UK

Labour Has Pledged To Axe Jeremy Hunt's Pension Tax Cut For The Rich

The chancellor handed the perk to high-earners in the Budget.

By Kevin Schofield
16/03/2023

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt, meeting children during a visit to Busy Bees Battersea Nursery in south London, after delivering his Budget earlier. Picture date: Wednesday March 15, 2023.

STEFAN ROUSSEAU VIA PA WIRE/PA IMAGES

Labour has pledged to overturn a massive tax cut for the rich announced in yesterday’s Budget by Jeremy Hunt.

The chancellor abolished the cap on the amount of money professionals can put into their pension pot before they are hit with extra charges by the Treasury.

He said it was intended to prevent high-earners like doctors leaving the workforce once they have more than £1 million in their retirement funds.

But experts calculated that the move - which will cost the government around £1 billion - only benefits the top 1% of earners.

It means that people with more than £1.4 million in their pension pot are able to pay up to £150,000 less in tax.

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves this morning vowed that an incoming Labour government would reverse the move.

The party is also planning to force a Commons vote on the controversial policy.

Reeves said: “The Budget was a chance for the government to unlock Britain’s promise and potential. But the only surprise was a one billion pound pensions bung for the one per cent, a move that will widen the cost of living chasm.

“At a time when families across the country face rising bills, higher costs and frozen wages, this gilded giveaway is the wrong priority, at the wrong time, for the wrong people.

“That’s why a Labour government will reverse this move. We urge the Chancellor and the Conservative government to think again too.”

Labour said it would encourage doctors to stay in work by creating a targeted pension scheme, as the government has done for judges, rather than create a “free-for-all for the wealthy few”.

Their time to slime: who will be ‘Mollusc of the Year’?

By AFP
Published March 16, 2023

Micromelo undatus, colloquially known as the Wavy Bubble Snail, eats bristly ringworms - Copyright Senckenberg Research Institute/AFP AKETA HERRERO BARRENCUA

Linnea Pedersen

Will you choose beauty? The carnivorous Wavy Bubble Snail, perhaps, with its billowing skirts shimmering under UV light. Or will it be age? Like the venerable 500-year-old Methuselah oyster.

Or will you be seduced by the leopard slug with its gymnastic mating ritual?

The list of finalists for Mollusc of the Year has something for everyone.

In a public vote ending Sunday, five species of soft-bodied invertebrates are vying to follow in the illustrious trail of previous winners, dubbed the “world’s most beautiful snail” and “weirdest octopus”.

The grand prize? The triumphant species will have its genome decoded to better understand its evolution and potential benefits to humanity.

The International Mollusc of the Year competition, which kicked off this month, is run by the LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics, based in Germany.

Organisers have whittled down the field from 85,000 mollusc species, thanks to nominations by researchers from around the world.

By definition, pageant entrants have a head, an intestine sac and a muscular “foot” for motion.

The animal group is one of the most diverse in terms of shapes, sizes, habitats and behaviours, ranging from the deep sea colossal squid to garden slugs.

Molluscs have been around for more than 500 million years and are the second largest phylum of animals after insects.

But they are shrouded in mystery. “Of all invertebrates, molluscs are most valued by man, but surprisingly are an often neglected phylum in genomic research,” laboratory manager at the LOEWE Centre TBG Carola Greve told AFP.

The contestants may be boneless, but this year’s competition is stiff.

To help voters navigate the ballot, here’s a rundown of the nominees:


– Punk slug –

Opalescent nudibranch • Hermissenda crassicornis - Biodiversity of the Central Coast (centralcoastbiodiversity.org)

Hailing from the rocky intertidals of the US Pacific coast, the thick-horned nudibranch is surely the most “punk” of the finalists.

The stunning sea slug is the length of a matchstick, gleams like frosted glass, and has a signature shock of neon orange and white striped “horns”.

Used for respiration, these outgrowths are also loaded with venomous stinging cells poached from prey it consumes.

Decoding its genome would yield insights on the learning process — the species has a simple nervous system used to study conditioned behaviours, associative learning, and memory formation.

– Giant of the deep –



Looking for the secrets to long life?

The giant Methuselah oyster can grow up to 30 centimetres (12 inches) across and has a record-breaking five-century lifespan.

But the coy clam did not have a scientific name until 2009 due to its preference for living at difficult-to-reach depths of around one kilometre in the Atlantic and Mediterranean oceans.



Its larvae begin life as nomads before cementing themselves to protective surfaces that become hanging oyster reefs over time.

Decoding its genes would produce insights into its extraordinary longevity.



– Psychedelic snail –

If this election turned on appearances, the Wavy Bubble Snail would be a frontrunner.

The only thing more psychedelic than its name is its electric rainbow edged-body, yellow shell and white spots.

“They are like small candies in a vast ocean filled with invertebrate predators,” the nominating researchers told AFP.

In the shallow intertidal pools of the Atlantic Ocean it calls home, this tiny species is nearly impossible to detect.

But the captivating carnivore — it eats tiny bristly ringworms — has hidden talents: it glows green and red under UV light.

Its genetic code could unravel the evolutionary processes that lead to snail-specific structures and their jump from oceans to terrestrial environments.


– Plucky paramour –


The nocturnal leopard slug is the sole land-dweller slinking into the top five.

