Forensic evidence

IT was Edmond Locard (1877-1966), the ‘Sherlock Holmes of France’, who came up with the ‘exchange principle’ in criminal investigation. According to this principle, everything and everyone that enters a crime scene leaves some piece of evidence behind.

Forensic science is an integral part of the modern criminal justice system. Its earliest application dates back to the ancient Greek and Roman societies. Notable contributions were made by them in medicine, especially pharmacology, ie, the types of toxins and their uses and effects.

Significant efforts were made in China in the 13th century in pathology and entomology to solve crimes, while 16th-century Europe saw medical practitioners making further contributions to forensic medicine. By the 17th century, forensic science had begun to evolve into an important area of study.

Later, the 18th and 19th centuries witnessed a breakthrough in the application of forensics in solving crimes via footprints, clothing fibre, fingerprints, ballistics, toxicology and DNA profiling.

The 20th century saw law enforcement form special forensic teams for evidence-gathering and analysis, as crime scene investigation acquired a modern outlook.

Forensic analysis, which involves careful consideration of each piece of evidence at the crime scene, is an essential part of police work today. The investigation is helped by recreating the scene of crime in multiple ways to connect the crime with suspects, assess motives, identify the weapon used or the method employed to commit the crime. It not only helps in narrowing down the suspects but also getting the real culprit convicted.

Forensic science provides the scientific basis for information through the analysis of physical evidence, the identity of the culprit through clues at the crime scene such as fingerprints, blood drops, hair, mobile phones, etc. Most crime today is committed, facilitated or abetted via digital means, making digital forensics another mode of investigation.

Any contamination of the crime scene will affect the outcome.

Traditional forensic analysis methods include chromatography, spectroscopy, hair and fibre analysis and serology (eg, blood/DNA examination). Advanced methods involve forensic anthropology, entomology, odontology, chemical analysis, criminal profiling, geographic profiling, document analysis, data analysis and audio/video analysis. The goal of using forensic tools is to connect the crime with the suspect and obtain a conviction after a trial.

To this end, there are two important aspects — the preservation and recording of the crime scene. Failure to accomplish these two crucial steps can jeopardise scientific evidence and end in the loss of forensic records.

The law delineates the admissibility of evidence when collected properly and after following a clear chain of custody. Any contamination of the crime scene or the forensic evidence collected will affect the credibility of the investigation and give the accused an advantage.

Significant details of evidence that are required during a crime investigation are recorded at two levels. An examination is carried out for class characteristics and the other for accidental characteristics of the evidence.

The former includes items like shoeprints, tool impressions, etc. If these point towards a suspect then there is sufficient circumstantial evidence and reasonable grounds for building up a case. Accidental characteristics are unique marks and features that develop on any item resulting from wear and tear. Investigators use accidental characteristics to link the suspect to the crime scene or the victim.

These days, criminal investigations are in­­complete without forensic analysis, which contributes en­­ormously to sol­ving heinous crimes and other forms of violence. Without the application of forensic science, it would be very difficult to catch any criminal, unless an eyewitness was present at the scene of crime.

As soon as a crime is reported, police and other law-enforcement agencies become involved in the collection of evidence. The investigating officer tries to collect the maximum amount of proof found at the scene of crime, be it physical or digital; even minuscule evidence can affect the outcome of the case at hand.

It is forensic science that deals with the analysis of the evidence to establish facts that are admissible in a court of law. Without the help of forensic science, murderers, thieves, drug traffickers and rapists would roam free.

It is therefore of utmost importance for police forces to keep pace with modern forensics in terms of their training, equipment and the use of analytical tools. Rational and scientific methods are pivotal in making investigations transparent and their outcome certain.

The writer is a police officer.
Twitter: @MariaTaimurPSP

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2023

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US, Iran confiscate each other’s oil tankers amid sanctions tension

The US confiscated Iranian oil on a tanker at sea in recent days in a sanctions enforcement operation, three sources said, and days later Iran seized another oil-laden tanker in retaliation, according to a maritime security firm.

As oil markets remain jittery, the cargo seizure is the latest escalation between Washington and Tehran after years of sanctions pressure by the US over Iran’s nuclear program.

Iran does not recognise the sanctions, and its oil exports have been rising.

Tehran says its nuclear program is for civilian purposes while Washington suspects Iran wants to develop a nuclear bomb.

Maritime security company Ambrey said the US confiscation took place at least five days before Iran’s action on Thursday.

“Ambrey has assessed the seizure by the Iranian Navy to be in response to the US action,” it said in an advisory to clients.

“Both tankers were Suezmax-sized. Iran has previously responded tit-for-tat following seizures of Iranian oil cargo.”

The sources familiar with the matter, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue, said Washington took control of the oil cargo aboard the Marshall Islands tanker Suez Rajan after securing an earlier court order.

The tanker’s last reported position was near southern Africa on April 22, ship tracking data showed.

The vessel’s Greece-based manager, Empire Navigation, and the US Department of Justice did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The US Navy said Iran seized a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, the latest seizure or attack by Tehran on commercial vessels in sensitive Gulf waters.

Iranian state TV said on Friday the tanker ignored radio calls for eight hours following a collision with an Iranian boat, which left several crewmen injured and three missing.

“Before using force, we tried to call the vessel …to stop but they did not cooperate,” Iranian deputy navy commander Rear Admiral Mostafa Tajodini told the broadcaster.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was aware of the Gulf of Oman seizure and reaffirmed support for international maritime law, a UN spokesperson said on Friday.

Last year the US tried to confiscate a cargo of Iranian oil near Greece, which prompted Tehran to seize two Greek tankers in the Gulf.

Greece’s supreme court ordered the cargo returned to Iran. The two Greek tankers were later released.

In a step likely to exacerbate tensions, 12 US senators on Thursday urged President Joe Biden to remove Treasury Department policy hurdles that have prevented the Department of Homeland Security from seizing Iranian oil shipments for more than a year.

In 2020, Washington confiscated four cargoes of Iranian fuel aboard foreign ships that were bound for Venezuela and transferred them with the help of undisclosed foreign partners onto two other ships which then sailed to the US.

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Defusing the census controversy

UNLESS extended again, the first-ever digital census of Pakistan will be concluding at the end of the month, with the results expected soon after. The census has been a chronic source of controversy in Pakistan, at least for the last three decades.

The census of 1991 was not carried out and that of 2011 was aborted at the stage of house counting. On both occasions, the data deviated from the previous trend by a wide margin and was deemed unrealistic.

The census exercise is critical to the planning process. The resultant demographic data not only helps governments and the private sector to improve development planning, it also offers useful insights for setting or redefining long-term national priorities in key sectors of human development.

In Pakistan, though, the census has been tied with economic and political incentives like the extent of the share in the National Finance Commission Award, allocation of seats in parliament, quotas for government jobs and admission to public-sector universities. This stimulates provinces to compete for a bigger share of the pie.

The NFC share is the biggest attraction among all incentives and is tied to the population share. For years, population was the sole criterion for the horizontal distribution of finances. However, the seventh NFC Award, issued in 2010, departed from past practice and added three other criteria to make the award more inclusive. Nonetheless, population still remained the dominant factor with 82 per cent weightage in the NFC formula.

Smaller provinces have been protesting that making population the only or dominant factor favours Punjab that is home to more than half the national population. In the spirit of a just federation, the NFC formula should have been made more balanced by assigning reasonable weightage to other vital indicators, such as backwardness, penury, resource contribution, state of human development and geographic sprawl. It took decades to introduce a minor shift in favour of such indicators.

