Man Forced To Chant ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ For Supporting Pak Cricket Team in a Pak-New Zealand Match
New Age Islam News Bureau
25 February 2023
SCREENGRAB
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• Pakistan Central Apex Body ‘Decides To Launch
Crackdown on Sensationalism, Fake News on Social Media’
• Al-Qaeda-Iran Tactical Alliance Laid Bare By UN
Report On Terror Group’s ‘De-Facto Leader’ Saif Al-Adel
• Chinese Loans to Pakistan, Sri Lanka May Be Used For
Coercive Leverage: US
• Pakistan Delegation Warn IEA Authorities for not
Taking Actions against TTP: Sources
India
• Protesters Block Nuh-Alwar Highway Seeking Arrest in
Killing Of 2 Muslim Men By Alleged Cow Vigilantes of Bajrang Dal
• BJP, NCP Spar over 'Bring Muslim Voters from Dubai'
Remark of A NCP Ex-Corporator
• One injured after terrorists open fire outside
mosque in Kashmir's Anantnag
• How SRK’s Pathaan broke the stereotype of Muslim
representation in Bollywood
• Bengaluru: A BJP Complaint May Disenfranchise
Thousands of Dalits, Muslims
• DRDO Officer in Odisha Held for Leaking Defence Info
to ISI’s Woman ‘Agent’
• Bihar: Mob lynches 3 Muslim men suspecting theft; 1
dead, 2 injured
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Pakistan
• If Pakistan has to rise like an 'economic tiger',
lawmakers must rise above personal likes and dislikes: PM Sharif
• Pakistan abstains from voting on Ukraine resolution
• ‘Tepid response’ as only five PTI leaders court
arrest in Pindi
• Khawaja Asif holds Bajwa, Faiz responsible for Nawaz’s
ouster, rise in terrorism
• Govt asks citizens to pay Haj fees in dollars to
avail ‘special discount’: report
• NAB team visits Imran’s residence to confirm receipt
of summons
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Mideast
• IRGC Commander Says Iran Seeks To Kill Trump,
Pompeo, Others as Revenge for Soleimani
• Israeli Settlers In Occupied West Bank ‘Sing And
Dance’ After Outpost Recognized
• Financer of Iran-backed Hezbollah arrested, to be
extradited to US
• Palestinian youth dies a day after clash with
Israeli troops: Hospital source
• Turkish forces killed alleged mastermind behind
Istanbul street bombing
• Netanyahu discusses military action on Iran with top
Israeli officials: Report
• New settlement powers for Israeli extremist Smotrich
cause outrage among Palestinians
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North America
• Paraguay: Muslim Brotherhood Is Declared a Terrorist
Organization
• G-7 nations express 'profound sympathy' for Türkiye,
Syria earthquake victims
• Ex-US senator: Washington started the wars in Iraq,
Ukraine
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South Asia
• Afghan Taliban Want Pakistan to ‘Bear Cost’ Of
Disarming TTP
• Do Not Blindly Obey Anyone, Says Acting Afghan Defence
Minister
• Iran to handover Afghan Embassy in Tehran to Taliban
• Afghanistan-Pakistan Torkham Gate Reopens
Conditionally after Negotiations
• Taliban closes shops accepting Pakistani rupees in
Uruzgan province
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Arab World
• UAE Adds Three Men, Company to Local Terror List for
Links to Iran-Backed Hezbollah
• Drone Strike in Syria Kills 2 Al-Qaeda-Linked
Operatives
• Saudi Arabia emerges as ‘new destination’ for Indian
travellers
• Saudi Shoura Council speaker leads team at Iraq
talks
• OIC chief meets Turkish economic officials
• Tehran, Baghdad stepping up security cooperation as
Iran FM visits Iraq
• Over 4,200 Saudi medics volunteer to aid Turkey,
Syria earthquake survivors
• KSRelief signs 2 agreements to boost medical
services to Syrians
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Africa
• Nigeria: Muslim, Christian Clerics Warn Against
Voting On Tribal, Religious Sentiments
• Nigeria Decides 2023: Shehu Sani reveals what
happened in mosque on Friday
• Tunisia opposition says it will hold new protest
over arrests on March 5
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Europe
• Navy SEAL Who Killed Bin Laden Challenges Military
Chiefs On Victory In Ukraine: ‘What Is Winning?’
• Georgia always ready to support Türkiye in these
difficult days, says Georgian premier
• Türkiye, Syria earthquake aid appeal to air on 29 UK
channels
• EU maintains sanctions on PKK in terrorist list
update
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Southeast Asia
• In Budget 2023 Speech, PM Anwar Reminds Malaysians
To Stop Emphasising Racial Differences
• Jais: Ustaz Azhar Idrus not certified to teach Islam
in S’gor
• Malaysia’s new Vatican envoy to promote interfaith
dialogue
• Divyadarshini’s recitation of surah amazes Muslims
• Cabinet ministers laud Budget 2023 for being
progressive towards developing Malaysia Madani
• Dismantling race-based rent-seeking will take more
than usual discourse, forum told
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/bharat-mata-jai-pakistan-cricket/d/129198
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Man Forced To Chant ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ For
Supporting Pak Cricket Team in a Pak-New Zealand Match
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25th February 2023
Panaji: A shop owner at Calangute in Goa was forced to
publicly apologise and raise ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’ slogan after a video, in
which he expressed support for the Pakistan cricket team, went viral on social
media.
A group of men forced him to apologise and raise the
slogan on Thursday.
This took place in the wake of an undated video
released by a travel vlogger, in which the shop owner at Calangute in North Goa
could be seen saying that he was supporting the Pakistan cricket team because
it was a Muslim area.
The neighbouring country was apparently playing
against New Zealand when the video was shot.
The video shows the vlogger having a brief
conversation with the man. The vlogger asks the shop owner, “Who is playing?
Are you cheering for New Zealand?” The man replies, “For Pakistan.” The vlogger
then asks him why, to which the man responds saying, “This is Muslim area.”
After this video went viral, a group of people
approached the shop owner on Thursday and questioned him for supporting
Pakistan.
A video of the group forcing the shop owner to
apologise also went viral on social media.
The video shows a member of the group telling the man,
“This entire village is Calangute. There is no Muslim lane or any other lane.
Don’t divide the country based on religion.”
He is then asked to kneel down and apologise to the
countrymen. After initial reluctance, the shop owner is seen in the video
tendering an apology by kneeling down and holding his ears. The video also
shows the group making him raise the ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’ slogan.
When contacted, a local police official said no
complaint has been filed in connection with the incident.
Source: Siasat Daily
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Pakistan Central Apex Body ‘Decides To Launch
Crackdown on Sensationalism, Fake News on Social Media’
Photo: National Herald
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Syed Irfan Raza | Baqir Sajjad Syed
February 25, 2023
ISLAMABAD: The country’s top civil and military
leadership have forged a consensus that terrorism, economic revival and
political stability are interconnected and without political stability and
economic progress, there can be no peace.
A meeting of the Central Apex Committee was held on
Friday, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The committee — which comprises top civil and military
leadership — met against the backdrop of the Feb 17 attack on police
headquarters in Karachi and the Jan 30 attack on Peshawar’s Police Lines
mosque.
The moot was attended by Chief of Army Staff Gen Asim
Munir, federal ministers, chief ministers of all four provinces and
Gilgit-Baltistan, the AJK prime minister and other senior officials.
PM offers Imran chance to sit together ‘for the sake
of future generations’
According to a handout issued after the meeting, the
participants vowed to safeguard national security as they stressed the need for
national harmony on both economic and security matters.
The meeting, held at the Prime Minister’s House, also
called for building ‘national consensus’ on critical issues like terrorism as
it mulled options for addressing growing instability before it boils over.
During the meeting, Prime Minister Sharif once again
extended an olive branch to the PTI to sit together to find solutions to the
current crisis.
A source privy to the meeting said that it was also
decided to launch a crackdown against those creating undue sensationalism and
fear through social media.
Security officials briefed the participants about the
overall security situation, progress in the investigation into high-profile
attacks and the operations against terrorists.
During the meeting, the attacks in Peshawar and
Karachi were reviewed in detail.
The Sindh police chief informed the participants about
the attack.
The meeting also decided to issue funds approved in
the past for Karachi police and directed that initiatives to build the capacity
of the police, CTD and other security agencies should be expedited.
The federal government would extend full cooperation
and assistance to the provinces to maintain peace and security, the handout
added.
The participants hailed the law enforcement agencies
including the army, Rangers, Frontier Corps, Counter Terrorism Department and
police for showing exemplary bravery and courage in the face of terrorism and
paid tribute to the martyred officers and jawans.
The participants also reviewed the implementation of
the National Action Plan and the progress on criminal justice reforms for
making investigation, prosecution and punishment more effective, the handout
said.
Role of social media
The meeting also took cognisance of the role played by
social media, especially during ongoing terrorist attacks.
The participants were briefed that during live
operations, critical information was spread through social media which ended up
benefiting terrorists and their facilitators.
This imperils the lives of soldiers and security
officials participating in the operation.
It was suggested that an SOP should be devised on this
issue, taking guidance from regulations regarding the use of cyberspaces at
times of terror attacks in other countries.
A consultation should be held with media houses and
all relevant stakeholders for devising suitable SOPs to follow during
emergencies.
The participants also agreed that in case of an
attack, a focal person should be appointed to release facts to the media and
public.
The prime minister said Pakistan was facing economic
challenges and expressed hope that the situation would improve after matters
with the International Monetary Fund were finalised in near future.
He added that the government was compelled to accept
strict IMF conditions and the coalition parties “had put their political
interests at stake” for the sake of the country.
He said cooperation from friendly countries was no
less than Allah’s blessing, but the foremost priority should be to put our own
house. “Otherwise, no one would come to help us.”
Olive branch to PTI
While the post-meeting handout emphasised consensus,
the prime minister in his opening remarks criticised the PTI for opting out of
a key meeting held after the Peshawar attack.
“A political party did not accept the invitation for
the meeting,” the PM said, adding that the group “wanted matters to be decided
on the roads”.
“It will be beneficial for us if we sense the gravity
of the situation so that our next generation will realise that the national
leadership, with its collective efforts, took the country out of the crisis,”
the PM said.
He urged all political forces to set aside personal
likes and dislikes and forge national unity to alleviate poverty and make
Pakistan “an economic tiger”.
The prime minister said after the attack on Peshawar’s
Army Public School in 2014, the national leadership had formulated a National
Action Plan.
He said the then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif had also
invited all the national leaders.
PM Shehbaz added security agencies were making utmost
efforts to ensure the security of citizens.
“We must realise the sensitivity of this situation for
the security of our future generations.”
He recalled that Pakistan had sacrificed around 83,000
lives to restore “peace for the world.”
After the apex committee’s meeting, the prime minster
and the army chief also held a one-on-one meeting .
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1739010
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Al-Qaeda-Iran Tactical Alliance Laid Bare By UN Report
On Terror Group’s ‘De-Facto Leader’ Saif Al-Adel
This combo image shows an
FBI photo of Saif Al-Adel, who is wanted in connection with the 1998 US Embassy
bombings in Tanzania and Kenya (top left), Al-Adel at an Al-Qaeda training camp
in Afghanistan in 2000 (above), and the terror suspect photographed in Tehran
in 2012 (lower left). (Supplied, Getty Images)
------
Oubai Shahbandar
February 24, 2023
WASHINGTON: For two decades, the entire world was
under threat from an insidious group, which at its peak claimed the lives of
thousands through a series of bombings and attacks, including the events of
Sept. 11, 2001, which to this day remains the deadliest terror attack in
history.
Al-Qaeda, once among the top terror threats in the
world, has largely faded from relevance in recent years, with the last attack
for which it claimed responsibility being a 2019 shooting at a naval air
station in Florida that killed three and injured eight.
With its founder and leader Osama bin Laden shot to
death in a US raid in Pakistan in 2011, his successor Ayman Al-Zawahiri killed
by a US drone strike in Afghanistan last year, and multiple other senior
leaders hunted down and arrested or slain, it seemed there was nowhere left for
the group to hide.
However, this presumption changed with a UN report
published earlier this week. Prepared by the UN’s experts, it concluded that
Saif Al-Adel, a former colonel in the Egyptian special forces and one of the
last surviving lieutenants of bin Laden, is now the “de-facto leader” of the
international terror group.
The report’s significance, however, was not limited to
its identification of Al-Qaeda’s new leader. It revealed one of the reasons
Al-Adel has managed to stay alive for so long: Shelter given to him by the
Iranian government in Tehran.