Known as the “gardener’s friend” because of its taste for debris and fungi, the mollusc has an appealing brown and black pattern, can grow up to 20 centimetres long, and is often kept as a pet.

“Do you know of any other animal that — after courting for a few hours — will climb a tree together and rappel down afterwards just for intercourse?” said the nominating team.

Despite its leisurely pace, this hermaphrodite slug has spread from Europe to most other parts of the world.

A vote for studying the leopard slug genome would shed light on its successful adaptation, especially under climate change.



– ‘Loco’ –



Last but not least is the Chilean abalone, also known as “loco” in its South American home waters.

A top predator and keystone species, this rugged sea snail with a shell length of up to 15 centimetres is also a worldwide delicacy.

If it wins, unlocking loco’s genome could reveal immunotherapy treatments for certain cancers, and insights on how to protect marine invertebrates from overexploitation and pollution.

The victorious mollusc will join the 2021 winner the Greater Argonaut octopus — known as the paper nautilus because females produce a thin shell to shield their eggs — and 2022’s spectacular Cuban painted snail.

CLIMATE CRISIS
Niwa scientist in 'no doubt' climate change behind Cyclone Gabrielle's intensity

15 March 2023

Hamish Cardwell, senior journalist
@HamishCardwell hamish.cardwell@rnz.co.nz


The Cyclone Gabrielle weather event was so extreme residents of Hawke's Bay had to be rescued by helicopter and boat from their roofs. Photo: RNZ / Jemima Huston

A group of local and international scientists say climate change played a role in the devastating rainfall from Cyclone Gabrielle that claimed lives and wrought massive destruction.

Their rapid analysis - the first time something like this has been done - found human-caused warming was driving increased rainfall, and made extreme rainfall events more likely.

Niwa principal climate scientist Dr Sam Dean said a staggering amount of rain had fallen.

"This was a gigantic, gargantuan event and I have no doubt whatsoever in my mind, across my experience of my life as a climate scientist, that climate change has influenced that event."

Dean is part of a group of local and international researchers who have found the warmer planet has made very heavy rain like the cyclone 30 percent more intense, and about four times more common in the region.

He has some discomfort about such concrete figures - their study was done at speed, and the amount of data available and complications with climate models means their was variability in their findings.

But the results were bolstered by rigourous analysis and were backed by previous studies.

The scientists could find no plausible explanation other than human-caused warming for the observed increase in heavy rainfall.

University of Waikato environmental science senior lecturer Luke Harrington said: "We're confident that the amount of rainfall associated with Cyclone Gabrielle was more intense because of anthropogenic climate change.

"But we cannot yet provide a precise answer as to precisely how much more often we will witness similarly intense rainfall events."

Victoria University Climate Change Research Institute professor Dave Frame said after extreme weather events there was often speculation about the role of climate change.

The faster you can bring scientific evidence to bear the better, he said.

"To use Churchill's old line, you know it's a question of the truth getting its pants on faster, you can actually get out there and and lock off some of the silliness.

"Even if later we do more studies and revise things and develop a more mature understanding, this sort of thing can can help with that first response."

Meanwhile, Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre advisor Julie Arrighi said human decisions about where to do farming and forestry also made the cyclone damage worse.

"Land use changes that reduce soil stability or combined with deforestation can increase runoff and contribute to impacts."

Imperial Collage London researcher Friederike Otto said it showed the need to mitigate, and reduce emissions.

"It means that every additional bit of warming will make these kind of events worse.

"And therefore, I think showing that climate change is not something that happens sometime in the future or to someone else, but actually affects people ... everywhere around the world today.

"And that therefore it's really not something that we can debate about for another 30 years before starting to act."

After huge events like this, there was a window to make changes to reduce the risk in the future, Otto said.

While this study had not been peer reviewed, the methods and protocols used to generate the findings had been, she said.

PAKISTAN

Dial K for ‘Khakistocracy’

The fourth estate has a sacred responsibility to the people. It should not continue to be selective in its outrage when it comes to matters of principle.

Zain Siddiqui 

DAWN

Published March 17, 2023 

An age-old children’s tale has recently started seeming like the perfect metaphor for our latest experiment with democracy.

The story goes like this: A king was once presented with robes so fantastic that only the wisest people in his land could see them. The king eagerly clothed himself in these wondrous threads before presenting himself to his subjects to see whether they too were smart enough to admire them. As he paraded through their ranks, all he could hear was the people murmuring their praises. It took a small child to finally blurt out what the gathered crowd dared not say: “The emperor had no clothes!”

A year ago, the two main components of our political system undertook a similar change of clothes. While the army swapped khaki for a more ‘neutral’ shade, parties from across the political spectrum fashioned themselves as the Pakistan ‘Democratic’ Movement. Together, they would go on to overthrow the ‘puppet prime minister’ of the ‘hybrid regime’.

The return of ‘true democracy’ heralded the restoration of the primacy of the Constitution and the supremacy of our Parliament. We were told that the political system would heal as it slowly returned to its ‘Purana Pakistan’ normalcy.

