KARACHI: The US dollar rose by Rs 4.93 in the interbank market, hitt ing a high of Rs 115.50, a cco rd ing to fo rex dea l e r s. Interestingly, the rate in the open market is not being divulged at the moment but it is usually higher by a couple of rupees than the interbank rate. Business analyst Mohammad Sohail said fuel prices could rise in the country as a result of the latest increase.

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan called on Chief of Army Staff, Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa at GHQ.T he Ar i Ch i e f wa s p resen ted gua rd o f honour and he laid floral w r e a t h a t S h u h a d a Monument.A i r C h i e f M a r s h a l assumed office as the new chief of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) during an impressive Change of Command ceremony held h e r e a t t h e A i r Headquarters.

ndMujahid Khan is 22 air chief and before his p r o m o t i o n , h e wa s h o l d i n g t w o appointments as Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (Support) and Director

G e n e r a l A i r Fo r c e Strategic Command.Born on 23rd December, 1962 Air Marshal Mujahid A n w a r K h a n w a s commissioned in GD (P)

Branch of Pakistan Air Force in December, 1983, and is the recipient of c o v e t e d S w o r d o f Honour, Bes t P i l o t Trophy and Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gold Medal f rom PAF Academy Asghar Khan.During his tenure of service, he has held various Command and S t a f f appo in tment s including Command of a Fighter Squadron, a Tactical Attack Wing, Base Commander of two elite F-16 Bases and Air Officer Commanding of

Regional Air Command.He is a qualified Flying Instructor and graduate of Combat Commanders' School, Command and Staff College, Jordan, Air War College, Faisal and N a t i o n a l D e f e n c e University, Islamabad.The Air Officer has flown

various training and fighter aircraft including F-16, F-6, FT-5, T-37 and MFI-17. In recognition of his meritorious services, he has been awarded Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military), Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Military) and Tamgha-i-Imtiaz (Military).

COAS felicitates new Air Chief

H O N G KO N G : I n w h a t c o n s i d e r e d t o b e a n unprecedented deal, China has sold Pakistan a powerful tracking system that could speed up the Pakistani military's development of multi-warhead missiles, South China Morning Post reported Thursday. The report stated that the tracking system could allow I s l a m a b a d t o s p e e d u p development of missile that can target multiple cities or military sites. The confirmation of this technology transfer was made in an announcement by the Chinese authorities on Wednesday. A s ta tement on the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) website said China was the first country to export such sensitive

equipment to Pakistan. Zheng Mengwei, a researcher with the CAS Institute of Optics and Electronics in Chengdu, Sichuan province, confirmed to the Hong Kong based newspaper that Pakistan had bought a highly sophisticated, large-scale optical tracking and measurement system from China. The Pakistani military recently deployed the Chinese-made system “at a firing range” for use in testing and developing its new missiles, he added. It has been a long-held notion that Beijing is supporting Islamabad's missile development programme. But solid evidence can seldom be found in the public domain, making the CAS statement a rarity. A telescope unit forming part of

the Chinese tracking system, deployed at Pakistan's missile testing facility. The Chinese team enjoyed VIP treatment during the nearly three months it spent in Pa k i s t a n a s s e m b l i n g a n d calibrating the tracking system and training technical staff on how to

use it, according to the statement. “The system's performance surpassed the user's expectations,” i t said, adding that i t was considerably more complex than Pakistan's home-made systems. It did not reveal how much Pakistan paid for the system.

Pakistan acquires powerful missile tracking system from China

The Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) will take place at the Dubai World Trade Centre from April 9 to 11 with the participation of elite leaders and decision makers and high-level local, regional and international government officials.The annual forum is one of the leading regional events on foreign direct investments (FDI) and is organized by the UAE Ministry of Economy under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. It is expected to attract more than 20,000 investors and visitors from various developed and emerging markets this year and will adopt the theme 'Partnerships for Inclusive G r o w t h a n d S u s t a i n a b l e Development.AIM is a leading platform for strengthening the UAE's role as a distinctive investment destination. In the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business for 2018, the UAE ranked 21 out of 190 countries in Ease of Doing Business, up by five levels from 26th in the 2017 report.Cumulative FDI to the UAE increased to USD117.9 billion by the end of 2016 from around USD109 billion by the end of 2015, at a growth rate of 8.2 per cent. The rise was supported by higher investments in manufacturing and other heavy industries, according to recent reports.Eng r. Su l tan b in Saeed Al Mansoori, UAE Minister of E c o n o m y s a i d : " F D I i s

i n s t r u m e n t a l t o a ch i e v i n g sustainable economic growth. We in the UAE are constantly adopting policies and structures that will ultimately provide us with a suitable environment for attracting FDI and retaining its positive impact to attain the desired results.”According to the 2017 Global Investment Report published by the UN Council on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the UAE was the 11th largest FDI recipient in Asia. Its main investors are from the UK, the US and India. In 2017, AIM attracted more than 19,000 visitors and witnessed the participation of 535 exhibitors from 141 countries.Nations such as China, Egypt, India, Morocco, Nigeria, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, the UK and the USA chose AIM 2017 as a platform for enhancing investment opportunities in their respective countries and regions.

AIM to be held in Dubai AE second largest FDI U

destination with $9bn

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump hailed a "great friendship" with Saudi Arabia and its crown prince, who visited the White House. "It is an honor to have the crown prince of Saudi Arabia with us," Trump said with Mohammed bin Salman across the table from him. "The relationship is probably the strongest it´s ever been -- we understand each other." "We really have a great friendship, a great relationship," he said.

Dollar shoots to Rs115.50 in interbank market

Trump friendship with crown prince

became prime minister and vice president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2006, and is responsible . . .

Trump says will ´hold Russia accountable´ over spy poisoningMOSCOW: US President Donald Trump said he would "take action to hold Russia accountable" for the poisoning of a spy on British soil, as another ugly war of words erupted between Moscow and London over the Cold War-style attack.In a phone call with Vladimir Putin the previous day, Trump had failed to discuss the attempted murder of former double agent Sergei Skripal and h i s d augh t e r Yu l i a , bu t congratulated the strongman on his re-election to the Russian presidency.During a call with French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday, however, Trump expressed "solidarity with the United Kingdom in the wake of Russia´s use of chemical weapons against private citizens on British soil," the White House said. The pair "agreed on the need to take a c t i o n t o h o l d R u s s i a accountable," it added, without providing further details.

PN inducts Chinese-built Backhoe DredgerK A R A C H I : I n d u c t i o n C e r e m o n y o f B a c k h o e Dredger RAH KUSHA and S p l i t H o p e r B a r g e s TARSEEL-1 & 2 built for Pakistan Navy at Tianjin Shipyard, China was held at PN Dockyard, Karachi.With induction of this new dredger BD RAH KUSHA and its two hopper barges SHB TARSEEL 1 & 2, dredging capability of Pakistan Navy will enhance further.BHYD RAH KUSHA, due to i t s u n i q u e d e s i g n a n d functioning methodology, can dredge in proximity of jetties and ber ths where o ther conventional dredging means are less effective. Speaking on the occasion, the Vice Chief of Nava l S t a f f s t a t ed th a t Pakistan's sea trade routes and Maritime zones are the life lines for country's economy and need to be guarded at all costs. He said that our ports and harbor are the gateway to this economic line and the need to keep them functional at all times mandates a strong Navy. He avowed that induction of Bachkhoe Dredger RAH KUSHA fulfills an essential requirement of PN and will meet the objectives set forth for it.

/asian_telegraph/theasiantelegraph/company/theasiantelegraph.theasiantelegraph.netF

oll

ow

us

Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, attended the opening session

of the seventh edition of the AIM 2017 at Dubai World Trade Centre.

Next on Page 2

Next on Page 7

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Asian TelegraphThe

ISLAMABAD: After assuming the charge of office, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan called on Prime Minister Shahid Khan Abbasi besides civil and military leadership of the country.

Mujahid Anwar Appointed as new ACM

Next on Page 2

Incredible reasons to travel the northern areas of PakistanWhen a man tired of work and exhausted by warm nature travels towards north side of the country the paradise like scenes make him relax. The northern areas of Pakistan are heaven for those who seek adventure

Next on Page 4

Special Correspondent

Foreign Desk

Staff Reporter

March 16-22, 2018 | P02World

With the latest turn of events including Indian violation of Line of Control (LoC) and working boundary as well as the harassment of Pakistan's diplomatic staff in New Delhi, it seems that it is very hard to bring down the mounting tensions between t h e t w o s i d e s . T h e developments in the last few days have made the Foreign Minis ter, Khawaja As i f , disappointed to the point that he expects no improvement in ties with India considering New Delhi's hostile policy towards Islamabad.Showing little respect for i n t e r n a t i o n a l l a w a n d obl ig a t ions imposed on India, the forces of India have committed more than 400 ceasefire violations along LoC and Working Boundary since January. The deliberate targeting of the civi l ian population on the Pakistani side of LoC while using heavy weapons has resulted in the killing of 18 civilians so far. It seems that the violations along LoC were not enough to deteriorate the already strained relations between the two s ides, tha t the diplomatic staff of Pakistan and their families have started

facing harassment in New Delhi. Owing to the number of instances of harassment, i.e., 26 in just eight days, Pakistan has called its envoy b a c k f r o m I n d i a f o r consultation on bullying in New Delhi. India, contrary to the established norms of providing security to the d ip loma t s , h a s i gno red multiple requests made by Pakistani officials to probe i n t o t h e m a t t e r . T h e negligence makes Indian government also complicit in such despicable actions.Such an environment is not suitable for peace in the region. Instead of realizing t h a t f r i e n d l y t i e s a n d willingness to have a dialogue on the primary bone of contention between the two sides, Kashmir, the ruling party in India is attempting to avoid public accountability by blaming Pakistan for its poor g o v e r n a n c e . S u c h accusations will do nothing but will further encourage the war hyster ia among the people. A simple suggestion to India: creating war hysteria w i l l f a v o r n o o n e . Cooperation wil l benefit everyone in the region.

Pak-India Dwindling Relations

ISLAMABAD - Awami Muslim League Chief Sheikh R a s h e e d A h m a d h a s demanded the Chief Justice of Pakistan to impose a 'judicial martial law' for three months and ensure holding of free, fair and transparent elections in the country. Addressing a press conference here at the National Press Club on Wednesday, the AML chief said that any caretaker prime minister, which was not having the approval of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf would not be acceptable to them. He sa id that the consultation for appointment of caretaker set-up should not be confined only to the consultation between the Leader of Opposition and Leader of the House but other stakeholders should also be taken on board while picking the candidate for caretaker prime minister.Under the constitution, Prime

Minister and Leader of Opposi t ion in Nat ional Assembly were to decide the candidate for caretaker prime minister through mutual consultation.Terming the appointment of caretaker setups in the centre and provinces as the major issue, Sh.Rasheed Ahmad said that all stakeholders should be taken on board in the process as the candidate for caretaker PM picked by the Prime Minister and Leader of Opposition and not having t h e a p p r ova l o f o t h e r stakeholders would not be acceptable to them.Sh. Rasheed Ahmad said that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had levelled serious allegations against him but as the matter is sub judice so he would not comment on it. He further said that government had conducted audit of the projects completed during his tenure as minister several

times but could not find any irregularity.E x p r e s s i n g s e r i o u s reservations over the fresh delimitations, Sh. Rasheed Ahmad said that the Election Commission has coined a new term 'clockwise' to change the d e m o g r a p h y o f t h e constituencies' topsy-turvy. He sa id that they have recorded their concerns at appropriate forums.Commenting on the recent private visit of Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to the United States in which he had held official meetings with US Vice-President and other officials wherein as per criteria people of Foreign Ministry and Pakistan Ambassador to US were not present.To a question, Sh.Rasheed said that he would contest upcoming elections, if held from both NA 60 and 62 in a l l i a n c e w i t h Pa k i s t a n Tehreek-i-Insaf.

Sh Rasheed demands judicial martial law for three months

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. He was born in the Al Maktoum family home in Shindagha, near Dubai's famous creek.

He is the third of Sheikh R a s h i d b i n S a e e d A l Maktoum's four sons. Sheikh

Maktoum, Sheikh Hamdan and Sheikh Ahmed are his

b r o t h e r s . S h e i k h M o h a m m e d

enjoyed a happy and carefree

e a r l y childhood;

f rom an early age he was taught abou

t hunting, e spec i a l l y t h e

noble Arabian spor t of falconry. Sheikh Mohammed has always found the intensity o f t h e s p o r t a n d t h e opportunity to return to his Arab roots and distance himself from the modern world a most attract ive combination.On September 9, 1958, S h e i k h M o h a m m e d ' s grandfather, Sheikh Saeed, passed away and his father became Ruler. From October 1958, Sheikh Rashid began serious preparations for his sons' future in government. During the 1950s Sheikh Rashid had drawn the most talented individuals in the c o m m u n i t y i n t o h i s immediate circle. There were bankers, builders, merchants and intellectuals. Sheikh Mohammed grew up as part of this unique group. He grew into a valuable participant, despite his relative youth.T h a n k s t o a n a l m o s t pho tog r aph i c memor y,

S h e i k h M o h a m m e d progressed quickly through Dubai Secondary School. At the end of the 1964/1965 academic year he easily passed exams in the main strands of the school's curriculum. With this in mind, Sheikh Rashid started looking at military training options for his third son.

On February 18, 1968, Abu Dhabi Ruler Sheikh Zayed and Dubai Ruler Sheikh Rashid met a t a deser t campsite to discuss the formation of a federation between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. On November 1 , 1968, Sheikh Rashid appointed his third son as Head of Dubai Police and Public Security, Sheikh Mohammed's first p u b l i c p o s i t i o n . O n December 2, 1971, the Rulers o f Abu Dhab i , Duba i , Sharjah, Ajman and Fujairah and the Crown Prince of U m m A l Q a i w a i n , representing his father, met at Sheikh Rashid's Jumeirah Beach Palace in Dubai. There, they signed the provisional constitution that created the United Arab Emirates. In the days after December 2, Sheikh Maktoum, the new Prime Minister, appointed his brother Sheikh Mohammed as Minister of Defence and

awarded him the rank of General.Sheikh Mohammed was the youngest Minister of Defence in the world at that time. In less than 12 months, this demanding role would lead him to deal with the events of an Arab-Israel i war, an a t tempted coup in one neighbouring state and an aircraft hijacking at Dubai International Airport, all while he was attempting to construct a national Union Defence Force. The UDF made its first operational foray abroad in 1976, when S h e i k h M o h a m m e d c o m m i t t e d t r o o p s t o Lebanon as part of the Arab Deterrent Force, attempting to keep the peace in this troubled country.On the humanitarian front, Sheikh Mohammed was highly active through the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation.

On October 3, 2011, the foundation opened an appeal to establish refugee camps both inside Afghanistan and over the border in Pakistan. Sheikh Mohammed donated $5 million from personal funds to the appeal and later gave more. He also donated $5 million to the World Trade Center Victims Appeal.On January 4th, 2006, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum became the Ruler of Dubai following the death of Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum. On January 5th, the members of the Supreme Counc i l e lec ted She ikh M o h a m m e d t h e V i c e President of the UAE. On February 11th, 2006, UAE President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan nominated Sheikh M o h a m m e d a s P r i m e Minister of the UAE; the C o u n c i l a p p roved th i s nomination.

ISLAMABAD - The federal cabinet formed a committee to review the names of the people on the exit control list, according to an official statement.The cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, considered a summary for placement and deletion of names on the ECL and const i tuted a Cabinet Sub-Committee to examine the cases, the statement said.“The committee will propose the rules for the addition and removal of the names on the ECL, which will later be reviewed and approved by the f e d e r a l c a b i n e t , ” t h e statement added.The committee wi l l be chaired by Minister for Law a n d Ju s t i c e C h a u d h r y Mahmood Bashir Virk.Minister for States and Frontier Regions Abdul Qadir Baloch and Special Ass is tant to the Pr ime Minister on Law Barrister Zafarullah Khan will be part of the committee.

The interior ministry had earlier sent names of more than 600 people to the prime minister for consideration in the cabinet meeting.These people had been on the ECL since August 2016.Sources said the ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif's name could be added to the ECL, if r e c o m m e n d e d b y t h e committee. “His name may be officially placed on the ECL or otherwise [not placed] by the committee. A final decision will be taken soon,” said a participant of the meeting. Sharif and his family members are facing corruption cases filed against t h e m by t h e N a t i o n a l Accountability Bureau.The opposition parties have b e e n p r e s s i n g t h e government to stop Sharif and his family from flying abroad as they could well be convicted by the courts.The meeting ratified the dec i s ions taken by the Economic Coordination Committee of the cabinet in its meeting held on March 7.

