POA nominates Gulfam as Pak SAG contingent flag-bearer

KARACHI: In a rare occasion, Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) on Saturday nominated a young shooter Gulfam Joseph, who has qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, as flag-bearer of Pakistan’s contingent for the 13th South Asian Games (SAG) which will begin in Kathmandu with an opening ceremony on Sunday (today).The 19-year old Gulfam, who has featured in only a single national championship, qualified for Tokyo Olympics in 10m air pistol in the Asian Championships in Doha recently.Joseph is a Christian and belongs to Army.The POA took the decision after taking an input from the chairman of the Athletes Commission of POA and world leading wrestler Mohammad Inam.The decision of nominating Joseph reflects the spirit of Olympism shown by POA.The opening ceremony will begin at 5pm in Kathmandu on Sunday (today). Sources from Kathmandu told The News that water-tight security arrangements have been made for the competitions being held in Nepal’s capital and Pokhara from December 1-10.“Security is quite good,” a source from Kathmandu told this correspondent on Saturday.“Both players and officials are escorted from venue to hotels and from hotels to venues,” the source said. The source was quick to add that Pakistan’s contingent has been given good accommodation.An around 350-member contingent of Pakistan is set to feature in 20 disciplines in the biennial spectacle.As Pakistan’s contingent will proceed to Kathmandu in various phases so a limited number of athletes of the country would be part of the march-past on Sunday during opening ceremony.Sources said that the POA was trying to arrange accreditation cards for a couple of state officials who have been sent by the government.The issue created as Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) did not take any input from the POA while finalising the contingent. Pakistan would begin its swimming journey on Sunday while managers meeting of karate teams would be held today as the event will begin on Monday (tomorrow).Because of lack of proper preparation Pakistan is not expected to lift more gold medals. In 2016 South Asian Games Pakistan had finished third with 12 golds after India and Sri Lanka who finished at the top and the runners-up position respectively. Pakistan’s football team missed the Nepal’s event because of late entry. Golf and archery, which had a chance of medals, had already been excluded by the PSB which is sponsoring a 305-member contingent.

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Atalanta back to winning ways

MILAN: Mario Pasalic scored twice to get Atalanta back to winning ways with a 3-0 Serie A victory in a Lombardy derby at Mario Balotelli’s struggling Brescia on Saturday.Pasalic nodded in the opener on 26 minutes, before grabbing a second after an hour with Josip Illicic firing in a late third to end Atalanta’s four-match winless run in the league. The Bergamo side, boosted by claiming their first ever Champions League win against Dinamo Zagreb in midweek, are now level on points with fourth-placed Cagliari and Roma, who play later this weekend.Gian Piero Gasperini’s side had not won in Serie A since their 7-1 victory over Udinese a month ago. Italy forward Balotelli returned to the Brescia line-up having being dropped last weekend for his lack of commitment in training. But apart from hitting the crossbar on 55 minutes, Balotelli rarely threatened as the promoted side fell to their sixth consecutive defeat to stay rooted to the bottom of the table. The match was the first since the publication of a letter on Friday signed by the country’s 20 top-flight clubs saying ‘basta’ (that’s enough) to racism in Italian stadiums.

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Shinwari to represent Qalandars in HBL PSL 2020

LAHORE: Left-arm fast bowler Usman Shinwari has become the first player to be transferred for the HBL Pakistan Super League 2020 as he moves from Karachi Kings to Lahore Qalandars.Usman was one of the players who had agreed to drop one category through the relegation request process for the event whose all 34 matches will be played in Pakistan in February/March.As per the event regulations, when a team sends in a relegation request for their local player to drop down one category, it is shared with the other teams based on the player’s consent. The other five teams can then either match the player’s original category or allow him to relegate on his existing team’s roster.Based on the teams’ expression of interests, the player’s existing team is then given time to either retain the player in his original category or release him to the team willing to match the player’s registered category.In this instance, Lahore Qalandars matched Usman Shinwari’s relegation request resulting in his transfer to the Qalandars for HBL PSL 2020.Five other players who have successfully relegated as a result of this relegation request process are: Imam-ul-Haq (Peshawar Zalmi, diamond to gold), Junaid Khan (Multan Sultans, diamond to gold), Salman Butt (Lahore Qalandars, gold to silver), Shan Masood (Multan Sultans, gold to silver) and Umar Amin (Peshawar Zalmi, gold to silver).Usman missed the inaugural 2016 event but represented Karachi Kings in the subsequent editions.The transfer/retention window opened on 4 November and closes on 1 December with each team allowed to retain up to eight players from last season.

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Seven in race for Malik Hamid Ali Noon Cup

LAHORE: A special race termed for two years old fillies, mares and ponies will be the focus of 14th day winter meeting 2019-20 of Lahore Race Club which also features seven Tuman Khan Plate races on Sunday, December 1 here.This Malik Hamid Ali Noon Memorial Cup for 2 years aged horses has a field of seven who will go for a miles run. In this cup race no particular mare or fillies identified as the favourite but out of these seven Countess Mara is believed better than all. As the day ignites at 1200 noon the cup race is expected to start at around 2.55 pm.Out of the eight races of the day, last two are of class VI and are of 1200 metres distance while the remaining are of class VII with different divisions and would cover a distance 1000 metres.The first race favourite for win is Tell Me, place Royal Runner and fluke Artghal while the lineup is completed by Encounter Specialist, Golden Stamp, Nice Moon, Good Action, Hip Man, Turab Prince, Poma Love, Chamak, Golden Beauty, Kashrniri Fighter and Goloo Prince.The second race favourite for win is Only Jutt, place Chan Punjabi and fluke Faizy Choice while the lineup is completed by Salam-e-Pakistan, Lala Rukh, Helena, King Queen, KFK Princess, Ask Me, Bet of The Day, Sheba, Madiha, lnsaf-e-Bhakkar and Push The Limits.The third race favourite for win is Big Foot, place Rashk-e-Qamar and fluke Wahab Choice while the lineup is completed by Red Boy, One Four Seven, Khan Jee, Safdar Princess, Gotti, Lalazaar, Narowali Princess, Neeli The Great, Natalia, Lucky Time and Silken Black.The fourth race favourite for win is Salam-e-Lahore, place Wind Talker and fluke Wahab Choice while the lineup is completed by Pehlwan, Khadim, Four Chaar Hai, Qamar Choice, Neeli De Malika and Cameo.The fifth race favourite for win is Aya Sultan, place Madhuri Dixit and fluke Jharra while the lineup is completed by Miss World, Salam-e-Dera, Dazzling, Follow My Lead, Well Done Pakistan, Amazing Runner, Miss Mohni Road and Sunny Choice.The sixth Malik Hamid Ali Noon Memorial Cup race favourite for win is Countess Mara with Dahab being on fluke while the line up in this termed race for 2 years old is completed by Forever One, Haiku, Rapunzel Beauty, Innocent One and Amazing Lips.The seventh race favourite for win is License To Kill, place Gondal Prince and fluke Raat Ki Rani while the lineup is completed by AI Akbar, Hidden Princess, Goldee, JF Thunder.The eighth race favourite for win is Costa Rica, place Me Raqsam and fluke Princess Anabia while the lineup is completed by Governor, Legacy, Sara Jamoot, Tiger Jet, Remember Me, Sublime and Jabbar Prince.

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Wasim slams Pak team’s performance in 2nd Test

LAHORE: Pakistan fast bowling legend Wasim Akram blasted the team’s efforts on the field during the ongoing second Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday.Akram’s comments came after a misfield from Shaheen Afridi led to Pakistan conceding a four on a day when David Warner sent the records tumbling with a triple century. “Shaheen Shah was in la la land at fine leg,” Akram said. “Yasir Shah and Shan Masood were probably yawning. That’s the problem with Pakistan cricket. They should be on the ball.“Nobody was backing up and you as a fielder, it doesn’t matter how inexperienced you are, you set yourself, new batsman in, they just came out, I’ll probably start five-ten yards inside the boundary line not on the boundary.” Warner was unbeaten on 335 off 418 balls as Australia declared at 589 for 3. He shared stands of 361 for the second wicket with Marnus Labuschagne (162), a 121-run stand with Steve Smith (36) for the third wicket and an unbeaten 99-run stand with Matthew Wade for the fourth wicket. With the triple hundred, Warner’s score is now the highest individual score at the ground as he surpassed Don Bradman’s 299. He also went past Don Bradman’s score of 334, which was also the highest score of former Australia skipper Mark Taylor. The highest individual score for an Australia lies with opener Matthew Hayden with 380. He hit that against Zimbabwe in 2003 in Perth.

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Pak players to feature in Jump Rope Skipping C’ship in Thailand

LAHORE: Seven-member Pakistani contingent will take part in Mini Thailand Open Jump Rope Skipping Championship at Bangkok, Thailand.President, Pakistan Rope Skipping Federation, Dr. Afshan Malik is leading the contingent as Chef de Mission.Four players are representing the country namely Iqra Naseem, M Zaryab Ali, Huzaifa Jamil, M Niaz. Adnan Malik has been appointed as Manager and Raja Nasir Mehmood will act as coach.Dr. Afshan Malik told that about 1000 men and women jumpers from Thailand and Asia including South Korea, Pakistan, Hong Kong and Singapore will take part in the various category events in the Championship including singles Boys U-15, Professional Male, Girls U-15, Pro female, Male Open, Pro Open, Female Open, Pro Female Open, Doubles Men, Doubles Women, U-15 Doubles boys.

