'He is speaking opposition's language': Swati on chief election commissioner

Railways Minister Azam Swati on Monday said Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja was speaking the opposition's language to "mess around" with the government, which was standing its ground like an "iron wall".

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad alongside Adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan, Swati said: "Today, you [the CEC] are speaking the opposition's language ... and messing around with the government. We are standing as an iron wall so stop us if you can."

He said the government had to swallow a "bitter pill" on the CEC's appointment to preserve the sanctity of this "constitutional institution", referring to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). "I don't want to and won't reveal how you [CEC] were appointed," Swati said.

"If we didn't respect the ECP, we would have never appointed you," he said, adding that the government confirmed his appointment to abide by the Constitution and protect the ECP's dignity despite knowing that he was allegedly close with the Sharifs.

Swati said the government only wanted uncontroversial, fair and free elections and a system which "future generations can't point fingers at".

He questioned why the CEC had made no progress on pilot programmes as ordered previously by the Supreme Court or the parliament through the Elections Act 2017.

"I again remind you Sikandar Sultan Raja sahab that only the one who accepts defeat, loses. Come and see whether the law and the Constitution are greater or your own being."

The railways minister continued to lash out at the CEC and asked him on "whose instructions are you destroying such a great institution".

"I, this nation and overseas Pakistanis want to ask you this."

Regarding the notice sent to him by the ECP for his tirade against the institution, Swati questioned how many such similar notices had been sent to other political leaders from the opposition.

Responding to a question on whether the government was ready to sit down with the ECP, Swati clarified: "We don't have a quarrel with the ECP but with Raja Sultan."

According to the railways minister, the entire purpose of the press conference was to send this message: "Raja sahab you cannot violate the law or the Constitution [...] When the parliament passes its voice through a law then under the leadership of [Prime Minister] Imran Khan, we will [bring] a fantastic [electoral] system.

"You will buy the [electronic voting] machines and you will also do work. We will go to the Supreme Court if we need to."

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'He is speaking opposition's language': Swati on chief election commissioner

Railways Minister Azam Swati on Monday said Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja was speaking the opposition's language to "mess around" with the government, which was standing its ground like an "iron wall".

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad alongside Adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan, Swati said: "Today, you [the CEC] are speaking the opposition's language ... and messing around with the government. We are standing as an iron wall so stop us if you can."

He said the government had to swallow a "bitter pill" on the CEC's appointment to preserve the sanctity of this "constitutional institution", referring to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). "I don't want to and won't reveal how you [CEC] were appointed," Swati said.

"If we didn't respect the ECP, we would have never appointed you," he said, adding that the government confirmed his appointment to abide by the Constitution and protect the ECP's dignity despite knowing that he was allegedly close with the Sharifs.

Swati said the government only wanted uncontroversial, fair and free elections and a system which "future generations can't point fingers at".

He questioned why the CEC had made no progress on pilot programmes as ordered previously by the Supreme Court or the parliament through the Elections Act 2017.

"I again remind you Sikandar Sultan Raja sahab that only the one who accepts defeat, loses. Come and see whether the law and the Constitution are greater or your own being."

The railways minister continued to lash out at the CEC and asked him on "whose instructions are you destroying such a great institution".

"I, this nation and overseas Pakistanis want to ask you this."

Regarding the notice sent to him by the ECP for his tirade against the institution, Swati questioned how many such similar notices had been sent to other political leaders from the opposition.

Responding to a question on whether the government was ready to sit down with the ECP, Swati clarified: "We don't have a quarrel with the ECP but with Raja Sultan."

According to the railways minister, the entire purpose of the press conference was to send this message: "Raja sahab you cannot violate the law or the Constitution [...] When the parliament passes its voice through a law then under the leadership of [Prime Minister] Imran Khan, we will [bring] a fantastic [electoral] system.

"You will buy the [electronic voting] machines and you will also do work. We will go to the Supreme Court if we need to."

