ICEP

DAWN EDITORIALS & OPINIONS

ANALYSIS
Dated: Wednesday 22 July

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1 ICEP Dawn Analysis

 CONTENTS TABLE
Page Title Section/Category
04 Sc Denunciation of NAB Domestic Issue
08 UAE Mars Probe External affairs
10 Population Problem Global Issue
16 Major powers interests in Afghanistan International
relations
19 Post COVID-19 restriction of Pakistan by HEC pak Affairs
chairman

COLOURS Used:

Red for Difficult Vocab

Green for Important Figures and contents

Others colours used where necessary

2 ICEP Dawn Analysis

 DAWN EDITORIALS SECTION

3 ICEP Dawn Analysis

SC’s denunciation of NAB | Dawn Editorial
Topic Sentence is:__ THOSE who run the National Accountability Bureau should hang
their heads in shame — if they have any capacity for it.

The anti-graft body has often been censured for its modus operandi but this time around,
no less than the Supreme Court has excoriated its workings as being patently(openly)
unlawful, unjust and in furtherance of a political agenda.

▪ Authored by Justice Maqbool Baqar, the 87-page judgement in the Paragon City
case describes the matter as “a classic example of trampling of fundamental rights,
unlawful deprivation of freedom, and liberty and the complete disregard for human
dignity as guaranteed by the Constitution”.
▪ The two-judge bench had granted bail on March 17 to the accused, former railways
minister and PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique and his brother Khawaja Salman
Rafique, overturning a rejection of their bail plea by the Lahore High Court on June
18 last year.

Severe Criticism on NAB: Analysis__The court has perceived NAB’s conduct in this case
as part of an unmistakable wider pattern that speaks to objectives far removed from
any notion of accountability.

Discrimination of NAB__ The verdict notes the bureau’s reluctance to act against one side
of the political divide even where huge financial scams are concerned,

▪ while “those on the other side are being arrested and incarcerated for months and
years without providing any sufficient cause even when the law mandates
investigations to be concluded expeditiously and trial to be concluded within 30 days”.

How else can this be interpreted but as a witch-hunt, the very antithesis of
accountability? Pursuing a political vendetta in this guise only erodes the people’s faith in
governance, exacerbates political divides and brings the democratic process into disrepute.
Indeed, when mechanisms of justice are manipulated into serving instead as instruments of
persecution, it puts the very future of a country at stake.

▪ The Supreme Court verdict reiterates that NAB’s actions violate the principle of
‘innocent until proven guilty’, which is included in the UN charter of human rights.
The bureau chairman’s powers to arbitrarily carry out arrests have proved a
convenient stick with which to beat the opposition — and the odd recalcitrant
journalist — with. Taking an individual into custody on allegations of corruption and
keeping him there is a surefire way of destroying his reputation in the court of public
opinion, even when evidence is flimsy or non-existent.

Conclusion:__ The humiliation inflicted over the past few years by NAB on numerous
bureaucrats who allegedly carried out illegal orders by ‘corrupt’ politicians, has rendered the
bureaucracy virtually catatonic. A number of businessmen were also hauled up by NAB;
that did not have a salutary effect on the investment climate in the country and the law was
tweaked accordingly.

Recommendation:__ Now that the Supreme Court has weighed in so unequivocally, the
government must sit with the opposition and thrash out new accountability legislation, one
that actually serves the ends of justice.

4 ICEP Dawn Analysis

 Dawn Editorial Explained:
Dawn editorial is an article that presents the newspaper's opinion on an issue. It reflects the
majority vote of the editorial board, the governing body of the newspaper made up of editors
and Opinionist. It is usually unsigned. Much in the same manner of a lawyer, Dawn editorial
writers build on an argument and try to persuade readers to think the same way they do. Dawn
Editorials are meant to influence public opinion, promote critical thinking, and sometimes cause
people to take action on an issue. In essence, an editorial is an opinionated news story.

