LHC orders private offices in Lahore to halve staff attendance to tackle smog

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday ordered the Punjab government to issue a notification directing private offices in Lahore to halve staff attendance in an effort to tackle smog.

Justice Shahid Karim issued the directives while hearing a set of petitions on the provincial government’s failure to appropriately deal with environmental issues. Advocates Azhar Siddique And Sheraz Zaka represented the petitioners.

The court's directives come as Lahore on Wednesday once again topped the list of cities with the most polluted air in the world after air quality levels turned hazardous in the afternoon. However, the air quality slightly improved in the evening, bringing Lahore down to the second spot as New Delhi climbed to the top.

Smog occurs when smoke mixes with fog. While air pollution is a persistent issue in most urban centres in Pakistan, every October and November contaminates in the air in Punjab shoot up as farmers burn rice stalks or stubble left behind after harvesting to clear their fields to plant wheat.

During these cooler months, Lahore, which is surrounded by rice-growing districts, is covered with thick smog.

During today's hearing, the Judicial Water and Environmental Commission recommended closing down schools in smoggy areas. However, the court did not agree.

Justice Karim directed the provincial government to set up a smog cell at the offices of Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). The court also sought a traffic plan and directed authorities to set up an emergency helpline that citizens could call to complain about traffic issues.

According to the smog emergency plan submitted by the commission, stubble burning will be monitored by the PDMA on a daily basis and a thermal anomalies map will be shared with the district administration and agriculture department.

It also said that the PDMA will monitor the progress of each deputy commissioner and submit reports to the commission before the next meeting, which will be held on Wednesdays till the smog season subsists.

"The chairman of the commission [...] issued a direction that if the Air Quality Index (AQI) of a particular area exceeds 400 AQI, a notice shall be issued through the education department for the closure of the respective schools or to conduct online classes as the case may be," the report said.

AQI is a metric used by governments to inform the public about the quality of air. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health hazard. AQI values at or below 100 are generally thought of as satisfactory. Anything above that is considered unhealthy.

"It is being directed by the chairman of the commission that if the AQI for a particular area reaches 500AQI, then all the activities being committing by the respective industries shall be shut down. The traffic volume of the area having high AQI will be reduced to 50pc using the technique of odd and even numbers which in turn shall be enforced by the local police and traffic police," the report said.

The report also noted that according to the Environment Protection Agency, 4,761 brick kilns were inspected across the province and fined Rs35.9 million. Further, 797 cases were registered, 22 people were arrested and 274 kilns were sealed.

It said that the transport department had inspected 3,075 vehicles and issued warnings to 324 while 921 were challaned for emitting smoke.

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Pakistan condemns extra-judicial killings of another 5 Kashmiris in IIOJK

Pakistan on Thursday strongly condemned the extra-judicial killings of five more Kashmiris by Indian occupation forces a day earlier in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), and called on the international community to take notice of New Delhi's state-terrorism in the valley.

Five suspected Kashmiri fighters were killed in IIOJK on Wednesday, police said, as relatives of two men shot dead during an earlier security operation demanded their bodies be returned.

Clashes between Kashmiri fighters and Indian government forces have claimed the lives of at least 140 so far this year.

The five were killed during two separate search operations by government forces in Kulgam district, police said in a series of Twitter posts.

In a statement on Thursday, Foreign Office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar said that Indian occupation forces have martyred at least 30 Kashmiris in "fake encounters or so-called cordon and search operations" since October 1.

"The killing spree of innocent Kashmiris perpetuated by Indian occupation forces continues with shameless impunity," he said.

"It further exposes the unspeakable violence being perpetrated by the Hindutva inspired extremist BJP-RSS combine that has turned IIOJK into an inferno where no one, not even innocent civilians, professionals, women, children and elderly are safe from the state-terrorism of the occupation forces," he added.

The FO spokesman also condemned the "inhuman and callous practice" of not handing over the mortal remains of the martyred Kashmiris to their families.

“Usurping the fundamental rights of Kashmiri families by denying them the right of proper burial of martyrs further exposes the current Indian government's moral bankruptcy,” he said.

The FO spokesman said the killings of Kashmiri civilians also vindicated the irrefutable facts provided by Pakistan in a comprehensive dossier that laid bare human rights violations and war crimes committed by Indian occupation forces in IIOJK.

He called on the international community to take immediate notice of Indian state-sponsored terrorism in the occupied valley and to hold India accountable for the egregious human rights violations of the innocent Kashmiri people.

“Pakistan also urges the international community to play its role for a just and peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions and wishes of the Kashmiri people for durable peace and stability in the region,” he concluded.

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Entry of PPP MNA Qadir Mandokhail banned in National Assembly

The entry of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) lawmaker Qadir Mandokhail has been banned in the National Assembly following his non-parliamentary behaviour.

The NA Speaker Asad Qadir has banned the entry of PPP MNA Qadir Mandokhail in the National Assembly’s premises. Mandokhail will face the entry ban on November 19’s session of the Lower House due to his misbehaviour during the joint parliament session yesterday.

