Sohail Khan

Terming India’s gaze towards Pakistan as ‘perpetuated grandiosity’, in article titled ‘Shattered Myth’ (Pakistan Today, 29 Mar 19), I observed that India unyielding disparages Pakistan’s name while shying away from accepting or even acknowledging its own failures. Overshadowing and belittling Pakistan’s peaceful moves, ceaselessly, remains the top Indian politico-military agenda.

No wonder Indian politicians and military men conveniently anchor their strategy on anti-Pakistan rhetoric, which they believe is the best form of personal and professional survival and growth. Indian military and politicians cumulatively attempt to distort Pakistan’s positive image to hide behind obvious diplomatic and military setbacks, through convolution of fact and fiction; this is what I call the ‘perception inversion’, though it’s been a long-held cornerstone of Indian strategic community. Of late, Pakistan Navy becomes the latest target of such Indian paranoia.

In an article published in the online news portal Daiji world, on 3 Nov 20, Mr Sumit Kumar Singh, conspicuously leans on the traditional ‘perception inversion’ while being economical with truth. He slanderously accuses Pakistan Navy of pursuing a “hollow and almost complacent” strategy while referring to PNS Zulfiquar’sparticipation in the Turkish MaviBalina exercise. Throughout his piece, Mr Singh refers to a nameless ‘intelligence officer’ and builds his arguments in an analytical vacuum devoid of a rationally or academically acceptable substance.  While repeatedly arguing that what PN Ships Moawin and Aslat had done during the Africa Cruise, in 2019, was a “dishonorable use of the armed forces”, Mr Singh blatantly fails to reflect what Ken Booth posits the diplomatic role of the navies.

Pakistan Navy routinely operates with other navies in the region through bi- and multilateral maritime exercises. It has been leading the two Combined Task Forces, instituted under the US initiative of Combined Maritime Forces, since 2004. Pakistan Navy has been steadily enhancing its operational outreach since the mid-90s and now its ships are seen at various seas and ports of call, outmaneuvering India’s strategic maritime wit. This has not been taken by the Indian strategic community with ease, and the apparent frustration in Mr Singh’s calumniouspiece is the reflection of a typical tunneled Indian mindset that principally draws its strength from hate and malice.

Pakistan’s current Naval Chief, Admiral Niazi, while being commander of the naval fleet, clarified to the gathering of Exercise Aman, last year that Pakistan Navy believed in enhancing maritime peace and stability through consistent, proactive and forward looking engagement. The Admiral even suggested Pakistan Navy’s willingness to work with other navies through the construct, what Robert Kaplan refers to as, ‘plug and play’ mechanism. He argued for a ‘win-win’ approach steering clear of bilateral bickering in order to have safer seas for uninterrupted flow and growth of maritime commerce signifying Geoffrey Till’s assertion of maritime security to be ‘quintessentially cooperative’.

Mr Singh switches back and forth in his claims and assertions to link one thing with other, which are diametrically unrelated. Beginning with ‘naval deployments’, he steps down to Kargil War then brings in the FATF Grey List and then alleges Pakistan to rely on Chinese loans for its defence spending. Such a train of incoherent arguments suggests the deep rooted obsession with Pakistan, which turns even a logical debate into an emotional diatribe leaving a reader in an inconclusive situation. Mr Singh substantially relies on ‘perception inversion’ as he failingly links Pakistan with terror forgetting Kalbhushan Yadav, the Indian terrorist on a death roll here in Pakistan. One needs to read Elias Davidsson’s opus ‘the Betrayal of India’ (2017) to truly understand the tyranny of justice in India in matters of terrorism. The Babri Masjid’s highly biased Hindu-leaning decision and rampant growth of Hindutva-centric culture in Indian general populace are the signs clear enough to tell who’s going where; something which RanaAyub and Arundhati Roy have been expounding in their writings for a long time.