Decisions of the Cabinet Committee for Disposal of Legislative Cases held on March 15 were also approved.The cabinet approved Deep Sea Fishing Licensing Policy 2018 and the National Food Security Policy.The federal cabinet approved transfer of three subjects, —- National College of Arts at Lahore and Rawalpindi, Pakistan chairs abroad and selection of scholars against Pakistan chairs abroad by the Special Selection Board from the Cabinet Division to M i n i s t r y o f F e d e r a l Education and Professional Training. Proposals for nomination of directors for the Board of Pak Arab R e fi n e r y L i m i t e d a n d P a k i s t a n M i n e r a l Development Corporation were also approved.T h e c a b i n e t a p p r ove d appointments of presiding o f fi c e r , S p e c i a l C o u r t (Offences in Banks-II ) Lahore, Judge Special Courts (Central-II and III) Lahore, judge Special Courts (Central) Rawalpindi, extension in deputation period of member Technical, Customs Appellate

Tribunal, Bench-II, Lahore, and signing of memorandum of understanding between China and Pakistan in the field of forestry.The meeting also approved signing of MoU for the es tab l i shment of Jo in t Commission on Economic C o o p e r a t i o n b e t w e e n Pakistan and Tanzania , signing of agreement for es tab l i shment of Jo in t C o m m i s s i o n b e t w e e n Pakistan and South Africa, s i g n i n g o f M o U o n cooperat ion in tourism between the Government of the Sri Lanka and Pakistan and signing of MoU between the Foreign Service Academy, Pakistan, and Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Institute of Sri Lanka.The signing of MoU between the Pakistan Gems and Jewel ler y Deve lopment Company and Gems and Jewel ler y Research and Training Institute of Sri Lanka was also approved.The meeting extended the contract employment of ch ie f execut ive officer P a k i s t a n I n d u s t r i a l Development Corporation.

Born on July 15, 1949

& attended the Bell School of

Languages.

Sheikh Mohammed

bin Rashid Al Maktoum

World Leader

Malik Nauman

Cabinet committee to review ECL

I S L A M A B A D : A f t e r assuming the charge of office, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan called on Prime Minister Shahid Khan Abbasi besides civil and military leadership of the country.P r o f e s s i o n a l m a t t e r s pertaining to PAF came under discussion in the meeting w i t h P r i m e M i n i s t e r A b b a s i a t P r i m e Minister's O f fi c e . T h e p r e m i e r congratulated Air Chief M a r s h a l Mujahid Anwar K h a n o n assuming his n e w

responsibilities and expressed the hope that PAF would greatly benefit from his professional capabilities and leadership.Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan thanked the prime m i n i s t e r f o r r e p o s i n g confidence in him and assured that he would perform to the best of his abilities for further

strengthening air defence of

the country.T h e a i r chief also m a d e a m a i d e n visit to the Ministr y o f De fence and called on Federal

Minister for D e f e n c e

Engineer Khurram Dastgir K h a n . T h e m i n i s t e r congratulated him on his appointment and wished him every success in taking PAF forward as a 21st century guardian of the nation's air frontiers.Khurram Dastgir and the air chief discussed the current strategic environment and security challenges facing the country. The defence minister offered his full support to the n e w A i r C h i e f o n indigenization, modernization, and advanced t r a i n ing operations of PAF.The chief of the air staff assured the minister that PAF was fully vigilant on all frontiers of the country, “PAF will Inshallah prevail against all adversaries as Pakistan's first line of defence.”Mujahid Anwar Khan also called on Chairman Joint

Chiefs of Staff Committee G e n e r a l Z u b a i r

Mahmood Hayat at Joint Staff

Headquarters ,

Rawalpindi. The cha i rman

JCSC felicitated the air chief on assumption of command of PAF.He expressed full confidence in his leadership qualities and hoped that PAF will fully achieve its mission under his able command.General Zubair Mahmood Haya t commended the professionalism a n d commitmen t o f Paki s t an Air Force in t h e a e r i a l defence a n d l a u d e d t h e i r performance in war

against terrorism.The air chief called on Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa at General Headquarters. A smartly turned out contingent of Pakistan Army presented a guard of honour to the air chief. Both of them laid floral wreath at Shuhada Monument.The army chief congratulated

t h e a i r c h i e f o n a s s u m p t i o n o f

p r e s t i g i o u s appointment and expressed his best w i s h e s f o r enhancing existing

c o o r d i n a t i o n amongst the sister services. Mujahid Anwar reiterated his resolve to maintain

synergy and work together in making

defence of Pakistan invincible.

New air chief meets Prime Minister, civil and military leadership

Chaudhry Arslan

TAT Report

Asian TelegraphThe

Jerusalem: Israel´s military admitted for the first time Wednesday it was responsible for a 2007 air raid against a suspected Syrian nuclear reactor, a strike it was long

believed to have carried out.The admission along with the release of newly declassified material related to the raid comes as Israel intensifies its warnings over the presence

of its main enemy Iran in neighbouring Syria.I s r ae l i P r ime Min i s t e r Benjamin Netanyahu has also repeatedly called for the nuclear deal between world powers and Iran to be changed or eliminated.US President Donald Trump, who met Netanyahu at the White House this month, has said that the nuclear deal must be "fixed" by May 12 or the United States will walk away.  An Israeli military spokesman decl ined to respond to questions related to the admission and the release of the documents,

including over the timing, which could be seen as a warning regarding Iran´s activities. The declassified material includes footage of the strike, video of a speech by military chief of staff Gad i E i s enko t on the operation and pictures of secret army intelligence communiques about the site.A m i l i t a r y s t a t e m e n t summarising the operation lays out the case for why Israel carried out the strike at the desert site in the Deir Ezzor region of eastern Syria on what it says was a nuclear reactor under construction.

It has long been widely assumed that Israel carried out the strike. Syria has meanwhile denied it was building a nuclear reactor."On the night between September 5th-6th, 2007, Israeli Air Force fighter jets successful ly struck and destroyed a Syrian nuclear reactor in development," the Israeli statement says.“The reactor was close to be ing comp l e t ed . T he ope ra t ion succes s fu l l y r e m ove d a n e m e r g i n g existential threat to Israel and to the entire region -- Syrian nuclear capabilities."

Israel admits 2007 Syrian ´nuclear reactor´ attack

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has expressed disappointment over non-issuance of visas by India for the visit of the 503 P a k i s t a n i Z a i r e e n t o participate in the Urs of Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti (RA) at Ajmer Sharif from 19-29 of this month.F o r e i g n O f fi c e S p o k e s p e r s o n D r Muhammad Faisal, in a statement, said that the visit was to take place under the 1 9 7 4 P a k i s t a n - I n d i a P r o t o c o l o n V i s i t s t o Religious Shrines and is a regular annual feature.F o r e i g n O f fi c e Spokesperson said such measures also undermine efforts aimed at increasing people-to-people contacts

and normalizing relations between the two countries.The Spokesperson said during last year, despite Pakistan's offer to send a special train, due to Indian delays in visa issuing, Sikh yatrees from India could not participate in the Martyrdom Anniversary of Guru Arjan D e v a n d t h e d e a t h anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.Similarly, in February this year the Government of Pak i s t an had made a l l arrangements for the visit of 173 Katas Raj Pilgrims, who, regrettably, were forced to withdraw their applications from the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.

Pakistan expresses disappointment on visa deniel to Zaireen

SEOUL: Despite President Donald Trump's planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the joint military exercise of the United States and South Korea will resume next month, said a statement.Seoul and Washington said in January they would delay the annual exercises until after the Winter Olympics and Paralympics held in South Korea last month, helping to create conditions for a resumption of talks between South and North Korea.T h e r e c l u s i v e N o r t h routinely denounces the drills as preparation for war.The Foal Eagle field exercise is scheduled to begin on April 1 and go on for a month, while the computer-simulated Key Resolve will be held for two weeks starting in mid-April, a South

Korean military official told reporters in Seoul.There has been a flurry of diplomatic activity across Asia, the United States and Europe since the North sent delegations to the Winter O l ymp i c s , move s t h a t culminated in North Korea's planned summits with the South and with the United States.The South Korean and US militaries' usually stage the two drills in March for about two months but the period of this year's field exercise was cut by half, mainly due to the Olympics, said the South Korean official, who asked not to be identified.The exercises will be of a scale similar to that of the previous years” and are meant “to improve our readiness against various North Korean threats, the

official said.North Korea is pursuing nuclear and missile programs in defiance of UN Security Council sanctions and has made no secret of its plans to develop a missile capable of reaching the US mainland.Such plans, and the exchange of insults between Kim and Trump, had led to increased fears of confrontation on the Korean peninsula in recent m o n t h s b e f o r e t h e diplomatic contacts. China, North Korea's main ally, says it is happy to see an easing of tensions.

EU parliament summons Zuckerberg after data breachBRUSSELS: The European Parliament invited Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg to speak following revelations that a firm working for D o n a l d T r u m p ' s U S p r e s i d e n t i a l c a m p a i g n harvested data on 50 million users.The parliament and the European Commission, the 28-nation EU executive, have already called for an urgent i nve s t i g a t i on i n to the scandal.“ We ' v e i n v i t e d M a r k Zuckerberg to the European Parliament,” its President Antonio Tajani tweeted.“Facebook needs to clarify before the representatives of 500 million Europeans that personal data is not being u s e d t o m a n i p u l a t e democracy.” Facebook has faced worldwide criticism o v e r t h e c l a i m s t h a t Cambridge Analytica, the UK data analysis firm hired by Trump's 2016 campaign, harvested and misused data on 50 million members.

The European Parliament's Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofs tadt , a Be lg ian former prime minister, also called on the Facebook chief to personally answer the criticisms.“When is Mark Zuckerberg g o ing to exp la in what happened with our data? The data breach is an absolute s c a n d a l , ” t w e e t e d Verhofstadt, who heads the parliament's liberal group.The EU parliament's civil liberties committee sent a letter to Facebook asking it to testify before the body, s a i d a p a r l i a m e n t a r y s p o ke s p e r s o n . B r i t i s h lawmakers on Monday also asked Zuckerberg to give e v i d e n c e t o a U K parliamentary committee on the data row. EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova, who has called the breach “horrifying”, was seeking to meet with Facebook during he r v i s i t th i s week to Washington.

US, Korea military exercises to resume next month

WA S H I N G T O N : U S President Donald Trump replaced his embatt led national security advisor HR McMaster with hardline Fox News pundit and former UN ambassador John Bolton on Thursday."I am pleased to announce that , effect ive 4/9/18, @AmbJohnBolton will be my new National Security Advisor," Trump said in a tweet."I am very thankful for the service of General H.R. McMaster who has done an outstanding job & will always remain my friend. There will b e a n o f fi c i a l c o n t a c t handover on 4/9."

McMaster had been expected to leave later this year, but B o l t o n ´ s n o m i n a t i o n shocked Washington. A vocal advocate of the Iraq war, he has also advocated preemptive strikes against North Korea and war with Iran. His appointment had been fiercely opposed by many within Trump´s inner circle, most notably the coterie of military officers who have experienced the brutality of war first hand. McMaster, a three star army general, had been expected to move out of the White House and into a four star position. Instead he will retire from public life.

“After thirty-four years of service to our nation, I am requesting retirement from the US Army effective this summer after which I will leave public service," he said in a statement.“Throughout my career it has been my greatest privilege to s e r v e a l o n g s i d e e x t r a o r d i n a r y s e r v i c e members and dedicated civilians." His departure comes as Trump faces a high stakes meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and weighs the future of a deal to curb Iran´s nuclear weapons, which now appears to be in grave peril.

Trump names Bolton as NS advisor

MOSCOW: US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are eager to better the ties of the two countries and discussed holding a possible summit.T h e A m e r i c a n l e a d e r congratulated the Russian President on his re-election. “I had a call with President Putin and congratulated him on his electoral victory,” Trump said, two days Putin's re-election.“The call had to do also with the fact that we will probably get together in a not too distant future,” he added.The two leaders also stressed the importance of joint efforts to limit an arms race a n d b o o s t e c o n o m i c cooperation, the Kremlin said in a statement, after a Russian spy attack row with Britain plunged relations with

the West into a new crisis.They spoke after Washington slapped a new round of sanctions against Moscow designed to punish Russians responsible for attempts to i n t e r f e r e i n t h e 2 0 1 6 presidential elections.Russia is also facing huge pressure from Britain and its allies to explain how its former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter were poisoned on British soil with a nerve agent the UK says is Soviet-designed. Moscow has denied being involved.The Kremlin also said Trump had congratulated Putin. “Special attention has been paid to working out the issue of holding a possible meeting at the highest level,” it said in a statement.“ T h e i m p o r t a n c e w a s stressed of coordinating joint efforts to limit an arms race,”

it said, adding that the two leaders discussed boosting economic cooperation.They also discussed the crises i n U k r a i n e a n d S y r i a , stressing the importance of securing progress as soon as possible, the Kremlin said.P y o n g y a n g ' s n u c l e a r program was also on the agenda as Trump pushes forward with plans for a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

“Sa t i s f ac t ion has been expressed with a certain decrease in tensions around the Korean peninsula,” the Kremlin said.“The leaders spoke out in f a v o u r o f d e v e l o p i n g practical cooperation in various spheres including the issues of ensuring strategic stability and the fight against international terrorism,” the statement added.

Putin, Trump want better ties, planning summit

Ukraine Children's

kick off next monthFashionfair to fair to fair to FashionKIEV: Ukraine's Children Fashion Fair is a three-day event held biennially at the International Exhibition Centre in Kiev, Ukraine.This year the event will open on April 3 and last till April 6. The event is likely to attract more than 5000 participants.Baby Fashion Fair Kiev was the original idea that brought about the idea of Children's

Fashion Fair. The first fair that celebrated children accessories and apparels eventually laid the grounds for a fair that brings together latest fashion trends and styles for children. The fair includes Children products, children fashion and children market.

“

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PARIS - French ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy was detained for questioning on Tuesday over allegations the late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi financed his 2007 election campaign, including with suitcases stuffed with cash, a source close to the inquiry told AFP. Sarkozy, 63, was taken into police custody early Tuesday morning and was being questioned by officers spec ia l i s ing in c o r r u p t i o n , m o n e y

laundering and tax evasion at their office in the western Parisian suburb of Nanterre.AFP’s source said that Brice Hortefeux, a close ally who served as a senior minister during Sarkozy’s presidency, was also questioned Tuesday as part of the inquiry.The case is France’s most explosive political financing scandal and one of several l eg a l probes that have d o g g e d t h e r i g h t w i n g politician since he left office

after one term in 2012. Since 2 0 1 3 , i n v e s t i g a t i n g mag i s t r a t e s have been probing media reports, as we l l a s s t a t e m e n t s by Kadhafi’s son Seif al-Islam, that claimed funds were provided for Sarkozy’s run at the presidency.“Sarkozy must first give back the money he took from Libya to finance his electoral campaign,” Seif told the Euronews network in 2011 as NATO-backed forces were

driving his father out of power.Sarkozy has dismissed the allegations as the rantings of vindictive Libyan regime members who were furious ove r Fr ance ’s m i l i t a r y intervention in Libya that helped end Kadhafi’s 41-year rule and led to his death.He has also sued Mediapart, which has led media coverage of the Libyan allegations since 2012 when it published a document allegedly signed

by Libya’s intelligence chief showing that Kadhafi had agreed to fund Sarkozy to the tune of 50 million euros ($62 million).The case drew heightened scrutiny in November 2016 when a Franco-Lebanese bu s i n e s sman admi t t ed delivering three cash-stuffed suitcases from the Libyan leader in 2006 and 2007 as con t r i bu t i on s towa rd s Sarkozy’s first presidential run.

