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ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Friday warned India against any misadventure, saying such a move would evoke a prompt telling response from Pakistan. “Beware, beware, remember February (2019) and be ready for a quick retaliation while casting an evil eye on us,” he said while speaking in the Senate. Addressing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, he said the Pakistani nation could not be cowed down by Indians. He said there was a complete unanimity in the country over the Kashmir issue and matters concerning the country’s sovereignty, integrity and prestige. Referring to the situation in Ladakh, he said Indian soldiers were suffering casualties there. Claims no walkover was given to India during UNSC election “There is a dramatic shift in the region. China has openly landed in the arena against India,” he said and pointed out that the conflict was drawing blood now. He also referred to telephonic

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Friday unveiled the Rs923 billion budget for the financial year 2020-21 which focuses on improvement in the health sector and tax relief for businesses hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. KP Minister for Finance Taimur Saleem Jhagra presented the budget in the provincial assembly. He told Dawn that fundamentally the biggest challenge in the wake of Covid-19 was to anchor fixed costs of the government. He said the cost of unfunded pensions was huge; Rs86bn allocation for pension in 2020-21 was one per cent back in 2005 that has now risen to 15pc. “This is true at the Centre and in other provinces. I have put in a provision for borrowing; at this point we do not need to be shy of borrowing Rs47bn for development or social service spending,” he said. Budget documents estimate the province’s overall expenditure at Rs923bn, which includes Rs739bn for settled districts and Rs184bn for merged districts. Revenue estimates put the federal transf

ISLAMABAD: The Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCOE) on Friday approved 1,400MW of additional power supply from the national grid to Karachi and directed submission of draft Alternative & Renewable Energy Policy (AREP) to the cabinet. The meeting presided over by Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar discussed the draft AREP and ordered its submission to the cabinet in whatever shape it was. Informed sources said the Ministry of Energy had reported to the committee that most of concerns of the Sindh government over the draft AREP that had led to its delayed approval for almost six months had been addressed through a series of interactions continued until Thursday. According to these sources, Umar observed that the policy should not be held up for such minor issues and should be taken to the federal cabinet for clearance at least on part of the centre and any pending matter could be settled at the level of the Council of Common Interests (CCI). The so

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday quashed the presidential reference against Justice Qazi Faez Isa and ordered the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to seek explanation from his family members on the nature and source of funding for the offshore properties in their names. “The Order of the Court is that Reference No 1 of 2019 (against Justice Qazi Faez Isa) is declared to be of no legal effect whatsoever and stands quashed, and in consequence thereof the proceedings pending in the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) including the show-cause notice of July 17, 2019 stand abated,” announced Justice Umar Ata Bandial in a short order after closing the 41st hearing. “Justice Isa stands vindicated and this is a win-win situation for him,” commented senior counsel Munir A. Malik soon after the short order the detail reasons of which will be issued later. Justice Bandial, who was heading the full-court, commenced the pronouncement of the judgement by reciting the Quranic verses (Ayat 83 and 84

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday witnessed the signing ceremony of $1.5 billion loan agreements with three international financial institutions for combating the Covid-19 crisis. According to the Prime Minister Office, the agreements were signed with the World Bank (WB), Asian Development Bank (ABB) and Asian Infrastructure Development Bank (AIIB). An agreement is related to Covid-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support Programme (CARES) amounting to $500 million: The ADB is extending $500m under the Covid-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support Programme aimed at supporting the Pakistan government’s efforts to strengthen the health system and mitigate socioeconomic impacts of the pandemic. The AIIB is extending co-financing of $500m under the same programme to augment the government’s efforts to mitigate direct and indirect impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Sindh leads other provinces in number of coronavirus cases; 5,551 cases, 130 deaths reported across cou

ISLAMABAD: In a rare case of concord, both the government and the opposition on Friday expressed satisfaction over the Supreme Court’s decision to quash the presidential reference against Justice Qazi Faez Isa. Addressing a joint press conference after a meeting of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf core committee, which was chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, Minister for Information Senator Shibli Faraz and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Accountability Barrister Shahzad Akbar expressed satisfaction over the SC decision. They declared that the government would not file an appeal against the SC decision to quash the presidential reference against Justice Isa. “The judiciary is respected by us and they are the guardians of the Constitution. There are no winners or losers in this case,” the PM’s aide said, adding that independence of the judiciary was of prime importance. Akbar informed the media that notices would be sent to Justice Isa’s wife and children, and the de

RAWALPINDI: The government has allowed resumption of international flight operations to and from all international airports in the country — except Gwadar and Turbat airports — from Saturday (today). Spokesman for the Aviation Division Abdul Sattar Khokhar said in a press release on Friday that the permission for international flight operations would be subject to restrictions and limitations as decided by the competent authority from time to time in the light of the current Covid-19 scenario and implementation of health protocols. Additionally, cargo, special and diplomatic flights would continue to be authorised as per procedure in vogue, the spokesman said. Adherence to the relevant applicable standard operating procedures would be mandatory for all airline operators, he said. The government on Wednesday had announced a new policy for inbound passengers with a resolve to transport approximately 200,000 people within a month. The implementation of the new policy will start from S

