a lCommunications Dr.Shahbaz Gill onThursday said the incom-petent opposition wantsto come into power byusing unconstitutionaltactics. Responding toPML-N leader AhsanIqbal’s statement, he saidthe disqualified NawazSharif and his allies wereengaged in bad politicsand using unconstitution-al tactics to save their pol-itics. Gill said the moneywhich they (Nawaz &allies) had looted fromthe country was beingused in horse trading.“The incompetent oppo-sition have themselvesaccepted the heinous actof horse trading but nomatter how hard they try,they will fail,” Gill said.To PML-N leader NawazSharif, he said he startedattacking institutions afterhe was disqualified fromthe office.

PAC examinesaudit report

ISLAMABAD (APP):Public AccountsCommittee (PAC) onThursday examined auditreport ofTelecommunicat ionSector 2019-20, Ministryof InformationTechnology andTelecommunicat ion( M o I T T ) .The meeting was held atMOITT in the chair ofMNA Rana TanvirHussain. Members of thecommittee includingSenator MushahidHussain Sayed, SenatorSherry Rehman, MNAShahida Akhtar Ali,MNA Syed NaveedQamar, MNA NiazAhmed Jakhar, MNASheikh Rohale Ashghar,MNA Riaz Fatyana,MNA KhawajaMuhammad Asif, MNASardar Nasrullah Dreshakand MNA KhawajaSheraz Mehmood. Whilethree lawmakers includ-ing MNA Sardar AyazSadiq, MNA MunazaHassan and Syed HussainTariq attended the meet-ing via video link. Theaudit officials briefed thecommittee about thehighlighted audit paras.The committee was alsobriefed regarding appro-priation accounts (Civil)2018-19 relating toMoITT. The committeeexamined the audit parasfor the year 2019-20 per-taining to the Ministry ofInformation TechnologyTelecommunication,Electronic CertificationAccreditation Council,Ignite NationalTechnology Fund,N a t i o n a lTelecommunicat ionCorporation, SpecialC o m m u n i c a t i o n sOrganization, TelecomFoundation andUniversal Service Fund.

10

ISLAMABAD (APP): Interior MinisterSheikh Rasheed Ahmed on Thursdaysaid that Shahbaz Sharif has badlyexposed himself before the nation byfloating the idea of creating a nationalgovernment for next five years.

At last the cat came out of the bag,after the national government, theopposition would call for formation oftechnocrats based government, he saidwhile talking to media persons afterthe National Police Conference here.

He said there was no room for set-ting up a national government underthe constitution. The opposition shouldnot push the situation towards con-frontation as it could be harmful to theentire political system, he remarked.

The minister reiterated that PrimeMinister Imran Khan would emergevictorious and the no-confidencemotion against him would facedefeat. Duties were assigned to theministers to continue consultationwith all allied parties of the govern-ment, he added. He expressed the

hope that whenever the allied partieswould take decisions they woulddecide in favor of the Prime Minister.

He said March 21 to 24 would bepublic holidays in Islamabad owingto the session of OIC ForeignMinisters. Pakistan Day parade thistime would be a historic one as theOIC foreign ministers would alsoattend the event, he added.

He said he had predicted threemonths ago that the opposition wouldnot come to the capital on March 23,instead, it would arrive on March 25.The situation would start clearing upafter March 25, he said. SheikhRasheed said 2000 personnel ofRangers and FC would perform secu-rity duty from March 20 to April 2 inthe federal capital. Parliament Houseand Federal Lodges would be protect-ed by FC and Rangers, he added.

He said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insafwould hold a historic rally at D-Chowk on March 27 while the oppo-sition had also planned to hold a rally

on March 25. Maintenance of law andorder was the responsibility of theinterior ministry, he added.

He said full security would be pro-vided to the MNAs for casting theirvotes in the National Assembly.MNAs should vote on the no-confi-dence motion in accordance withtheir consciences and as the wishes ofthe people who elected them, he said.

The minister said there was areport that some 12 people were stay-ing in Sindh House. The buying andselling of lawmakers in Sindh Housewas a separate case, he said. He reit-erated that he firmly stood with PMImran Khan like a rock.

Earlier, addressing at the confer-ence, the minister said that police ren-dered supreme sacrifices in waragainst terrorism. Paying rich tributeto the police force, he said that theyperformed their duties with dedica-tion despite various hardships. Hesaid the police force was beingequipped with the latest technology.

Shahbaz badly exposed for suggesting creation of

national govt: Rasheed

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: NationalHighways and MotorwaysPolice officers reunited therunaway boys safely withtheir parents and in anotherdedicated activity handedover Rs. (90,000) worthluggage to the passengertravelling on Motorway(M-5). As per details, whilechecking at Haro Toll Plazaon the National Highway,officers of NationalHighways and MotorwaysPolice observed two sus-pected young boys travel-ing in a truck.

On checking the officerscame to know that theseboys runaway from theirhomes for Peshawar. theofficers took the boys intotheir safe custody. Afterconsiderable efforts, theNational Highways and

Motorways Police Officerswere able to contacted theparents.

In another activity, dur-ing routine patrolling atHazara Motorway (E-35),the National Highways andMotorways police officersfound a 10-year-old child indistress near a tunnel. Theofficers inquired the childand found that he is fromShinkiari.

After a tireless efforts,the motorway police offi-cers successfully found theparents. The parents of thechildren and local commu-nity pay tribute to NHMPofficers for their outstand-ing commitment. In anoth-er good work, it wasreported that a passengernamed Rashid informedMotorway Police throughNHMP Helpline (130) that

he was traveling in a buson the Motorway (M-5)when he forgotten his lug-gage (containing articleswroth Rs. 90 thousand) inService Area of UchSharif.

On receiving this infor-mation, the officers ofNational Highways andMotorways Police immedi-ately rushed to the servicearea, traced his luggage andhanded over it to the pas-senger, who thanked theMotorways Police officersfor their responsible andprompt action.

The Inspector General,National Highways &amp;Motorway Police InamGhani has appreciated theperformance of the officers.and urged them to continuethese dedicated efforts inthe future as well.

NHMP officers reunited runawayboys safely with their parents

ISLAMABAD (APP): TheNational Assembly’sStanding Committee onFinance and Revenue hereon Thursday passed thePakistan Single WindowProgram (PSWP) aimed atenhanced trade system inthe country.

The committee, whichmet here under the chair-manship of MemberNational Assembly (MNA)Amjad Ali Khan, discussedvarious points of the pro-gram and unanimouslyapproved it.

Briefing the committeeabout the PSWP, a PSWrepresentative said that inthe first phase of the proj-ect, uniform registration ofthe traders was done whilenow there was no need tocome physically as thewhole system has beenswitched to online.

He said that now we havebrought National Databaseand Registration Authority,(NADRA), Securities andExchange Commission ofPakistan (SECP), and FBRat one platform for benefitof the traders to get regis-tered in 30 minutes.

Secondly, under StateBank of Pakistan (SBP),total 27 banks are workingand around 20 banks havebeen integrated with PSWsystem, adding that thetraders would not need togo to different places to

address their issues.Chairman, FBR, Dr.

Muhammad Ashfaq Ahmedsaid that PSWP is veryimportant project addingthat the project would com-plete by year 2023 with anamount of Rs11 billion.

He said that the firstphase of the program wouldindigenously be completedin April 2022 and under thisprogram, trade informationportal have been developedand would be launched inApril 2022.

He further said that thebenefits of this programinclude digital transforma-tion of entire cross bordertrade eco-system, reductionin cost, time and complica-tion in import process, andexports transit trade.

He said that the programprovides benefit of integra-tion into global, regionaland other national singlewindow systems andthrough this program,exports would be increasedup to 37 percent.

The project would alsobring major improvementin Ease of Doing Businessindicator, he added.

Meanwhile, the commit-tee deferred the IntegratedTransit Trade ManagementSystem (ITTMS) Programand Pakistan Raise RevenueProgram 2019-2024.

