NEWS: The Election Commission of Pakistan has released the preliminary list of constituencies based on the latest census, according to which the National Assembly seats are reduced from 272 to 266.  According to the list, 297 seats of the Punjab Assembly, 130 seats of the Sindh Assembly, 51 seats of the Balochistan Assembly, and 115 seats of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly have been demarcated. In the Sindh, Karachi East, Central, and Malir gained one seat each while Khairpur, Sanghar, and Thatta lost one seat each. One provincial seat was increased in the Bhakkar district of Punjab, while in Pakhtunkhwa one constituency of Peshawar and Hangu was abolished and Chitral and Bajaur got an additional seat. Objections to the new constituencies can be filed from September 28 to October 27, which will be settled by November 26 and then the final list will be released on November 30. (Qudrat Daily)

• The central leader of the National Party and former provincial minister Sardar Mohammad Aslam Bizenjo has criticised the poll body’s way of delimitation of constituencies. Great injustice has been done to Balochistan. If it is not removed, anxiety may spread among the people. In a statement, he said that Tutak has been included in Nal and Khuzdar constituencies while its areas Darneli and Ornach have been merged with Wadh. Nal and Khuzdar, with 420,000 voters is the largest constituency in Balochistan.  But Zehri consists of only 2 lakh 70 thousand voters. Such delimitation is against the principle that all the constituencies should be kept on the same population. He said they will knock at ECP doors. (Qudrat Daily)

• The Supreme Court has been urged to interpret the oath of office of the Army Chief to determine his role in the affairs of the state and to ensure constitutional governance in the country. The petition was filed by the former Additional Attorney General Raja Mohammad Irshad. According to the petition, allegation against top military officers and intelligence agencies of destabilizing elected governments and rigging elections is very serious and cannot be ignored. In this context, the petition urged that it is in the national interest to protect the institution of the army from being defamed by ‘power-hungry’ politicians. A Full Court should seriously consider the constitutional issue and announce a valid decision for the guidance of the executive and legislative bodies of the state. (Dawn Daily)

• Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani has said that Pakistan’s stand on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains unchanged. It will always remain the same as it has been in the past. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Jilani said that there has been no change in our policy regarding Israel, and our policy is related to the rights of Palestinians. Pakistan does not have any diplomatic relations with Israel and Pakistan sees a two-state solution for Palestine as per UN, OIC, and international laws. It should be noted that the caretaker foreign minister’s statement has come at a time when Israel has stepped up its efforts to restore relations with Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries. (Himalaya Today)

• Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir has said that by taking action against illegal business activities, Pakistan will be able to get rid of economic losses. He expressed these views while participating in the meeting of the Provincial Apex Committee in Lahore. Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi also participated in the meeting. The Army Chief was given a detailed briefing regarding the overall security situation of the province, crackdown on electricity and gas thefts, and drive against hoarding, and smuggling of foreign currency. Steps taken for the protection of minorities, and ops in the Kache area were explained. In his remarks, Army Chief General   Munir emphasized that “law enforcement agencies and related departments should continue to work together with full force against illegal economic activities. It will be possible to get rid of the economic losses. He underlined the need for coordination between all the concerned departments for the beneficial effects of the historic initiatives. (Aeen Daily)

• The hearing on the restored NAB cases has started in the accountability courts of Peshawar.  These courts have issued notices in 111 cases, according to NAB officials.  (Aeen Daily)

• PTI leader, Farrukh Habib has been arrested in Gwadar along with his brother and four aides by Punjab Police. Another brother moved an appeal in the Lahore High Court against the arrest and demanded their recovery. (Sindh Express)
• Caretaker Balochistan Information Minister Jan Achakzai has said that three new border markets connecting Turbat, Panjgur, and Gwadar districts with Iran will be opened next month. The infrastructure is ready for running these markets. Already, Washak and Taftan have border markets.   He said that the government is opening the door of the province for business and trade. It will help increase job opportunities. (Qudrat Daily)