This shift created fiscal space for the smaller provinces and was bolstered by the 18th Constitutional Amendment that abolished the Concurrent List and devolved various functions to the provinces.

After the 18th Amendment, a census was conducted in 2011. However, it was terminated at the stage of house counting as the data depicted an abnormal trajectory. Another census was conducted in 2017.

This time Sindh rejected the data by challenging the questionable average family size in the province. This prompted a discussion and a decision by the Council of Common Interests to conduct a fresh census within five years as against the normal intercensal span of 10 years.

A pall of apprehension surrounds the current census exercise.

To make it credible and comprehensive, the then government decided to conduct the census through digital devices rather than archaic paper stacks. Like any digital platform, the census software also encountered technical hiccups at the outset, triggering resentment especially among political parties and civil society in Sindh. Intriguingly, the ruling parties didn’t object to the digital census while being staunch opponents of digital elections.

The data collection process was rattled, mid-course, by the Sindh government. The chief minister and the ruling party chairperson made serious charges and explicitly warned that the data would be trashed if the process were not reset to their satisfaction. Some preliminary data also invited the ire of certain quarters.

A pall of apprehension has fallen on the census exercise and it might possibly end up in shelves and the graveyard of cyber data. Since the next general elections require the delimitation of constituencies based on this census, any controversy may jeopardise the electoral process, whose fate is already hanging by a thread.

India averted controversy regarding the census exercise there by adopting a novel approach. Initially, population data used for its NFC Award was frozen and kept to 1971 census data. After the census of 2011, Indian states demanded the unlocking of the 1971 population benchmark as the population had considerably increased over four decades.

In the 15th NFC Award (2021-26), the Finance Commission of India used the 2011 census data for the award. However, two important measures were taken to pre-empt any race to increase the population. One, only 15pc weightage was assigned to population numbers.

Second, to de-incentivise population growth, a 12.5pc share was allocated to demographic performance. This allocation actually discourages federating units from increasing fertility rates in order to claim a bigger share of the financial pie, based on population figures. The commission report noted that “we feel that the use of the latest Census data, and sudden change of underlying data, should not unfairly put some States which have performed well on the national objective of demographic management at a disadvantage”. The commission intelligently reined in any propensity to distort the census process through an inflated head count.

Although Pakistan’s political anatomy is far different from India’s and it may not be easy to drastically reduce the population share in Pakistan’s NFC Award, some structural measures are required to gradually deflate the population share in the Award. Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal recently extended a similar suggestion.

Pakistan adds sizeable numbers of at least four million to 5m every year to its population. Amid prolonged spells of a faltering economy and frequent natural disasters, the sustained population growth has dwarfed our meagre economic gains.

A population growth rate of 2pc will exert disproportional stress on our resources when our GDP is estimated to grow at only 0.8pc this year, for example. Our current NFC regime not only provokes provinces to fight over census results but also discourages the provinces from arresting the pace of population growth.

A paradigm shift is overdue and should not be delayed further if future censuses are to be saved from perpetual controversy.

The writer is a civil society professional.

nmemon2004@yahoo.com

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2023

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Election dates

PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s surprise vote of confidence from the National Assembly on Thursday is part of a chain of events linked to the Supreme Court’s hearing of the elections delay case and the first meeting of PTI and PDM representatives in Parliament House to discuss polls.

Though the political atmosphere has been toxic over the last one year, these developments indicate that the country’s warring elite may be inching towards a negotiated solution to the prevailing constitutional and political crises.

The PM’s successful vote of confidence — though in a rump parliament shorn of any practical opposition — was designed to send a message to the apex court. Yet the question is: where to from here? Will the move help defuse the ticking time bomb? As the chief justice noted during Thursday’s hearing, the SC cannot force the government to hold negotiations with the opposition.

With the PDM-PTI meeting, facilitated by the Senate chairman, both sides have taken baby steps towards, hopefully, a democratic solution to one of Pakistan’s most protracted political crises.

Now it is up to the protagonists to find a way out of this morass so that the country can embark on the path to recovery. But as the events of the past year have shown, this will be far from easy, particularly when there are rigid elements within the PDM — such as the JUI-F as well as hardliners inside the PML-N — that want nothing to do with the PTI.

Still, with Mr Sharif securing the confidence of the Assembly, he needs to instruct his side to hammer out a deal with the PTI that can pave the way to polls.

The onus is on both sides to find a democratic solution to the impasse. If the PTI has shown some flexibility, the PDM should respond in kind. While the latter has said that parliament alone has the mandate to make laws and decide on elections, it should be kept in mind that no decision by the legislature should violate the Constitution.

Already the 90-day constitutional limit of the caretaker governments in KP and Punjab has passed, and it would not be incorrect to say that both interim administrations are operating in legal limbo.

Ideally, polls for both the National Assembly and the four provincial legislatures should be held on the same date, but the government should not insist that these be held in October or November after the current administration completes its term.

As this paper has previously argued, early polls nationally and in the provinces can offer a way out. If the political class fails to negotiate a settlement and powerful quarters move in to ‘save the day’ through extra-constitutional means, the politicians will have to answer to the people.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2023

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Govt urges caution as Pakistan braces for showers

From Kashmir to Karachi, people must be prepared to expect unstable weather patterns, leading to sporadic urban flooding.—AFP/file

ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: Amid the forecast of heavy rains across the country between April 26 and May 7, Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman on Wednesday advised the provinces to take necessary precautions and stay alert to ensure public safety during this period while expressing the apprehension that the country might ‘fall into a recovery trap’.

From Kashmir to Karachi, according to her, one must be prepared to expect unstable weather patterns leading to sporadic urban flooding.

The Met Office earlier cautioned tourists, farmers and relevant authorities that strong wind and hailstorms may cause damage to lose infrastructure and standing crops (particularly wheat crop), while heavy showers may trigger flashfloods in parts of Balochistan and hill torrents of Dera Ghazi Khan from April 28 till May 2 and in Mansehra, Abbottabad, Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kohistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir from May 1 to May 4.

Also, landslides may occur in the hilly areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir, Murree and Galliyat during the period.

Minister fears country may ‘fall into a recovery trap’ if even a fraction of last year’s devastation comes to pass

The minister called for taking extra precautions in the areas where reconstruction work is underway in the wake of the devastation caused by the monsoon floods in 2022. She advised the provinces to ensure that storm drains were not clogged, besides the stability of electricity poles and road access in the event of flooding.

A statement issued by the ministry for climate change quoted her as expressing the fears that the country may fall into a recovery trap if it does not have sufficient resources to deal with the devastation caused by the 2022 floods. “My fear is that Pakistan will be in the resilience and rebuilding trap if there are not enough resources to plough into the devastation wrought by the 2022 flooding.

“While there is no clarity on what level of monsoon to expect next, the rebuilding projects will certainly be impacted as well as the economic recovery, if even a fraction of the devastation repeats itself.”

Choppy seas and showers

The minister specifically advised the fishing community to be cautious, particularly off the coast of Ormara, Pasni, and Gwadar, due to the possibility of choppy seas and extreme weather conditions. It was important for them to take necessary precautions and stay informed about weather updates during this period, she added.

According to Met Office, the regions that are likely to be affected by rain, wind, and thunderstorms for next three days include Islamabad, parts of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jam­mu and Kashmir; Peshawar, Mar­dan, Charsadda, Nowshera, Swabi, Bajaur, Kurram, Waziristan and Kohat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Mur­r­ee, Galliyat, Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Gujran­wala, Sialkot and Lahore in Punjab.