Few among those in this country who consider themselves wise questioned the legitimacy of the incoming regime. The assurance that the PTI government was being ousted through a vote of confidence — in other words, parliamentary procedure — was enough. Short shrift was given to how the votes required for the VOC were actually rounded up.
In with the old

And so the country was returned to the wise old hands of Pakistan’s democratic elite. These were people whose sacrifices for our right to self-rule had no parallel — those who introduced ‘Democracy is the best revenge’ and ‘Vote ko izzat dau’ to our political parlance. We had been delivered, or so we were told. Turns out, we were once again having the wool pulled over our eyes.

There is an excellent Twitter account, titled ‘The Cultural Tutor’, which shares fascinating curations from the history of western civilisations. It recently shared a list of political systems to ask followers which one they lived in.




The list began with democracy — rule by the people — and had some rather interesting inclusions, such as isocracy, algocracy and ochlocracy. It ended with kakistocracy — rule by the worst, the least qualified and most unscrupulous citizens.

It was difficult, as a born and raised underseas Pakistani, to make an honest choice. After all, our political system isn’t exactly on the continuum of the various paradigms that evolved from the Greek tradition.

For example, no matter how loudly we may insist otherwise, our democracy’s most recent iteration does not even represent the aspirations of the majority. In fact, it does not seem to want those aspirations to be expressed at all.

The country cannot also be described as a plutocracy, and it seems unfair to dismiss it as a kakistocracy, no matter how strong the temptation to do so. More importantly, nothing in that list captured the role of our military ‘establishment’ in political affairs, which has either overtly or covertly ruled the country for much of its history and seemingly continues to do so despite all pretensions to the contrary.
The powers that be

Sharing that last thought with a dear friend proved greatly upsetting for their continence. They protested that our new government’s reversion to the pseudo-fascistic tendencies of the old regime ought not to be pinned on the boys.

I begged to disagree. No civilian government in its right mind dares defy straightforward, self-evident constitutional edicts with impunity, not least one that has squandered most of its political capital. No organ of the state risks inviting contempt charges by refusing their constitutional duty. You do not just bin both court and Constitution unless a greater force has provided guarantees to protect you from the consequences of doing so.

The institutions of our state are known for perpetual sloth, not the energy and enthusiasm with which they have recently sought to serve and execute warrants of arrest for cases predestined for the ash heaps of history. Such alacrity has usually been seen only in times when someone needs to be taught a lesson for defying the true powers that be.
Democracy with no clothes

The wise among us may continue not acknowledging the obvious, but it is high time someone pointed out that our democracy has no clothes. We are, in fact, being ruled by yet another khakistocracy, and one that would be little different from a full-blown kakistocracy but for that strategically placed ‘h’.

One wonders why this clever portmanteau hasn’t been used more often in the Pakistani context. Hybrid regime stopped being an insult the moment our civilian leaders started boasting about sharing same pages with their uniformed overlords. The sting got taken out from ‘puppet prime minister’ when it became evident that all our leaders are eager to give an arm and a limb to be marionettes as long as they can pretend to be kings while at it.

The normalised hypocrisy of our political class, when in power and when without, has eroded any sense of democratic propriety in our people. The decay is now getting worse. As many have persistently pointed out, you cannot save democracy by suspending or subverting it. Here, it is the means that must justify the ends, not the other way around.

There is little point lamenting the proto-fascism taking root in this nation’s youthful populace if our intelligentsia will continue to fail them in providing a working moral compass with which they can navigate their increasingly hostile world. The fourth estate has a sacred responsibility to the people. It should not continue to be selective in its outrage when it comes to matters of principle.

The author is a member of staff.

PAKISTAN

Perfect storm?

The economic and political crises are not isolated events.

Faisal Bari 

Published March 17, 2023 

SOME economists and other commentators have been arguing that the economic/financial crisis that we are facing, though serious, is relatively easy to fix. All we have to do is to a) implement and raise the right taxes and reduce the wrong ones, and b) reduce overall expenditure while raising expenditure targeted at the poor and development and cutting other expenditure by a lot.

The right taxes mentioned in this context are property tax and taxes on real estate, agricultural income tax, and taxes on the income of traders and other groups who are currently not in the tax net.

At the same time, there should be a reduction in indirect taxes like flat taxes on services, sales tax and taxes on imports. The idea, clearly, would be to increase direct taxes on those who are able to pay while reducing them for those who cannot, and therefore should not be paying taxes.

On the expenditure side, the idea would be of overall reduction in expenses by moving to more targeted subsides for the poor, the removal of subsidies, of which there are many for the rich, and the removal of inefficiencies on the expenditure side.


The overall thought is that if by doing the above the government can remove the fiscal deficit, over time, as we run surpluses, the problem of twin deficits (foreign currency and domestic fiscal deficit) will become more manageable.


The economic and political crises are not isolated events.

Sounds simple enough. But we have known all this for decades now. Economists and policymakers have been talking about agricultural income tax, taxes on real estate and property, and taxes for traders for at least 30-odd years.

And we have also been talking of making government efficient and re-prioritising expenditures for the poor, and for development in general and human development in particular for a long time as well. But all this has not happened. Clearly, it is not so easy to do it then.

The real question is why have we not been able to do what has been mentioned here? When we raise taxes, and we do it all the time, why is the focus on indirect taxes and usually in presumptive or advance mode? Why have we not been able to reduce subsidies for the rich?

Why do we have a large sugar industry when we have known for a long time that it is a waste of water and other resources and the land under sugarcane cultivation can be utilised better for other purposes? Why do we still end up protecting and subsidising the 50-odd richest families who have sugar mills? And it is the same story in a number of other areas as well. For instance, why has it been so hard to tax real estate?