Structure of Today’s Editorial

Authored by Justice Maqbool Baqar,

Introduction or Main
Points
…………............................
THOSE who run the
NationalAccountability
Bureau should hang their
heads in shame — if they
have any capacity for it.
The anti-graft body has often
been censured for its modus
operandi but this time
around, no less than the
Supreme Court has
excoriated its workings as
being patently unlawful,
unjust and in furtherance of
a political agenda.
How else can this be
interpreted but as a witch-
hunt, the very antithesis of
accountability? Pursuing a
political vendetta in this
guise only erodes the
people’s faith in governance,
exacerbates political divides
and brings the democratic
process into disrepute.
Indeed, when mechanisms of
justice are manipulated into
serving instead as
instruments of persecution, it
puts the very future of a
country at stake.
the 87-page judgement in the Paragon
City case describes the matter as “a
classic example of trampling of
fundamental rights, unlawful deprivation
of freedom, and liberty and the complete
disregard for human dignity as
guaranteed by the Constitution”.
Supporting The Supreme Court verdict reiterates
Arguments that NAB’s actions violate the principle
of ‘innocent until proven guilty’, which
is included in the UN charter of human
rights.
Authored by Justice Maqbool Baqar, the 87-page
judgement in the Paragon City.
Facts&
The two-judge bench had granted bail on March
Figures 17 to the accused, former railways minister and
PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique and his
brother Khawaja Salman Rafique, overturning a
rejection of their bail plea by the Lahore High
Court on June 18 last year.
The humiliation inflicted over the past few
Recommen- years by NAB on numerous bureaucrats
dation or who allegedly carried out illegal orders by
‘corrupt’ politicians, has rendered the
Conclusion bureaucracy virtually catatonic.
The government must sit with the
opposition and thrash out new
accountability legislation, one that
actually serves the ends of justice.

5 ICEP Dawn Analysis

 Vocab Description (given with context for better understanding )

Context: National Accountability Bureau should hang their heads in shame

Meaning: Hang head in the shame: (Idiom) to look down because one is ashamed

Context: The anti-graft body has often been censured

Meaning Anti-graft: (adjective). opposed to or designed to reduce corruption

Context: for its modus operandi but this time

Meaning: modus operandi: method of operation, manner of action

Context: Supreme Court has excoriated its workings

Meaning: Excoriated: harshly criticize, denounce; remove the skin from

Context: a classic example of trampling of fundamental rights,

Meaning:
Trampling: treat with contempt: the act of crushing under foot.
a lay statesman ought not to trample upon the opinions of his Church advisers.

Context: — and the odd recalcitrant journalist —

Meaning: recalcitrant: adjective having an obstinately uncooperative attitude towards

authority or discipline: a class of recalcitrant fifteen-year-olds.

Context: corrupt’ politicians, has rendered the bureaucracy virtually catatonic.

Meaning: catatonic: it is derived from Catatonia

In Psychiatry Catatonia is abnormality of movement and behaviour arising from a disturbed

mental state (typically schizophrenia). It may involve repetitive or purposeless overactivity, or
catalepsy, resistance to passive movement, and negativism.

6 ICEP Dawn Analysis

 Read the simple Passage if you feel hindrance from deconstruction

UAE Mars probe | Dawn Editorial

Editorial 22 Jul, 2020

SPACE, the final frontier, has fascinated man since time immemorial, and in the modern age
aiming for the stars has become a matter of national prestige. At the height of the Cold War,
the Soviets and the Americans competed fiercely in the space race, sending chimps, dogs
and eventually humans into space. However, it was the Americans who took a ‘giant leap’
by putting Neil Armstrong on the moon in 1969. Ever since those heady days, countries
have been trying their best to add their names to the elite spacefaring club. On Monday
morning, the UAE made significant progress through Al Amal, dubbed the first Arab
mission to Mars, launched from a Japanese site. The UAE had only some time ago put its
first astronaut in space.

Due largely to its backwardness in all things scientific, the Muslim world has been a laggard
in the space race. While the first Muslim in space was a Saudi prince — Sultan bin Salman,
son of the current king — who hitched a ride aboard an American shuttle in 1985, Muslim
states have made slow advances in space exploration, mostly guided by technology
developed by others. The fact is that whether it is space travel or any other branch of
advanced science, the Muslim world does not have much to boast about. While the world of
Islam blazed trails up till the Middle Ages, ever since the colonial and postcolonial eras
there has been mostly silence. Apart from Turkey and Iran, most Muslim states are
consumers of scientific knowledge, not producers. The reasons for this are many; primarily,
Muslim rulers have not been too bothered about promoting scientific learning and
innovation, while decaying education systems create mostly rote learners. Even the oil-rich
Arab sheikdoms, who have built skyscrapers with foreign expertise, have not inspired their
pampered native populations to innovate and excel. A truly exciting day will be one when
students in the Muslim world will have the training and academic vigour to chart their own
way to the stars.

7 ICEP Dawn Analysis

UAE Mars probe | Dawn Editorial

Topic Sentence:__ SPACE, the final frontier, has fascinated man since time immemorial,
and in the modern age aiming for the stars has become a matter of national prestige.

▪ At the height of the Cold War, the Soviets and the Americans competed fiercely
in the space race, sending chimps, dogs and eventually humans into space. However, it
was the Americans who took a ‘giant leap’ by putting Neil Armstrong on the moon
in 1969.