• Islamabad Accountability Court has summoned former President Asif Ali Zardari and former Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani in the Tosha Khana case   to appear on Oct 24.  Zardari is summoned in the fake bank accounts case as well. Both cases have become revived with the Supreme Court striking down the changes made in the NAB law to give immunity to these leaders. Yusuf Raza Gilani is accused of illegally allotting cars from Tosha Khana to Pakistan People’s Party Co-Chairman Asif Zardari and Muslim League (N) leader Nawaz Sharif. NAB claims that both had paid only 15% of the price of the cars. (Dawn Daily)

• Former Federal Home Minister Rana Sanaullah has said criminals involved in the events of May 9 must face the results of their crimes. No one’s crime can be forgiven for contesting elections. Addressing the PML N workers, Rana said that Nawaz Sharif does not believe in revenge, Shahbaz Sharif as the opposition leader offered to sit with the ‘Fitna’ (troublemaker) for the sake of the country, and Bilawal Bhutto stood up and supported Shahbaz Sharif. They said that you should step forward, we are with you. However, the PTI Chairman refused to sit with them. Rana Sanaullah said that Nawaz Sharif is returning to Pakistan on October 21, and he will explain the solution to get the country out of its problems. (Daily Qudrat)

• Three miscreants were killed while at least nine persons including four Rangers, were injured in an operation against criminal elements in Sakrand village in Benazir Abad taluka of Sindh province. The operation was mounted by tip off about criminals with explosives and firearms in the area, according to the Sindh Rangers.  On seeing the Rangers and the police, the armed miscreants opened fire. Four Rangers were injured while three miscreants were killed in the retaliatory firing. But the police have a different take.  Benazir Abad SSP Haider Raza has said that four miscreants were killed in the operation, which was launched to nab people associated with the banned Sindh Revolutionary Army. (Dawn Daily & Roznama Intekhab)

• Jamiat-e-Ahl-e-Hadith Pakistan President Allama Hisam Ilahi Zaheer said that they are against Army’s interference in the governance. He urged people to bring religious parties to power for the nation’s development. Ahl-e-Hadith network has spread to the entire country and people from all walks of life are joining us. (Nai Baat)

• An attempt to ban aid to Pakistan failed in the US Congress with 132 votes in favour and 298 votes against.   Andy Ogles, Republican proposed the ban, but Sheila Jackson and Barbara Lee argued in favour of continuing aid.  Barbara Lee said that Pakistan’s assistance is essential for stability in the region, combating extremism, and promoting peace and security. She said that many Pakistani soldiers sacrificed their lives in the Afghan war. Our cooperation is rooted in our common democratic values and our bilateral relations are moving in the right direction. She said that for several decades, Pakistan and America have been developing multilateral and diverse relations, and both countries promoted cooperation in defence, counter-terrorism, trade, investment, and agriculture.   (Dunya Daily)

• The Senates Standing Committee on Home Affairs approved two bills that seek to deal with the crime of rape. Senator Mohsin Aziz chaired the meeting.   The Criminal Code Amendment Bill provides for the public hanging of rapists. The second bill, Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill provides for proper treatment of rape victims by public and private hospitals and for timely preparation of medical examination reports. Both bills were cleared after a detailed discussion.  The standing committee also cleared a bill to ban private prisons. (Dunya Daily)

• The security agencies and the police have foiled a big plan for unrest and loss of life in the limits of Kandahari Police Station Safi in Mohmand District.  One sub-machine gun, one number of cranks, 3 pistols, one number of Mini Galakick 6 revolvers were recovered. Also recovered were 7 Russian grenades, 49 mm grenade launcher, 3 twelve bore rifles, night vision wireless sets, more than 7000 bullets, a metal detector, and bundleware are also included in the operation. Law enforcement agencies have arrested an accused and started an investigation. According to IG Akhtar Hayat Gandapur, the recovered weapons were to be used for destructive purposes. Precious lives were saved by the timely action of the police and security agencies. The police are alert and ready to protect the life and property of the people. (Express Daily)

