A Pak-China luxury bus service has embarked on its maiden journey from Lahore to the city of Kashgar in China's Xinjiang province, Radio Pakistan reported on Monday.

The Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) and Shuja Express together launched the bus service between Pakistan and China to facilitate tourists as part of an initiative to connect both countries via road under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

The Lahore-Kashgar bus will run four days a week, on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, while the Kashgar-Lahore bus will run on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

The journey will take a total of 36 hours, and the bus will make five stops along the way before it crosses into China at the Khunjerab Pass.

Travellers will require a valid visa and ID card to make the journey.

The one-way fare is Rs13,000, while a round trip will cost Rs23,000, according to Radio Pakistan.

PTDC official Mukhtar Ali told APP on Monday that the bus service would allow visitors, especially monks, to visit sacred Buddhist sites dating back to the Gandhara era.

The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) on Monday said it plans to hold a 'million march' in Karachi on Thursday against the Supreme Court's recent acquittal of Aasia Bibi — a Christian woman who was previously condemned to death on blasphemy charges by lower courts.

Last Wednesday, the apex court, in a landmark judgement, had accepted Aasia Bibi's appeal against her sentence, following which several religiopolitical parties had taken to the streets to protest, which at some places had escalated into riots.

A day later, JUI-Fazl Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, whose party is one of several that constitutes the multi-party MMA alliance, had announced that a 'million march' would be held in the port city, where he said "the future strategy" on the issue would be chalked out.

Rehman's party today recapitulated their plans, urging party workers to gather at Shahrah-e-Quaideen on November 8.

Thursday's march will be Rehman's second major political event after he headed a rally in Peshawar last Friday.

In the Peshawar rally, the JUI-F head had held the PTI government responsible for the turmoil in the wake of the SC's verdict, and announced that his countrywide agitation would continue until the government was ousted.

A day after the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the PPP members exchanged barbs and nearly got into a physical altercation in the National Assembly, the session resumed on Tuesday morning with opposition members tearing into recent comments by the government.

Chaired by NA Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri, the sitting began with a speech by senior PPP leader Khursheed Shah.

Shah took a jibe at Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry's remarks from yesterday, in which the minister had suggested that the people protesting on roads and certain politicians should be sent to space for causing unrest in the country.

Replying in the same mocking tone, Shah said he had heard that the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) had been "asked to transport miscreants to space".

"[I] have heard that Suparco has asked for the data of last five years. The House will be empty, if the plan goes on," he said, suggesting that the majority of those who have been creating unrest during the last five years are sitting in the National Assembly.

"We demand the commission to seek data of only last three months," he added.

The PPP stalwart maintained that whatever happened in the assembly on Monday was unpleasant. "We don't want to create unrest in the assembly. The speaker had called us in his chamber and the opposition was there but the treasury members did not turn up," he claimed.

He warned the government members against continuing with the "politics of name-calling".

Resolution seeking holiday on Iqbal's birthday opposed

The assembly later discussed a resolution seeking a public holiday on November 9, the birth anniversary of Allama Muhammad Iqbal.

Interestingly, the resolution was moved by PML-N MNA Dr Nisar Cheema but it was opposed not only by the government and the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), but the PML-N itself.

Cheema said in order to pay homage to the great poet and thinker, it would be appropriate to declare Nov 9 a public holiday. He called that Allama Iqbal Day was observed as a holiday previously, but it was ended a few years ago.

He said the government had allowed 52 offs annually by declaring Saturday as a weekly holiday along with Sunday, but it was not ready to observe one holiday meant to pay tribute to Iqbal.

PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal said the same proposal was placed before him for consideration last year as well when he was the interior minister.

He said instead of enjoying picnics and parties and sitting idle on a holiday, schools and colleges should be asked to arrange special ceremonies and programmes to pay tribute to Allama Iqbal on Nov 9.

Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi opposed the resolution, saying that Prime Minister Imran Khan and his cabinet members believed in hard work and they had not taken even a single holiday.

Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari also opposed the idea and expressed surprise as to how the PML-N MNA had moved the resolution when his own party was not supporting it.

The mover of the resolution, Cheema, argued that the reasons given by the lawmakers in their opposition to the resolution should also apply for Quaid-i-Azam's birth anniversary and thus there should be no public holiday on December 25 either.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ali Mohammad Khan suggested that the resolution should not be rejected and instead the mover should be asked to either withdraw it or bring improvement in it.

After opposition from the house, however, the PML-N lawmaker did not press for the resolution.

The NA later unanimously passed a resolution paying tribute to slain Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam chief Maulana Samiul Haq and condemning his murder.

'Ashamed'

Two PPP and PTI lawmakers who had a verbal clash and nearly exchanged blows on Monday also spoke during today's session.

Syed Rafiullah of the PPP said he was ashamed over the incident, but asked the speaker to stop the treasury members from using what he called derogatory language.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's (PTI) Abdul Majeed Khan said the opposition should desist from ridiculing a tribe or clan in their speeches. He was referring to a remark by PPP's Shazia Marri, who had likened the deal reached between the government and religious groups protesting against the Aasia Bibi verdict to the 1971 surrender by Gen Niazi that led to the separation of East Pakistan.