Ever since those heady days, countries have been trying their best to add their names to the
elite spacefaring club. On Monday morning, the UAE made significant progress through Al
Amal, dubbed the first Arab mission to Mars, launched from a Japanese site. The UAE had
only some time ago put its first astronaut in space.

Muslim World in Space Race:

Due largely to its backwardness in all things scientific, the Muslim world has been a
laggard in the space race.

▪ While the first Muslim in space was a Saudi prince — Sultan bin Salman, son of
the current king — who hitched a ride aboard an American shuttle in 1985,

Muslim states have made slow advances in space exploration, mostly guided by technology
developed by others.

Critical Analysis:__

The fact is that whether it is space travel or any other branch of advanced science, the
Muslim world does not have much to boast about. While the world of Islam blazed trails
up till the Middle Ages, ever since the colonial and postcolonial eras there has been mostly
silence.

▪ Apart from Turkey and Iran, most Muslim states are consumers of scientific
knowledge, not producers.

Why Muslims are backward in Science 🤦:

The reasons for this are many;

▪ primarily, Muslim rulers have not been too bothered about promoting scientific
learning and innovation, while decaying education systems create mostly rote learners.
▪ Even the oil-rich Arab sheikdoms( territory ruled by a sheik) who have built
skyscrapers with foreign expertise, have not inspired their pampered native
populations to innovate and excel.

Way forward:

A truly exciting day will be one when students in the Muslim world will have the
training and academic vigour to chart their own way to the stars.

8 ICEP Dawn Analysis

Notes of the Editorial:____

What are the Details of the Mars Mission of UAE?

The United Arab Emirates successfully launched its Mars-bound Hope Probe on
Sunday, marking the the Arab world's first interplanetary mission -- and the
first of three international missions to the Red Planet this summer.

The Hope Probe took off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan, after a
delay last week due to bad weather. The solid rocket booster successfully separated
from the launch vehicle, and the probe has established two-way communication
with the ground segment in Dubai.

What is the name of the probe, where it is aimed to reach?

The Al Amal probe, as it is called in Arabic, is expected to reach Mars by

February 2021. It will be the first time the UAE has orbited Mars, and the probe
will stay in orbit for a Martian year -- equivalent to 687 days on Earth -- to gather
data about Mars' atmosphere.

What is the Pakistan's Role in Space Technology amongst Muslim World?

Pakistan’s efforts in achieving space technology dates back to the beginning of the
60s, indebted to the recommendations of the noble laureate Abdus-Salam. In 1962,
by launching Rehbar-I and Rehbar-II from the Sonmiani launch facility, located in
the Balochistan province, roughly 145 km from the city of Karachi, Pakistan
emerged as the first Muslim nation and the tenth in the world, to launch two-stage
rockets. Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission,
SUPARCO, remained quite active and roughly 3 decades after the successful
launch of Rehbar rockets, the first experimental Pakistani satellite, BADR-1, was
placed in orbit, using Chinese Chang Zheng 2E space rocket. This was followed by
BADR-B, another experimental satellite, launched into a sun-synchronous circular
orbit, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. More recently, in 2011, the
first Pakistani communication satellite, PAKSAT-1R, with a service life of 15
years, was developed and launched by the China Great Wall Industry Corporation
(CGWIC). SUPARCO also plays an active role in popularizing astronomy in
Pakistan.

9 ICEP Dawn Analysis

Population Problem | Daily times Editorial
Introduction:__
One of the areas where Pakistan should take measures on war-footing is birth control if the
projected population, released in the 2020 World Population Data Sheet by the US
Population Reference Bureau, Washington, is to be viewed.

Key Figures:__

According to the datasheet, Pakistan’s current population is estimated at 220.9 million with
an annual fertility rate of 3.6 children per couple, which makes it among the fastest
growing countries.

▪ The projection predicts that as per Pakistan’s growth rate, its population will double in
19.4 years – 2039.

Detailed Analysis:__

Pakistan is not alone in contributing to make the world population oversized, as the
whole South Asian region standouts with the shameful contribution. According to the
report, South Asia is among the fastest growing regions in the world and within the
region, it marks Afghanistan and Pakistan as the fastest growing populations.

Afghanistan’s growth rate is even faster from Pakistan, 4.5 per couple. The government as
well as the public needs to take the population matter seriously and bring the growth rate
down to two per cent a year to reduce its population. This is not going to happen if our
attitude towards population is to be viewed.

We remember that when the government released census results back in 2017, instead of
taking the figures seriously and working towards population control, provinces and ethnic
groups hurled allegations of hiding their real numbers. In our part of the world, more
population means more rights on national revenue in the finance commission. Social and
economic scientists need to educate the people about the value of less population.