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National Junior Hockey in full swing

LAHORE: Interesting matches were played on day three of the 36th National Junior Hockey Championship here at the National Hockey Stadium on Saturday.Another seven matches were played on the day as the teams of Army B, KPK A, Sui Southern Gas Company, Punjab D, Punjab B, Wapda and Army A won their respective matches. According to details, the first match on Saturday was played between Army B and Azad Jammu and Kashmir teams at the National Hockey Stadium Lahore. In this match, the Army B team made four goals. In the second match, KPK A beat Punjab C by five goals. The third match was played between Sui Southern Gas Company and KPKB teams, with Sui Gas team winning by four goals. In the fourth match, Punjab D defeated Gilgit-Baltistan by a huge margin of 17 goals. In the fifth match, Punjab B defeated Balochistan 3-0. The sixth match was interesting between the Wapda and Customs teams, but Wapda made a successful start with four wins. In the seventh and final match of the day, Army A defeated Sindh by five points. Sunday will be a rest day at the Championship.Results: Match NO 16: Army (B) Vs AJK (4 – 0), Goal Score: Army (B): 28” Sajaid (FG), 40” Zaheer Ahmad (PC), 49” Haseeb Saib (PS) , 53” Anees Rehman (FG),Match NO 17: KPK (A) Vs Punjab (C) (5 – 1), Goal Score: KPK (A): 28” 41” 50” Usman (PC), 54” 55” Usman (FG); Punjab (C): 42” Taki-ul-Hassan (FG)Match NO 18: SSGC Vs KPK (B) (4 – 0), Goal Score: SSGC: 17” Babar (FG), 32” 37” 45” Rizwan Ali (PC)Match NO 19: Punjab (D) Vs Gilgit (17 – 0), Goal Score: Punjab (D): 5” 25” 56” Ibrahim (FG), 6” 10” 16” Rehman Ali (FG), 19” Noma (PC), 2” 32” 44” 55” Habib ur Rehman (FG), 39” 53” Sikandar (FG), 39” 52” Usama (FG), 46” Khubaib (FG), 57” Ashfaq (FG), 60”Match NO 20: Punjab (B) Vs Balochistan (3 – 0), Goal Score: Balochistan: 31” 41” Mehraj Ali, 44” M YounasMatch NO 21: Wapda Vs Customs (4 – 0), Goal Score: Wapda: 5” M Yasir (PC), 10” Ali Bahadur, 43” Hasan Saleem, 51” Rana WaheedMatch NO 22: Army (A) Vs Sindh (A) (5 – 0), Goal Score: Army (A): 18” Muzamil Hussian, 30” 35” M Usman, 33” Shahid Ali, 59” Mehran Ahmad.

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Pak women cricketers reach Malaysia

LAHORE: Pakistan women cricket team has reached Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for a One-day International (ODI) series against England. Malaysia will host the three-match series between women of Pakistan and England. Matches are a part of ICC Championship. The series is scheduled from ninth till 20th December in Malaysia.

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National Seniors North Region final today

LAHORE: The final of National Seniors Cricket Cup North Region will be held between Amir Cables and Wah Karigars here at Faisal Towen Ground on Sunday (today). The match will start at 10 am and chief guest will be daughter of late Nawab Ashiq Hussain Qureshi, Nida Banu Qureshi and Mahnaz Hussain, who distribute prizes in a ceremony to be held at 3.30 pm. The final will be supervised by Zameer Haider, M Asif, Nasir Huissain TV umpire, KhalidHameed match referee, Waleed Yaqoob coordinator and Zahoor Alam scorer.

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Our young players lack fire in the belly: Jansher

There was a time during his early post-retirement days when Jansher Khan won’t stop talking about Pakistan squash. He used to have a theory about everything, about why our players were unable to make it to the top, about why despite trying everything the Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) was unable to reach its goals. But when we met at his residence in Peshawar last month, Jansher didn’t bring up the subject. It was only after I broached the subject that he started talking about it.“It really makes me sad seeing the sorry state of Pakistan squash,” he says. “I mean for so many years we produced the world’s best players and now we can’t even produce players who can make it to the top-20 in the world?”In the past, Jansher would mostly blame the PSF bosses over their failure to help Pakistan regain its lost glory in the world of squash. But now he blames the country’s current crop of players over their inability to give their hundred percent.“The federation is certainly responsible (for the downslide) but perhaps the bigger culprits are our players. I don’t think that they work hard enough which is why it’s hardly surprising that we don’t have any presence at the top in international rankings.”Jansher believes that in an endurance sport like squash, there is no room for players who are unwilling to sacrifice the good life and devote all their energies towards the game.“It’s a tough sport because it isn’t just about skills and flair. You have to give it everything. You have to really, really work hard. With that I mean hours and hours of practice, running, exercise on a daily basis. Only then you can think about winning internationally. Unfortunately, I don’t see a single youngster in our country, who is willing to work with such dedication.”Things were completely different when Jansher was a kid.Back in the seventies, Jansher grew up watching his compatriot Jahangir Khan ruling the world of squash. Jahangir was regarded among the fittest sportsmen in the world. He would wear out any opposition. It was in 1985 when Jansher made his presence felt in an international event for the first time by reaching the semi-finals of a junior tournament as a 15-year-old. He lost to a more established Umar Hayyat Khan in the event in Hong Kong but that experience was enough to give the youngster a lot of confidence.“Even at 15, I had this feeling that I will become the best in the world,” recalls Jansher. “Then my role model was Jahangir and my biggest target was to beat him.”Beating Jahangir back in the mid-eighties was seen as an impossible task. At that time Jahangir was in the middle of his unbeaten run which lasted for more than five and half years.“I never thought he (Jahangir) was unbeatable,” says Jansher.It wasn’t just a brash teenager believing he could dethrone the king.Jansher had his reasons to be confident. By the time he was 16 Jansher was already a complete player of international calibre. He took up the sport when he was eight and had been obsessed with it since then. He would fight with his mother who didn’t allow him to play squash. “She wanted me to excel at studies. All my brothers went into squash so she wanted me to do well in school. But my mind was made up. I wanted to be world champion.”Jansher backed his dream with the sort of hard work that was even surprising for the hard-working, squash-playing folks of Peshawar.“He was simply mad,” remembers Qamar Zaman, another squash legend. “I’ve never seen anyone working harder than him. He would train all day whether it was boiling hot or freezing cold. You could see from the determination of this youngster that he was destined to be a world champion,” adds Qamar, a former British Open champion.In 1985, Jansher played in a couple of international junior events losing in the quarter or semi-final stages.Following the losses, he knew that he needed to work harder. His normal working day would be matches against a series of players followed by solo training. He would also run for miles without taking a break.“Having lost my matches in Kuala Lumpur and Cairo (in 1985) I knew I had to be fitter. The work I put in after that was the hardest in my entire career.”And it paid off.In 1986, Jansher was selected to represent Pakistan in the World Junior Championships in Adelaide. The event would change his life.When Jansher landed in Adelaide, he was a complete nobody. Hometown favourite Rodney Eyles was supposed to win the world junior title. But Jansher, in top gear after all the hard work in Peshawar, was in ruthless form. He just tore through the draws of the championship and reached the final without much fuss. Despite his excellent run, the form book suggested that Eyles will win the crown. “I beat him 9-2, 9-0, 9-0 in the final, he remembers.Jansher could have played on the international junior circuit for a few more years. But, unlike our players today who are happy to stay on the junior circuit as long as possible, he had greater ambitions.After winning the world junior title, Jansher joined the professional circuit by becoming a Professional Squash Association (PSA) member. He spent a few months with coach Mohammad Yasin in London and was ready to take on the world. He qualified for the 1986 World Open in Toulouse and ousted Englishman Phil Kenyon in the opening round. He fell in the second round to Chris Robertson.A few months later, Jansher made his maiden appearance in the prestigious British Open. And for the first time since Azam Khan’s stunning run in the 1954 edition an unseeded player reached the final of the tournament.Jansher’s giant-killing act began with the scalp of Rodney Eyles in the first round. He won a marathon second round against compatriot Zarak Jahan Khan. He beat Gawain Briars to set up a quarter-final date with Ross Norman, then the reigning world champion. He came back from 1-2 down to topple Norman and then stunned Australian Chris Dittmar to set up an all-Pakistan final against the great Jahangir Khan.“It was like a dream come true,” says Jansher. “Here I was, an 18-year-old facing Jahangir in a British Open final,” he recalls.Jahangir used his vast experience to tame Jansher 9-6, 9-0, 9-0 to extend his unbeaten run in the British Open.It was a comprehensive win for Jahangir which is why Jansher was ridiculed a few weeks later when he claimed that he was ready to dethrone Jahangir as the world’s number one player.“Everybody laughed when at a press conference in Hong Kong I claimed that I’m going to beat Jahangir within the next six months. All of them found it to be ridiculous. “Though I took a bit longer, seven-and-a-half months to be precise, but I did go on to beat Jahangir not just once but on many occasions.”It was at the 1987 Hong Kong Open that another legend was born.Jansher reached the final as an unseeded player and faced Jahangir in the title clash. “It turned out to be one of the finest days of my squash career,” says Jansher, who stunned the world of squash by beating Jahangir 10-8, 9-2, 9-2 in the final.The Hong Kong Open triumph ushered in a new era in squash history, the reign of the mighty Jansher Khan.When the squash scene shifted to Karachi, Jansher beat Jahangir again to become the new Pakistan Open champion. Then in Birmingham, the two met again in the World Open semi-finals. They fought like gladiators for 108 minutes before Jansher won 3-9, 9-4, 9-7, 9-7. He then went on to conquer Dittmar in an epic final to become the new World Open champion. He became the only player in squash history to hold the world junior and World Open titles at the same time. Jansher went on to win seven more World Open titles, a world record.“I was blessed,” he says. “Also, I worked hard. My message to our young squash players is to know the importance of hard work and dedication. You have to give it your hundred percent because there can’t be any shortcuts on the way to becoming a world champion.”Khalid Hussain is Editor Sports of The Newskhalidhraj@gmail.com

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Balanced diet key to sporting success