Al-Adel was one of the terror group’s earliest
members, having left Egypt for Afghanistan in 1988. There, he joined Maktab
Al-Khidamat, an Al-Qaeda forerunner that was founded by bin Laden and
Al-Zawahiri, among others. Having been an expert in explosives in the Egyptian
military, Al-Adel trained members of the Taliban after the end of the
Soviet-Afghan war.
There, he regularly conferred with bin Laden and
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, a man called “the principal architect of the 9/11
attacks” by the 9/11 Commission Report.
Al-Adel would eventually flee Afghanistan in late 2001
and set up shop in neighboring Iran following US military intervention in the
former. Reports suggest that though he was officially under house arrest in
Tehran, he was given relative freedom to travel to Pakistan and convene with
high-ranking Al-Qaeda members since about 2010.
The UN report, based on member state intelligence,
helps shed additional light on Al-Adel’s whereabouts. His presence in Iran, a
country that technically claims it is adamantly opposed to Al-Qaeda and its
offshoots, has helped the terror organization avoid total eradication.
“It is very significant that Saif Al-Adel — now the
head of Al-Qaeda — lives and operates out of Tehran. The Iranian government has
made a shrewd calculation that by hosting and enabling Al-Qaeda, it can both
control the group and supercharge their efforts to attack Iran’s enemies,”
former senior State Department official Gabriel Noronha told Arab News.
Al-Adel had a direct role in a number of deadly bomb
plots, including planning the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Dar es
Salaam and Nairobi that killed more than 200 people. US and Saudi intelligence
maintain that Al-Adel, while based in Tehran, provided instructions for the
2003 terror attack against three separate residential compounds in the Saudi
capital Riyadh that killed 39 people.
Now believed to be the high commander of Al-Qaeda,
Al-Adel is using the relative safety of his base of operations in Iran to keep
the terror group viable at a time when it has lost sanctuaries in other parts
of the world.
“The State Department disclosed in January 2021 that
Iran had provided Al-Adel and Al-Qaeda with a base of operations and logistical
support, such as providing passports, to help facilitate Al-Qaeda’s terror
plots. If they are left on their own, they will absolutely start conducting
more terror attacks around the world. For now, they are regrouping, building
more resources, recruits and capabilities,” Noronha said.
In 2020, a close associate of Al-Adel, Abu Muhammad
Al-Masri, was reportedly eliminated by Israeli agents in Tehran. Al-Adel, however,
remains at large.
Al-Adel’s tactical prowess and expertise helped to
propel Al-Qaeda into the international spotlight as one of the world’s most
dangerous terror entities, and his presence in Iran would not be possible
without authorization at the highest levels.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC,
have used the presence of Al-Qaeda in the region — as well as that of Daesh, a
splinter group from Al-Qaeda’s Iraq and Syria branch — as justification for the
expansion of Iranian-backed forces in Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere in the Middle
East.
However, experts say that this is a clear exercise in
hypocrisy by Iran. Iranian officials have often carried out paramilitary
campaigns and efforts to dominate governance in Iraq and Syria under the guise
of fighting Al-Qaeda and Daesh.
“The Iranians constantly accuse the US, absurdly, of
having created Daesh to attack them and of continuing to support Daesh, Fred
Kagan, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, told Arab News. “This
even though the Iranians themselves have benefited from the extensive US
counterterrorism operations without which Daesh would still have a large and
powerful territorial caliphate.
“The hypocrisy of the Islamic Republic really stands
out, as it becomes more and more clear that Tehran has been harboring a very
senior Al-Qaeda leader for many years.”
According to Western intelligence officials, another
way in which Iran was able to play both sides in attempting to portray the IRGC
and its proxies as fighting terror, while in reality enabling the expansion and
activities of Al-Qaeda, was through Tehran’s facilitation of the transit of a
number of key high-profile Al-Qaeda operatives from South Asia into Syria.
A 2012 press release from the Department of the
Treasury stated that the then-leader of Al-Qaeda’s Iran network, Muhsin
Al-Fadlhi, ran “a core pipeline” of funding and fighters that were sent to
Syria. David S. Cohen, the US undersecretary for terrorism and financial
intelligence at the time, confirmed what he called “Iran’s ongoing complicity
in this network’s operation.”
Al-Fadhli himself was killed in a US airstrike in
Syria’s Idlib governorate in 2015. The recent UN report has re-ignited the
public conversation on just how deeply embedded Iran’s relationship with Al-Qaeda
could have been for years.
A report by nonprofit group United Against a Nuclear
Iran stated: “An intercepted letter reportedly sent to the IRGC in 2008 by
Ayman Al-Zawahiri, Al-Qaeda’s current leader, revealed an even deeper
relationship between Iran and Al-Qaeda than previously thought.”
Iran’s motive seems to be broader in scope. For a
time, Al-Qaeda posed a serious threat to Arab Gulf States, the Levant and North
Africa, and was able to establish various “franchises” in sub-Saharan Africa.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran wants to weaken and
divide Sunni governments. What better way to do that than by empowering the
most radical Sunni factions so they can undermine governments from within?”
Noronha said.
In comments to the Voice of America’s news website,
Edmund Fitton-Brown, a former senior UN counterterrorism official who is now an
adviser to the nonprofit Counter Extremism Project, said: “The presence of
Al-Qaeda in Iran is a sort of a chip that the Iranians have. They’re not
entirely sure how or when they might play it but . . . it was something that
they considered to have potential value.”
Unsurprisingly, Iran continues to deny its
relationship with Al-Qaeda. Rejecting the UN report, the country’s permanent
mission to the UN in New York said on Feb. 13: “It is worth noting that the
address for the so-called newly appointed Al-Qaeda leader is incorrect.”
Dismissing the findings as “misinformation,” the Iranians said they could
“potentially hinder efforts to combat terrorism.”
Of course, publicly revealing the extent of support
provided by Iran’s extraterritorial unconventional warfare and military
intelligence arm, Quds Force, to a group that has killed thousands of Sunni and
Shiite Muslims throughout the world, would be politically embarrassing, exposing
a cynical streak in the regime’s driving ideology.
The UN report is a reminder that at a time when
Al-Qaeda is facing irrelevance with its top leadership dwindling, a sanctuary
in Tehran has thrown it a welcoming lifeline.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2257556/middle-east
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Chinese Loans To Pakistan, Sri Lanka May Be Used For
Coercive Leverage: US
Photo: The Times of India
-----
Feb 25, 2023
WASHINGTON: Donald Lu, United States assistant
secretary for South and Central Asian affairs, said on Friday that they have
concerns that loans being given by China to countries in India's 'immediate'
neighbourhood 'may be used for coercive leverage.'
Lu made the statements while addressing a press
briefing on Secretary Antony Blinken's upcoming travel to India, Kazakhstan,
Uzbekistan. The top American diplomat is travelling to New Delhi on a three-day
official visit from March 1 to 3 to participate in the G20 Foreign Ministers'
Meeting.
Reacting to Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar's
announcement that the Board of China Development Bank (CDB) has approved a USD
700 million credit facility to the country, Lu said that there has been a
serious conversation between India and the US on the issue of China.
"Concerning Chinese loans to countries in India's
immediate neighbourhood, we are deeply concerned that loans may be used for
coercive leverage. And we are talking to India, talking to countries of the
region about how we help countries to make their own decisions and not
decisions that might be compelled by any outside partner, including
China," Lu replied to a question on Chinese loans to Sri Lanka and
Pakistan.
"We have had serious conversations about China,
both before the latest scandal over this surveillance balloon but in the
aftermath. So, I fully expect those conversations will continue," he said.
Lu said that Russia is globally facing a difficult
time fulfilling orders for military contracts and that might affect India's
millitary relationship with Russia.
"We see plenty of evidence of that around the
world. And if you look at press reporting, I think you can see the Indians are
also wondering whether Russia will be able to provide for its defenses,"
Lu said.
Lu quoted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and external
affairs minister S. Jaishankar when asked if India avoids using the word 'war'
in context with Russia's invasion in Ukraine.
"India uses the word 'war' all the time. You
heard Prime Minister Modi say, in August, now is not the era for war. You heard
External Affairs Minister Jaishankar say in September, at the UN, that we need
this war to end through diplomatic means and along the principles of the UN
Charter, reinforcing territorial integrity and sovereignty," he said.
"And then, in November you heard the Indian
Defense Minister say the threat to use nuclear weapons by Russia is totally
unacceptable and at odds with the basic tenets of humanity. So, I don't
particularly see a reluctance to use the word 'war.' I think they use it all
the time," Lu said.
Lu insisted that Quad is not a military alliance.
"The Quad is not, in fact, an organisation that is against any single
country or group of countries. The Quad stands for trying to promote activities
and values that support the Indo-Pacific - free and open Indo-Pacific, but
Indo-Pacific that's prosperous and supports the values that we as these four
countries represent," he said.
The G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting will focus on
strengthening multilateralism and deepening cooperation on food and energy
security, sustainable development, counter-narcotics, global health,
humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, gender equality and women's
empowerment.
"The Secretary will be meeting, while in New
Delhi, with his counterpart, the Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar.
They'll talk about our strategic partner partnership but really focus on how
we're working together in the Asian Quad, in the G20, what we're doing on defense
cooperation, and the Initiative for Critical and Emerging Technologies that is
being run out of the White House and the prime minister's office," Lu
added.
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Pakistan Delegation Warn IEA Authorities for not
Taking Actions Against TTP: Sources
Pakistan Delegation
traveled to Kabul in an announced visit on Wednesday, and warned the Taliban
authorities, says a top Pakistani security official, according to Anadolu News
Agency.
------
By Nizamuddin Rezahi
February 25, 2023
Pakistan Delegation traveled to Kabul in an announced
visit on Wednesday, and warned the Taliban authorities, says a top Pakistani
security official, according to Anadolu News Agency.
According to the Turkish news outlet, Khawaja Asif,
the Defense Minister of Pakistan in his visit to Kabul had met with Mullah
Abdul Ghani Bradarm, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Taliban, and said if the
Afghan leadership does not take action against the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP), Islamabad will operate inside Afghanistan.
“We showed evidence to the Afghan Taliban on how TTP
had planned and launched recent attacks in Bannu and Peshawar from Afghanistan
and warned them that further attacks would lead to a tough response from
Pakistan, the source quotes from the top Islamabad-based security official.
“Our delegation clearly asked the Afghan Taliban
leadership to prevent military activities of the TTP militants based in
Afghanistan,” he said. The Turkish news agency did not name the identity of the
top security official.
If decisive actions are not taken to prevent TTP
attacks, Pakistan does not have any other option to target its hideouts other
than conducting military operations in border areas inside Afghanistan.
In response to the Pakistani delegation’s claims,
Mullah Abdul Ghani Bradar has rejected the presence of TTP militants in
Afghanistan and said the Afghan interim regime will not allow any terror group
to pose threats to the security of other counties in the region and beyond.
On this travel, Pakistan’s Defense Minister was
accompanied by the Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence, General
Nadeem Ahmed Anjum, Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad
Sadiq, and Ambassador to Afghanistan Ubaidur Rehman Nizamani.
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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India
Protesters Block Nuh-Alwar Highway Seeking Arrest in
Killing Of 2 Muslim Men By Alleged Cow Vigilantes of Bajrang Dal
February 24, 2023
Nuh (Haryana): Hundreds of people descended on
Nuh-Alwar highway in Firozpur Jhirka here on Friday demanding the arrest of
killers of two Muslim men from Rajasthan.
The protesters accused Haryana Police of negligence in
the matter.
The protest led to a massive jam on the highway for
around an hour but at length, police managed to control the situation and got
the road cleared.
Earlier, some social organisations headed by former
minister Azad Mohammad also submitted a memorandum to the Sub Divisional
Magistrate of Firozpur Jhirka through Naib Tehsildar and demanded the arrest of
the accused and a judicial inquiry into the incident.
Mohammad alleged that the incident was not an isolated
one.
"The car which was found registered in the name
of Panchayat Department Haryana has been used in the heinous murder of Nasir
and Junaid," alleged the former minister.
'Cow vigilantes' are raising hell in the name of cow
protection in the Mewat area, a few Congress MLAs from the Mewat area had
alleged on Wednesday while speaking in the state assembly.
Nasir and Junaid, both residents of Ghatmeeka village
in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan, were allegedly abducted by cow
vigilantes on February 15 and their bodies were found in a charred car in
Loharu in Haryana's Bhiwani the next day. Their families had named five men
allegedly linked to the Bajrang Dal in their complaint to the police.
