Those who take advantage of corrupt system are against EVM: PM Khan

Prime Minister Imran Khan says that those who take advantage of corrupt systems are the ones who are opposing the electronic voting machine (EVM) system, which he believes will solve a big problem of Pakistan's electoral process.

Addressing a ceremony in Islamabad on Wednesday, PM Imran Khan said that three years of the PTI government were "very difficult".

"I learned a lot in that period. Until you give up, you won't lose. Try to reach new heights and never have fear," the premier advised.

The prime minister said that one should never compromise on their vision, but only improve on it.

"It is necessary for a captain to keep a check on his team. I have seen my cabinet under difficult times and I have seen who get nervous when," he said.

Imran Khan said that he has not learned as much in his short life as he has learned in these three years as prime minister of Pakistan.

He shared that he tells all federal ministers that the more hard work they put in, the greater heights they'll reach.

Speaking about the EVM system, the premier said a "mafia" is opposing it because they do not want to see change and development. "What [personal] benefit will using the EVM bring to us?" the premier asked.

He said that every election in Pakistan becomes controversial. He questioned why there is no uproar over the elections in Germany and other similar countries. He also gave an example of the electoral system in US, saying that the uproar in elections disappeared in the US because of the use of a good electoral system.

The premier said that in every election since 1970 in Pakistan, whoever loses says that the polls were rigged. "We will solve this problem [of rigging] through the EVM system," he highlighted.

He further said that the EVM system is simple - the election is held, you press a button and get the results. "In our country, all the problems start after the end of polling. There is a small section who take advantage of the corrupt system. They are our greatest enemy," he said.

It is very necessary for us to push ourselves in our last two years, he said, referring to the PTI government. "We have come here after a very difficult time. We have to work hard this year," he said.

Earlier this month, the ECP had listed down 37 reservations, including one that said that EVMs are “hackable” and can be easily tampered with.

During a meeting of the Senate committee on September 8, the election commission listed down the challenges the system could face if the machines are rolled out in haste.

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CAA decides to suspend PIA's airport services due to non-payment of dues

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has decided to stop the provision of airport services to Pakistan International Airline (PIA) owing to non-payment of dues.

According to a notification issued in this regard, PIA will not be given bridges to board passengers from November onwards.

"Moreover, PIA will not be able to get power supply for the aircraft," the CAA said.

It is pertinent to mention that the national carrier owes Rs127 billion to the aviation authority.

The notification added that PIA has been banned from collecting airport charges from passengers as the CAA will collect airport charges from the passengers directly, starting October 1.

The notification read: "Despite promises, PIA has not paid a monthly instalment of Rs250 million.

 

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Device used to send threat to New Zealand team belonged to India: Fawad

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said on Wednesday that the device used to send a threat to the New Zealand cricket team belonged to India.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad alongside Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, the minister said that the entire situation started due to a fake post by someone claiming to be Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant Ehsanullah Ehsan.

Fawad said that in August, a fake post was created under Ehsan's name which told the New Zealand cricket board and government to refrain from sending the team to Pakistan as it would be "targeted".

He said that following this post, the bureau chief of The Sunday Guardian, Abhinandan Mishra, published an article claiming that the team may face a terror threat in Pakistan citing the fake post by Ehsan.

According to its website, The Sunday Guardian was founded by politician MJ Akbar, who served as the minister for external affairs in the Modi-led BJP government till 2018.

"Interestingly, [Mishra] has strong links with [former Afghanistan vice president] Amrullah Saleh," he said.

He said that on August 24, New Zealand opener Martin Guptill's wife received an email threatening her husband from ID with the username "Tehreek-i-Labbaik".

"When we investigated further, we discovered some facts. Firstly, this email is not affiliated with any social media network [...] and only one email has been generated from this account," he said.

The minister added that the email was sent via ProtonMail, a secure service. "The details [of the email] are not available and we have requested Interpol to assist us and tell us how it was generated."