"Calling Niazis as traitors is wrong," Khan stressed, adding that when Gen Niazi had surrendered in 1971 "we were not even born".

The session was subsequently adjourned till 11am on Wednesday.

An accountability court in Islamabad on Tuesday extended Opposition Leader Shahbaz Sharif's transit remand until November 10, DawnNews TV reported.

The National Accountability Court (NAB) produced Shahbaz before Accountability Judge Mohammad Bashir as the transit remand extended by the court on Oct 31 expired today.

The anti-corruption watchdog had requested the court for a further extension in the transit remand until Nov 12, while Shahbaz's counsel urged that the remand be extended until Nov 10.

During the hearing, the NAB counsel argued that transit remand did not include physical remand.

Shahbaz told the court that NAB officials had, however, already interrogated him during the previous transit remand and added that this should be mentioned in the court's order sheet.

"It's been one month but I still have not been told where I committed corruption," the PML-N president claimed.

Judge Bashir dismissed this argument, saying Shahbaz should mention this before the relevant court.

The court granted an extension in Shahbaz's transit remand until Nov 10.

Shahbaz's physical remand will expire on Nov 7 but due to extension in his transit remand, NAB will retain his custody and produce him before the accountability court in Lahore on Nov 10.

In the courtroom, Shahbaz offered his condolences to PML-N leader Abid Sher Ali on his mother's demise. He also met his brother Nawaz Sharif in Courtroom 2, where the latter had appeared for the hearing of Flagship corruption reference against him.

Allegations against Shahbaz

According to a NAB notice sent to the former Punjab chief minister on January 16, 2018, Shahbaz is accused of ordering the cancellation of award of contract of Ashiana-i-Iqbal to successful bidder Chaudhry Latif and Sons, and engineering the award of the contract to Lahore Casa Developers, a proxy group of Paragon City Private Limited, which resulted in the loss of approximately Rs193 million.

He is also accused of directing the Punjab Land Development Company (PLDC) to assign the Ashiana-i-Iqbal project to the Lahore Development Authority (LDA), resulting in the award of contract to Lahore Casa Developers, causing a loss of Rs715m and the ultimate failure of the project.

NAB has also accused Shahbaz of directing the PLDC to award the consultancy services of the Ashiana-i-Iqbal project to Engineering Consultancy Services Punjab (ECSP) for Rs 192m while the actual cost was supposed to be Rs35m as quoted by Nespak.

Prime Minister Imran Khan is expected to chair a National Security Committee meeting on Tuesday afternoon where he will brief top civil-military officials about his recent trip to China, DawnNewsTV reported.

According to sources at PM Office, national security issues, as well as the situation in Afghanistan and at the Line of Control (LoC) will be discussed.

The sources said that Finance Minister Asad Umar, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi and the Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry are expected to take part in the meeting, alongside Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan and the Director General Inter-Services Intelligence Lt Gen Asim Munir.

In a shocking revelation, the head of the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) cybercrime wing has said data from "almost all" Pakistani banks was stolen in a recent security breach.

"According to a recent report we have received, data from almost all Pakistani banks has been reportedly hacked," FIA Cybercrimes Director retired Capt Mohammad Shoaib told Geo News.

When pressed to clarify the revelation, the official said data from "most of the banks" operating in the country had been compromised.

He said the FIA has written to all banks, and a meeting of the banks' heads and security managements is being called.

"Banks are the custodians of the money people have stored in them," Shoaib said. "They are also responsible if their security features are so weak that they result in pilferage."

It wasn't immediately clear when exactly the security breach took place.

According to Shoaib, more than 100 cases are being investigated by the agency in connection with the breach.

A gang was arrested last week whose members used to disguise themselves as army officials and withdraw money from banks after gathering people's data, the official added.

Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Noorul Haq Qadri while speaking to the media on Tuesday said that the court would decide on the matter of placing Aasia Bibi's name on the Exit Control List (ECL).

The government and Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) had on Friday reached an agreement after which the latter ended its three-day-long nationwide protests against the Supreme Court's acquittal last week of Asia Bibi who had been sentenced to death in 2010 for blasphemy.

One of the points both parties agreed on was that the government would "initiate the legal process" to place Aasia Bibi's name on the no-fly list.

When asked whether her name had been placed on the ECL, Qadri said: "If you read the agreement, you'll see it says that legal process will be undertaken to place her on the ECL."

"When there are cases in the Supreme Court and high court, the court itself says that so-and-so should be placed on the ECL. So we will follow that process."

"The TLP also said that some miscreants used their platform to damage public property and had behaved inappropriately. The state will take action against them," he added.

"We stand by the agreement, and it will be acted upon," Qadri asserted.

When asked whether the TLP would be banned, the minister said that there was no plan to ban the TLP.

"However, if someone's intentions or designs are in conflict with the national narrative and policies, then hopefully steps will be taken against them," he replied.