This week, our panel of experts answers your queries on a variety of fitness issues ranging from shoulder pains to the special dietary requirements of athletes especially cyclists.Q: I am a swimmer. I’m 22 and lately I develop a cramp near my right shoulder blade area, which makes swimming quite an impossible task. Is there any remedy for this, or which specialist doctor should I visit? –Samina Khan.A: Mostly poor stroke technique causes painful shoulder and cramps around the shoulder joint musculature.Shoulder is a very hyper mobile joint and it needs to be well controlled by muscles and ligaments. Over-training, fatigue, hyper mobility, poor technique, weakness, tightness, previous shoulder injuries are the causes of recurrent shoulder injuries.Now we talk about the remedy. Firstly you should do some preventive measures. You must avoid training with tired muscles and sudden increases in training volume or intensity and straining the shoulder muscles, get icing done twice a day for 15 to 20 minutes.When pain has been minimized and swelling is not showing significantly you should focus on strength training of Rotator cuff and scapular muscles to improve stability of the shoulders. It is to heal scar tissue via joint mobilisations, massage, shoulder muscle stretches and light active-assisted and active resisted exercises.Major cause of rotator cuff impingement is poor scapulo thoracic rhythm it requires pain-free and powerful shoulder function to improve scapula thoracic rhythm do exercises like elevation, protraction, retraction with hold relax technique and get back your speed, agility and develop neuromuscular control.During free style swimming, when breathing, keep the head in line with the body to avoid neck pain or numbness and tingling in the arms. Rotate your body towards the breathing side to avoid excessive neck movement and over-reaching with the arms it will help prevent injuries in upper limb.Syed Hasan Abbas RizviPrincipal & Associate ProfessorDoctor of Physiotherapy, MSPT, BSPT, BSc (Physiology), PGD (Speech Language Pathology)Liaquat National Hospital & Medical CollegeQ: I am a cyclist and 26 years old. A friend of mine advised to take extra food supplements to strengthen my leg muscles which would help boost my performance. Should I go for it? –Mohammad InamA: Cycling is a sport of endurance which places a high demand on your muscles. For this, good nutrition is very important. Like many others, you are concerned about taking food supplements. If you are taking a balanced diet then there is no need of muscle building supplements including protein powders and amino acids unless you have a proven deficiency of it in your body or if you are not taking a balanced diet. Same is with vitamin and mineral supplements, if taken in excess will not help to improve your performance.Try to consume right amount of calories through natural food sources. Plan your diet to maintain carbohydrate stores. Carbohydrates are body fuel that give you energy and will boost your endurance. Include high quality proteins in the form of meat, egg, dairy and fish, which will provide you muscle building amino acids. Whey protein is one of the proteins found in dairy products. It not only digests quickly but is also rich in branched chain amino acids which build and maintain muscle mass and increase muscle strength. Ricotta cheese is one of its best dietary source. Foods rich in Omega 3 fatty acids found in fish, nuts, and seeds relieve pain and inflammation associated with overworked muscles.Eating a balanced diet with right proportion of carbohydrates, fats and protein is a key to maintain muscle strength.Ms. Munazza HaqChief Dietitian,Liaquat National Hospital & Medical CollegeQ: I am a 28 years old cricketer and a fast bowler. I need your help for suggesting me the right doctor who can advise me to use right type of spikes in my shoes in order to avoid shin injury. --Altaf RanaA: Dear reader, shoe spike is important for a fast bowler in order to enhance the skill and accuracy of performance. A good grip on the ground improves energy transfer and enhances acceleration, agility, speed and performance. Spike placement on shoe needs careful evaluation of foot shape and size. The arch of foot should be carefully evaluated and pressure points of should be accurately marked for spike placement in order to distribute pressure evenly. All these measures are taken by an Orthotist who is specialized in foot wear and foot dynamics in stress conditions. You should get an evaluation of your foot by an orthotist after which accurate spike placement in your shoes will help you to enhance your performance without complications.Dr. Muhammad SufyanFCPS (Ortho) AO Fellow (Germany), Sports Medicine Fellowship (Singapore)Assistant Professor | Department of OrthopaedicSurgeryLiaquat National Hospital & Medical CollegeQ: I am 33 and a car rally driver. Whenever we participate for a longer rally, we consume lots of water and salt tablets to avoid dehydration. Recently my cousin read in a magazine that salt tablets can cause kidney failure. Please advise me whether it’s true? --Tariq Iqbal.A: If you do not have renal disease or risk factor like hypertension diabetes or heart disease, you probably can take low amount of salt tabs with water during your driving race. For detail information and advice you should see a nephrologist.Prof. Kunwar Naveed MukhtarMD Diplomate American Board of Internal MedicineDiplomate American Board of NephrologyHead of the Department | Department of NephrologyAll the specialists on our experts’ panel are associated with Liaquat National Hospital. Please send your queries at khalidhraj@gmail.com or Anjum.Rizvi@lnh.edu.pk.)– Khalid Hussain

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Smoking kills

In Pakistan, smokers frequently do not care about the people near them. While smoking, a significant number of people suffer from passive smoking. According to a study, passive smoking is a confirmed risk factor in lung cancer, heart attack and several other diseases. To curb this threat, there should be designated places where smokers can smoke freely without affecting others around them because secondhand smoking is very risky.We do, in fact, have a law in Pakistan which bans smoking in offices and public places, but it is rarely, if ever, implemented. A ban on smoking in public places should be enforced immediately because of the harmful nature of secondhand smoke.Muhammad Ahtesham HameedRawalpindi

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Message of hope

When we try to rediscover Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, a universal poet, philosopher, anthropologist and proponent of human harmony, we find that Latif magnifies perspectives. He heightens global consciousness amidst social and political turbulence. He clamors for development for all. He agitates over the extremes of wealth and poverty. He shows concern over the abuse of the environment.Latif is a social reformer and divine physician and his vision is world embracing. Shah Latif offers a new path towards hope and unity.Hashim AbroIslamabad

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Funding case

The case against the ruling party and their foreign funding in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is being delayed because the scrutiny committee is failing to follow the directives of the ECP. This is one of the few cases that balance out the investigations which have been underway for the last two years – targeting mostly members of opposition parties. Despite the ECP’s order to conduct the hearing against the funding on a daily basis, the proceedings are not taking place in a timely fashion. The scrutiny committee is also refusing to disclose the documents submitted by the respondents and has not shared them with the petitioner either. It also refused to share with the PTI details of the undeclared accounts operated by the party that the committee had received directly from the banks on the directives of the State Bank of Pakistan, and asked the PTI to seek the same from the banks.This buys the investigation ample time because, after December 5, the ECP will be involved in other matters, particularly pertaining to the election of the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). The delays favour the ruling party and buys time for the investigation. It is important to investigate in a timely fashion, especially when the ruling party is involved – not only because the law dictates such protocol but also because the ruling party promised no discrimination based on party affiliation, which means that a case against the PTI should also get the same treatment the opposition parties get. The petitioner and PTI founding member Akbar S Ahmad has said that all those hoping or attempting to delay the case one way or another are doing a great “disservice to the country”. Concerns regarding the proceedings should be addressed as soon as possible in order to ensure that nothing provides a cushion to the ruling party due to the power they have assumed in this tenure. Those ruling the country should be held at a higher moral pedestal and scrutinized to ensure that the laws of the country are being upheld.Qazi Jamshed Alam SiddiquiLahore

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Road in ruin

I want to highlight the condition of the road in front of the NTS building in Islamabad. This 100-meter road is between the NTS building and AIMs Education System in H8/1. The pathetic condition of the road speaks much about the efficiency of the MCI. I saw the splendid building from outside but was disappointed to see the condition of the road.The road needs to be recarpeted at the earliest. The car parking space must also be fixed for the convenience of employees and visitors.Lt-Commander (r) Riaz AkbarWah Cantt

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Smoking kills

In Pakistan, smokers frequently do not care about the people near them. While smoking, a significant number of people suffer from passive smoking. According to a study, passive smoking is a confirmed risk factor in lung cancer, heart attack and several other diseases. To curb this threat, there should be designated places where smokers can smoke freely without affecting others around them because secondhand smoking is very risky.We do, in fact, have a law in Pakistan which bans smoking in offices and public places, but it is rarely, if ever, implemented. A ban on smoking in public places should be enforced immediately because of the harmful nature of secondhand smoke.Muhammad Ahtesham HameedRawalpindi

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Message of hope

When we try to rediscover Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, a universal poet, philosopher, anthropologist and proponent of human harmony, we find that Latif magnifies perspectives. He heightens global consciousness amidst social and political turbulence. He clamors for development for all. He agitates over the extremes of wealth and poverty. He shows concern over the abuse of the environment.Latif is a social reformer and divine physician and his vision is world embracing. Shah Latif offers a new path towards hope and unity.Hashim AbroIslamabad

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Funding case

The case against the ruling party and their foreign funding in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is being delayed because the scrutiny committee is failing to follow the directives of the ECP. This is one of the few cases that balance out the investigations which have been underway for the last two years – targeting mostly members of opposition parties. Despite the ECP’s order to conduct the hearing against the funding on a daily basis, the proceedings are not taking place in a timely fashion. The scrutiny committee is also refusing to disclose the documents submitted by the respondents and has not shared them with the petitioner either. It also refused to share with the PTI details of the undeclared accounts operated by the party that the committee had received directly from the banks on the directives of the State Bank of Pakistan, and asked the PTI to seek the same from the banks.This buys the investigation ample time because, after December 5, the ECP will be involved in other matters, particularly pertaining to the election of the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). The delays favour the ruling party and buys time for the investigation. It is important to investigate in a timely fashion, especially when the ruling party is involved – not only because the law dictates such protocol but also because the ruling party promised no discrimination based on party affiliation, which means that a case against the PTI should also get the same treatment the opposition parties get. The petitioner and PTI founding member Akbar S Ahmad has said that all those hoping or attempting to delay the case one way or another are doing a great “disservice to the country”. Concerns regarding the proceedings should be addressed as soon as possible in order to ensure that nothing provides a cushion to the ruling party due to the power they have assumed in this tenure. Those ruling the country should be held at a higher moral pedestal and scrutinized to ensure that the laws of the country are being upheld.Qazi Jamshed Alam SiddiquiLahore

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Road in ruin

I want to highlight the condition of the road in front of the NTS building in Islamabad. This 100-meter road is between the NTS building and AIMs Education System in H8/1. The pathetic condition of the road speaks much about the efficiency of the MCI. I saw the splendid building from outside but was disappointed to see the condition of the road.The road needs to be recarpeted at the earliest. The car parking space must also be fixed for the convenience of employees and visitors.Lt-Commander (r) Riaz AkbarWah Cantt

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Proud Pakistanis

Pakistani women keep making us proud. Maryam Mukhtar, Muniba Mazari, Dr Nergis Mavalvala, Fiza Farhan, Shehnaz Kamal are a few to count. Now Major Saima Rehman has joined them as she has become the first woman from this country to receive the SRSG certificate for year 2019 for her exceptional performance in mission level studies and analysis.Only proper guidance and opportunities are required to polish these gems so that they rise to prominence and shine like stars all over the world. Congratulations to Major Rehman for adding another feather to Pakistan’s cap.Iftikhar MirzaIslamabad

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Incompetence galore

The issue of extension to the army chief would not have assumed such hype if the ministerial staff had properly scrutinised the rules and procedures the first time while issuing the notification for extension.It is unbelievable that the notification of extension of the present army chief had to be revised after realising that the president’s signatures were required. Hats off to the efficiency of senior bureaucrats posted with the president and prime minister.Dr Najeeb A KhanIslamabad

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Not violent?