We currently face a political crisis as well. Democracy is limping badly; the hybrid governance arrangements, once a stable equilibrium for the elite, have been destabilised due to the entrance of new players. It is not known what the new arrangement will be and when it will become clear, if at all.

I argue that the economic and political crises are not isolated events that have come at the same time by mere coincidence. The two are connected. At the root of it are factors of political economy that have been and are driving these dynamics. For long, our polity has been ‘rule of the few, by the few, for the few’.

Those ‘few’ have been called the ‘elite’ by Ishrat Husain, and are now being called ‘one per cent’ by Miftah Ismail. It is the rule of those who have had the resources and the power, supported and bolstered by aspirants to those resources and power. It includes the top tier of politicians, bureaucrats, the military and judiciary, business folk and the landed: resources and power.

The elites make sure that the rules are made to enrich them further and to confirm the entrenchment and continuation of their interests. This may sometimes be done through illegal means, but most of the time it is done using the law. Judges, bureaucrats and army officers get plots and land legally. The Toshakhana usage was legal. Subsidies and/or protective measures for the sugar or automobile industry have been legal.

At the same time, the structures have worked hard to control society and to undermine the development of all institutions and movements that have or could threaten their control. The education curriculum is controlled to ensure a certain narrative about religion and nationalism. Mass media and social media are used for this purpose as well.

The development of political parties, grassroots mobilisation, democracy, media and civil society have all been undermined again and again in our society. Student unions in most provinces are banned even today. This has made mobilisation and/or organisation of the masses a lot more difficult. It has also made the development of strong institutions that are needed to underwrite democratic development in a country that much harder as well.

Is it any wonder then that governance has broken down? And we have not been able to implement ‘simple’ solutions that could solve the economic problems we currently face? It is naïve to think that solutions and their implementation is ‘simple’.

The structures that have given rise to these problems cannot be the ones that provide us with the solutions as well. For change to take place, something has to give. It might happen, as the crises deepen, that the elites and the institutions that protect them start fighting amongst themselves for scarce resources. Maybe that will break down the current equilibrium.

The current economic and political crisis might be an early sign of the coming battle. Maybe this will bring about the change in structures that we need.

Many other countries have faced similar crises and some have resolved them successfully as well. But this does not mean that all can. It just shows that it can be done, though the solutions for each country tend to be context specific. We will have to forge our own path here. At the moment this looks like a hard climb.

The writer is a senior research fellow at the Institute of Development and Economic Alternatives, and an associate professor of economics at Lums.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2023

SUFISM

CULTURE: THE DIVINE MUSIC OF KASHMIR

Mubashar Naqvi 

Published March 12, 2023

Kashmiri Sufi music occasions the coming together of locals in the valley | Photo by the writer

Nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas, the beautiful valley of Kashmir is renowned for its breathtaking landscapes, serene lakes and snow-capped mountains. But, there is more to this region than just its natural beauty.

The valley of Kashmir is also home to a rich musical tradition that has been passed down many generations and through centuries. Among the various forms of music that are native to this region, Kashmiri Sufi music emerges as very captivating and soul-nourishing.

The roots of Sufism in Kashmir can be traced back to the 13th century, when the legendary Sufi saint Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Wali arrived in the valley from Central Asia. He is known to have played a crucial role in spreading the message of Islam through his mystical teachings and, particularly, his use of soulful music.

The followers of Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Wali, also known as Nund Rishi, developed a unique form of music that combined the traditional folk music of Kashmir with the mystical teachings of Sufism. This music is known as Kashmiri Sufi music.

The rich and vibrant tradition of the mystical music of Kashmir is slowly becoming a relic of the past in Azad Jammu and Kashmir

KASHMIRI SUFI

Kashmiri Sufi music is characterised by its soulful lyrics, haunting melodies and mystical themes. The lyrics of Sufi music are often inspired by the teachings of the Sufi saints and poets, who believed in the power of music to connect with the Divine — symbolising love, compassion, and tolerance. The music is also deeply rooted in the folk culture of Kashmir, and the lyrics often incorporate elements of nature, love and spirituality.

The music is performed by a group of musicians who use traditional instruments such as the santoor, rabab and harmonium, along with traditional Kashmiri percussion instruments such as the tumbaknari and the dholak.

Kashmiri Sufi music is also characterised by its meditative and trance-like quality. The repetitive rhythms and hypnotic melodies of the music are designed to induce a state of spiritual ecstasy in the listener. This is achieved through the use of ‘call-and-response patterns’, where the lead singer chants a line and the chorus responds with a repeating phrase or melody.

One of the most unique features of Kashmiri Sufi music is its emphasis on improvisation. While the basic structure of the music is often pre-determined, individual musicians are given the freedom to improvise and add their own personal touches to the music. This improvisation creates a sense of spontaneity that is rare in other forms of music.

One of the most important aspects of Sufi music is the devotional qawwali. Characterised by its repetitive rhythms, and with lyrics often including verses from the Quran, as well as the teachings of the Sufi saints, the qawwali is an integral part of the Sufi tradition and it is believed to have the power to heal and soothe the soul.

“Kashmiri Sufi music has a special place in my heart,” says Zia Naqvi, an educationist and photographer who hails from Multan, and is currently based in Islamabad.