After handing over the memorandum, the protesters
shouted slogans against Bajrang Dal and Gau Raksha Dal Task Force and went to
Ambedkar Chowk and completely blocked Delhi-Nuh-Alwar Road.
Source: ND TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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BJP, NCP Spar over 'Bring Muslim Voters from Dubai'
Remark of A NCP Ex-Corporator
Ritvick Arun Bhalekar
Feb 25, 2023
A row erupted after a video clip of a NCP
ex-corporator, Usman Hiroli, from Kasba Peth Assembly constituency, was heard
making an appeal to bring voters from Dubai to defeat Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and the BJP in Pune by-polls.
The Muslim leader during the election campaigning
said, "Bring Muslim voters from Dubai and Saudi Arabia to defeat PM Modi.
Not only that, but also bring the ones who are dead to exercise their voting
rights."
Retorting to the appeal made to seek votes in the Pune
bypolls, Maharashtra BJP vice president Madhav Bhandari has now appealed to
Hindu voters to unite and show strength in Kasba assembly constituency. Madhav
Bhandari in a tweet made an appeal to all Hindus to unite and show their
strength.
"Election commission and administration should
take serious note of it and act," the BJP chief demanded.
The BJP has alleged that the NCP was banking on the
votes of the minority community to defeat it. Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra
Fadnavis condemned the remark made by the Muslim leader, saying that it was
made in the presence of NCP chief Sharad Pawar. Fadnavis stated that now the
fight is not between local candidates but is between nationalists and
anti-nationalists.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has already
issued a notice to Maharashtra BJP Spokesperson Keshav Upadhyay and an editor
of a regional channel for dragging Sharad Pawar in the matter.
Replying to Fadnavis's remark, Sharad Pawar said,
"BJP gives a communal colour to the political discourse when it is not confident
of winning. It is not new for the BJP to divert attention towards communal
issues if it is not confident of a victory."
"Whenever there is doubt about success, at that
time, caste, class and creed are being used for campaigning. It is not the
first time the BJP has used such tactics. However, I don’t give much importance
to what he (Fadnavis) has said," retorted Pawar.
Bypolls to the Kasba Peth and Chinchwad
constituencies, scheduled to be held on February 26, were necessitated
following the death of BJP legislators Mukta Tilak and Laxman Jagtap
respectively. The counting of votes will be held on March 2.
Amid the controversy, Usman Hiroli, a former
corporator, in an exclusive interview with Mumbai Tak, said, "The fight is
between secular forces- RSS vs BJP. There is nothing new about it. In any
election, one is needed to give a hundred percent and hence I, appealed to each
and everyone to vote without excuses."
"Also, there is no chance of bogus voting these
days as every voter is provided with a voting card and an identity card is
compulsory," Hiroli argued.
Source: India Today
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One injured after terrorists open fire outside mosque
in Kashmir's Anantnag
Feb 24, 2023
Son of a martyred head constable was injured in a
firing by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag on Friday. The firing took
place outside a mosque in Bijbehara's Hasanpora Tavela area, the Kashmir Police
said in a tweet.
The man has been indentified as Asif Ganai, the son of
late Ali Mohd Ganai; he is currently being treated at a hospital.
The area where the firing took place has been cordoned
off and a hunt launched to nab the attackers, the police further said.
Source: Hindustan Times
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How SRK’s Pathaan broke the stereotype of Muslim representation
in Bollywood
Lachmi Deb Roy
February 24, 2023
YRF’s Pathaan gave a new life to the Muslim identity
portraying Shah Rukh Khan who plays the titular role as a person who is
patriotic and is willing to give his life for the country. That was the big
plus point of Pathaan movie and the audience simply lapped it up. Pathaan
brought about a historic change and an evolution of Muslim representation in
Hindi cinema for the first time.
Pathaan was written in a very different way Hindi
cinema has visualised Muslim characters in the past. The character Pathaan
played by SRK doesn’t hide his Muslim identity and calls himself ‘son of
India’. That is what touched the hearts of the audiences and still even after
so many weeks of its release, people can’t stop dancing to Jhoome Joh Pathaan.
Pathaan (SRK) doesn’t ask what his country can do for him, rather he asks what
he can do for his country unlike Jim played by John Abraham.
Such is the popularity of Pathaan that recently we saw
a video featuring professors and students of a Delhi college grooving to the
beats of the song ‘Jhoome Jo Pathaan’. Other than a few like Zoya Akhtar’s
Zindagi Na Milega Dobara Farhan Akhtar plays the role of Imran where the
character is head to toe Muslim and the same with Pathaan where no stress is
given on the religious identity and yet the character is unapologetically
Muslim Indian.
Source: Firstpost
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Bengaluru: A BJP Complaint May Disenfranchise
Thousands of Dalits, Muslims
Dhanya Rajendran and Shivani Kava
Hundreds of voters, particularly Muslims and Dalits,
in Bengaluru’s Shivajinagar constituency could lose their spot on the voters’
list with the Election Commission initiating action against them on the basis
of a contentious complaint by activists of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The complaint, which the opposition has described as malicious and communally
motivated, was filed in October last year and alleged that 26,000 fake voters
had been identified as either shifted out or dead in the constituency. Election
authorities sprang to action in January this year even as the final voters’
list was being prepared, and started issuing notices to 9,159 voters. The move
is being seen as a violation of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) laid
down by the Election Commission of India on September 13 2021, which said that
suo motu deletions cannot be made in the six months prior to the term of an
Assembly ending. (Karnataka assembly term ends in the last week of May).
The SOP is prescribed in order to avoid last minute
chaos in the lead up to voting, as such confusion could erode voters’ faith in
the legitimacy of the exercise. But in the case of Shivajinagar, the ECI has
sought to justify its actions by invoking a clause which said that deletions
can be done under ‘special circumstances’. “How is a complaint filed by a
political party, that too with enmasse names, a special circumstance?” asked
M.G. Devasahayam, retired IAS officer and chairman of the NGO, People-First.
Shivajinagar, which is in the heart of Bengaluru, has
around 1.91 lakh voters, 40% of whom are Muslims. The constituency has been
represented by a Congress MLA since 2008. The controversy started with a
private complaint filed by BJP sympathisers in October 2022 listing out 26,000
voters. How a private group came into possession of this list is still a
mystery.
A month after the complaint was filed, on November 16,
2022, TNM published an investigation that a private agency named Chilume, with
links to the BJP, had been collecting voter data illegally from many
constituencies including Shivajinagar. Following TNM’s expose, which created a
major political storm, the ECI ordered a 100% check of all deletions and
additions to the electoral rolls in Shivajinagar by December 24, 2022. The
findings of our investigation have also led observers to suspect that the list
of 26,000 names forwarded to the ECI was compiled by Chilume.
The final electoral roll for the Shivajinagar
constituency was published on January 15, 2023. This is when the BJP directly
got into the Shivajinagar slugfest. Eight days after the electoral roll was
published, the BJP went to the Election Commission demanding that the 26,000
names mentioned in the private complaint should be removed. The party followed
it up with a writ petition in the Karnataka high court on February 1. The
Congress immediately accused the party of trying to vitiate the atmosphere by
choosing to take these actions well after the final electoral rolls were
published.
Chief electoral officer of Karnataka Manoj Kumar Meena
told TNM that election officials cross-checked all 26,000 names and found that
9,159 had either shifted out of their old homes or died. Accordingly, two
notices were issued to hundreds of people between January 10 and February 15
asking them to appear before the election authorities. The notices said that if
they don’t appear before the Electoral Registration Office on the given date
and time, their names will be deleted from the electoral list.
The timeline of this exercise throws up several
questions, including whether a complaint filed at the last minute by any party
can vitiate an election process.
“Why were these notices sent after the final rolls
were published? The complaint was filed in October 2022; if the CEO wanted to
take action, why was it not done before? Rules mandate that Form 7 has to be
filled if anyone wants to raise an objection and delete a name in the existing
electoral roll. Did the BJP fill 26,000 Form 7s? If they didn’t, why did the
CEO’s office accept their complaint? Anyone can raise a complaint like this,”
M.G. Devasahayam, retired IAS officer told TNM. Incidentally, he is a
co-petitioner in the Supreme Court in a PIL challenging the rule that allows
the deletion of voters without intimation.
The Electoral Registration Office confirmed that the
BJP did not fill any Form 7. Despite this, both the CEO and elections officials
at the BBMP maintain that the complaint by the BJP makes out a ‘special
circumstance’. “We cannot ignore the complaint,” said Meena.
A ground visit by TNM revealed gaping holes in the
Election Commission’s narrative that all 9,159 names were verified by Booth
Level Officers.
S. Rajan, a Dalit resident of the Makaan compound in
Shivajinagar, received a call from ERO’s office asking him to establish his
residency, to which he confirmed that he still lived at the same address. “I
have lived here in this house all my life but now they are saying that I have
shifted somewhere else. My family has been living at the same address for the
past 80 years and suddenly the BBMP’s list states that I along with two other
members of my family have shifted to another address,” he said.
Another resident told TNM that despite living in the
same house since birth, she received a notice asking her to verify her address,
or her name would be deleted. “I went to the ERO’s office to reverify but I
don’t understand why only I received the notice from my family and have to
verify my address despite living here all my life,” said Rabbiya Fathima.
Anwar Basha and his wife recently acquired their voter
IDs after the tedious application process but were disappointed when Congress
volunteers told them that they had been marked on ‘address shifted’. The couple
said they have neither got any notices from the Election Commission in their
old or new address, nor received any calls. “I got the voter ID just six months
ago. After following the process of applying for the voter ID, my wife and I
got the voter ID and now we found out that we may not be included in the
voters’ list,” said Basha.
“Voters are getting harassed. Many people replied to
the first notice, despite that they have been issued a second notice asking to
appear. This process is to tire people out. I don’t know why Shivajinagar was
chosen for this experiment. Maybe because this is a safe seat for the Congress,
the BJP wants to see if deletion will help them win,” said Congress MLA Rizwan
Arshad.
Source: The Wire
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of the original story:
https://thewire.in/rights/bengaluru-disenfranchise-thousands-dalits-muslims-bjp
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DRDO Officer in Odisha Held for Leaking Defence Info
to ISI’s Woman ‘Agent’
Feb 25, 2023
A technical officer of DRDO’s Integrated Test Range at
Chandipur in Odisha’s Balasore district was arrested Friday for allegedly
leaking defence secrets to a Pakistani woman suspected to be working for ISI
after falling for her charms on social media, reports Debabrata Mohapatra.
Baburam Dey, 51, was part of the facility’s telemetry
department and had access to classified information about testing of missiles,
rockets and cluster bombs by DRDO and other defence agencies, police said.
Besides information about future testing, he stands accused of sharing with the
Pakistani woman pictures of prohibited areas within the test range and the
equipment kept there.
Source: Times Of India
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Bihar: Mob lynches 3 Muslim men suspecting theft; 1
dead, 2 injured
24th February 2023
Three Muslim men were lynched in Gaya’s Diha village
early Thursday morning allegedly under the suspicion of theft, leaving one dead
and two others critical. The police have formed a special investigation team
(SIT) to look into the murder in the alleged case of mob lynching in Bihar.
Police have so far filed two different FIRs in the
case, and while they have said that no communal angle has arisen in their
investigations, family members of the victims have described it as a “targeted
killing.”
According to one version of events presented by Diha
locals, they spotted a vehicle with six persons inside travelling through the
village late Wednesday night into early Thursday morning.
Senior superintendent of police (SSP), Ashish Bharti
said the SIT is being led by an ASP rank officer. “We are probing all angles,”
he said.
Villagers informed police that they stopped the group
to verify their identity when they were reportedly shot upon. While three were
apprehended the other three escaped.
The three injured were transferred to Gaya’s Anugrah
Narayan Magadh Medical College, where Mohammed Babar, 28, was proclaimed dead
and two others, Ruknuddin Alam, 32, and Mohammad Sajid, 28, were badly injured.
They have now been transferred to PMCH in Patna.
The police have alleged that they discovered,
explosives, ammunition and a knife from their vehicle. They also stated that
two of the theft accused, Alam and Sajid, have criminal cases against them
however Babar has none, reported Hindustan Times.
These claims of the villagers have been denied by the
families of the accused. the families state that the three worked in a Kolkata
factory and went to Diha hamlet to recruit labourers. The incident, according
to the families, occurred outside the village where the victims had stepped out
to relieve themselves.
The three are from Kurisarai village, which is around
six kilometres from Diha.