• In a powerful explosion in Mustang, 7 people including DSP were killed and many were seriously injured. DHO Mustang said that 25 injured were shifted to DHQ Hospital. SHO City Javed Lahri said that the explosion took place in the market area on AlFalah Road.  Assistant Commissioner Mastung Ata Al-Munaim said that the explosion took place near the Madina Mosque, due to which many people were injured. (Daily Pak Nawa-i-Waqt)
• During the ongoing crackdown against gas theft in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad, 188 more gas connections were disconnected and 277 under-billing cases were processed. Fines of more than 80 lakh rupees have been slapped. (Daily Khabrain, Daily Dharti)

• The Supreme Court of Pakistan has stopped the use of the word Sahib for government officials. The Chief Justice reprimanded the Punjab government for using the word “Sahib” for their officer in a land compensation case. He asked, what is Sahib? We were freed in 1947, remove this slavery impression from the minds. The court held that using the word “Sahib” with the name of the member shows a mindset. For civil servants, the word “Sahib” indicates rulership, there is no provision in the constitution to use the word “Sahib”. (Roznama Intekhab, Daily Khabrain, Daily Dharti, Daily Kashmir Express)

• Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rahman and other prominent Ulema of Ahle-Sunnat Wal Jamaat said that the second Caliph Omer Farooq was publicly insulted in Hyderabad. This is a deliberate and malicious attempt to destroy peace in Pakistan and throw the country into the flames of sectarianism. The accused should be hauled up and severe punishment should be given so that such incidents do not happen again in the future. They said that Ahle-Sunnat Wal Jamaat is peaceful and strongly condemns any attempt to destroy peace in the current critical situation. It appears that the caretaker government is unaware of its responsibilities, it holds formal meetings to establish peace and inter-sect harmony but gives free rein to the rioting elements. Ulema said that if these conspiracies are not controlled, there will be dangerous consequences for the unity and integrity of the country. The Ulema of the Ahle-Sunnat have told the people of the Ahle-Sunnat: Be peaceful and to force the government to take practical measures, pass resolutions of condemnation in the Majlis-e-Milad-ul-Nabi across Pakistan, and peacefully protest against it in Friday sermons. (Ummat)

• PML (N) leader and former Interior Minister Khawaja Asif admitted the deal on the extension of former Army Chief General (R) Qamar Javed Bajwa. Speaking on a private TV program, he said that if there had been a fault in the Faizabad sit-in case decision, all these talks would not have happened. The verdict of the Faizabad sit-in case should be implemented. The protesters were brought by those who started the conspiracy against Nawaz Sharif. Regarding the extension of the tenure of former Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the PML-N leader said that the party leadership felt   that they should go with the decision of extension. Asif further said that Nawaz Sharif put a condition that there would be no return favour. Before voting on the extension, I was asked what I wanted in return. Khawaja Asif said that I was told that you should take over the Punjab government in June and the federal government by December. I told them that there is an instruction from my leadership that we do not have any demand. Those whom I met said that we have tolerated him (Imran Khan) a lot. (Ummat)

• The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) has issued an advertisement for the arrest of the most wanted terrorists and set a price of 3 lakh to 10 crore rupees on their heads. 135 terrorists are wanted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including Peshawar. It has been stated in the advertisement that the names of the persons reporting the terrorists will be kept anonymous. Among the wanted terrorists, three lakh rupees kept on the heads of Jalaluddin, Muhammad Asif Khan, Asif Siddiqui, Muhammad Fayaz, Inam Qari, Altaf Hussain, Muhammad Rizwan, Shahkardan Bhatti, Wajid Khan, Niaz Muhammad, Niqab Khan, Kaleem Khan, Zarif Saeed, Yasir Ilyas, and Muhammad Kashif. Five lakhs on the heads of terrorists Hamza Ali, Alam Zaib, Mufti Sajjad, Uzair Rehman, and Imran Sattar. Among the most wanted terrorists are, Majid Zubair, Muhammad Zamzan Kamran, Muhammad Subhan, Rehmatullah Khan, Fazal Haleem, and the bounty on their heads is set at Rs 10 lakh. The price of Muhammad Sadiq’s head has been fixed at 20 lakhs, Muhammad Asif Siddique’s 30 lakhs and Hamza Ali’s head has been set at 50 lakhs. The price of Maulana Khalid and Muhammad Yusuf’s head has been set at Rs 50 lakh, Muhammad Imran’s at Rs 5 crore, while the price of Uzair-ur-Rehman’s head has been set at Rs 1 crore. (Ummat)