French ex-president Sarkozy held in Libya financing probeForeign Desk

Tariq Jamal

Cyrus Nigel Alvin

Asian TelegraphThe

P03 | March 16-22, 2018

Global

Incredible Incredible reasons to reasons to

travel travel the northern the northern

areas of areas of PakistanPakistan

Incredible reasons to

travel the northern

areas of Pakistan

When a man tired of work and exhausted by war m nature travels towards north side of

t h e c o u n t r y t h e p a r a d i s e l i k e

s c e n e s m a k e

him relax.The northern areas of Pakistan are heaven for those who seek adventure and want to relax after hectic work. From the highest mountains of the wor ld , to lush g reen

valleys and pristine l a k e s , t h e

n o r t h has it

all.Let's take a tour of the Northern Areas.Northern Pakistan has been blessed with some of the most beautiful lakes that one could ever i m a g i n e . L a k e s l i k e Karomber lake, Chitta Katha lake and Saral lake. A series of heavenly lakes from Kaghan and the Neelum valleys. Some are very easily accessible,

Saiful Malook lake, for example,

makes one of the most tranquil camping sites – but others, l ike Rush Lake, require strenuous multi-day trekking.C h i t t a K a t h a l a k e , S h o u n t e r v a l l e y , Kashmir, Ratti Gali lake, Neelum valley, Kashmir, K a r o m b e r l a k e , I s h k o m a n , G i l g i t Ba l t i s tan , Sara l l ake, N e e l u m v a l l e y , Kashmir, Fairy lake of Sat S a r

M a l a l a ke s s e r i e s i n Kaghan valley, Shandur lake, Chitral. People have to travel towards north of the country particularly during hot weather to have heavenly solace and relax in cool and cold lap of mother nature.

Travel

Pakistan's culture is enrich in traditions and represents history of this region. Pakistani people and society is unique in its way of life, thoughts and morals. The inhabitants of each province have diverse cultural values which make them different from other groups of the society.Our Culture:Pakistan has a rich and unique culture that upholds traditions and conventions. Pakistani culture is rich in variety of dresses; these dresses are very colorful and prominent and give attractive look during national fairs and festivalsFairs and Festivals:The culture of Pakistan has great tradition of fairs and festivals. These fairs are held in all parts of the country, Polo festival of Gilgit is prominent at national and international level.Sports:Pakistani people are great lovers

of sports and games. Modern games like hockey, cricket, football, badminton, squash, table tennis and lawn tennis are played throughout the country. Pakistan has produced great sportsmen in the past.Handicrafts:Pakistan enjoys great distinction in handicrafts at international level. Wooden furniture of Chiniot, sports goods of Sialkot and embroidery of Multan and Hyderabad is world famous.Language:Pakistan has a burgeoning tourism industry, due to the smorgasbord of cultures, peoples and landscapes it has to offer. Ancient civilization ruins of Mohenjodaro, Harappa and Taxila, to the hill stations of Murree, and the hiking tracks of Shogran and Siri Paaye, all have something to offer to each type of traveler. The northern parts of Pakistan have many old fortresses

and towers. The Gilgit, Hunza a n d C h i t r a l v a l l e y s a r e exceptionally beautiful sights to behold, along with the people here with typical costumes, folk dances, music and sports like polo and buzkashi.Music:Pakistani music is represented by a wide variety of forms. It ranges from traditional styles such as Qawwali and Ghazal to more modern for ms that b lend traditional Pakistani music with Western musicTourism:Pakistan has a burgeoning tourism industry, due to the smorgasbord of cultures, peoples and landscapes it has to offer. Ancient civilization ruins of Mohenjodaro, Harappa and Taxila, to the hill stations of Murree, and the hiking tracks of Shogran and Siri Paaye, all have something to offer to each type of traveler. The northern parts of Pakistan have many old fortresses and towers. The Gilgit, Hunza a n d C h i t r a l v a l l e y s a r e exceptionally beautiful sights to behold, along with the people here with typical costumes, folk dances, music and sports like polo and buzkashi.

Rich of Pakistan

Culture Food Corner

Recipe Servings: 4, Prep Time: 15 Minutes, Cook Time: 01 Hour, Total Cook Time: 01 Hour 15 Minutes, Difficulty Level: MediumNihari is a slow-cooked mutton curry. The word Nihar originates from the Arabic word 'Nahar' which means 'day'. It was served to the kings after the morning prayers.Ingredients 1 cup baby lamb with bones, 1 tsp mace, 1 bay leaf, 2 pods green cardamom, 1 tsp c l o v e s , 1 p o d b l a c k cardamom, 2 tsp fresh garlic, 1 tsp fresh ginger, 1 tsp garam masala, 1 Tbsp coriander powder, 1 tsp yellow chilli powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 Tbsp fried onions, 1/2 cup curd, Salt to taste, 1 Tbsp ghee, 1 cup lamb stock, 1 tsp g ram Flour (besan), Kewda water, 1 tsp screw pine essence.How to Make Nalli Nihari

1.In a heavy bottomed pot boil lamb and remove the unwanted parts.2.In a hot pan, add some ghee, whole garam masala and ginger garlic paste; stir till the paste is cooked. Add some fried onions.3.Put turmeric powder, cumin powder, yellow chilli powder and coriander powder.4.Saute with the boiled lamb. Add lamb stock to it and let it cook for some time till the lamb gets tender.5.Add nicely whisked curd and add diluted gram flour to the gravy. Season with salt.

Nalli Nihari

Chaudhry Arslan

Cultural Desk

Asian TelegraphThe

March 16-22, 2018 | P04

Affairs

A b l u e b o a r d p o i n t e d towards a small trail heading into the jungle. In front of me was a majestic lake, the lifeline of Kallar Kahar. This small town lies on the banks of the river Jhelum, within the embrace of the salt range. It has been a tourist destination for a long time b u t i t s p o p u l a r i t y h a s increased immensely since the construction of the Motorway.T he en t i r e r e g ion i s a t r e a s u r e t r o v e f o r archaeologists and students of ancient history. Not far from here is the ancient Shiva temple of Katas Raj. A little further east is the fort of Nandana. North of Katas Raj, located on top of a

mound, is the complex of Tilla Jogian, a vast area with a pool at the centre and several smadhs around it. Since time immemorial, this has been the most important religious p i lg r image for Jog i s in Punjab, abandoned at the time of Partition.I walked on the small trail, f o l l o w i n g t h e b o a r d , climbing the gentle slope of the mountain. Then, almost abruptly, the trail ended and the Takht-e-Babri was in front of us. A small black monument made of rocks, it w a s a n u n i m p r e s s i v e s t r uc tu re – a s t a i r c a se cu lm ina t ing i n a sma l l platform.A board next to it read that Babur, the founder of the

M u g h a l E m p i r e , h a d constructed a garden here that he called Bagh-i-Safa, and in the middle of the g arden th is throne was constructed. Standing on it, Babur addressed his forces, the board mentioned. The

garden had been taken over by the jungle.Perhaps my disappointment at looking at the monument came from my heightened expectations. Babur, in his wonderful autobiography, wrote about the Takht-e-

Babri. It was the first Mughal c o n s t r u c t i o n i n I n d i a . Having grown up in Lahore, I had always been just a few k i l o m e t r e s a w a y f r o m s p l e n d i d M u g h a l architecture.As children, we had returned to the i con ic Badshah i Masjid several times for our school trips. Standing on the edge of the walled city, overlooking the Lahore Fort, the smadh of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the Minar-e-Pakistan, the mosque, summoned by Emperor Aurangzeb and constructed on the model of the Jama Masjid in Delhi, has become a symbol of the city.About a kilometre from here, d e e p i n s i d e t h e D e l h i

Darwaza of the walled city of Lahore, is the Wazir Khan Mosque, one of the most beaut i fu l spec imens of Mughal architecture in all of South Asia.At the entrance of the mosque, on the roof, are honey-combed structures called muqarnas. Distinct to Islamic architecture, these structures are a product of c o m p l e x m a t h e m a t i c a l formulas, highlighting how scientific progress goes hand i n h a n d w i t h a r t i s t i c development.U n c o n s c i o u s l y, I h a d expected the Takht-e-Babri to be a grand structure at par w i th these magn ificen t buildings I had grown up visiting and falling in love

with. This was the throne of Babur, the first Mughal king, the founder of the Mughal Empire.In depth: Lahore's iconic mosque stood witness to two historic moments where t o l e r a n c e g ave way t o brutalityBut it was nothing like what I had expected it to be. The first Mughal structure in Ind i a wa s j u s t a sma l l platform with a grand name.It was the construction of a king on the run, in search of an empire, not an emperor whose family had been at the p innac l e o f power fo r generations, controlling the destiny of millions, with unlimited wealth.

Takht-e-Babri: First Mughal construction in subcontinent, but only a name

LONDON: Doctors treating former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's wife, Kulsoom, noted on Tuesday the reappearance of tumour nodes. Kulsoom has been undergoing chemotherapy in London after b e i n g d i a g n o s e d w i t h lymphoma — a cancer of the lymph nodes in the middle of last year.She underwent a total of six chemotherapy sessions and three surgeries during the last seven months.After a series of scans last week, doctors detected the resurgence of the tumour and a team of doctors will now decide on

further surgery along with strong radiotherapy treatment.The former premier's wife was diagnosed with the disease by British doctors on August 22, 2017. Kulsoom had left for London unexpectedly on August 17 for a medical checkup — on the day when her nomination papers for the NA-120 constituency were accepted amid much political hype. During Kulsoom's absence, Maryam Nawaz spearheaded her mother 's by-e lect ion campaign and led it to victory. However, Kulsoom has since not returned to Pakistan owing to her illness.

The NA-120 seat had fallen vacant after the Supreme Court on July 28, 2017, disqualified Nawaz in the Panama Papers

case over charges of concealing his salary from his son's Dubai-based company that he claims he never received.

Kulsoom Nawaz's doctors note reappearance of lymph nodes

ISLAMABAD: Pres ident Mamnoon Hussain conferred Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military) o n A i r C h i e f M a r s h a l Mujahid Anwar Khan, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force during an investiture ceremony held at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Wednesday.Federal Minister for Defence E n g r . K h u r r a m D a s t g i r Khan; Federal Minister for Defence Production Rana Tanv i r Hussa in ; Federa l Minister for SAFRON Lt Gen Abdul Qadir Baloch (Retd); General Zubair Mahmood

Hayat, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee; Admiral Z a f a r Ma h m o o d A b b a s i Chief of Naval Staff; senior officers of the armed forces and high ranking civil and military officials attended the c o v e t e d i n v e s t i t u r e ceremony.Later, during a meeting with the air chief, President of Pakistan congratulated him o n a s s u m p t i o n o f t h e command of Pakistan Air Force and expressed his best wishes for his successful tenure.

President confers Nishan-e-Imtiaz (M) on Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar

Malik Nauman

Naveed Hussain

P05 | March 16-22, 2018 Asian TelegraphThe

Honor Killing – A Bitter RealityBesides other social issues Pakistan is facing worst of Honor Killing, homicide against women, that has increased tremendously over the last 2 decades both on national and international level; and it tends to increase even more in the foreseeable future. To kill an innocent woman for simply forbidding her family's wishes is nothing short of cold-blooded murder. There is no legitimate Islamic religious authority who can argue otherwise.In the month of June, several wrenching stories of 'honor killing' were reported from various parts of Pakistan. The vict ims include working women, adult female students, and of course 'free-will ' marriages cases.Mother of three was killed by her brother-in-law who later killed her alleged lover in the n a m e o f ' h o n o r ' i n Nawabshah's Bandhi Town in the start of June.According to a recent report revealed on 9th June by the media revealed that a girl between the age of 16 and 17 was shot three times, allegedly by her cousin, in the Nilore village.

I am still wondering that was it a 'hate crime' or a so-called act of 'bravery'? According to the father of that girl, they had decided to marry her off to a man much older than her seven months ago, but the victim left home with a boy from a local community. This eventually led towards the honor-killing of that girl who for once tried to consider her choices important as well.Honor killing is a menace still prevalent in many parts of Pakistan. However, due to improved education system especially in Punjab and Sindh, the mindset of people has been changed a bit; yet the level of freedom and rights for woman are not up to the mark.Recently, a case was reported from KPK where a man was shot dead allegedly by his wife who accused him of raping their daughter-in-law in the absence o f her so ld i e r husband, in what local media described as a “rare incident of honor killing”. The man reportedly had been assaulting his daughter-in-law for the past three months.“I decided to kill him when he refused to give up his evil practice,” said Begum – the

wo m a n w h o k i l l e d h e r husband.However, there are several other cases which are not reported due to the silence and fear of shame among society.In October last year, after a controversial rise in honor killing within and outside families like Qandeel Baloch, Tasleem being killed by their brothers claiming that “Girls are born to be at home and follow the traditions only”, Government of Pakistan passed a law against honor killings.Now, according to that law, a killer will have to face 25 years of imprisonment, and also DNA test will be practiced to determine the intensity of suffering the victim has gone

through and the amount of imprisonment the rapist should receive. However, it is yet to be examined that on which scale this law will get implemented.Almost a year had passed and still a number of women continue to get killed in Pakistan in the name of 'honor'.Still, there is a dire need to understand the changes taking place in our society in the form of girl's education, working women and even free-will marriages.For this, the most important role is that of the media and the more liberal right-wing groups in society. We can hope that they can mutually change the minds of extremists – found in different parts of Pakistan.

Hundreds of women killed for honor killing karo-kari are buried in an isolated graveyard in Ghotki.The unattended cemetery is 150 kilometers away from the city. Left unattended, the area does not look like a graveyard. The graves have no bear mark o f i d e n t i fi c a t i o n w h i l e scorching sand and thorny bushes cover the space. Residents never visit the area – it is 'shameful' to frequent the graves of women killed in the name of 'honour'.Residents say women would be killed after being declared 'kari'. There would be no

funeral and the victims would be buried without a shroud and final bath.B a d a l M a l i k , a n H RC P represen ta t ive , s ays the practice of burying 'kari' women in this graveyard has stopped. “But karo-kari has not stopped. The law is there b u t t h e r e i s n o implementation.”Zarqa Shar, a women rights activist, says there are three such graveyards. According to her, the presence of these graveyards serves the purpose of instilling fear in women's hearts.“If a woman raised her voice,

did something for herself or refused to do something against her will, she would be declared kari and killed,” she says. “They are still killing women by declaring them kari but are now burying them in the common g raveyards instead of the separate ones.”Shar says police are complicit in such crimes. “They would say she died a natural death or committed suicide,” she says. “Sardars get involved as they do not want the custom of karo-kari to end. How will their sardari system continue if karo-kari ceases to exist?”

Honour Killing victims

Economy

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) s igned an agreement for a $140-million l o a n t o i m p r ove r o a d network and enhance road safety and maintenance in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP).The agreement was signed by Economic Affairs Division Secretary In-charge Syed Ghazanfar Abbas Jilani and ADB Country Director Xiaohong Yang. It was inked three months after approval from the ADB board of directors.The KP Provincial Roads Improvement Project will rehabilitate eight key road sections with total length of 214 kilometres with higher road safety and climate resilience standards to ensure uninterrupted flow of people a n d g o o d s w i t h i n t h e province, according to a

statement issued by the local office of the Manila-based lending agency.The $164-million project, in which the government of Pakistan will contribute $24 million, is expected to be completed by the end of 2022. This is for the first time that the provincial road project will implement two pilot performance-based ma in tenance cont rac t s covering about 104km of roads, said the ADB.Under the contracts for maintenance and operations of road assets, the role of a contractor is changed from a project executor to a road asset manager. This will strengthen the role of the p r o v i n c i a l h i g h w a y s department.Pakhtunkhwa Highways Authority (PKHA) intends to rehabilitate part of its

highway network under this project to improve the performance of roads and achieve higher service levels in the province. With the rehabilitation of these roads, the overall maintenance cost will go down significantly.Owing to the proposed interventions, these 214km of roads will require only periodic maintenance after fi v e t o s i x y e a r s a n d resultantly the maintenance burden on the provincial road authority will come down in forthcoming years.The rehabilitation of these roads, in accordance with the proposed program, will not only enhance their capacity, bu t w i l l a l so resu l t in improved service delivery, it added. Speaking on the occasion, Jilani appreciated

the ADB's suppor t for improving infrastructure and urban services in Pakistan. He re i t e ra ted tha t the government of Pakistan is committed to improving regional connectivity by i m p r o v i n g p h y s i c a l infrastructure and economic activities.Provincial roads of K-P will enhance economic mobility o f the Ch ina -Pak i s t an Economic Corridor (CPEC) as well as Central Asia R e g i o n a l E c o n o m i c Cooperation Corridor, he added.The project initially covered 11 roads with an estimated length of 305km, but after preparing the design, the l ength was reduced to 293.6km. Three roads with total length of 85.5km were

later excluded from the list for economic and financial reasons.The roads that wi l l be improved include the Shah Alam-Sardaryab section covering 11.77km, Khair Abad-Kahi (Nizampur) s e c t i o n o f 2 3 . 1 4 k m , U m e r z a i - H a r i c h a n d -Shergarh section of 29km, Risalpur to Jehangira via Pir Sabaq-Misri Banda with link to Akora Kha t t ak and Mardan Ring Road v ia Motorway Wali Interchange covering 37km, Jhandai-Sang-e-Mar mar sect ion (Mardan) of 33.4km, Adina-Yar Hussain-Lahore Road covering 24.37km, Haripur-Hattar-Taxila section of 22km and Maqsood-Kohala section of 33.5km.

