Page 28 - Pakistan Link - August 21, 2020

P28 – PAKISTAN LINK – AUGUST 21, 2020
GEMS FROM P25
themselves upon it” for the sake of
appearances but , in reality, not mak-
ing the least attempt to understand
the message as such and, hence, re-
maining deaf and blind to its con-
tents – the truly God-conscious are
deeply desirous of understanding it,
and therefore “listen to it with wide-
awake ears and look into it with see-
ing eyes”.
HISTORY FROM P10
tolerance of mega-corruption con-
trast sharply with the decadence, cyni-
cism and mega-corruption of his oppo-
nents.
Imran must succeed because in the
event of his failure, a political and social of generation of renewable energy
revolution in its most extreme form is
inevitable in Pakistan. If all goes well,
Imran will go down in history as the
savior of Pakistan. He rescued Pakistan
from the Sharifs and Zardaris who loot-
ed and plundered this poor country. He
is the only leader who can revive Jinnah’s
Pakistan, a visionary, inspired by the Is-
lamic Caliphate of Medina.
Churchill wrote of prime ministers:
“If he trips, he must be sustained. If he
makes a mistake, they must be covered.
If he sleeps, he must not be wantonly
disturbed. If he is no good, he must be
pole-axed.” But this last extreme process
cannot be carried out every day. It must
be carried out at the terminal stage.
We gave decades to the corrupt rul-
ers to loot and plunder this poor coun-
try. Imran is facing a gargantuan task of
putting the country back on the rails.
Bear with him. Give him more time. Let
history judge him at the terminal stage.
(The writer is a former federal sec-
retary. The Express Tribune)
NEWS FROM P1
depression among people.
“People are with us. We will
thwart all conspiracies. The good
news for the nation is actually bad
news for the opposition,” Senator
Faraz said.
He added that Prime Minister
Imran Khan had made it clear once
again that the rule of law would be
ensured in the country where the era
of prosperity had begun as positive
results (of government policies) were
coming around.
Minister for Communications
Murad Saeed said that the prime
minister’s vision was to strive for ac-
countability, transparency, merit and
self-reliance.
He said the Ministry of Com-
munications was promoting e-tech-
nology to ensure transparency and
had saved around Rs750 million
through austerity measures. All pro-
curements by the National Highway
Authority (NHA) would be made
through e-procurements, he added.
The minister said the commu-
nications ministry had adopted pub-
lic-private partnership strategy to
promote projects of Sialkot-Rawal-
pindi and Chaman-Quetta highways
and six other projects were being
launched under this model.
Minister for Science and Tech-
nology Chaudhry Fawad Hussain
said that 0.62pc of GDP was allo-
cated for science and technology in
2008 and it was further reduced to
0.24pc when the PTI took charge.
He blamed the PPP and the
PML-N governments for failing to
invest in basic and applied sciences.
“We were not even manufacturing
hand sanitizers and face masks when
coronavirus pandemic hit the world
and now Pakistan is one of the ma-
jor exporters of personal protective
equipment. We would be exporting
ventilators soon.”
He said that engineering de-
grees of Pakistan were now recog-
nized all over the world and scien-
tific approach had been adopted in
the agriculture sector.
Minister for Inter-provincial
Coordination Dr Fahmida Mirza
highlighted the performance of her
ministry, including formation of the
Council of Common Interests with-
in 30 days of formation of the PTI
government.
Minister for Energy Omer Ayub
said that the most serious challenge
for the country was to change the
energy mix to reduce dependence on
imported oil and enhance the share
of indigenous resources, including
renewable and hydro power, up to
70pc by 2030. He said that the cost
had been cut down to 3.75 cents per
unit as compared to around 12 and
13 cents per unit in the past.
“We are promoting transfer of
technology in renewable energy in
both solar and wind power and are
looking for export in this sector in
near future,” Mr Ayub said, “Besides
the efforts made by PM Imran Khan
and Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan have saved Pakistan $1.2bn
(around Rs200bn) in the Karkay
case.”
Minister for Water Resources
Faisal Vawda spoke about the launch
of several water projects, including
Mohmand Dam, Diamer-Bhasha
Dam and around 112 small dams
across the country. He said that it
was for the first time after Ayub
Khan’s government of 1960s that wa-
ter projects had been undertaken in
the country.
Minister for Human Rights Dr
Shireen Mazari stressed that the is-
sue of human rights was central to
policy making of the government
and her ministry had adopted a
three-pronged approach to imple-
ment existing laws, introduce new
legislation where there were gaps in
the existing laws and impart knowl-
edge about human rights laws to the
public, especially women.