Similarly, parts of Balochistan, Sindh and south Punjab are likely to experience rain, dust, and thunderstorms, with isolated heavy falls and hailstorms, from April 27 evening till May 3.

Under the influence of this weather system, scattered dust-thunderstorm along with moderate to heavy rain is expected in parts of Sindh, including Dadu, Jamshoro, Kam­bar, Shahdadkot, Larkana, Jaco­b­­abad, Shikarpur, Kashmore, Sukk­ur, Ghotki, Khairpur, Naus­hahro Feroze, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sanghar, Matiari, Tando Mohammad Khan, Tando Allahyar, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Tharparkar, Badin, Thatta, Sujawal and Karachi, from April 28 to May 1.

Also from April 30 to May 5, rain with wind and thunderstorms is expected to lash Islamabad as well as several areas of Punjab, KP, GB and AJK, namely Lahore, Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Jhang, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Sialkot, Narowal, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Sargodha, Mianwali, Khushab, Jhelum, Chakwal, Attock, Rawalpindi, Galliyat, Murree, Abbottabad, Kohistan, Shangla, Haripur, Mansehra, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera, Charsadda, Peshawar, Bajaur, Kurram, Waziristan, Kohat, Karak, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Chitral, Dir, Swat and Buner.

PDMA preparation

In Sindh, the provincial disaster management authority (PDMA) claimed to have set up a centre for coordination among the district administrations and to monitor operations in case of emergency in any area. An official cited a letter sent to all deputy commissioners in Sindh and representatives of organisations at the district level, asking them to stay in touch with the Met Office and ensure the availability of stocks of emergency relief, medicines and related supplies at all government hospitals.

According to him, a helpline number is being set up, which will become operational by Thursday evening, so that the general public reach the district administration and our staff in case of any emergency or any assistance they need. All ambulance services have already been taken on board with the district administration and PDMA, while power utilities had been directed to ensure uninterrupted supply to hospitals and healthcare units across the Sindh province, assigning a liaison officer to coordinate with all organisations. “We are coordinating with the local government organisations such as KWSB and different development authorities if they need any assistance. We have also identified a few areas in Karachi where they need to focus more and deploy more manpower and machinery for drainage [in case of flooding],” the official said.

In Lahore, PDMA DG Imran Qureshi said that commissioners and deputy commissioners had been instructed to stay alert and keep machinery and personnel ready to tackle any emergency, amid the warning of flash floods in local streams and nullahs of the mountainous areas of D.G. Khan from April 28 to May 2.

He further said people should avoid unnecessary travel during the rainy season and call PDMA’s helpline ‘1129’ for emergency assistance.

The PDMA also advised all deputy commissioners in Punjab to keep the district emergency centres operational round the clock and take necessary precautionary measures to avoid any loss of life and property.

Meanwhile, on the instruction of the Lahore commissioner, WASA managing director directed officers to remain in the field to ensure timely cleaning of disposal stations. He also issued directives to ensure availability of generators to drain water from low-lying areas of the city. In this regard, he also asked the staff to keep an eye on underpasses to avoid loss of life and property.

Imran Ayub in Karachi also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2023

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A serious business

EXTENDED Eid holidays bring everything to halt, except one’s digestion. It is a time to eat, pray and watch long films one would not otherwise find the time to see.

Two recent films caught one’s attention during this period of forced indolence. Both had anti-war themes. One – All Quiet on the Western Front — was set during World War I and the second — War Machine — in the US misadventure in Afghanistan. Both reinforce with compelling evidence George Clemenceau’s famous dictum that war was too serious a business to be left to generals.

Most of us know of All Quiet on the Western Front as a novel by Enrich Maria Remarque. Published in 1928, it was made into a film two years later. It won an Oscar in 1930. It was soon banned by Hitler’s Nazi Party and other countries. Curiously, the ban remained in France until 1963.

Portly German and French generals are depicted gorging on delicacies while their troops are scavenging for sustenance in the trenches. The crescendo occurs during the hour preceding the 11am Armistice on Nov 11, 1918. A German general taking advantage of the pause in hostilities releases a contingent of raw recruits in a suicide mission against the unsuspecting French. It was an act of wanton cruelty bordering on barbarism.

The public is tired of being promised polls that are palpably stale.

History being the version of the victors, Edward Berger’s film is an important corrective to their nationalist lies. That it should have been nominated for an Oscar in 2023 shows how far the pendulum has swung back since 1930 from militarism towards the other extreme — pacifism.

The second film — War Machine (2017) — shows how even Hollywood is not shy to debunk its own heroes. Once it idolised heroes like the clean-cut much decorated Audie Murphy and the ramrod general George Patton (whom Hitler called “that crazy cowboy general”). Today, the anti-hero is in vogue.

In this film, an unforgiving satire, David Michôd uses as his military archetype US Gen Stanley McChrystal, once head of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. McChrystal was relieved of his command for airing criticism against the Obama administration.

Michôd’s film is a fictionalised account of a four-star general, Glen McMahon (played with comic flair by Brad Pitt), who is transferred from success in Iraq to failure in Afghanistan, where he is determined to give Afghans freedom and democracy. The film contains a brilliant cameo by Ben Kingsley as a cowardly whining president Hamid Karzai.

Subtitles to Michôd’s film could have been Gen Dwight Eisenhower’s dictum: “We are going to have peace even if we have to fight for it.” Or alternatively, Gen George Patton’s assertion that “the object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his”.

It is perhaps too early for our filmmakers to expose our establishments to such candid scrutiny.

India is still recovering from the recent revelations by Satya Pal Malik’s (former governor of Indian-occupied Jammu & Kashmir) during an interview with Karan Thapar. He admitted that PM Modi and NSA A. Doval had told him to keep quiet on the deaths of 40 Indian jawans at Pulwama “due to sheer incompetence” by the Indian top brass, so that blame could be shifted to Pakistan, to help the BJP in elections.

In Pakistan, the PTI chief and his mentor the former COAS Gen Qamar Bajwa are going through a messy divorce. The pre-nup agreement had been quite specific. An extension for Gen Bajwa for three years and then another three until 2023 (and if necessary beyond), while in return, continued support for Imran Khan as prime minister until 2023, and beyond. They spar now thro­ugh the media.

The date of the armistice between Imran Khan’s PTI and the PDM’s combined forces should have been sometime in May, when elections were to be held in Punjab and KP. The date and month remains elusive and unresolved. Meanwhile, the parties continue to snipe at each other from their entrenched positions.

Some stalwarts within the PTI have questioned their leader’s decision not to award provincial assembly tickets to loyalists Fawad Chaudhry and Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Both aspire to become chief minister Punjab. Imran has countered by saying that he wishes to have them in Islamabad. As Sun Tzu said: “Keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer.”

In truth, the Pakistani public is tired of being promised elections that are palpably stale even before they have left the oven. Is there any merit, they ask, in holding elections only to see the same parties continue their combat in the assemblies?

If, according to Herodotus, in peace sons bury their fathers, and in war, fathers bury their sons, Pakistani politicians today strive to bury each other — alive. 

