Islamabad, OCT 3 /DNA/ – Asif Mahmood Jah, Federal Tax Ombudsman said that the business community was the backbone of the economy and his institution was working as an advocate of taxpayers to provide them speedy, fair and cost free redressal of tax grievances. He said that the mission of FTO was to deliver justice to the taxpayers at their doorsteps. He said this while addressing at Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) a cheques distribution ceremony of excess sales tax refunds to the taxpayers in Suzuki Car cases in light of FTO’s decision. He also congratulated Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari President, Faad Waheed Senior Vice President and Muhammad Azhar ul Islam Zafar Vice President ICCI on their unopposed election and announced to nominate Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari as Honorary Business Advisor of FTO for one year to act as a bridge between FTO and the business community for the facilitation of taxpayers.

Dr. Asif Mahmood Jah said that Pakistan Suzuki had charged 17% sales tax from purchasers at the time of car booking, but in the last budget, the sales tax on vehicles up to 1000 cc vehicles was reduced to 12.5 percent. He said that on receipt of complaints from car purchasers, FTO dug out the data of Suzuki car purchasers and worked hard to provide refunds of 4.5% excess sales tax to 9500 car purchasers. He said that the FTO would continue to provide more relief to taxpayers. He urged that the business community should take maximum benefit of the services of FTO to get relief in tax grievances.

Speaking at the occasion, Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry lauded the efforts of FTO for providing speedy justice to taxpayers by addressing their tax complaints. He said that refunds of excess sales tax to the taxpayers in Suzuki car cases reflected the commitment of FTO to protect the interests of taxpayers. He assured that ICCI would work closely with the FTO to address the grievances of taxpayers.

Faad Waheed, Senior Vice President, Muhammad Azhar ul Islam Zafar, Vice President and Muhammad Shakeel Munir outgoing President ICCI also lauded the efforts of FTO in resolving the tax grievances of business community and hoped that close liaison between ICCI and FTO would provide more relief to taxpayers.

Jamshaid Akhtar Sheikh outgoing Senior Vice President, Muhammad Faheem Khan outgoing Vice President ICCI, Tariq Sadiq & Muhammad Ahmed former Presidents ICCI, FTO Advisors including Nisar Ahmed, Almas Ali Jovindah, Majid Qureshi, Dr. Arslan Subuctageen, Mrs. Sarwat Tahira Habib, ICCI Executive Members and others were also present at the occasion.  

ISLAMABAD, OCT 3 /DNA/ – EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič visited flood-affected areas of Sindh today. In Khipro, Danish Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) has installed a water purification plant channeled through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to provide clean water to the communities.

The plant has the capacity to produce 120,000 litre of clean water per day and to  serve 40,000 people per day.

He interacted with the flood hit communities during distribution of shelter and sanitation kits arrived through EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid with Cesvi.

ISLAMABAD, OCT 3 /DNA/ – President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday received the diplomatic credentials of the ambassadors-designate of Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Finland, Zimbabwe and Senegal at a Presentation of Credentials Ceremony here at Aiwan-e-Sadr.

Ambassador of the Kingdom of Netherlands Henny Fokel de Vries, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Denmark Jakob Linulf, Ambassador of Switzerland Georg Steiner, Ambassador of Finland Hannu Ripatti, Non-Resident High Commissioner of Zimbabwe Lt Gen (Retd) Martin Chedondo, and Non-Resident Ambassador of Senegal Saliou Niang Dieng presented their credentials and also made separate calls on the president.

Talking to the ambassador of the Netherlands, the president said that Pakistan desired to forge a long-term and multi-dimensional partnership with the Netherlands, especially in the fields of trade, agriculture, investment, energy, culture, education and people-to-people contacts.

He said that the Netherlands had become the second largest export destination for Pakistani products in the European Union (EU) with a bilateral trade volume of USD 2.3 billion.

He expressed the hope that the Netherlands would continue to extend its support for Pakistan’s GSP plus. 

Talking to the Danish ambassador, the president said that Pakistan desired to further strengthen relations with Denmark in all spheres, especially in political, economic, trade, investment and defence fields.

He proposed that Pakistani tech companies could offer their cost-effective and high-quality services and products to Denmark.

The president highlighted the importance of ease of travelling between the two countries for further improving the bilateral economic relations as well as people-to-people contacts.  

Talking to the Swiss ambassador, the president said that Pakistan highly valued its partnership with Switzerland in economy, trade and commerce as well as in the sphere of socio-economic development and humanitarian assistance.