Briefing the committeeon the ITTMS program, the

representative informedthat the project was initiat-ed on the vision of govern-ment to develop Pakistanas a regional transit tradehub on the EconomicCorridor by developingtrade and transit networkthat traverses South Asia toconnect Central AsianRepublics to South EastAsia for doing business.

He said that the sectoralobjective of the project is toenhance Ease of DoingBusiness that records the timeand cost associated with thelogistical process of exportingand importing goods. Thebody unanimously deferredthe Integrated Transit TradeManagement System(ITTMS) Program and rec-ommended that in the nextmeeting members from theLaw Division and NationalLogistic Cell (NLC).

The representative ofPakistan Raise RevenueProgram informed thatunder this PSDP program,FBR has received US $80million. He informed thatthe duration of the programis from June 2019 to June2024 and the objective ofthe program is to contributeto a sustainable increase indomestic revenue by broad-ening the tax base and facil-itating compliance.

The committee deferredthe PRR until the nextmeeting.

NA body approvesPSWP to broaden

trade system

ISLAMABAD (APP):Foreign Minister of AustriaAlexander Schallenberg onThursday said Pakistan hadtaken effective steps in erad-icating terrorism and restor-ing peace in Afghanistan.

Addressing a joint pressconference along withForeign Minister ShahMahmood Qureshi here atthe Ministry of ForeignAffairs, the Austrian foreignminister said Pakistan hadmade an immense contribu-tion towards ensuring peaceand stability in the region.

FM Schallenberg, whoarrived in IslamabadWednesday on a four-dayvisit, held a meeting with FMQureshi where the two sidesdiscussed a whole range ofbilateral matters as well asregional and global issues.

FM Schallenbergthanked the government ofPakistan for ensuring thesmooth repatriation of itsstranded nationals fromAfghanistan and pointed outthat the world could witnessa big refugee influx from theconflict-hit country.

He said Austria was keento explore the South Asiantrade markets and addedthat his visit would open upa new era of his country’srelations with Pakistan.

He mentioned that dur-ing his meeting with FMQureshi, several areas ofimportance including trade,climate change, and green

energy came under discus-sion. With the Russian warin Ukraine, he said a newworld order was in themaking, adding that the sit-uation could lead to a crisis.

The Austrian FM saidPakistan was hosting themeeting of the Organizationof Islamic Cooperationwhich was an importantstep. He said Austria hadalways played an effectiverole in promoting basicrights and freedom andmentioned that the UnitedNations Charter had a clearmanifestation of tolerancetowards other religions.

Foreign Minister Qureshisaid Pakistan attached greatimportance to its relationswith Austria and consideredit an important country of theEuropean Union. He men-tioned the excellent invest-ment opportunities availablefor Austrian companies inPakistan in the fields ofrenewable energy, tourism,housing, agriculture, andinformation technology.

He said the special eco-nomic zones under ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC) also offered attrac-tive incentives and tax con-cessions for Austrianinvestors. He hoped thatAustria would continue tosupport Pakistan in thefourth biennial review ofGSP + status this year.

FM Qureshi saidPakistan believed that con-

structive diplomatic andpolitical engagement of theinternational communitywith Afghanistan wouldensure lasting peace andstability. The foreign minis-ter mentioned that Pakistanprovided all possible assis-tance for the evacuation ofdiplomats, representativesof international organiza-tions, NGOs and mediapersons from Afghanistan.

He emphasized joint andcoordinated efforts to pre-vent human tragedy inAfghanistan. He expressedconfidence that the visit ofthe Austrian foreign minis-ter to Pakistan would impartfurther impetus to the multi-faceted Pakistan-Austriarelationship. Qureshi saidhe apprised his Austriancounterpart on serioushuman rights violations inIndian Illegally OccupiedJammu and Kashmir. To aquestion on the currentUkraine situation, he saidPakistan was watching thedevelopments with concern.

He said Pakistan hademphasized the importanceof continuous efforts for theelimination of hostilities,establishment, and mainte-nance of humanitarian corri-dors, provision of humanitari-an aid, and diplomatic efforts.He said the Ukraine conflictwas "not a European war"and stressed that the visit ofAustrian FM was of businessand geopolitical nature.

Austrian FM laudsPakistan’s role incounter-terrorism,

Afghan peace

ISLAMABAD (APP): TheEconomic CoordinationCommittee (ECC) of thecabinet here on Thursdayapproved Rs 24.26 billionsubsidy on fertilizer forKharif Crops 2022 and alsoenhanced Minimum SupportPrice (MSP) of Wheat Crop2021-22 from Rs.1,950/40Kg to Rs 2,200/ 40 Kg.

The meeting was chairedby Federal Minister forFinance and Revenue,Shaukat Tarin while amongothers it was attended byFederal Minister forNational Food Security &Research (NFS&R), SyedFakhar Imam, Minister ofEnergy Hammad Azhar,Adviser to the PrimeMinister on Commerce andInvestment, Abdul RazakDawood, Governor SBP,Federal Secretaries andother senior officers.

The subsidy disburse-ments would be made bil-lion through provinces

using their existing mecha-nism on sharing basis(50:50) for PhosphaticFertilizers along with direc-tion to strengthen the track-ing system. Federal govern-ment share will be Rs 12.13billion, the statement added.

The committee alsoapproved extension in datefor subsidy disbursement tofarmers to June 30, 2022.

The summary for exten-sion in date for subsidy dis-bursement to the farmers onKharif crop during 2021 onfertilizer (DAP), cotton Seedand Whitefly related pesti-cides, under Prime Minister’spackage for agriculture in2020-21 was presented bythe Ministry of NFS&R.

The federal governmenthas already released Rs3.890 billion to the Sindhprovince and Rs 0.541 bil-lion to Baluchistan for thesubject scheme, the state-ment added. The ECCapproved wheat procure-

ment target of Sindh to thelevel of 1.40 MMT, alongwith Cash Credit Limit(CCL) of Rs 77.00 billionand target of Baluchistan tothe level of Rs 0.10 MMTalong with CCL for theamount of Rs 6.20 billion.

Wheat procurement tar-get for Punjab to the tune of4.00 MMT with Cash CreditLimit of Rs. 220.00 Billion.Khyber Pakhtunkhwa wasallowed to procure 0.20MMT from the Punjab FoodDepartment with their ownfinancial arrangements.

Cash Credit Limit (CCL)of PASSCO was also revisedfrom Rs. 65.00 Billion to thelevel of Rs. 72.50 Billion @Rs. 2,200/40 Kg for procure-ment of 1.20 MMT ofWheat. ECC also approved aSupplementary Grant of Rs.50 Billion to Power Divisionand Rs. 4.5 billion in favourof the Ministry ofCommerce for ExportDevelopment Fund (EDF).

ECC approves Rs 24.26b fertilizersubsidy, enhance wheat support

price to Rs 2200 per mund

ISLAMABAD (APP): Theunusual heatwave conditionsprevailing during the currentweek will decline in mostparts of the country after arain-thunderstorm expectedduring Friday and Saturday.

Talking to APP onThursday, the SpokesmanPakistan MeteorologicalDepartment (PMD), Dr.Zaheer Ahmad Babar saidthe unusual heatwave hasgripped most parts of thecountry during this weekwith rising in temperaturesfrom 7-8 degrees Celsiusthan normal.

“The temperatures in ourregion have witnessed signif-icant rise due to the highpressure in atmosphereowing to the climaticchanges”, he said.

Dr. Babar said, “Climatechanges have impacted thewhole world and disturbedthe previous natural weatherpatterns. Our region is also is

under the impact of climatechange and experiencingextreme weather conditionsin form of intense heatwavesand excessive rains”.

The spokesman attributedclimate change as the reasonfor the shrinking of thespring season with the pas-sage of time.

Dust-thunderstorm-rain isexpected in Islamabad,Rawalpindi, Potohar region,upper Gilgit Baltistan, andKashmir from Fridayevening which would pro-vide relief to the heat-strick-en people.