According to SSP Gaya Ashish Bharti, the police filed
two different FIRs on Friday. One is against the victims for theft and sections
of the arms act, while, another is against 17 named and 25 unidentified persons
based on the complaint of Sajid’s father Sabir Ali.
Local politicians and victims’ families blocked the
Gaya-Patna road in Belaganj for hours on Thursday to demand the arrest of the
culprits, as well as Rs 25 lakh in compensation and a government post for
Babar’s family. The barrier was removed as the police declared an SIT.
Source: Siasat Daily
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https://www.siasat.com/bihar-mob-lynches-3-muslim-men-suspecting-theft-1-dead-2-injured-2534405/
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Pakistan
If Pakistan has to rise like an 'economic tiger',
lawmakers must rise above personal likes and dislikes: PM Sharif
Feb 24, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday
said that if the country has to rise like an "economic tiger",
lawmakers must rise above personal likes and dislikes, as he chaired a
high-level National Apex Committee meeting to formulate a strategy to deal with
the rising incidents of terror attacks.
The meeting was attended by a raft of high-profile
members from the political and military establishment.
Prime Minister Sharif criticised Imran Khan's Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party for skipping an apex committee meeting held last
month.
“After the Peshawar incident, I invited all political
stakeholders… but they [PTI] did not consider it appropriate to participate in
the huddle and they are still trying to resolve matters on the streets,” he
said.
On January 30, a Taliban suicide bomber blew himself
up during the afternoon prayers in a mosque in Peshawar, killing 101 people and
injuring more than 200 others.
The suicide bomber disguised himself in a police
uniform to sneak into the high-security zone and was riding a motorcycle with a
helmet and mask on, police said.
“For the sake of prosperity, we must sit down and
resolve the matter amicably but unfortunately one segment is still trying to
sabotage the matters, which is condemnable,” Sharif said.
“If we want to make Pakistan an economic tiger then we
must rise above personal likes and dislikes,” he added.
Speaking on the precarious security situation in the
country, Prime Minister Sharif said NACTA has become a "dormant
institution," and the time was ripe to replace it with the National Action
Plan (NAP).
The NAP was devised by the then governors of Pakistan
Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)following the heinous Army Public School attack in
Peshawar in 2014, in which over 130 students were killed.
The attack was orchestrated by Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP).
Friday's meeting comes after Defence Minister Khawaja
Asif and the Director General of the country's spy agency Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI) Lt. General Nadeem Anjum met the top brass of the
Afghanistan Taliban regime in Kabul to discuss the rise in terror attacks in
Pakistan masterminded by the TTP.
Pakistan has been hit by a wave of terrorism, mostly
in the country's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, but also in Balochistan, the
Punjab town of Mianwali, which borders the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
and also in the Sindh province.
During the Apex Committee meeting held last month,
Pakistan's civil and military leadership decided to seek Afghan Taliban chief
Haibuttallah Akhundzada's intervention to control the TTP.
In November last year, the TTP called off an
indefinite ceasefire agreed with the government in June 2022 and ordered its
militants to carry out attacks on the security forces.
Pakistan hoped that the Afghan Taliban after coming to
power would stop the use of their soil against Pakistan by expelling the TTP
operatives but they have apparently refused to do so at the cost of straining
ties with Islamabad.
The TTP, set up as an umbrella group of several
militant outfits in 2007, called off a ceasefire with the federal government
and ordered its militants to stage terrorist attacks across the country.
Source: Times Of India
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Pakistan abstains from voting on Ukraine resolution
Anwar Iqbal
February 25, 2023
UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan is among the 32 countries
that abstained from voting in the UN General Assembly on Thursday on a
resolution that rejected the forcible acquisition of land, and called for a
just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
More than 60 countries, including the United States
and major European powers, moved the resolution in the General Assembly’s 11th
emergency session on Thursday, a day before the first anniversary of the
Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The resolution, which stressed that the Russian
invasion violated the principles of the UN Charter, received 141 votes in
favour, seven against, and was adopted by the assembly.
“Pakistan has abstained on the draft resolution,” said
the country’s UN ambassador Munir Akram while explaining the move. But
Islamabad “fully supports” the resolution’s “call for respect for the principle
of the sovereignty, sovereign equality and territorial integrity of states and
non-acquisition of territory by the threat or use of force,” he added.
Both Delhi, Islamabad have refrained from voting on UN
resolutions, the former due to past ties, latter out of ‘future concerns’
The Pakistani envoy endorsed the resolution’s spirit
that “states cannot be torn apart by the use of force” but noted that “these
principles have not been universally applied and respected”. He pointed out
that in the situation of foreign occupation and “the ongoing attempt at the
illegal and forcible annexation of Jammu and Kashmir”, these principles were
not applied.
“While my delegation agrees with and endorses the
principles and general provisions contained in the draft resolution, there are
some provisions which are not consistent with Pakistan’s principled position on
some of the elements covered in the resolution,” he added.
Ambassador Akram said that as a country that had seen
and suffered the consequences of prolonged conflict in its neighbourhood,
“Pakistan attaches highest priority to the immediate cessation of hostilities
and the resumption of a dialogue to achieve a just and durable solution —
through direct or indirect negotiations, mediation or other peaceful means”.
The Pakistani envoy called on the secretary general,
inter alia under Chapter VI and VIII of the UN Charter, to play his role for
efforts aimed at de-escalation, renewed negotiations, and sustained dialogue
for a peaceful diplomatic solution of the Ukrainian issue.
Pakistan, he said, also hoped for the resumption of a
dialogue for durable resolution of the conflict based on the principles of the
UN Charter and past agreements, and bearing in mind the legitimate security
interests of all states“.
Consistent with its position on the draft resolution
in the document, Pakistan had also abstained on the amendments proposed to the
resolution by Belarus, which sought to “water down” the resolution.
Seven countries — Belarus, Nicaragua, Russia, Syria,
North Korea, Eritrea and Mali — voted against the resolution. All have close
military and political ties with Russia.
So far, both India and Pakistan have refrained from
voting on UN resolutions on Ukraine; India because of past ties and Pakistan
out of future concerns.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said countries
such as India and South Africa were expected on a trajectory away from
alignment with Moscow, but that process would not happen “in one fell swoop”.
“There are countries that have long-standing,
decades-long relationships with Russia, with the Soviet Union before, that are
challenging to break off in one fell swoop. It’s not flipping a light switch,
it’s moving an aircraft carrier,” Mr Blinken said in an interview with The
Atlantic, marking the one-year anniversary of the war.In Washington, the
abstentions are seen as reflecting national and regional concerns and, in some
cases, as availing an opportunity to express their grievances against the West.
The Washington Post, while commenting on the
abstentions, reported that “conversations with people in South Africa, Kenya
and India suggest a deeply ambivalent view of the conflict, informed less by
the question of whether Russia was wrong to invade than by current and
historical grievances against the West”.
In some circles in Washington, Pakistan’s abstention
is also explained in a similar fashion. Those aware of Pakistan’s paralysing
energy shortage, argue that the country’s effort to seek subsidised oil from
Russia is preventing it from taking a stronger stance on the Ukrainian issue.
Source: Dawn
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of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1738992/pakistan-abstains-from-voting-on-ukraine-resolution
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‘Tepid response’ as only five PTI leaders court arrest
in Pindi
Aamir Yasin
February 25, 2023
RAWALPINDI: After Lahore and Peshawar, PTI’s Jail
Bharo Tehreek (court arrest movement) moved to Rawalpindi on Friday, but an
‘unimpressive’ show resulted in only five leaders courting arrest.
The leaders along with 42 party workers, who voluntarily
presented themselves for arrest, were booked for one month under the Punjab
Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance, 1960, Rawalpindi division RPO Syed
Khurram Ali has confirmed.
The PTI — which won six National Assembly and 12
Punjab Assembly seats from the city — could only manage to find five leaders
who were willing to court arrest.
These included former MNA Sadaqat Abbasi; former MPAs
Fayazul Hasan Chohan, Latasub Satti and Ijaz Khan Jazi; and Zulfi Bukhari.
The party’s local chapter had announced a list of 10
leaders for the court arrest movement including Amir Kiani, Wasiq Qayum,
Sadaqat Abbasi, Arif Abbasi, Umer Tanvir Butt, Rashid Hafeez, Ijaz Khan Jazi,
Fayazul Hasan Chohan, Chaudhry Adnan and Sajid.
More than 40 PTI workers booked for 30 days under MPO
Some notable leaders said they decided not to court
arrests due to the directives from the party’s higher-ups.
Sheikh Rashid Shafique, former MNA and nephew of
former interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, told Dawn that he was stopped by
PTI divisional head Amir Kiani from courting arrest.
“I, along with Rashid Hafeez, Wasiq Qayum and a few
other leaders, were directed by PTI divisional head Amir Kiani to not
surrender,” Mr Shafique told Dawn.
He explained that Mr Khan would arrive on February 27
to appear before the Islamabad High Court and they had been tasked with
mobilising workers for his welcome.
Disillusioned workers
Although workers and supporters gathered at the
Committee Chowk on Murree Road, they opted not to present themselves for the
arrest.
According to sources, several PTI workers had
‘symbolically’ courted arrests but those who wished not to go to jail were
later released.
A senior party leader told Dawn that local
representatives were tasked with bringing at least 100 workers and supporters
each from their constituencies but the turnout “was lower than expected”.
He said that at a divisional meeting three days ago,
the leaders expressed their reservations and informed the local leadership of
difficulties in convincing people to court arrest.
The workers were assured that a team of lawyers had
been formed which would get them freed within a day or two of arrest, the
leader said, adding that workers “refused to buy the story.”
The PTI official said workers were miffed at local
leaders, who, they claimed, did nothing for their welfare while being in power
for almost four years.
“After I saw that former health minister Amir Kiani
did not surrender, I also went back home,” the PTI leader told Dawn.
“Why should I court arrest if central leaders were not
interested in obeying the directives of Imran Khan,” he said.
Mr Shafique said that he led a rally of over 200
people from Lal Haveli to Committee Chowk.
Source: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1739038/tepid-response-as-only-five-pti-leaders-court-arrest-in-pindi
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Khawaja Asif holds Bajwa, Faiz responsible for Nawaz’s
ouster, rise in terrorism
Amir Wasim
February 25, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday
held the judiciary and the military establishment directly responsible for
bringing the country to a “grinding halt” due to prevailing economic and
constitutional crises and called for setting up a full Supreme Court bench, not
only to hear the suo motu case regarding the dates for the elections in the two
provinces, but also to revisit all recent controversial decisions, starting
from the verdict in the 2017 Panama Papers case.
Speaking in the National Assembly, the firebrand PML-N
stalwart accused the judiciary of “trespassing” on the parliament’s
jurisdiction and expressed resentment over the apex court’s recent rulings,
particularly the controversial interpretations of Article 63-A of the
Constitution, which deals with the disqualification of members of parliament.
The minister also blamed ex-army chief Qamar Javed
Bajwa and former head of the Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) Faiz Hamid for
playing a role in the ouster of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, as well as
the renewed surge in terrorism.
“Instead of nine judges, the issue needs to be taken
up by a full court. The whole SC should sit together and find a solution,” the
minister suggested.
• Calls for full court bench to hear suo motu in NA
speech, asks judiciary to revisit Panama Papers case verdict • Holds Bajwa,
Faiz responsible for Nawaz’s ouster, rise in terrorism
While he was making his speech in the National
Assembly, in the adjacent SC building, a nine-judge bench headed by Chief
Justice Umar Ata Bandial was conducting suo motu proceedings over the delay in
the announcement of a date for polls in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“I do not want to criticise if there are some [judges]
in the bench whose characters have a question mark on them, but if the entire
court sits for the matter, I think there can be redressal for the things that
have happened in the past eight months,” Mr Asif remarked.
“When those [SC judges] … intrude into our territory,
we have the right to raise our voice,” the minister reasoned, asking the
judiciary to introspect and ascertain the reasons “why some of the judges are
criticised and some are not.”
He then went on to name ‘good’ and ‘bad’ judges.
“Why Justice Munir is criticised and Justice Cornelius
is not criticised? Why it is so that Justice Irshad Hassan and Justice Riaz
Sheikh are criticised and Saeeduz Zaman Siddiqui and Nazim Siddiqui are not
[criticised]?” he asked.