Minister for Maritime Affairs
Ali Zaidi and Special Assistant to the ity of interests. Both sides are fully desire the orderly withdrawal of for- unnamed undercover agent in US, and
PM on Petroleum Nadeem Babar,
also addressed the media briefing.
PARTIES FROM P1
unanimously adopted a joint state-
ment, criticizing the “slander”
against CPEC and vowed to main-
tain “strategic communication” and
build consensus among the political
parties.
At the outset, a message from
President Arif Alvi was read out.
Alvi reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong
support to “One China Policy” and
opposed foreign intervention in the
internal affairs of China with re-
gard to Hong Kong and Taiwan. He
thanked China for supporting Paki-
stan on the Kashmir issue.
In his keynote speech, Song Tao
thanked President Alvi for sending
the congratulatory letter. He noted
that party-to-party cooperation be-
tween China and Pakistan was in-
creasing as CPEC entered into a new
era.
Sanjrani, in his keynote ad-
dress, credited China for promoting
regional connectivity with its land-
mark BRI and extended Pakistan’s
support to President Xi Jinping’s
vision of “shared prosperity” and
“win-win” cooperation of which
CPEC is a practical manifestation.
Liu Qi, leader of the CPC Ji-
angxi Provincial Committee,
stressed that economic cooperation
between Pakistan and China was
important in high quality construc-
tion of CPEC. He also announced
PAKISTAN
the donation of 500,000 masked and BIZENJO FROM P1 roon, challenged the decision of the
2,000 protective personal equipment Balochistan National Party-Mengal single-member bench.
(PPEs) to Pakistani political parties. (BNP-M) president Sardar Akhtar A division bench of the IHC,
Speaking on the occasion, Chi- Mengal shared his condolences in a comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and
nese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao tweet. Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, on
Jing said that China would always Leader of Opposition in National Tuesday set aside the condition of per-
stand side by side with Pakistan in Assembly and PML-N president She- sonal appearance and cross examina-
all areas of cooperation and both the hbaz Sharif in a tweet said he was tion of the investigation officer of the
countries would fight the challenges “shocked and saddened” by the news foreign country.
together. of Bizenjo’s death. The court verdict stated: “We
PTI Chief Organizer Saifullah “As a distinguished politician deem it appropriate also to direct the
Khan Nyazee appreciated the exem- from Balochistan, he represented the inquiry magistrate to give a finding
plary measures taken by China dur- voice of the people of his province & on the question whether conspiracy to
ing the fight against the Covid-19 stood for progressive & rule-based commit acts of terrorism (i.e. the of-
pandemic. Balochistan Governor politics.” fence which appellant No 2 is alleged
Amanullah Yasinzai said that his PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto- to have committed) is an extradition
province was an important link of Zardari described his death as “a great offence so as to attract the provisions
CPEC, and the Gwadar port would loss to the country, its democratic of the 1972 Act.”
help connect Pakistan with Central forces and Balochistan”. According to the investigation
Asian countries. “Bizenjo remained in the fore- carried out by the US Federal Bureau
PML-N Senator Mushahid Hus- front in the struggle for supremacy of of Investigation (FBI), Talha Haroon
sain Sayed, who is also Chairman of the Constitution and strengthening of was in Pakistan in April 2016 and
the Senate Committee on Foreign Af- democracy” and was “a strong voice planned multiple terrorist attacks in
fairs and the founding Chairman of against injustices to Balochistan”, Bi- New York City.
the PCI, noted that CPEC remained lawal said in a statement. The FBI claimed that with an
uninterrupted despite the Covid pan- Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Islamic State (IS) group support, he
demic and was connecting the less- Bajwa also expressed grief over his wanted to carry out Paris-style attacks
developed parts of Pakistan through demise and extended condolences to in New York City around June 2016.
the western route. the senator’s family and friends, ac- It said the suspects “identified
PPP Senator Sherry Rehman, cording to a tweet by the DG ISPR. multiple potential targets of their plot
who heads the Senate Committee on PPP leader and Senator Sherry to launch terrorist attacks in New
CPEC, said that CPEC was the poster Rehman said she was “shocked, sad- York City.” One of the targets was the
child of the BRI and the economic dened and bereaved” to hear of his New York City subway besides Times
stabilizer for Pakistan. passing. Square and a concert hall.
The first JCM was held in Beijing “He had been battling cancer so On Nov 13, 2015, terrorists car-
in March last year, Now the JCM has bravely few suspected how advanced ried out a series of coordinated attacks
emerged as an institutional mecha- the disease was. His public life was in Paris, France, during a football
nism between the CPC and the Paki- marked by progressive, principled match. This was followed by several
stani political parties for CPEC coor- politics as an advocate for the vulner- mass shootings and a suicide bomb-
dination and communication. able. End of an era,” she wrote. ing at restaurants and a concert at the
Bataclan Theatre. At least 130 people
QURESHI FROM P1 US FROM P1 were killed.