Conclusion:__

In fact, the whole world needs to work on population control as the data sheet states that the
world today has a total of 7.8 billion inhabitants with China on the top of the list
followed by India. But the two countries have shown a tremendous decrease in fertility
rate – China 1.5 and India 2.2.

▪ With these fertility rates, China’s and India’s population will decrease. The ongoing
coronavirus pandemic has also underscored the need for population control as the
report warns that “population density in urban areas, household size, and population
aging contribute to our vulnerability to pandemics”. Other than Pakistan and certain
other countries, fertility rate is going down around the world as older adults ages 65
and older now make up nine per cent of the global population.

Suggestion:__ The report is an opportunity for our government and the people to make
population a debatable issue and take measures to tackle the population bomb or leave a
starving legacy.

10 ICEP Dawn Analysis

Related Notes of the Editorial:____

Overpopulation is threat to Humanity, prove it with some with arguments?

Exhaustion of natural resources: the main effect of overpopulation is the unequal

and unrestrained use of resources. The planet has a limited capacity to generate raw
materials and each year the natural resources deficit – the consumption of resources
at a faster rate than the planet is able to generate them – is reached earlier.
Consequently, in developing countries, overpopulation causes fierce rivalries to
control resources. Territorial conflicts over water supply are due in many cases to
geopolitical tensions and can end in war.

Environmental degradation: unbridled use of natural resources, as well as growth

in energy production from coal, oil and natural gas (fossil fuels) is having a negative
impact on the planet. Consequences number, on the one hand, deforestation and
desertification, extinction of animal and plant species and changes in the water cycle
and the most direct consequence of all in the form of emissions of large quantities of
greenhouse gases leading to global warming.

Rising unemployment: on the other hand, a high number of workers exist for a
limited number of vacancies and this seems destined to lead to high rates of
joblessness in the future. This in turn could provoke rising crime and social revolt.

Rising living costs: all the above will lead, at the end of the day, to increasing living
costs in most countries. Fewer resources, less water, the packing of many people
into confined spaces and a lack of money are provoking an increase in the cost of
living whereby only a percentage of the population will be able to cover all their
needs.

Conclusion_As you can see, the impact of overpopulation is tremendous.

Overpopulation is one of the biggest challenges humanity is facing and threatens the
near future of the planet in economic, environmental and social terms.

How we can control it with Global Conversation? Which Countries don’t want
it?

In the long term, we must begin a global conversation about how many people
should live on planet Earth. This conversation will be difficult but it is necessary.
Most of the overpopulated areas of the world have black, brown, or Asian
populations. Who should tell Nigeria or Kenya to reduce its population or that India
and China have a combined 500 million more citizens than is sustainable? This
conversation will also be complicated because Canada and the United States
annually produce 20 tons of carbon dioxide per capita, Germany and the Netherlands
produce 8.5 tons, India produces 2 tons, and Nigeria 1.8 tons. If our goal is to reduce
greenhouse gases as quickly as possible, reducing the United States or Canada’s
population by 1 has the same effect on greenhouse gas reduction as reducing
overpopulated Nigeria’s population by 11.

11 ICEP Dawn Analysis

Inaction Regarding FATF | The Nation Editorial
Introduction:
The 3-month deadline extension for the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) review gives
the government a chance to find a resolution regarding the completion of the remaining 13
points of the FATF to get us off the grey list. There is also the urgent need to do something
about the rapidly increasing circular debt; currently at Rs2.2 trillion. However, instead of
discussing these pressing issues, the meeting of the National Assembly’s committee on
Finance was called off due to a lack of quorum exhibited by parliamentarians.

Critical Analysis:

As such, the pre-decided agenda of tackling crucial issues relating to the 2020 bills of the
Government Savings Bank, Post Office Cash Certificate, Post Office National Savings
Certificate and Financial Institutions (secured Transactions) was left in the air—odd
considering how straightforward the proceedings would have been. When the committee
will be able to reconvene and pass legislation that satisfies FATF requirements and meet the
October deadline is yet to be announced.

Given that it is imperative for Pakistan to exit FATF’s grey list, the need for prompt action
cannot be understated. Parliamentary committees exist to give politicians a platform through
which they can foster discourse and pass effective legislation. Only through maintaining
decorum will the promise of the proposals be understood along with the reservations of the
opposition. Thus, basic guidelines such as attendance, patience and respect need to become
permanent features so that agendas can be followed, agreements can be reached and
solutions can be implemented.