Is white-collar crime really non-violent? Violence is defined as “behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something”. For the record, the government of Pakistan buys goods and services worth $60 billion or Rs7.5 trillion a year every year. Is white-collar crime really non-violent? Here’s the record: 290,000 newborn Pakistanis die every year before the end of their first month; 175,000 Pakistani children die annually due to premature birth; and 53,000 Pakistani children die of diarrhea caused by contaminated water every year.Is white-collar crime really non-violent? Take the New Islamabad International Airport. The original cost estimate was Rs23 billion. The total amount spent was Rs100 billion. Just how much is Rs77 billion? In Pakistan, the FIA and NAB are the agencies responsible for prosecuting white-collar criminals. The conviction rate at the FIA is 6.6 percent. In 2017, a total of 26,551 complaints were filed with NAB, of which 456 complaints (two percent of the total) were taken to the ‘inquiry stage’. Of the 456 ‘inquiries’, 215 were ‘investigated’. Of the 215 ‘investigations’, a total of 112 were convicted. I hope officials will take serious action about these black sheep of our system.Abdul MuqtadirRawalpindi

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Nothing’s cheap

For low-income group individuals earning less than Rs 20,00 per month, the monthly charges for the smallest plot of three marla in the housing scheme announced by the PM is Rs7,467 with a down payment of Rs67,200.Can any government functionary explain how a low-income bracket individual will run his/her house after paying almost half their salary per month for this scheme.Dr Irfan ZafarIslamabad

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Legislation as per party manifesto: Imran praises govt’s legal eagles

Ag AgenciesISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday lauded his lawyers’ team for its endavours as he noted that certain mafia and external enemies were hell-bent on triggering clash among the state institutions and creating uncertainty and through other machinations, wanted to create instability but they faced defeat in their designs.The prime minister said this while presiding over a meeting of the ruling PTI spokespersons here.He said the latest Supreme Court judgement had certainly disappointed and failed those forces, which wanted to push Pakistan towards instability and maintain the status quo, using the law for their vested interests. He said that he is going to Lahore and big changes would happen soon.“Our fight is with the mafia, which wishes to keep the status quo and is using the law for their vested interests,” he emphasised.Special Assistant to PM on Information Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said that the prime minister emphsised that he fully respected the judiciary and its judgment. He also lauded his lawyers’ team for its endavours.The prime minister directed the party spokespersons to actively participate in legislation in the Parliament and give practical shape to the party’s manifesto through laws.The Prime Minister, she said, recalled that PTI was the first party, which raised the slogan of rule of law and independence of judiciary and when the juncture of judiciary’s independence arrived, he preferred to go to jail but did not move an inch away from his principled stance.He emphasized that from day one, the objective of PTI’s political struggle was rule of law and justice-based system.During the meeting, the Prime Minister also told the spokespersons about the successes achieved in the economic field, stated for big changes and laid emphasis on the fact that the masses must be sensitized on the economic stability achieved and the improvement seen in the economic indicators so that they not only feel encouraged and it should also add to the confidence of businessmen.Meanwhile chairing a meeting about affairs of Aviation Division at the PM Office Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday expressed satisfaction over ongoing reforms in Pakistan International Airline (PIA) and said that revival of national flag carrier and making it a profitable entity was among the topmost priorities of the government.The meeting deliberated upon affairs of the Aviation Division, particularly the benefits of recently introduced reforms in Pakistan International Airline (PIA) and better administration of the country’s airports. Chairman PIA, Air Marshal Arshad Mahmood briefed the meeting about the remarkable benefits of reforms process. He said beside an increase of 48 flights in the national flag career’s flights, two new aircrafts had been included in the PIA’s fleet, adding that a considerable decrease in monthly losses of PIA had also been achieved. He said the PIA administration was working round the clock to bring further improvement in performance and making it a profitable body.The meeting also reviewed progress of implementation of the decisions regarding better administration of the country’s airports and provision of international standard facilities to passengers and future policy in that regard.The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Awan, Minister for Maritimes Ali Haider Zaidi, and Minister for Planning Asad Umar, Adviser on Finance Dr Abdul Hafiz Shaikh, Special Assistants to PM Nadeem Babar, Syed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari, Chairman Investment Board Syed Zubair Gillani, Secretary Aviation Shah Rukh Nusrat, Chairman PIA Air Marshal Arshad Mahmood Malik and senior officials. Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Ali Amin Khan Gandapur also called on Prime Minister Imran Khan here at Prime Minister Office on Friday. The Prime Minister expressed satisfaction over the progress and said that socio-economic development of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan was among the foremost priorities of the government.On this occasion, the Prime Minister was briefed about the progress on developmental projects in AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan.Malaysian Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Wira Haji Marzuki bin Haji Yahya also called on Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday.Prime Minister Imran Khan apprised Malaysian Prime Minister’s Special Envoy of the continuing inhuman lockdown of over 8 million Kashmiris by India.The special envoy called on Prime Minister Imran Khan to deliver an official invitation from Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad for the KL Summit, being held in Kuala Lumpur on 18-20 December 2019.Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi was also present during the meeting.Prime Minister Imran Khan appreciated Malaysia’s principled position on the Jammu & Kashmir dispute. He also apprised the Special Envoy of the continuing inhuman lockdown of over 8 million Kashmiris since India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019 and the dire human rights and humanitarian situation resulting from it.The Prime Minister stressed the importance of the international community playing its role in the removal of curfew and other restrictions in Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir and peaceful resolution of the Jammu & Kashmir dispute.The Prime Minister conveyed his thanks for the invitation and stated that he looked forward to participating in the KL Summit.In the bilateral context, the Prime Minister reaffirmed his commitment to further deepening Pakistan-Malaysia relations in all fields.

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Law will be amended for all services’ chiefs: AG

ISLAMABAD: Attorney General for Pakistan Anwar Mansoor has said that the government will change law for the inclusion of provision of extension for all services chiefs- COAS, Naval Chief, Air Chief and Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.Talking to The News here on Friday, the attorney general confirmed that although the apex court decision focuses on Army Chief’s extension, the government will change the law for similar provision of extension for all the services chiefs.This newspaper has raised the issue on Friday and raised the question if the Supreme Court decision on Army Chief’s extension be also applicable on Air Chief and Naval Chief, who too like the former are commanding their respective forces and fall in the same category as per their responsibilities in regard to the defence of the country’s frontiers.This is not yet clear if the government will go for a constitutional amendment or would prefer simple legislation to achieve the objective.The Article 243 of the Constitution that was extensively discussed during the last few days of the SC’s hearing of Army Chief’s extension case, deals with all the three Chiefs- Army, Naval and Air Force- equally.In its short order, the Supreme Court has referred to the attorney general’s categorically assurance that the past practice of extensions (given to Army Chiefs either by themselves or by the governments being followed in General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s case) is to be codified under the law.The attorney general undertook that the federal government shall initiate the process to carry out the necessary legislation in this regard and seeks a period of six months for getting the needful done. The SC order said, “Considering that the COAS is responsible for the command, discipline, training, administration, organization and preparedness for war of the Army and is the Chief Executive in General Headquarters, we, while exercising judicial restraint, find it appropriate to leave the matter to the Parliament and the Federal Government to clearly specify the terms and conditions of service of the COAS through an Act of Parliament and to clarify the scope of Article 243 of the Constitution in this regard.” Just like what the SC in its order stated about the functions and responsibilities of the Army Chief, the Chiefs of Air Force and Navy are responsible for the command, discipline, training, administration, organization and preparedness for war of their respective forces and are also the Chief Executive in their respective Headquarters.The much discussed Article 243, interestingly, deals with Command of all the Armed Forces. The constitutional Article also envisages the same procedure of appointment for all the Services Chiefs. The Article 243 reads as: “Command of Armed Forces. 1. The Federal Government shall have control and command of the Armed Forces. 2. Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing provision, the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces shall vest in the President. 3. The President shall subject to law, have power– a. to raise and maintain the Military, Naval and Air Forces of Pakistan; and the Reserves of such Forces; and b. to grant Commissions in such Forces. 4. The President shall, on advice of the Prime Minister, appoint- a. the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee; b. the Chief of the Army Staff; c. the Chief of the Naval Staff; and d. the Chief of the Air Staff, and shall also determine their salaries and allowances.”

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Students march for restoration of unions