He says he connects deeply with Kashmiri Sufi music.

“It is a profound and spiritual form of expression that speaks to the deepest parts of the human soul. It has the power to uplift and transport us to a higher state of consciousness, connecting us to something greater than ourselves. To me, there is nothing quite like the experience of listening to Sufi music in the beautiful landscape of Kashmir, surrounded by the majesty of the mountains and the peacefulness of the valley.”

MUSICALLY DIVIDED

Across the Line of Control, the popularity of Kashmiri Sufi music has grown significantly over the years, and many music festivals are organised in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir throughout the year, showcasing the talents of local musicians and promoting the rich musical heritage of the region.

One of the most popular music festivals is the Sufi Music Festival, which is held annually in the month of October in the Indian-held valley. The festival attracts music lovers from all over the world.

Unfortunately, there has been little cross-border exchange of music among Kashmiris. The few offerings that have materialised have been primarily in the Kashmiri language, which is now understood by a diminishing number of individuals in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

While a handful of liberation-themed songs have garnered some degree of fame, they cannot be regarded as representative of the transcendent Sufi music tradition that has played such a crucial role in the cultural identity of the Kashmiri people.

RELIC OF THE PAST?

The land of Azad Jammu and Kashmir is a hidden gem in the Himalayan region, blessed with breathtaking natural beauty and a rich cultural heritage that has been passed down through centuries. Yet, as time marches on, the people of this region seem to be losing touch with their roots, neglecting the very essence of what makes them unique.

In particular, the hauntingly beautiful strains of Kashmiri Sufi music, which have long been a staple of the region’s cultural identity, are being forgotten and neglected, as if they were mere relics of the past.

Some other factors are also threatening the enchanting rhythms of Kashmiri Sufi music in AJK. The conflict-ridden region has led to the curtailment of cultural activities and weakened the social and religious structures that have long supported Sufi music. Moreover, the rise of conservative ideologies also dismisses music and artistic expression as un-Islamic, further driving younger generations away from Sufi music.

Globalisation has also introduced Western musical influences, prompting a shift in the musical preferences of Kashmiri youth towards modern genres and leaving the mellifluous tunes of Sufi music to languish. This has put Sufi musicians in a precarious position, with limited opportunities to share their art.

It is a tragedy that such a rich and vibrant tradition, which has touched the hearts and souls of so many generations, should be allowed to fade away into obscurity, without so much as a second thought.

“Kashmiri Sufi music is not just music,” says social activist and documentary film producer Zahid Nisar. “It’s a language of the heart that speaks of love, peace and harmony. In a world that’s increasingly divided, we need more of such music that unites us and reminds us of our shared humanity.”

The beauty of Kashmiri Sufi music must be preserved, cherished and shared with the world, so that it may continue to inspire and uplift all those who hear its divine melodies.

The writer is based in Muzaffarabad and writes on culture, tourism and higher education. He tweets @SMubasharNaqvi

Published in Dawn, EOS, March 12th, 2023

PAKISTAN
Govt vows no compromise on nukes amid IMF deal delay

NO NUKES ARE GOOD NUKES
Iftikhar A. Khan

Published March 17, 2023

 
• Dar says nobody can dictate what missiles, N-weapons Pakistan should have

• Rabbani laments Senate not taken into confidence on IMF conditions

• Shehbaz admits tough decisions led to unrelenting inflation

ISLAMABAD: The premier and the finance minister asserted on Thursday that there would be “no compromise” on the country’s nuclear and missile programme and they are “jealously guarded by the state”.

The statements from the top came amid concerns raised by some quarters after the visit of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) head to Pakistan last month and the government’s failure to strike a deal with IMF to resume a stalled loan programme, which would offer a critical lifeline to avert an economic meltdown.

A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office on Thursday noted that press releases, queries and various assertions regarding Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programme were being circulated on social and print media.

Even a “traditional routine visit” of IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi was portrayed in a “negative spotlight”, it said.

“It is emphasised that Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programme is a national asset, which is jealously guarded by the state. The complete programme is totally secure, foolproof and under no stress or pressure whatsoever,” the statement said.

“It continues to fully serve the purpose for which this capability was developed,” it added.

In a tweet later in the day, the premier said that “misleading speculations about Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programme are unfortunate”.



“The stringent, foolproof and multi-layered security safeguards, duly testified by the International Atomic Energy Agency, are in place. Our nuclear programme represents the unwavering consensus of the nation and is for deterrence,” he said.

Similarly, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar told the Senate on Thursday there would be “no compromise” on the country’s nuclear and missile programme.

He was responding to questions raised by PPP Senator Raza Rabbani over the conditions set by the IMF.

“Let me assure you that […] nobody is going to compromise anything on the nuclear or the missile programme of Pakistan — no way.”

Senator Rabbani had raised some questions on the reasons behind the delay in the agreement with the IMF, which would offer a critical lifeline to tame a balance-of-payments crisis.

The PPP leader lamented that the Senate had “neither before nor today been taken into confidence on what are the conditionalities of the IMF”.

Describing the delay as extraordinary, Senator Rabbani sought to know if the delay was being made because of some sort of pressure on the country’s nuclear programme or its strategic relationship with China or because an imperialist power wanted its presence in the region.