He said that Swiss companies could invest in Pakistan’s tourism sector which had great potential to attract tourism traffic from across the globe.

President Alvi said Pakistan could learn from Switzerland’s highly developed tourism and hospitality industry, besides benefitting from Swiss expertise to train human resources connected with the tourism industry. 

Talking to the ambassador of Finland, the president urged the need to enhance interactions between the business communities as well as the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the two countries to fully achieve the potential of bilateral trade volume.

He said that Pakistan would welcome Finnish expertise in the transport sector, including environmentally sustainable transport technologies. 

Talking to the high commissioner of Zimbabwe, the president expressed Pakistan’s desire to enhance cooperation in the agricultural, pharmaceutical and defence sectors.

He also underlined the need for enhancing bilateral trade volume to its fullest potential. 

Talking to the ambassador of Senegal, the president said that Pakistan considered Senegal an important country in the West African region, and expressed satisfaction over the excellent state of relations between the two countries 

During the meetings, the president emphasised the need for further strengthening the international partnerships for countering climate change and moving toward the goal of zero emission of greenhouse gases.

He said that the international community should commit itself to help the most vulnerable countries, including Pakistan, to improve their capacity and resilience to mitigate the effects of climate change-induced disasters. 

He briefed the envoys on the recent catastrophic super floods caused by the emission of greenhouse gases where Pakistan’s contribution was less than 1% but it was facing the brunt of climate change in the form of unprecedented floods, forest fires, heat waves and droughts. 

President Alvi thanked the international community for its continued support for Pakistan during the recent floods and expressed the hope that the international community would further step up its contribution to relief and rehabilitation of the flood-hit population and reconstruction of lost infrastructure.

Hashoo Hotels collaborates with NEECA for energy conservation fund

ISLAMABAD, OCT 3 /DNA/ – Of the various challenges that we face today, be they economic, political or social, there is a growing consensus that climate change is the most existential. Although Pakistan is responsible for less than one percent of global greenhouse gas emissions but is eighth on a list compiled by the NGO Germanwatch of countries most vulnerable to extreme weather caused by climate change.

With this in sight, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Mr. Haseeb Gardezi, COO Hospitality and Education Division, Hashoo Group and Dr. Sardar Mohazzam, Managing Director NEECA on 30th September at the NEECA Building, Islamabad. By signing this MoU, both the organizations, Hashoo Hotels and National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority(NEECA), have entered in a new era of energy efficiency and conservation, which will benefit Hashoo Hotels financially besides making them environment-friendly and will be another feather in the cap of NEECA.

On the occasion, Mr. Haseeb Gardezi said that “Following the vision of Mr. Murtaza Hashwani, at Hashoo Group we are committed to achieving our Net Zero goals by the year 2030. Together with NEECA, we at all our hotels, are looking to introduce energy audits and energy saving initiatives for reducing carbon emissions, starting by making changes towards efficient lighting solutions, switching to less carbon fuel and solar panels for electricity consumption”.

Mr. Munir Ahmad, Director General Planning, Policy, Innovation Program & Research spoke about the upcoming energy conservation national policy.

The shape and impact of climate change over the coming years is in the hands of our nation. The actions that we take together, today will influence the trajectory of climate change for the next three decades and more.

IHC dismisses show-cause notice, wraps up contempt case against Imran after accepting written apology.

Islamabad, OCT 3: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday dismissed the show-cause notice issued to PTI chief Imran Khan for his controversial remarks against Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Zeba Chaudhry at an August 20 public rally.

A larger bench, headed by IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah and comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice Minagul Hassan Aurangzeb, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri and Justice Babar Sattar, heard the case today.

During the proceedings, Imran’s lawyer told the court that a third reply had been submitted to the court.

“We have read your affidavit. Is there anything else you would like to add?” Justice Minallah asked Imran. He went on to say that prima facie this was a contempt of court case but it was being dismissed due to Imran’s conduct.

“We take a lot of care in contempt of court cases,” Justice Minallah went on to say. He said that the IHC was “dismissing” the notice issued to Imran, effectively ending contempt proceedings against the PTI chief.

“This is the unanimous decision of the larger bench,” he remarked.

However, the attorney general opposed the court’s decision to dismiss the show-cause notice issued to Imran as he pointed to the cases involving Nehal Hashmi, Daniyal Aziz and Talal Chaudhry.

“Are you saying you support the judgements in these cases?” Justice Minallah asked and subsequently told the attorney general to submit a written copy of his reservations in court.