Conclusion:

Complying with 27 FATF conditions is no mean feat but having already fulfilled 14
successfully, there is no doubt that it is well in the capacity for our government to resolve
this matter.

Suggestion:

Through a little discipline, recovery from this setback, as well as the long-term rescue from
jeopardy, is possible. Our political representatives just need to ensure that they work
diligently on these issues.

12 ICEP Dawn Analysis

 Let’s walk-through Some Idioms and vocab in today’s document

1. Hang head in a shame: to be embarrassed

Laggard
2. noun a person who
makes slow progress
War-footing:
and falls behind
If others:
_ a country or armed force is on
_a war footing, it is ready to fight Example: staff were
_a war. __
_ under
_ __ enormous
_ pressure
Example:
_ The president placed __ __ and there
_ was
_the republic on a war footing. __no__time for
_ laggards
_ __ __ __
__
_ __ __ __
__
_ __ __ __
__
_ __ __ __
__
__ __ __ __ __
__ __ __ __
__
_ __ __ __
__
_ __ __ __
__
_ __ __ __
__ No mean Feat (Idiom)
_ __ __ __
__
_ To be a considerably great, __ __ __
__
_ difficult, or noteworthy __ __ Blaze
__
__
_ achievement or outcome. __conspicuous
a __ __
__ Immemorial
_ __ __ __
display or outburst
__
_ Example: __ __ __
of something:
__
__ ancient, beyond __ __ __
_ Well Done Rabia K, getting
_ what can be __ __ __
Example
__ well so soon from injury is no
_ __ __ __
__ remembered mean feat. their relationship
__ __ __ __
__ __ __ __ in a blaze
broke up
__ of publicity
_
__
__ __ __ .
_ _ __ __
__
_ __ __
__
_ _ __
__
_ __
__
_ _
__
_
__
_
__
__
_
__
__
__
__
__ 13 ICEP Dawn Analysis
__
_
__
 Introduction to Idiom

14 ICEP Dawn Analysis

 DAWN+ OPINIONS SECTION

15 ICEP Dawn Analysis

Major Powers’ interests in Afghanistan | Pakistan Today
By: Syed Usama Shirazi (The writer is M.Phil in I.R from Quaid-e- Azam University)

Thesis Statement

Afghanistan has not seen peace and tranquility since the USSR invaded it as
a part of its expansionist strategy. The USA, the Soviet arch-rival entered
the arena to circumscribe it through its alliance with jihadis, using the
Pakistani state in this nexus of holy warriors and crusaders against
communist Russians.

Introduction:

After the Soviet debacle(defeat) at the hands of jihadis, things were changed. The
former allies were designated terrorists and Pakistan was penalized by economic sanctions
through the Pressler Amendment. The Soviet withdrawal created a power vacuum and to fill
it different factions of jihadis started infighting which culminated in the capture of Kabul by
the Taliban. The Taliban ruled the country until the incident of 9/11 happened which gave
the USA a pretext to winkle them out of the power.

Then came the darkest era of violence and horrors which engulfed hundreds of
thousands of innocent lives and ravaged the whole infrastructure of the county. After
the protracted war, both parties realized that they could not end the conflict without a
negotiated settlement that would be acceptable to both sides.

From the moment the USA and the Taliban signed the peace deal in Doha, Qatar, this
year, many have been optimistic about the arrival of peace and normalcy in the country.
However, while optimism is a good thing, when it overshadows the reality, things backfire.
The peace in Afghanistan does not merely depend upon the withdrawal of forces. Rather,
until the interests of all major stakeholders are met, peace is elusive.

The Unending War

To bring normalcy in Afghanistan is not as easy as it looks. The conflicting interests of the
major stakeholders are real impediments. China, Pakistan, and Russia are on one page since
their interests are entwined with peace in Afghanistan. While on the other hand, India and
the USA are on the devil’s side as their interests lie in sabotaging BRI and CPEC, which can
only be done by creating and flaring insurgency in both China and Pakistan using Afghan
soil.

16 ICEP Dawn Analysis

 MAJOR PLAYERS IN AFGHANISTAN
China:__ it wants to exploit enormous Afghan’s mineral market and to ensure the
smooth running of its Belt and Road Initiative-related projects.

Moreover, it wants to keep extremist tendencies away from its border areas as these
could destabilize its already ethnically disturbed province of Xinxiang. Thus, peace
in Afghanistan is as imperative for China as it is for Afghanistan.

Pakistan:__ having a 2200-kilometer porous border with Afghanistan, Pakistan has

always been apprehensive of its security and the role of India in using Afghanistan
against it. At present, Pakistan has two broader interests: to stop cross-border
terrorism as it wants to mainstream its border areas, the erstwhile FATA.