In response, Mr Dar assured that there would be no compromise on Pakistan’s nuclear prowess and promised that the moment the staff-level agreement and the Extended Fund Facility were finalised, it would be placed on the website of the finance ministry.

“Nobody has any right to tell Pakistan what range of missiles it can have and what nuclear weapons it can have. We have to have our own deterrence,” he said. “We represent the people of Pakistan […] and we have to guard our national interests.”

‘External financing last hurdle’

Mr Dar said that an assurance from “friendly countries” to fund a balance of payment gap was the last hurdle in securing an IMF deal.

Several countries had made commitments to support Pakistan during previous IMF reviews, he said, adding that the IMF was now asking for those commitments.

“At the time of the previous reviews, several friendly countries had made commitments to bilaterally support Pakistan, what IMF is now asking (is) that they should actually complete and materialise those commitments,” he said, adding: That’s the only delay.“

Islamabad has been hosting the IMF mission since early February to negotiate a series of policy measures for the cash-strapped economy to manage the fiscal deficit ahead of the annual budget around June.

“It has been extensive engagement, unusual, too lengthy, too long, too demanding, but we have completed everything,” Mr Dar said.

‘Bitter conditions completed’

Prime Minister Sharif, who also spoke to Senate later, said that all of the IMF’s conditions had been met.

“We’ve completed bitter, very bitter conditions of the IMF,” he told the upper house of the parliament, adding that he hoped to “have a staff level agreement soon”.

He said that “bold decisions” taken by his government led to unrelenting inflation and burdened the common person, though he expressed optimism that “good days are ahead”. He added, “There is always light at the end of the tunnel, provided you are committed to the cause.”

He insisted that the coalition government did not shy away from taking these decisions and decided to save the country at the cost of political interests.

“We took over [in April 2022] at a time when the country’s economy was facing very difficult challenges,” he said, lamenting that the previous government abandoned the agreements it had made with the money lender. This, he said, damaged Pakistan’s image, trust and confidence with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as well as other bilateral and multilateral institutions.

“And then we took over through a constitutional instrument. We had two choices — one to dole out funds like the previous regime had done, leaving nothing in the kitty and offering unaccounted and un-budgeted subsidies. The other path was showing the highest level of responsibility, maturity and statesmanship,” the premier said.

He said the coalition government then decided through a consultative process to adopt the path that “protects the state of Pakistan and will make posterity proud of us”.

Holding the PTI responsible for a delay in IMF’s staff-level agreement even after the government had accepted all tough and bitter conditions, he accused Imran Khan’s party of making all attempts to devastate the entire system in the country.

Prime Minister Sharif stressed that economic stability without political stability would remain a pipe dream. He agreed that the IMF had not pointed towards political instability in Pakistan during its talks with the government but emphasised that “they are not blind and see all that is happening”.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2023Now you can follow Dawn Business on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook for insights on business, finance and tech from Pakistan and across the world.

SOON TO BE NO FLY ZONE

‘Dollar-starved’ Pakistan struggles to pay international airlines: report

Mohammad Asghar 

Published March 17, 2023 

RAWALPINDI: The global air transport body has warned of an ‘aviation crisis’ in Pakistan as airlines are struggling to recover $290 million due to a severe financial crisis, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.

Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) has said it was trying to pay the airlines on time and has been in contact with relevant authorities over the issue.

The Financial Times, while quoting the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said it has become “very challenging” for carriers to serve Pakistan as they struggle to repatriate their dues which are paid in dollars.

The IATA, which represents some 300 airlines comprising 83 per cent of global air traffic, said $290m were stuck in Pakistan as of January up by almost a third since December.

“Airlines are facing long delays before they are able to repatriate their funds,” Philip Goh, the IATA’s Asia-Pacific head, was quoted as saying by FT. “Some airlines still have funds stuck in Pakistan from sales in 2022.”

Financial Times says outstanding dues reached $290m

“If conditions persist that make the economics of operation to a country unsustainable, one would expect airlines to put their valued aircraft assets to better use elsewhere,” Mr Goh added.

While talking to Dawn, PCAA DG Khaqan Murtaza confirmed airlines were facing some delays in the repatriation of their payments but added that the authority was in contact with the State Bank and the finance minister for timely payments to the airlines.

In December 2022, the global aviation body said Pakistan has blocked $225m it owed to international airlines, making it one of the top markets where airline funds have been blocked from repatriation.

The development coincided with Pakistan’s balance of payment crisis with fast-depleting foreign exchange reserves, standing at a low mark of $4.3bn.

The ongoing crisis has also hit the aviation industry where airlines sell tickets in local currency but repatriate dollars to pay for expenses such as fuel costs.

The FT, citing data from an aviation analytics company Cirium, shared that foreign airlines have been reluctant to return to Pakistan, with fewer total flights scheduled for March 2023 than the same month in 2019.

“If you can’t take money out of a country, then there’s no point in you even going there,” said Mark Martin, chief executive of aviation consultancy Martin Consulting, in the FT report.

Last month, Virgin Atlantic announced the suspension of its operations in Pakistan.

Although the airline said that the decision was part of its plan to revamp operations, the FT, citing a person familiar with the matter, said the decision was based on the economics of the route.