However, the southernparts and plain areas of thecountry will remain underthe grip of a heatwave duringthe next four to five dayswith a slight decrease in thetemperatures.

Dust raising winds areexpected in Lahore,Gujranwala, Faisalabad,Sialkot, Sargodha, Peshawar,

and other cities on Fridayevening, the spokesman said.

According to the PMDdaily forecast, mainly hotand dry weather is expectedin most parts of the country.Day temperatures are likelyto remain 08 to 11 °C higherthan normal in most parts ofthe country.

However, rain-wind-thun-derstorm is expected inUpper KhyberPakhtunkhwa, Islamabad,Potohar region, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Kashmir dur-ing evening or night whiledust raising or gusty windsare also expected inSargodha, Mianwali,Khushab, Hafizabad,Gujranwala, Sialkot, Gujrat,Lahore, Sheikhupura andFaisalabad.

The highest temperaturesrecorded during the last 24hours were ShaheedBenazirabad, Dadu 44C, andSibbi 43C.

Unusual heat wave todecline after rain on Friday,Saturday: Spokesman PMD

ISLAMABAD: Members of National Assembly meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan.— NNI Photo

IGPinauguratesstate of artmess hall

ISLAMABAD (APP):Inspector General Police(IGP) Muhammad AhsanYounus Thursday inaugu-rated a mess hall here atpolice lines headquarters toprovide state of the artfacilitates to officers.

The mess hall wasaccredited to martyred con-stable Shah Faisal (Sitara-e-Shujaat). The capitalpolice chief opened the hallamid presence of familiesof martyred and Ghazipolicemen. DIGs, SSPs,SPs and other police offi-cers were also present onthe occasion.

The air conditionedmess included a canteen,tea bar, fitness gym, policewelfare shop, barber shop,tailor shop, cobbler andlaundry counters with adesignated area for femalepolice officers.

Similarly, separatewashrooms for male andfemale staff were set up onboth the floors, whereasbilliards, table tennis, foot-ball and carom boardsfacility was also available.

Earlier, the hall wasbeing used for police train-ing school mess only dur-ing training sessions, whileregimental shops and a reg-ular mess was being run inthe residential barracksbuilding of police lines.

Similarly, there was aseparate mess for MT staffwhile a canteen was set upin MT Shed and policelines fitness gym wasestablished in a residentialbarracks. IGP IslamabadMuhammad Ahsan Younisafter assuming the chargetasked SSP InvestigationSyed Ali Akbar Shah torenovate the building.

The SSP revamped thebuilding in a short span oftwo months and equipped itwith modern gadgets tofacilitate the force.

The Capital Police Chiefappreciated the efforts ofSSP Investigation to com-plete the task in a swiftmanner. The IGP directedthe canteen staff to ensurequality food to help policeemployees maintain goodphysical health. The projectwas accomplished in assis-tance with Sub InspectorMuhammad Riaz , consta-ble Muhammad Amin,masons Shahbaz Masih andMuhammad Nazar,plumbers MuhammadNaveed and Athar Javed,electrician Haroon Khan,In-charge media productionJunaid Ishaq, constableKhizer Habib.

Missions in US shut down

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Afghan embassy inWashington and consulates in New York andLos Angeles have shut down due to severeresource constraints and growing challenges,a statement said on Thursday. The embassysaid the Afghan diplomatic missions facedgrowing operational challenges and severeresource constraints due to the freezing of itsbank accounts. It added the diplomatic mis-sions had sought assistance from theDepartment of State.

Four journalists killed

KABUL (Pajhwok): As many as 117 casesof violence against journalists and mediaworkers have been registered acrossAfghanistan since March 2021. A jointreport from two media groups, released,said that four journalists were killed dur-ing the period. In the past year, theAfghanistan Journalists Centre andAfghan Independent JournalistsAssociation said, around 6,000 mediaworkers lost their jobs.

Asia is comparable to a living body composed of soil and water. The heart that beats inside the body is Afghanistan. The destruction of Afghanistan would be the destruction of Asia. And in its progress and prosperity lies the well-being of Asia. - Allama Iqbal

Sha’aban 14, 1443 — Friday, March 18, 2022

The Frontier Post

KABUL (Tolo News): Human RightsWatch criticized the absence of Afghanwomen at the International Women ofCourage Award Ceremony. Heather Barr,Associate Director of the Women's RightsDivision at HRW, said that she was "quitea shock to find that this year when the USgovernment gave out its internationalwomen of courage awards there were noAfghan women included."

“In past years, Afghan women haveoften been recipients of this award. And itfeels like a message from the US govern-ment in this year when Afghan womenhave suffered so much and so many ofthem have been so brave, particularlywomen who have come out and protestedagainst Taliban violation of women’srights. It seems to convey a message thatthe US has completely disengaged and isno longer interested in protecting humanrights in Afghanistan...” she toldTOLOnews. The US Department of State

hosted the 16th International Women ofCourage Award Ceremony when? Womenfrom South Africa, Bangladesh, Brazil, andMyanmar won the International Women ofCourage Award.

The US envoy for Afghan humanitarianand women’s affairs, Rina Amiri, saiddespite the unimaginable challengesAfghan women have confronted, “they areall women of courage and must be engagedas leaders and not as victims.” “Women arethe entry point of inclusion everywhere andwithout inclusion of Afghans and diversity,the country will descend into further con-flict,” Amiri said at the InternationalWomen of Courage Awards.

The women’s rights defenders called onthe international community to not forgetAfghan women. “Considering the currentsituation of the Afghan women, there areno braver women than the Afghan womenin the world,” said Monisa Mubariz, awomen’s rights activist.

HRW’s Barr notes lack of Afghanwomen winners in US govt awards

KABUL (Tolo News):Daesh will likely ramp upits attacks in Afghanistan asspring is around the corner,a top US general said.Talking to the US theSenate Armed ServicesCommittee, GeneralKenneth McKenzie, thecommander of the USCentral Command (CENT-COM), said that eventhough the Islamic Emirateis committed to fightingDaesh, it has found it diffi-cult to put enough pressureon the group, and he saidthe Islamic Emirates effortsagainst Al Qaeda were "lessfirm."

However, the IslamicEmirate denied Gen.

McKenzie’s remarks, reit-erating its pledge to notallow any terrorists to beactive in Afghanistan. Gen.McKenzie said that theIslamic Emirate hasdemonstrated a commit-ment to taking downDaesh.

“We’re coming out ofthe winter; traditionally thiswould now begin the fight-ing season,” McKenziesaid. “It is my expectationthat ISIS attacks will rampup in Afghanistan as we gointo the summer.” Politicalanalysts believe that theIslamic Emirate must makeplans to tackle Daesh.

“If the Islamic Emiratewants to have the ability to

counter Daesh and othergroups, it must have theintelligence and operationalplans,” said SadeqShinwari, a military veter-an. The Islamic Emiratedenied McKenzie’sremarks as baseless. “Thereare no documents to provethese allegations. TheIslamic Emirate has fullcontrol all over the countryand will not allow anyoneto pose insecurity in thecountry,” said Bilal Karimi,deputy spokesman for theIslamic Emirate. Earlier,the UN Security Councilsaid in a report that thenumber of Daesh fightershas doubled from 2,000 to4,000 in Afghanistan.

McKenzie expects Daeshattacks to ‘ramp up’

KABUL (Tolo News): Theacting Minister of ForeignAffairs said that the IslamicEmirate is in contact withmany Afghan embassiesabroad. He made theremarks in a visit to theAfghan embassy inAnkara. According toMuttaqi, the IslamicEmirate has paid thesalaries of some of theAfghan diplomats and staffworking at the embassies.

“Many embassies havemade contact with us. Wehave paid the salaries ofsome of them. We havetrusted some former diplo-mats and sent some newindividuals to theembassies," he said. “Thisprocess is continuing and,God willing, a lot of theproblems will be solved.”Turkey is the second coun-

try after Pakistan whereMuttaqi paid a visit to theAfghan embassy. But thetalks in Turkey were heldalongside the formerAfghan ambassador underthe Afghan national flag ofthree colors.