Detection of Indian submarines on two occasions, as these were attempting to sneak into Pakistan’s coastal waters, and shooting down of two Indian jets leading to ‘tea is fantastic’ episode dispels the notion of Indian military being competent and responsible. Post-Pulwama, Indian vessels remained holed up in Oman, to avoid being followed or harassed, as Pakistan Navy ships patrolled the North Arabian Sea. Series of Indian submarine accidents and Indian navy’s inability to deploy its carriers ‘at the right time, at the right place’, are what I term the ‘desperation stimuli’, which often result in publishing of such notes as the one in Daijiworld.

As to what this Daijiworld piece suggests, Pakistan Navy has longtime deep military relations with the Gulf countries since 1960-70s in specific areas of professional training, military education and maritime exercises. Pakistan Navy’s 27 Oct 20’s successful live weapons firing establishes its professional credence and gives an ambiguous message to its friends and allies for keeping the long term partnerships, in professional military cooperation, alive and growing.Pakistan Navy’s long term plans include induction of numerous frigates, corvettes, submarines and jet maritime surveillance aircraft. As of last two years, Pakistan ships visited as far as Gulf of Finland to West Africa coast thereby negating the groundless claim of Daijiworld’s article of “limited capabilities”. Indian strategic community needs to unshackle itself from the delirium of superiority complex and argue for modulation of efforts to make the seas surrounding South Asia as safer, reliable and free for economic and scientific activities.

ISLAMABAD : In a bid to stem the spread of COVID-19, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) issued new standard operating procedures for marriage ceremonies.

According to the NCOC, the wedding events amid the second wave of COVID-19 should be organized while taking care of the precautions and SOPs pertaining to gatherings to minimize the chances of spread.

Only outdoor wedding events are allowed, in which the number of the guests must not exceed 1,000 individuals with mandatory arrangements for seating of each individual at-least 6 feet apart, read the statement.It said that the event timing should be restricted to two hours with closure evening timing at 10 p.m.  All guests should wear a face mask and the event authorities should keep a check over it.

The event can only be carried out in open space, and if tents are used, they should have the mandatory provision of space between the walls and roof of the tent to ensure ventilation.

NCOC said that each marriage event is mandatorily required to display the seating/gathering capacity of their venues at their entrance/reception as well as for district administration to monitor adherence.

It further said that buffet dinner or lunch will not be allowed on the events. Only lunch box or table services will be allowed.

ISLAMABAD : Prime Minister Imran Khan will arrive in Quetta on Monday (tomorrow) for a day-long visit.

During the visit, PM Imran Khan will hold important meetings with Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan, governor, provincials ministers, high officials and other noted personalities.

The prime minister will also inaugurate the national highway project and will unveil a comprehensive development package for the province, said the sources.Earlier on October 29, Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced that he would soon visit South Balochistan to announce a comprehensive development package for the area.

The prime minister had said that while chairing a high-level meeting on uplift projects for Balochistan, which was attended by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, DG ISI, Commander Southern Command of the armed forces, federal ministers including Asad Umar, Omar Ayub, Fakhar Imam, Faisal Vawda and advisers to the prime minister and provincial ministers and secretaries of the province.

The meeting had been briefed over the development package for underdeveloped areas of South Balochistan besides shedding light on other projects in the region.

ISLAMABAD, NOV 8 (DNA) – Prime Minister Imran Khan has won accolades on way to the accomplishment of yet another herculean task to build five million houses for homeless poor in the country.

He stood tall among his contemporaries by leaping forward in materializing a dream which his opponents could just think of as builder community in the country eulogized him for removing hiccups to make Naya Pakistan Housing Program, a success.

After the relentless efforts he put in during last two years, the program is now on ground and builders are jubilating and praising him for giving them level playing field to lend a hand in the government efforts for construction of five million houses.

Series of meetings and deliberations personally chaired by the Prime Minister coupled with his unflinching commitment paved way for his dream to come true. These efforts made the builder community to eulogize this program with hopes that the target of five million houses was doable.