The writer is an author.

www.fsaijazuddin.pk

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2023

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Newfound neutrality

THE elephant in the room was the army’s role in politics, and the response was predictable. Neutral is the way it is going to be, so it is claimed. Before that came up, however, newly appointed DG ISPR Maj Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry in his maiden presser talked at length about security-related issues. Among these, he listed the military’s successes in anti-terror operations, saying that the army and LEAs had carried out 8,269 intelligence-based operations during 2022 in which 1,378 suspected terrorists were taken into custody and 157 were killed.

Significantly, given the public uproar over what had been a plan to ‘mainstream’ TTP militants in KP’s tribal districts, he distanced his institution from the previous government’s initiative of holding talks with the banned group. Gen Chaudhry also spoke about the evolving militant landscape following the US exit from Afghanistan and said that TTP and Baloch insurgents were working together to sabotage peace in Balochistan and KP.

The question-and-answer session provided the opening for the DG ISPR to say that relations between a sitting government and the army were apolitical but constitutional in nature and that the army did not support the ideology of any party and respected all parties. What was said should be a statement of the obvious in any democracy. But when former army chief Gen Qamar Bajwa admitted that the army has been meddling in politics for almost the entirety of Pakistan’s existence, he was articulating what everyone had known for a long time: the military had either been ruling directly or pulling the strings from behind the scenes, making and breaking governments, manipulating poll results, engineering alliances, etc.

However, it will take much more than assertions to convince a sceptical public of the security establishment’s newfound neutrality, a consequence of the unprecedented criticism it was exposed to after the unravelling of its hybrid experiment.

Unfortunately, a number of developments have strengthened suspicions of continued interference. The cascade of audio leaks, for example, is obviously calculated to compromise certain individuals and shape the political landscape in a particular way. Everyone is well aware of which hidden hand has the most advanced capabilities for electronic surveillance. Other moves such as the ‘reunification’ of the various MQM factions and the PSP — which could impact politics in Karachi — under the stewardship of a recent, lateral entrant in the MQM ranks, also seems forced rather than organic.

So unconvincing is this ‘apoliticality’ that even the prospect of martial law has not receded. On the contrary, even a seasoned politician such as Shahid Khaqan Abbasi recently warned that the prevailing situation in the country is ripe for a military intervention. The army will have to walk the walk, not only talk the talk.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2023

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Ship carrying 37 Pakistanis from Sudan port reaches Jeddah: FO

A ship carrying 37 Pakistani nationals from Sudan — where fighting between the army and paramilitaries has killed and wounded hundreds — arrived in Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah on Wednesday, the Foreign Office (FO) said.

“Evacuation plan for Pakistani nationals in Sudan continues. The ship carrying 37 Pakistani nationals from Port Sudan arrives in Jeddah,” it said in a tweet.

“They were received by CG in Jeddah, Khalid Majid on arrival at Jeddah Port. We are grateful to the Government of KSA for its support & hospitality,” the FO added.

According to the Saudi Arabia Foreign Ministry, the boat with 1,687 civilians from more than 50 countries arrived in the kingdom today, which is the largest rescue effort by the Gulf state to date.

The group was “transported by one of the Kingdom’s ships, and the Kingdom was keen to provide all the basic needs of foreign nationals in preparation for their departure,” it said in a statement.

In another statement, the FO said that “another convoy of 200 Pakistanis has arrived safely in Port Sudan”. It added that the “Embassy of Pakistan in Sudan will continue to facilitate their stay in Port Sudan and arrange their eventual repatriation”.

Fighting broke out in Sudan on April 15 between forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy-turned-rival Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

At least 459 people had been killed and more than 4,000 as of Tuesday across Africa’s third-biggest country, according to UN agencies.

A three-day US-brokered ceasefire between the warring generals brought some calm to the capital on Tuesday, but witnesses reported fresh air strikes and paramilitaries claimed to have seized a major oil refinery and power plant.

Saudi Arabia has received several rounds of evacuees by air and sea, starting with boats that arrived in Jeddah on Saturday carrying 150 people including foreign diplomats and officials.

On Monday, a C-130 Hercules military plane flew dozens of South Korean civilians to Jeddah’s King Abdullah Air Base, and a boat ferried nearly 200 people from 14 countries across the Red Sea from Port Sudan.

Thirteen of the civilians who arrived on Wednesday were Saudi, while the rest came from countries across the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia and North and Central America, the foreign ministry statement said.

All told, 2,148 people have been evacuated to the kingdom from Sudan so far, including more than 2,000 foreigners, the statement added.

A day earlier, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had said that more than 200 Pakistanis were evacuated to safety in chaos-torn Sudan, bringing the total number of rescued nationals to 700.

“In keeping with the commitment of the Government of Pakistan to the welfare of overseas Pakistanis, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to lead in the relief and rescue of Pakistanis in Sudan. Today, another convoy carrying 211 Pakistanis dispatched from Khartoum has arrived in Port Sudan,” the minister said in a statement.

Shaky ceasefire

The ceasefire between Sudan’s warring generals entered its second day today but remained fragile after witnesses reported fresh air strikes and paramilitaries claimed to have seized a major oil refinery and power plant.

“The pause was not fully upheld, with attacks on headquarters, attempts to gain ground, air strikes, and explosions in different areas of the capital,” UN Special Representative Volker Perthes told the Security Council a day earlier.

Perthes said he maintained contact with both generals: army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy-turned-rival, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the heavily armed paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

“There is yet no unequivocal sign that either is ready to seriously negotiate,” Perthes said.

Security fears were compounded when the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of a “huge biological risk” after fighters occupied a Khartoum laboratory holding samples of cholera, measles, polio and other infectious diseases.

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Met Office forecasts rains, thunderstorms across Pakistan from today

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted rains and thunderstorms across Pakistan from today (Wednesday) under the influence of a westerly weather system which is likely to spread to the central and southern parts of the country.

In a statement issued today, the department warned that the westerly wave would persist till the first week of May.

Under the new system, thunderstorms are expected in Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Swabi, Mardan, Bajaur, Kurram, Waziristan, Kohat, Islamabad, Murree, Galiyat, Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Gujranwala, Sialkot and Lahore from April 26 to April 29.

The advisory said rain-dusts with isolated heavy falls and hailstorms are expected in Balochistan’s Quetta, Zhob, Barkhan, Qila Saifullah, Qila Abdullah, Chaman, Pishin, Noshki, Naseerabad, Sibi, Khuzdar, Kalat, Lasbela, Awaran, Kharan and the Makran coast from April 27 (evening) to May 3.

Similarly, in South Punjab, rain and duststorms with isolated heavy falls and hailstorms are expected in Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalnagar and Sahiwal from April 27 to May 3.

“Downpours are also expected in Sukkur, Larkana, Jacobabad, Dadu, Shaheed Benazirabad, Hyderabad, Karachi, Thatta, Badin, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Khairpur, Umarkot, Tharparkar, Mitiyari, Tandojam and Jamshoro from April 27 to May 3,” the Met office said.

It stated that more rain-wind/thunderstorms with isolated heavy falls and hailstorms are expected in Kashmir (Neelum valley, Muzaffarabad, Poonch, Hattian, Bagh, Haveli, Sudhanoti, Kotli, Bhimber, Mirpur), Gilgit-Baltistan (Diamir, Astore, Ghizer, Skardu, Hunza, Gilgit, Ghanche, Shigar), Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Swabi, Mardan, Bajaur, Kurram, Waziristan, Kohat, Karak, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Chitral, Dir, Swat, Mansehra, Buner, and Kohistan from April 30 to May 5.

Heavy falls and hailstorms from April 30 to May 5 are also forecast in Islamabad, Murree, Galiyat, Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Khushab, Mianwali, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Sialkot, Narowal, Lahore, Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Jhang, Kasur, Sheikhupura and Nankana Sahib, the department added.