Office press release said. in brokering the talks between the The FBI also claimed that Talha
The two countries will also Taliban and the US and has since then Haroon had been associated with the
focus on the promotion of bilat- been closely engaged with all relevant outlawed Taliban before switching his
eral cooperation in various fields, parties to take this process to its logi- allegiance to the IS group.
including the China-Pakistan Eco- cal conclusion. An inquiry magistrate in Paki-
nomic Corridor Phase-II. The first round of intra-Afghan stan, in his report dated January 16,
The Foreign Office in its state- dialogue is expected to take place in 2017, had found a prima facie case for
ment said the visit would play an Doha while talks may shift to either his extradition to the US under the
important role in further strength- Germany or Norway in the second provisions of the Extradition Act 1972.
ening Pakistan-China “All-Weather phase. Idrees Asharaf, the counsel for
Strategic Cooperative Partnership” The intra-Afghan talks will dis- the father of the suspect, argued be-
and deepen strategic communica- cuss the future political dispensation fore the court that evidence produced
tion and coordination with China of Afghanistan and a power-sharing before the inquiry magistrate in sup-
on a range of issues. arrangement between the Taliban and port of the request for appellant No 2’s
“Pakistan and China are the other groups. extradition was inadmissible. That the
closest friends and staunch part- On its part, the US plans to limit affidavits of the assistant district attor-
ners. Their time-tested friendship is its number of troops to 5,000 by the ney and the investigating officer were
based on unparalleled mutual trust, end of November. Pakistan, China entirely based on communications be-
understanding, and commonal- and other neighbors of Afghanistan tween an unnamed co-conspirator, an
committed to building closer Chi- eign forces from the Afghan soil. appellant No 2.
na-Pakistan Community of Shared This past weekend Pakistan He said in the affidavits filed in
Future,” read the official communi- welcomed the Afghan Loya Jirga or support of the extradition request,
que. Grand Assembly’s approval to release the depositions of the deponents were
‘Highly relevant’: The second remaining 400 Taliban prisoners, pav- based on information provided to
Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers ing the way for the much-anticipated them by the undercover agent. Such
Strategic Dialogue was highly rel- intra-Afghan talks. information is clearly hearsay in na-
evant and it will help the two coun- ture and cannot form the basis for an
tries enhance strategic mutual trust, extradition order.
Additional Attorney General
IHC Paves Way fordeepen practical cooperation and
Tariq Khokhar argued that the suspect
strengthen close coordination on had conspired to commit acts of ter-
international, regional affairs, Chi- rorism in the US and ample evidence
had been brought on record in the
Terror Suspect’snese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesper- form of affidavits to show that he was
son Zhao Lijian said on Thursday.
Extradition to USHe said this dialogue mecha-
nism was a platform for the two Islamabad: The Islamabad High involved in the commission of an ex-
sides to coordinate exchanges and Court (IHC) on Tuesday paved the way tradition offence.
cooperation in various fields, make for the extradition of a Pakistani-origin The suspect in his communica-
policy suggestions on the develop- American terror suspect of terrorism tion with an undercover agent in the
ment of bilateral ties and enhance by relaxing tough conditions set for his US had disclosed his plan to carry out
coordination and co-communica- handing over to the US authorities. acts of terrorism in the US.
tion on the international and re- An IHC single-member bench on The court noted that none of the
gional issues. May 3, 2019, had made the process to judgments referred to by the single-
Zhao Lijian remarked that con- extradite suspects to other countries a member bench related to extradition
sidering the current international bit tough as it made it mandatory for proceedings under the provisions of
situation as well as the profound the investigation officer of the request- the 1972 Act.
impact brought by COVID-19, Chi- ing foreign country to personally ap- Additionally, the judgment re-
na and Pakistan as comprehensive pear before a magistrate in Pakistan to lated to the evidentiary value of an
strategic partners and all-weather testify and be cross-examined to justify affidavit where the deponent does not
strategic partners, should enhance the extradition. appear before a court to make a state-
cooperation to meet the challenges Both the federal government ment in support of the facts deposed
and to deliver benefit to the people, through Additional Attorney General in the affidavit or to be cross-examined
adding, that “this time the strategic Tariq Mehmood Khokhar and Haroon during a trial as opposed to inquiry
dialogue is highly relevant”. Rashid, father of the suspect Talha Ha- proceedings.
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