ADB agrees to give

for improving KP roads

140 million

ISLAMABAD: A delegation o f e x p e r t s o f J a p a n International Cooperation Agency (JICA) working for v a r i o u s g o v e r n m e n t organizations in Pakistan visited Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry to discuss refor ms in key sectors of the economy. Yuko Tanaka JICA Export for Board of Investment, Mei Saito JICA Expert for T r a d e D e v e l o p m e n t Author i ty of Pak is tan , Shun ich i Uch ida J ICA Expert for Engineering Development Board and Hiroko Hayashi of Asia Engineering Consultant Co Ltd were in the delegation. The delegation members said that they were working as JICA Expert for BoI, TDAP and EDB in Pakistan and they wanted to get the input of private sector for further reforms in the key sectors of the economy. They said they were working for developing an investment guidebook for Pakistan in order to lure more local and foreign investment

in the country. They said that the suggestions of business community would be given d u e c o n s i d e r a t i o n f o r mark ing them pa r t o f investment guidebook. They said they wanted automation of Pakistan's industry so that i t could achieve better g rowth . They sa id the Japanese companies needed easy access to Pakistani market that would further strengthen bilateral business relations between the two c o u n t r i e s . B o t h s i d e s discussed to organize a seminar at ICCI to highlight the poten t i a l a reas o f c o o p e r a t i o n b e t w e e n Pakistan and Japan. The delegation assured to make suggestions and input of business community part of their recommendations for e c o n o m i c r e f o r m s i n Pakistan. Speaking at the occasion, S h e i k h A m i r Wa h e e d , P r e s i d e n t , I s l a m a b a d Chamber of Commerce & Industry said that TDAP should prepare feasibility

studies on trade/exports promotion with various countries and upload on its websites so that private sector could take benefit of them for promoting trade a n d e x p o r t s . H e s a i d government should provide more funds to Pakistani Commercial Counsellors in foreign countries so that they could cooperate with private sector in identifying new m a r ke t s f o r Pa k i s t a n i products. He said that to improve gender par i ty, government should offer special incentives to women

entrepreneurs for their economic empowerment and bringing them in the mainstream of economy. He said TDAP should focus on p r o m o t i n g t r a d e w i t h regional countr ies that offered great potential for exports. He said BoI should come up with attractive policies and incentives for foreign investors to bring more FDI in the country that w o u l d h e l p i n industrialization, improve e x p o r t s a n d r e d u c e dependence on foreign borrowing. He said EDB

s h o u l d f o c u s o n strengthening engineering industry to promote exports of engineering goods that had great demand in the world.Muhammad Naveed, Senior Vice President ICCI said that instead of making Pakistan a trading hub, government s h o u l d f o c u s o n industrialization. He said FTAs signed with various countries should also be revised as these FTAs have not fully benefited the private sector in promoting trade.

KARACHI (NNI): The quarterly performance review (QPR) of the banking sector for the quarter ended 31st December, 2017 has been r e l e a s e d b y S B P. A s highlighted in the report, improving asset quality, stable liquidity, robust solvency and slow pick-up in private sector a d v a n c e s a r e t h e k e y developments during the 4th quarter of CY17. As per trend, asset base of the banking sector has expanded by 4.5pc in Q4CY17. The promising demand from textile and cement sectors h a v e i m p r o v e d g r o s s advances (domestic) to private sector (by 7.3pc QoQ and 16.4pc YoY), despite

retirements in chemical and pharmaceuticals. Banks have mostly invested in short-term MTBs while investments in P I B s a n d S u k u k h ave declined. Moderate growth in deposits and higher inter-bank bor rowings have supported the funding needs of the banks. Besides steady performance, the risk profile of the banking sector has remained satisfactory amid moderation in profitability. Asset quality has improved as the NPLs to gross loans (infection) ratio, recorded at 8.4 percent as of end Dec 2017, has touched the lowest level in a decade.

LAHORE (Staff Reporter): General Tech, the brand of the Green Square Private Limited, has been rolled out in the consumer market of Lahore as its second display centre after Karachi was inaugurated at the Abid Market, a leading electronics market in town. The brand, which has got recognition in the international market, is making inroads in Pakistan successfully. The consumers in the provincial capital will be

able to find choices in the electronics and gas appliances manufactured by General Tech and Italy based Techno Gas under one roof. Chief Executive General Tech Khawar Hussain and special representative of Techno Gas M a r s a i l o G a m b i n a inaugurated the display centre. Also present on the occasion were famous chef and brand ambassador Zakir Qureshi and dealers of brand.

ISLAMABAD (PR): ACCA Pakistan hosted the (PLC) 2018 in I s l amabad on Wednesday. This will be followed by events in Karachi and Lahore on March 22 and 27 respectively. Pakistan Leadership Conversation is a critical forum for thought leaders to discuss important policy issues and in turn develop an actionable agenda to drive economic growth. This year the conversations in Islamabad were held around the theme, 'Collective vision for an Emerging Pakistan' and these conversations are aimed to shape the future of the society and economy in P a k i s t a n . Tw o p a n e l discussions were conducted

in Is lamabad. Panel ists /conversation leaders were representatives from leading organisations in Pakistan with k e e n i n t e r e s t i n t h e development agenda of the c o u n t r y. T h e ke y n o t e speakers included Naeem Zamindar, minister of state & c h a i r m a n B o a r d o f Investment, who was also the g u e s t o f h o n o u r . Unquestionable economic c e r t a i n t i e s a r e b e i n g challenged and what people value is changing. This was f o l l o w e d b y a p a n e l discussion and the panelists included Aniqa Sandhu, VP Digital & Financial Services, Jazz, Nadeem A.

I S L A M A B A D ( N N I ) : Pak i s t an Ra i lway s h a s r e p l a c e d a r o u n d 1 9 9 kilometres tracks during the last year on various sections of railway network in the country for smooth operation of trains. "The railway tracks on the network are being replaced under var ious PSDP projects," official sources in the Ministry of Railways told state-run media. They said that Pakistan Railways has also finalised a r r a n g e m e n t s f o r t h e upgradation and construction o f m o r e t h a n 5 0 , 0 0 0 kilometres of tracks across

the country on build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis. In this regard, the railways m i n i s t r y h a s i n v i t e d Expressions of Interest (EoI) for the pre-qualification of contractors, after which 10 companies were selected through a bidding process, they added. They said that r e h a b i l i t a t i o n a n d improvement of existing tracks would also be carried out to achieve higher speeds of up to 160 km per hour for which feasibility studies of some of the sections were being conducted.

JICA Experts visit ICCI to discuss economic reforms with private sector

General Tech opens display centre

ACCA hosts Leadership Conversation

PR replaced 199km tracks last year

SBP releases QPR of banking sector

The WTO's latest World Trade Outlook Indicator (WTOI), released on 12 February, suggests that the trade recovery of 2017 should continue, with solid trade volume growth in the first quarter of 2018.The WTOI's current value of 102.3 is little changed from the 102.2 recorded last November, indicat ing steady merchandise trade volume growth. Strong results for air freight, container shipping and export orders in particular suggest that, while the trade recovery may moderate in due course, it will likely continue in the coming months and remain above trend.Component indices of the WTOI are mostly favourable. Container port throughput (104.3) and air freight (103.2) are firmly above trend, indicating strong current shipments of goods. Meanwhile,

export orders (102.8) have reached their highest level since 2011, pointing to sustained recovery. Weaker results are

observed for automotive products (101.0), agricultural raw materials (100.8) and electronic components (94.1), which

could indicate a weakening of consumer sentiment.Wor ld Trade Out look Ind ica to r

February 2018Overall, these results are somewhat stronger than the WTO's most recent trade forecast issued on 21 September 2017, which forecast merchandise trade volume growth of 3.6% for 2017 and 3.2% in 2018. The next WTO trade forecast update is anticipated in early April.Designed to provide “real t ime” information on the trajectory of world trade relative to recent trends, the WTOI is not intended as a short-term forecast, although it does provide an indication of trade growth in the near future. Its main contribution is to identify turning points and gauge momentum in global trade growth. As such, it complements trade statistics and forecasts from the WTO and other organizations.

Trade growth to sustain momentum in first quarter of 2018

Naveed Hussain

Malik Ikhtiar�Ud�Din

Chaudhry Arslan

Asian TelegraphThe

March 16-22, 2018 | P06

Mirwais Azizi has a story far more than a chronological history of how he started the bus iness. The s tor y of Mirwais Azizi is above all an exemplary story of success t h r o u g h e n t r e p r e n e u r innova t ion , des ign and operational excellence. The founder is narrating his story in his own words.Mirwais AZIZI My name is

Mirwais and my father's name is Abdul Aziz. But p u b l i c l y a n d i n m a n y countries, people know me by my family name, Azizi. I was born in 1962 in Kabul, Afghanistan where I started my education journey at the age of five and went on to study law.After graduating from law school, I began working at a

law firm in Afghanistan from the mid-80s unti l 1988. During this time, a war in Afghanistan was happening and just like any father and family man, I made a decision to leave the countr y to protect the l ives of my family.I made the decision to move to Uzbek i s tan wi th my family, leaving my home country with only USD 700 in my pocket. After arriving in Uzbekistan with only USD 500 remaining, I met with a friend, a fellow Afghan and businessman who I asked to lend me USD 5,000 in order to immigrate to Europe with my f ami l y. As a young ambitious entrepreneur and businessman, I was always l o o k i n g f o r n e w oppor tunit ies, and so I ventured into the tobacco business in Bulgaria. It was

the first of its kind in the country during the Soviet Union – a time when many countries smoked Bulgarian-made cigarettes, and soon a f t e rward I became an importer. In 1994, one of my employees came to my office with a proposal to import two popular cigarette brands c a l l e d “ W i n s t o n ” a n d “Magna”. One week later I arrived in the UAE and saw Dubai and Sharjah for the first time. It was during this trip that my mind was opened up to the p o s s i b i l i t i e s t h e UA E presented, including a good e d u c a t i o n s y s t e m , healthcare, and security. This led to my decision to relocate my business and my family to the UAE and set up a home and send my children to school here.In 2006, Azizi Bank was

established. The bank is now the largest and strongest c o m m e r c i a l fi n a n c i a l institution in Afghanistan. Following this, Azizi Group acquired Al Bakhtar Bank which has become one of the fastest growing banks in Afghanistan. In 2007, Azizi D e v e l o p m e n t s w a s established in Dubai when I purchased our first land in the city. My motivation was to make something in a city that had given so much to my family and I. During the years I have been running my businesses, I was travelling frequent ly and couldn' t always be with my children, but not once did I feel a need to worry about my children being in the UAE on their own. Dubai has given my family a peaceful life and I wanted to make something for this city that my children

and grandchildren would be proud of.In 2008, we started selling off-plan properties in Dubai. Once we had sold around AED 1 billion, the global financial crisis started. The majority of buyers could not continue payments and all of them were handed back their deposits except for one client who until today we have not been able to reach. In 2013, we resumed the construction of existing projects and in doing so have

become very successful. Today, we are working harder t h a n e v e r b e f o r e a n d developing properties in many locations across Dubai, a place that unites all people. Those who live here feel safe, and this is an organic result of the wise and visionary leadership of the UAE which Azizi Developments will always remain committed to by supporting its leader's vision to put the city in the league of the best in the world.

Finance

ISLAMABAD - The sale of Locally Assembled Vehicles (LAV) and Light Commercial Ve h i c l e s ( L C V s ) h a s w i tnes sed 15 pe r cen t increase in February this year as compared to same month last year.Local auto manufacturers have sold a total of 22,654 units in February this year as compared to the 19,686 units that were sold in February last year. This increase may be attributed to strict import policy that government implemented to decrease trade deficit and imports.

The statistics issued by P a k i s t a n A u t o m o t i v e Manufacturers Association (PAMA) revealed that sales of LCVs increased by 41 per c e n t y e a r - o n - y e a r f o r February 2018 as 3,627 units o f LCVs were so ld in Fe b r u a r y t h i s y e a r a s compared to 2,467 units in February 2017. Hilux sales increased by 33 per cent as well to reach record sales numbers.Pak Suzuki saw most sales among top three automobile giants in Pakistan. This growth is mainly because of

increased sales of Suzuki M e h r a n a n d r e c e n t l y upgraded Suzuki WagonR.Suzuki sold 1,000 more units of Mehran in February 2018 as compared to February 2017. The Company sold 447 more units of Wagon-R year-on -yea r fo r month o f February. Suzuki posted a year-on-year overall increase of 25 per cent in its sales.Honda posted some decent p rofi t s a s we l l due to

increasing popularity of BR-V model and Honda City sedan. Honda sold 661 more units of its BR-V model in last month as compared to February 2017.Overall, Honda Atlas saw an increase of 20 per cent in its s a l e s o v e r m o n t h o f February as compared to last year in same month.Toyota took a hit as its sales decreased in February as compared to las t year.

Overall auto sales of Toyota are expected to increase in upcoming days.The sale of tractors also went up to touch 6,454 units in February 2018. Last year, during same month, 4,647 units of tractors were sold. The major contributor to sales of tractors is reduced General Sales Tax on tractors which decreased to 5 per cent.

Country witness rise in

LAV, LCV sale

ISLAMABAD: A delegation of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Indus t r y (ICCI) led by its President Sheikh Amir Waheed called on Aftab Akbar Durrani.S h e i k h A m i r Wa h e e d , President ICCI apprised the Chief Commissioner ICT of the key issues of business community. He said that business community of Islamabad was receiving notices for trade license from

D i r e c t o r M u n i c i p a l Administration CDA and I s l a m a b a d M a r k e t Committee which was not justified. He said there should be one regulator for trade license to save business community from problems. He said Islamabad Market Committee has imposed taxes on business community without consultation with stakeholders and without d e t e r m in in g a n y l e g a l

method for tax enforcement. He said property value in Islamabad was assessed at FBR rate and maximum value of stamp paper was Rs 24,000 due to which large number of stamp papers were required for registration of property in case of sale/purchase. He said the maximum value of stamp paper should be increased to Rs 100,000/- or the method of Punjab Government

s h o u l d b e a d o p t e d t o facilitate property business. He said Ministry of Interior in collaboration with a public-sector organization was g o ing to org an ize Islamabad Festival. ICCI was ready to partner in Islamabad Festival on public-private partnership basis so that people could get good entertainment and business activities could flourish. He informed that ICCI was

planning to organize an industrial expo “Hamara I s l a m a b a d ” a t Pa r a d e Ground in April this year for which ICT Administration and ISPR had given positive signals, but CDA has not issued NOC due to which the project has been postponed. Addressing the delegation, Aftab Akbar Durrani, Chief Commissioner ICT said that business community was playing important role in the

economic development and assured his full support for resolving their key issues. He said ICCI suggestion for o r g a n i z i n g I s l a m a b a d Festival on public-private partnership on regular basis w o u l d b e g i v e n d u e consideration. He said he would discuss the NOC issue for “Hamara Islamabad” expo with CDA and assured his cooperation for such ventures.