Ag agenciesISLAMABAD: Thousands of Pakistani students marched in demonstrations spanning the country on Friday demanding the right to once again form student unions, which was taken away in 1984 by military dictator Zia ul-Haq. The march in dozens of cities, backed by parents of students and civil society activists, received messages of support from several political leaders.Students who want admission in Pakistani colleges and universities have to sign an affidavit, along with their parents that says the student cannot participate in any mobilization or political activity on campus. While unions are banned in Pakistan, student wings of political parties are still allowed. Friday’s march was organized by the Student Action Committee, a newfound umbrella group of left wing, progressive student groups. Students belonging to a right wing student group seemed to stay away in some cities, like the capital, Islamabad, but showed up in others, like Lahore. A senior leader of Islami Jamiat e-Talaba, the student wing of Jamaat e-Islami, said his organization was never invited. However, he expressed the hope that in the future the groups could work together. “We have ideological differences, but we can stand together for common student issues, like restoration of student unions, reduction in fees, and correcting mismanagement of universities,” Muhammad Aamir said.LAHORE: The much-publicised Students Solidarity March attracting hundreds of students and people from different walks of life was held here on Friday to press the government for the restoration of student unions in educational institutions across the country.The march started from the Istanbul Chowk near Town Hall and culminated at the Faisal Chowk where the participants observed a sit-in, which continued for a quite good time. The marchers carrying banners and placards chanted slogans demanding freedom for student politics on campuses.Among others, some of the major demands of the marchers included restoration of student unions, budget for higher education, end to privatisation of educational institutions, provision of quality education, end to profiling of students on basis of race, gender or religion, withdrawal of recent increase in fee in universities across the country besides constitution of legal committees for sexual harassment cases with students’ representation.Speaking on the occasion, student leaders came hard on the government for ignoring students’ plight, especially those coming from humble backgrounds. They said the students wanted true independence to do student politics on the campuses. They criticised the government for slashing the Higher Education Commission (HEC) budget. In the provincial metropolis, the students were joined by rights activists, teachers, labourers, farmers and leaders of different workers’ unions.The march caused a traffic mess on The Mall and many adjacent roads for quite some time while a police contingent was also deployed to avoid any untoward incident.The students also demanded the same timings and rules in hostels for male and female students, an end to surveillance and monitoring of students in educational institutions and racial and other forms of profiling of students in universities and colleges.A marcher alleged some educational institutions were barring students to join the march and threatening disciplinary action against them. The marchers dispersed peacefully later in the night.ISLAMABAD: A senior leader of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, also tweeted in favor of the march. “I fully support Restoration of students unions, ban on students unions is anti democratic,” he said.Students in Islamabad said they welcomed his tweet but wished his government would follow it up with legislation to help them.PESHAWAR: KP Information Minister, Shoukat Yousafzai on Friday said that no proposal was under consideration to lift the ban on student unions in educational institutions.In a video message on social media, the minister said that personally he was in favour of the restoration of student unions. “I have been a student leader myself. Student unions produced great educated politicians in the past,” he said. He, however, said that no decision was yet taken to restore student unions. Shoukat said that in the past student unions made mistakes that could be corrected. He said that student unions could play an important role in solving problems of students.Zubair Ashraf adds from Karachi: Beating drums and singing poetry, chanting slogans and raising fists, hundreds of students marched on the streets of Karachi in protest on Friday demanding abolishment of the class-based educational system, restoration of the student unions and decrease in fees. In the words of a participant, Muzammil Shaikh, a student of the Insitute of the Business Administration, “It is amazing. After 35 years, finally all the students are gathering, coming back for their rights, which should have had been before but never mind.”Talking of the country-wide hype that the hashtag #StudentsSolidarityMarch created on the social media, he added, “Generally speaking: As a whole big picture: For the last many years, we have been fed a narrative that kids are apolitical but kids are not,” and put up a wide smile.The march attracted students, political, social, environmental and human rights activists, journalists, lawyers, laborers, trade unionists, from many backgrounds, and they took out a rally from the Regal Chowk till the Karachi Press Club.Khurram Ali, who is the general secretary of the Awami Workers Party in Karachi and an organizer of the march, explained that “Last year, the Progressive Students Federation (PrSF) and the Progressive Students Collective (PSC) set up this event, then very few student organizations attended it, but we resolved to hold it bigger the next year.”This year, the Students Solidarity March was held in around 53 big and small districts across the country, according to the tweets by the PSC (@PSCollective_). “The students’ bodies made alliances at all levels and this is how they were able to come out in such big numbers,” Ali said, adding “The situation of fees, especially in private sector, is so bad that a common student has started realizing that they have been exploited. Meanwhile, it is worst in the public sector, first they (the state) cut the sports and recreational funds and now the students don’t even have transport, water and similar necessities.”He opined that these state of affairs were pulling the crowds of students on the streets themselves and in such a time when the call for the march was made, then videos of students raising slogans, like of Punjab University student Arooj Auragzeb, went viral and created a furore.“Also, people, especially youth, understood that the Imran Khan’s government will bring a change. But now after him, they have realized that they have come out themselves for the solution of their problems, because until there’s democracy at the grass-root level, the democracy cannot benefit a common person.”Zahabia Khozema, the organizer of the PrSF in Karachi, commented that students face many problems at their campuses and the solution to this is their political organization so they can gather and collectively raise their issues with the administration and the state.“Through this rally, we demand lifting of the ban on the student unions and revoking of the recent hike in fees and no increase in them for the next five years at least. [In the recent budget] The government has cut education by 40pc and imposed more taxes which led to the increase in fees.”Speaking about the lack of sexual harassment policies at the campuses, Khozema said that the institutes need to make them because of their absence the perpetrators get away easily. She added that the curriculum also needed to be changed and free of the hate speech and extremist narratives.She also emphasized on gender inclusion in all spheres of life. “No movement can become strong, effective and successful until the women are not involved in it. Female students need to come out and join such movements if they want to see a better tomorrow.”Nasir Mansoor, a trade unionist who became part of the march expressing solidarity with the cause, said that all mainstream political parties have their student wings which they use as their fuel. “But when they have to give students their due rights, these political parties deny them. They talk about democracy but don’t let the nurseries of democracy nurture.”Asim Yasin adds: Chairman Pakistan People’s Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday said his party always supported the student unions. “The restoration of student unions by Shaheed Benazir Bhutto was purposely undone to depoliticize society. Today’s students are marching in the student solidarity march for the restoration of unions implementation of right to education,” he posted a tweet on his twitter account showing the solidarity with the student march.Through his tweet, Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto stated that end to privatization of public universities, implementation of sexual harassment legislation, right to student housing and demilitarization of campuses. “The spirit of activism and yearning for peaceful democratic process from a new generation of students is truly inspiring,” he stated.

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Judges no different from naib qasid if not adjucating in time: CJP

MULTAN: Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa has said the only thing that differentiates a judge in a courtroom from a qasid (peon or helper), is that he decides cases and gives verdicts.He was speaking at the Multan Colloquium-2019, held on the topic of ‘Dispensation of Justice: Changing Frontiers’ at the Lahore High Court Multan Bench, by the Multan High Court Bar Association (MHCBA) on Friday. MHCBA President Malik Haider Osman presided over the colloquium, while lawyers read out their papers.The chief justice remarked, “Being a judge, I decided that none of the cases will be adjourned in my court. In my court a case can only be adjourned on two conditions, if a lawyer dies or if a judge passes away."Justice Khosa urged young lawyers to not only protect the past rich traditions of the legal fraternity but also pass it on to the next generation, as not keeping up with the past traditions is the major cause of decline in lawyers’ profession.He said lawyers should be committed to their profession to keep intact the relationship between a client and a lawyer.The chief justice refreshed his memories when he was a practicing lawyer in Multan with Dera Ghazi Khan district as part of the Multan division. He said those were great times of rich traditions, when he spent time with senior lawyers and learnt a lot from them. He said today there is no bond of mutual respect between senior and junior lawyers, which was the core value in the past. When the tradition of mutual respect was alive, never any incident of frustration occurred in the courtroom. But now frustration is visible during day to day court proceedings due to ignorance of rich traditions of the past, he added.The CJ said that the situation had brought imbalances in the profession. No lawyers want in-depth pleading of a case, but shortage of judges, who are overburdened with cases, demands precise presentation of arguments. This situation increases frustration among lawyers. The second imbalance is related to mushroom growth of law colleges and induction of fresh law graduates in the profession. Seniors are not available in the profession to meet the number of fresh law graduates each year. There was a practice in the past that junior lawyers used to spend five to six years with their seniors before starting their career independently.The CJP said that now the situation is that junior lawyers have their juniors in the profession, who have no proficiency and link with the past traditions and they are creating problems in the profession. The junior lawyers lack opportunities to learn from their seniors.The CJ said bar associations should play their role in minimising the imbalances and arrange trainings for young law-graduates, which should be compulsory before starting independent practice. He said he spent 40-45 years in law profession and he was feeling deeply about transfer of the past traditions to juniors.The CJ highlighted three basics to become a good lawyer, including proficiency in history, mathematics and literature. When a lawyer is drafting his petition, he must care about the history and be aware of law interpretations, made by superior judiciary from time to time. A lawyer needs solid quotes from the history, so he must be proficient in history, he added. A lawyer needs to furnish arguments in his petition, so he must be proficient in mathematics to prove his stance in his petition. A lawyer uses variety of words in his petition and he would not do it until he has proficiency in literature.The chief justice said that often they use an incomplete sentence that bars and benches are two wheels of cart, but there is a third character of horse in the cart and he is the litigant. The lawyers must care about the interests of litigants, he added.Our Lahore correspondent adds: Chief Justice of Pakistan-designate Gulzar Ahmad on Friday said women judges played a crucial role in development and encouragement of women in eliminating gender bias.He said the women working in judiciary had become a role model for the women sitting at homes. “Role of men and women is equally important for the prosperity of the country,” said Justice Ahmad speaking at 3rd Women Judges Conference held by Punjab Judicial Academy (PJA) and Lahore High Court (LHC). He stressed on the need to have true representation of women on all levels of the judiciary. He applauded efforts and work of the women judges and promised to work towards improving the court environment, making it more accessible and sensitive.He noted that the women judges in district judiciary had been dealing with complicated cases regarding women and children. He said the women judges needed to be encouraged more so that they could dispense with justice without any fear.Justice Ahmad was of the view that no society could excel without encouraging its women. He said the conference hosted by the Punjab Judicial Academy was in fact a voice of whole judiciary.LHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Shamim Khan discussed issues of gender discrimination and said the high court was in process of establishing gender-based violence and juvenile courts throughout the province. He emphasised the need to improve accessibility to courts and stated that efforts were being made to improve the court environment.Justice Ayesha A Malik of the LHC underlined the importance of the gender perspective in upholding the rule of law. She focused on the use of gender neutral language and providing a more gender sensitive court environment for women, children and the differently-able persons.She said gender perspective was an all inclusive concept which was not just for women but for all judges and that the women judges had a role to play in bringing this perspective to the forefront.Speaking on the occasion, PJA Director General Habibullah Amir and Director Programmes Ms Jazeela Aslam recognised the efforts of the Justice Ayesha A Malik for the initiative of the conference. The conference was attended by the women judges of Punjab who will spend next two days discussing issues of the Gender Perspective in the Civil Justice System, Criminal Justice System, and the Digital World.