ISLAMABAD: The opposition in the National Assembly on Friday rejected the federal budget 2020-21, criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan for not creating political harmony and assailed military authorities over alleged “commercial” use of cantonment lands. Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader and former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf demanded an inquiry against PM Khan for not tackling the coronavirus issue properly. He urged the government to utilise all resources to combat coronavirus. The house witnessed an exchange of harsh words between members from opposition and treasury benches when ruling Pak­i­stan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Amj­ad Ali Khan blamed previous governments of the PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for what he called bringing the country to the verge of economic disaster by ample foreign debts and corruption. The NA session, which started at 11am, lasted over two hours and was adjourned till 12 noon on Monday. The session started with Speaker Asad Qa

NEW DELHI: Three days after clashes in the Galwan Valley of Ladakh left 20 Indian soldiers dead, the Chinese on Thursday evening released 10 Indian Army personnel, including a Lieutenant Colonel and three Majors, from their custody, The Hindu said. It quoted an unnamed security source as saying that all 10 persons were released around 5pm after an agreement was reached at the Major General-level talks on Wednesday evening and they were returned unharmed. Separately, the Indian Army clarified in a statement that there were “no Indian troops missing in action”, The Hindu said. In another development, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said the Indian troops, who were outnumbered and attacked by the Chinese side, carried arms. Meanwhile, New Delhi confirmed that External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar would join trilateral talks with Chinese and Russian counterparts on Tuesday. India’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that Jaishankar would indeed participate in the meeting.

WASHINGTON: People celebrate after the US Supreme Court ruling on Thursday.—Reuters WASHINGTON: The US Supreme Court dealt President Donald Trump’s efforts to choke off immigration a fresh blow on Thursday when it rejected his cancellation of the DACA programme protecting 700,000 “Dreamers,” undocumented migr­ants brought to the United States as children. The high court said Trump’s 2017 move to cancel his predecessor Barack Obama’s landmark Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme was “arbitrary and capricious” under government administrative procedures. The judgement on a five-to-four vote, with Chief Justice John Roberts siding with the court’s four liberal members, stressed that it was not an assessment of the correctness of the 2012 DACA programme itself. Instead, they said the Trump administration had violated official government procedures in the way they sought to quickly rescind DACA in September 2017 based on weak legal justifications. The ruling sugges

ISLAMABAD: US blogger Cynthia D. Ritchie on Thursday filed an appeal against the directive of a court to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to proceed against her in connection with the case of defaming former prime minister Benazir Bhutto on social media. On June 15, additional district and sessions judge Mohammad Jahangir Awan had on a petition filed by Pakistan Peoples Party leader Raja Shakeel Abbasi directed the FIA to register a criminal case against Ms Ritchie. Advocate Imran Feroz Malik, counsel for Ms Ritchie, filed the appeal against the judge’s order before the Islamabad High Court. He contended in the petition that the sessions judge “has ignored the fact that under the FIA laws, registration of an FIR is not mandatory, it’s always subject to the result of an inquiry, and the FIA has been vested with the power to refuse to register the FIR if during inquiry the information is found to be false, hence an order directing the FIA to register FIR is otherwise against the

ISLAMABAD: The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) of Islamabad on Thursday convicted three accused in the decade-old murder case of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Dr Imran Farooq and jailed them for life. ATC judge Shahrukh Arjumand announced the verdict in the open court. “The prosecution remained successful in proving the case against accused by producing confidence aspiring evidence. Case in hand is a fit one for awarding death penalty, however, as an ordinance has been promulgated to amend Pakistan Penal Code 1860 whereby, in the cases where evidence is shared by a foreign country death penalty cannot be given,” the court ruled. The accused Syed Mohsin Ali, Moazzam Ali and Khalid Shamim were thus convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. They were also imposed a fine of Rs1.2 million each. According to a First Information Report registered by the Counter Terrorism Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency, “assassination of Dr Imran Farooq was result of conspiracy hatched in

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan presides over a meeting during his visit to the National Command and Operation Centre on Thursday. ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday directed the federal and provincial authorities to take all possible steps for controlling the novel coronavirus and ensure availability of medicines, oxygen and beds in hospitals. He called for complete unity among the masses to fight an unusual and ominous challenge facing the country and for protection of the elderly and sick, especially those suffering from heart-related diseases and diabetes. The prime minister issued the directives while chairing a meeting during his visit to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) for Covid-19 in Islamabad. Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa was also present on the occasion. Apart from federal ministers, the prime minister of Azad Kashmir and chief ministers of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan attended the meeting v