Muttaqi said the diplo-matic ties with some worldcountries have been devel-oped. He said the diplomat-ic efforts of the currentAfghan government war-rant the removal of somesanctions on Afghanistan—which were imposed by theUS and allies after theIslamic Emirate took overthe country.

“Until they fulfill theDoha agreement, as long asthey don’t make a standardinternal government, Idon’t think the internation-al community will recog-

nize them. This is just awaste of time,” said AzizMaarij, a former diplomat.Muttaqi called on theopponents of the IslamicEmirate to resolve theirdifferences.

“Those who are dis-agreement and make prop-aganda, I am telling themthat it is enough.Afghanistan has no moreability to be opposed bydifferent views,” he said.Meanwhile, the cabinet ofthe Islamic Emirate estab-lished a commission tofacilitate the return of thepolitical leaders to thecountry, the AdministrativeOffice of the President,adding that the commissionis chaired by ShohabuddinDelawar, the actingMinister of Gas andPetroleum.

IEA in contact withmany Afghan embassies

KABUL (BBC): Every few seconds asick child is brought in to the emer-gency room of the main hospital inLashkar Gah in a race against time tosave the youngest casualties ofAfghanistan's hunger crisis.

Amidst the heart-rending sound ofdozens of hungry babies crying, anddesperate pleas for help from theirmothers, nurses scramble to prioritisechildren who need urgent care. Thereare many such babies. Lashkar Gah isa city in the capital of Helmand, one ofAfghanistan's most war-ravagedprovinces and lies roughly 400 miles(644km) south-west of Kabul.

Jalil Ahmed is brought in hardlybreathing. His hands and feet havegone cold. He's rushed through to theresuscitation room. His motherMarkah says he's two and a half yearsold, but he looks a lot tinier. He'sseverely malnourished and has tuber-culosis. Doctors work fast to revivehim. Markah watches in tears.

"I'm helpless as he suffers. I've spentthe whole night scared that at anyminute he'll stop breathing,' she says.Space has to be made in an already fullintensive care unit for little Jalil. A doc-tor carries him there in his arms, as anurse follows holding up the bottles offluid and medicines that are beinginjected into his body through multipletubes.

There's no time for the staff to stop.They must quickly put another baby,five-month-old Aqalah, back on oxy-gen. It's her third time in hospital.Doctors say that a few hours earlier,they thought she wouldn't make it, butright now, she's just about holding on.One in every five children admitted tocritical care is dying, and the situationat the hospital has been made worse inrecent weeks by the spread of the high-ly contagious measles disease thatdamages the body's immune system, adeadly blow for babies already suffer-ing from malnutrition.

The hospital, run by charityMedecins Sans Frontieres, is one of ahandful of fully-functioning facilitiesin a province that's home to around 1.5million people. It's completely over-whelmed. It has 300 beds, but is seeingaround 800 patients a day, most ofthem children. There's almost nowhereelse for people to turn to. Cutting offthe foreign money which ranAfghanistan has dealt a double blow.It's triggered an economic crisis thathas brought an already poor populationto the brink of starvation, and it's led to

the near collapse of the public health-care system that it almost entirelyfunded before the Taliban takeover.

Child malnutrition has long been aproblem in Afghanistan, but data col-lected by Unicef (United NationsChildren's Fund) shows a massivesurge in the number of children withsevere acute malnutrition admitted tohospitals, from 2,407 in August 2021,to 4,214 in December 2021. Theincrease can, in part, be attributed to itbeing safer to travel to hospitals nowthat the frontlines have gone, but alsomisses a large number of malnourishedchildren not taken to hospital becausetheir families cannot afford the jour-ney. Even if they could, they'd need totravel for hours on rubble roads, and itwould be hard to find a medical facili-ty that's not dysfunctional.

The Musa Qala and Gereshk districthospitals are overrun with malnour-ished children, but neither hospital hasoperational critical care. There are nofemale doctors. The hospital buildingsare run-down, cold and dark.Electricity comes and goes. Night timetemperatures drop to 4C. In Gereshk asmall heater hooked to a gas cylinderkept in the centre of the rooms pro-vides barely any warmth. Mothers andbabies sit huddled under blankets. Thesmell of disease hangs thick in the air.

At Musa Qala, when the breathingof another baby, one-and-a-half-year-old Walid, became irregular, he had tobe carried through alleys and doorwaysto a decaying building next door whichhad the only oxygen cylinder we saw atthe hospital. The father of 10-day-oldZakiullah was sent out to find a salinedrip solution in the market, because thehospital had no supplies.

Dr Aziz Ahmed who has worked atGereshk hospital for more than adecade says they have few medicinesand barely any staff, and yet have hun-dreds of patients coming in every day.They have to turn seriously ill childrenaway because they don't have the facil-ities to help them, and Dr Ahmed sayssome have died before they got to afully functioning hospital. He and theother staff didn't receive salaries fromAugust till October. From November,they and some other hospitals in theregion have been receiving some pay-ments through humanitarian organisa-tions like Unicef, WHO (World HealthOrganization) and local charity Baran(Bu Ali Rehabilitation and AidNetwork).

"The humanitarian family is just try-

ing to provide a survival bridge forthese children while the world figuresout the politics, but we cannot fullyfund the health system," says SalamJanabi of Unicef. "Don't mix up chil-dren in politics. The moment here inAfghanistan is critical for children, andevery decision the world makes, thepoliticians make, will impact them."

When you travel through Helmandprovince, destruction caused by warcan be seen in almost every area. Thescale of it in Sangin town is particular-ly shocking. There are swathes of landcovered with debris and mud, whereonce homes and shops had stood.These areas are where foreign andAfghan troops encountered some oftheir fiercest battles and where Britishsoldiers were posted.

Abdul Raziq is from a communitythat has lived on the frontline fordecades. "We are happy there is peacenow, but we have no food, no work andno money. Wheat and fuel havebecome too expensive', he says."Hundreds of children in my villageare malnourished. In every house, youwill find two or three. We have nothingto feed their mothers, that's why they'rebeing born like this."

In a mud home nearby livesHameed Gul. Two of his daughters,Farzana and Nazdana, are malnour-ished. Nazdana is so ill he's sent her toher grandparents because he's unableto feed her. His 10-year-old sonNaseebullah has already begun to workon the fields to help out. The unendingsuffering of his family is the legacy offoreign actions, present and past.Hameed's home was bombed inAmerican airstrikes five years ago. Tenof his family, including his parents, sixbrothers and a sister were killed.

"We had no connection with theTaliban. My house was unjustlybombed. Neither the Americans, theprevious government or the new oneoffered to help me," Hameed says. "Weeat just dry bread. About two to threenights a week, we go to bed hungry."Everywhere we went, we asked whatpeople had eaten that day. Mostdescribed sharing a few pieces of drybread between whole families.

Children are the most vulnerable inthis crisis of hunger. Afghanistan'syoungest generation is being left to die.In many of the areas we visited, mal-nutrition deaths might not even getrecorded or counted. The world mightnever know the scale of the tragedyunfolding in Afghanistan.

Tragedy of Afghanistan’s malnourished children

UNITED NATIONS (AFP): TheSecurity Council votes Thursday on aresolution to secure the UnitedNations' presence in war-tornAfghanistan into the future -- unlessRussia, which has stymied negotia-tions this week, vetoes the measure.

The draft text introduced byNorway reshapes the global body'srelations with Kabul to account forlast year's seizure of power by theTaliban, whose rule is still not recog-nized by the international communi-ty and who have yet to name newrepresentatives to the UnitedNations.

According to a diplomatic source,Moscow opposed the long-discusseddraft of a new mandate for the UNAssistance Mission in Afghanistan(UNAMA) on the grounds it lacked"the consent of the de facto authori-ties," namely the Taliban. Moscowhad filed an initial obstruction a day

earlier, complaining -- as did China -- that human rights were given toomuch prominence in the text, a diplo-mat told AFP on condition ofanonymity. India, Brazil and Francealso sought changes.