The Met Office warned that strong winds and hailstorms could cause damage to infrastructure and standing crops in the country and advised farmers to manage their activities keeping in view the weather forecast.

The rainfall, it cautioned, could cause flash floods in Mansehra, Abbottabad, Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kohistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir from May 1 to May 4 and in parts of Balochistan and hill torrents of Dera Ghazi Khan from April 28 to May 2.

The PMD forecast further noted that day temperatures are likely to drop significantly during wet spells.

Expect unstable weather systems: Sherry Rehman

Meanwhile, Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman said that unstable weather systems and sporadic urban flooding could be expected from Kashmir to Karachi in the upcoming days.

“A special advisory for Balochistan and coastal areas has also been issued. The fisherfolk community needs to be alerted to the possibility of choppy seas and extreme weather, especially off Ormara, Pasni, and Gwadar,” she tweeted.

The minister advised provinces to take precautionary measures, including cleaning storm drains, electricity pole stability and road access in the event of local flooding. “Especially where repair works from the 2022 floods are still ongoing,” she said.

Rehman warned that heavy rains may cause flash floods in Mansehra, Abbottabad, Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kohistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir from May 1 to May 4.

Landslides may occur in hilly areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir, Murree and Galiyat, she added.

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Afghan Taliban ready to help US in countering IS: report

WASHINGTON: The Afghan Taliban are ready to cooperate with the US in combating the militant group Islamic State (IS) as they see jihadists ‘a threat to their own powerbase,’ Washington Post reported.

The Afghan government has been battling IS since August 2021 when it seized power after a 20-year-long war with the US and its allies, the report said while quoting US defence officials.

A senior defence official told the Post that “the duelling groups of religious fanatics are openly warring,” with the IS, attacking Afghan Taliban’s targets with the latter retaliating by targeting the former’s hideouts across Afghanistan.

“I would never want to say that we had mortgaged our counterterrorism to a group like the Taliban, but it’s a fact that, operationally, they put pressure on ISIS-K,” the official said. “In a strange world, we have mutually beneficial objectives there.”

Leaked intelligence pose militant group as a potent threat

Some part of the Post’s report was based on a leaked Pentagon assessment, claiming that the IS was once again using Afghanistan as a staging ground for plots against America, Europe and Asia.

The report portrayed the resurrected threat as a growing security concern.

When asked to comment, a US defence official acknowledged that “the [Afghan] Taliban has served as a check on ISIS” since 2021, when the group took over Kabul.

The Pentagon assessment cited specific plans to target churches, embassies, business centres and the World Cup soccer tournament. The report said that The White House declined to verify the assessment’s authenticity, although it was labelled top-secret and bore the logo of the Defense Department’s organisations.

The classified documents were posted online as part of a wider leak by Massachusetts Air National Guard member Jack Teixeria, who federal authorities said shared them with friends on a private Discord server.

Current and former US officials told the Post that the leaked reports support earlier warnings that terrorist cells could return to life in Afghanistan.

The Biden administration, however, defended its counter-terrorism policies in a statement to the newspaper.

The United States “maintains the ability to remove terrorists from the battlefield without permanent troop presence on the ground,” National Security Council Spokesperson Adrienne Watson told the Post.

Nathan Sales, the State Department’s coordinator for counterterrorism told the Post that IS “has the ambition to attack American interests in the region and ultimately the US homeland itself.”

He urged Washington to make an urgent plan to attack the group’s leadership and infrastructure.

The Afghan Taliban has rejected the US intelligence assessment as incorrect.

A spokesperson for the Taliban’s Political Office, Suhail Shaheen, said IS “has been suppressed” and the report “does not reflect ground realities in Afghanistan.”

“Such reports reflect personal desires” of their authors, he said, adding: “The fact is that the [IS] has no physical presence in Afghanistan as it had during the invasion.”

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2023

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Death toll from Swat police station explosions rises to 17; fact-finding committee formed

The death toll from Monday’s twin blasts at the Kabal police station in Swat rose to 17 on Tuesday, officials said, while the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government formed a fact-finding committee to probe into the incident.

Two explosions rocked the police station a day earlier, which occurred on the premises of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) office.

KP Inspector General of Police (IGP) Akhtar Hayat Gandapur visited Kabal Police Lines today where he said, while speaking to the media, that the death toll from the blast had reached 17.

“Among the deceased are five suspects who were in CTD police’s custody,” he added.

He further said that preliminary investigation showed blasts were not an act of terrorism and occurred after explosives arms and ammunition stored in a police depot caught fire.

According to the preliminary investigation, there were no indications of forced entry or gunshots, he said, adding that explosive weapons and ammunition — seized by police during various operations — station caught fire.

The two explosions occurred within an interval of 12 minutes and rocked the Kabal tehsil, the IGP said.

The official added that further details were being gathered.

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Hayat pledged to examine all aspects of the incident “with an open mind”, citing the sensitive nature of the area that required a person to cross two gates to enter the premises.

The IGP confirmed that the authorities were currently reviewing the video footage of the crime scene. Security officials across the province were on high alert, he added.

Separately, senior CTD officer Khalid Sohail told AFP that 300 kilogrammes of explosives including anti-tank and anti-personnel mines, artillery shells, and mortars were stored in the basement of the police station in addition to improvised explosive devices and suicide vests that had been recovered from the custody of terrorists.

He further stated that bomb disposal squads had begun investigations into the cause of the explosions and the subsequent collapse of the police station.

IGP Hayat also attended the funeral prayers of the policemen martyred in the incident and laid wreaths on their bodies.

Besides him, Peshawar Corps Commander Lieutenant General Sardar Hassan Azhar Hayat, KP Frontier Corps IG Major General Noor Wali Khan and KP Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Choudri also visited Kabal Police Lines today.

Fact-finding committee formed

The KP government also constituted a fact-finding committee to probe the incident.

The development was notified by the KP Home Department, which issued a notification saying: “The competent authority is pleased to constitute the following fact-finding committee into the blasts at the CTD Police Station Kabal, in the night of April 24, 2023, with the direction to submit a comprehensive report covering all aspects of the incident.”

The committee comprises KP Home Secretary Abid Majeed Khan and Additional IG Special Branch Saqib Ismail Memon.

Rescue operation under way

Meanwhile, Rescue 1122 spokesperson Shafiqa Gul told Dawn.com that a rescue operation was under way at the blast site for the second day, in which about 100 rescue officials and heavy machinery were participating.

She said the deceased hailed from Swat, Mardan, Lower Dir, Upper Dir, Shangla, Buner, Malakand and Chitral. “Around 13 bodies have been sent to the deceased’s hometowns,” she added.

Separately, KP Health Secretary Mahmood Aslam Wazir said hospitals across Swat had been put on high alert. An emergency had also been declared at Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital to cope with emergencies.

He said all the staff was directed to report to their duty stations while Swat’s regional blood centre had been mobilised to provide blood immediately to the hospitals.

DC’s report

Earlier, a report issued by the Office of Swat Deputy Commissioner today, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, said two consecutive explosions took place inside the CTD police station inside Kabal Police Lines at 8:29pm on Monday night.

The explosions, which shattered the roof of the police station, the CTD office, and a mosque located inside the station, were also followed by a fire.

The report put the number of injured at 63 at the time, stating that eight of them were in critical condition.