The NA speaker took the action against Mandokhail by exercising his powers under the regulations of the joint parliament session. A letter was also issued to the PPP lawmaker by the secretary of NA’s legislation department.

A video has surfaced in which the NA speaker expressed severe outrage over the misconduct of a PPP MNA Qadir Mandokhail when he permitted the PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to address the joint parliament session yesterday.

He had warned the PPP MNA many times to remain calm and quiet during Bilawal’s speech but in response, Mandokhail could be heard challenging Qaiser to suspend him if he has the power to do it.

After the commencement of Bilawal’s speech, the PPP MNA moved away from the NA speaker’s seat.

Later, the NA speaker had asked Bilawal to take notice of the misconduct of his political party’s lawmaker with him.

 

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PM Imran launches 'digital power of attorney' portal for overseas Pakistanis

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday congratulated overseas Pakistanis on getting the right to vote, saying all future governments would now value Pakistani expats and work for their facilitation.

Addressing a ceremony in Islamabad for the launch of a digital portal to enable overseas citizens to verify the power of attorney, the premier said the people resisting voting rights for non-resident Pakistanis and the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) were part of the status quo that benefitted from the old "corrupt" system.

His remarks come a day after the government, amid vociferous protest by the opposition, managed to bulldoze amendments to the Elections Act, 2017, in a joint session of parliament, thereby allowing the use of EVMs and granting voting rights to overseas Pakistanis. The legislation was strongly rejected by the opposition, which alleged that the government was trying to rig the elections through the use of electronic machines.

"It made me especially happy yesterday that we have now included overseas Pakistanis in Pakistan's democracy," the prime minister told the ceremony. He said the rights given to expats meant that "now every government will be bound to value our overseas Pakistanis because they can now vote."

When they vote, the nine million non-resident Pakistanis will vote for the government that can improve their lives. "So the biggest benefit will be that a citizen can keep a check on the government through their vote in a democracy," he emphasised.

The premier said the passage of legislation regarding EVMs also made him very happy, and noted that rapidly changing technology was bringing ease to humans' lives in all spheres.

"So there can't be a more foolish mentality than avoiding the use of technology today," he said, recalling that a government commission and the ECP had recommended the use of EVMs as far back as 2008.

"But why weren't they accepted? [Because] all the people benefitting from the old system will never allow change."

The prime minister cited other incidents where his government's reforms were resisted, recalling that people "working inside utility stores" had obtained stay orders from court after the government tried to automate their systems in order to check pilferage.

The Federal Board of Revenue, too, has been unable to reform its revenue collection because people inside the board oppose automation, he said, adding that under the existing system, "money doesn't go to the government but the tax collectors make a lot of it".

He further said the FBR had been trying to introduce the track and trace system to curb tax evasion by major companies and businesses for the last 15 years but had been unable to. "Now after three years of efforts by us, we are bringing the track and trace system, which has been sabotaged for many years, next week for the first time in Pakistan's history," he announced.

With the launch of the 'Digital Power of Attorney' portal, overseas Pakistanis can apply for PoA "from the comfort of [their] homes", Nadra Chairperson Tariq Malik said on Twitter. The portal has been developed by the National Database and Registration Authority.

Malik noted that approximately 75,000 people visited Pakistani foreign missions for the issuance of PoA annually, which they no longer needed to.

"This innovative web-based solution by Nadra utilises online biometrics verification & video interview to verify applicants remotely for PoA issuance," he shared.

The pilot phase of the project has been launched in 10 Pakistani missions in the United States and United Kingdom; it will be rolled out globally in 10 weeks.

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Palestinian prisoner dies of medical negligence in Israeli jail

A Palestinian inmate has died as a result of deliberate medical negligence in an Israeli detention center.

In a report on Thursday, the Palestinian Information Office identified the victim as Sami al-Amour, 39, without elaborating on further details.

Imprisoned since 2008, Amour suffered from congenital heart problems that continued to worsen in detention because of Israeli medical negligence.

In another development, the family of a Palestinian prisoner, who has been on hunger strike for more than four months to protest Israel’s illegal administrative detention policy, raised alarm at the deteriorating health condition of the inmate.

Speaking to Iran's Arabic-language al-Alam news network on Wednesday, Khaled Fasfous, said the physical condition of his brother Kayed is very critical, warning that his "sudden death" is possible at any moment.

Khaled also said that his brother is refusing to take dietary supplements and undergo medical examinations by Israeli doctors.

Kayed’s nervous system had been damaged due to the protracted hunger strike, while he is mostly sleeping and has lost his ability to speak, Khaled added.

Kayed Fasfous, 34, from the southern West Bank town of Dura, has been refusing food over the past 125 days to demand an end to his indefinite administrative detention without trial or indictment by the Israeli occupation authorities.

He is currently hospitalized at the Israeli Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon.