Earlier this month, the Senate Standing Committee on Aviation recommended the aviation ministry meet with the airline heads and ‘dispel the negative opinion about Pakistan’ and convince them to resume operations as usual.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2023

Rethinking Pakistan’s agriculture

Abdul Wahab Siyal 

Published March 16, 2023 

THE climate change-induced rains of last summer left millions of people homeless in many parts of Pakistan. While it is correct to put pressure on the international community to pay their share of the climate debt, the seismic nature of the disaster should focus our attention on drawing up our own policy framework so that we can do our bit.

In this article, I propose clean energy alternatives as a means of reducing the fossil fuel footprint in the country, and to make agricultural production sustainable on the basis of self-sufficient energy. A case in point is the increase in the use of tube wells in agriculture since the 1960s, mainly due to government subsidies. It has led to a significant increase in the area irrigated by groundwater. This has resulted in a decline in the area irrigated exclusively by canal water, which reduced by 38 per cent between 1960 and 2015.

Another issue of considerable concern is the high consumption of water by only four crops: wheat, rice, sugarcane and cotton. These major crops consume around 85pc of the total pumped irrigation water, measuring around 51 billion cubic metres per year. This highlights the need for a more sustainable approach to agriculture and irrigation in Pakistan.

The extraction of groundwater in the country relies heavily on non-renewable sources of energy, such as fossil fuels, leading to high levels of carbon emissions. This not only contributes to environmental pollution but also increases the cost of production for Pakistan’s farmers. The energy that is required for the irrigation of the four major crops mentioned here has a footprint of 103 PJ (petajoule), which is equivalent to 2.5 million metric tons of oil. It generates a carbon footprint of 11 billion kilograms of carbon dioxide, which accounts for 6pc of the national carbon footprint. Most of the energy is used by diesel pumps that extract shallow groundwater, accounting for 73pc of the total energy use, followed by electric pumps that extract deep groundwater.

Pakistan can significantly reduce its energy consumption in irrigation.

The factors that determine the energy and carbon footprints for irrigation water in Pakistan vary spatially and temporally, depending on the crop type, crop water requirements, fraction of the gravity-fed and pumped water, groundwater tables, and energy sources for pumping, including diesel, electric and solar energy.

A recent research study has identified 10 hot-spot districts that make up 42pc of the total energy footprint in Pakistan for the irrigation of the four major crops. These hot spots are located in the southern part of Punjab with its dominant wheat-cotton-sugarcane cropping pattern. The identification of the hot-spot districts is particularly important for targeting energy efficiency measures and promoting sustainable irrigation practices. They include: Vehari, Lodhran, Multan, Bahawalpur, Khanewal, Bahawalnagar, Jhang, Rahim Yar Khan, Muzaffargarh and Rajanpur.

By replacing conventional pumping units (25pc of the total pumping units in Pakistan) in hot-spot districts with solar pumps, it is possible to save 42pc of the existing pumping energy in Pakistan. This would be a substantial saving and could also be a worthwhile investment in the long run. If we assume an average unit cost of Rs2m, installing 0.3m solar pumps in the hot-spot districts would require an investment of Rs600bn. Although this is a significant amount, the potential long-term cost savings could be substantial. Within two years, this investment can lead to a reduction of 42pc of the existing pumping energy, which could translate into significant cost savings for the country. Therefore, it seems like a worthwhile investment to consider.

Furthermore, a policy is needed to ensure solar pumping integration with drip and sprinkler irrigation in the sandy areas of the country, such as Thal, Thar, Cholistan, Potohar, southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Lakki Marwat) and Balochistan for high-value agriculture (orchards and vegetables) with strict enforcement of measures to avoid the depletion of precious groundwater.

Next, the areas with cash crops that have shallow groundwater within the canal commands should be brought under precision agriculture, including laser land levelling and improved conveyance and field application efficiency before integrating them into solar-based surface irrigation.

Finally, the water discharge from solar tube wells should be capped based on specific ecology, cropping patterns and the water requirement for the crops. There should be a prior option to focus on the hot-spot districts (with their high energy use and energy footprints) for immediate energy conservation in areas that have irrigated agriculture by solarising the existing tube wells.

By implementing these recommendations, Pakistan can significantly reduce its energy consumption in irrigation and promote sustainable agriculture practices. Indeed, the adoption of renewable energy in the agriculture sector, especially solar-powered irrigation, can bring many benefits to the country, such as reducing carbon emissions, promoting energy independence, and providing reliable energy sources to the farmers. However, it is crucial to approach this issue with a very clear vision and after comprehensive planning that considers the specific context of each region. The adoption of renewable energy should not be seen as a one-size-fits-all solution. Rather, it should be looked on as a tool that needs to be customised and adapted to the needs and realities of each community.

It is, therefore, important to develop short-, medium-, and long-term targets that reflect the specific goals and challenges of each region, and to provide adequate support, such as subsidies and technical assistance, to help farmers and communities adopt this technology successfully. Additionally, it is important to consider the potential unintended consequences of adopting renewable energy, such as over-extraction of groundwater, as well as to develop regulations and incentives that encourage the sustainable use of natural resources throughout the country.

Recently, there has been a lot of research in Pakistan — pilot-scale and feasibility studies, in combination with subsidies, have been initiated at the provincial and national levels — exploring and recommending renewable energy potential. Though these efforts are translated into action slowly at the farm level, solar energy applications in irrigated agriculture should be adopted with clear, short-, medium-, and long-term targets.