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14 promoted in grade-22: Massive reshuffle of baboos in Centre, Punjab

LAHORE: During Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, Centre as well as Punjab have witnessed large-scale reshuffle of baboos for the first time “to improve performance of the governments”.Prime Minister Imran Khan chaired meetings in Centre and called Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar and expressed his displeasure over administration’s poor performance in various sectors, particularly its failure to control sky-rocketing price-hike, increasing crime rate, etc.During the meetings, it was decided that reshuffle would take place in Centre and Punjab chief secretary and Inspector General of Police (IGP) Punjab would be replaced to improve governance. It was also decided that underperforming police and civil officers would also be replaced. However, in the meeting, it was decided that the new team of officers in Punjab would be formed with the consultation of new chief secretary and the IGP Punjab.The current DG FIA, Bashir Ahmed Memon, who was due to retire on December 17, and many other have been made OSD.In the federal government, a notification was issued on Friday regarding transfer and posting of several officers including DG FIA, IG Pakistan Railways, Federal Secretary Information and Broadcasting, and 14 officers were promoted to BS-22.Mushtaq Ahmad Mehar, BS-21 officer of Police Service, presently serving as Executive Director State Life Insurance Corporation Karachi, has also been promoted to BS-22 and upon promotion has been transferred and posted as IG Pakistan Railways vice Wajid Zia, who headed the JIT to probe Panama Papers issue involving the Sharif family also. Wajid Zia has already been transferred and posted as Director General FIA replacing Bashir Memon who will retire from government service on Dec 17, 2019. Wajid Zia had served on key positions like Additional Director General (Immigration) FIA, Intelligence Bureau and Motorway Police. He also worked in the Economic Crimes Wing of the FIA and was part of the team that probed the Haj scam.Zahida Parveen, BS-21 officer of Information Group, posted as Additional Secretary Information and Broadcasting Division, has been promoted to BS-22 and posted as Secretary Information and Broadcasting Division. Yousaf Naseem Khokhar, a grade-22 officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service, has been posted as Secretary Interior Division.Dr Allah Bakhsh Malik, Additional Secretary National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, has been promoted to BS-22 and posted as Secretary of the same department. Muhammad Ilyas, presently posted in Punjab, has also been promoted to BS-22. Imran Nasir Khan, Managing Director Passco, too has been promoted to BS-22 and after his promotion the post of MD Passco has been upgraded as personal to him. Dr Syed Pervaiz Abbas, who was posted in Punjab, after promotion in BS-22, has been posted as Secretary Economic Affairs Division. Dr Pervez Ahmad Khan, has also been promoted to BS-22 and upon promotion his services in the Punjab were withdrawn and posted as Special Secretary Inter-provincial Coordination Division. Ali Raza Bhutta, Secretary Benazir Income Support Programme, after having promotion in BS-22, has been transferred and posted as Secretary Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division. Afzal Latif, Additional Secretary Cabinet Division, has also been promoted to BS-22 and posted as Secretary Industries and Production Division. Babar Hayat Tarar, posted as Senior Member Board of Revenue during massive reshuffle in Punjab, too has been promoted to BS-22. Muhammad Ali Shahzada, Additional Secretary PM Office, after having promotion in BS-22, has been transferred and posted as Special Secretary Establishment Division.Capt. (retd) Ahmad Latif, police officer of BS-21, who was posted in Punjab, after having promotion in BS-22, has been transferred and posted as MD National Police Foundation (NPF) and post of MD NPF also has been up-graded as personal to him. Shoaib Dastgir, who has been posted as IG Punjab three days, has also been promoted to BS-22. Muhammad Tahir, PSP officer of BS-21, Commandant National Police Academy, too has been promoted to BS-22.Meanwhile after the posting of Wajid Zia, the services of some senior police officers presently serving in the FIA have been withdrawn and they have been directed to report to the Establishment Division. The police officers who have been directed to report to the Establishment include Muhammad Wisal Fakhar Sultan, PSP officer of BS-20, Muhammad Waqar Abbasi, PSP officer of BS-20, Muhammad Tariq Chohan, PSP officer of BS-20, and Akhtar Hayat, PSP officer of BS-20. Moreover, services of three police officers have been placed at the disposal of FIA including Irfan Ali Baloch, PSP officer of BS-20, presently at the disposal of Sindh government, Faisal Ali Raja, PSP officer of BS-20, presently posted in National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) and Umar Riaz, PSP officer of BS-19, presently serving in National Police Academy.After the posting of new chief secretary and IGP Punjab, the entire administrative setup in Punjab had been changed. Senior officers of Police and Punjab bureaucracy including additional chief secretary, additional chief secretary Home, Senior Member Board of Revenue, chairman P&D Board, administrative secretaries, divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners were reshuffled on Friday.As per the notification, Momin Agha, Secretary Specialised Healthcare & Medical Education, has been transferred and posted as Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Zafar Nasrullah Khan, Secretary Food, has been directed to report to the S&GAD, Babar Hayat Tarar, Principal Secretary to Governor Punjab, has been posted as Senior Member Boar of Revenue (SMBR), Dr Rashid Mansoor, Secretary Special Education, has been posted as Principal Secretary to Governor Punjab.Tahir Khurshid, Secretary C&W, has been directed to report to the S&GAD, Capt (retd) Asadullah Khan, currently at the disposal of Punjab government, has been posted as Secretary C&W, Shoukat Ali, SMBR, has been posted as Additional Chief Secretary Punjab, Irum Bukhari, Secretary Schools Education, has been posted as Additional Chief Secretary (Energy), Arif Anwar Baloch, Secretary Literacy & Non-Formal Basic Education, as Additional Chief Secretary Agriculture & Rural Economy.Dr Raheel Ahmad Siddiqui, ACS Urbanisation & Infrastructure, has been posted as Chairman CMIT, Hamed Yaqoob Sheikh (awaiting posting) has been posted as Chariman P&D Board, Ambreen Raza, Secretary Social Welfare, has been posted as Secretary Women Development Department, Nadeem Mahbub, Secretary Youth Affairs, Sports & Tourism, has been posted as Secretary Housing & Urban Development.Salman Ijaz, Secretary Environment Protection, has been directed to report to S&GAD, Amir Ijaz Akbar, Secretary Mines & Minerals (on officiating basis), has been directed to report the S&GAD, Syed Ali Murtaza, ACS Home, has been posted as Secretary Irrigation, Sumaira Samad, ACS Agriculture & Rural Economy, has been posted as Secretary Literacy & Non-Formal Basic Education, Capt (retd) Muhammad Asif, OSD, has been posted as Secretary Forestry, Wildlife & Fisheries, Khalid Sherdil, Secretary Public Prosecution, has been posted as Secretary Management & Professional Development Department, Nabeel Ahmad Awan, Secretary Livestock & Dairy Development, has been posted as Secretary Specialized Healthcare & Medical Education.Hassan Iqbal, Secretary Population Welfare, has been posted as Secretary Mines & Minerals, Saima Saeed, Secretary MPDD, has been posted as Secretary Environment Protection, Nabeel Javed, Secretary Women Development Department, has been posted as Secretary Public Prosecution, Sheheryar Sultan, has been posted as Secretary Schools Education, and Gulzar Hussain Shah (awaiting posting) has been posted as Secretary Auqaf & Religious Affairs.Capt (retd) Saqib Zafar, Commissioner Rawalpindi, has been posted as Secretary Energy Department, Flt-Lt (retd) Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, Commissioner Multan, has been posted as Principal Secretary to CM Punjab vice Dr Shoaib Akbar, who is on 90 days leave. Waqas Ali Mahmood, Member (consolidation) BoR, has been posted as Secretary Food.Aamir Jan, Secretary Energy, has been posted as Secretary Population Welfare, Ehsan Bhutta, Special Secretary Home, has been posted as Secretary Youth Affairs, Sports & Tourism, Javed Iqbal Buhari, Commissioner Overseas Pakistani Commission, has been posted as Secretary Special Education, Mansoor Qadir, Secretary Cooperatives, has been directed to report the S&GAD, Ahmad Raza Sarwar (upon placing his services at the disposal of Punjab government) will be posted as Secretary Cooperatives Department, Saqib Manan, Commissioner PESSI, has been directed to report the S&GAD, Tanvir Iqbal Tabasum, OSD, has been posted as Commissioner PESSI, Faisal Zahoor, Registrar Cooperative Societies, has been directed to report the S&GAD, Shahid Niaz, OSD, has been posted as Registrar Cooperative Societies, Shaukat Ali Khichi, DG Mines & Minerals, has been directed to report the S&GAD, Muhammad Akhtar, MD Punjab Curriculum & Textbook Board, has been posted as DG Mines & Minerals, Zahid Hussain, DG Excise & Taxation, has been directed to report the S&GAD, Suhail Shahzad, OSD, has been posted as DG Excise & Taxation.Usman Moazzam, Director General LDA, has been directed to report to S&GAD, Sumair Ahmad Syed, Additional Secretary (Welfare) S&GAD, has been posted as DG LDA, Nadeem Ahmad Abro, DG Rawalpindi Development Authority, has been directed to report to S&GAD, Ammara Khan, Additional Secretary Primary & Secondary Healthcare, has been posted as DG Rawalpindi Development Authority, and Irfan Nawaz, Additional Secretary (Vertical Program) Primary & Secondary Healthcare (on acting charge basis), has been posted DG Punjab Food Authority.Capt (retd) Saif Anjum, Secretary Irrigation, has been transferred and posted as Commissioner Lahore, Dr Farah Masood, OSD, has been posted as Commissioner Sargodha, Shanul Haq, Special Secretary (Operations) Schools Education, has been posted as Commissioner Multan Division, Mudassar Riaz Malik, Commissioner D.G Khan, has been directed to report the S&GAD, Nasim Sadiq, Secretary Housing, has been posted as Commissioner D.G Khan, Capt. (retd) Muhammad Mahmood, Secretary Forestry, Wildlife & Fisheries, has been posted as Commissioner Rawalpindi Division, Nayyar Iqbal, Commissioner Bahawalpur, has been posted as Secretary Auqaf & Religious Affairs, Asif Iqbal, Member (Judicial-V) BoR, has been posted as Commissioner Bahawalpur, Nadeem-ur-Rehman, Commissioner Sahiwal, has been directed to report the S&GAD, Ahsan Waheed, DG Punjab Overseas Pakistanis Commission, has been posted as Commissioner Sahiwal, Mahmood Javed Bhatti, Commissioner Faisalabad, has been directed to report the S&GAD, and Ashraf Ali, has been posted as Commissioner Faisalabad.Tariq Mahmood Bukhari, DC Sheikhupra, has been transferred and directed to report the S&GAD, Sidrah Unis, Deputy Secretary Establishment (S&GAD), has been transferred and posted as DC Sheikhupura, Ishratullah Khan Niazi, DC Attock, has been directed to report the S&GAD, Ali Anan Qamar, Additional Secretary (Coordination) CS Punjab, has been posted as DC Attock, Marryam Khan, DC Okara, has been posted as Additional Secretary (Coordination) CS Punjab, Usman Ali, OSD, has been posted as DC Okara, Naila Baqir, DC Gurjanwala, has been directed to report the S&GAD, Lt. (retd) Sohail Ashraf, DG Wildlife & Parks, has been posted as DC Gujranwala, Umer Sher, DC Sialkot, has been posted as DC Mianwali, Dr. Waheed Asghar, DC Narrowal, has been directed to report the S&GAD, Mehr Shahid Zaman, Aditional Secretary Local Government, has been posted as DC Narrowal, Capt. (retd) Abdul Sattar, DC Chakwal, has been directed to report the S&GAD, Zaman Wattoo, Secretary (Colonies) BoR, has been posted as DC Chakwal, Asia Gul, DC Sargodha, has been directed to report the S&GAD, Abdullah Nayyar Sheikh, Deputy Secretary (Admn) Primary & Secondary Healthcare, has been posted as DC Sargodha, Ashfaq Ahmad, DC Khanewal, has been directed to report the S&GAD, Agha Zaheer Abbas Sherazi, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Multan, has been posted as DC Khanewal.Dr Ehtisham Anwar, DC Sahiwal, has been directed to report to S&GAD, Zeeshan Javaid, DC Layyah (acting charge basis) has been posted as DC Sahiwal, Azfar Zia, Adl DC (Coordination) DG Khan, has been posted as DC Layyah, Irfan Ali Khan, DC Vehari (acting charge basis) has been directed to report the S&GAD, Waqas Rashid, DC DG Khan, has been posted as DC Vehari, Flt. (retd) Tahir Farooq, currently at the disposal of CM Office, has been posted as DC G.G Khan, Jameel Ahmad, DC Muzaffargarh, has been posted as DC RY Khan.Ali Shahzad, DC Muzaffargarh, has been posted as DC RY Khan, Amjad Shoaib Khan Tareen, Secretary (Revenue) BoR, has been posted as DC Muzaffargarh, Aman Anwar Kedwai, DC Chiniot, has been directed to report to S&GAD, Muhammad Riaz, Deputy Secretary CM Office, has been posted as DC Chiniot, Afzal Nasir Khan, DC Rajanpur, has been directed to report the S&GAD, while Zulfiqar Ali, Adl Secretary Labour & Human Resource, has been posted as DC Rajanpur.