While mentioning the SC bench that disqualified Nawaz
Sharif in the Panama case in 2017, the defence minister said Saqib Nisar and
Asif Khosa were criticised whereas Nasirul Mulk and Tassaduq Jilani were
praised. He then called for action against all those “culprits” who were
involved in the ouster of Mr Sharif, stating that “confessional statements” of
judges and people in the military establishment, even PTI leader Shah Mehmood
Qureshi, had already come to the surface.
He regretted life-time disqualification of Mr Sharif
by the judiciary, stating that there was no such precedent or law under which
an elected representative belonging to one institution had been barred from
representing the people for lifetime by another institution.
The “first constitutional accident” in the country, he
said, took place when a judge declared the military takeover valid through
“doctrine of necessity”.
“The first political martyrdom happened when [former
PM] Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged by the judiciary. Nawaz Sharif was the first
constitutional martyr [when he was disqualified in Panama case] and that too at
the hands of the judiciary,” he said amid desk-thumping and slogans of “shame,
shame” by the treasury and the opposition members.
‘Offer martyrdom’
“Now is the time for the judiciary to offer martyrdom
to save its respect and prestige and correct its lapses and provide a
foundation on which the structure of a strong state can be laid,” the minister
went on saying.
“Do not generate controversies. Do not re-write
Article 63-A, rather reverse it as it is against the fundamental human rights
to disqualify someone for lifetime from representing the people. If it is
allowed to continue, then God forbid, there can be an accident,” he said.
Mr Asif asked the SC why it did not proceed against
President Arif Alvi under Article 6 of the Constitution when he dissolved the
National Assembly in April 2022 to avoid a vote of no confidence against the
then prime minister Imran Khan.
Moreover, the minister regretted the SC’s ruling
regarding the counting of votes under Article 63-A during the election of
Punjab chief minister, resulting in the dismissal of the PML-N’s government in
the province.
The PML-N stalwart also lashed out at the judiciary
for what he called discriminatory treatment with PTI Chairman Imran Khan,
stating that on one hand, the opposition members under the PTI government were
denied bails and sent to prisons, and on the other hand, the courts had been
inviting Mr Khan to come to the court to seek bail before arrest.
The minister said that former Punjab chief minister
Chaudhry Parvez Elahi had told him about the wedding of the son of a bureaucrat
in which Rs1.2 billion had been collected. Without naming anyone, he said that
bureaucrat was still in service and “no one is there to hold him accountable”.
“The country cannot afford this crisis. The time has
come to resolve it. This is a duty and an obligation on the superior judiciary
to find out the solution to the situation which it had made complicated in the
last eight months…..this is an opportunity to correct it,” he said.
Rise in terrorism
Recalling a parliamentary briefing during the PTI
government time, the minister said that former army chief Qamar Bajwa and
ex-ISI DG Faiz Hameed had told the parliament that the Taliban had become good
people and that they would live peacefully in the country.
“What happened then? Is there anyone to hold them
accountable?” he asked.
“As many as 86,000 people lost their lives due to
terrorism, but the two people compromised [with the terrorists],” he alleged.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1738994
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Govt asks citizens to pay Haj fees in dollars to avail
‘special discount’: report
February 25, 2023
The government will incentivise citizens who would pay
their dues for the upcoming Haj in US dollars, SAMAA TV reported.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs has also allocated a
25 per cent special quota for pilgrims who will deposit the amount in dollars,
according to APP.
The move comes as the government scrambles to shore up
fast-dwindling foreign reserves. The pilgrims who would pay the application
fees and other charges in US dollars will get a special discount, SAMAA
reported on Friday.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1738987
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NAB team visits Imran’s residence to confirm receipt
of summons
Zulqernain Tahir
February 25, 2023
LAHORE: A team of National Accountability Bureau (NAB)
officials from Rawalpindi office on Friday visited Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf
Chairman Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence to take the receiving of summons
from him in Toshakhana gifts investigation.
The NAB recently called Mr Khan and his wife, Bushra
Bibi, on March 9 to record their statements in the Toshakhana gifts case. Mr
Khan’s lawyer reportedly received the summons.
The NAB’s call-up notice, signed by its additional
director Mohammad Faisal Qureshi, earlier sent to Mr Khan’s Banigala residence
in Islamabad, was issued on Feb 17 — five days before NAB chairman Aftab Sultan
resigned claiming that he was being pressured to file cases against some and
favour some accused.
The notice said: “The competent authority has taken
cognisance of an offence allegedly committed by the accused persons under the
provisions of NAO, 1999.
“In this regard, the inquiry proceedings have revealed
that during your tenure in office you retained some state gifts presented to
you by various foreign dignitaries including the following luxury items — five
Rolex wristwatches; one iPhone presented by Chief of Staff, Qatar Armed Forces,
dated 14.11.2018; (No. E67574V3), a pair of cufflinks, one ring; unstitched
cloth from Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia dated 18.09.2020; Graff gift set
containing one Graff wristwatch Master Graff Special Edition Mecca timepiece,
one 18K gold and diamond Graff pen and a ring and pair of cufflinks with
micro-painting of Mecca.”
The couple has been asked to join the inquiry
proceedings before the Combined Investigation Team (CIT), NAB
(Rawalpindi/Islamabad).
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1739037/nab-team-visits-imrans-residence-to-confirm-receipt-of-summons
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Mideast
IRGC Commander Says Iran Seeks To Kill Trump, Pompeo,
Others as Revenge for Soleimani
25 February, 2023
A top Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander said
on Friday that Iran seeks to kill former senior US officials, including former
President Donald Trump, for their involvement in the 2020 killing of Iranian
military commander Qassem Soleimani.
“God willing, we will be able to kill Trump… [Former
secretary of state Mike] Pompeo, [former head of US Central Command General
Kenneth] McKenzie and those military commanders that gave the order [to kill
Soleimani] must be killed,” Amirali Hajizadeh, the head of the IRGC’s aerospace
unit, said on state TV.
Hajizadeh made these comments while discussing Iran’s
missile attack on the Ain al-Assad air base, which hosts American troops in
western Iraq, on January 8, 2020, five days after Soleimani’s killing. No US
troops were killed in the attack.
Soleimani, who led the Quds Force, the overseas arm of
the IRGC, was killed in a US airstrike in Iraq ordered by Trump.
Iranian officials have repeatedly pledged to avenge
Soleimani’s death, as the attack on Ain al-Assad was seen as insufficient
retaliation.
Last month, President Ebrahim Raisi, speaking on the
third anniversary of Soleimani’s killing, said that revenge for Soleimani was
“certain.”
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Israeli settlers in occupied West Bank ‘sing and
dance’ after outpost recognized
24 February ,2023
Drama therapist Yael Drori left bustling Jerusalem 16
years ago to live in an unrecognized outpost in the Israeli occupied West Bank.
As a youth, she was active in the Israeli settler movement supporting new
communities in the West Bank and protesting against Israeli disengagement from
Jewish communities in Gaza.
She moved to the West Bank out of ideology, but what
she found was a sense of community. As the mother of a severely disabled child,
she teared up explaining that her neighbors had become her “family.”
Last week, Drori, 38, celebrated when the settlement
of Givat Harel became one of nine to be recognized retroactively by Prime
Minister Netanyahu’s right-wing government.
“I thought it was something they promised but it would
never happen,” she said. “It was a good surprise that made me joyful.”
Violence has surged in the West Bank in the past year
with frequent clashes between the Israeli military and Palestinians.
Authorization of the settlements, which the government said was a response to
Palestinian attacks, sparked UN denunciation.
Along with Gaza and East Jerusalem, the Palestinians
seek the occupied West Bank for a state. Most world powers view settlements as
illegally built on land Israel captured in a 1967 war with Arab powers.
Israel disputes that and cites biblical, historical
and political links to the West Bank, as well as security interests.
The first to publish the decisions by Netanyahu’s
security cabinet were two pro-settler politicians whose inclusion in the
coalition he built after a Nov. 1 election had already signaled a hard-right
tack.
In a sharp move, the UN Security Council issued a
formal statement on Monday expressing “deep concern” about the Feb. 12
retroactive outpost recognition, saying the decision was “dangerously
imperiling the viability of the two-state solution based on the 1967 lines.”
The statement was the first action the United States,
with veto powers, has allowed the body to take against its ally Israel in six
years.
Dream come true
According to Peace Now, an NGO which monitors
settlement expansion, 132 settlements have been established in the West Bank
with another 147 outposts not considered legal under Israeli law. In recent
years, settlers have erected scores of outposts without government permission.
Some have been razed by police, others authorized retroactively.
While Western powers found the authorization
unsettling, residents say it simply shows Israeli policy is catching up with
facts on the ground which are changing, one structure at a time.
Givat Harel, established in 1998, is now home to some
90 families. Rocky terrain peaks out between patches of grass in the majestic
hills. Winding high above the green valley below, the road up to the outpost is
flanked by crops and signs advertising the community’s winery.
An hour outside Jerusalem, the lack of cars on the
highway leaves a void filled with clean air and the sound of chirping birds
echoing between the mountains. For the residents, Israeli authorization was
nothing short of a dream come true.
“We didn’t think it would happen so quickly,” said
resident Morya Tassan Michaeli. “When we suddenly realized, it was 10 or 11
o’clock at night and the excitement and elation emerged and the next day we
gathered and danced and sang.”
Power outages and basic infrastructure gaps are part
of life in a settlement built without government approval. Drori says she’s
excited at the prospect of having an official postal address and paved
sidewalks.
The streets of this community remain quiet during the
day, most parents commute daily for work and high school children are often
sent to boarding schools. Residents are now hopeful the recognition will lead
to official bus routes, easier access and the ability to build and grow.
Palestinians say recognition and normalization of
settlements will hinder US and Arab state peace efforts and lead to more
tension and escalation.
‘This is our home’
Shirat Yulis, an architect and resident of Givat
Harel, designs homes both in recognized and unrecognized communities where she
says homeowners worry more about building something new. Recognition means
prospective residents can take out a mortgage from a national bank.
“There’s no happier person than me today,” Yulis said.
“I know that now people can enjoy their homes.”
In another triumph for the settler movement, a
far-right Israeli cabinet minister formally gained responsibilities over Jewish
settlements in the West Bank on Thursday that he said included bringing their
legal status closer to that of communities within Israel.
Under the new division of powers, “legislation on all
(settlement) civilian matters will be brought into line with Israeli law,” as
opposed to being classified under the military.
Critics and human rights organizations say this
normalizes the status of settlements. In practice for residents, it removes the
need to go through military bureaucracy on matters of infrastructure and
construction.
The clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli
military won’t deter residents like Michaeli. She said there had been waves of
violence her entire life.
“Fear doesn’t govern our lives,” Michaeli said. “This
is our life and this is our home.”
“If they approve a few more settlements, I don’t think
that will change anything in the calculation or thinking of the Palestinians,”
said Bracha Kaplan, a social worker who moved to Givat Harel 10 years ago.
“The question is whether one needs to ask for
recognition from the outside or believe in what one is doing.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Financer of Iran-backed Hezbollah arrested, to be
extradited to US
25 February ,2023
A Lebanese and Belgian citizen considered a key
financier of the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah was arrested Friday in
Bucharest, Romania’s capital, and is to be extradited to the US, federal
authorities said.
Mohammad Ibrahim Bazzi, 58, who was labeled a “global
terrorist” by the United States in 2018 when $10 million was offered for
information about his whereabouts, has funneled millions of dollars to
Hezbollah over the years, authorities said.
US Attorney Breon Peace in Brooklyn said the
extradition of Bazzi and Lebanese citizen Talal Chahine, 78, was sought on
charges contained in an indictment returned last month in Brooklyn federal
court.
“As alleged, Mohammad Bazzi thought that he could
secretly move hundreds of thousands of dollars from the United States to
Lebanon without detection by law enforcement. Today’s arrest proves that Bazzi
was wrong,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Our office is committed to
ensuring that sanctions imposed by the US government are respected and that
terrorism financiers are starved of funds.”
Romanian law enforcement authorities took Bazzi into
custody after he arrived in Bucharest on Friday, according to the release
announcing his arrest.
DEA Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Kafafian added:
“The defendants in this case attempted to provide continued financial
assistance to Hizballah, a foreign terrorist organization responsible for death
and destruction.”
“The men and women of DEA are committed to working
with our law enforcement and foreign counterparts to disrupt and dismantle the
operations of these organizations and those who choose to support them
financially.”
In May 2018, the United States Department of the
Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Bazzi as a
Specially Designated Global Terrorist for assisting in, sponsoring, and
providing financial, material, and technological support and financial services
to Hezbollah.