Qadri said that the role of the state and the government is like that of a mother, and the government's first responsibility is to restore peace.

The minister said that the government was formulating strategies in anticipation of similar situations in the future.

Qadri also commented on the recent death of Maulana Samiul Haq calling it a unfortunate incident, and described it as part of a greater conspiracy.

Chief of his own faction of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Maulana Samiul Haq was assassinated in his house in Bahria Town on November 2.

Qadri said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had given orders for an investigation into the murder of Maulana Sami while he was still on his trip in China.

The Senate convened on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani to debate the law and order situation after the Supreme Court's acquittal of Aasia Bibi in the blasphemy case against her.

Before the debate formally began, Minister of IT Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui filed a motion to withdraw proposed amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act on behalf of the government, which was approved by the house.

The minister argued that the bill had been authored on the directives of deposed Islamabad High Court judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui and it was therefore proper that the government re-examine it.

Right after, the opposition pushed for a debate on Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan's (TLP) nationwide protests.

"We do not want the state and Constitution to be sullied like this," the PPP's Parliamentary Leader, Senator Sherry Rehman said.

"The entire nation was at a standstill for three days. If we start to examine [what happened], they [the government] will say 'This was also done before; the state entered a similar agreement last year as well," she continued.

"[But] what happened this time is a grave tragedy. We are not here to taunt and challenge the government — enough of that was done on the streets for [those] three days.

"[But] Our army chief was called out by name. The judiciary, the state and the army were dragged [into the mess]: what kind of message is being sent with these actions?" she asked.

"The government was all talk and no action. This was the first time we've heard the state challenged like this. How can this challenge be ignored?"

"We will not politic on this: the PPP has always toed the patriotic line in times like these. [However,] we will demand that the state provide protection to everyone.

"The state ought to protect the judges. Whether they give right decisions or wrong ones, the state should be behind them. Those who are openly rebelling against the law and Constitution should be dealt with. This is a trying time for Pakistan: the government should not try to bypass parliament," she concluded.

The PPP veteran also sought answers from the government over loans secured from foreign governments and foreign policy.

"The parliament was not taken into confidence on [foreign] loans," she regretted.

"We have also promised to mediate the Yemen-Saudi Arabia dispute: on what terms will this mediation be done? We should tackle our own wars first," she said.

Conflicting messages?

The strong stance taken by the opposition against the government's settlement with TLP leaders appears to be at odds with its own desire to resolve the matter with talks ahead of the weekend.

On Thursday, former opposition leader and PPP stalwart Khursheed Shah had condemned Prime Minister Imran Khan for taking an adversarial stance by warning protesters to not clash with the state in a televised address a day earlier.

"There was violence in his [PM Khan's] tone. You cannot bring peace with this tone," Shah had said.

He had been backed up by the PML-N's former railways minister, Khawaja Saad Rafique, who had said: "We believe that Imran Khan's body language and tone was aggressive during his address."

Later the same day, Opposition Leader Shahbaz Sharif had made it clear that the opposition would not stand by the government in case of a crackdown on mobs and urged a resolution to the ongoing crisis with "political shrewdness".

"The supremacy of the Constitution is the foundation of this country. Institutions should not be disrespected. [However,] we will not support the use of force under any situation," Sharif had stated in clear terms.

A day later, while the government sought a joint parliamentary resolution condemning the protests, former PPP prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf had reiterated that his party would not support the use of force.

"We want a resolution through dialogue," Ashraf had said.

Meanwhile, the PML-N had refused to discuss how to tackle the issue over a tiff on the adjournment of the National Assembly due to a lack of quorum on that day.

"Given the current situation, if the government proceeds with the policy it has undertaken, it will cause things to worsen," former PML-N defence minister Khawaja Asif had warned while calling for the National Assembly to be reconvened to discuss the matter.

The opening round of talks between the federal government's representatives and a delegation of opposition leaders to discuss potential amendments to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law took place on Tuesday.

The meeting was held in Minister for Law and Justice Barrister Dr Farogh Naseem's chamber, with Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Zahid Hamid, Murtaza Javed Abbasi and Rana Sanullah representing the PML-N. The PPP's Syed Naveed Qamar was also present in the meeting.

Following the meeting, Naseem, who along with Ali Mohammad Khan represented the federal government, told the media only that "the opposition parties have presented their perspective regarding the amendments to the NAB law."

Read: Punjab Assembly calls for amendment in NAB Ordinance

The law minister said that any amendments to the accountability law will be proposed after the government has consulted its allies.

"After the consultation, we will sit down with the opposition again," he said.

Naseem said that the a proposed bill drafted during the PML-N era neither came up in discussions nor was it brought up by the opposition parties.

The minister remained tight-lipped on the contents of the new bill, saying that "it is not appropriate to do so since a final decision has yet to be taken."

Ahead of the meeting, Sanaullah, a former law minister of Punjab, had raised his concerns over the NAB law granting 90-day remand of suspects to the accountability watchdog.