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Banks agree to withdraw litigation on furnishing info: Shabbar

ISLAMABAD: FBR Chairman Shabbar Zaidi said that Pakistan Bank Association and Presidents of all banks have agreed to withdraw pending litigation on the matter of furnishing of certain information.According to a tweet of Shabbar Zaidi here on Friday, “On behalf of FBR, I thank Pakistan Bank Association and Presidents of all the banks for agreeing to withdraw pending litigation on the matter of furnishing of certain information. This positivity has been achieved by mutual consultation. A way forward of cooperation has opened”, FBR chairman added.

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Funding case: PML-N seeks more time, PPP submits reply

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Friday sought more time from the Election Commission of Pakistan’s scrutiny committee to furnish details of its donors, whereas the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) submitted response to the questionnaire to the forum.The committee, which has been directed by the Election Commission to hold meetings daily, directed the PPP representatives to appear before it on December 03 regarding the replies and other documents, they had submitted to it. The PTI MNA Farrukh Habib had moved the Election Commission in 2017, alleging glaring irregularities in the accounts of both the PML-N and PPP. Both deny any wrongdoing.The PML-N representatives denied having any company registered in the United States, but did not respond to the purported Britain-based company, it was learnt. They requested for more time to compile CNICs and other details of their donors. They explained to have already submitted details of the party accounts in Pakistan to the Election Commission as well as the committee.Talking to media persons outside the Election Commission Secretariat, the PTI parliamentary secretary Farrukh Habib claimed that the PML-N had submitted one-page document to the committee and tried to run away from accountability, seeking more time about details of its donors. He wondered why the PML-N was unable to share details of how were Rs1 billion plus managed for payment to the media for its poll campaign and other related expenditures. He feared a Qatari letter might come to their rescue or they would have to summon camels from Abu Dhabi.“These are the matters and questions, the answer of which they will have to give, as things move forward,” he emphasised.

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MPs to interview IHC judges before appointment

ISLAMABAD: The Parliamentary Committee on Appointment of Judges Friday decided to conduct interviews of nominated judges of Islamabad High Court (IHC) before appointing them.The committee met at the Parliament House with Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan in the chair.The committee decided to interview the judges whose names were under consideration for appointment to the high court.The meeting officially gave permission to the committee to amend the rules and regulations pertaining to the appointment of judges.Any judge who is asked to show up for an interview but doesn't do so will have his nomination cancelled.The committee also introduced a new rule under which it could also summon anyone for interview. The procedure for the rejected cases has also be formulated.Through another rule, a committee member who will be absent in three meetings continuously will have his/her membership revoked.Under the new rule, the chairman of the committee will be elected through election and the elected chairman will chair the committee for six months.It was decided that the committee will meet again on December 4 and the nominee for the post of the judge of the Islamabad High Court nominated by the Judicial Commission will be summoned for interview as per new rules before the appointment.However, under the amended rules, the committee does not have the power to reject or amend the recommendations of the Judicial Commission.

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Nawaz fails to reach hospital after London Bridge shooting

LONDON: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was caught up in traffic just few meters away from the shooting site in London Bridge area where the police killed a man brandishing a knife.Nawaz Sharif was on his way for appointment at London Bridge Hospital Friday afternoon when the police sealed the area near the hospital because of shooting. Hassan Nawaz Sharif confirmed that he advised his father to return instead of trying to reach the hospital.Nawaz Sharif was only five minutes away from the hospital when police locked down the area. He stayed stuck in the traffic for over an hour until the police decided to divert the traffic to alternative routes after clamping down the entire area following the knife attack and shooting by the police. Nawaz Sharif arrived home two hours later without attending his appointment at the London Bridge Hospital.The police said they were dealing with a “serious incident” on London Bridge after reports of a “man running around with a knife” on iconic central London landmark. Metropolitan Police and City of London Police responded to the incident at around 2:00pm. Shocking footage of the confrontation showed armed officers closing in on a man who had been pinned to the floor by passers-by.Neil Basu, the head of UK counter-terrorism policing, confirmed a man had been killed and that a suspected explosive device is believed to be a hoax. The attacker injured several people with his knife before he was shot dead by police, according to international media reports.“I can confirm at approximately 14:00GMT police were called to a stabbing at a premises near to London Bridge,” the police chief said. “A male suspect was shot by specialist armed officers from City of London Police and I can confirm that this suspect died at the scene.”In an address made outside New Scotland Yard, London Mayor Sadiq Khan praised members of the public who helped police tackle the suspected knifeman. He described their bravery as “breath-taking.”“I want to thank our brave emergency services,” the mayor said. “Every day they put their lives on the line for us, running towards danger in order to keep us safe. I’d also like to thank members of the public who risked their own safety this afternoon, they are the best of us. We must and will stand resolute in the face of terror.”The latest attack, which is being treated as terror-related by the police, comes less than a month after the country’s threat level was downgraded.On November 4, the threat level posed by terrorism to the UK was lowered by the security services after “positive developments” in reducing the risk of attacks, officials said.

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Tens of thousands rally in Europe, Asia before UN climate summit

BERLIN: Tens of thousands of protesters, primarily in Europe and Asia, hit the streets on Friday to make a fresh call for action against global warming, hoping to raise pressure on world leaders days before a UN climate summit.Carrying signs that read "One planet, one fight" and "The sea is rising, so must we", thousands flocked to Berlin´s Brandenburg Gate for the latest "Fridays for Future" protest inspired by 16-year-old activist Greta Thunberg.In total, about 630,000 people demonstrated across more than 500 cities in Germany, the Fridays for Future movement said.In Hamburg alone, some 30,000 mainly young people gathered and another 17,000 congregated in Munich to voice alarm at rising temperatures, police said.Thunberg, meanwhile, was on a boat sailing across the Atlantic, but tweeted a photo of herself holding a sign that said "School strike for climate."Rallies took place across Europe, although on a smaller scale than during September´s wave of "climate strikes" when organisers said some four million people filled city streets around the world.Approximately 1,700 turned out in Madrid, the host city of next week´s 12-day COP25 conference, which aims to encourage governments to increase their commitments to cut emissions and combat climate change.In France, climate activists focused their anger on the "Black Friday" sales bonanza with protesters blocking a distribution centre of online retail giant Amazon outside Paris and others near Lyon and Lille.Protesters in Paris also formed a human chain at La Defense shopping mall that prevented people from reaching stores, to highlight the climate costs of consumerism.The Dutch branch of "Fridays for Future" said demos were taking place in around 15 cities, culminating in an evening march in Amsterdam where protesters would observe a moment´s silence for victims of the climate crisis.Several hundred young people also took to the streets of Lisbon, where Thunberg is expected to arrive shortly before making her way to Madrid.Turnout was low in the United States and Canada, with the protest taking place during the American Thanksgiving holiday weekend. A demonstration in Washington drew about 50 people, another in New York had 100."It´s important to keep showing up, keep being out there and talking to people about how this is not a problem that can go away, unless we address it head-on," said 24-year-old Frank Fritz in Washington.New York police arrested 23 anti-consumerism protesters who staged a sit-in outside Macy´s department store.In Montreal, environmental groups distributed second-hand clothing."We are trying to create an eco-responsible movement against mass consumption, so we are giving away clothes for free to encourage people to consume less," protester Germain Desloges told AFP.- Toxic smoke -The latest round of global climate demonstrations kicked off in bushfire-ravaged Australia, where hundreds rallied outside the Sydney offices of the Liberal party.The target of their ire was Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who said earlier this month the suggestion that "individual actions of Australia" had an impact on the fires "doesn´t bear up to credible scientific evidence"."Our government´s inaction on the climate crisis has supercharged bushfires," said school strike leader Shiann Broderick, as Sydney was once again enveloped in toxic smoke from the fires.Australia, with a population of almost 25 million, has low carbon emissions compared with the planet´s biggest polluters but is one of the world´s leading coal exporters.Protests also took place in Tokyo, where hundreds marched through the teeming Shinjuku district."I feel a sense of crisis because almost no one in Japan is interested," said 19-year-old student Mio Ishida."I was really inspired by Greta´s actions."- Missed targets -In Delhi, about 50 school and college students marched to the environment ministry in the world´s most polluted capital, carrying placards and chanting slogans demanding that the government declare a climate emergency."This is about doing something that you believe in," said 23-year-old Saumya Chowdhury. "We want the government to acknowledge this and have a conversation on this issue with people."India is one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gases and has 14 of the 15 most polluted cities in the world, according to a UN study.Some 200 nations are meeting in the Spanish capital from Monday for talks on finalising the "rulebook" for the 2015 Paris climate treaty, which becomes operational in 2021.Scientists have warned that efforts to cap warming to 1.5 Celsius are failing and that carbon emissions -- which are on the rise -- would need to fall 7.6 percent a year to meet the target.The United Nations has reported that greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere, the main driver of climate change, hit a record high last year.The UN has also warned that global temperatures are on track to rise almost 4 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, which could make some places virtually uninhabitable.