There are also four other Palestinians prisoners who have been on hunger strike with a similar cause.

Kayed Fasfous is the one with the longest period of strike among the five. The other inmates are Alaa Aaraj, Hesham Abu Hawwash, Ayyad Hureimi, and Lo’ai al-Ashqar.

More than 7,000 Palestinians are reportedly held in Israeli detention centers. Hundreds of them have apparently been incarcerated under administrative detention.

Israel’s widely condemned policy of administrative detention allows the detention of Palestinians without charge or trial for renewable intervals usually ranging between three and six months based on undisclosed evidence that even a detainee’s lawyer is barred from viewing

Palestinian inmates regularly stage hunger strikes in protest at their arbitrary detention and harsh conditions in Israeli prisons.

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LHC orders private offices in Lahore to halve staff attendance to tackle smog

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday ordered the Punjab government to issue a notification directing private offices in Lahore to halve staff attendance in an effort to tackle smog.

Justice Shahid Karim issued the directives while hearing a set of petitions on the provincial government’s failure to appropriately deal with environmental issues. Advocates Azhar Siddique And Sheraz Zaka represented the petitioners.

The court's directives come as Lahore on Wednesday once again topped the list of cities with the most polluted air in the world after air quality levels turned hazardous in the afternoon. However, the air quality slightly improved in the evening, bringing Lahore down to the second spot as New Delhi climbed to the top.

Smog occurs when smoke mixes with fog. While air pollution is a persistent issue in most urban centres in Pakistan, every October and November contaminates in the air in Punjab shoot up as farmers burn rice stalks or stubble left behind after harvesting to clear their fields to plant wheat.

During these cooler months, Lahore, which is surrounded by rice-growing districts, is covered with thick smog.

During today's hearing, the Judicial Water and Environmental Commission recommended closing down schools in smoggy areas. However, the court did not agree.

Justice Karim directed the provincial government to set up a smog cell at the offices of Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). The court also sought a traffic plan and directed authorities to set up an emergency helpline that citizens could call to complain about traffic issues.

According to the smog emergency plan submitted by the commission, stubble burning will be monitored by the PDMA on a daily basis and a thermal anomalies map will be shared with the district administration and agriculture department.

It also said that the PDMA will monitor the progress of each deputy commissioner and submit reports to the commission before the next meeting, which will be held on Wednesdays till the smog season subsists.

"The chairman of the commission [...] issued a direction that if the Air Quality Index (AQI) of a particular area exceeds 400 AQI, a notice shall be issued through the education department for the closure of the respective schools or to conduct online classes as the case may be," the report said.

AQI is a metric used by governments to inform the public about the quality of air. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health hazard. AQI values at or below 100 are generally thought of as satisfactory. Anything above that is considered unhealthy.

"It is being directed by the chairman of the commission that if the AQI for a particular area reaches 500AQI, then all the activities being committing by the respective industries shall be shut down. The traffic volume of the area having high AQI will be reduced to 50pc using the technique of odd and even numbers which in turn shall be enforced by the local police and traffic police," the report said.

The report also noted that according to the Environment Protection Agency, 4,761 brick kilns were inspected across the province and fined Rs35.9 million. Further, 797 cases were registered, 22 people were arrested and 274 kilns were sealed.

It said that the transport department had inspected 3,075 vehicles and issued warnings to 324 while 921 were challaned for emitting smoke.

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Pak vs Ban: Asif, Imad left out as Green Shirts announce 12-man squad for 1st T20I

Asif Ali and Imad Wasim were the notable absentees as Pakistan announced their 12-man squad for the first Twenty20 International (T20I) match against Bangladesh that is set to be played on Friday.

The first T20I will be played at the Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium on Friday, the statement said, adding that the second and third T20Is would also be played at the same venue on November 20 and 22.

Pakistan's 12-player squad as confirmed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is:

Babar Azam (captain)
Shadab Khan (vice captain)
Fakhar Zaman
Haider Ali
Haris Rauf
Hasan Ali
Khushdil Shah
Mohammad Nawaz
Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper)
Mohammad Wasim Jr
Shaheen Shah Afridi
Shoaib Malik

Mohammad Hafeez had withdrawn from the series in order to "give opportunities to younger players".

The men’s cricket team is in Bangladesh after a gap of five years. Along with the T20is, they will play two ICC World Test Championship matches as well.

The national side’s tour is part of the Future Tours Programme and follows the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

After the T20Is, the two teams will travel to Chattogram for the first of the two Tests at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium from November 26-30.

This match will see the two sides face off in the apex form of the game on Bangladeshi soil for the first time since May 2015, when Pakistan won a two-match series by completing a victory in the final Test by a mammoth 328 runs.

The two teams will then return to Dhaka to play the final Test, which will start from December 4.

Pakistan have an immaculate record in Tests against Bangladesh, with 10 wins from 11 matches. They also enjoy an impressive record in T20Is against Bangladesh, having won 10 out of 12 matches.

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