According to the OFAC designation, Bazzi is a key
Hezbollah financier who has provided millions of dollars to Hezbollah over the
years, generated from his business activities in Belgium, Lebanon, Iraq and
throughout West Africa.
As a result of the designation, all US persons were
generally prohibited from transacting business with, or for the benefit of,
Bazzi.
As alleged, following Bazzi’s designation, Bazzi and
Chahine conspired to force or induce an individual located in the United States
to liquidate their interests in certain real estate assets located in Michigan
and covertly transfer hundreds of thousands of dollars in proceeds of the
liquidation out of the United States to Bazzi and Chahine in Lebanon.
During recorded communications, Bazzi and Chahine
proposed numerous methods to conceal from OFAC and law enforcement officials
that Bazzi was both the source and destination of the proceeds of the sale and
to create the false appearance that their accomplice in the US was conducting
legitimate arms-length transactions unrelated to Bazzi and Chahine.
For example, Bazzi and Chahine proposed that the funds
be transferred through a third party in China as part of a fictitious purchase
of restaurant equipment from a Chinese manufacturer and a third party in
Lebanon as part of a fictitious real estate purchase.
They also attempted to funnel money via Chahine’s
family members in Kuwait as part of fictitious intra-family loans and as part
of a fictitious franchising agreement as payment for the rights to operate a
Lebanese-based restaurant chain throughout the US.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Palestinian youth dies a day after clash with Israeli
troops: Hospital source
24 February ,2023
A Palestinian died Friday after being wounded a day
earlier in clashes with Israeli forces in the south of the occupied West Bank,
a Palestinian hospital official said.
Mohammed Ismail Jawabreh, 22, died after being shot in
the head on Thursday “during clashes with occupation forces” in Al-Aroub camp
north of Hebron, said the official at the city’s Al-Ahly hospital, requesting
anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media.
An Israeli army spokesman said soldiers had pursued
“masked suspects” who had been throwing rocks towards civilian vehicles on the
West Bank’s main north-south road.
“During the pursuit, a violent riot was instigated, in
which the masked suspects hurled rocks and stone blocks from rooftops at the
soldiers, endangering their lives,” the spokesman added.
“The soldiers responded with riot dispersal means and
22 caliber rounds,” he said, adding one of the suspects was hit.
Separately, the Palestinian health ministry said “two
Palestinians were seriously wounded by settler gunfire” on Friday in the
Palestinian town of Qusra, in the north of the West Bank.
Palestinian news agency Wafa said Israeli “settlers
attacked the homes of civilians in the south of the town, prompting residents
to defend themselves,” adding that the two Palestinians were wounded in an
exchange of fire.
A military spokesman told AFP that after reports of a
“violent confrontation between Palestinians and Israelis adjacent to the town
of Qusra... soldiers arrived to the scene and responded with riot dispersal
means.”
“We are aware of reports regarding Palestinians who
were evacuated to a hospital as a result of gunshot wounds,” the spokesman
added.
Since the start of this year, the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict has claimed the lives of 62 Palestinian adults and children, including
militants and civilians.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Turkish forces killed alleged mastermind behind
Istanbul street bombing
24 February ,2023
Turkish forces have killed the alleged mastermind
behind a deadly Istanbul street bombing in an operation in northern Syria,
Turkey’s state-run news agency reported.
The man, identified as Halil Menci, was “neutralized”
in an operation by Turkish intelligence agents, the agency said, without
providing further details. HaberTurk television said the operation took place
on February 22 in the town of Qamishli.
The November 13 bomb attack in Istanbul’s bustling
Istiklal Avenue left six people dead, including two children. More than 80
others were wounded.
Turkish authorities blamed the attack on the outlawed
Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, as well as Syrian Kurdish groups affiliated
with it. The Kurdish militants have denied involvement.
At least 17 suspects have been jailed pending trial in
connection with the attack, including a Syrian woman who is accused of leaving
the TNT-laden bomb on Istiklal Avenue. Officials said at the time that the
attack’s planner had fled Turkey for Syria.
The PKK has fought an armed insurgency in Turkey since
1984. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people since then.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Netanyahu discusses military action on Iran with top
Israeli officials: Report
24 February ,2023
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has held a
number of secret meetings with senior Israeli military officials discussing
plans for a possible strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Israel’s Channel 12
reported this week.
According to the report, Netanyahu met five times in
recent weeks with top military officials including the defense minister, head
of the Israel Defense Forces, head of the Mossad and head of the military
intelligence to discuss preparations for a possible attack on Iran’s nuclear
program.
The report was unsourced and short on details, and
“may itself be designed to telegraph the seriousness of Israeli threats to
resort to military action in order to shut down Iran’s suspected drive toward a
nuclear weapon,” the Times of Israel noted.
The report said that the outcome of the meetings was
that Israel will act alone against Iran if the international community does not
intervene. The outcome of the meetings was shared with senior US officials as
well as French President Emmanuel Macron, it added.
The reported meetings come amid heightened tensions
between Iran and Israel.
Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu said that Iran was behind an attack on a tanker in the Arabian Sea
linked to Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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New settlement powers for Israeli extremist Smotrich
cause outrage among Palestinians
MOHAMMED NAJIB
February 25, 2023
RAMALLAH: Palestinians have expressed concern and
outrage after a far-right Israeli cabinet minister was formally handed
political responsibility for Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank,
which he has said he will use to bring their legal status into line with
communities in Israel.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was given a
supervisory role in the Defense Ministry in matters relating to settlers, as
part of his coalition deal with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A 14-point statement issued by Smotrich, after he
agreed on a division of responsibilities with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant,
included an assertion that “legislation on all civilian (settlement) matters
will be brought into line with Israeli law.”
The agreement means Smotrich has the power to expand
settlements, legalize outposts and demolish Palestinian homes.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas, said: “All settlement is illegal and any attempt by
Israel to legalize or annex these settlements is rejected and is a violation of
international resolutions.”
Mustafa Barghouti, secretary of the Palestinian
National Initiative, told Arab News: “Appointing Smotrich to this position,
with these powers, means Israel annexing the West Bank and letting the settlers
do whatever they want against Palestinians."
He said that Smotrich and another right-wing extremist
politician, Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, are now responsible
for all the political mechanisms that affect the lives and property of
Palestinians, including civil administration, internal security, settlement
financing, control of Al-Aqsa Mosque, border guards, and Israeli prisons.
“This means declaring war on the Palestinians,” he
added.
Shawan Jabarin, the director of Al-Haq, a Palestinian
human rights organization, told Arab News: “We have always said that Israel was
annexing the West Bank, and now the official announcement of this annexation
has come.”
More than 650,000 Jewish settlers live in the West
Bank and there are plans to increase the number to 1 million by 2030. Smotrich
himself owns a house in the Kedumim settlement, east of Qalqilya. The Israeli
settlements are concentrated in Area C, which constitutes about 60 percent of
the West Bank.
Palestinians consider the settlements an existential
threat because settlers often seize their land, livestock pastures and water
resources by force. The spread of settlements along the length and breadth of
the West Bank also undermines the 56-year dream of Palestinians for an
independent and geographically contiguous state.
Palestinian political sources told Arab News that
Israeli settlers, emboldened by Smotrich’s appointment, have escalated their
attacks on Palestinians and their properties in the West Bank.
On Wednesday, the Israeli Higher Planning Council
approved the construction of 1,000 settlement units in the Gush Etzion
settlement bloc, south of Bethlehem. On Friday, settlers uprooted 70 olive tree
seedlings in Al-Khader, south of Bethlehem. They also destroyed agricultural
infrastructure and uprooted fruit trees.
Also on Friday, Palestinians matching in protest
against acts of terrorism by settlers were attacked by Israeli forces in the
village of Ramon, east of Ramallah. One Palestinian was injured by a rubber
bullet.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2257591/middle-east
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North America
Paraguay: Muslim Brotherhood is declared a terrorist
organization
February 24, 2023
The Permanent Commission of the Paraguayan Congress
has approved a resolution by Senator Lilian Samaniego, declaring the
"Muslim Brotherhood" organization a terrorist association.
The group, founded in Egypt in 1928,
"ideologically supports those who use violence and threaten stability and
security in the East and West," the congresswoman said.
Source: Rio Times Online
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G-7 nations express 'profound sympathy' for Türkiye,
Syria earthquake victims
Michael Hernandez
24.02.2023
WASHINGTON
The Group of 7 (G-7) major industrialized nations
expressed on Friday their "profound sympathy" for all those impacted
by devastating earthquakes that ravaged broad swathes of Türkiye and Syria.
"We stand in solidarity with the people of
Türkiye and Syria and pledge our continued support to tackling the consequences
of this catastrophe," the leaders of the G-7, which include Canada,
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US.
"It is vital that humanitarian aid reaches all
those who require it as efficiently as possible. We welcome the expansion of
cross-border aid for an initial period of three months, and underscore that the
humanitarian needs of those in northwest Syria should continue to be met,"
they added.
The leaders also welcomed EU-led donor conference in
March to support the Turkish and Syrian people.
On Feb. 6, two powerful quakes struck southern Türkiye.
The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 tremors were centered in
Kahramanmaras and rocked 10 other provinces – Hatay, Gaziantep, Adiyaman,
Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa, and Elazig. Some 13.5
million people have been affected by the devastating quakes.
Several countries in the region, including Syria and
Lebanon, also felt the trembles that struck in less than 10 hours.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Ex-US senator: Washington started the wars in Iraq,
Ukraine
24 February 2023
The United States is to blame for constantly meddling
in the internal affairs of independent countries and starting both the wars in
Iraq and Ukraine, a former US state senator says.
In an interview with RT published on Friday, ex-state
Senator from Virginia, Richard Black said that the US overthrew the governments
of both of these countries to turn them into puppets, stressing that Washington
is the “source of both” Iraq and Ukraine conflicts.
Black also pointed out that while most Americans do
not want to be involved in the conflicts, the US “foreign policy establishment”
pursues its own separate agenda.
Black insisted that the US “overthrew Iraq with
military force, coming in from across the globe,” and has “gone in and
overthrown Ukraine with military force from the other side of the globe.”
The Ukraine conflict broke out when the CIA “staged a
violent, bloody coup” in Kiev in 2014 and helped remove the legitimately
elected president, Viktor Yanukovich, from power, the former state senator
said.
Washington replaced Yanukovich with a “revolutionary
junta” and began flooding Kiev with “advanced weapons” with the aim of building
up a “very formidable” military force, Black added.
Ukraine's current president is nothing more than a
“puppet” of Washington, who “does what he is told, when he is told,” Black
clarified.
Black said that the White House views post-Saddam
Iraq, which the US occupied in 2003, as a “colonial state.”
He claimed that in his viewpoint the “occupation of
Iraq will continue indefinitely,” and that America’s endgame is to wield
influence over the entire Middle East from its “hardened command and control
center” in Baghdad’s Green Zone.
According to the former senator, while most of the
American population does not agree with the US interventionist foreign
policies, a group of so-called Washington elites, as well as “oligarchs” and
the weapons-manufacturing military-industrial complex, pursue their own
interests, irrespective of others.
Black further stated the conflict in Ukraine could be
resolved if the country becomes “neutral” and “demilitarized,” similar to
Austria during the Cold War.
Source: Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/02/24/698819/US-Iraq-Ukraine-War-Black-RT-Interview
--------
South Asia
Afghan Taliban want Pakistan to ‘bear cost’ of
disarming TTP
Kamran Yousaf
February 24, 2023
The Afghan Taliban have expressed their willingness to
disarm the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and relocate its members
from the Pak-Afghan border but with a condition that Islamabad will bear the
cost of the proposed plan.
This was revealed at the meeting of the Central Apex
Committee, which met on Friday to discuss the recent surge in terrorist attacks
in the country and other security matters.
The meeting was presided over by Prime Minister
Shehbaz Sharif and attended by chief ministers of the four provinces and
Gilgit-Baltistan, the AJK PM, senior cabinet ministers, the army chief, DG ISI
and other relevant officials.
Sources familiar with the meeting told The Express
Tribune that the issue of banned TTP and its sanctuaries across the border was
one of the main issues on the agenda.
A high-powered delegation led by Defence Minister
Khawaja Asif visited Kabul this week to share "irrefutable evidence"
with the Afghan Taliban about the presence of TTP in the neighbouring country.
The sources said the apex committee was informed that
the Afghan interim government proposed a plan to control the banned outfit. The
proposal envisages disarming the TTP fighters and their relocation from the
Pak-Afghan border areas. However, the Afghan government asked Pakistan to fund
the proposal and bear the cost of rehabilitation of the TTP.