"To give 90-day remand is without justification," he said. "In other serious crimes, a remand of 14 days is granted. The laws that are there without justification will be analysed."

Sanaullah later described the meeting as "positive", acknowledging that "the government too wants to make NAB laws transparent."

Prime Minister Imran Khan chaired his first National Security Council (NSC) meeting on Tuesday afternoon where he briefed top civil-military officials about his recent trip to China, DawnNewsTV reported.

According to a statement released by the PM Office, the meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, Finance Minister Asad Umar, Information Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Khan Afridi, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, and senior officials.

During the meeting, a review of the security situation in the country was also conducted and it was concluded that the progress and prosperity of Pakistan lie in peace, stability, and rule of law".

COAS calls on PM

Prior to the NSC meeting, COAS Bajwa called on PM Khan at PM Office.

PM Khan and Gen Bajwa discussed various issues, including recent security developments and the prime minister's four-day trip to China.

More details to follow.

The Senate convened on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani to debate the law and order situation after the Supreme Court's acquittal of Aasia Bibi in the blasphemy case against her.

Before the debate formally began, Minister of IT Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui filed a motion to withdraw proposed amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act on behalf of the government, which was approved by the house.

The minister argued that the bill had been authored on the directives of deposed Islamabad High Court judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui and it was therefore proper that the government re-examine it.

Right after, the opposition pushed for a debate on Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan's (TLP) nationwide protests.

"We do not want the state and Constitution to be sullied like this," the PPP's Parliamentary Leader, Senator Sherry Rehman said.

"The entire nation was at a standstill for three days. If we start to examine [what happened], they [the government] will say 'This was also done before; the state entered a similar agreement last year as well," she continued.

"[But] what happened this time is a grave tragedy. We are not here to taunt and challenge the government — enough of that was done on the streets for [those] three days.

"[But] Our army chief was called out by name. The judiciary, the state and the army were dragged [into the mess]: what kind of message is being sent with these actions?" she asked.

"The government was all talk and no action. This was the first time we've heard the state challenged like this. How can this challenge be ignored?"

"We will not politic on this: the PPP has always toed the patriotic line in times like these. [However,] we will demand that the state provide protection to everyone.

"The state ought to protect the judges. Whether they give right decisions or wrong ones, the state should be behind them. Those who are openly rebelling against the law and Constitution should be dealt with. This is a trying time for Pakistan: the government should not try to bypass parliament," she concluded.

The PPP veteran also sought answers from the government over loans secured from foreign governments and foreign policy.

"The parliament was not taken into confidence on [foreign] loans," she regretted.

"We have also promised to mediate the Yemen-Saudi Arabia dispute: on what terms will this mediation be done? We should tackle our own wars first," she said.

Taking over, Senator Raza Rabbani regretted that the country was shut down for three days and Constitutional institutions were attacked.

He said the Senate ought to address a matter of this nature but his demand was ignored, prompting him to register a protest.

"If parliament itself cannot address a challenge to the [supremacy of the] Constitution, who will?" he asked. "It is incumbent upon us to defend the Constitution."

Taking over, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) attacked the judiciary and Supreme Court for a judgement that he described as "the murder of justice".

His party actively organised and participated in protests calling for the death penalty to be administered to Aasia Bibi despite the apex court finding glaring inconsistencies in witnesses' statements and other aspects of the case.

"[Tell us], did America or the west interfere [in the judicial process]? What took the Supreme Court so long to decide the case," he said.

"The chief justice claims to love the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and then lets the person who insulted him go," he said.

His remarks were swiftly expunged by Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani.

"There can be no debate over the conduct of judges," he said. "All personal remarks against judges and their judgements should be expunged from the day's proceedings," he ruled.

Regretting the line taken by the opposition, Murad Saeed, the minister of state for communication, said: "I had come here expecting some good suggestions to come out of this debate."

"The Constitution accords the right to peaceful protest to every citizen," he noted. "Every party had said we do not want a repeat of Lal Masjid or the Model Town tragedy," he reminded the opposition parties, addressing criticism of the government not having done enough to address the protests.

Conflicting messages?

The strong stance taken by the opposition against the government's settlement with TLP leaders appears to be at odds with its own desire to resolve the matter with talks ahead of the weekend.

On Thursday, former opposition leader and PPP stalwart Khursheed Shah had condemned Prime Minister Imran Khan for taking an adversarial stance by warning protesters to not clash with the state in a televised address a day earlier.

"There was violence in his [PM Khan's] tone. You cannot bring peace with this tone," Shah had said.

He had been backed up by the PML-N's former railways minister, Khawaja Saad Rafique, who had said: "We believe that Imran Khan's body language and tone was aggressive during his address."

Later the same day, Opposition Leader Shahbaz Sharif had made it clear that the opposition would not stand by the government in case of a crackdown on mobs and urged a resolution to the ongoing crisis with "political shrewdness".

"The supremacy of the Constitution is the foundation of this country. Institutions should not be disrespected. [However,] we will not support the use of force under any situation," Sharif had stated in clear terms.