Talking to reporters after the hearing, Imran said: “Justice Athar Minallah has taken great decisions [in the past].” He also said that he would appear before the court if needed as he had done in the past.

Earlier today, Imran reached the court amid tight security.

Other party leaders Asad Umar and Shah Mahmood Qureshi also arrived at the IHC. Speaking to media persons, PTI leader Babar Awan said that it seemed that the case would be decided today.

On Sunday, the IHC had granted Imran pre-arrest bail in connection with the case, following the issuance of a warrant for his arrest.

Islamabad, OCT 2 /DNA/ – Pakistan has sufficient access to satellite data, imagery, and indigenous research that can immensely help in pre- and post-management of natural disasters like floods. However, as pointed out by experts, most of the space technology resources remain underutilized due to poor governance, lack of funds, and the disinterest of the related institutions and decision-makers.

This was observed at a roundtable session, titled ‘Pakistan Recent Floods from Space: Technology Perspective,’ organized by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), Islamabad. The session, chaired by Mirza Hamid Hassan, former federal secretary, Ministry of Water and Power, was joined by the session’s keynote speaker Dr. Ibrar-ul-Hasan Akhtar, scientist and climatologist, Khalid Rahman, chairman, IPS, Dr. Abdul Saboor, dean PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Syed Abu Ahmad Akif, former federal secretary, climate change, Dr. Kanwar Muhammad Javed Iqbal, senior research fellow, National Institute of Maritime Affairs (NIMA), Dr. Kamran Azam, associate professor, Department of Management Sciences, University of Haripur, and Dr. Muhammad Irfan Khan, dean Environmental Sciences, International Islamic University, Islamabad.

According to Dr. Ibrar-ul-Hasan, despite having free access to five satellites whereby flooding can be aptly monitored through daily space statistics on rainfall, flood inundation, flood damages, ground data collection analysis, etc, Pakistan lacks timely decision-making.

In this regard, the absence of readily available land data, necessary for the integration of satellite and ground data, is the major issue in Pakistan. Consequently, the decision-makers are not given timely information, giving rise to time lag and issues of quality, availability, and sharing.

While classifying space application as ‘eye in the sky and boots on the ground’, he emphasized that geospatial governance (G-Governance) is a burning need of Pakistan which can be achieved by timely integration of both data. He further highlighted the absence of dovetailing the information in government’s decision-making to be a major missing element, as the information shared by research-based institutions is mostly ignored.

Syed Akif opined that, unless the pattern of governance is changed, there will remain a knowing-doing gap, incapability to turn knowledge into performance, in related institutions, like the Ministry of Climate Change and National Disaster Management Authority, which also lack resources, workforce, and funds.

While endorsing the lack of governance and knowing-doing gap, Dr. Irfan Khan highlighted that natural disasters can’t be mitigated effectively without properly utilizing the data and bridging the gap between research and policy.

Dr. Kanwar Javed stressed the utilization of indigenous resources and available data to create future resilience and adaptation. He further recommended that, instead of waiting for climate funding from developed nations, Pakistan should indigenously build its capacity to implement the data and research under the right governance.

Dr. Kamran Azam underscored the nation’s need to find indigenous resources, ways, and methods to protect itself from the vagaries of climate change by building resilient structures and lifestyles. Even though Pakistan is a victim of climate change, triggered by the 15 most prosperous nations, it can’t stop its manifestations, like the glacial melting. However, with timely actions and utilization of technology, such as early warning systems, things can be made better.

While highlighting the implications of the flood on agriculture, Dr. Abdul Saboor warned the country could face acute food and nutrition insecurity. To prevent future disasters like floods and their implications, he recommended the formulation of appropriate policies and long-term planning. In this regard, space technology can be utilized in developing early warning systems and in reviewing the natural drains of the Indus River basin system. Moreover, as COP 27 is scheduled for November, Pakistan should urge the international community for climate financing and waiver of external debts, given the devastation triggered by climate change.

Supporting the speakers’ views, Khalid Rahman stated that the absence of optimum utilization of available data is unfortunate and an issue of flawed governance. It is high time that Pakistan takes concrete steps to mitigate the effects of natural disasters by rectifying the governance flaws and analyzing the accessible data, he added.

In the concluding remarks, Hamid Hassan pointed out that the relevant people and institutions are unaware of the availability of research data. This is a glaring gap that needs to be filled, he stressed. While highlighting the shortcomings of the Ministry of Climate Change and provincial governments, he pointed out that the ministry, after the 18th Amendment, is solely involved with the coordination of international assistance in the field of climate change and the provincial governments lack the know-how, capacity, and resources.