Protests

Swat residents stage a protest in the Kabal Olasi Pasoon area on Tuesday, following twin blasts at the Kabal police station in the valley on Monday night. — Photo by Fazal Khaliq

While authorities, citing preliminary probe findings, attributed the blasts to arms and ammunition catching fire, the residents of Swat remained unconvinced and took to the streets demanding peace in the area.

Protests were staged in multiple areas of Swat on Tuesday, raising doubts that the explosions were not an act of terrorism.

The protesters demanded an end to terrorism in the area and an independent and transparent inquiry to ascertain the “reality of the blasts” so that facts could be brought to light.

Condemnations

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued a particularly strong condemnation, denouncing the explosion at the police station and said that the nation was in deep mourning over the loss of the police officials who were martyred.

“We will not rest until we eliminate this scourge. My condolences to bereaved families,” he wrote in the tweet.

The premier assured the nation that the details surrounding the blast will be disclosed once the investigation has concluded.

President Arif Alvi also conveyed his condolences to the families of the victims and expressed his sadness at the loss of life caused by the blast.

PTI Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan offered his condolences to the families of the victims. He also expressed his hopes for a speedy recovery for those who were injured in the incident.

---

Additional input from AFP

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8 cops martyred in ‘suicide blast’ at Swat police station

At least eight policemen were martyred on Monday while 57 others were injured in a “suicide blast” at the Kabal police station in Swat valley, according to officials.

Rescue 1122 spokesperson Ayesha Khan confirmed the number of casualties, adding that three civilians were among the injured.

Speaking to Dawn.com, DPO Swat Shafiullah Gandapur termed the incident to be a “suicide blast”.

A police official injured in the incident, Imdad Khan, told Dawn.com that initial information showed the attack occurred around 8:20pm inside the police station premises which also housed the Counter Terrorism Department and a mosque.

He said that all three buildings “collapsed” due to the blast, adding that a fire also erupted soon after.

Khan said that he was in the kitchen along with other officials when the blast took place, adding that he heard two explosions.

Police said that several people were buried under the rubble while the injured were being rushed to Saidu Sharif Teaching Hospital. Meanwhile, an emergency was declared at all nearby hospitals.

Condemnations

Separately, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the incident and expressed grief over the lives lost, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported. He prayed for the martyrs and offered his condolences to the bereaved families.

The premier also prayed for the early recovery of the injured and directed the authorities concerned to provide them with medical assistance. He also sought a report of the incident from the relevant authorities.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah also strongly condemned the blast and expressed grief over the lives lost in the incident. He offered his condolences to the bereaved families and prayer for the early recovery of the injured.

“We will never forget the sacrifices of the martyrs for the security of the country and the nation,” he said, vowing to eliminate the scourge of terrorism. The interior minister also sought a report on the incident.

KP Caretaker Chief Minister Muhammad Azam Khan also strongly condemned the blast, and directed the relevant authorities to speed up rescue and relief operations, Radio Pakistan reported.

The chief minister said the government would not abandon the families of the martyred police officials.

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PDM using negotiations to delay elections, has not formally approached PTI yet: Imran

Former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan claimed on Sunday that the federal coalition was using negotiations with the opposition to delay elections, revealing that the government had not yet formally reached out to his party for a dialogue.

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court (SC) — while hearing a case pertaining to holding elections across the country on the same day — had given all the major political parties a week to develop a consensus on the date for polls to the provincial and national assemblies.

However, the ruling parties had rejected the apex court order, saying that talks with the PTI could not be held under the court’s watch. PPP Chair­man Bilawal Bhutto-Zar­dari and JUI-F chief Maulana Faz­lur Rehman — who also heads the Pakistan Democratic Movement — had termed dialogue between political forces as mandated by the court “talks at gunpoint”.

The PTI and ruling parties have been in an impasse regarding polls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab — where assemblies were dissolved earlier this year. The PTI is determined to hold polls to the provincial legislatures but the government maintains its stance on simultaneous elections across the country.

In an interview with anchorperson Maria Memon on ARY News today, Imran said that he had given the mandate for talks with the government to PTI Central Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

“No one from the PDM has formally approached us yet,” the PTI chief said. “I fear they are using these negotiations to delay elections. They are just buying time so that elections can be delayed beyond October.”

He asserted that the PTI was adamant about holding elections in Punjab referring to the SC’s April 4 order in which the apex court had directed the government to hold polls in the province on May 14.

“Talks can be held if they have a proposal on joint elections,” Imran told Memon. “If they give an SC-endorsed proposal on joint and immediate polls — by dissolving their governments in May — only then we can talk.

“But if they are leaving it open-ended, then it is nothing but a trap,” he said.

Talking about conditions put forward by the PTI, Imran said that the biggest condition he had was for the current caretaker setups to be removed. “These setups have become unconstitutional now and we want genuine caretaker governments to be brought.”

Bemoaning the “atrocities” faced by PTI supporters, the former premier lashed out at the caretaker Punjab government as he recalled the police operation at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore. He also claimed that the setup was fully aiding PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz.

He further said that if his party came to power again, he would primarily focus on establishing the rule of law and rebuilding Pakistan but at the same time contended that the PDM’s fascist actions on PTI supporters, such as the death of Zille Shah, were unforgivable.

‘Bajwa wanted good relations with India’

Recalling the events of his ouster, Imran claimed that former army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa was a liar, lacked any ideology, and had been planning PTI’s ouster for a year.

“He had begun lobbying with the US long ago and wanted the Americans to endorse his extension,” he claimed. “For this purpose, Bajwa also wanted good relations with India and didn’t care about Kashmiris.”

“So, my reading is that Bajwa had no ideology,” Imran stated, adding that he was given briefings and presentations on the corruption of the Sharif family by the previous intelligence heads.

“They had even more information than that available to the public … but he was ready to give these people NRO. The thing is how can you give NRO to these thieves when you have a sense of morality or ideology?

“Shehbaz Sharif was to be convicted, but they saved him and brought him to the top. If you don’t have the sense that you’re giving NRO to big thieves and selling Kashmiris … then this means you have no ideology,” Imran added.

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Breaking the status quo

CIVIL servants are the backbone of any state structure. They enforce the rules, provide services, and set governance standards. In Pakistan, commissions have repeatedly been formed to enact civil services reforms, yet hardly any meaningful recommendations have actually been carried through.

Regrettably, we either lack the ability to think logically about what to reform, which I doubt, or we remain careless, or purposely make things complicated to keep the status quo intact. I am not going to suggest any tedious changes that may involve constitutional amendments. Instead, I will just point out some simple, straightforward, rational thoughts and ideas.

Structural problems: Does the existing hiring process of civil servants even remotely address the labour market matching problem? Candidates may land in a specialised service (ie, Inland Revenue, Customs, Commerce & Trade, or Audit & Accounts), which can be totally irrelevant to their qualification. What really is the logic of training a generalist for a specialised field? What if the selected candidate has no real interest in the allocated field?

Usually, students who do not take economics, commerce, IT and the like in college do not develop a love for them for a long time, if at all. Therefore, it is crucial that the exam is conducted based on the candidate’s declared group or field, and according to the nature of specialisation it may entail.

Many a time, bureaucrats get transferred from one ministry or department to an entirely different one within months. One might wonder how much learning in one field is acquired in such a short period of time before moving on to another.

Evidence suggests that attaining expertise in an area requires profound knowledge, training and experience. We need to give a serious thought to this from early on in the career-building process of our bureaucrats.