Despite these events, the New Zealand cricket team did not cancel the tour at this point and travelled to Pakistan. "As the interior minister said, the security we provided outnumbered the number of people in their forces," he said.

Fawad said that once the Black Caps arrived, the interior ministry issued a detailed protocol programme for them and the teams began focusing on the practice sessions. The New Zealand team participated in the practice sessions "without any issues," he said.

However, on the day of the first match New Zealand officials said that their government had concerns of a credible threat and cancelled the tour, he said.

"Pakistan Cricket Board officials, the interior ministry security team, everyone went to them and asked them to share the threat ... [but] they were as clueless as us."

He said that a day later, a second threatening email was sent to the New Zealand team using the ID, Hamza Afridi.

He said that when authorities probed the email, they discovered that it was sent from a device associated with India. "It was sent using a virtual private network (VPN) so the location was shown as Singapore."

He said that the same device had 13 other IDs, nearly all of which were Indian names. "All IDs were made using the names of Indian actors and celebrities. Only the name Hamza Afridi is different to show that this email was generated from Pakistan.

"His name was used deliberately to show that a terrorist threat is present in Pakistan."

He said that the user of the particular device had been identified as Omprakash Mishra from Maharashtra. "The device used to send the threat to the New Zealand team belonged to India. A fake ID was used but it was sent from Maharashtra."

The minister added that the interior ministry had registered a case and had requested Interpol for assistance and information on the Tehreek-i-Labbaik ProtonMail and the ID of Hamza Afridi.

"This whole threat was primarily generated from India."

He said that the West Indies team was travelling to Pakistan in December. "A threat has already been issued to the team," he said, adding that this was also issued via a ProtonMail account.

"This is unfortunate. We believe this is a campaign against international cricket. The International Cricket Council (ICC) and other bodies must take notice," he said, adding that it was apparent that a fake threat was created by India to cancel the New Zealand tour.

He also called on the New Zealand government to share the specifics of the threat they had received. He said that Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi — who is currently in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly — had also lodged a strong protest with New Zealand.

"We hope that they will share their stance."

Commenting on England's decision to follow in the footsteps of the Kiwis, Fawad said that British High Commissioner Christian Turner had made it clear that the United Kingdom government's advisory for Pakistan was not being changed.

"So if the government has no reservations, who is the English Cricket Board [to cancel the tour]? To claim that players are tired is a shoddy excuse," he said.

He added that he had asked Pakistan Television to evaluate the financial losses it had suffered. "We are working on this and if our legal team permits, we will sue the ECB," he said.

'Bereft of reason'

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said that if anyone thought Pakistan would be isolated from NZ's tour cancellation, "they are bereft of reason".

"We can not be isolated and the day of the New Zealand [tour cancellation], I said that England's team would not come as well," the interior minister said.

"Cricket is our passion but disappointment is [equivalent] to disbelief. A day will come when the teams of the world will come to Pakistan," Rashid said.

He said the entire situation had been "blown up" and had told the information minister earlier that the matter should now be closed, adding that "we have other big problems [to focus on]."

Rashid claimed that "India frees many people from prison on bail and then trains them. It is not desisting from [promoting] terrorism in Pakistan."

Recounting Pakistan's sacrifices, he said the country had thwarted terrorism before as well. "Peace is our stance and it will be established in the country."

He said Pakistan had played a "historic role" and had evacuated over 10,000 people from Afghanistan including Nato forces, IMF and World Bank personnel and Americans.

"India has been disappointed that Pakistan couldn't be made a scapegoat and it's thinking that there would be civil war [in Afghanistan] and so much killing and slaughter that there would be a rush of refugees here — not a single refugee has come."

He said the Torkham and Chaman borders were functioning normally and more people were going to Afghanistan from Pakistan than those coming here.

"Everything is peaceful. This is all a drama and the gloved hands behind this drama will be unsuccessful.