Secondly, to keep India out of Afghanistan as it has been using it to create

insurgency in erstwhile FATA and Baluchistan. Hence, Pakistan’s interests are
aligned with a peaceful Afghanistan.

Russia:__ Russia, once a bringer of catastrophes on Afghan soil, now, does not have
any hegemonic design to. It wants to protect its backyard from extremism and
terrorism to get maximum advantage of the new Central Asian great game. Hence,
peace in Afghanistan will also serve Russian’s interests.

The USA:__ the USA signed the deal with the Taliban not to bring peace in the
country but to get a safe passage for its forces and to secure some domestic electoral
interests. Without a deal, the withdrawal would have been considered as a debacle of
the US military, which would have also depleted its global standing as a
superpower. The USA has still many unfulfilled strategic objectives in Afghanistan
and without achieving them, it will not leave. Washington sees China’s rise as a threat
to its existence and will not spare any effort in containing it. Afghanistan is its base
station from where it will derail Belt and Road projects by creating insurgency in the
region. The emergence of ISIK can be seen in this perspective as it has been gaining
considerable ground in Afghanistan. The USA can also use Afghani soil to hire and
train fighters for the East Turkmenistan Islamic Movement to create insurgency in
Xinjiang. The withdrawal of forces does not mean that peace would again come to the
country. It is a part of the US new retrenchment strategy which aimed to reduce
unnecessary military spending abroad. The US strategic interests in Afghanistan are the
same as they were when it invaded the country in 2001. By the recent peace deal, it has
just changed its tactics to secure those interests more efficiently and cost-effectively
and ISIK is its practical manifestation.

17 ICEP Dawn Analysis

 India:__ It has many strategic interests in Afghanistan but pivotal is the
encirclement of Pakistan. It has been using Afghan soil to create insurgency in
FATA, Baluchistan, and Karachi by providing financial, technical, and logistic
support to TTP, BLA, BLF, and many other terrorist organizations.

▪ Moreover, India being a strategic US ally, has also gone a step further in
containing China in the region.

▪ The recent Sino-Indian standoff in Doklam is being seen by many strategic

analysts as a part of a broader US strategy to contain China. Hence, Indians’
interests are aligned with those of the USA which can only be served by
insurgency that could engulf Afghanistan in particular, and Pakistan and
China as well
Intra-Afghan dialogue Issues:

In the intra-Afghan dialogue, the thorniest issue would be the nature of the state and the
constitution. President Ashraf Ghani, along with his northern allies, has already started
seeking international support to make the end state a republic.

The biggest challenge for the Taliban would be to extend an iota of concession to this
demand. Even if compelled to accept a moderate constitution, they will still lose the support
of a broad faction of their ideological warriors. In this case, ISIK will fill the space and an
endless cascade of violence would be the future of Afghanistan.

Conclusion:__

To bring normalcy in Afghanistan is not as easy as it looks. The conflicting interests of the
major stakeholders are real impediments. China, Pakistan, and Russia are on one page
since their interests are entwined with peace in Afghanistan. While on the other hand,
India and the USA are on the devil’s side as their interests lie in sabotaging BRI and
CPEC, which can only be done by creating and flaring insurgency in both China and
Pakistan using Afghan soil.

Moreover, seeking too many concessions from the Taliban would also be a grave mistake
as they have their compulsions. Otherwise, if they lose ground to ISIK, not only the future
of Afghanistan but of the whole region would suffer.

The writer is pursuing MPhil in international relations from Quaid-i-Azam University,

Islamabad.

18 ICEP Dawn Analysis

 Post-Covid reconstruction of Pakistan| “The News” Opinion
By: Atta-ur-Rehman

The writer is the former chairman of the HEC, and president of the Network of Academies of
Science of OIC Countries (NASIC).

Thesis Statement:

The Covid-19 epidemic has created many challenges but also opened up many
opportunities for developing countries such as Pakistan. One of the new
opportunities relates to distance education.

The New Array of Awareness towards Education:

There is increased awareness of the excellent internationally available courses at school,

college and university levels from top institutions of the world, many of which are available
freely or at nominal cost. These can dramatically help boost educational standards since the
biggest hurdle in raising standards of education in Pakistan is the quality of faculty at school,
college and university levels.

The Case of Pakistan' Education: We have about 1.5 million students enrolled in the
higher education sector but there are only about 15,000 faculty members at the PhD
level. To reach a ratio of one PhD level faculty member for every 20 students, we need to
have another 60,000 PhD level faculty. Clearly, our present allocations to the higher
education sector do not allow the level of investment needed to send so many students for
doctoral training abroad.