Many district officers choose to sit on king-sized chairs on a stage when they hear complaints from the area people. Why?

Small changes, big impact: Last year, I gave a talk to an excellent group of undertraining assistant superintendents of police at the National Police Academy, Islamabad.

I also engaged them in a discussion by posing some governance-related questions to tease their curious minds. To mention a few, I asked: why do police have to beat up the accused in front of their family and community? Why don’t we think about the after-effects of this unruly behaviour on the person’s self-esteem? Many of our officers feel entitled to special treatment.

For example, they bypass immigration lines at our airports because other officials help them with their desire for ‘protocol’. If so, under what law, and whom do they try to impress? Likewise, many district officers choose to sit on king-sized chairs on a stage when they hear complaints from the area people. Why don’t they sit with them at their level? Studies suggest that building trust rather than asserting authority reduces crime and grievances more effectively.

Much has been written about the sprawling official houses of bureaucrats, spread over vast areas and fully maintained with public funds. How do they sleep peacefully in them amidst the abject poverty and inequalities under their noses? Is 10 Downing Street bigger than many of our official abodes in districts and GORs? It’s been over 75 years since we got independence from British rule. How much more time do we require to change our colonial mindset?

Why can’t our bureaucrats live in a one kanal house — official or privately rented — and the state sell off the big sarkari mansions all over the country? That alone will earn trillions of rupees for the exchequer. The proceeds can be used to build an endowment fund that can pay for their children’s education and other special allowances.

Inefficient governance system: The Ministry of Finance’s data on the 10 largest public sector corporations shows that there is one manager (BS17-22) per 2.26, 2.59, 2.66, 121 and 48 staff (BS1-16) in PIA, OGDC, Pakistan Steel Mills, Utility Stores Corporation and Pakistan Ordnance Factories, respectively. If this does not boggle the mind, I don’t know what will. Does any private firm hire one manager for three workers? And, why is there one manager for 121 workers in USC? Is that because no officer wants to deal with daal chawal matters? In the POF, it is one to 48; maybe political recruitments are not easy there.

Currently, there are over 212 state-owned enterprises, with 84 commercial organisations and 83 subsidiaries of the commercials. All are posting cumulative financial losses of hundreds of billions of rupees every year. Who really thought that the government should run commercial enterprises? Who will now clear this mess? For years, we have not even been able to privatise the much-talked-about PIA and PSM. One may also wonder why the size of federal ministries, departments and bureaucracy keeps on rising, when, post the 18th Amendment, the key subjects have been delegated to the provinces.

Final words: Everyone in our country pays GST and other indirect taxes, which account for the majority of tax revenue, while direct taxes make only a small portion of the total tax collection. Therefore, most of the government expenditures are financed by the tax receipts of the low- and middle-income population. We have a legal responsibility of serving them as well as possible.

The services of government officials are vital for increasing the income and productivity of private citizens, businesses and entrepreneurs. If the overall income in the economy grows, so will prosperity and tax revenue. This is not possible without putting an efficient, effective and inclusive governance structure in place. It is high time that we get serious about civil services reforms.

The writer is a professor of economics at AUS. He is also affiliated with CERP Lahore and MHRC-Lums.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2023

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3 children killed, 3 injured after being run over by vehicle in Gilgit-Baltistan: Rescue 1122

Three children were killed and as many injured on Saturday when an SUV ran over them during Eid celebrations in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Ghanche district, a rescue official said.

Rescue 1122 in-charge for Ghanche district Ashiq Hussain told Dawn.com that six children were celebrating Eidul Fitr dressed in new clothes on a road in Barah Bala village when a Skardu-bound Toyota Land Cruiser crushed them, killing three on the spot and injuring the rest.

Locals said the children had gone to a nearby shop during which they were run over by the out-of-control vehicle.

Hussain said the police detained the vehicle’s driver and initiated an investigation while the rescue team administered initial medical aid to the injured and then admitted them to the District Headquarters Hospital Ghanche for treatment.

He said the situation of one injured child was critical.

Last month, three people died and 18 were injured when a Skardu-bound passenger coaster coming from Rawalpindi plunged into a ravine on Karakorum Highway near Chilas in Diamer district.

In February, 25 passengers from Gilgit-Baltistan died when a Rawalpindi-bound passenger bus from Ghizer fell into a ravine near Kohistan.

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PPP announces protest across Sindh on April 25 against piecemeal polls

PPP leader Nisar Khuhro announced on Sunday that the party will stage a protest across Sindh on April 25 (Tuesday) against piecemeal elections in the country, saying that the province will not let Pakistan be divided into two parts.

“Sindh will only accept one-day polls, not piecemeal elections,” he said.

The announcement comes as the country sees an impasse regarding elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab — where assemblies were dissolved earlier this year. While the PTI has been adamant about holding polls in the provincial legislatures, the government maintains its stance on holding polls across the country on the same day.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court (SC) — while hearing a PTI petition — had directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold general elections to the Punjab Assembly on May 14. However, the government had rejected the apex court’s orders.

After repeated back and forth last week, the SC on Thursday afforded a temporary respite to the country’s main political parties, giving them a week to develop a consensus on the date for elections to the provincial and national assemblies, so they could be held simultaneously across the country.

In a statement issued today, the PPP’s president for Sindh said that demonstrations will be held in all district headquarters of the province against separate polls.

According to Section 69 of the Elections Act, 2017, polls should be held to all national and provincial assemblies on the same day, Khuhro said, claiming that separate elections were equivalent to dividing the country into two parts.

“The provincial elections [in Punjab and KP] are planned to influence the election results of the national and other two provincial assemblies [Sindh and Balochistan],” the PPP leader said. “Do not become a tool in Imran Khan’s conspiratorial ambitions.”

He went on to say that it was only the prerogative of the ECP to decide the date for elections and it should be allowed to do so.

“Interfering with the powers of the Election Commission would be an attempt to rig the elections,” he added.

Khuhro further called on the top court to review its April 4 orders by forming a full court.

“If necessary, the KP and Punjab assemblies should be restored and caretaker governments can be set up after which elections can be held across the country on the same day,” he added.

Election impasse

Earlier this month, the SC had directed the government to provide Rs21 billion to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to conduct elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by April 10, and directed the electoral body to provide a report on whether or not the government complied with the order on April 11.

However, the government referred the matter to Parliament which defied the court’s orders and refused to issue the funds.

Last week, the electoral watchdog had submitted a report to the Supreme Court in a sealed envelope. Though the contents of the report are not known, a source privy to the information told Dawn that the one-page report informed the apex court about the government’s reluctance to issue the Rs21bn needed for the purpose.

Subsequently, the court had directed the SBP to release funds worth Rs21bn for elections from Account No I — a principal component of the Federal Cons­olidated Fund worth Rs1.39 trillion — and send an “appropriate communication” to this effect to the finance ministry by April 17.

Following the top court’s orders, the central bank on Monday allocated the funds and sought the finance ministry’s nod to release the amount.

The federal cabinet’s approval was required to release the amount from the FCF, while the government has to get the National Assembly’s approval for its release. But the same day, the coalition government managed through the NA the rejection of its own demand for the provision of Rs21bn as a supplementary grant to the ECP for holding polls in the two provinces.

On Tuesday, the ECP, defence ministry and finance ministry submitted their respective reports in court.

The ECP report said that the staggering of elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was not feasible since it involved significant expenditures compared to holding of polls on the same day.