“The incentives offered by the government to housing sector would help achieve the target of constructing five million houses and creating 15 million jobs,” said Mohsin Sheikhani, Chairman Association of Builders and Developers of Pakistan (ABAD).

Welcoming incentive package, he said, it was the PTI government that declared the housing sector as an industry for the first time in 70 years history of the country.

“If initially, the government starts with one million houses, it would create 2.5 million jobs and revive 40 to 72 allied industries. The package would be very useful for the construction industry,” he said.

He said that Covid-19 had slowed down economic growth across the world but hoped, “brisk advancement on this project would help bring an economic turnaround. The construction industry is the backbone of our economy and its progress would help overcome housing units shortage, result in the growth of allied industries and jobs creation.”

Chairman Naya Pakistan Housing and Development Authority (NAPHDA) Lt Gen (R) Anwar Ali Hyder has expressed hope that simplified documentation process and other measures to ensure ease of doing business would help attract more investors to the housing and construction industry.

He said the investors, investing in housing and construction industry till December 31 would not be asked for their income source.

“Earlier, it was difficult for the builders and developers to get approvals, but now the government has eased the ‘Approvals Regime’ to facilitate the housing construction sector.”He also mentioned the government’s vision of incentivizing the construction industry for the benefit of multiple industries, overall economic activity and jobs creation.

The government desires the builders and developers to take full advantage of this package and start their projects before December 31.

Abid Qayyum Sulehri, an economist and Executive Director SDPI, saw the construction sector as a future driving force for the economy and appreciated incentives for the construction industry that would finally benefit the poor.

Builders and real estate agents have also seen this package as a major initiative for the revival of the sector as they hoped the government incentives would definitely restore the confidence of the local and foreign investors.

Commenting on the government’s initiative, a leading property developer and businessman Ejaz Gohar was of the view that it was the first plan, which would make it affordable for low and middle-income people to build houses with low rate mortgage financing.

The commercial banks would allocate five per cent of their portfolio for the construction activities, he said and noted that some Rs 20 trillion was circulating in the informal unregistered economy and now was the opportunity for the people to get the huge amount of money declared by investing in the real estate sector by December 31, 2020.

“Now low-income people can build a house of 5-marla with mortgage financing at 5 per cent.”

Ejaz said the mortgage financing was started in the United States 82 years back to kick-start its economy and Pakistan was far behind in terms of the home mortgage financing as compared to the developed world.

After the announcement of the special package, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) decided to set a mandatory target for banks to extend mortgage loans and financing for developers and builders.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Pakistan Mortgage Refinance Company (PMRC) Mudassir Khan said PMRC was providing refinancing facility backed by funding from the World Bank and the government.

Mudassir said they have made long-term affordable housing finance a reality now with disbursements reaching Rs.15 billion to 11 partner banks and financial institutions through their conventional and innovative Islamic refinancing products. PMRC had also introduced a risk-sharing facility as a trustee for the government to encourage banks to lend for low-cost housing. It had jointly with the insurance industry created a new conventional and Takaful product for low-income housing under the Naya Pakistan Program.

“The PTI government deserves credit as not only it did not shy away from the challenges and remained focused on the task but also elicited participation from the private sector in a positive manner,” said Muhammad Ejaz, Director, Arif Habib Corporation Limited.

He said the government undertook an elaborate process of consultation and engaged all relevant stakeholders. Instead of rushing to force any half-baked plan, it maintained steady and gradual progress towards developing an effective system through creating and reforming institutions.

At the same time, he said, creation of ease-of-doing-business and reforms in the foreclosure laws would enable institutional funding support, which was extremely positive.

Muhammad Ejaz, Director Arif Habib Corporation further said, “Key factor is an investor. Giving them confidence by giving the construction sector the status of the industry would help motivate them to invest more in this sector. We are grateful to the PTI government for these initiatives,” said Chief Executive Officer of Makeen Marketing Pvt. Limited Hassan Talal, a builder associate of Capital Smart City, Bahria Town, Blue World City, Lahore Smart City and other projects.