Administration assures to resolve traders issues

I S L A M A B A D : T h e consumption of petroleum products has shown an increase of 9.7 per cent during fiscal year 2016-17 as compared to previous year's increase of 5.2 per cent.Dur ing the y e a r , ma in d r i v e r s o f i n c r e a s e d consumption were transport and power sectors, which registered high growth of 12 per cent and 10 per cent respectively as compared to the year 2015-16, Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) said in its annual report for the year 2016-17.The consumption of Motor Spirit (MS) in transport sector witnessed an increase of around 16 per cent during the period under review, which could be attributed to rising demand of transport s e c to r pa r t i cu l a r l y the g r o w i n g n u m b e r o f m o t o r c y c l e s a n d c a r s . Similarly, consumption of High Speed Diesel (HSD) g r e w b y 1 0 p e r c e n t compared to previous year mainly on account of higher ut i l izat ion by transpor t sector indicating increased economic activity in the country.Transport and Power sectors consumed almost 90 per cent of total Petroleum Oil Lubricant (POL) consumed in the country, with 57 per cent and 33 per cent shares respectively. Pakistan State Oil remained the lead player in total energy products supply to the consumers with 55 per cent market

share, followed by Shell with 9 per cent, Attock Petroleum Limited and Hascol Private Limited with 8 per cent each. Total PARCO Marketing Limited and Total PARCO Pakistan Limited captured 4 per cent shares each. While, Byco Petroleum Pakistan L i m i t e d a n d o t h e r o i l m a r k e t i n g c o m p a n i e s contributed 3 per cent and 8 per cent shares respectively.Total production by the refineries stood at 11.67 million tons as compared to previous year's 11.31 million tons, showing a growth of 3.2 percent.P a k - A r a b R e fi n e r y Company was the largest and ma in p roduce r o f petroleum (POL) products with 39 per cent market s h a r e i n t h e t o t a l production, followed by National Refinery Limited with 20 per cent share, Attock Refinery Limited, Pakistan Refinery Limited a n d B y c o P e t r o l e u m Pakistan Limited with 18 per cent, 14 per cent and 10 per cent respectively.The demand for HSD, MS and FO were mostly met t h r o u g h i m p o r t s a s domestic production was not enough to meet the domest ic requi rements. Around 73 per cent of MS, 69 per cent of FO, 46 per cent of HSD and 14 per cent of Jet Fuels demand was met through imports of finished P O L p r o d u c t s i n t h e country during the last fiscal year.

POL products' consumption shows 9.7%, Production 3.2% rise

Mirwais Azizi A Business Tycoon Founder Of Azizi Developers

About Azizi Developments Azizi Developments is the real estate investment arm of Azizi

Group. Established in 2007, the company's diverse experience in the property market has led the value of its current portfolio in the

emirate to AED 18 billion and more than 100 projects at various stages of development.

In 2016, Azizi Developments was awarded 'Developer of the Year' and has been instrumental in developing some of the finest

properties in The Palm Jumeirah, Meydan, Dubai Healthcare City, Al Furjan, Studio City, Sports City and Jebel Ali.

A Land of Opportunities for

Central Asian Republics

The CGSS organized a Conference “Pakistan: A Land of Opportunities for Central Asian

Republics” at Serena Hotel, Islamabad.

The Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS) arranged a conference on “Pakistan: A Land of Opportunities for Central Asian Republics”. The aim and focus of the conference was to facilitate the collective exploration of various opportunities and commonalities that can become the foundation for multilateral regional initiatives, which in turn will lead to strong connectivity and diplomatic relations as well as security and economic stability in the region.Mr. Ahsan Iqbal- Minister of Planning, Development and Reform presented his inaugural address on the topic “China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC): A Futuristic Success”. He stated that Pakistan and Central Asia share a very common cultural and political history. In the present time the bond with the central Asian countries is becoming stronger. We are living in the age of connectivity and network. This an age where we need to explore the opportunity for connectivity and progress. In our region we have a lot of investment prospects and opportunities. In the 21st century, Asia will contribute 52% of GDP of the global world. This will create opportunities for global economy for growth and investment. Pakistan is uniquely located at the intersection of three regions I.e. South Asia, China and Central Asia. 21st century is the century if geo-economics and Pakistan's vision 2025, seeks to place the country in the orbit of geo-economics of the Asian region. Pakistan now tends to move towards the geo-economics for connectivity. What matters in the future is the per capita income and the GDP of any country for the growth, development, and prosperity. Pakistan in working hard to become one of the 25 biggest economy of the world.

Commerce Desk

Tahir Mehmood

Ibne Hassan

TAT Team

Business Leader

Asian TelegraphThe

P07 | March 16-22, 2018

Editor’s view

With the advent of general elections and tenure of a const i tut ional ly e lected g o v e r n m e n t i s n e a r c o m p l e t i o n , w h i l e apprehensions and mistrust regarding the formation of a caretaker setup is about to reach its climax. All of a sudden some vested interest forces have started raising voices to create fuss which is making clear indication that efforts are underway to stop 2018 general elections. But things ae clear and one can take lesson from past when similar was done in 2012 and 13 to avoid holding general elections for certain reasons, but the political forces and some sane people frustrated the designs of vested interest element and in 2013 election p e o p l e v o t e d w h o l e heartedly.The hue and cry was on Senate elections and similarly as it was practice in 2008 and 2013 po l l s bu t Sena t e elections became a reality no worry what was the result but Senate got new Senators. Now it is time for 2018 general elections.Power groups and political forces are busy in offering i n n o v a t i v e i d e a s f o r installation of a caretaker set up for holding elections. It is a thought that Prime Minister and Leader of Opposition will not reach to consensus so that the sole trustworthy Chief Justice, may declare 'Judicial Martial Law' as one of the blue eyed, a big mouth posing to be mouth piece of j u d i c i a r y a n d w h o l e Establishment has asked the CJP to impose a Judicial Martial Law. But it is not looking possible as I am sure there will be consensus on caretakers between the government and opposition.The demand for Judicial Martial Law may be a good option for certain groups and power centers but it would be

a s t e p b a c k w a r d t o institutionalizing democracy rather controlled democracy in a republic confronting powerful split within civil society and state. In stable and successful democracies, t h e r e i s n o t a s i n g l e precedence as the judiciary comes forward to evolve yet another legal framework first f o r c o m p o s i t i o n o f caretakers and holding fair and free elections. Shifting all burdens on the shoulders of CJP is nothing but an ill-

conceived idea to create difficulties for apex court that is already in hot waters due to some verdicts and over activism. It is very sad that extending and protecting the role and muscle of one state institution at cost of prestige of another will not bare any fruit for the country. There is only way to remove all ills and evils lies in institutions a p iece of leg is la t ion be brought in the parliament to fix the role of all and make t h e m i n d e p e n d e n t , responsible and answerable enti t ies. If entire state apparatus is not capable of implementation of law; how i t c a n e n s u r e g o o d governance and justice to the masses, particularly at a time when elected government grows evasive to discharge its cardinal functions. There are problems with different institutions in which some are feeling insecure by one or the other reasons so they are using their muscle to remove these insecurities. To some extent these insecurities are

genuine that in 2008 when President Musharraf was enjoying full support of army and some political forces and during electioneering are threat factor was created under the guise of Taliban statements that attacks are expected on polling stations but people came forward and removed the 'King's Party' from the scene and it met worst defeat and today it is nowhere existing. Same was the matter in 2013 elections and i t wa s c l e a r f rom

beginning that PML-N will return as successful party and some people scared in past were not ready to digest it and Tahirul Qadri was brought in scene who hold 'Dharna' with slogan 'Siasat nahi Riasat Bachao' and he appealed to institutions to postpone elections. But the political forces stand united and elections held and PML-N returned successful.State organs used different methods to address their insecurities like 126 day long joint 'Dharna' of PTI and PAT during which parliament and PTV were attacked and even PTV was ransacked and des t royed by 'Dhar na ' participants.But currently we are heading t o w a r d s n e x t g e n e r a l elections and again there are apprehensions that this e l e c t i o n w i l l p r o v e detrimental and weakens the state as being talked from different corners. In presence of confusing situation and mistrust created by some

state organs round the country general elections may create a powerful current of emotions and sentiments, which may brutally damage the national society, system and s t a t e . Under such circumstances a demand of imposing judicial martial law for formulation of caretakers and holding elections appears yet another sentimental move to make the commencing g enera l e l ec t ions 2018 controversial at the same degree as they were in 2013. If it happens, the nation will endure yet another five years of instability in which the political party possessing even two third majorities in the lower house faces the wrath of controvers ia l elections of 2013.Keep ing in v i ew fore -mentioned words if one analyzes the situation what is going around it will be clear that Pakistan is passing through a very crucial phase of its history. The other things will become clear that there are some other forces that internal forces are active to ensure the disability of Pakistan their own interests, the reason will easily be a s s e s s e d t h a t i n s t a b l e Pakistan will be favorable than a strong and stable one for protecting their interests. So when external forces met with internal forces the situation will not be different that 1999 but this time Martial Law will not be possible and favorable, so the term of Judicial Martial Law was used.Now the ball in the court of political players and nation is demanding from the much more than past when they frustrated the designs of these forces. Let's watch as the horse is on run where it reaches.

Judicial Martial Law; whose demand is it and why?

Ishfaqullah ShawlWriter is Managing Editor

The Asian Telegraph& Melange International

Opposition for the sake of opposition, having no logic, is political culture of Pakistan and it is not only confined to political set up alone but other organs of the state are also involved in this game. Politicians go to every limit and every door to overthrow an elected government while other state organs are providing helping hand for the sake of their own interests. No political party shows maturity when it's about grabbing the opportunity of securing a majority. Ideology and principles are out of question and are being put aside to this 'noble cause'. The Parliamentary supremacy to this day is a pipedream dream yet and other institutions are not ready to give this week and poorest organ any space, when people who got votes to make parliament supreme are not looking capable to discharge their duty. It is sad and pathetic that the statements, in true letter and spirit, of political actors across the board are reflection of divided public opinion on the supremacy of the parliament and democratic culture as the ideal form of governance. More pathetic is that every political party has its own definition that seems that all other political parties are on wrong path and derailing the democratic process in Pakistan.

How pitiful is that some politicians calling themselves as champions of democracy have expressed wishful thinking of imposition of judicial martial law while others show extreme paranoid behavior of a possible judicial coup. Such wishful thoughts and paranoid opinions expressed by few have prompted many others to take one of the two positions, from television anchor persons (who are now thinking important pillar of democratic process) to politicians to bureaucrats both civil and military, to make speculations about some forceful intervention in the parliamentary process. All these players should have to show some maturity while presenting their own narratives and explanations given the rising political temperature in the country and the unresolved tensions between the civilian government and military. The fabricated narrative of 'Judicial Martial Law' given by a politician who always need support of others for his own safety, cause huge tension and Chief Justice of Pakistan, Mian Saqib Nisar, felt it necessary to make a statement or two to dismiss such opinions and widely spread rumors. The comments of the Chief Justice are more than welcome, as it will remove the suspicions

of many who were thinking of the present judicial activism of the Apex Court as an attempt of paving the way for a judicial martial law. The statement of the Chief Justice that there was no provision in the Constitution to validate a judicial martial law should extinguish all rumors. But on the other part the Chief Justice must give a shut up call to such politicians creating fuss in already trembled water. Other interventions and political statements of the Chief Justice may not get the appreciation of those who believe in the supremacy of the parliament and democracy as the ideal form of governance, his latest words are the only political statement that is needed given the recent political developments in the country. Regardless of how bitterly the political parties are divided on the political issues, they themselves and all relevant organs of state must dismiss the attempts made to encourage military or judicial takeover of the state affairs. If such rhetoric is left unchecked, it might convince someone from outside the parliament to embark on the path of adventure against democracy. Both who are fanning the fears of external takeover and those having a wishful thought of coup should be discouraged.

Rising political temperature and actors

The Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, since his taking over of office has become the all-time favorite of not only the Canadians but people from all the world ove r . H i s g o o d l o o k s , charming personality, kind and considerate nature has won hearts and minds all across nations. Among the changes that he has brought with his friendly policies, his humanitarian initiatives need to be spoken about for the good it is bringing on a global level.Humanitarian Assistance First and foremost, PM Tr u d e a u h a s s i g n a l e d Canada's strong leadership in assisting and protecting refugees and migrants during his par t icipat ion in the Refugee and Mig ra t ion Summit, hosted by the former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Prime Minister Trudeau announced that Canada will provide increased s u p p o r t f o r ed u ca t i o n initiatives and humanitarian assistance that will help countries and people directly affected by humanitarian crises. For this purpose, he p l e d g e d t o i n c r e a s e humanitarian assistance for 2016-2017 by at least 10 percent over the 2015-2016 total of $684 million.Educational InitiativesThe majority of displaced youth and children face a grim future without adequate access to quality education. The potential long-term c o n s e q u e n c e s i n c l u d e increased vulnerability to social, economic and sexual exploitation, and limited p r o s p e c t s f o r f u t u r e employability. Educating and e m p o w e r i n g g i r l s i s particularly important to s a f e g u a r d b o t h t h i s generation and the next. In r e c o g n i t i o n o f t h e s e challenges and in keeping with its responsibility as a member o f t he g loba l c o m m u n i t y , C a n a d a a n n o u n c e d f u n d i n g t o i m p r o v e l e a r n i n g opportunities for hundreds of thousands of displaced children in Iraq, Syria, and other countries. To be more specific, Canada aims to provide: A total of $15 million over the next three years for the Education and Learning in Lebanon initiative to help ensure refugee g i r l s and boys, including chi ldren with disabilities, receive a quality education. Fur ther, $10 million over three years towards the Scal ing Up Access to Formal Education for Syrian Girls and Boys project in Jordan. This initiative would help identify out-of-school ch i ldren , encourage and suppor t fami l ies to enrol l the ir children in a nearby school, i m p r o v e t h e l e a r n i n g environment by ensuring

access to sc ience l abs, computer labs, and libraries, and help children to stay in school through targeted efforts to combat known drop-out causes such as early marriage and child labour. It will help Jordan's Ministry of Education to deliver on its commitment to get every child in school—regardless of their nationality. Another $20 million for the next two years are announced for the Education Cannot Wait Fund to ensure the right to education for emergency-affected children and youth around the world, including to address the specific needs of girls and young women. In times of conflict or crisis, the educational needs of children and youth are often an afterthought, but education is a right that should be upheld along with meeting other basic needs. Our support will help to eliminate gaps in education for these children and youth, so that they are equipped with the skills and knowledge needed for the future. Finally allocating $739,000 over 18 months to improve the accessibility and quality of learning for refugee and host community children both in and outside the classroom in up to 25 schools in Lebanon and Jordan. The project, which will be led by Canada ' s In t e r na t iona l Deve lopment Resea rch Centre, wi l l use d ig i ta l learning innovations. The project will also build the capac i t i e s o f t eachers, educators, administrators, and counselors.Humanitarian Assistance for Syria, Iraq and the regionAs part of Canada's new $1.6 billion strategy announced in

February 2016 to address the crises in Syria and Iraq, the Prime Minister announced o v e r $ 4 4 2 m i l l i o n i n

humanitarian assistance over the next three years that will help save lives and alleviate suffering of millions of conflict-affected people in Syria, Iraq and the region by helping them meet their basic education, food, health, water, shelter and protection needs.Humanitarian assistance will be delivered by trusted and experienced international h u m a n i t a r i a n p a r t n e r s including United Nations agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross, and wi l l focus on four priorities: Helping families meet basic needs; Improving access to and quality of social and public services; Meeting the specific needs and rights of women and girls; and Supporting livelihoods of conflict-affected families.This can be exemplified by the fact that Canada is providing $100 million in support of the UNHCR's emergency response to the Syrian and Iraqi crisis over the next three years. Canada is also providing $78 million to UNICEF over the next three years to provide education opportunit ies and chi ld p ro t e c t i on s e r v i c e s t o conflict-affected children in the region as part of the No Lost Generation Initiative. This initiative is helping to ensure that children are able to continue their education in a s a f e a n d s e c u r e environment. Canada is also providing over $40 million to t h e U n i t e d N a t i o n s Population Fund to provide reproductive health services to women and girls, and assistance to victims of sexual and gender-based violence.