Even after the measure wasredrafted to account for the concerns,Russia was the only one of 15Security Council members to opposeit. The text "doesn't reflect our posi-tion," Russia's deputy UN ambassa-dor Dmitry Polyanskiy told AFP,without saying whether Moscowwould go so far as to veto the resolu-tion in Thursday's 10:00 am (1400GMT) vote.

The divisions that existed beforehave only been "further ignited by thewar in Ukraine" and have now affect-ed UN issues across the spectrum, theambassador of a Security Councilnation told AFP. The "rift" betweenthe West and Russia "is such that any

consensus is difficult to achieve"among Security Council members,the envoy added.

Norway's draft would extendUNAMA for another year, untilMarch 17, 2023. It calls for the provi-sion of humanitarian assistance to theAfghan population against the back-drop of dire economic conditions anda security situation that appears to bestabilizing.

The text also commits UNAMA topursue dialogue with the country'spolitical stakeholders, "with a focuson promoting inclusive, representa-tive, participatory and responsivegovernance at the national and subna-tional levels, without any discrimina-tion based on gender, religion or eth-nicity." And it seeks "the full, equaland meaningful participation ofwomen" who largely have beenexcluded from Taliban governance todate.

UN to vote on its scope inAfghanistan, barring a Russia veto

KABUL (Agencies): Forthe first time since theTaliban's takeover of powerin Afghanistan and theevacuation of the US-ledforces, a TV drama wasscreened recently as a signof promoting the cinemaindustry in the war-torncountry.

The screening has raisedhope among cinema makersthat the film industry couldbe developed under theTaliban-led administration."So far, we have faced noproblem in shooting andpreparing the serial, and Iam hopeful that the situa-tion would further improveto work better in the field,"an actor told Xinhua.

Surkh Sali, meaning RedYear, tells a love story ofthree personalities in con-temporary Afghanistan,with its teaser on the cine-ma screen on the western

edge of Kabul city a coupleof days ago. In the serialtrailer ceremony attendedby 15 film cast, the onlook-ers lauded the TV drama,hoping that the serial couldreach local television chan-nels and mini-screens.

Satayesh Atae, whoattended the ceremony, toldXinhua that she believesthat the permission to shootthe TV serial is a steptowards developing cinemaculture in the country. Likeother national institutions,Afghanistan's cinema andfilm industry have beenbadly damaged due to overfour decades of war.Although there are a hand-ful of cinemas in Afghancities including Kabul,there was no screening oflocal or foreign films, withtelevision channels usuallybroadcasting Turkish- andIranian-produced serials.

Zabihullah Mujahid,deputy minister of informa-tion and culture of theTaliban-led caretaker gov-ernment, has urged film-makers to produce filmsbased on values of Islamicteaching and Afghan cul-ture. Mujahid made theremarks at the screeningceremony of the first twodocumentaries made byAfghan filmmakers anddisplayed by the state-runfilm producing companythe Afghan Film here onSunday. "Cinema andscreening films has a sig-nificant role in improvingsociety, reconstruction andits introduction," saidHamayon Sakhani, a filmactor. He also said cinemasin Afghanistan have beenbadly damaged and itsrehabilitation lacks invest-ment as the society needsthem more than at any time.

First-ever TV dramascreened in post-US

Afghanistan KABUL (Pajhwok): The US says it isdesignating Afghanistan forTemporary Protected Status (TPS),shielding from deportation tens ofthousands of Afghans. Americanmedia outlets reported the movewould protect the Afghans who werebrought in without a SpecialImmigrant Visa (SIV) after the franticUS withdrawal in August last year.

The Department of HomelandSecurity (DPH) announced that itwould let the Afghans stay in theUnited States under a form of human-itarian relief. Limited to peoplealready in the United States, the reliefapplies to those who would facethreats — if forced to return to theirhomeland.

Over 76,000 Afghans were evacu-ated from Afghanistan after the UStroops departed the country in August2021. Most of the evacuees wereparoled into the US for a period oftwo years and received work permits.According to CNN, the Afghan evac-uees may qualify for TPS if they arenot granted a legal status before thetwo-year period runs out.

DHS Secretary AlejandroMayorkas was quoted as saying:“This TPS designation will help toprotect Afghan nationals who havealready been living in the UnitedStates from returning to unsafe condi-tions.” Mayorkas took the ongoingarmed conflict, economic crisis, foodand water insecurity, and a collapsingpublic sector in Afghanistan into

account in extending relief toAfghans, according to DHS.

Around 74,500 individuals in theUnited States will become eligible forTPS through the designation ofAfghanistan. That includes 72,500Afghan evacuees who had beenparoled into the US and around 2,000Afghans who were already in the US.Apart from potential deportation ifthey are eligible, TPS also allows cit-izens of designated countries to applyfor work permits and gives them thefreedom to travel.

Mayorkas said in a statement:“TPS will also provide additionalprotections and assurances to trustedpartners and vulnerable Afghans whosupported the US military, diplomatic

and humanitarian missions inAfghanistan over the last 20 years.”Immigration advocates, meanwhile,hailed the decision as a welcome firststep. At the same time, however, theyreiterated calls for legislation to grantthe Afghans permanent residency inthe US.

Lisa Parisio, director of advocacyat the Catholic Legal ImmigrationNetwork (CLINIC), said: “TPS iscritically needed for Afghanistan …“We also urge a comprehensiveresponse to the crisis in Afghanistan,including passing the AfghanAdjustment Act, and responding toother humanitarian and protectionneeds in line with the priorities ofimpacted people.”

Afghan evacuees in USgranted protected status

Springapproachesbut flower

sales are downKABUL (Tolo News):With the arrival of spring,the market for buying andselling flowers andseedlings in Kabul hasincreased, but some flowersellers say their sales havedropped compared to pastyears. “Compared to previ-ous years, the amount ofsales has decreased, theamount of flowers is more,but visitors are a little less,”said Homayoun, a seller.

“We have more than 500to 600 varieties of flowersthat used to be importedfrom outside Afghanistanbut now, fortunately, aregrown and sold inAfghanistan by our ownfarmers,” said Feraidon, aseller. Kabul residents saythat widespread poverty isthe cause fir low flowersales.

“Compared to everyyear that we see, there is nogrowth in the flower mar-ket, I do not understandwhy the changes havetaken place ...,” said AbdulManan, a resident in Kabul.“In the past, when we camehere, a lot of people werehere, but today, when wecame here, there was noone. When we came onlyone or two people werehere,” said Shir Agha, aresident of Kabul. Tree-planting campaigns havebeen launched in recentweeks in various parts ofKabul and other provincesaround the country.

Kidnappersthreaten to

mutilate boyKABUL (Tolo News): Thefamily of Abdul Rauf, whowas abducted nearly twoyears ago in Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of Balkhprovince, said that his kid-nappers have threatened toamputate Rauf’s hand ifthey are not provided withthe ransom money.

Rauf, 11, was kidnappedwhile he was on his way toschool in Mazar-e-Sharif,the capital city of Balkhprovince two years ago. Hehas remained in the custodyof the kidnappers sincethen. The parents of Raufcame to Kabul to seek thegovernment’s help in therescue of their child. Thefamily blamed the formerand current government forfailing to rescue him.

“Now that the IslamicEmirate has come intopower, why has (Rauf) notbeen found?… the gover-nor belongs to the IslamicEmirate and so does theprovincial commander ofintelligence. Why has hestill not been found withinthe past seven months?”said Haji Nabi, father ofRauf. Zahra, Rauf’s moth-er, who counts the days thatshe has been separatedfrom her son, says that ifanything happens to Rauf,the Islamic Emirate will beresponsible for it.

“They said if that if wedon’t pay them the ransom,they will cut the hand off ofdear Abdul Rauf. He is aninnocent child. Does theIslamic Emirate’s supremeleader have eyes to see andears to listen?” she said.The Islamic Emirate hasyet to comment.