“Rationalization of taxation would also have a positive impact. NPHP would also help the boost construction industry,” he noted.

Muhammad Ahsan, a builder and interior designer saw the incentive package as a ‘well in time endeavor’ of the government for putting construction sector back on track and revival of economy.

“The boom in the construction sector would provide business to 40 sectors and generate employment. If the pace continues the target of constructing five million houses would be achievable,” he noted.

He sought incentives for small contractors and builders in getting bank loans, guarantees and for securing their business.

Private housing societies also see the package as a step forward for boosting real estate business and described it as a marvellous job of the government. “It is the best, any government can offer for the sector in an era of turmoil due to Covid-19. It would help steer through the crisis times,” said Muhammad Mansha Sahi Secretary Civilian Cooperative Housing Society (Soan Gardens).

Special relief package for the construction industry had been announced by the government to boost construction activity.

Chairman All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association, Azam Faruque said the NPHP will help revive business activity in the market and benefit the steel industry.

He said that in the current challenging situation, when the whole global economy was in slowdown mode, Pakistan had a huge opportunity to choose a better option like the construction of new houses to come out of this crisis.

Chairman Pakistan Iron and Steel Merchant Association, Tariq Irshad said that the construction industry was considered as the backbone of any economy, which generated huge employment opportunities.

Chairman All Pakistan Marble Industries Association, Noman Baqi Siddiqui also welcomed the government decision, saying that in this critical situation, the initiative would not only benefit the construction sector but the whole economy.

The Federal Cabinet, with amendments in the Income Tax Ordinance 2001 and Finance Act 1989, approved an ordinance to provide tax incentives to the construction industry.

The approval of incentives package for the construction industry through an Ordinance was aimed at promoting economic activities and generating employment opportunities in the country, affected by lockdown in the wake of COVID-19.

For low-cost housing projects by Naya Pakistan Housing and Development Authority, the tax was further reduced by 90 per cent for housing projects approved by NAPHDA. The new tax rate was applicable to new projects starting before December 31, 2020 and to existing incomplete projects which opt for taxation under this scheme.

Both new and existing projects would have to get registered with FBR by filing a prescribed form on the IRIS web portal. Existing projects would self-declare the percentage of completion and shall pay fixed tax for the remaining project under the new fixed tax scheme. There will be exemption of tax on dividends paid to shareholders by builders and developers opting for taxation under this scheme.=DNA

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ISLAMABAD : Five neighbourhoods of Islamabad were put under a smart lockdown on Sunday after they reported a surge in cases of the coronavirus.

Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat tweeted these areas will be sealed in the next 24 hours for “emerging as covid hotspots.” The areas that will be locked down include G-6/2, G-9/1, G-10/4, I-8/3, and I-8/4.

“Schools, Mosques, Shopping centers, parks etc will be closed,” he said. However, essential services and supplies like pharmacy, ration, drinking water and medical emergency, are exempted from the lockdown restrictions.

The local police will cordon off these areas to ensure public safety at large and to limit the spread of the virus.

“In exercise of powers under Epidemic Disease Control Act, 1858 and in pursuance of recommendations of Government of Pakistan, Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination, District Health Office…. and after analysis of epidemiological trend of the disease pattern by the D.C COVID Nerve Center and in order to prevent community spread of the virus, the subsectors 1-8/3, 1-8/4, G-9/1, G-10/4 and G-6/2 Islamabad are hereby sealed (locked down) w.e.f [with effect from] 10.00A.M, 09.11.2020 in larger public interest and until further orders,” a notification issued to this effect read.

ISLAMABAD, NOV (DNA) – An awareness-session on use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for peace and security was held here at Institution of Engineers Pakistan, Islamabad-Rawalpindi Center (IEP-RIC).