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Pak vs NZ: Abrupt end to series a 'real shame': New Zealand captain

The effect of New Zealand's decision to cancel the Pakistan tour will not last long, said New Zealand captain Kane Williamson terming the sudden call a "real shame".

In an interview to Sportstar, the skipper said: “I don't know much about the details. Everything happened suddenly.”

"I don't know the details [of pullout]. It was a sudden call, but obviously, a real shame," he said, adding that cricket in Pakistan is an amazing thing and supported by the masses.

The star cricketer who is currently in Dubai for a cricket league, assured fans that he will try to find more details of the situation.

Williamson said: “Cricket is very popular in Pakistan and there is so much passion there and I think the guys will be gutted to not have started and played the whole series."

Shedding light on the much-awaited series, the 31-year-old right-handed batsman said: "I was very happy that the series is being played in Pakistan. I know our team was looking forward to the series.”

He, however, added that the decision to pull out was not players' alone and rested with the government.

"You want to be playing the game in all countries. It is an international game and there is so much passion for it around the world, particularly in Pakistan," Williamson was quoted as saying by the Sportstar.

The cricketer maintained that players' safety is paramount and when "you hear messages going through from the government, it is certainly above the players' heads."

“The players were ready to go to the ground, however, things changed all of a sudden,” Williamson reiterated.

“It will not have lasting effects. Soon there will be cricket in Pakistan,” the Kiwi skipper said.

On Friday, moments before the ODI series opener at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) board backed out of the much-awaited tour, citing a security alert from their government. The Pakistani authorities assured the team of complete security, but they insisted on calling off the series.

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Johannesburg mayor killed in car accident

The mayor of Johannesburg was killed in a car accident as he returned from campaigning with South Africa’s president on Saturday, just over a month after being elected, his office said in a statement.

Jolidee Matongo, 46, was returning from a voter registration drive in Soweto township ahead of local elections when the accident happened.

“It is hard to comprehend this tragedy, given the vitality and passion with which Mayor Matongo interacted with me and residents of Soweto so shortly before his death,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a tweet.

“Nothing could prepare any of us for this sudden loss, which has deprived our nation’s economic centre of its second Executive Mayor in two months.”

Matongo’s predecessor died from Covid-19 complications in July, and Matongo was elected on August 10. Gauteng province premier David Makhura, who was also at the Soweto voter registration drive, said the news had left him “shocked and shattered”.

“(Matongo) executed his duties with a cool and calm demeanour and remained committed to selflessly serving the citizens of Johannesburg,” he added.

Photos posted on social media by Ramaphosa and Matongo himself from earlier in the afternoon showed the two men walking around Soweto talking to residents, Matongo dressed in a bright yellow tracksuit with the African National Congress party’s logo on it.

Matongo was born in Soweto, according to the City of Johannesburg’s website, and became a member of the ANC Youth League after taking up student politics at the age of 13.

Matongo’s office said more details on the accident would be released “in due time”.

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Boxer-turned-politician Pacquiao to run for Philippines president

Philippine boxer-turned-politician Manny Pacquiao declared on Sunday he will run for president in 2022, ending months of speculation about whether the legendary fighter would seek the country’s top job.

“The time is now — we are ready to rise to the challenge of leadership,” said Pacquiao, as he accepted the nomination of a rival faction in President Rodrigo Duterte’s ruling party.

The eight-division world champion and beloved national hero made the announcement weeks after losing what could be his last professional fight against Cuban Yordenis Ugas in Las Vegas. Pacquiao, who entered politics in 2010 as a congressman before being elected to the Senate, has long been expected to make a tilt for the country’s highest office.

The 42-year-old is deeply admired in the archipelago nation for his generosity and hauling himself out of poverty to become one of the world’s greatest and wealthiest boxers.

His boxing credentials along with fighting poverty and corruption are likely to be the key themes of his campaign.

“For those asking what are my qualifications, have you ever experienced hunger?” Pacquiao asked the national assembly held by the anti-Duterte faction of PDP-Laban.