A day later, while the government sought a joint parliamentary resolution condemning the protests, former PPP prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf had reiterated that his party would not support the use of force.

"We want a resolution through dialogue," Ashraf had said.

Meanwhile, the PML-N had refused to discuss how to tackle the issue over a tiff on the adjournment of the National Assembly due to a lack of quorum on that day.

"Given the current situation, if the government proceeds with the policy it has undertaken, it will cause things to worsen," former PML-N defence minister Khawaja Asif had warned while calling for the National Assembly to be reconvened to discuss the matter.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar on Tuesday took notice of the "loss of lives and property caused to the general public" in riots that followed the court's acquittal of Aasia Bibi last week.

On October 31, the SC had acquitted Aasia Bibi — a Christian woman previously condemned to death on blasphemy charges — after accepting her appeal against her sentence.

The top court's decision had angered reliogiopolitical parties, including the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), which had taken to the streets and staged violent sit-ins and protests across the country.

The protests had at times escalated into riots, with protesters setting vehicles on fire and on one occasion even pillaging the push cart of a child selling bananas.

The chief justice, according to SC spokesperson, today took notice of the "losses of property and lives caused to general public" with the intent to "compensate the victims who lost their valuables or properties during the tragic incidents".

The notice, the court added, was taken on media reports that significant losses were caused to the general public in the wake of the apex court's verdict in the Aasia Bibi case.

Furthermore, the chief justice has directed the federal and provincial governments to furnish within three days their reports detailing the estimated losses.

Finance Minister Asad Umar on Tuesday claimed that Pakistan's "balance of payment crisis is over" and assured that China is committed to providing short-term relief to Pakistan as well — the modalities of which, he said, will be discussed in a new round of discussions in Beijing on Friday.

"The long-term solution to the balance of payment crisis is to increase our exports, and to do that we should have enough income so that we do not need to borrow," Umar, who was a part of the Prime Minister Imran Khan-led delegation that visited China recently, explained during a press conference today. "In this regard, we have received a commitment from the highest level.

"Regarding the doubling of our exports, we are not talking long-term. We have [this target] for the ongoing year. We have also discussed short-term reliefs. A decision in principle has been taken, but to discuss its modalities our contingent is going to Beijing on November 9.

"So this curiosity that the people have will also be resolved soon. We had told you about the $12bn financing gap, of which $6bn have come from Saudi Arabia, and the rest has come from China so the immediate balance of payment crisis of Pakistan has ended. I want to make that clear in unequivocal terms. We do not have any balance of payment crisis now. "

A statement released by the finance ministry echoed Umar's remarks, adding that "a senior level delegation comprising of federal secretaries of finance, foreign affairs, planning & development and commerce along with the State Bank of Pakistan's governor will undertake a visit to China during the current week to work out the modalities".

Foreign minister says Pakistan 'out of the woods' after China trip

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, meanwhile, claimed that the trip to China was "productive to the extent that we are out of the woods".

The foreign minister said that the purpose of the visit to China was to "send a message to the international community" and also "move the two countries' strategic relationship towards an economic partnership".

He said that a total of 15 memorandum of understanding (MoUs) were signed in China, of which he highlighted a quartet.

"We decided that our strategic dialogue must be upgraded and its level be raised to the FM level," he said. "It was also decided to transfer our citizens sentenced there and theirs sentenced here so that they can serve their sentences in their own countries.

"Thirdly, the MoU which is important to me is poverty alleviation. China is a country that has taken 700 million people out poverty in the last 30 years. One-third of our population also lives below the poverty line — so the purpose of this MoU was to learn from the Chinese experience."

"The fourth MoU was regarding agricultural cooperation," he said. "We think that through transfer of technology, we can get a lot from China. We can learn how to increase our productivity and our per-acre produce."

Qureshi claimed that the trip also served to rubbish the notion that the Pak-China relationship would suffer under the PTI government.

"The perception that some people here tried to give that the government was not paying attention to our relationship with China," he said. "There is nothing to it. I can say that our relations with China are not just great but could get even better than before.

"This visit helped us in moving our relationship towards an economic partnership. We have always had good strategic relations so our aim [this time] was to figure how to advance the economic footprint."

The foreign minister said he is confident that the discussion with the Chinese counterparts would help Pakistan "double its exports".

He further said that the two sides would try and wrap up the second phase of the Pakistan-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by April 2019.

In a bid to restore the 'honour' of their tribe, two men in Bhong area of Rahim Yar Khan allegedly murdered two sisters after they had reportedly been abducted and subjected to rape by some influential landlords.

According to local police, the deceased sisters were first abducted and raped by a group of men and later fell victim to their own relatives' wrath when they returned home.

The abduction purportedly took place in Basti Gulab Khan of Mouza Muhammad Murad Dahir area on Sunday when Shah Mureed Kharu and Ali Dost Kharu, the two accused, allegedly kidnapped the siblings, one of whom was 18, and the other 20.