It was specially arranged by the IEP-RIC for the graduate engineers for keeping them abreast with the application of AI for monitoring and tracking various kinds of crimes and acts of terrorism .

Dr Mudassar Raza who is working with COMSATS was the Resource Person. He spoke at length on the topic of “Artificial Intelligence in Automated Visual for Sustaining Peace and Security”.

Secretary IEP Islamabad Gp. Capt (r) Engr Najamuddin conducted the session and introduced the topic by explaining its significance for counter terrorism and security surveillance.

The Resource Person explained the importance of using CCTV cameras for surveillance to detect dubious activities . It was also mentioned that on many aspects the computer based robots have successfully replaced human beings in running security systems.

Dr. Raza apprised multifarious areas where AI can be used for peace and security. It was indicated that AI can also be effectively used to control spread of Corona virus.

Chairman of IEP-RIC Engr Hafiz Ehsaan Islamabad thanked the Resource person for enlightening the participants with valuable knowledge about Artificial Intelligence .

He emphasized the importance of such lectures and asked the young Engineers at large to avail these knowledge sharing and CPD sessions that will not only enable them to acquire knowledge and skills in emerging fields of engineering but also make them eligible to earn credit points to meet PEC requirements.=DNA

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LAHORE: The electricity rates are very high in Pakistan and it is for the first time that power rates have been reduced. The decision would help boost economic growth, strengthen industry, increase exports, and create employment opportunities.

This was stated by Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers & Exporters Association (PRGMEA) north zone chairman Adeeb Iqbal Sheikh, observing that the Energy Package announced by the PM would boost productivity, lower costs and generate employment. It will be an added impetus to our industrial sector that is driving the economic revival and posting robust growth.

According to reports, elimination of peak hours from electricity tariff of all industries, 50% discount on consumption of additional units for B1, B2 B3 connections till June 2021 and 25% discount on additional consumptions for all industrial connections for 3 years is really is great relief for the industry and we are very happy with this decision.

He welcomed the termination of discriminatory peak-hour tariff system for commercial electricity users, with provision of uniform electricity rates round the clock, stating the overall energy relief package will promote trade and industry in the country that had suffered losses in the past due to high cost of electricity.

PRGMEA NZ chief said that in view of boosting the production, it was vital to reduce the power price and eliminate the peak hours’ tariff system.

He added that the new relief package would help to expand employment opportunities, besides lifting economic activities in the country.

Pakistan’s exports have become expensive as compared to the regional and other competitors. The discounted power rates would provide a breather to the export sectors and indicate that the economy has now been moving towards the positive trend, he added.

Adeeb Iqbal said that a strong infrastructure of energy was vital to help industries grow and compete with international market. He pointed that with 25 percent expensive electricity rates, Pakistan lagged behind India and Bangladesh in terms of exports.

It is extremely important for Pakistan to strengthen industrialization, which will lead to wealth creation and thus help pay off the debt, he said.

He said that it is right step in the right direction that the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) would be getting 50% tariff relief on the use of additional electricity, considering their bills of November 2019, during next six months, while all the industries would be provided with additional electricity on 25% reduced rates for next three years, he added. He said that it was for the first time that such a big reforms package in the energy and power sector had been announced for the industries with the fixation of tariff for three years. He said the way the whole nation fought the COVID-19 pandemic, early opening of businesses and the construction industry, and the policy of smart lock down which helped check the spread of coronavirus and death rate, pushed the wheel of economy running in Pakistan earlier than various countries.

The export industry is happy that the present government was bringing improvement in the power sector through various bold policy decisions.

He also applauded the government for making a power production agreement for alternative resources like solar and wind energies at the rate of Rs 6.5 per unit against the previous agreements of Rs 24 per unit.

The industry will get benefit of this relief package of consuming additional electricity when it expands which definitely takes time,” he said. He urged the government to reduce the tariff for existing use of electricity, which would really benefit the exports.