The meeting was informed that the Afghan Taliban made
a similar proposal to China to address its concerns on the East Turkestan
Islamic Movement (ETIM).
However, Pakistan has yet to respond to the Afghan
Taliban’s idea as there is skepticism that it might not work.
Nevertheless, it was for the first time that the
Afghan Taliban came up with the idea to disarm the TTP.
Earlier, the interim Afghan government encouraged
Pakistan to negotiate a peace deal with the TTP, something that backfired.
There are between 8,000 to 12,000 TTP fighters in
Afghanistan and the number goes to 30,000 if their family members are also
included, according to some estimates.
Meanwhile, a statement issued by the PM Office said
the meeting agreed that “the elimination of terrorism, economic recovery and
political stability are interlinked”.
"Pakistan cannot afford internal instability.
National unity, unity and collective struggle is the need of the hour. In order
to achieve these goals, a national consensus should be created and obstacles
should be removed," the statement read.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif lamented that despite
efforts, PTI Chairman Imran Khan was not ready to sit and evolve a consensus on
key national issues.
He said that Pakistan and the IMF were close to
signing a deal but made it clear that the release of the next tranche would not
end the country's economic woes.
He then referred to the provision of the much-needed
loan from a friendly country without waiting for the IMF programme’s revival.
Though he didn't name that country, it was China, which provided $700 million
to cash-strapped Pakistan.
Meanwhile, in the apex committee meeting, the incidents
of terrorism, especially the incidents of terrorism that took place at the
Peshawar Police Lines mosque on Jan 30 and at the Karachi Police Office on Feb
19 and the subsequent situation, were reviewed in detail.
Representatives of sensitive institutions briefed the
participants on the overall security situation and operations against
terrorists.
The Sindh inspector general of police informed the
meeting about the attack on Karachi Police Office and the facts that emerged so
far.
"Saluting all the law enforcement agencies,
including Pakistan Army, Rangers, FC, CTD and the police, for showing
unprecedented courage and bravery against terrorism across the country,
tributes were paid to the martyred officers and soldiers," the statement
said.
The meeting deliberated on the issue of
non-availability of funds sanctioned in the past for Karachi police and
security and directed that obstacles in the way of completion of all projects
related to police, CTD and security should be removed without delay.
The meeting considered the role of media, especially
social media, during terrorist incidents and operations of security forces.
The meeting was briefed that during the operation of
the security forces, the information is also broadcast on media from which the
terrorists and their facilitators can take advantage and there can also be an
impact on the security operation, thereby endangering the lives of the officers
and men conducting the operation.
It was suggested to follow 'SOPs' and regulations on
cyberspace and terrorism prevalent in other countries of the world.
In this context, in consultation with the media houses
and all relevant stakeholders, appropriate procedures should be formulated so
that in emergency situations, rumours, misleading information and creating fear
among the public will not create problems for the security operatives.
The meeting also decided that a focal person should be
assigned the responsibility to provide facts to the media and public in an
emergency situation.
The meeting reviewed the progress on the
implementation of the National Action Plan and the decisions made in the
previous meeting.
The committee headed by the federal minister for law
and justice informed about the progress on measures to make the stages of
investigation, prosecution and punishment effective against terrorists.
The prime minister said the government has to
unwillingly accept the strict conditions of a deal with the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) to provide a lifeline for an economy in turmoil.
"We have to accept unwillingly the strict
conditions of the IMF deal," he said, adding that an accord was still a
"week, 10 days" away.
Pakistani authorities have been negotiating with the
IMF since early February over policy framework issues and are hoping to sign a
staff-level agreement that will pave the way for more inflows from other
bilateral and multilateral lenders. Once the deal is signed, the lender will
disburse a tranche of more than $1 billion from the $6.5 billion bailout agreed
to in 2019.
Pakistan has already taken a string of measures,
including adopting a market-based exchange rate; a hike in fuel and power
tariffs; the withdrawal of subsidies, and more taxation to generate revenue to
bridge the fiscal deficit.
Source: Tribune Pakistan
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2403028/afghan-taliban-want-pakistan-to-bear-cost-of-disarming-ttp
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Do Not Blindly Obey Anyone, Says Acting Afghan Defence
Minister
By Nizamuddin Rezahi
February 25, 2023
The Acting Defense Minister of the Afghan Interim
Regime Mullah Yaqoob Mujahid called on the Taliban members to avoid blindly
obeying anyone.
While addressing the graduation ceremony of police
officers, the Defense Minister said, “Almighty God has granted us wisdom and
reasoning power, and obliged us not to blindly obey anyone, even if it is me.”
Referring to the orders of the Taliban senior
leadership, Yaqoob said, it should be recognized who orders a decree, what has
the person done, and what ambitions he has for the country and people.
He further added in his remarks that Taliban members
should be able to differentiate “right and wrong” and act accordingly.
This is not the first time the Defense Minister
highlights the intergroup differences among the Taliban senior leadership.
High-ranking Taliban officials have criticized the group’s leadership in the
recent past.
Prior to this, Mullah Yaqoob had called on the Taliban
leadership to keep away pride and arrogance and respect the legitimate demands
of the people of Afghanistan.
Furthermore, the Taliban’s Interior Minister
Sirajuddin Haqqani criticized the monopoly of power by the Taliban leadership
and stated that such a situation is not acceptable.
Zabiullah Mujahid, Taliban’s chief spokesperson has
repeatedly rejected claims regarding intergroup differences among the group’s
leadership and has called the group’s members to obey the orders of the supreme
leader, and not criticize him publically.
Source: Khaama Press
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of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/do-not-blinedly-obey-anyone-says-acting-afghan-defense-minister/
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Iran to handover Afghan Embassy in Tehran to Taliban
24 February, 2023
Kabul [Afghanistan], February 24 (ANI): The Iranian
Foreign Ministry is set to hand over the Afghan Embassy in Tehran to the
Taliban, citing unofficial sources reported Khaama Press.
Iran will officially hand over the embassy to the
Taliban in the coming days according to an Afghan diplomat who has been in
contact with the officials of the Iranian foreign ministry.
This comes after the Taliban-run foreign ministry
stated in a letter that it had appointed Mohammad Afzal Haqqani as designated
ambassador to Tehran, reported Khaama Press.
The letter noted that Haqqani, as the first secretary
of the embassy, will be in charge of the diplomatic mission in Iran.
Initially, Haqqani had travelled from Tehran to Kabul
and then returned with his letter of appointment as head of the Afghan Embassy
in Tehran. However, the Iranian Foreign Ministry had not accepted Haqqani as
the new ambassador to Tehran, reported Khaama Press.
Now, a serious decision has been taken in this regard
the Afghan diplomat said.
The Taliban-run administration has neither internal
legitimacy nor international recognition. So far, no single country in the
world has recognized the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.
Iran is the third country to join Pakistan and Russia
which handed over the Afghan embassies to the group a few months ago.
Meanwhile, Taliban has called on the international
community to recognise the “Islamic Emirate” of Afghanistan, claiming that if
recognised, the concerns and complaints of the world community will be
addressed in a better way, Afghanistan-based Tolo News reported.
“The Islamic Emirate will be paying more attention to
its responsibilities and the complaints we have among ourselves or from other
countries will be addressed in a good way. Because one side will feel itself
responsible regarding the laws and regulation,” Afghan Taliban spokesman
Zabiullah Mujahid said, as quoted by Tolo News.
According to analysts, forming an inclusive
government, countering terrorism, not allowing the use of Afghan soil against
other countries, and ensuring human rights, especially the rights of women and
girls, will pave the ground for recognition of the Islamic Emirate.
“To earn recognition, the Taliban should refer to the
people first. They should observe law, politics and governance. They should
recognize the rights of the people,” said Sayed Jawad Sijadi, a political
analyst, according to Tolo News.
Source: The Print
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://theprint.in/world/iran-to-handover-afghan-embassy-in-tehran-to-taliban/1397519/
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Afghanistan-Pakistan Torkham Gate Reopens
Conditionally after Negotiations
By Fidel Rahmati
February 24, 2023
On Friday, a Media centre in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar
province posted on Twitter that “The Torkham gate has been reopened conditionally
after negotiations between the Afghan-Pakistani officials”.
The statement added, “Only Afghan travellers will be
allowed to enter the country from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Pakistani travellers
will be allowed from Afghanistan to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa”.
The implication from the remark is that transit and
other travellers are not affected by the conditional reopening.
“Negotiations are going on to allow passengers and
transit on both sides; however, Afghan citizens are advised to refrain from
going to Torkham until further notification,” read the statement.
On Thursday, Pakistani officials closed the border
crossing with Afghanistan and added that Pakistan could not make the border
crossing “completely functioning due to administrative issues”.
Earlier this week, the Taliban administration in
Afghanistan closed the Torkham gate between Afghanistan and Pakistan, accusing
Islamabad of breaching its commitments.
The closure of the crossing border came after an
exchange of fire occurred on Monday, a day after the Pakistani troops did not
allow the movement of Afghan patients for medical treatment while pledging to
allow them without valid travel documents.
Following the incident, on February 22, a high
Pakistani delegation visited Kabul to discuss security issues, particularly
ISSI and TTP militants and strengthen cooperation between the two sides.
In the meeting, the Pakistani delegation was informed
that it was Pakistan’s responsibility to provide all “necessary facilities” for
travellers at Torkham and another crossing farther south, Spin Boldak, as well
as unique facilities for the transportation of patients in need of emergency
medical care.
Recently, the relations between the Afghan Taliban-led
government and Pakistan have deteriorated due to the deterioration of security
in Pakistan.
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/afghanistan-pakistan-torkham-gate-reopens-conditionally-after-negotiations/
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Taliban closes shops accepting Pakistani rupees in
Uruzgan province
25 February, 2023
Kabul [Afghanistan], February 24 (ANI): Taliban has
shut down shops that were accepting Pakistani rupees as the mode of payment in
Uruzgan province, reported Tolo News.
Officials of the committee for Afghani Promotion said
that the usage of foreign currency has been banned in this province and will
deal legally with violators.
“We will keep this process going until people in this
province use afghanis completely,” said Yosif, a member of the committee for
Afghani Promotion.
Uruzgan has used Pakistani rupees for many years, but
recent efforts to popularize Afghan currency have increased, reported Tolo
News.
Meanwhile, some residents in the province welcomed the
decision and called for the lack of Afghan banknotes in the markets to be
addressed.
“People come to our shop and use rupees for their
daily shopping, if we ask for Afghani they go to another shop,” said
Ihsanullah, a shopkeeper.
“People even don’t know the afghani, they don’t know
the difference between 20 afghani and 100 Afghani,” said Rahmatullah, a
shopkeeper, reported Tolo News.
“We call on the government to not force people into
this, and they will know our national Identity slowly,” said Sher Mohammad,
another resident.
Earlier in October 2022, the Taliban banned the use of
Pakistani Rupees in Afghanistan.
It said the Taliban Intelligence Agency declared that
the use of Pakistani Rupees in financial transactions in Afghanistan has been
“completely banned.”
This order was conveyed by the Taliban agency’s
anti-money laundering branch to the money exchange association. According to
this order, all financial transactions, including but not limited to transfers,
trade, and currency exchange, are disallowed.
The report said money exchange dealers are banned from
conducting transactions totalling more than 500,000 Rupees. If more than the
specified amount is discovered, the dealers could face legal action.
The Khaama report said this move comes at a time when
some locals and traders in Afghanistan use Pakistani Rupees for everyday
spending and food purchases.
Source: The Print
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Arab World
UAE adds three men, company to local terror list for
links to Iran-backed Hezbollah
24 February ,2023
The UAE has designated a man, his two sons, and their
company known for links to the Iran-backed Hezbollah, the state-run Emirates
News Agency (WAM) reported on Friday.
“The resolution underscores the UAE’s commitment to
target and dismantle networks that finance terrorism and its related
activities,” WAM said.
As a result of their designation, local authorities
will monitor and identify individuals or entities affiliated with or associated
with any financial, commercial or technical relationship with the listed
company and take legal action.
The three individuals added to the local terrorist
list were Hassan Moukalled and his sons, Rani and Rayyan. Their company CTEX
Exchange was also added to the list.
Last month, the US Treasury Department sanctioned the
three men and CTEX, accusing them of funneling money to Hezbollah.
The father reportedly play a “key role” in enabling
Hezbollah to “exploit and “exacerbate” Lebanon’s economic crisis, the US
Treasury Department previously said.