The victims' father claimed in the first information report (FIR) that the suspects had abducted his daughters and abused them before releasing them a day later.

The father said that he was also fearful that the members of their tribe could kill his daughters upon their return for having "smeared the tribe's name".

When the girls returned home following their ordeal, the father said, their uncle Muhammad Saleem and another relative Shah Nawaz allegedly strung a noose around their necks and dragged them to the nearby fields.

The father said that by the time he reached the crime scene, the girls had already been murdered.

The dead bodies were shifted to Sadiqabad THQ Hospital for autopsies.

Explore: What Pakistan must do to end murders in the name of 'honour'

Meanwhile, a case has been registered against the girls' relatives, with Sections 302, 311 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code mentioned in the FIR.

While those accused of murders remain at large, the police say they have arrested a trio which has close ties with the absconders.

The police, however, remain reluctant to arrest those accused of kidnapping and raping the deceased.

Finance Minister Asad Umar on Tuesday claimed that Pakistan's "balance of payments crisis is over" and assured that China is committed to providing short-term relief to Pakistan as well — the modalities of which, he said, will be discussed in a new round of discussions in Beijing on Friday.

"The long-term solution to the balance of payments crisis is to increase our exports, and to do that we should have enough income so that we do not need to borrow," Umar, who was a part of the Prime Minister Imran Khan-led delegation that visited China recently, explained during a press conference today. "In this regard, we have received a commitment from the highest level.

"Regarding the doubling of our exports, we are not talking long-term. We have [this target] for the ongoing year. We have also discussed short-term reliefs. A decision in principle has been taken, but to discuss its modalities our contingent is going to Beijing on November 9.

"So this curiosity that the people have will also be resolved soon. We had told you about the $12bn financing gap, of which $6bn have come from Saudi Arabia, and the rest has come from China so the immediate balance of payment crisis of Pakistan has ended. I want to make that clear in unequivocal terms. We do not have any balance of payments crisis now. "

A statement released by the finance ministry echoed Umar's remarks, adding that "a senior level delegation comprising of federal secretaries of finance, foreign affairs, planning & development and commerce along with the State Bank of Pakistan's governor will undertake a visit to China during the current week to work out the modalities".

Foreign minister says Pakistan 'out of the woods' after China trip

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, meanwhile, claimed that the trip to China was "productive to the extent that we are out of the woods".

The foreign minister said that the purpose of the visit to China was to "send a message to the international community" and also "move the two countries' strategic relationship towards an economic partnership".

He said that a total of 15 memorandum of understanding (MoUs) were signed in China, of which he highlighted a quartet.

"We decided that our strategic dialogue must be upgraded and its level be raised to the FM level," he said. "It was also decided to transfer our citizens sentenced there and theirs sentenced here so that they can serve their sentences in their own countries.

"Thirdly, the MoU which is important to me is poverty alleviation. China is a country that has taken 700 million people out poverty in the last 30 years. One-third of our population also lives below the poverty line — so the purpose of this MoU was to learn from the Chinese experience."

"The fourth MoU was regarding agricultural cooperation," he said. "We think that through transfer of technology, we can get a lot from China. We can learn how to increase our productivity and our per-acre produce."

Qureshi claimed that the trip also served to rubbish the notion that the Pak-China relationship would suffer under the PTI government.

"The perception that some people here tried to give that the government was not paying attention to our relationship with China," he said. "There is nothing to it. I can say that our relations with China are not just great but could get even better than before.

"This visit helped us in moving our relationship towards an economic partnership. We have always had good strategic relations so our aim [this time] was to figure how to advance the economic footprint."

The foreign minister said he is confident that the discussion with the Chinese counterparts would help Pakistan "double its exports".

He further said that the two sides would try and wrap up the second phase of the Pakistan-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by April 2019.

ISLAMABAD: The Sup­reme Court-appointed commission has regretted failure on part of the state to address the grievances of the quake-affected people of Mansehra since the victims still face the same miseries and hardship after a lapse of more than a decade.

The commission also blamed the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabi­litation Authority (Erra) for failing to update its project-related information thus resulting in pilferage, failure and stoppages, said a set of recommendations furnished in a report before the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

The commission also suggested that Erra should hand over all the development projects to the departments concerned which should be placed before the provincial and local governments for early allocation of funds and completion.

The report was submitted in line with a suo motu proceeding by the Supreme Court initiated on an application of Shahzad Mehmood Qureshi of Mansehra who had invited the attention of the court towards alleged embezzlement of funds in the accounts of Erra.

In his application Mr Qureshi had alleged that despite the passage of 13 years, the people of Balakot were still living in makeshift arrangements without water, while their children were studying in schools without any roof and not a single doctor was available for the quake victims.

The applicant had also accused that Rs55 billion was transferred to the Benazir Income Support Programme out of Erra funds while another Rs185bn was transferred to other government accounts.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had ordered setting up of a six-man commission under the chairmanship of Mohammad Zeb Khan with a task to explore the possibilities of addressing the cumulative sufferings and hardships endured by the people of Mansehra in general.