"Pakistan is a great nation and has great security agencies and army. There is an elected government and no one can isolate us. We will move forward," the interior minister stressed.

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CAA decides to suspend PIA's airport services due to non-payment of dues

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has decided to stop the provision of airport services to Pakistan International Airline (PIA) owing to non-payment of dues.

According to a notification issued in this regard, PIA will not be given bridges to board passengers from November onwards.

"Moreover, PIA will not be able to get power supply for the aircraft," the CAA said.

It is pertinent to mention that the national carrier owes Rs127 billion to the aviation authority.

The notification added that PIA has been banned from collecting airport charges from passengers as the CAA will collect airport charges from the passengers directly, starting October 1.

The notification read: "Despite promises, PIA has not paid a monthly instalment of Rs250 million.

 

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ADB projects Pakistan's economy to grow by 4pc in FY22

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has projected Pakistan's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth to reach 4 per cent in the fiscal year 2021-22 (FY22) as business activity gradually resumed in the second year of the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the Asian Development Outlook 2021, the growth forecast witnessed recovery in private investment as consumer confidence and business actively improved amid the ongoing vaccination rollout and various economic stimulus measures announced in the budget for 2021-22.

The report noted that investment was expected to strengthen as global sentiment improves and the International Monetary Fund-supported stabilisation program continues to progress.

On the supply side, the outlook for agriculture is encouraging in view of the government’s ambitious Agriculture Transformation Plan.

"The plan aims to achieve food security for a growing population by expanding land under cultivation, revamping extension services, boosting water-use efficiency, developing postharvest storage and food processing plants, augmenting bank credit, and introducing the ‘Kissan Card’ as a digital wallet for the direct and swift transfer of subsidies for seed, pesticides, and fertiliser."

Similarly, steady normalisation of global merchandise trade, improved market sentiment and stronger business and consumer confidence was expected from the continuing rollout of Covid-19 vaccination programme and an accommodative monetary policy, according to the report.

It also said that enhanced growth in agriculture and industry and an expected improvement in domestic demand were projected to raise growth in the services sector which will add to improvement in growth in FY22.

"Inflationary pressures will likely come from ongoing economic recovery and rising global oil prices but should be tempered by expenditure reform and the government's commitment not to borrow directly from the central bank."

The ADB report said the risk of inflation being higher than forecast derived from any unusual increase in oil prices or from potential currency depreciation in the wake of any early winding down of the ongoing IMF programme.

The fiscal deficit is projected to narrow to the equivalent of 6.9pc of the GDP in FY22, which is still higher than the target set earlier under a medium-term fiscal consolidation program supported by the IMF.

"Growth in revenue is projected to accelerate with the rapid pickup in domestic economic activity and higher imports," the report said.

Expenditure is also projected to rise in FY22 as the government has budgeted substantial increases in subsidies and in social and development spending to protect the vulnerable and fortify growth and economic recovery.

Pakistan’s public debt outlook is sustainable in the medium term. "With primary and fiscal deficits, high borrowing costs, and currency depreciation, public external debt reached $95.2 billion in the fiscal year 2021," the report said.

However, the government has been implementing a medium-term debt strategy for fiscal years 2020-2023.

"The maturity structure of public debt has improved by re-profiling public debt into longer-term instruments. With strong economic growth prospects for FY22 and beyond, public debt remains on a downward path over the medium term," it said.

As domestic demand picks up and international oil prices rise, the current account deficit is seen widening to the equivalent of 1.5pc of GDP in the fiscal year 2022.

Likewise, export growth is expected to accelerate, supported by a projected upturn in economic activity in Pakistan’s major trade partners.

Exports will further benefit from continued initiatives to reduce the cost of doing business and especially from the government’s newly introduced export facilitation scheme, which allows the duty- and tax-free acquisition of inputs: intermediate goods, plant, and machinery.

Imports are expected to rise in the fiscal year 2022 in response to domestic economic recovery, higher international oil prices, and rationalisation of customs and regulatory duties in the budget of the fiscal year 2022-23.