The situation in colleges is even worse, this being the most neglected sector of education.
School level education poses an even bigger problem with the pathetic state of government
schools in the country. The answer to these issues is however available, if we only have the
will to apply it.

Online Courses Opportunities in Education:

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) provide the solution, if properly

used. MOOCs have been available from MIT in the form of MIT Open
courseware for over 20 years and subsequently other universities have also
started offering these courses. They include Stanford, Harvard, Yale,
University of California and many other universities.

FutureLearn, based in London, is a digital education platform founded in

December 2012 by the Open University and SEEK Ltd. It now includes 175
UK and international partners and offers courses in many disciplines.

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Similarly Udemy, founded in May 2010, is an American online learning
platform that has more than 50 million students and 57,000 instructors, with
teaching courses in over 65 languages. Khan Academy founded in 2008 by
Salman Khan is also a US-based company that offers school and college level
practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard
to teach maths, science, computing, history, economics etc.

What Pakistan need to Do?

Realising the importance of these teaching platforms, and after

permission of the companies concerned, we have downloaded most of
these materials and integrated them on a single platform. This therefore
provides students with a single source free access to tens of thousands of
excellent courses at school, college and university levels. This integrated
version of MOOCs (iMOOCs) has been developed at the International
Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi
under our supervision. It is available at www.lej4learning.com.pk This
exciting initiative allows any individual anywhere in the world to benefit
from these materials. Many of the school level courses are dubbed in
Urdu.

What is needed now is for the federal and provincial ministries of

education to make it mandatory for all schools, colleges and universities
to adopt and adapt these courses so that we can quickly implement a
“blended education” system that allows us to learn not only from our
own teachers but also from the best teachers in the world.

In a related six billion rupee project funded through the Knowledge

Economy Task Force of which Prime Minister Imran Khan is chairman
and I am vice chairman, a system of blended education will be
implemented by the Virtual University in order to uplift university
education. It should prove to be an important step forward to introduce
this powerful system of education on a wide scale in Pakistan.

With the Fourth Industrial Revolution upon us, the face of businesses and
industries are changing rapidly, and posing new challenges to our
systems of education that a blended system of education can address
effectively. According to McKinsey Global, there will be a 100 trillion
dollar impact of new and emerging disruptive technologies by 2025, of
which Artificial Intelligence alone will have an impact of $15.7 trillion.
Artificial intelligence is now transforming almost every sphere of human
activity, ranging from medicine and agriculture, to industrial
manufacture, transportation, home appliances and warfare.

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 Post COVID-19 Advancement in Education:

IBM’s computer, ‘Watson’, is already helping nurses diagnose cancer with an

accuracy four times greater than humans. Lawyers in the US are worried if they
will be able to find jobs because IBM Watson can offer legal advice within
seconds with 90 percent accuracy compared with 70 percent accuracy of human
lawyers.

Age of Singularity:

It is predicted that by 2030 the stage of ‘singularity’ will be achieved and

computers will become far more intelligent than humans including acquiring
the ability to acquire knowledge by themselves, learn from their mistakes and
improve their abilities at lightning speed. Artificial intelligence is already being
used for recognizing minute changes in facial expressions when persons are
lying, thereby making life difficult for criminals.

Elon Musk SpaceX:

American entrepreneur Elon Musk established the company SpaceX which is

able to launch rockets to space at a fraction of the cost of what it was costing
NASA. About three years ago, the value of the shares of the electric car
company Tesla, founded in 2003, overtook the value of shares of Ford, founded
a hundred years earlier, and it is now widely recognized that the combustion
engine is now on its way out. Within a decade, most petrol/diesel cars and buses
will be replaced by electric vehicles.

Nanotechnology:

Nanotechnology emerged accidentally when it was found that remarkable

changes of properties in materials occur when their sizes are reduced to
between 1 nanometer (nm) and 100 nm. Gold for instance becomes blue-green,
red or purple in colour, depending on the particle size, if its size is reduced to
the nanoscale. Nanotechnology is finding many applications in medicine,
agriculture, food, water purification, cosmetics, electronics, new materials and
many other fields. Nano agriculture-related products are now estimated to have
a market of $20 billion that is expanding rapidly.

Metamaterials:

‘Metamaterials’ have been developed that bend light. Materials covered with
such materials become invisible, and these are already being used for cloaking
tanks and weapons. Two professors at Manchester University shared the 2010
Nobel Prize for discovering a carbon material that is 200 times stronger than
steel: ‘graphene’. Graphene is having a profound impact on new electronic
devices such as mobile phone batteries. The lithium ion batteries made out of
planar sheets of graphene now last 10 times longer than conventional batteries.
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Conclusion:

The emergence of such new technologies is now opening up new and fantastic opportunities
for the developing countries. It is imperative that we prepare our children for the new era of
the Knowledge Economy, where natural resources have diminishing importance. It is here
where the blended education programmes mentioned above can help us leapfrog into the
future. Our ministries of education need to act with a sense of urgency and move quickly to
a blended system of education.