EDITORIALS

• Most of the refugees settle in Sindh especially in Karachi. They have started moving into other small and big places of Sindh too; they have been pouring into Sindh for 40 years by now. According to one global body report, Afghans account for 3.1 per cent of Sindh population; that is about 40,000.   The nationalist groups and others have been demanding from time to time that these illegally staying Afghans be deported, but despite Supreme Court orders and recent directives from army chief to deport them, they continue to be in Pakistan. Now, the caretaker government has taken the decision to deport 11 lakh illegally staying Afghans. These Afghans are involved in several crimes including smuggling of sugar and fertilizer and also are involved in terror activities. It is also learnt the cabinet too has given approval for deporting them in a phased manner. Though such announcements are praiseworthy, the need of hour is to implement them without any delay. Also essential is a thought as to how to check Afghans’ aggressive activities during the period deportation plans are underway and also to how to control facilitators of these illegally staying Afghans. It should also be looked into as to how many Afghans have become permanent citizens especially in Sindh during the past 40 years. The authorities should work out policies for such Afghan residents in Sindh. We often find Afghans helping one another here in Sindh; some KPK organizations and even PTI are their big supporters. Government will have to look into this aspect too while preparing for deportation of illegal migrants. Government will have to take bold decisions keeping in mind above ground realities. (Kawish Edit, Sep.28)

• One sad incident is reported from the Mari Jalbani village, near Skrand, Sindh. The villagers say police teams raided their village and shot dead five persons without any reason. The villagers said several other villagers were also injured. The locals said that they were returning from their jobs when they saw police teams and asked the reason for their presence but the Police started firing on them. An attempt was reportedly made by police to enter the house of one activist, Rajab Jalbani, from some nationalist party. The reports say that villagers resisted police attempts to enter the house without proper warrant leading to more police action. This incident has triggered panic. The villagers took to dharna on the national highway along with dead bodies. According to SSP Nawabshah, the area police had no information about the above incident since the crackdown was jointly carried out by Counter Terrorism Department officials in Hyderabad and Rangers. He told the media that when police rushed to the area, villagers started pelting stones forcing police teams to retreat. Demands are being from across Sindh and also from affected families that there should be judicial investigation into the incident. We also support the demand for judicial inquiry. (Sindh Express Edit)

• The Ministry of Finance has been given the responsibility of preparing an economic recovery plan and the provinces have been instructed to reduce expenses. Now, the establishment of a task force for tax reforms headed by the caretaker federal Finance Minister is welcome because tax reforms are inevitable in view of the current economic situation. This task force has been formed to increase tax revenue, plug loopholes, and eliminate tax evasion. The real question is whether this task force takes any practical steps in this regard or just issues statements. And whether the recommendations of this force are implemented or ignored. Previous governments have also announced increases in the tax net, and many committees have been formed. But the tax burden continued to be increased on the same class which was already included in the tax net. The tax burden has increased to give tax exemptions to the elite. The present system of taxation is unable to provide the resources needed by the state to perform its basic duties. A large number of elites are tax defaulters and the government spends all its energies on collecting taxes from the salaried class. Current income tax laws need to be changed. (Edit-Dunya Daily)

• According to the announcement of the Election Commission, the general elections will be held in the last week of January. In this regard, the publication of a list of new constituencies of national and provincial assemblies is a positive and encouraging development. In the next few days, after going through the stage of hearing objections and suggestions, the final list of voters will also be published on November 30. The proposed schedule of the elections has not been released yet, but after the above-mentioned arrangements the ambiguity seems to be disappearing. According to the preliminary list, the number of general seats in the National Assembly is 266, while the number of voters in one constituency is more than 8 lakhs. Now, the National Assembly has 3 seats from the federal capital, 141 from Punjab, 61 from Sindh, 45 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 16 from Balochistan. However, after the merger of tribal areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, FATA’s 12 seats have been reduced to 6.  Reserved seats in the National Assembly numbering 60 have been retained. In so far provincial assembly are concerned, Punjab will have 297 seats, Sindh 130, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 115, and Balochistan Assembly 51 seats. It is the responsibility of the caretaker government to ensure the conduct of peaceful elections by providing financial and security cooperation to the Election Commission. (Jang Edit)

