PUNJAB JUDICIAL OFFICERS

ACADEMY
(A Project of Al-Bahria CSS Institute)
DAWN Editorials: 04 October 2023, Wednesday
Anti-smuggling drive
THAT caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti openly admitted on Monday that security personnel are
involved in large-scale smuggling of currency, oil, and other commodities across Pakistan`s borders
with Iran and Afghanistan should be appreciated. Mr Bugti not only acknowledged that security
officials played a role in the illegal cross-border movement of currency and commodities but also
indicated that the army chief had warned his men that those involved in the practice would face court-
martial and jail. The clampdown on smugglers and hoarders was launched last month after the army
chief`s back-to-back meetings with the business community in Lahore and Karachi where he pledged to
crack down on illegal activities `to rid Pakistan of the substantial losses it continues to suffer due to
pilferage`. The next several weeks will be a test of the civil and military authorities` resolve to expose
and punish the elements involved in this illicit cross-border trade as the government intensifies a
nationwide crackdown to curb the smuggling out of dollars and commodities such as wheat and sugar,
and the influx of cheap petroleum and other items from Iran and Afghanistan.

However, our porous borders along Balochistan and KP are not the only routes being used by smugglers
to conduct their illegal trade. Indeed, these routes are used to `import` and `export` commodities such
as sugar, oil, tyres, urea and even vehicles in big numbers. But high-value products such as branded
perfumes, expensive watches and designer purses are mostly being brought from Dubai and other Gulf
nations into the country by khepiyaas through major airports and seaports in connivance with Customs
officials and personnel of other agencies. These items are mostly smuggled in without the payment of
taxes or are hugely under-invoiced. Similarly, it is easier to take dollars out of the country via an airport
than any other way. No wonder Peshawar`s proverbial Bara bazaar, which used to be the only source of
smuggled foreign goods for affluent middle-class families until the late 1980s, has spread across the
length and breadth of the country. The shelves of most shops are stacked with such products, because
no one asks the powerful trader community to provide documentary proof that taxes were paid on the
`import` of such items.

No anti-smuggling drive can deliver complete success without making it difficult for the traders to
display and sell smuggled and under-invoiced goods, in addition to dismantling the nexus between
traders and civil and security officials posted along the borders and ports. Smuggling is eating into the
economy, weakening it and imposing enormous costs on the manufacturing industry, jobs and public
well-being. We can only hope that the current mobilisation against illegal cross-border trade will not be
called off midway as has been the case in the past.

Sr.# Word Part of Speech Meaning in Urdu Synonyms

01 Indicated Verb ‫ااشرہایک‬ Showed, designated

02 Clampdown Noun ‫اخومشرکاےنایدابےناکمع‬ Crackdown, suppression

03 Hoarders Noun ‫ذریخہادنوز‬ Collectors, accumulators

04 Pledged Verb ‫دہعایک‬ Promised, vowed
05 Pilferage Noun ‫وچریرکےناکمع‬ Burglary, crime
06 Porous Adjective ‫اسممدار‬،‫ریغوفحمظ‬ Permeable, absorbent
07 Connivance Noun ‫یلمگھب‬ Involvement, support
08 Under-invoiced Adjective ‫زریِرہفتس‬ Under account
09 Affluent Adjective ‫دوتلنم‬،‫اریم‬ Wealthy, prosperous
10 Dismantling Verb ‫متخرکان‬ Pulling apart

Arranged by: Prof Naveed Sabri

21 Babar Block, New Garden Town, Near Barkat Market Lahore
0333-4438610 0300-4469650 0300-1905555 042-35911609
 PUNJAB JUDICIAL OFFICERS
ACADEMY
(A Project of Al-Bahria CSS Institute)
DAWN Editorials: 04 October 2023, Wednesday
Deadly trade
PAKISTAN may never have witnessed a character as notorious and slippery in the illegal organ
trade as Fawad Mumtaz. A plastic surgeon-turned-alleged criminal mastermind, Mr Mumtaz has
repeatedly escaped the clutches of the law, making a mockery of our law-enforcement and justice
systems. His recent escape from FIA`s custody and rearrest has once more put the spotlight on the
dark web of organ trafficking in Pakistan. Mr Mumtaz`s operations have reportedly spanned
Punjab, KP and AJK since 2009. He has, allegedly, even preyed on clients from the Gulf countries.
The billionaire surgeon reportedly thrived on exploiting desperate donors and critically ill patients
alike, leveraging their despair for financial gain. The insidious episode involving the unfortunate
demise of comedian Umer Sharif`s daughter, following an illegal transplant by Mr Mumtaz,
underscores the dire stakes involved and the sheer impunity with which these criminal networks
operate. Not only is the physical well-being of individuals at risk, the ethical fibre of our medical
community is also threatened.