World hasexpectations

of IEAKABUL (Tolo News):Filippo Grandi, the UnitedNations High Commis-sioner for Refugees, saidthe international communi-ty has expectations of thecurrent Afghan govern-ment.

In a special interviewwith TOLOnews, Grandisaid: “The internationalcommunity has an expecta-tion that security is main-tained--that minority rightsare respected—that girlscan go to school and thatwomen can work. Theseare important elements,”he said. The UNHCR’schief said the currentamount of aid provided bythe international communi-ty is insufficient to over-come the crisis inAfghanistan.

“That is in fact a chal-lenge--at the moment onlyhumanitarian assistance iscoming. It cannot be forev-er. The country needs tomove to recovery anddevelopment,” he said.

The

Frontier PostFriday, March 18, 2022

Printed and published by Mahmood Afridi at Moraka’s Printers, 27 Abdara Road, University Town, Peshawar. Managing Editor Jalil Afridi. Phone 0300 9009001

WARSAW (TASS): TheUK is deploying the SkySaber air defense systemand an additional 100troops to Poland. This wasstated on Thursday byBritish Defense SecretaryBen Wallace at a joint pressconference with PolishDefense Minister MariuszBlaszczak.

"I can announce that weare deploying the SkySaber medium-range airdefense system and anadditional 100 personnel inPoland to support Polandand guarantee the securityof Polish airspace," he said.

This is the mostadvanced medium-rangeair defense system that canhit a target the size of a ten-nis ball at the speed ofsound," Wallace added,

stressing that the UK andPoland will develop thissystem together in thefuture.

Sky Saber air defensesystems with CAMM(Common Anti-air ModularMissile) anti-aircraft guid-ed missiles of a unifiedmodular design enteredservice with the BritishArmy in December lastyear. Sky Saber shouldreplace the Rapier airdefense system, which wasput into service in 1971.

As emphasized in the B-ritish Ministry of Defense,99-kilogram SAMM mis-siles are capable of hittingfighters, drones and laser-guided bombs, reachingspeeds of up to 3,700 km /h. Sky Saber complexesconsist of three compo-

nents: a 3D air defenseradar, a launcher with eightmissiles, as well as a sys-tem that provides commu-nication between them andallows the complex toexchange information withother computer systems ofthe Army, Air Force andNavy of Great Britain andNATO allies. In field condi-tions, the components ofthe complex can be locatedat a distance of up to 15 kmfrom each other whilemaintaining combat capa-bility. The complex is capa-ble of simultaneously con-trolling the flight of 24 mis-siles, pointing them at 24different targets.

The cost of one complexis estimated at more than 10million pounds ($13 mil-lion).

UK to deploy airdefense systems

and troops in Poland

NEW YORK (TASS): UNSecretary-General AntónioGuterres is meeting withVasily Nebenzei,Permanent Representativeof the Russian Federationto the World Organizationon the situation in Ukraine.This was stated onThursday at a briefing bythe representative of theSecretary General StefanDujarric.

"The Secretary Generalis making a lot of efforts inthe diplomatic direction.We are trying to link all thevarious efforts and contacts

that are taking placebetween Russia andUkraine. He is holding tele-phone conversations, meet-ing with permanent repre-sentatives. He is currentlymeeting with Vasily,Permanent Representativeof the Russian Federationto the UN Nebenzei,"Dujarric said. "As youunderstand, it is mainlyabout Ukraine," he added.

In the previous days, therepresentative of theSecretary General noted,Guterres met with represen-tatives of Great Britain, the

United States and France.The UN Secretary

General is interested in aunified position of theSecurity Council onUkraine. "We are seeingdifferences in Ukraine, thisis not a secret," saidDujarric.

Also Dujarric that UNstaff remain in Moscow tocoordinate humanitarianissues in Ukraine. “Yes, Ibelieve they are there, Ihaven’t seen any changes,”he said, answering a rele-vant question from a TASScorrespondent.

UN Secretary General meetsRussian representative

Austinmeets

Canadianminister

F.P. Report

BRUSSELS: Secretary ofDefense Lloyd J. Austin IIIand his Canadian counter-part, Minister of NationalDefence Anita Anand, metin Brussels on March 17,2022, to discuss theirshared commitment to thestrength of the NATOalliance and their unwaver-ing support for Ukraine’ssovereignty and territorialintegrity in the face ofRussia’s unprovoked attackon Ukraine. Both leadersreaffirmed the close def-ense relationship betweenthe United States and Can-ada, and agreed on the imp-ortance of strategic invest-ments in defense capabili-ties.

The two leaders agreedon the importance of con-tinued support to Ukraineas it defends itself againstRussian aggression. Secr-etary Austin thanked Mini-ster Anand for Canada’sprompt contributions to N-ATO deterrence and defe-nse on the Eastern Flank, aswell as Canada’s willing-ness to impose strict sanc-tions on Russia.

Council ofEurope

suspendscooperationwith BelarusPARIS (TASS): TheCommittee of Ministers ofthe Council of Europe(CMCE) has suspendedcooperation with theauthorities of Belarusbecause of its role in thespecial operation of the RFArmed Forces in Ukraine.This was announced onThursday by the press serv-ice of the internationalorganization.

"The CMCE suspendsthe rights of Belarus to par-ticipate in all meetings andevents of the Organization.This also applies to the par-ticipation of Belarus in thepartial agreements of theCouncil of Europe, includ-ing the VeniceCommission, but does notinfringe on the rights ofBelarus as a party to inter-national conventions," thecommuniqué reads.

The organization alsointends to suspend "anytechnical cooperation" withMinsk. At the same time,the CMCE decided tomaintain and strengthenrelations with theBelarusian "civil society"and the "opposition inexile."

F.P. Report

BERLIN: On Thursday,German Foreign MinisterAnnalena Baerbock chaireda video conference of theG7 Foreign Ministers ofCanada, France, Germany,Italy, Japan, the UnitedKingdom, and the UnitedStates of America, and theHigh Representative of theEuropean Union.

The Ministers remainappalled about Russia’scontinuing war againstUkraine and reiterated theirprofound condemnation ofthe ongoing aggression aswell as the involvement ofBelarus in it. Ministersdemanded that the Russianleadership immediatelycomplies with the order ofthe International Court ofJustice to stop the assaulton Ukraine, its populationand civilian infrastructures,including hospitals andschools, and to immediate-ly withdraw its militaryforces. The siege ofMariupol and other citiesand the denial of humani-tarian aid are unacceptable.Ministers demanded thatRussia upholds its obliga-tions under internationalhumanitarian law andhuman rights law. TheRussian leadership has to

immediately provide forhumanitarian access as wellas humanitarian aid to bedelivered to Mariupol andother besieged cities.

Ministers condemned inthe strongest possible termsthe indiscriminate attackson civilians. Due toPresident Putin’s unpro-voked and shameful war,millions are forced to fleetheir homes; the destructionof infrastructure, hospitals,theatres and schools isongoing. Russia’s blatantviolation of internationallaw has already isolated itsgovernment internationallyand will further do so. TheMinisters welcomed andsupported the order on theprovisional measures by theInternational Court ofJustice, and strongly urgedRussia to comply with theprovisional measures order,which is binding on the par-ties.

Ministers underscoredthat those responsible forwar crimes, includingindiscriminate use ofweapons against civilians,will be held responsible.Ministers welcomed theongoing work to investigateand gather evidence,including by the Prosecutorof the InternationalCriminal Court.

Ministers recalled thatthe G7, along with theirallies, have imposedunprecedented sanctions inresponse to the war ofaggression against Ukraineby Russia. These measureshave inflicted substantialcosts on the Russian econo-my and their impact willfurther increase in thefuture. The sanctions aim atthose who bear responsibil-ity for the unlawful attackagainst Ukraine and not atthe Russian civil societywho has shown signs ofprotest against PresidentPutin’s war. The G7 standready to increase this pres-sure.