The commission recommended that the government should come up to the legitimate expectations of the downtrodden and quake-stricken people of Mansehra and invest in them what they deserve under the Constitution.

“The state ought to be honest, sincere and upright towards its citizens so as to say the amount that was received as aid in the shape of loan and grants in the name of earthquake affected people should be spent on them for their rehabilitation.”

The diversion of the foreign aid to other sectors, districts and provinces is violation of the solemn pledge made by the state with the quake-stricken people of Mansehra, the commission deplored, adding that in effect people were defrauded as the aid was collected in their name and for the purpose of their rehabilitation.

The commission regretted that the fate of the mega project like New Balakot City (NBC) was still in limbo and there had been a total failure of coordination between Erra, the district administration and police.

Therefore, it is recommended that this stagnancy, lack of interest and indolence justified under the garb of in-coordination ought not be condoned, the commission emphasised, adding that this commission reckons this lack of coordination as inefficiency on a par with criminal negligence for which all officers holding key posts in the district administration, police and the elected local bodies representatives should be made accountable.

Thus remedial actions under the law ought to be taken promptly and even-handedly, the report said.

In case of disbursement of cash and goods, the report explained, this commission finds the matter not amply and properly documented. It is a trust placed in every single officer of the state machinery to safeguard what was entrusted to them or to spend upon or invest in some other person in accordance with the law and in the best interest of the affected people.

Prime facie, the report said, there is a room to probe by the investigating agencies regarding discrepancies in cash disbursement.

It transpired during commission’s proceedings that the valuable construction machinery left by the national and international donor philanthropists and aid agencies was also not enlisted in stocks of the local government. Similar is the case of the field hospitals which were installed through the generous assistance of international communities and some of these were dismantled and entrusted to the local health set-up.

“This commission believes that proper documentation in stocks is not maintained and there are considerable anomalies warranting a criminal investigation in this matter.”

The commission also enlisted different factors leading to the stalemate of NBC since neither the provincial government nor the local government took ownership of this mega project besides the key executing agency/Erra was not stationed at Mansehra, thus the remote execution of work was not manageable. There is a total lack of coordination between the district administration, police and Erra, the commission deplored, adding that the selective and politically motivated acquisition and identification of land created mistrust amongst the landowner viz-a-viz acquiring authority.

The commission also recommended devolving the execution of the project by Erra to infuse a sense of ownership. Moreover, the district police also failed to establish the writ of the state since the role of their operation and investigation wings was not encouraging.

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2018

ISLAMABAD: A senior leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Dr Babar Awan has filed a petition on behalf of an auto dealer in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against the government’s policy that bars non-filers of income tax returns from purchasing vehicles.

Arguing before Justice Aamer Farooq on behalf of Amir Awan, an authorised dealer of Indus Motor Company Limited, the counsel said the recent amendment to the Finance Act 2018 barring the non-filers from buying cars was a blatant violation of the Constitution.

Dr Awan through the petition requested the IHC to set aside the recent amendment to Section 227-C of the Income Tax Ordinance, calling it “discriminatory” in nature that was “adversely affecting millions of people” across the country.

The counsel said his client had been lawfully dealing in Corolla, Hilux, Fortuner and other vehicles for the past 18 years in Islamabad. But due to the PTI government’s recent policy, the excise and taxation department refused to register 4,641 vehicles which were purchased even before the promulgation of the law, the petitioner claimed.

Recent amendment to the Finance Act violates Constitution, argues Babar Awan

According to the petition, the finance division recently amended Section 227-C of the Income Tax Ordinance 2001, through the Finance Act 2018, which was totally discriminatory and ultra vires to the Constitution.

It stated that protection of fundamental rights was guaranteed under Articles 2-A, 4, 9, 10-A, 18, and 25 of the Constitution. “It is pertinent to mention here that under Article 18 of the Constitution, a guarantee is given to the petitioner to have business and trade of car dealing and also to conduct this lawful trade as well as business.”

Subsequently, the petition stated, “The amendment which is brought in Section 227-C of the Finance Act 2018 offends and blatantly violates the provisions of (A) (B) (C) to Article 18 of the Constitution.”

Article 23 provided every citizen the right to acquire, hold and dispose of property, the petition mentioned, adding that “the prohibition on non-filers to acquire such property and for the motor vehicles manufacturers to sell the same to non-filers does not constitute reasonable restrictions in the context of Article 23 or otherwise, including Articles 18 and 24”.

“Furthermore, Section 227-C is also discriminatory in nature,” it said.

According to the petition, it is only in relation to motor vehicles and immovable property above Rs5 million that impediments have been introduced in transaction with or by non-filers. This is a clear violation of Article 25 of the Constitution, as there is no reasonable justification based upon any objective criteria or intelligible differentia so as to introduce such a hindrance only on immovable properties and motor vehicles, the petition claimed.

Dr Awan through the petition argued that as the amendment only targeted one class of business, which was the car industry, it was discriminatory and hence liable to be declared as ultra vires to the Constitution.