ISLAMABAD: A teary-eyed Mrs Justice Qazi Faez Isa on Thursday presented before the Supreme Court the evidence of funds used to purchase the three offshore properties whose money trail is a key to a presidential reference filed against her husband. “We are quite satisfied that you have the material in support of the source (of money) for the properties,” observed Justice Umar Ata Bandial after the recording of her statement. During the recording of her statement, Mrs Isa broke down several times and spoke in a choked voice while showing her documents. “You have a strong answer to the slur caused by the allegations,” said Justice Bandial, who was heading a ten-judge full bench that was hearing a set of pleas that challenged a presidential reference against Justice Isa. Zarina breaks into tears several times during her testimony recorded through video link “We are impressed by your bravery and courage,” said Justice Bandial, who had in the morning allowed Mrs Isa to get her stateme

ISLAMABAD: In a move aimed at saving the education system from further disruption amid the coronavirus crisis, Prime Minister Imran Khan directed the authorities concerned on Thursday to thrash out a strategy to restore academic activities in the country in consultation with provincial governments. “Formulate a joint strategy in collaboration with the provincial education ministers regarding the future teaching process,” the prime minister said during a meeting to assess the disruption caused to the education system by the pandemic. The meeting also reviewed the progress made so far for implementation of the government’s plan to introduce a uniform curriculum in the country. All educational institutions were closed over three months ago after detection of the first Covid-19 case in the country. Although federal and provincial authorities have introduced online classes, the feedback shows people still have reservations about its success and utility. According to the Prime Minister’s

ISLAMABAD: A Senate panel on Thursday was taken aback when a federal secretary declared that the contract governing affairs of the Gwadar port was “confidential” and its details could not be disclosed publicly. The Senate standing committee on finance led by Senator Farooq Hamid Naek on Wednesday had asked federal Secretary of Maritime Affairs Rizwan Ahmed to share copies of contracts and related documents on award of contracts and sub-contracts regarding Gwadar free zone. Mr Rizwan replied that the documents could not be shared with the Senate committee chairman and read out one paragraph from the agreement which says the contents of the agreement will be kept confidential. The issue has been under discussion at the standing committee for the last three days in the wake of the government’s inclusion of tax concession ordinance in the finance bill 2020. The bill has expired after a one-time extension. Copies of agreement will be given to committee during in-camera meeting on Tuesd

ISLAMABAD / QUETTA: The federal government on Thursday opened the country’s border with Iran at Taftan to resume trade activities. The border will now remain open seven days a week. With the development, the export of Pakistani mangoes to Iran is now set to resume. Separately, the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has announced a drastic cut in freight charges for export of mangoes to the United Kingdom and rest of Europe. The Ministry of Interior took the decision on the opening of the border with Iran on the intervention of the National Assembly’s Special Committee on Agricultural Products which had warned that no delay would be tolerated in the opening of the border with Iran and trade facilitation. The border was closed on March 17 after the coronavirus outbreak in Iran. PIA announces drastic cut in freight charges for export of mangoes to Europe The interior ministry informed the director general of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the inspector general of Fr

ISLAMABAD: A day after the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) announced its decision about parting of ways with the federal government led by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), efforts have begun to win back the party’s support. In what was the first formal contact from the government side with the party after it quit the ruling coalition, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani held a meeting with BNP-M chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal. Sources said that besides using his personal clout as a Baloch leader to woo back Mr Mengal, Mr Sanjrani delivered to him a message from a negotiating committee led by Defence Minister Pervez Khattak. Mr Sanjrani also informed Mr Mengal that the committee would soon call on him. The BNP-M chief, however, was said to have stuck to his position and said he had nothing to do now. “I have done what I was supposed to do and the ball is in the government’s court now,” he was quoted as saying. On this, Mr Sanjrani promised him to convey his message to the negotiati

ISLAMABAD: The government on Thursday vowed greater transparency and lesser reliance on loans during the second phase of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). CPEC Authority Chairman and Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information retired Lt Gen Asim Bajwa said the Phase-II of CPEC would be started after “full preparation and in an institutional manner”, while ensuring “full transparency”. He was speaking at the signing ceremony of business cooperation agreements between leading Chinese entrepreneurs and Heavy Mechanical Complex (HMC) in Taxila for revamping of the facility. Pakistan and China had agreed in April on the launching of the second phase of CPEC during Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Beijing for attending a meeting of Belt and Road Forum. The second phase was then envisioned to focus on development of Special Economic Zones, agriculture sector and socio-economic development. The multi-billion-dollar joint Pak-China undertaking for infrastructure developm

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet (right) looks on next to a TV screen showing George Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd speaking via video message during an urgent debate on “systemic racism” in the United States and beyond at the Human Rights Council on Wednesday.—AFP GENEVA: The UN’s human rights chief urged countries on Wednesday to confront the legacy of slavery and colonialism and to make amends for “centuries of violence and discrimination” through reparations. Addressing an urgent debate on racism and police brutality at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Michelle Bachelet called on countries to examine their pasts and to strive to better understand the scope of continuing “systemic discrimination”. She pointed to the “gratuitous brutality” on display in the killing of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died in Minneapolis in the US on May 25 after a white police officer — since charged with murder — kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minut