The session concluded on the optimistic note that, at the COP 27 meeting, the international community would realize how the policies of developed nations have inflicted Pakistan with an unprecedented climate disaster and that they should provide the country with adequate climate funding for post-disaster management and building future resilience and adaptation.

ISLAMABAD, OCT 2: The cabinet has formally given the go-ahead to hold an inquiry into the audio leaks purportedly featuring PTI Chairman Imran Khan and his party leaders, it emerged on Sunday.

On Friday, the cabinet suggested that legal action could be taken after a steady stream of audio recordings surfaced, most recently of informal conversations allegedly between Imran and his aides — Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Asad Umar and his former principal secretary Azam Khan — purportedly discussing the cypher that the PTI chief has for long presented as evidence of a “foreign conspiracy” to oust him from office.

According to Cabinet Division documents dated October 1, which Dawn.com has seen, the Friday meeting had constituted a sub-committee “to deliberate and recommend actions regarding the conversation of the former Prime Minister Imran Khan, his political associates and the then secretary to the PM, available on the internet regarding the cypher message received from Parep Washington (Cypher No. 1-0678 dated March 7, 2022)”.

“Therefore, the apex investigation agency (FIA) may be directed to inquire into the matter by constituting a team of senior officers, which may co-opt officers/officials from other intelligence agencies for the purpose, and to proceed further against the perpetrators in accordance with the law,” the memo said.

The cabinet also sought the implementation report on its suggestions “immediately”.

In a handout issued after the Friday huddle, it was revealed that a copy of the cypher had gone “missing” from the Prime Minister House records, and the cabinet had subsequently formed a special committee which would determine the legal action to be taken against all those involved, including the ex-premier, ex-principal secretary to prime minister Azam Khan and senior ministers.

“The cabinet committee will consist of the representatives of the coalition parties in the government, along with ministers,” the handout issued had said.

The handout had declared that the “theft of diplomatic cypher records is an unforgivable crime” and violation of the Official Secrets Act, 1923.

The cabinet was told that the audios purportedly featuring Imran and his aides exposed “the criminal conspiracy of the former government”, while the cypher was given “fictitious meanings for political mileage and subsequently it was stolen after fraud, forgery, fabrication.”

Meanwhile, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz maintained that the cypher was not just a piece of paper, saying “it belongs to the state of Pakistan.”

“Whoever violates the interests of the state by betraying the national trust should be made an example so that no foreign agent dares to harm the country in a political guise.”

PTI leaders react to cabinet’s decision

Senior PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the cabinet summary has “proved that the cypher is a reality”.

“The government has accepted our stance on the cypher,” he told a gathering in Multan today. Qureshi said his party is not afraid of the investigations announced by the government.

“We never took a step that harmed the interests of Pakistan. We served this country with dignity and will continue doing so,” he insisted.

Fawad Chaudhry pointed out a date of the cypher received to the then government in the summary issued by the cabinet, saying he hoped that PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz “will not change her position on cypher investigation from independent commission”. Senator Shibli Faraz also said the cypher is a reality, adding it was also shared by the PTI government with the National Assembly speaker and the chief justice of Pakistan among others.

“What is the discussion about? Is it to divert the attn from tanking economy or smoke screen Dar’s & Maryum NRO?” he asked.

Audio leaks

A couple of audios purportedly featuring Imran and his party leaders have surfaced on social media so far, prompting clamours from leaders of the ruling coalition for an action against the ex-premier for allegedly undermining national security.

In the first audio clip leaked on Sep 28, the former prime minister can be heard telling Azam to “play up” the cypher and turn it into a foreign plot to oust his government. He, however, adds that there is no need to name any country. “We only have to play it up. We don’t have to name America. We only have to play with this, that this date [of the no-trust vote] was [decided] before.”

To this end, Azam is heard suggesting to Imran to call a “meeting of then-foreign minister Qureshi and foreign secretary wherein we will ask Qureshi to read out the letter. So whatever he will tell us, I will type it down and convert it into [meeting] minutes” so that it becomes part of the office record.

Later in another audio clip that surfaced on social media on Sep 30, a voice, believed to be Imran’s, was heard saying: “Shah Jee we have to hold a meeting tomorrow […] you and the three of us (Imran, Qureshi and Azam Khan) and the foreign secretary.