In its report, the defence ministry highlighted the need of holding the elections on the same day given the heightened security situation in the country. It also said that the armed forces would be able to carry out election duties by early October.

On the other hand, the finance ministry said that in the wake of the rejection on part of the National Assembly to a government-sponsored motion to grant Rs21bn to the federal government for meeting expenditures, other than charged, during the financial year ending June 30, 2023, in respect of the ECP for holding the elections in Punjab and KP, it was difficult to sanction the release of the funds.

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Mind your busyness

IN an article for the Harvard Business Review, author Andy Watz recounts a story about a new immigrant to the US, who mistook ‘busy’ to mean ‘good’, because that is the response he got when he asked “how are you?” Of course, busy does not mean good, yet I’m guilty of using ‘busy’ myself as a response and it rarely means I’m OK.

Have you noticed how more and more people say they don’t have time to do anything because of their busy — sometimes crazy — schedules? There’s a lot of value placed on being busy — especially in corporate culture, but it’s trickling down to familial life too. Being busy means you’re super productive, often multitasking as a parent or child, but when relaxed and free, I’m sure everyone in the family is busy on their own devices, not talking to each other.

There’s status in looking busy too. I see folks walking in the park talking on their Bluetooth headsets, giving off ‘I’m powerful’ vibes; but they also look unapproachable. I think advancement in communication is creating more distances between people and a world without human connections should cause everyone concern.

Watz writes that being busy should stop being seen as a virtue. I’m sure you know at least one person in your office who drones on about how busy they are and they may even be the boss’ favourite, but are they productive? Watz quotes research that indicates that when organisations “overload employees, base their incentives primarily on the amount of time they work, and excessively monitor their activities, productivity and efficiency actually drop”.

Journalists are feeling burnt out quicker than before.

Maybe that’s what led to the ‘quiet quitting’ trend that surfaced last year in the US and became a hot topic of debate. The term refers to doing the bare minimum on your job, including not putting in any extra time, so while it’s not quitting, it was seen as a reaction to work dissatisfaction.

A Gallup survey in 2022 said at least half of the US workforce was composed of ‘quiet quitters’, and that shocking revelation also became the subject of intense discussion, with everyone questioning the methodology of the survey rather than examining the structural barriers that caused so much dissatisfaction. The bottom line is that the folks surveyed were not happy with their work, because work was placing unrealistic expectations on them.

I’m more familiar with newsrooms, having spent a good portion of my life working in some iteration of them, largely here and some in Dubai and Hanoi. Working in the news keeps everyone busy, but each technological innovation seems to have impacted journalists’ lives for the worst.

They are feeling burnt out quicker than before. In my conversations with young journalists for research, I hear phrases like ‘toxic culture’ and ‘unfair supervisors’ who don’t have the time to train or mentor staff. Since no one (or thing) is challenging this culture, it’s almost accepted as the norm. Too many good people have left journalism because managers reward the wrong goals. One young woman told me staff was reprimanded for asking for time off, even when it was due.

This kind of work isn’t working. This incentivised structure, which rewards productivity, needs reform. Companies need to hire more people instead of overburdening existing staff. This is true in healthcare too, which witnessed near collapse during the pandemic in countries that made budget cuts in social service sectors. I fear that the more the advancements in technology, especially in AI, the more people will feel burdened to outperform the robots.

What is the other side of being busy, and if it is being unproductive, can it be presented in better light; shown to have value that may benefit work, health and life? Solitude, for example, seems like an alien concept because one is rarely without their device; yet solitude allows for reflection and a quieting of the mind. Of equal import is being in the presence of other people. Social media may bring people together, but it also prevents people from being together, writes Watz.

If busyness increases a person’s sense of self-worth, as psychologists say, and is an indicator of status, what needs to be done to increase the worth of leisure, family time and idleness? Self-help gurus often ask readers what they would do if they knew their days were numbered. How much time would they give to activities “that have nothing to do with striving and achieving?” asks Lori Deschene, the founder of Tiny Buddha, before reminding readers that “our days are numbered”. It is a question worth reflecting over these Eid holidays, preferably in nature and sans devices.

The writer researches newsroom culture in Pakistan.
Twitter @LedeingLady

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2023

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In pictures: Muslim world celebrates Eidul Fitr with traditional zeal and festive spirit

Pakistan celebrated Eidul Fitr with traditional religious zeal and fervour on Saturday, capping off a month of worship and fasting in Ramazan.

Many countries had already celebrated the festive occasion on Friday.

Dawn.com takes a look at how Muslim communities across the world came together to celebrate and rejoice in Eidul Fitr festivities.

Muslim devotees gather to offer a special morning prayer to start the Eidul Fitr festival, which marks the end of their holy fasting month of Ramazan, at the grand Faisal Mosque in Islamabad on April 22. — AFP

Muslims offer Eidul Fitr prayers at Shahi Eidgah to mark the end of the holy fasting month of Ramazan, in New Delhi, India, April 22. — Reuters

Muslims offer Eidul Fitr prayers at Shahi Eidgah to mark the end of the holy fasting month of Ramazan, in New Delhi, India, April 22. — Reuters

Muslims leave after offering Eidul Fitr prayers at Shahi Eidgah to mark the end of the holy fasting month of Ramazan, in New Delhi, India, April 22. — Reuters

Muslims wait to enter Shahi Eidgah to offer Eidul Fitr prayers which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramazan, in New Delhi, India, April 22. — Reuters

Muslims offer Eidul Fitr prayers at Shahi Eidgah to mark the end of the holy fasting month of Ramazan, in New Delhi, India, April 22. — Reuters

Muslim devotees offer a special morning prayer to start the Eidul Fitr festival, which marks the end of their holy fasting month of Ramazan, at the Jama Masjid mosque in the old quarters of New Delhi, India, April 22. — AFP

Muslim worshippers gather on the first day of Eidul Fitr outside the Dome of the Rock at the Al-Aqsa mosques complex in the Old City of Jerusalem, April 21. — AFP

Muslims worshippers pray on the first day of Eidul Fitr at Kocatepe Mosque in Ankara, Turkiye, April 21. — AFP

Muslim worshippers greet each other after prayers on the first day of Eidul Fitr at al-Hara al-Rabaa Mosque in the Juraif Gharb neighbourhood of Khartoum, Sudan, April 21. — AFP

A boy looks on as Muslim worshippers pray on the first day of Eidul Fitr at the Basra Grand Mosque in Basra, Iraq, April 21. — AFP

Muslims attend the morning prayers to celebrate Eidul Fitr marking the end of the holy month of Ramazan in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, April 21. — Reuters

Kyrgyz Muslims offer Eidul Fitr prayers in central Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, April 21. — AFP

Muslims perform their Eidul Fitr prayers at the Grand Mosque, in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, April 21. — Reuters

Muslims perform their Eidul Fitr prayers at one of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 stadiums, “Education City Stadium” at Al Rayyan, Qatar, April 21. — Reuters

Muslims worshippers take part in a morning prayer on the first day of Eidul Fitr in the Mevlana Mosque in Rotterdam, Netherlands, April 21. — AFP

Muslim worshippers pray on the first day of Eidul Fitr at the municipal stadium in the rebel-held northwestern city of Idlib, Syria, April 21. — AFP

Muslims pray during the last Friday of the holy fasting month of Ramazan at the Jama Masjid mosque in the old quarters of New Delhi, India, April 21. — AFP

A Muslim woman paints with henna during Eidul Fitr in the suburb of Lakemba in Sydney, Australia, April 21. — Reuters

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