The writer heads the Alternative Energy in Agriculture programme at the Climate, Energy & Water Research Institute, National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2023

Lack of rainfall set to hit crop outputs in India, Pakistan

Reuters

Published March 17, 2023 

A man walks on the dried, cracked landscape near Hanna Lake, Quetta.

SINGAPORE: The drought-hit regions of northern and central India, all the way up to Pakistan, are staring at lower food output and high prices as the region is set to receive lower than normal rainfall due to the El Nino weather pattern in the second half of the year.

The trend is likely to affect cereal and oilseed crops across Asia with the forecast of hot, dry weather.

Chris Hyde, a meteorologist at US-based Maxar, said the central and northern parts of India are facing drought, so even slightly below-normal precipitation is likely to pose risk to crops.

High temperatures are likely to impact vast swathes of farmland in Australia, Southeast Asia and India, while some growing regions in North and South America are likely to see more crop-friendly weather as there is more than a 50 per cent chance of the El Nino phenomenon occurring, meteorologists said.

The threat from dry weather to food production in Asia comes after grain and edible oil prices climbed to historic highs in 2022 as the Russia-Ukraine war and Covid-19 disrupted world supplies.

“At present, the global grain market is historically tight and thus liable to sudden upward price movements on negative supply-side developments,” Charles Hart, a commodities analyst at Fitch Solutions in London, said.

“The strains of the Covid era and the poor harvests of 2022 will be felt beyond 2023 as inventories are replenished over time.”

La Nina weather, characterised by unusually cold temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, has ended and El Nino, a warming of ocean surface temperatures in the eastern and central Pacific, is expected to form during the northern summer, according to US and Japanese weather forecasters.

While La Nina brings cool and wet weather to parts of Asia, El Nino is typically associated with heat and dryness in the region.

In North and South America, the weather tends to be favourable for crops during El Nino, although there are likely to still be pockets of adverse weather lingering.

Hot dry weather

A dry winter in central and western parts of Australia could stress the wheat crop in the world’s second-largest exporter of grain. The country produced record wheat crops for the last three years, thanks to higher-than-normal rainfall brought by the La Nina weather.

In Southeast Asia, crucial for palm oil and rice exports, forecasters are expecting slightly below normal precipitation in June-August, although the region has ample soil moisture after heavy rains in recent months.

“It will take a while for dry weather in Southeast Asia to have an impact on palm oil and rice production,” Hyde said.

China, US and Argentina

Typically, China sees dryness in its corn growing northern region and more precipitation in the soybean producing northeast during El Nino.

For the United States, the weather is expected to be favourable for the wheat crop.

“In the southern Plains, parts of Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas in particular, those areas do tend to do a lot better, when it comes to rainfall, in an El Nino year,” Illinois state climatologist Trent Ford said.Argentina, which is facing a historic drought, could also see improved weather.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2023

Anti-Muslim bigotry

Editorial 

Published March 17, 2023

IN a civilised world, there can be no place for hatred and violence based on race, religion, ethnicity, etc. However, humanity is far from these lofty ideals, though advances have been made in combating bigotry. In the modern age, one of the most rampant forms of hatred is Islamophobia, that manifests itself in various forms, ranging from the harassment of women wearing the hijab, to murderous rampages such as the one carried out by a white supremacist in Christchurch in 2019. It was this incident that led to the observance of the International Day to Combat Islamophobia every March 15. Pakistan, particularly the former PTI government, played an instrumental role in the observance of the day internationally.

As the UN chief has observed, Muslims in many parts “face bigotry and prejudice simply because of their faith”. Some interesting observations were made during the discussion on a resolution condemning Islamophobia during the General Assembly in 2022, perhaps reflecting the anti-Muslim prejudices of supposedly secular states. The French delegate could not understand why a specific day was dedicated to Islamophobia. Meanwhile, the Indian representative also had issues with observing the day. These views highlight the fact that despite declared secularity, some states have issues with Islam and the Muslim culture. For example, in Europe, the far right has combined Islamophobia with racism and anti-immigrant sentiment to create a toxic atmosphere for Muslims and people of colour. France has been championing restrictions on the hijab in government buildings. Vile examples of Quran burning in different European states illustrate that for some, the continent’s mediaeval animus for Islam is very much alive. India, on the other hand, specifically under the BJP’s watch, has woven Islamophobia into state policy. The Sangh Parivar has for long reviled Islam — as seen in the Babri Masjid episode, the lynching of Muslims on suspicions of eating beef, and the disenfranchisement of Indian Muslim citizens on flimsy grounds. These episodes simply prove that for millions of people, Islamophobia is a lived reality that needs to be fought, as does prejudice against other faiths.

Yet it is also true that Muslim states need to do a better job of protecting minorities that live within their borders. When non-Muslims are not completely free to practise their faiths, not only is it a violation of their fundamental rights, it also gives fodder to Islamophobes to further spread poison. For centuries, the world of Islam and non-Muslim cultures have mingled and traded with each other, exchanging ideas and concepts, while also confronting one another on the battlefield. In fact, were it not for Europe’s interaction with Islam, the continent may have had a difficult time exiting the Dark Ages. Therefore, either we can learn from history and coexist, or continue regurgitating the venom of the past.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2023