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Director of Jinnah, Jamil Dehlavi gears up for his next film

Jamil Dehlavi is an independent filmmaker of Pakistani and French origin, whose groundbreaking work has been praised by critics and screened at film festivals around the globe and has won several awards. Dehlavi’s biopic Jinnah (1998), which tells the dramatic story of the partition of India and the birth of Pakistan has gone on to receive the Grand Prize at the Festival of the Dhow Countries, Best International Film at the World Film Awards in Indonesia, the Gold Award at Worldfest Flagstaff, Best Foreign Film at Houston, and was nominated for a Golden Pyramid at the Cairo International Film Festival.Now reports suggest that the director, writer and producer, who has popular films such as Immaculate Conception, a short thriller Blood Money, Infinite Justice besides Jinnah to his credit, is gearing up for his next yet to be titled feature length film.Having earned recognition all over the world, Jamil Dehlavi is now working on his upcoming feature film, which according to Entertainment Pakistan will be shot in Pakistan.The online portal also stated that the filmmaker is currently in Pakistan and that the film’s script has been completed. Moreover, Dehlavi is busy considering his casting options for his forthcoming film, which is slated to go on floors in March 2020.With unique filmography that largely deals with issues plaguing a modern Islamic society as well as highlighting the South Asian socio-political dynamics, let’s wait and see what Dehlavi delivers. 

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Faysal Quraishi continues shooting despite injury

Actor and host Faysal Quraishi has a lot up his sleeves. Aside from his game show on a private TV channel, he is gearing up for three upcoming drama serials, among other things. During the shoot of one of his dramas, the actor recently got injured; he was hit on his back by a rubber bullet, when it was only meant to be shot at his chest, which was jacket-protected.“Two bullets came out fine but something went wrong with the next two,” Quraishi told Instep post the injury, adding that his tissues got damaged and he is in a lot of pain.When asked if he is taking a break, he responded in the negative. “I recorded the first episode of my show the same day and was back on set of the drama the next day,” he informed.Other than his upcoming drama serials, Quraishi will soon begin shooting for a foreign film, The Window helmed by Ammar Lasani and Kanza Zia, while his film Sorry: A Love Story is also in the works.Having begun recording for his game show, which recently went on-air, his YouTube channel, Faysal Quraishi Official, is also active for fans.

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Spirit Award Nominations: A24 leads for 4th straight year with 18 nods

A24’s Adam Sandler thriller Uncut Gems and Robert Eggers’ spooky black-and-white movie The Lighthouse led the Film Independent Spirit Awards nominations this week with five nominations apiece, followed by Amazon’s Honey Boy scripted by Shia LeBeouf and based on his rocky childhood.For a fourth straight year, A24 lead all Spirit nominations with 18, after counting 12 last year and 17 in 2017. Neon was second this morning with 10 nods. Amazon was third with eight, up from last fall’s six. Netflix was next with seven, up one from six a year ago. IFC Films counted six nods.Studio classic labels came up short, with Fox Searchlight counting one for A Hidden Life, Sony Pictures Classics also one for The Climb, and Focus Features two for The Mustang. Making a surprise entrance to this year’s Spirits was STX with Hustlers, which nabbed noms for director Lorene Scafaria, best supporting actress Jennifer Lopez and DP Todd Banhazl.Films made for a budget of $22.5 million or lower are eligible this year, so if you don’t see certain prestige pics listed in the noms, sometimes it’s not a snub.However, why is Fox Searchlight’s Jojo Rabbit, which won the top prize at the Toronto Film Festival, missing? That picture was reportedly made for $14M and had a shocking zero presence today. Apparently that movie was only available for international film as all the team is from New Zealand. That’s odd given the fact that international film is typically designated a foreign-language picture.For Netflix this year, Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story is eligible while The Two Popes, Dolemite Is My Name, The Laundromat, The King and, of course, The Irishman are not. Also missing from the list of nominations is Amazon’s The Report and Seberg, Focus Features’ Harriet (made for $17.5M) and Todd Haynes’ Dark Waters. Lionsgate/Bron Studios’ Bombshell was not among the nominations, however, the Jay Roach-directed Fox News drama has a reported budget north of $35M.Quite often the Spirits have been a predictor as to what wins Best Picture at the Oscars with AMPAS and Film Independent syncing on Moonlight in 2017, Spotlight in 2016, Birdman in 2015 and 12 Years a Slave in 2014. However, the last two years have been off, with 2018 seeing Get Out won at the Spirits and The Shape of Water at the Oscars (the latter picture wasn’t eligible at the Spirits due to its budget). This past February, If Beale Street Could Talk won Best Feature at the Spirits while the Oscars went with Green Book, which also wasn’t eligible at the Spirits.This year’s Best Features nominations include Terrence Malick’s A Hidden Life, Chinonye Chukwu’s Sundance Jury Prize winner Clemency, Lulu Wang’s The Farewell, Marriage Story and Uncut Gems. This week’s announcement was made by Joker actress Zazie Beetz and Ad Astra and Honey Boy actress Natasha Lyonne from The Line LA. Next year’s event is early due to the Oscars being moved up. So expect the awards on February 8.– Courtesy: Deadline 

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In search of a genre

The cinema industry in Pakistan is in bad shape because of lack of quality Pakistani films, rising ticket prices and the absence of Bollywood films. In such a scenario, when half-baked films like Talash are released, they hurt the cinema industry more than take it forward.Written and directed by Zeeshan Khan (Zeekay), Talash is an NGO-backed film that seems to be in search of a genre and tries to fit in somewhere and falters while doing so.For two hours a local and very cheap version of hit TV series Grey’s Anatomy made the audience laugh when it was supposed to make them realize the importance of an urgent matter at hand. The main topic of the film is ‘malnutrition’ but when it is pronounced ‘maalnutrition’ by one of the leads, all hopes of adding something to the revival disappears. Add the constant ‘Selfie Hojaye’ scenario by one of the leading characters and you feel like running away from the cinema, in the Ford that is etched on the poster. The film revolves around two doctors, Tania (Fariya Hassan) and Salim (Zeb Ahmed) who are also cousins. Though Salim loves Tania, the latter is searching for her beau, Khurram (Noaman Sami) who had gone missing during an earlier Health Welfare Program. Add a landlord with a heart of gold (Mustafa Qureshi), who suffers from short term memory loss yet remembers the girl, his bodyguards who roam around as jokers and villagers and you get a drama that should have been ideal for theatre or at the most television, but not enough to be a film.The makers of Talash could have used their money and the presence of legendary film actor Mustafa Qureshi and veteran Sindhi TV actress Mumtaz Mughal to better use, but instead focused on irrelevant things. The Ford, in which the two of the leading actors traveled, was inserted to give the movie a modern touch but it backfired. Even a Suzuki Mehran would have gotten the job done, which is transporting two people from distance A to distance B. The same goes for the huge emphasis put on a very unknown Noaman Sami’s entry in the film as if he was the reincarnation of Shah Rukh Khan. Yes, the producers seemed to think he was the local version of a young SRK but loads of makeup on his face hints at desperation more than anything else.Sadly, none of the three new lead actors in the film stood out; Fariya Hassan will have to work hard to look different than a Maya Ali clone, especially when Maya is young, and doing well in films. Zeb Ahmed needs to work on his ‘super-cool’ attitude because acting is about convincing the audience, not irritating them. Noaman Sami tries to copy Shah Rukh Khan but that doesn’t work especially when the original actor isn’t doing well in cinemas himself. The hand-moving-over-his-hair act reminded the audience of Main Hoon Na where both brothers used to do that, and that was over 15 years back. All three actors must work hard before going in search for another project, possibly for TV where they can be groomed well.It seems no research was conducted by the makers; otherwise they wouldn’t have sent a lady doctor dressed in a plain white shirt and jeans to interior Sindh. Why a husband-wife couple in Sindh was addressing each other in Punjabi words (Wohti, Mard, instead of Murs, Zaal), why Saleem Mairaj’s character uttered nonsense over and over again (baba pari utri hai, main ne khud dekha hai), why a serious actor like Sajid Shah was constantly winking at others, such are the questions the film fails to answer. Hence Talash, the name of the film suits it best. With each and every substandard film – Kaaf Kangana came out in October – the cinema industry is being pushed towards oblivion. Let’s hope someone comes up with a film that steers the film industry towards quality films that benefit both the audiences and cinemas.Irrespective of the review, Talash is doing better at the box office than Durj and Kaaf Kangana and the film was screened at the UN headquarters in New York. The screening included a number of distinguished guests such as The Pakistani ambassador to the UN, Muneer Akram who was the Chief Guest, Botswana’s UN Ambassador Collen Vixen Kelapile, and senior UN officials, including Stewart Simonson, assistant director-general, WHO, and Haoliang Xu, assistant secretary-general, UNDP. Director Zeeshan Khan also made an appearance and thanked the UN staff Recreation Pakistan Club in the chamber of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for hosting the event, which commemorated the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Convention on the Right of the Child. 

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Time for school

Every day I see my grandchildren and their mother get up in the morning before sunrise to prepare for school which they have to attend at 8:00am. In this cold weather and in most part of Punjab, which is devastated by smog, going to school at this time is inhumane to say the least.The Punjab government as well as the federal government, it is suggested, may consider a revision in school timings. According to the weather conditions prevalent in Punjab, it may be divided into three parts – northern, central and southern Punjab. School hours for these areas during winter and summer should be different. For Islamabad, the hours should be 9:00am to 3:00pm. The education authorities may also kindly consider the schedule of winter and summer vacations in view of climate change in order to facilitate schoolgoing children and their parents.Lt-Col (r) Arshad N QureshiIslamabad

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