The writer is President, Center of Pakistan and International Relations

& Editor In Chief of The Asian Telegraph & Melange International

Amna Malik

Born with an inherent desire to be loved and admired, human beings have always attached great significance to beauty to satiate that inner need. The prototypica l c o n c e p t o f b e a u t y o r attractiveness is associated with the physical aspect of the human form for which we spend time, energy and resources upon to achieve. There may be two reasons for this, one that shopping for g o o d c l o t h e s , s h o e s accessories, makeup etc is a r e l a t i v e l y e a s i e r a n d interesting task for most people and secondly that it is considered the only means of appearing attractive to others. This inherent desire to attain attractiveness can also be seen as a means of enhancing ones' public face. But there is much more to what meets the e y e w h e r e b e a u t y i s concerned. Looking at the conceptual structure underlying the beauty frame one comes across a much deeper,

positive and permanent aspect of beauty that is more fulfilling and enriching in comparison to the surface structure. Physical beauty is not only having good looks, but having a personality to go a l o n g w i t h i t a s we l l . According to various studies the external beauty of a

person can be enhanced through t r a in ing. T h i s physical attribute is referred to as 'dynamic physical attractiveness' which can be interpreted as the expression of one's personality, physical grace, and body language. It is a phenomenon where people, despite lacking in natural beauty can still appear beautiful and be classed as

attractive. Thus, the beauty that impacts others is an amalgam of many things. According to a study those people were found to be more attractive who had the ability to express spontaneous emot ions (pa r t i cu l a r l y positive emotions), which is indicative of the fact that

what we constitute within us is what shall bear impact upon our without. Static beauty without dynamism is like a beautifully decorated cake but w i t h o u t i t s n e c e s s a r y sweetness. The busy and mismanaged life that we lead these days leaves us with very little energy to delve into the depth of the matter. Running to compete with others in the

race of brands to cloak our exteriors we leave our insides b a r e , u n a d o r n e d , unembellished, unrefined, untamed, undisciplined, wild, spoilt and starving for all the wrong things. In short, ignorant from reality! For me to become beautiful is surely possible and achievable but a tedious task that would take a lot of effort. For me beauty is the generosity of the heart that nobody might be able to s e e w i t h t h e e y e , b u t experience with the soul. It is the rich experience that makes one enjoy and revel in the company of someone without taking into account the contraptions of the physical form. Prettiness that oozes from within has a permanence that allows us to experience unconditionally, the divine sentiments of love, compassion and respect for humanity.

The Need to Challenge Prototypical Concept of Beauty

Writer is Assistant EditorThe Asian Telegraph

& Melange International.

Lubna Umar

Martial Law may be a good option for certain groups and power centers but it would be

a step backward to institutionalizing democracy

The busy and mismanaged life that we lead these days leaves us

with very little energy to delve into the depth of the matter.

Canadian Prime Minister's Humanitarian Standpoint

Printed at R

oohani Art P

ress, Muham

madi T

own, Sohan, E

xpress Way, Islam

abad. Published by A

mna M

alik, 58, Shahra-e-Suharw

ardy, G-6/4, Islam

abad.

Asian TelegraphThe Editor In chief

Managing EditorVol # IX Issue XI Date March 16-22, 2018

Amna MalikIshfaqullah Shawl

Telephone: 051-8354594Address: Plot No 38, Street 22, I&T Center G-8/4 Islamabad

Be Kind is More Important than Being Right

Asian TelegraphThe

March 16-22, 2018 | P08

Opinion

A f g h a n i s t a n wa r we n t

u n d e r d i f f e r e n t

circumstances from one

and half decade, it is the

longest r unning war in

history of US. What began

to deploy as yet another

ar rogant display of US

military might and imperial

power. Estimate of the cost

of the war ranges from US $

800 b i l l ion to over $1

trillion, with the US also

los ing more than 2000

soldiers while more than

20000 got injured over the

course of conflict.The US invasion has also led

to almost thirty thousand

civil ian deaths with the

comparable number of

wounded individuals. The

long awaited new United

S t a t e s p o l i c y o n Pa k -

Afghan was announced by

trump during August 2017,

representing a narrowly

focused ambitious agenda

for peace and stability in

Afghanistan. Address to the

military personnel at joint

m i l i t a r y b a s e , M y e r -

Henderson Hall, Virginia

was the most significant

national security speech of

Trump presidency. Before

election campaign, Trump

was overly vocal about the

withdrawal of US military

a n d o f fi c i a l s f r o m

Afghanistan due to a huge

loss of economy, but after

his appearance on the world

political stage he brought a

transformational change in

American foreign policy

especially regarding South

As ia . In h i s speech he

e x p r e s s e d a g g r e s s i o n

t o w a r d s Pa k i s t a n a n d

s n u b b e d Pa k i s t a n f o r

providing safe heavens to

T a l i b a n a g a i n s t

Afghanistan. He pointed

out Haqqani Network's

sanctuaries in Pakistan,

which operate trans-border

attacks on US military and

official's. Here are two

points, firstly the fact that

rapid withdrawal was not

possible from Afghanistan

as withdrawal is possible

after creating peace and

stability in the war torn

coun t r y. S econd l y, h i s

working bodies must agree

on building the nation in the

s h e d o f h i s n a t i o n a l

interest. However the State

Department came up with a

m o r e p r a c t i c a l a n d

diplomatic statement. Rex

Tillerson, Secretary of State

highlighted the key element

of Trump policy that a new

integrated strategy for the

safeguard of US interests in

South Asia wil l require

diplomatical ly engaging

Pakistan, Afghanistan and

India to create conditions

for stability in the region.

He fu r the r added tha t

Pakistan would lose the

ma jor non-NATO Al ly

s t a tus. I t s i gna l s c l ea r

support for the Afghan

people, its government and

secur i t y forces ag a ins t

terrorists and prevents the

re-establishment of safe

havens in the countr y.

Pakistan came under the

American pressure, firstly,

th is threat wi l l cut-off

financial support from our

fi n a n c i e r s , l i k e

Internat ional Monetar y

F u n d a n d A s i a n

D e ve l o p m e n t B a n k t o

which we often turn for

support. Secondly, Pakistan

w i l l l a g b e h i n d i n

advancement of military

technology as compared to

our South Asian arch rival

India. Trump already gave

favor to India in his speech

and expressed interest to

jointly fight against Afghan

terrorists. India is enjoying

her partnership with US,

ou r hos t i l e a l l y wh i ch

accuses that Pakistan is

nur tu r ing t e r ro r i sm in

A f g h a n i s t a n . U S - l e d

mi l i t a r y a l l i ance of 46

countries, NATO could not

stem the tide of insurgency

after spending one trillion

dollars over a period of 16

years. 100,000 American

soldiers and 30,000 troops

could not do the job of

c o m b a t i n g a r m e d

insurgents in Afghanistan,

the r e fo re the Tr ump ' s

presidency announced the

deployment of more US

troop in Afghanistan to win

the 16 year “war on terror”.

This hegemonic stance will

not yield prosperity for US,

because 5000 additional US

military troops will not win

the defeated war over long

course of action. However,

it will lead to more civilian

casualties in Afghanistan

while exploiting Afghan

resources. During August

2017, COAS General Bajwa

met US Envoy David Hale

and demanded that Trump

should deal with Pakistan in

a respectable manner that

Pakistan is a proud, nuclear-

armed state that cannot be

b r o w - b e a t e n . P r i m e

Minister Abbasi chaired a

cabinet meet ing having

agenda to discuss Trump's

accusation against Pakistan

of providing 'safe heavens

to terrorists on Pakistan's

soil ' which conduct the

kil l ings of US- military

personnel and offic ia l s

Foreign Minister Khawaja

Asif said that we have a

great experience about “war

on terror” we can share our

experience with US about

combating terrorism the

Afghan soil. He added that

a c c u s i n g P a k i s t a n i s

meaningless as the US has

strong satellite surveillance

s y s t e m , s o w h y n o t

A m e r i c a n ' s p r o v i d e

information to Pakistan

about safe havens within

Pakistan? At the same time,

P a k i s t a n b l a m e s t h a t

Afghan soil is being used

against Pakistan's national

sovereignty. This two-way

problem can be addressed

by adopting a collective

approach rather than blame

g a m e . A s a p a r t o f

c o r r e c t i v e s t r a t e g y ,

P a k i s t a n s h o u l d s e e k

ve r i fi a b l e i n f o r m a t i o n

a b o u t A f g h a n Ta l i b a n

camps in Pakistan from the

US. Secondly, i t should

i n s i s t f o r an e f f e c t ive

fencing and security of the

Pakistan-Afghan border so

that the two-way movement

of ter rorists should be

stopped. Third, the regional

approach for peace and

s t a b i l i t y s h o u l d b e

encouraged. Washington

and Kabul regimes need to

neg ot i a te w i th Ta l iban

without any conditions for

peace and stability of New-

Afghanistan. Russia, China

and Iran should help in

peace talks with Taliban so

that Afghan civilians should

t a s t e a s e n s e o f t r u e

f r e e d o m f r o m f o r e i g n

powers and lead their lives

according to their wills.

Trump's Pak-Afghan Policy

Abdul Wahab student at NUML H-9 Islamabad

Abid Ali lecturer at Hazara University Manshera, department

of SociologyCourtesy: Melange International

Abdul Wahab & Abid Ali

Australia has amplified its commitment in South Asia since its engagement with regards to military forces in Afghanistan following the September 11 attacks in the United States. The center of Australia's strategic narrative has inclined to centre on Afghan i s t an , w i th any r e f e r e n c e t o Pa k i s t a n i n e x t r i c a b l y l i n ke d t o counteract the revolt in Afghan i s tan . However, Pakistan holds long-term importance to Australia's interests in South Asia, and Australia must therefore have a separate policy for Pakistan. The Australia-Pakistan relationship has been longstanding, with Canberra being one of the first to establish diplomatic relations with Islamabad after independence in 1947. These ties span political, security, developmental, e c o n o m i c a n d t r a d e relations. Both the countries are in a formal bilateral trade agreement since 1990. When i t c o m e s t o s e c u r i t y cooperation, the bilateral relations date back to the C o l d Wa r p e r i o d a n d expanded during this century as a result of Australia's military commitment to the U S a l l i e d f o r c e s i n Afghanistan. Since 2008, the Australian Government has intensified its relations with Pakistan, with a particular emphas i s on economic m o d i fi c a t i o n , s o c i a l development, democratic governance, and security cooperation with a key focus o n d e f e n c e a n d l a w enforcement. The Australian Government has overtly affirmed that the stability and secur i ty of Pakis tan i s important to Australia's n a t i o n a l i n t e r e s t b y mentioning that Australia is co m m i t t ed t o s u p p o r t Pakistan as a partner and especially when it comes to the e f fo r t s to addre s s security hazards, to build economic prosperity and to boost development and infrastructural projects. This assurance from Canberra is founded on the premise that stability in Pakistan matters because of its influence on Austral ia 's regional and broader interests. Many n o t a b l e a n a l y s t s h a ve likewise argued that the geopolitical situation of Pakistan is noteworthy to A u s t r a l i a ' s i n t e r e s t s

specifically in the Indo-P a c i fi c r e g i o n a n d i s i m p o r t a n t t o t h e international community's interests in South Asia. According to the Australian H i g h C o m m i s s i o n Islamabad, the Australian citizens visiting Pakistan are currently 25,300. Pakistan and Australia have signed a counter-terrorism treaty, w h i ch p e r m i t t e d j o i n t training exercises between both the countries. The former prime minister of Australia John Howard has a l s o v i s i t e d P a k i s t a n following the 2005 Kashmir e a r t h q u a k e . B o t h t h e countries have been holding bilateral defence and security talks since 2006. In 2010, the 1.5 Track Security Dialogue was initiated between the both countries. This dialogue w a s a n i m p e r a t i v e mechanism for the senior security decision-makers and strategists from both the countries to share their viewpoints on areas of sheer importance for Pakistan and Australia. Australia also recognized the security challenges which Pakistan is facing. Australia has offered assistance to address the m e n a c e o f v i o l e n t extremism in the border regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Another area of cooperation is education, one of the most important factor for Pakistan's socio-economic development. Au s t r a l i a i s p r ov i d i n g scholarships to Pakistani students every year to study at masters and PhD level in p r e s t i g i o u s Au s t r a l i a n educational institutes. At present, there are more than 11,000 Pakistani students studying in Australia. Dr. M e h r e e n F a r u q i w h o received masters and later a P h D d e g r e e f r o m t h e University of New South Wales became the firs t Pakistani-Australian to be e l e c t e d t o A u s t r a l i a n p a r l i a m e n t i n 2 0 1 2 . A u s t r a l i a - P a k i s t a n Development Partnership program during 2014-2015 ma in l y emphas i s ed on educa t ion sec tor, a s i t consisted of 33% of the overall aid and investment. The Pakistani diaspora in Australia has established several organizations such as the Pakistan Association of A u s t r a l i a . T h e s e organizations use to serve

the nations by disseminating the cu l tu ra l awarenes s among their community. P a k i s t a n - A u s t r a l i a Friendship Association also tends to work regarding social, cultural and other related activities amongst its members. The aim is to endorse a better indulgence between Australians and P a k i s t a n i s . S p o r t s co l l abora t ions such a s Cricket series is another factor for a strong social connection. Australia has a keen interest in Pakistan and its economic, potential and strategic position in South A s i a . T h e A u s t r a l i a n government's aid program in Pakistan works to encourage affluence, reduce poverty and augment steadiness, with a fortified focus on this region. According to the A u s t r a l i a n H i g h Commission Islamabad, the aggregate of Australian government assistance for Pakistan during 2014-2015 was AUD 92.1 million. Two-way goods and service trade d u r i n g 2 0 1 4 r e m a i n e d AU$1.2 bi l l ion whereas Pakistan's investment in Australia mounted up-to AU$51 million. There are m a n y o t h e r a r e a s o f c o l l a b o r a t i o n s u c h a s agriculture, dairy, livestock and mining. The Pakistan-Australia Business Council is another body which works to h i g h l i g h t t h e m u t u a l potential business links as well as facilitates people from b o t h t h e s i d e s . T h e A u s t r a l i a n H i g h Commission in Islamabad, in a recent press re l ease , revealed that Australia will invest AUD 11 million in phase-II of the Sustainable Development Investment Portfolio (SDIP). The focus of the program will be on energy projects and water management in the Indus Basin. This 12-year program named as SPDI began in 2013. The projects related to water, food and energy secur i t y in South As ia t h r o u g h i m p r o v e d management of shared water resources, renewable energy cooperation, sustainable climate, resilient agricultural practices and strengthened n a t i o n a l c a p a c i t y a n d coordination are few of the evident features of this particular initiative. The government of Australia has also pledged that it will

c o n t i n u e w i t h t h e i r assistance to Pakistan as it wo u l d b e a l o n g t e r m v e n t u r e . T h e H i g h Commissioner of Pakistan to Australia, Naela Chohan is r e n ow n e d a s a s t r o n g promoter of women's rights and recently touched many hearts in Canberra when she hosted Arise Woman, an exh ib i t ion of her own paintings. She is not only a good ambassador but is also g i f t e d w i t h i m m e n s e qualities. She is indeed a s u b s t a n t i a l l a n g u a g e accumulator as she has acquaintance with almost seven languages, including Spanish. Naela Chohan is a strong voice for women's rights and their advocacy. As a seasoned and veteran diplomat, Ms. Chohan has a s s u m e d l e a d e r s h i p p o s i t i o n s i n m u l t i p l e countries. Currently being a High Commiss ioner of Pakistan to Australia, she has a spec i a l emphas i s on reinforcement of bilateral ties. She is strongly engaged i n p r i o r i t i z i n g t h e enhancement of t rade, security, educational and economic relations. She has been a vocal proponent of s t r o n g e r t i e s b e t we e n Pakistan and Austra l ia . Speaking on the occasion of commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of Pakistan's Independence and the 70th year of the establishment of diplomatic relations with Australia, Pakistan high commission to Australia, Naela Chohan said, "It is an impor t an t occa s ion to underscore the interest of the Government of Pakistan to further strengthen the relations with Australia and to promote bilateral trade, investment and increased cooperation in education, a g r i cu l tu r e and hea l th sectors." The Government of Pakistan has decided to e s t a b l i s h a C o n s u l a t e Genera l in Melbourne, which was formally launched by H.E. Ms Naela Chohan, on 12 August 2017. All of these efforts demonstrate h e r c o m m i t m e n t o f es tab l i sh ing more fir m relations with Australia. She is indeed presenting a soft and beautiful image of a peaceful and prosperous Pakistan.

Pakistan, Australia an emerging liaisonSeasoned Pakistani Ambassador Naela Chohan fostering cordial bilateral ties

Saima ZamanWriter is Assistant Editor

The Asian Telegraph& Melange International

Activism gone wrong PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week that took place over the weekend, starting from Friday to Sunday, had once again given the country a number of aesthetic designs and haute couture. New designers also kept up with the growing fashion industry of the countr y by producing some real ly good silhouettes. However, as usual designers in an attempt to appear progressive jumped on the bandwagon of women empowerment that not only looked misplaced but also did little for women's fight for their rights.It is an open secret that most high-end brands produce their products by exploiting their workers and often also pay them less than the set minimum wage by the state, and many of these workers happen to be women, sometimes even little girls. In the wake of this, going on stage holding placards that advocate for women's r ights seem hypocritical.