The report further said remittances were likely to remain elevated, supported by the ‘Roshan Digital Accounts’ initiative, and would continue to narrow the current account deficit.

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Device used to send threat to New Zealand team belonged to India: Fawad

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said on Wednesday that the device used to send a threat to the New Zealand cricket team belonged to India.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad alongside Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, the minister said that the entire situation started due to a fake post by someone claiming to be Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant Ehsanullah Ehsan.

Fawad said that in August, a fake post was created under Ehsan's name which told the New Zealand cricket board and government to refrain from sending the team to Pakistan as it would be "targeted".

He said that following this post, the bureau chief of The Sunday Guardian, Abhinandan Mishra, published an article claiming that the team may face a terror threat in Pakistan citing the fake post by Ehsan.

According to its website, The Sunday Guardian was founded by politician MJ Akbar, who served as the minister for external affairs in the Modi-led BJP government till 2018.

"Interestingly, [Mishra] has strong links with [former Afghanistan vice president] Amrullah Saleh," he said.

He said that on August 24, New Zealand opener Martin Guptill's wife received an email threatening her husband from ID with the username "Tehreek-i-Labbaik".

"When we investigated further, we discovered some facts. Firstly, this email is not affiliated with any social media network [...] and only one email has been generated from this account," he said.

The minister added that the email was sent via ProtonMail, a secure service. "The details [of the email] are not available and we have requested Interpol to assist us and tell us how it was generated."

Despite these events, the New Zealand cricket team did not cancel the tour at this point and travelled to Pakistan. "As the interior minister said, the security we provided outnumbered the number of people in their forces," he said.

Fawad said that once the Black Caps arrived, the interior ministry issued a detailed protocol programme for them and the teams began focusing on the practice sessions. The New Zealand team participated in the practice sessions "without any issues," he said.

However, on the day of the first match New Zealand officials said that their government had concerns of a credible threat and cancelled the tour, he said.

"Pakistan Cricket Board officials, the interior ministry security team, everyone went to them and asked them to share the threat ... [but] they were as clueless as us."

He said that a day later, a second threatening email was sent to the New Zealand team using the ID, Hamza Afridi.

He said that when authorities probed the email, they discovered that it was sent from a device associated with India. "It was sent using a virtual private network (VPN) so the location was shown as Singapore."

He said that the same device had 13 other IDs, nearly all of which were Indian names. "All IDs were made using the names of Indian actors and celebrities. Only the name Hamza Afridi is different to show that this email was generated from Pakistan.

"His name was used deliberately to show that a terrorist threat is present in Pakistan."

He said that the user of the particular device had been identified as Omprakash Mishra from Maharashtra. "The device used to send the threat to the New Zealand team belonged to India. A fake ID was used but it was sent from Maharashtra."

The minister added that the interior ministry had registered a case and had requested Interpol for assistance and information on the Tehreek-i-Labbaik ProtonMail and the ID of Hamza Afridi.

"This whole threat was primarily generated from India."

He said that the West Indies team was travelling to Pakistan in December. "A threat has already been issued to the team," he said, adding that this was also issued via a ProtonMail account.

"This is unfortunate. We believe this is a campaign against international cricket. The International Cricket Council (ICC) and other bodies must take notice," he said, adding that it was apparent that a fake threat was created by India to cancel the New Zealand tour.

He also called on the New Zealand government to share the specifics of the threat they had received. He said that Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi — who is currently in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly — had also lodged a strong protest with New Zealand.

"We hope that they will share their stance."

Commenting on England's decision to follow in the footsteps of the Kiwis, Fawad said that British High Commissioner Christian Turner had made it clear that the United Kingdom government's advisory for Pakistan was not being changed.

"So if the government has no reservations, who is the English Cricket Board [to cancel the tour]? To claim that players are tired is a shoddy excuse," he said.