Ministers committed tosubstantially increase anddisburse humanitarian aidas the needs of theUkrainian people growdaily due to Russia’s con-tinued aggression. They askothers to join in this effort.A humanitarian push isurgently needed, forUkraine and beyond, as thisruthless war will have mas-sive consequences for foodsecurity and prices in manycountries that depend ondeliveries from Ukraine’sagricultural sector.

Ministers have com-mended neighbouringstates for their great soli-

darity and humanity bywelcoming Ukrainianrefugees and third countrynationals affected by theconflict, and will continueto support them, includingby receiving refugees.

Ministers confirmed theneed for increased interna-tional assistance to coun-tries neighbouring Ukraine,which are experiencing anunprecedented influx ofrefugees. President Putin’swar of aggression againstUkraine has already forcedmillions of civilians, espe-cially women, children andelderly, to flee their homes.Over three million crossedthe border to other coun-tries, almost all of them tothe EU and Moldova.

Ministers paid specialattention to the Republic ofMoldova, the smallest ofUkraine’s neighbours,offering shelter to thelargest group of refugeesfrom Ukraine per capita.The Ministers agreed tocoordinate their assistanceefforts in a MoldovaSupport Group and to inviteother stakeholders to join.Ministers agreed to followthis issue closely and to dis-cuss it in the framework ofthe Worldbank and theInternational MonetaryFund.

G7 foreign ministers agreeto increase aid to Ukraine

F.P. Report

WASHINGTON DC: Thebipartisan leadership of theHouse and Senate ArmedServices Committees,Representatives AdamSmith (D-Wash.) and MikeRogers (R-Ala.), Chairmanand Ranking Member ofthe House Armed ServicesCommittee (HASC), andSenators Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Jim Inhofe (R-Ok-la.), Chairman and RankingMember of the Senate Ar-med Services Committee(SASC), on Thursday,

announced their appointm-ents to the National Secu-rity Commission on Emer-ging Biotechnology (NSC-EB), which w-as establis-hed by Sec. 1091 of the Na-tional Defense Authoriza-tion Act (NDAA) for FiscalYear 2022 (FY-22).

The National SecurityCommission on EmergingBiotechnology will conducta thorough review of howadvances in emergingbiotechnology and relatedtechnologies will shapecurrent and future activitiesof the Department of

Defense, provide an interimreport to the President ofthe United States and theArmed ServicesCommittees within oneyear, and submit a finalunclassified report withintwo years to the Presidentand the committees, includ-ing recommendations foraction by Congress and thefederal government.

Twelve appointed mem-bers will make up theCommission, including twomembers appointed by theHASC Chairman, oneMember of the House and

one not; two membersappointed by the HASCRanking Member, oneMember of the House andone not; two membersappointed by the SASCChairman, one Member ofthe Senate and one not; twomembers appointed by theSASC Ranking Member,one Member of the Senateand one not; and one mem-ber each appointed by theSpeaker of the House,House Minority Leader,Senate Majority Leader,and Senate MinorityLeader, respectively.

US armed services committeesannounce selections for NSCEB

BRATISLAVA (Agencies):Slovakia’s defense ministeron Thursday said the coun-try would “immediately”provide its S-300 airdefense system to Ukraineif it’s guaranteed a “properreplacement” in the nearterm.

Jaroslav Nad’ saidSlovakia is in discussions

with the United States andother allies on the possibili-ty of deploying its S-300sto Ukraine to help theembattled country in itsfight against invading Rus-sian forces. But the agree-ment hinges on Bratislavareceiving a stand-in systemfor its air defenses.

“We’re willing to do so

immediately when we havea proper replacement,”Nad’ said a press confer-ence alongside DefenseSecretary Austin.

“The only strategic airdefense system that wehave in Slovakia is [the] S-300 system. So what wouldhappen immediately whenwe decide to give it to

Ukrainians is that we actu-ally create a gap, a securitygap in NATO.”

He added: “Should therebe [a] situation that wehave a proper replacementor that we have a capabilityguaranteed for a certainperiod of time, then we willbe willing to discuss thefuture of S-300.”

Slovakia says it would giveUkraine its air defense systems

F.P. Report

WASHINGTON DC: On Thursday, the InternalRevenue Service (IRS) released a fact sheet on itsCriminal Investigation unit which pursues financialcrimes including money laundering, terrorist financing,cybercrimes, and sanctions evasion – including investi-gating seizing assets of Russian elites. Formed in 1919,IRS CI is sixth largest Federal Law Enforcement Agencyand has investigated notable financial crimes throughouthistory, including those committed by Al Capone, JohnGotti, Leona Helmsley, Pete Rose, and Chuck Berry.

“Every day, IRS CI agents put themselves on the linefor our country — walking into complex environmentswhere anything can happen,” said Natasha Sarin,Counselor for Tax Policy and Implementation at the U.S.Department of the Treasury. “The courage and profes-sionalism they demonstrate is exemplary, but even moreimpressive is the level of expertise they deploy after yearsof developing their craft. If we’re serious about respond-ing to emerging threats, we need a long-term strategy thatinvests in the unique investigative talent IRS CI agentsprovide. And you can’t rebuild CI without rebuilding theIRS—the agency needs sustained, long-term funding tobe able to serve the American people and enforce thelaw.”

IRS Criminal Investigation (CI) serves the Americanpublic by investigating potential criminal violations ofthe Internal Revenue Code and related financial crimes ina manner that fosters confidence in the tax system andcompliance with the law. It is the only federal lawenforcement agency authorized to investigate federalcriminal tax violations and pursues related financialcrimes, such as money laundering, currency violations,and terrorist financing. These efforts are increasinglyimportant given emerging threats in the global financiallandscape.

General tax fraud investigations are at the core of CI'slaw enforcement efforts—for example, agents expendsubstantial energy unpacking domestic and offshore taxavoidance strategies that are facilitated through trust andpartnership arrangements. CI also investigates moneylaundering by criminals and criminal organizations, cor-ruption, and broader non-tax related fraud cases. CI hasthe authority to seize assets that are involved in moneylaundering or other unlawful activities, and it is thelargest law enforcement division of Treasury with thiscapacity.

In recent years, CI has significantly expanded its pres-ence in areas of emerging importance. Since 2015, it hasbuilt up a world-class cybercrimes program to address theexponential growth of cybercrimes impacting the tax,financial, and economic systems of the U.S. This groupsuccessfully seized more than $3.5 billion of illicit cryp-tocurrency in fiscal year 2021, and they have alreadyseized more than this amount in fiscal year 2022.

Alongside investigating cybercriminals, CI has recent-ly been called upon to provide its unique expertise toassist with interagency efforts to enforce sanctions relat-ed to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as called for in therelated Kleptocapture Task Force announced by theDepartment of Justice. Working with law enforcemententities across government, the IRS is already in theprocess of investigating Russian oligarchs and those whofacilitate the illegal movement of money or assets on theirbehalf.

CI has experience on these dimensions: Since 2017,

the IRS has been involved in more than 20 investigationsdirectly related to illicit money laundering by oligarchs,which involved restitution of hundreds of millions of dol-lars paid, as well as the seizures of properties in conjunc-tion with fellow law enforcement agencies. Typically,these investigations require IRS-CI to follow complexasset trails—any time assets are routed through UnitedStates financial systems, CI Special Agents can tracethem, and they have the ability to deanonymize otherwiseanonymous transactions.

CI cyber agents have also previously been engaged inthe review and investigative efforts involving cryptocur-rency transactions associated with Russian-based entitiesfor the past several months.

The project, known as Sanction Evaders, is looking atblockchain transactional information associated withsanctioned countries.

Given its sizable—and growing—responsibilities, it isimportant to highlight that today the IRS lacks theresources it needs to fully support these efforts. Since2010, the overall IRS budget has fallen by nearly 20 per-cent, resulting in a significant decrease in the agency'senforcement functions. This impacts compliance directlyand indirectly: Rather than serving as a deterrent, a morelimited IRS presence serves as an incentive to ignorecompliance responsibilities, from both a civil and crimi-nal perspective.