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UNIVERSAL SOCIAL SECURITY | Editorial-based

This article is based on “India needs a universal social security system”

which was published in The Hindustan Times recently. It talks about the
need for universal social security in India.

Note: It is about Indian state, but we can easily relate it to Pakistan.

Almost we need it too.

Introduction

The lockdown necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic has caused misery to almost
all sections of society, but the vulnerable section viz. people below the poverty line,
migrant workers have been affected the most.

Further, the principle of Universality of social security is enshrined in various goals

related to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In this context, the
imperative of providing universal social security, has assumed much significance.

What is the Social Security System?

▪ According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Social
Security is a comprehensive approach designed to prevent deprivation, give
assurance to the individual of a basic minimum income for himself and his
dependents and to protect the individual from any uncertainties.
▪ It is also comprised of two elements, namely:
o Right to a Standard of Living adequate for the health and well-being,
including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social
services.
o Right to Income Security in the event of unemployment, sickness,
disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances
beyond any person’s control.
Need For Universal Social Security in India
▪ Majority of WorkForce is in Unorganised Sector: The organised sector
workers constitute less than 10% of all workers in India.
o This leaves more than 90% of the workforce without job security, labour
rights and post-retirement provisions.
o Also, in a dynamic market-economy, workers will lose jobs at a faster pace
with technological changes. Thus, workers need to keep learning to stay
productively employed.
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 o However, in spite of great attention given to skills development in the last
15 years, the results are not very encouraging.
▪ Too Expensive Private Healthcare Expense: Out-of-pocket health expenses,
which create barriers to seeking healthcare and can push marginal households
into poverty, form as much as nearly 90% of private expenditure on health.
o Also Covid-19 has highlighted the urgency for providing universal free
health care. It has demonstrated that private health care can be afforded
only by the wealthy.
▪ Inadequate Expenditure on Social Security: India has a broad aim of social
protection programs, but the overall public expenditure on social protection
(excluding public healthcare) is only approx. 1.5% of the GDP, lower than
many middle-income countries across the world.
Steps To Implement Universal Social System
Extending MGNREGA to Urban Areas

▪ MGNREGA has proved its utility by providing employment to millions of

workers who have reverse migrated.
▪ Thus, there is a case for extending this programme to urban areas with
municipal bodies being given the responsibility for providing a fixed no of days
work to all those seeking it.
▪ Municipal bodies have a range of work to get done, such as improving
sanitation, minor repairs, in which they could productively use labour.
▪ Also, a MGNREGA scheme in urban areas can be framed to attach on-the-job
skill development.
Skill Development via ‘Learning while Earning’ Model

▪ The principle of “learning while earning” should be more vigorously applied to

improve India’s skill development systems.
▪ The best way to learn useful skills is on the job, supplemented with off-line
modules, which has been the successful approach of governments and
employers in Germany and Japan.
▪ The principle of on-the-job learning supplemented with government-supported
training can be applied in clusters of small and medium enterprises.
▪ That way, not only can physical infrastructure be improved in rural and urban
areas, but human capabilities will also be simultaneously developed.

Providing Universal Health Coverage

▪ There is a need to establish the Ayushman Bharat-National Health Agency at

all levels of governance for management of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya
Yojana (PM-JAY).

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 o Also, greater autonomy to public hospitals is required to use claims money
generated under PM-JAY to improve facilities, purchase the necessary
drugs/tests and provide performance-based incentives to staff.
▪ There is a need to review and iron out the challenges with the business model
of Jan Aushadhi stores to ensure that they can function as self-sustaining
entities and scale up rapidly across the country.
▪ The State must also provide the infrastructure and make doctors and facilities
accessible.
o Digital technologies, telemedicine, pharmacy chains of generic drugs,
promotion of healthier lifestyles, and greater use of trained nurses and
paramedics can improve health care and lower costs dramatically.
o In this context, the target of raising the share of expenditure on health care
to 2.5% of the GDP, as envisaged by the National health policy 2017, in
the next two years would be a good beginning.
o

Conclusion
The need for a Universal social security is also highlighted by the various provisions
under Indian constitution, like Directive Principles of State Policy, which envisages
the State to provide public assistance to all sections of society, including vulnerable
sections.

25 ICEP Dawn Analysis