It is imperative we dissect the depth and reach of Mr Mumtaz`s network, bringing every enabler,
accomplice and beneficiary of this malicious trade to justice. The onus falls on our lawmakers, law
enforcers, and the medical community, to irrevocably dismantle the dangerous empire he is
associated with. The state must also strengthen the implementation of the Transplantation of
Human Organs and Tissues Act, 2010, that criminalises illegal transplantation so the organ
trafficking trade finds little room to operate and no other Fawad Mumtaz emerges from the
shadows. Furthermore, we must spread awareness about organ donation.

More than 150,000 people die of organ failure in Pakistan each year, according to SIUT, and the
primary reason behind these deaths is the non-availability of organs. In addition, it must be
recognised that the issue goes beyond tackling a legal challenge. The sordid reality is that this illicit
trade capitalises on the socioeconomic disparities that persist in Pakistan, forcing the impoverished
into a situation that compromises on their health and dignity. It is due to this that it is paramount
we not only address poverty, but also provide support and rehabilitation to victims. The case of
Fawad Mumtaz is not merely a test for our criminal justice system; it is a wake-up call, urging
introspection, reform, and a united stand against the exploitative trade of organ trafficking.

Sr.# Word Part of Speech Meaning in Urdu Synonyms

01 Slippery Adjective ‫ےنلسھپوال‬ Greasy, smooth, slimy

02 Mockery Noun ‫ذماق‬،‫زنط‬ Ridicule, contempt
03 Spanned Adjective ‫الیھپوہا‬ Crossed, covered
04 Leveraging Verb ‫افدئہاُاھٹان‬ Exploiting, abusing

05 Insidious Adjective ‫یفخ‬ Sinister, deceptive

06 Dissect Verb ‫اکانٹ‬ Divide, separate

07 Malicious Adjective ‫دبیتینرپنبم‬ Hateful, malevolent
08 Irrevocably Adverb ‫الٹوطررپ‬ Irreversibly, permanent
09 Sordid Adjective ‫رخاب‬ Repugnant, dirty
10 Impoverished Noun ‫رغبی‬ Needy, poor

Arranged by: Prof Naveed Sabri

21 Babar Block, New Garden Town, Near Barkat Market Lahore
0333-4438610 0300-4469650 0300-1905555 042-35911609
 PUNJAB JUDICIAL OFFICERS
ACADEMY
(A Project of Al-Bahria CSS Institute)
DAWN Editorials: 04 October 2023, Wednesday
Caucasus conflict
AFTER more than three decades of stalemate, the bloody conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh may be
headed for a conclusion. Part of the `frozen conflicts` that emerged after the fall of the Soviet
Union, the dispute has, over the years, cost tens of thousands of lives, and resulted in large
populations being uprooted. At the centre of the dispute is the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which
is located within Azerbaijan but has an Armenian majority. Up until a few weeks ago, it was ruled
by separatists who rejected Baku`s sovereignty. While both Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought
numerous wars over the region after the fall of the USSR, Baku`s forces handed the separatists a
decisive defeat in a short operation last month.

Nagorno-Karabakh`s separatists have called it a day and vowed to wind up their unrecognised
administration. But the Azerbaijani victory has sent thousands of the region`s ethnic Armenian
residents fleeing to join their kinsmen in Armenia, apparently fearing reprisals from Azerbaijan.
The WHO says over 100,000 people have fled Nagorno-Karabakh. It is hoped that the latest
developments spell a permanent end to bloodshed in this volatile region, and that ethno-nationalist
hatreds give way to an atmosphere of tolerance and tranquillity.

It will not be easy given that the Armenians and Azeris have had historically tense relations.
Nevertheless, the administrations in Yerevan and Baku must put aside their past enmity and try to
forge a new path to peace. Particularly, Armenian residents of Nagorno-Karabakh must not be
subjected to persecution or ethnic profiling, and those who have fled to Armenia should be allowed
to return to their homes unhindered. Azerbaijani authorities have promised `sustainable
reintegration` of Karabakh Armenians in society, which should be supported by confidence-
building measures to assure the refugees that they will be safe. The Armenian and Azerbaijani
leaders are due to meet soon; hopefully the framework of a permanent peace deal can emerge from
this meeting.

Sr.# Word Part of Speech Meaning in Urdu Synonyms

01 Stalemate Noun ‫لطعت‬ Deadlock, impasse
02 Uprooted Verb ‫ااھکڑانکنیھپ‬ Displaced, evacuated
03 Victory Noun ‫حتف‬ Conquest, triumph

04 Fleeing Verb ‫رفاروہان‬ Escaping, absconding

05 Reprisals Noun ‫ااقتنیماکرواایں‬ Retaliations, paybacks

06 Volatile Adjective ‫ریغمکحتسم‬ Unstable, explosive

07 Tranquility Noun ‫وکسن‬ Peacefulness, calmness

08 Enmity Noun ‫دعاوت‬ Hostility, antagonism

09 Persecution Noun ‫ملظومتس‬ Oppression, torture
10 Reintegration Verb ‫دوابرہمکحتسمرکان‬ Rehabilitation

Arranged by: Prof Naveed Sabri

21 Babar Block, New Garden Town, Near Barkat Market Lahore
0333-4438610 0300-4469650 0300-1905555 042-35911609