“Just because a person is able to purchase a motor vehicle does not necessarily mean that he shall have taxable income in a particular tax year. A motor vehicle is purchasable through instalments or upon yearly savings or by acquiring a loan or as a gift. The data and details of motor vehicles purchasers are very much available with the FBR/taxation authorities and, therefore, the onus is upon the taxation authorities of the FBR to conduct their own investigation,” he argued.

The petition asserted that the finance division, excise and taxation department and FBR had already been charging “a number of indirect taxes on motor vehicles”.

The IHC was requested to set aside the amendment to Section 227-C of the Income Tax Ordinance.

After hearing the arguments, Justice Farooq issued notice to the attorney general and adjourned the hearing for a fortnight.

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2018

GILGIT: The Gilgit-Baltistan police and the wildlife officials are searching for the person (s) who killed the highest rated female Astore markhor in Bunji area of the district despite a complete ban on its hunting.

The postmortem report of the body suggested that the rare species was shot dead with a gun.

According to GB wildlife and parks department officials, recently they were informed that a female Astore markhor had been killed in Bunji. The wildlife personnel visited the area and were told by the locals that the female markhor was gun shot from Haramosh area of Gilgit.

Later, a team comprising wildlife department officials from Gilgit and Astore started a joint action, recovered body of Astore markhor and took it to Gilgit town.

Postmortem of the body conducted at a veterinary hospital in Gilgit on Tuesday suggested that the rare animal had been shot by a gun.

Yaqub Ali Khan, conservator GB wildlife and parks department, told Dawn that a case had been registered in Haramosh police station against the accused.

The GB police and wildlife personnel have started operation to trace the killer of the rare animal, he said, adding the Astore markhor was the highest rated hunting animal in GB.

In recent auctions for trophy hunting programme, 2018-19, the hunting permit of Astore markhor was purchased at 100,000 US dollars. These permits are issued for hunting of only male and overage markhors with specified conditions.

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2018

LAHORE: After the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) threatened to restart its movement, the Punjab government, in a late night meeting, assured the party that it would not only stop arresting workers but start releasing already arrested ones, says TLP spokesman Peer Zubair Ahmed.

The Punjab government, however, says it was more of a “follow-up meeting” and that the authorities were very clear about whom they were arresting.

Talking to Dawn, the TLP spokesman said the party had allowed the Punjab government to arrest miscreants because they did not belong to the Tehreek.

“The TLP never allowed any kind of violence. However, in the garb of arresting miscreants, the Punjab government started arresting its workers,” he explains.

No compromise on violence, says govt

The arrests, he said, were in total violation of the agreement signed by the federal and Punjab governments on Friday night, leaving the TLP with no choice but to issue a call for protest and blockages and it was about to do so when the Punjab government invited them to a marathon meeting, lasting around four hours.

He said Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Raja Muhammad Basharat and Additional Inspector General (police) Azhar Hameed represented the government.

According to the government side, says Zubair, it had already stopped arresting people since Monday afternoon and it was ready to release all of them, along with those arrested during the three-day protest within next 24 hours.

“As per fresh agreement, the Punjab government was supposed to release all of them by Tuesday evening. We are in the process of collecting information how many of them have been released so far. According to information from Sheikhupura, 90 workers, out of total 110 arrested, have already been released. Once we collect information from the entire province, we would return to the government to release them all, if anyone is still left,” he said.

According to the TLP information, children of eight to 10 years old were arrested in Lahore. In certain cases, houses were ransacked and women folk insulted.

“In view of the situation, the TLP was readying for fresh call when the Punjab government jumped in to preempt the situation and refreshed its commitment to the original agreement and promised to stick to it in letter and spirit. The party is waiting for the government to fulfill its promise.”

Confirming the meeting, Punjab Information Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan said it was more of a “follow-up meeting,” after the Friday agreement between the TLP and the government.

“The Punjab government is very clear about whom it was arresting and whom it was not. It has only been arresting the people it has some kind of evidence with it — television or mobile clips or any other kind of solid evidence.”

He said as far those who were involved in violence, the government would not compromise come what may. But it was not arresting those who remained peaceful.

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2018

LAHORE: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) says it has not yet taken any decision about which party should be supported in the Senate by-polls scheduled to be held on Nov 15.

PPP parliamentary leader in Punjab Assembly Syed Hassan Murtaza told the media here on Tuesday that the central leadership was yet to take a decision on the party’s support for the candidates. He said the PPP MPAs would follow whatever the decision was made.

The two Senate seats have been vacated due to disqualification of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) senators from Punjab quota, Haroon Akhtar Khan and Saadia Abbasi, for being dual nationals. The provincial assembly is the electorate for electing Senators for their respective province’s quota.

Mr Murtaza lamented that President Arif Alvi did injustice to his office by giving a ‘non-serious’ statement that many promises made before elections and/or marriage were never to be fulfilled.

“It depicts political immaturity of the ruling party. The rulers are openly making fun of the promises they made with the masses before the polls.”

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2018