He added that he had asked Pakistan Television to evaluate the financial losses it had suffered. "We are working on this and if our legal team permits, we will sue the ECB," he said.

'Bereft of reason'

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said that if anyone thought Pakistan would be isolated from NZ's tour cancellation, "they are bereft of reason".

"We can not be isolated and the day of the New Zealand [tour cancellation], I said that England's team would not come as well," the interior minister said.

"Cricket is our passion but disappointment is [equivalent] to disbelief. A day will come when the teams of the world will come to Pakistan," Rashid said.

He said the entire situation had been "blown up" and had told the information minister earlier that the matter should now be closed, adding that "we have other big problems [to focus on]."

Rashid claimed that "India frees many people from prison on bail and then trains them. It is not desisting from [promoting] terrorism in Pakistan."

Recounting Pakistan's sacrifices, he said the country had thwarted terrorism before as well. "Peace is our stance and it will be established in the country."

He said Pakistan had played a "historic role" and had evacuated over 10,000 people from Afghanistan including Nato forces, IMF and World Bank personnel and Americans.

"India has been disappointed that Pakistan couldn't be made a scapegoat and it's thinking that there would be civil war [in Afghanistan] and so much killing and slaughter that there would be a rush of refugees here — not a single refugee has come."

He said the Torkham and Chaman borders were functioning normally and more people were going to Afghanistan from Pakistan than those coming here.

"Everything is peaceful. This is all a drama and the gloved hands behind this drama will be unsuccessful.

"Pakistan is a great nation and has great security agencies and army. There is an elected government and no one can isolate us. We will move forward," the interior minister stressed.

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Taliban ask to address UN Assembly, name Suhail Shaheen new envoy

The Taliban's new foreign minister has asked to address world leaders at this week's United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York, a UN spokesman said Tuesday.

The ambassador of the Afghan government ousted by the Taliban last month has also requested to speak, with the UN yet to decide who will represent the country at the world body.

A nine-member credentials committee will now rule on the duelling requests, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told AFP, but it is unclear whether the committee will meet before the end of the convocation on Monday.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres received a letter from Taliban-appointed Amir Khan Muttaqi "requesting to participate" in the high-level debate, Dujarric said.

It was dated Monday September 20 -- the day before the session got underway -- and listed Muttaqi as "Minister of Foreign Affairs," he added.

The letter did not specify whether Muttaqi wanted to travel to New York to speak or whether the Taliban would submit a recorded video message, as many leaders are doing this year due to Covid-19.

The letter also indicated that Ghulam Isaczai "no longer represents" Afghanistan at the United Nations.

He was the ambassador to the UN of the Afghan government ousted from power in August as US military troops exited the country, ending their 20-year war.

The letter said that the Taliban had nominated their Doha-based spokesman Suhail Shaheen as Afghanistan's permanent representative to the UN.

The note, which had the letterhead "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs," said that former president Ashraf Ghani was "ousted" on August 15, the day he fled the country.

"Countries across the world no longer recognize him as president," the letter said, according to the UN.

The UN spokesman also said that Secretary-General Guterres had received a separate letter from Isaczai, dated September 15, containing the list of Afghanistan's delegation for the session.

That letter listed Isaczai as Afghanistan's permanent representative, Dujarric said.

"These two communications have been sent by the secretariat, after consultation with the office of the president of the General Assembly, to the members of the credentials committee of the 76th session of the General Assembly," he said.

The committee is made up of Russia, China, the United States, Sweden, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Chile, Bhutan and the Bahamas.

The committee has in the past refrained from making a decision and instead referred it to the General Assembly for a vote, a diplomatic source told AFP.

No government has yet recognized the Taliban government, first demanding that it meet commitments on human rights, but some have made positive noises.

"The pragmatic, political view is that there is a new reality. And if you want to ignore that, that's your choice," Shah Mahmood Qureshi, foreign minister of the Taliban's historic backer Pakistan told reporters Monday, stopping short of calling for legal recognition.

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