Neha AdamLAHORE

PIA and open skiesPrivatization alone without a level playing field and an independent competent regulator will fail to restore profitability to PIA . States regulate granting traffic rights, routes and slots to foreign airlines on reciprocal basis ensuring that local aviation industry rights are not compromised. No state allows foreign airlines total freedom to carry passengers from their country to main hub of that foreign carrier for onward journey to another country. While competition is vital for service oriented industry to ensure that consumer gets best value for money, creating an overcapacity through senseless policies like Open Sky only serves to damage local aviation industry. Traffic rights given courtesy open sky has created an over capacity offering 14.5 Million passenger seats to cater to demand of approximately 13 Million passengers in Pakistan. These foreign airlines remit annually approximately $750 Million from Pakistan.

Malik Tariq, LAHORE

Hollow apologies It is to the cultural insensitivity of businesses and corporate ventures who one after the other continue to engage in promoting their businesses and products while completely ignoring the basic ideals of humanistic and ethical values. The recent example of this comes from a popular clothing line for “racist” and insensitive advertisement campaign one would like to rightly question those responsible for planning such campaigns. More worrisome is the statement that the brand issued to clear their stance by ignorantly defending their creative genius rather than issuing an apology.

Umar HaseebFAISALABAD

Hazardous foodPakistani cuisine is blend of various regional cooking of Indian subcontinent. The best word to describe Pakistani cuisine is spicy. The criteria of eating food in Pakistan is taste only, we neglect health and hygiene factors just to add flavor to our lives. Pakistanis are concerned about taste and spices more than the health of food. There must be chicken, mutton, beef

or any other meat in the meal. There must be abundance of oil in the food , health hazards are not concerned in our country. We can't eat uncooked or half cooked vegetable as it is not tasty, even vegetables should also be cooked in such a way that all its nutrition would go away and only oil and vegetable left. When it comes to spices, there should be at least 10 different spices in a huge amount be added in food to give it the traditional taste and aroma. Take care of yourselves and cut off unhealthy food from your life to live a healthy and cholesterol free life. Have more water and hydrate yourselves to stay cool and calm.

Hajra Khurram,LAHORE

to the

Asian TelegraphThe

P09 | March 16-22, 2018

The Dangal s tar made his Instagram debut a day ahead of his 53rd birthday (today). His Instagram account also got verified, after the follower count shot up to over 244k followers and counting within hours. Aamir Khan, who has come to be k n o w n a s B o l l y w o o d ' s perfectionist Khan, has joined the Instagram family and received an immensely positive response from fans. The Dangal s tar made his Instagram debut a day ahead of his 53rd birthday (today). His Instagram account also got

verified, after the follower count shot up to over 244k followers and counting within hours.On the occasion of his 53rd b i r thday, he fina l l y posted his first p o s t a n d i t comprises a grid of nine photos of one of the m o s t important people in his life. A a m i r s h a r e d a

photo of his mom and captioned it stating, "The person because of whom I am who I am..."Photo: Aamir Khan/Instagram

The news of Aamir making his debut on Instagram also

spread like wildfire and # A a m i r K h a n

#OnInstag ram s t a r t i n g

trending on Twitter. Aamir has k e p t a

pictur

e of his Thugs Of Hindostan look as his profile picture on his Instagram.The 3 Idiots actor, who currently enjoys a massive social media following through Facebook and Twitter, may have decided to join the photo-sharing app for his fans in China, Turkey, Taiwan and Russia, reported a leading news agency.At this time, Aamir has over 23 million followers on Twitter and his Facebook page is liked by 15 million people. An American magazine reported that

famed Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie is all set to say her vows for the fourth time to a British millionaire with whom she has a relation with ever since she called off her marriage with Brad Pitt. According to the magazine, Jolie has been romantically involved in a man for over a year now and the two may get married anytime soon. A source close to Jolie revealed, “Angie's so in love that she was the one to propose.” It further said that Jolie has “never been this in sync with someone before” and that she wants to marry the man as soon as she can.For this she has expedited her divorce proceedings with Brad so that she can tie the knot soon.Interestingly, another magazine has refuted these claims saying that they are not true.

Angelina Jolie to tie the knot for the fourth time?

M U M B A I : B o l l y w o o d ' s celebrated actor Rani Mukherjee's striking return on the silver screens has received a relatively good response at the box office, in spite of the hiatus she had been on since the past four years.The 40-year-old actor's comeback film 'Hichki' was off to a relatively good start at the box office, earning a business of Rs 3.30 crore on i ts first day of re lease, managing to accumulate more than most films.Despite her nonappearance on screen since the past four y e a r s , M u k h e r j e e ' s p e r f o r m a n c e a s N a i n a Mathur had made a lasting impact on the minds of several film crit ics who

termed her performance as plausible and not overdone.Meanwh i l e Mukher j e e ha s expressed her delight at the welcome her film has received and has revealed in an interview with an Indian media outlet that the success of her film certifies that in the end it is only good cinema and good performances that truly matter to people.

Rani Mukherjee's 'Hichki' is off to a good start

After being associated with the production since 2011, 'Avengers 4' may be the last time when Chris Evans will be seen as Captain America.T he 36 - y e a r -o ld a c to r h a s publicized in an interview with The New York Times, his intents of discontinuing in the world of Marvel as Captain America after the release of 'Avengers 4' in 2019."You want to get off the train before they push you off," he stated

during the interview.Evans will be seen in 'Avengers: Infinity War ' that is all set to hit theaters next month, with the fourth 'Avengers' movie and a sequel to the film scheduled to release next year in May.The actor will be returning for re-shoots of the film in the fall, however tha t cou ld , i n a l l probability, be the last time he will be donned in Captain America's character.

Chris Evans may bid farewell to his long-term role in Captain America

Carly Stone's feature d e b u t i n v o l v e s a mutually beneficial romantic arrangement between a co l l ege

student and her older lover.

Where to draw the line between friends with major benefits and something, say,

slightly illegal? For college student and aspiring professional journalist Blake (Jessica Barden), t h e que s t i on s e ems more academic than practical, even when she's the sugar baby dating a wealthy older man in return for

some attractive perks. Writer-director Carly Stone's interest in the topic is only slightly more

considered, since she's really more interested in crafting an incisive millennial rom-com, but The New Romantic comes off as too forced and calculated. Setting the bar for the film impossibly

high with repetitious references to Nora Ephron classics like Sleepless in Seattle, Stone

shows she's got spirit, but maybe not

the best judgment, much like her protagonist. A turnaround will require radical rethinking, and a p r e s t i g i o u s j o u r n a l i s m competition with a $50,000 award provides just the catalyst that Blake requires. Now she just needs a killer concept to craft a winning writing sample.Despite betrayals, tears and reconciliations, Stone remains determined to give Blake a happy ending, otherwise, what would Ephron think? The machinations required to achieve this outcome are predictable from about scene three, but if expectations can be lowered sufficiently, perhaps not that disappointing. Production companies: Drive Films, Jobro P r o d u c t i o n s , N o t a r i o ,

Independent Edge FilmsCast: Jessica Barden, Hayley Law, Timm Sharp, Brett Dier, Avan Jogia, Camila MendesDirector-writer: Carly StoneProducers: Kyle Mann, Jason Ross Jallet, Jonathan Bronfman, Michael RisleyExecut ive producers : Rob ConnollyDirector of photography: Mike McLaughlinProduction designer: Melanie GarrosCostume designer: Judith Ann ClancyEditor: Christine ArmtrongMusic: Matthew O'HalloranVenue: SXSW Film Festival (Narrative Feature Competition)Sales: ICM

‘The Romantics' New

Pop star Rihanna urged fans on Thursday to delete Snapchat after the social media app ran an ad making fun of her 2009 beating at the hands of then boyfriend Chris Brown.Shares of Snap Inc, the company that makes the app, were down 4.7 percent in trading on Thursday."SNAPCHAT I know you know you ain´t my fav app out there! But I´m just trying to figure out what the point was with this mess!," the

singer wrote on Instagram on Thursday."You spent money to animate s o m e t h i n g t h a t w o u l d intentionally bring shame to DV victims and made a joke of it!!!," she added, referring to domestic violence."Shame on you. Throw the whole app-oligy away. "The "Wild Thoughts" s inger, 30 , was speaking out after Snapchat earlier this week apologized and took down an advert on its platform for a mobile video game called "Would You Rather!" that showed pictures of Rihanna and Brown with the captions "Slap Rihanna" and "Punch Chris Brown.

Rihanna urges fans to delete Snapchat after ad mocking assault by Brown

Glamour

PARIS: Hubert de Givenchy, the aristocratic French fashion designer famous for the "little black dress" and styling Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy, has died aged 91, his partner said Monday. Givenchy set the template for ladylike chic in the 1950s and 1960s, dress ing everyone from Princess Grace of Monaco to Jane Fonda.His longtime partner, the former haute couture designer Philippe Venet, announced his death through the Givenchy fashion house, saying he had died in his sleep on Saturday. "It is with huge sadness that we inform you that Hubert Taffin de Givenchy has died," it said in a statement to AFP. With his perfect manners and old-school charm, the tal l and handsome designer was the very acme of French elegance and refinement.But it was his 40-year friendship with his muse Hepburn, whom he met on the set of Billy Wilder s Oscar-winning comedy "Sabrina" in 1953, that helped make him a

fashion legend.The narrow-collared suits and slim woollen dresses Givenchy designed for the gamine actress in "Funny Face" and "How to Steal a Million" made both of them style icons. The black sheath dress Givenchy created for the opening scenes of "Breakfast at Tiffany s" was perhaps the most famous "little black dress" of all time -- even if fellow Coco Chanel is credited with inventing the garment. "His are the only clothes in which I am myself. He is far more than a couturier, he is a creator of personality," Hepburn once said of him."To dress a woman is to make her beautiful," Givenchy once said. "In haute couture, we are cosmetic surgeons, erasing imperfections and refining the silhouette... for isn t a couturier a magician of sorts, who creates illusion and perhaps beauty itself?"US first lady Jacqueline Kennedy adopted the Givenchy look for her White House years, sticking to a uniform of shift dresses, pillbox

hats and low-heeled pumps.The red coat she wore on the campaign trail for the 1960 presidential election was a Givenchy copy.On a state visit to France the following year, Jackie made a

famously grand entrance in a Givenchy white silk faille dress at a state dinner at the Palace of Versailles, looking as regal as any European monarch s consort.

'Little black dress' designer Givenchy dies at 91

Aamir Khan scores over 244k followers after Insta debut

Showbiz Desk

Film Review

Asian TelegraphThe

March 16-22, 2018 | P10

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TAURUS(April 20-May 20)

SCORPIO(Oct 23-Nov. 21)

GEMINI(May 21-June 20)

SAGITTARUS(Nov 22-Dec 21)

CANCER(June 21-July 22)

CAPRICORN(Dec 22-Jan 19)

LEO(July 23-Aug 22)

AQUARIUS(Jan 20-Feb 18)

VIRGO(Aug 23-Sep 22)

PISCES(Feb 19-Mar 20)

A stampede of horses. Gather your energy and drive forward. But don’t worry if you aren’t sure how or where to go. You are working out some kind of riddle, so don’t quit. Keep driving forward. Look for the small moments of harmony. Look for the beauty that already surrounds you.

Panning for gold. There is support all around you. You have to get focused and examine your resources. Resources come in unexpected forms— your friends, your partners, your community. You are wealthy. Do a thorough examination of your resources and support systems.

A field filled with tiny yellow flowers. The flowers blend together and look like a streak of yellow splashed across the landscape. This is a good omen for your career. The yellow flowers are abundant and they symbolize happiness. Notice each individual flower. Take good care of all the details of your life.

Carving into a block of wood. Using the concentric circles in the woodgrain to create a work of art. You are centered in the middle of concentric circles. How can you use your awareness of the big wide world to help you feel centered and creative. Get out of your head and gain some perspective. Let yourself remember what is truly meaningful.

A herd of giraffes walk across the plain. Connecting with your family will help you feel like you know where you are going. Keep attending to feelings of love and harmony. Look for proof that you’re connected rather than separate. And notice that the more you get above it all by gaining perspective, the better you feel.

C a l l i g r a p hy o n t h e p a g e . Yo u c a n communicate in a way that is beautiful and harmonious. You’ve grown so much and your mind is expanding. The good news is that you’ve been healing outdated thought patterns. Find a way to express yourself that is lovely and loving.

Seagulls scatter. You can rest. Get to your version of the beach. Watch the life that is going on around you. There are a couple of key things to remember. The first is that you have the resources that you need to do what you want to do. Even if it doesn’t feel like it.

The fortress stands on the edge of a peninsula. A fort is built to protect a treasure. In this story you are the treasure. You are the shining star and you need to protect yourself. Protect your enthusiasm, your heart and your special way of being in the world. Everyone else sees the magic that you share.

A goat climbs the mountain. You continue to search for a way up. Your drive is strong and automatic. So let it be what it is— recognize that you are continuing to move forward and up. And meanwhile let yourself flow with your emotions. Take care of your inner child. Make sure she feels nurtured and safe.

Sledding through snow. Cut right to the point. Fly through your ideas like a sled through fresh powder. You are exactly where you need to be. Even if your mind is telling you otherwise, you are exactly on time. When you reach the bottom of the mountain you’ll want to run to the top and do it again. So enjoy this. Learn from what’s happening now.

A telescope turns into a kaleidoscope. You can zoom in on the details. And then you can shift the focus and transform your viewpoint into magic. First it’s necessary to get realistic and grounded. Attend to your money and physical needs. And when that becomes too much, shift your mind to hope and possibility.

A half-shell. So much opportunity is available to you now. Notice the gifts that you’ve been given in this life. Wrap them up and present them on a half-shell. Re-give them to yourself. Honor yourself as the pearl that you are. Because this is the truth that lies inside each of us.

HOROSCOPE

Research has found out that yoga improves the way our organs function. In particular, yoga stimulates bone marrow stem cells t r a f fi c k i n g t o t h e b l o o d surrounding it. This, in turn, helps reduce inflammation, reduce apoptosis, revive lost cells and delay the aging process. The results of this study were published in the Jo u r n a l o f A y u r v e d a a n d Integrative Medicine. In the study, the authors looked at yoga and pranayama, which both originated in India and have now found an international following. In a survey by Yoga Alliance, it showed that this ancient art found some 37 million practitioners in the U.S. in 2016. This is nearly twice than that of 2012, which was only 20 million, indicating a significant increase in people who are into yoga. Matching these findings is the fact that nearly three-quarters of people have been into yoga for less than five years. This means

people have embrace yoga fairly r ecen t l y. In the s tudy, the researchers suggested that the movements practiced in yoga – stretching, bending, and twisting – can likely release stem cells into the bone mar row and inc rease circulation. These stem cells, once released, travel to bone, tissue, or muscle, where it is used for repair. Pranayama, in particular, can create a brief episode of hypoxia, that is, the absence of oxygen, similar to that of intense exercise. This allows stem cells to be efficiently transported throughout the body, and it also activates beta c e l l s n e e d e d f o r i n s u l i n production. “In diabetic patients, pranayama is likely to play a major role in activating beta cells for insulin production,” the authors added. Because they have solid evidence to back them up, the researchers recommend yoga as a key to improved quality of life and longevity.

Yoga can increase blood flow, aiding in regeneration of tissue

Healing Cure

Sharapova loved Malala's Netflix interviewWASHINGTON: David Letterman, an American television host, comedian and writer recently sat down with Malala Yousafzai in an episode of his Netflix talk show "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction".Le t t e r man in t e r v i ewed Pakistan's Nobel laureate after spending two episodes with former US president Barack Obama and Hollywood actor Georoge Clooney. Malala sheds light on gender equality at show.Millions of people across the world have watched the interview and applauded the Nobel Prize laureate for leading the fight for girls' education rights.Why PSL 3 failed to pull in big crowds?DUBAI: With just minutes to go before the start of a potentially explosive HBL Pakistan Super League game f e a t u r i n g d e f e n d i n g champions Peshawar Zalmi and table-toppers Multan Sultans on Tuesday night, there was hardly any kind of buzz at the iconic Dubai International Stadium.A few dozen spectators had made their way into the Ring of Fire and by the looks of it, not many were likely to follow them. In best-case scenario, the crowd attendance was expected to a thousand or so.