For CI in particular, since 2010, the number of employ-ees has fallen by approximately 25 percent, from 4,017 in2010 to under 3,000 today. This at a time when investiga-tions are getting more complex, as highly sophisticatedcriminals are turning to new and hard-to-detect ways tohide illicit gains from our sight.

Many of those who chose to challenge the IRS andIRS-CI have been surprised. In fact, IRS-CI has had sub-stantial success over the course of the last several yearsdespite being significantly under-funded. Last year, IRS-CI identified $10.4 billion from tax fraud and financialcrimes and likely deterred at least an equivalent amountof such behavior, with a budget of just over $600 million.That is a direct return of more than 16:1. But this sub-stantially understates the immensely valuable work thatCI does, because having a significant IRS presence deterscriminals from malfeasance.

With additional resources, CI will be able to do muchmore. The IRS's efforts in this space are imperative tohelping CI target oligarchs and those who facilitate hid-ing their assets. More broadly, a well-funded investiga-tions unit is critical to ensuring that the IRS has a work-force that is able to pursue the illicit behavior of highlysophisticated criminals who reap billions and billions ofdollars of profits annually through complex financialcrimes.

II. A snapshot of recent IRS CI workThe types of criminals pursued by IRS-CI already this

year are illustrative of the breadth and importance of theirefforts, as well as the sophistication of the enterprises thatthey work to disentangle, which are set up to ensure thatthe illicit behavior of wealthy criminals remains unad-dressed. The following information is obtained from pub-licly available documents.

Russian bank founder sentenced for evading taxesIn 2013, when the value of Oleg Tinkov's investment

in his Russian bank's stock rose to over $1 billion, hequickly renounced his U.S. citizenship and substantiallyunderstated his wealth on tax filings with the IRS to avoidexit taxes. Expatriation law requires that those with a net

worth of more than $2 million pay taxes on their assets asif they were sold on the day before expatriation, butdespite the value of his post-Initial Public Offering assetsrising to above $1.1 billion, Tinkov claimed he did nothave assets above $2 million. In addition, he did notreport any gain from the constructive sale of his propertyworth more than $1.1 billion, causing a tax loss of nearly$250 million. A year after his expatriation, Tinkov wasthe 15th richest oligarch in Russia, with an estimated networth of over $8 billion.

Tinkov was indicted in September of 2019 for willful-ly filing false tax returns following an investigation by CIagents, and he was arrested in February 2020. As part ofhis restitution, Oleg Tinkov paid $508,936,184, which ismore than double the amount he sought to escape payingto the U.S. Treasury through renouncing his U.S. citizen-ship and concealing from the IRS large stock gains, whichhe knew were reportable. This payment includes$248,525,339 in taxes, statutory interest on that tax, anda nearly $100 million fraud penalty.

$1.3 billion tax shelter schemeIRS-CI's primary resource commitment involves the

investigation of tax crimes, which constitute over 70% ofinvestigative time by CI agents. Resources are especiallyfocused on unpacking complex structures that facilitateabusive tax schemes by wealthy individuals and corpora-tions.

To take a recent example, in February 2022, a grandjury returned an indictment of seven individuals with con-spiracy to defraud the United States and other crimesbecause of their promotion of fraudulent tax sheltersinvolving syndicated conservation easements for at leasttwo decades. The co-conspirators allegedly guaranteed a4-to-1 tax deduction ratio to their clients and invoked var-ious schemes to value easements as necessary to deliverthe ratio promised. The indictment charged that thesewere abusive tax shelters lacking in economic substanceand further contended that the defendants helped clientsclaim illicit charitable deductions after the conclusion oftax years through backdating documents. In total, thedefendants allegedly sold over $1.3 billion in false andfraudulent tax deductions through their crimes.

Over the course of a four-year investigation, IRS-CIagents dedicated thousands of hours to unpacking theschemes these perpetrators allegedly facilitated to helptheir wealthy clients skirt tax obligations. These kinds ofinvestigations involve incredibly complicated work forthe CI team, as the tax shelters are often intentionallydesigned to impede the ability of the IRS to detect theirfraudulent nature, including through appraisals that over-inflate land values and fake votes among participantsmeant to create the illusion that the transactions are legit-imate real estate investment opportunities and not abusivetax shelters. With additional resources and investigativesupport, IRS-CI could reduce the investigative time andensure that criminals are held accountable quicker.

$3.6 billion of stolen cryptocurrency seized in FY2021, a total already surpassed in FY 2022

Over the last several years, CI has observed significantgrowth in the number of criminals using the cyber envi-ronment for fraud and illicit transactions. This criminali-ty is made possible by an underlying technologicalecosystem that facilitates remaining anonymous andeluding law enforcement while concealing financialtransactions, ownership of assets, or other evidence. Thepossibility that these technologies will be deployed tofacilitate sanctions evasion is also top-of-mind for CI

investigators at present.In order to navigate this landscape, CI must deploy

sophisticated blockchain analysis tools to unweave dark-net transactions. For example, following the prosecutionof Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht in 2015 for severalcriminal counts, CI agents were tasked with the persistentinvestigation of stolen funds from this and other dark netmarketplaces. As a result of their determined and resoluteaction, CI agents seized approximately $1 billion ofBitcoin in 2020. Finding these funds required the effortsof several CI agents and contractors, including the use ofthird-party analytic tools to trace assets to individualswho had hacked Silk Road to pocket illicit gains.

Even more recently, in February of this year, two indi-viduals were arrested for laundering cryptocurrencystolen during a 2016 hack of a digital asset exchange.Thus far, $3.6 billion has been seized by CI agents whomanaged to track unauthorized transactions that sentstolen Bitcoin from this hack to digital wallets under thecontrol of the launderers. The defendants allegedlyemployed numerous complex techniques to hide thesefunds, including automating transactions to quickly movefunds and then deposit them into a variety of currencyexchanges and darknet markets and withdrawing funds tobreak the chain of transactions and impeded detection.

Despite this complexity, today CI currently devotesonly about six percent of its investigative time to cyber-crimes/crypto currency, so it is just scratching the surfaceof the amount of criminal activity that is being detected.

III. Budget pictureIRS-CI has made remarkable progress in the last sev-

eral years due to the commitment of extremely talentedand dedicated agents. But it has done so without theresources in place to support its efforts. Since 2010, theCI workforce has decreased in size by approximately 25percent, as the CI budget has only been able to accom-modate reduced staffing levels as we are required to payfor labor budget increases (pay raises, benefit increases,etc.) by not backfilling attrition.

The bleak budget picture has had a material impact onthe ability of the CI team to pursue enforcement actions.At the end of this fiscal year, CI expects to have fewerthan 3,000 employees. In order to meet its investigativeneeds, CI needs to grow by more than 40 percent by hir-ing at least 2,500 additional employees in the next fiveyears (net gain of 1,300 after attrition). Building up the CIworkforce along these dimensions would enable CI toreach its target level of criminal tax prosecution recom-mendations (around 1,600 per year), which would impactvoluntary compliance substantially as it would detersophisticated actors from complicated tax fraud andmoney laundering schemes, knowing that a larger andstronger investigative team stands ready to pursue mis-deeds.

The table below provides a breakdown of the hiringneeds of the CI unit. Note that these include only theemployees associated with investigations and supportingstaff and not additional needs for IT and data support. ITneeds include securing licenses for data access for high-risk frontier and emerging markets, which today are sub-stantially lacking. As one example, IRS CI today has onlyfive agents who can access Sayari, a tool that allows foraccess to local government databases across the world indozens of languages and jurisdictions and will help toidentify Russian-based actors who attempt to illegallyevade sanctions and facilitate financial movement offunds.

US’s IRS releases a fact sheet on its Criminal Investigation unit

NOWSHERA: General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Army Staff pinnedbadges of rank on the shoulders of Major General Usman Haq to formallyinstall him as Colonel Commandant of Army Service Corps during his visitto Army Service Corps( ASC) Centre on March 17, 2022.