“Have you ever experienced having nothing to eat, to borrow money from your neighbours or to wait for leftovers at a food stall? The Manny Pacquiao that is in front of you was moulded by poverty.” Pacquiao’s star power in a country famed for its celebrity-obsessed politics will put him in a strong position in the presidential race.

But it will not guarantee victory.

A public skirmish between Pacquiao and Duterte over the latter’s handling of the South China Sea dispute with Beijing and official graft could erode support for the boxer.

Duterte — who is allowed to serve only one term as president under the constitution — rivals Pacquiao for the affections of many Filipinos and declared last month he will run for the vice presidency.

A party faction loyal to Duterte also endorsed the president’s close aide, Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, for the top job — but he hasn’t yet accepted.

Pacquiao would face a formidable opponent if Duterte’s daughter, Sara, were to run for president, which she is tipped to do.

A recent poll showed the Davao city mayor — who belongs to a different party than her father — with the most voter support, well ahead of Pacquiao and other potential contenders. The deadline for registering as a candidate for next year’s elections is October 8.

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UN chief warns China and US to avoid new Cold War

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned China and the US of a potential new Cold War and asked the countries to repair their "completely dysfunctional" relationship.

He said challenges relating to vaccination, climate change and other global challenges cannot be resolved without constructive relations in the global community, including among superpowers.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke to The Associated Press ahead of this week’s annual United Nations gathering of world leaders — a convening blemished by COVID, climate concerns and contentiousness across the planet, The Washington Post reported.

The Cold War between the Soviet Union and its East bloc allies and the United States and its Western allies began immediately after World War II and ended with the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Guterres said the world’s two major economic powers should be cooperating on climate and negotiating more robustly on trade and technology even given persisting political fissures about human rights, economics, online security and sovereignty in the South China Sea.

"Unfortunately we have a confrontation today. We need to re-establish a functional relationship between the two powers" the UN secretary-general was quoted as saying by the publication.

“We need to avoid at all cost a Cold War that would be different from the past one, and probably more dangerous and more difficult to manage,” Guterres said.

He said the US-Britain deal to give Australia nuclear-powered submarines so it could operate undetected in Asia “is just one small piece of a more complex puzzle … this completely dysfunctional relationship between China and the United States.”

The secretly negotiated deal angered France, which had signed a contract with Australia worth at least $66 billion for a dozen French conventional diesel-electric submarines.

In the interview, the secretary-general also addressed Afghanistan’s uncertain future under its new Taliban rulers, who took power August 15 from the government’s US-trained army as American forces were in the final stage of withdrawing from the country after 20 years.

To a question about the UN's role in the new Afghanistan, Guterres called it “a fantasy” to believe that UN involvement “will be able all of a sudden to produce an inclusive government, to guarantee that all human rights are respected, to guarantee that no terrorists will ever exist in Afghanistan, that drug trafficking will stop.”

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Monetary policy: SBP increases interest rate by 25 bps to 7.25%

In a surprising move on Monday, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) announced an increase of 25 basis points in its benchmark policy rate in a bid to control soaring inflation that has affected the entire economy.

Announcing the bi-monthly monetary policy review, the central bank said the decision to increase the interest rate to 7.25% was taken at a meeting of the central board of directors of the State Bank held under the chairmanship of Governor Dr Reza Baqir.

The interest rate rise caught analysts off guard, many of whom were expecting the central bank to leave the rate unchanged.

In its previous policy review on July 27, the central bank had kept the policy rate unchanged at 7% for the sixth time in a row during a 13-month period.

The SBP had aggressively slashed the benchmark interest rate by 625 basis points to 7% from March to June 2020 to minimise the impacts of COVID-19 on the economy. Since then, the SBP has maintained a status quo.

The interest rate is a tool available with the central bank to control inflation, regulate unnecessary rupee movement and give a direction to the national economy.

According to a standard practice the policy rate is revised up or down or kept unchanged after considering the inflation reading and economic activities. Analysts believe that the central bank of Pakistan will notify an increase of 25-50 basis points in its next MPS scheduled for November 26, 2021.

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