Worst-case scenario: a few hundred.6,600 cops test positive for hepatitisNATION: At least 6,600 cops of Punjab Police have tested positive for hepatitis during the screening of 60,000 police officials across the province.Punjab IG has directed the officials concerned to issue health cards to patients and monitor timely supply of medicines.Hit to deathA 56-year-old man was crushed to death in a road accident in Gulberg police limits on Monday. Police removed the body to morgue for autopsy. The victim has been identified as Qaim Ali of Pakpattan.The victim was trying to cross a road near Kalma Chowk when a speeding car hit him from behind. As a result, he received multiple injuries and died on the spot. The car driver fled the scene. A case has been registered on the complaint of victim's son Anwar Ali.Malala to launch a book about plight of refugeesNobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousufzai’s next book is a story based on refugees. ‘We are Displace: True Stories of Refugee Lives’ tells the tales of women who have been displaced, lost their homes and settled elsewhere with their families.

The 20-year-old, Nobel Peace prize Laureate claims to show ‘the humanity behind the statistics’ n her book’.She says, “What tends to get lost in the current refugee crisis is the humanity behind the statistics… We hear about m i l l i o n s o f r e f u g e e s , hundreds of migrants trapped on a boat or in a truck but it’s only when a truly shocking image appears in the news that people consider what’s really going on.”The book will release on September 4 and is available for pre-order now.Pakistan NSA, Afghan Chief Executive discuss peace offer to Taliban in Kabul meetingKABUL: National Security Adviser Nasser Januja called on Afghanistan 's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah during his one-day visit to Kabul. He under took the visit on the invitation from his Afghan counterpart Haneef Atmar. According to details of the meeting posted on Dr Abdullah's official Twitter account, Nasser Janjua and the Afghan Chief Executive d i s c u s s e d " i n t e r - s t a t e dialogues for improvement of relat ions between the 2 countries, support for the Afghan Peace Process and the timely & new peace offer that Taliban should utilize"During his visit, Nasser Januja also met Afghan

President Ashraf Ghani, and chief of National Directorate of Security (NDS)Chief.China and Ind ia flex muscles over tiny MaldivesCOLOMBO: A Chinese naval combat force that entered the Indian Ocean for the first time in four years may have helped deter an Indian intervention in the Maldives after its pro-China president imposed a state of emergency, according to military and d ip lomat ic sources and analysts.India has traditionally been the biggest player in the tiny island chain 400 km (250 miles) to its south, and faced c a l l s f r o m M a l d i v e s ' opposition leaders last month to use force against President Abdulla Yameen to restore democracy.Police hunt for cab driver's assailantsN AT I O N : Po l i c e h ave launched a search operation for two unknown men for gunning down a cab driver in Girja Village, within the limits of Police Station (PS) Saddar Bairooni. A murder case has also been r e g i s t e r e d a g a i n s t t h e unidentified killers, informed Station House Officer (SHO) PS Saddar Bairooni Raja Akhter.According to the SHO, a man namely Arshad Mehmood was heading towards home after parking his taxi cab in a

nearby parking lot when two a s s a i l a n t s r i d i n g o n a m o t o r c y c l e a p p e a r e d somewhere and opened indiscriminate firing on him. C o n s e q u e n t l y, A r s h a d sustained four bullet injuries and died on the spot, he said. After committing the crime, the killers managed to escape from the scene, said the SHO.I T r e f o r m s v i t a l f o r changing 'Thana culture'Inspector General of Police Punjab captain retired Arif Nawaz Khan has said that IT reforms with respect to rules o f moder n po l i c ing in adequate time has proved itself positive for switching of Thana Culture. He added that following policy of zero tolerance crackdowns against anti social elements and terrorist organizations is onward for protection of lives and properties of people. He applauded national action p l a n a n d e x p r e s s e d s a t i s f a c t i o n o v e r i t s implementation. He revealed that police service centers have been established in all districts of province for facilitation of public where people are enjoying facilities of FIR copy, Police character certificate, registration of rent with other thirteen facilities under one roof.'Vacant posts of Pakistan Chairs world over to be filled'NATION: The fourteen

vacant posts of the Pakistan Chairs in the world known universities will be filled soon while seven chairs will be given to female scholars, said Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed in the closing ceremony of international conference 'Professional Development in Higher Education: Trends and Practices, Prospects and Innovations'.Senator Mushahid Hussain informed the participants that the vacant posts of Pakistan Chairs, specified for Pakistani academicians to serve the country from abroad, are b e i n g fi l l e d w i t h t h e coopera t ion of Higher Educat ion Commiss ion (HEC) after a long wait for seven years.He further said that seven out of 14 candidates to fill the p o s i t i o n s a r e f e m a l e s . “Pakistan Chairs are very important means to project the countr y soft image abroad,” he maintained.T he b i g g e s t b a t t l e , h e observed, is the battle of ideas, and it is academia where ideas come from. So, he stressed, academia should come forward to serve the country amidst prevailing information warfare. The international conference jointly organised by HEC and Fa t i m a J i n n a h Wo m e n U n i v e r s i t y ( F J W U ) , Rawalpindi.Core reservoirs of Polio

still exist in countryNATION: Despite a visible decline in polio cases during the last three years the virus still has core reservoirs in several parts of the country, the official said in a meeting held by the National Polio Management Team (NPMT) at the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) to review the prog ress on National Emergency Action Plan (NEAP) and chalk out a strategic direction for the low transmission season 2018/19. The meeting headed by Prime Minister's Focal Person for Polio Eradication Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq was attended by the National C o o r d i n a t o r D r. R a n a Muhammad Safdar, and Provincial Coordinators along with respective leads of the partner organization as well as the National and Provincial EPI Directors. The National Coordinator for Polio Eradication Dr. Rana Safdar said that “An overall 97% decline in the number of cases from highs of 306 in 2014 to only 8 in 2017 is very encouraging, and we are striving for the magical number 'Zero'.” Nevertheless, despite a decreased intensity of transmission, the virus continues to be challenging by appearing in environmental samples from core reservoirs of Karachi, Quetta Block, and Peshawar, he added.

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P11 | March 16-22, 2018

Asian TelegraphThe

NATION: Pakistan expects net foreign direct investment (FDI) to jump about 60 per cent in 2017/2018, the chair man of Pakistan 's Board of Investment said, but some Western investors appear to be put off by China's growing influence in the South Asian nation. Chinese companies are bu i l d i ng road s, power stations and a deep-water port in Pakistan after Beijing offered more than $50 billion in funding for Pakistani infrastructure as part of China's vast Belt and Road initiative.Chinese investment has he lped spur Pak i s tan ' s economic growth to more than 5 per cent, its highest in

a d e c a d e , w h i l e a l s o increasing Beijing's clout in Pakistan at a time when Islamabad's relations with the United States, an historic a l l y, a r e f r a y i n g o v e r Pak i s tan ' s hand l ing of Islamist militants and the conflict in Afghanistan.Naeem Zamindar, a state minister said some Western investors appeared reticent because of an incorrect perception that Chinese c o m p a n i e s w o u l d g e t “exclusive advantages” and concessions that would not allow for an even playing field. “Pakistan's government is very clear about it: we want investors of all hues to come in and participate in building this economy - whether

A m e r i c a n , E n g l i s h o r Japanese.”Zamindar said some Chinese companies building power stations had obtained soft loans but that was because the money was provided by Beijing, which made such terms a condition of its financing for projects that were part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a key leg of the Belt and Road infrastructure network.But for the second phase of CPEC, in which a series of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) will be set up to boost Pakistan's industries, Chinese companies will not receive preferent i a l t rea tment , Zamindar added.

“That is completely non-discriminatory,” he said, adding that Pakistan's Special E c o n o m i c Z o n e s A c t stipulates no country or company will get preferential treatment within the SEZs.“The (SEZ) concessions are published and are on the website, open to all.”Zamindar said net FDI for the financial year 2017/2018 (July-June) is expect to reach about $3.7 billion, with C h i n e s e c o m p a n i e s providing up to 70 percent of the new investment.Net FDI has been gradually rising since 2014/2015, when it plummeted to less than $1 billion. It rose to $2.3 billion last year, according to central bank data.

Western investors fret about growing Chinese influence

N A T I O N : A f g h a n ambassador Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal called on Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and the two discussed bilateral relations and efforts for lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan.The prime minister strongly condemned suicide blast at a shrine in Kabul in which many lives were lost while a number of people g ot i n j u r ed . He exp re s s ed Pakistan's solidarity with the government and people of Afghanistan over this brutal act of terrorism.Expressing Pakistan's desire

f o r s t r e n g t h e n i n g e n g a g e m e n t w i t h Afghanis tan to deepen m u t u a l l y b e n e fi c i a l cooperation in diverse fields, t h e p r i m e m i n i s t e r underlined importance of institutional interaction and high-level exchanges to enhance bilateral trade, economic cooperation and transit of Afghan goods through Pakistan.The prime minister also s t r e s s e d t h e n e e d o f deepening connect iv i ty between the two countries and expediting ongoing regional projects including

TAPI and CASA1000.The Afghan Ambassador apprec i a t ed the p r ime minister's reaffirmation of Pak i s t an ' s suppor t fo r strengthening of bilateral

relations while conveying that President Ashraf Ghani and Afghan leadership also d e s i r e d m e a n i n g f u l engagement with Pakistan in all areas of interaction.

PM, Afghan envoy discuss ways for peace in Afghanistan

NATION: Pakistan expects net foreign direct investment (FDI) to jump about 60 percent in 2017/2018, the chairman of Pakistan's Board of Investment said, but some Western investors appear to be put off by China's growing influence in the South Asian nation.Chinese companies are building roads, power stations and a deep-water port in Pakistan after Beijing offered more than $50 billion in f u n d i n g f o r Pa k i s t a n i infrastructure as part of China's vast Belt and Road initiative.Chinese investment has he lped spur Pak i s t an ' s economic growth to more than 5 percent, its highest in a decade, while also increasing Beijing's clout in Pakistan at a t ime when Is lamabad 's relations with the United States, an historic ally, are f ray ing over Pak is tan ' s handling of militants and the conflict in Afghanistan.

Naeem Zamindar, a state minister responsible for p r o m o t i n g f o r e i g n investment in Pakistan, said some Western investors appeared reticent because of an incorrect perception that Chinese companies would get "exclusive advantages" and concessions that would not allow for an even playing field."A perception was created that the Chinese are taking over. The fact of the matter is tha t th i s i s no t t r ue , " Zamindar in his office in Islamabad."Pakistan's government is very clear about it: we want investors of all hues to come in and participate in building this economy - whether A m e r i c a n , E n g l i s h o r Japanese."Zamindar said some Chinese companies building power stations had obtained soft loans but that was because the money was provided by Beijing, which made such terms a condition of its

financing for projects that were part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a key leg of the Belt and Road infrastructure network.But for the second phase of CPEC, in which a series of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) will be set up to boost Pakistan's industries, Chinese companies will not receive pre fe rent i a l t r ea tment , Zamindar added. "That is c o m p l e t e l y n o n -discriminatory," he said, adding that Pakistan's Special E c o n o m i c Z o n e s A c t stipulates no country or company will get preferential treatment within the SEZs."The (SEZ) concessions are published and are on the website, open to all."Zamindar said net FDI for the financial year 2017/2018 (July-June) is expect to reach about $3.7 bill ion, with Chinese companies providing up to 70 percent of the new investment.

Pakistan attempts to allay concerns over Chinese influence

NATION: Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, is on an official visit to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).During the visit, the Naval Chief called on Western Fleet Commander of Royal Saudi Naval Forces, Rear Admiral Hamed Bakheet Al Johani and also visited RSNF Ship and establishments.During the meeting with Western Fleet Commander of Royal Saudi Naval Forces, matters of mutual interest and

bilateral naval collaboration were dilated upon.Rear Admiral Hamed Bakheet Al Johani acknowledged the significance of close and s t r o n g b i l a t e r a l n a va l association in diverse realms between Pakistan Navy and Royal Saudi Naval Forces.Later, Chief of the Naval Staff visited Command and Control Centre of Western Fleet Command, Royal Saudi Naval Schools and Aviation Setup.Admiral Zafar Mahmood

Abbasi was given detailed briefings on the occasion.The Naval Chief also visited RSNF Ship HMS MAKKAH. The Admiral was briefed onboard by the Commanding officer of the ship. During his visit onboard, the Naval Chief interacted with ship's crew a n d a p p r e c i a t e d t h e i r operational competence.It is expected that recent visit of the Naval Chief will e n h a n c e a n d e x p a n d collaboration between the two countries in general and

navies in particular.

Naval Chief Admiral Abbasi calls on Western Fleet Commander of Royal Saudi Naval Forces

NATION: State Minister for Finance Rana Afzal says surge in dollars's value could not be s t o p p e d a s i t p r i c e i s determined by market forces.Talking to media, he said the increase in dollar's value would lead to increase in exports. "We do not interfere with matters to dollar, its value is decided by market forces,". said he.He said the dollar's value between Rs112 and 115 is appropriate.The r upee weakened to 116.25/dollar in early trade,

before recovering some of the losses to settle at 115 by the close of the market on Tuesday.The rupee was quoted 110.57 against the dollar on Monday. Buying and selling dollar was closed in the open market after extreme depreciation of the rupee on Tuesday.

“Dollar surge cannot be stopped”

NATION: Without sharing the exact draft of proposed second phase of Pak-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with major stakeholders, including the FBR, Pakistan has offered zero duty on almost 6,000 tariff lines out of the total 7,000 that might j eopard ize many ma jor industries in Pakistan.The FBR has sternly opposed the revised FTA with China, arguing that Pakistan does not possess exportable surplus so Islamabad's exports could not

get a boost in a big way even if it gets reciprocal incentives from China, said an official in FBR, adding that Pakistan and China had agreed for granting tariff reduction on 75 per cent tariff line under the proposed revision in the FTA.Min i s t r y of Commerce spokesperson said that it would be inappropriate to disclose details at a time when t h e t w o p a r t i e s w e r e negotiating an agreement. He said that it would be better to

discuss this issue when this agreement would be signed by both the parties. He said that it was expected that both sides would s ign this revised agreement in the next few weeks' period. When the PM w i l l v i s i t C h i n a , t h i s agreement is expected to be signed.Pakistan is going to increase the number of items with zero duty from 2,600 tariff lines to 6,000 tariff lines, which will have a much larger negat ive impact on the

country's industries. However, the Ministry of Commerce took stance that Islamabad made a special request to Beijing to take remedial measures in the wake of eroded exports by g rant ing concess ion on products so revised FTA could give boost to our exports on immediate basis. The country's trade deficit increased from $2.9 billion to $12.66 billion over the last decade.Pakistan's imports from

China increased from 18% to 28% of its global imports. Pakistan's imports from China are 36% of Pakistan's non-oil imports while China's imports from Pakistan are 0.1% of the country's global imports. Pakistan's imports from China are greater than 50% of global imports in 44% tariff lines.China's exports to Pakistan increased from $4 billion in 2006-07 to $14.56 billion in 2016-17. Pakistan's exports increased from $0.5 billion to

$1.47 billion during the same p e r i o d . T h e m a x i mu m decline is registered in textiles led by cotton yarn which contributed 59% of decline in

total exports. In agriculture sector, oil-cake has registered the maximum decrease and contributed 9% of decline in total exports.

Pakistan offers zero duty on 6,000 Chinese items

NATION: Like every cricket enthusiasts, Pakistan People's Pa r t y (PPP) Cha i r man Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and his sisters Bakhtawar Bhutto

Zardari and Aseefa Bhutto Zardari will be watching Pakistan Super League (PSL) final at National Stadium Karachi on March 25.

A c c o r d i n g t o s o u r c e s , B i l a w a l , A s e e f a a n d Bakhtawar have bought tickets Rs 12000 each for VIP enclosures to enjoy the

match.The much-awaited PSL third edition final will be played between Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi on

Sunday, March 25.Strict security measures have been adopted for the PSL final.Sources further said Sindh

Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, provincial ministers Nasir Shah and Jam Khan Shoro have also purchased the tickets for PSL final.

It may be noted here that Faza l Mahmood, Javed Miandad, Hanif Mohammad enc losu re t i cke t s were available at Rs 12000 each.

Bilawal, sisters Bakhtawar and Aseefa buy PSL final tickets

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