• The Ministry of Economic Affairs of Pakistan has released a report on external loans and funding in the first two months of this fiscal year. Accordingly, external funding will be of 17 billion 385 million dollars. Between July and August, Pakistan received a total of 5 billion 31 million dollars, while last year in the same period, 439 million dollars were received. This funding was received from the IMF. It seems from these statistics that Pakistan’s estimate of external funding will be easily fulfilled because in the two months of July and August, Pakistan has been able to get more than five billion in funding compared to the same period last year. This volume was 43 crore 90 lakh dollars. This means that in the two months of July and August, Pakistan performed exceptionally well. Even within the country, the government has controlled the rising value of the dollar while also taking strict measures to prevent smuggling and hoarding of fertilizers, flour, sugar, etc., which is showing results. According to newspaper reports, the positive results of the crackdown against urea smuggling and hoarders have started to emerge as the prices of fertilizer in the market have fallen by 500 to 600 rupees per bag. According to the report of the Ministry of Home Affairs, more than 90 middlemen were involved in the hoarding of fertilizers. Smuggling is causing more damage to Pakistan’s economy than hoarding. Through smuggling, things are imported as well as exported, in both cases there is no benefit to the national exchequer, but illegal wealth continues to accumulate. Pakistan’s economy is constantly harmed by drug trafficking, illicit arms trafficking, dollar smuggling and food and drink smuggling. Due to this smuggling and illegal trade, the size of the black economy in Pakistan is constantly increasing. This means that the documented and legal economy is shrinking while the size of the black economy has increased to an alarming level.  Volume of external debt on Pakistan has also increased to an unprecedented level. Extraordinary measures are needed to get out of this situation. Pakistan’s border surveillance needs to be tightened. Experts estimate that the value of the dollar (vis-à-vis the Rupee) will go below 250 rupees. This is a welcome thing. Creating digital data of gold traders is also the most important need of the hour. There should be a complete record of gold bought and sold daily in Pakistan. Retailers selling jewellery should have a computerized mechanism through which purchase and sale records are automatically entered in the Board of Revenue’s system. In this way, a major step will be taken to document the economy of Pakistan. On the other hand, it has been mentioned in the news that several power plants have been run on LNG and furnace oil instead of coal. As a result of this, an additional burden of 28 billion rupees has been imposed on the consumers. However, whatever the case may be, it should be investigated because the electricity rates are unusually high and also due to various taxes, the electricity bills have gone up. Pakistan needs economic and external stability at this time. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar has told The New York Times that Pakistan is focusing on its own interests without choosing sides against the major powers. Pakistan is neutral in the war between Ukraine and Russia. Pakistan is following a path that has been chosen to avoid competition between the West, Russia and China. Pakistan does not intend to be a part of any camp. The caretaker prime minister is absolutely right, the more Pakistan stays away from international confrontation, the better it will be. Pakistan should not be associated with any block or country in the trade dispute between America and China. Not only America and China but also India and China are trying to gain control over each other’s markets for capital and profit. Pakistan is not a market share holder of any of them. Therefore, Pakistan does not need to get into this battle of capital and profit. If Pakistan does not become a part of this fight, then no country including America and China will have any objection. Meanwhile, Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir has said that we have to increase cooperation with each other for the development, stability and peace of our country, Pakistan Army will continue to play its full role to ensure the development and stability of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In order to increase the speed of economic development. The Army Chief attended the Women Symposium and Provincial Apex Committee meeting during his visit to Peshawar on Wednesday.   Moderation is the best way for Pakistan in this changing situation. At present, Pakistan is neither a stakeholder in the trade war nor a stakeholder in the global strategic conflict. The most important thing for Pakistan is to protect its borders and save its economy and business. If the government of Pakistan adopts a long- term and solid policy in this regard, Pakistan can also win its economic war and reach the destination of prosperity easily. (Express Daily Edit) #####