Moukalled is accused of dealing with a sanctioned
senior Hezbollah financial official, Muhammad Qasir, including business deals
with Russia.
The US and Western countries have blacklisted
Hezbollah for decades, and several Gulf countries have followed suit in recent
years.
The Treasury Department said Moukalled’s money service
business, CTEX Exchange, was established in 2022 as a financial front in Beirut
for Hezbollah.
The company received a license from Lebanon’s Central
Bank to transfer money within Lebanon and abroad, and “within a year, the
company had obtained significant market share within Lebanon’s currency
transfer sector and was reportedly collecting millions of US dollars for the
Central Bank of Lebanon.”
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Drone strike in Syria kills 2 al-Qaeda-linked
operatives
24 February ,2023
A drone strike believed to have been carried out by
the US-led coalition in northwestern Syria on Friday killed two operatives with
an al-Qaeda-linked group, Syrian opposition activists said.
The two militants were killed while riding a
motorcycle near the northern village of Qah, close to the Turkish border,
according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an
opposition war monitor, and several other activist collectives.
There was no immediate comment from the US military.
The strike was the latest in a series of attacks over the past years targeting
al-Qaeda-linked militants in northwestern Syria.
The opposition’s Syrian Civil Defense, also known as
White Helmets, said its members extinguished a fire caused by the drone strike,
adding that two “unknown persons” were killed.
The Observatory said the two were members of Horas
al-Din, which is Arabic for “Guardians of Religion.” The group includes
hardcore al-Qaeda members who broke away from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the
strongest insurgent group in Idlib province. Idlib is the last major rebel
enclave in war-torn Syria.
The Observatory also said that one of the two killed
men was an Iraqi citizen.
In June last year, a drone strike by the US-led
coalition in Idlib province killed Abu Hamzah al Yemeni. a senior member of
Horas al-Din.
In 2017, a US airstrike killed a former aide to Osama
bin Laden and al-Qaeda’s second in command in Syria, Abu al-Kheir al-Masri.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Saudi Arabia emerges as ‘new destination’ for Indian
travellers
SANJAY KUMAR
February 24, 2023
NEW DELHI: Major players in India’s tourism industry
believe Saudi Arabia will become a big new destination for Indian travelers,
with visitor numbers from the South Asian country expected to double in 2023.
Over the past two years, India has emerged as Saudi
Arabia’s key tourism source market, and the Saudi Tourism Authority expects it
to become the largest in the next few years, as travel destinations in the
Kingdom develop as part of Vision 2030.
Throughout February, the STA held a series of
promotion programs in India, including a successful roadshow and participation
in travel and trade events across the country. It also signed a partnership
agreement with the Indian Premier League — the world’s most-watched T20 cricket
franchise — to tap into the nation’s strong sports fanbase.
As the STA’s February campaign concluded this week, it
announced it was seeking to “welcome more than 2 million Indian visitors” in
2023.
“India is a key source market for Saudi,” the STA said
in a statement.
“As part of Saudi’s ambition to achieve 100 million
visits annually by 2030, India represents immense potential as it is expected
to be one of Saudi’s largest tourism source markets by then.”
The Travel Agents Association of India, which, with
2,500 members, is one of the largest industry groups in the country, signed
cooperation agreements with the STA to increase the number of Indian travelers.
“Saudi is a safe destination, a beautiful destination to go to ... We will be
boosting Saudi tourism,” TAAI President Jyoti Mayal told Arab News on Friday.
She said that the ongoing creation of new destinations
for travelers will help the mission succeed.
“Everyone is looking at new destinations and
experiences,” Mayal added. “People are always looking to explore new
destinations. Tourism is all about experiences. You need to create new
experiences and Saudis are doing this.”
Rajeev Saxena, president of the Tourism Guild of Agra,
welcomed the promotion of Saudi Arabia in India as a “positive development” for
the hospitality sector.
“More and more Indians like to go there,” he said.
“Indians are looking at new destinations ... They are interested in exploring
places and spending quality time with family members.”
Abbas Moiz, national general secretary of the Travel
Agents Federation of India, was also convinced about the attractiveness of
Saudi tourism.
“We are very optimistic about what Saudi Arabia has to
offer. They have great tourist destinations,” he said. “They do have a lot to
offer in terms of natural beauty, scenery even the new modern cities that they
are making actually will be a very big hit among the Indian traveling
population.”
Many more tourist attractions are set to emerge in the
coming years. Besides UNESCO World Heritage Site AlUla, huge tourism
developments are underway in the mountains of the south-western Aseer region
and along the Red Sea coast, where visitors will experience not only luxury but
also technological innovations that make tourism sustainable and
environmentally friendly.
“The way (the) Saudis are promoting tourism and
marketing it, I get a sense that they want to create a new Dubai in Saudi
Arabia. If the visa regime is liberal and hospitality is good, then I feel
that, in the future, I will try to send tourists to Saudi Arabia,” said
Abhishek Sharma, a travel agent based in Agra, who earlier this month visited
the Saudi pavilion at the South Asia Tourism and Travel Exchange — Asia’s
biggest tourism exhibition.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2257551/world
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Saudi Shoura Council speaker leads team at Iraq talks
February 25, 2023
RIYADH: Dr. Abdullah Al-Asheikh, speaker of the Saudi
Shoura Council, is leading the Saudi delegation at the 34th conference of the
Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union in Baghdad.
Heads of councils and presidents of parliaments of
member states will participate with organizations and regional and
international institutions in the conference, which aims to support Iraq’s
stability and sovereignty.
Al-Asheikh said that under the leadership of King
Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Kingdom is keen to promote
joint-Arab action to boost stability, and support all aspects of parliamentary
work.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2257566/saudi-arabia
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OIC chief meets Turkish economic officials
February 25, 2023
JEDDAH: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s
secretary-general, Hussain Ibrahim Taha, met with Turkish officials on Thursday
to discuss the earthquake that affected 11 cities in southern and central
Turkiye.
During his meeting with Turkish Minister of Treasury
and Finance Nureddin Nebati in Ankara, Taha offered his condolences to the
people of Turkiye for the losses and damage suffered as a result of the
earthquake, some of which he had seen when visiting Gaziantep to witness the
impact the earthquake had had on residents’ lives.
Taha also reiterated that the Islamic world and the
OIC stand in solidarity with the Turkish Republic.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2257596/saudi-arabia
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Tehran, Baghdad stepping up security cooperation as
Iran FM visits Iraq
24 February 2023
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has
discussed security cooperation with Iraqi sides during his ongoing visit to the
neighboring state, stressing that this cooperation will improve the security
and stability of both countries.
The Iranian minister, who is in Iraq for an official
visit, held separate meetings with a number of Iraqi officials on Thursday,
discussing a range of topics of mutual interests, including security
cooperation.
Talking with Iraq’s National Security Advisor Qassim
al-Araji, Amir-Abdollahian said he was pleased that Iran and Iraq have
succeeded in forming a high-security committee to dispel some existing concerns
in the Iraqi Kurdistan region.
He noted that Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National
Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani is also set to travel to Iraq to sign a
security cooperation agreement with Baghdad.
Describing the presence of any anti-Iranian and
separatist group in the Kurdistan region as "unacceptable", he said
that this will pose a threat to Iran, Iraq and even the Kurdistan region.
For his part, al-Araji described recent plots to deal
a blow to the Islamic Republic of Iran as a delusion, stressing that any threat
from Iraq’s soil to Iran will be "unacceptable and deplorable".
The advisor also pointed to the importance of regional
cooperation, noting that if interactions among regional countries are improved,
there will be no room for the presence of extra-regional countries.
The remarks come as anti-Iranian terrorist groups
residing in the Iraqi Kurdistan region have increased their malign activities,
especially in border areas. Responding to the activities, Iran’s Islamic
Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has launched several rounds of airstrikes
against their positions since September 24 last year, vowing to continue
attacks till the groups are unarmed.
Iran has, on countless occasions, warned the Iraqi
Kurdistan’s local authorities that it will not tolerate the presence and
activity of terrorist groups along its northwestern borders, saying the country
will give a decisive response should those areas become a hub of anti-Islamic
Republic terrorists.
Amir-Abdollahian also held talks with Faleh al-Fayyad,
head of Iraq’s Hashd al-Sha’abi.
Expressing gratitude for the efforts and struggles of
Hashd al-Sha’abi forces in battling Daesh and restoring stability and security
to Iraq, he said stability and security in Iraq equal stability and security in
Iran.
Fayyad, for his part, appreciated Iran for its
unwavering support for the establishment of stability on the borders and across
the entire region, stressing the need for the Iranian and Iraqi governments to
keep up security cooperation.
In a separate meeting with Iraqi Supreme Judicial
Council Faiq Zidane, Amir-Abdollahian thanked Baghdad's efforts to form a
high-security committee between the two countries, noting that the presence of
terrorist groups is a threat to all parties, including Baghdad.
The Iranian foreign minister also called on the Iraqi
judiciary official to finalize their actions regarding the case of anti-terror
commanders General Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Muhandis who were
assassinated by US forces in January 2020.
Zidane, for his part, explained the inclusive judicial
measures by the Iraqi side to issue an indictment against the perpetrators and
orchestrators of the assassination, noting that Iraq is determined to put those
who did the attack on trial.
Furthermore, the top Iranian diplomat held another
meeting with Hadi al-Amiri, head of the Fatah (Conquest) Alliance, where the
two sides discussed a range of issues of mutual interest.
Source: Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/02/24/698804/Iran-Iraq-stepping-up-security-cooperation
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Over 4,200 Saudi medics volunteer to aid Turkey, Syria
earthquake survivors
NATALIA LASKOWSKA
February 24, 2023
RIYADH: More than 4,200 Saudi medics have registered
to help quake survivors in Turkey and Syria, the chief of Saudi aid told Arab
News, as relief efforts continue in the most affected areas.
Around 50,000 people are known to have died in the
Feb. 6 earthquake, which reduced dozens of towns to rubble. Hundreds of
thousands more people are left with nothing and many are sleeping in tents or
in the open in winter conditions.
Saudi teams were among the first foreign responders to
reach the affected area hours after the tremor struck. The King Salman
Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center quickly established an air bridge to send
plane-loads of aid to both countries.
The quake and the response dominated this week’s
Riyadh International Humanitarian Forum, which was hosted by KSrelief and the
UN.
KSrelief Supervisor-General Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeah
announced $49 million of aid to help house survivors and provide health
care.
The Saudi teams deployed to 20 regions in Syria and
Turkey are “internationally certified responders,” Al-Rabeeah said in an
interview during the Riyadh forum.
They are joined by the more than 4,200 Saudi medical
professionals who have volunteered, he said.
“We thank and respect those who have offered and
registered their names. We would love to use them all,” he told Arab News. He
added that the number of those who would be immediately sent to the field would
depend on what kind of assistance was most urgent.
Six Saudi medical convoys are also being sent.
“I would expect myself that on the medical side,
especially emergency medical responders, trauma doctors, orthopaedists, or bone
doctors, neurosurgeons and also servers related to children will be one of the
top priorities,” Al-Rabeeah said.
“At the later stage, mental health and mental counseling
will be important because of the magnitude of trauma that has happened.”
The public has also been generous in response to the
disaster. In addition to official aid, an online campaign for quake victims run
by KSrelief has as of Friday collected over $120 million in private donations.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2257501/saudi-arabia
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KSRelief signs 2 agreements to boost medical services
to Syrians
February 24, 2023
RIYADH: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief
Center signed two agreements on Thursday with the International Society for the
Care of Victims of Wars and Disasters, on the sidelines of the Riyadh
International Humanitarian Forum.
The first agreement initiated the launch of a mobile
clinic system for those affected by the Syrian earthquake. Some 20 clinics will
be stocked with medical and surgical supplies, as well as infant formula. The
plan is expected to help more than 200,000 people.
The second deal calls for KSRelief and the Syrian
refugee charity to provide health care as well as psychological, social, and
nutritional support to 100,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2257436/saudi-arabia
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Africa
Nigeria: Muslim, Christian Clerics Warn Against Voting
On Tribal, Religious Sentiments
February 24, 2023
By Khaleel Muhammad
Muslim and Christian Clerics have warned against
electoral violence and voting based on tribal and religious grounds.
Malam Aminu Baba Waziri, the Chief Imam of Takur
central mosque on Friday evening called on the Muslim Ummah to come out en mass
to exercise their constitutional rights and vote for competent leaders.
He warned the Muslim faithful that would be asked
about the decisions they made for Nigeria on the day of judgement.
Also commenting on the election, Pastor Daniel Azanah,
advised people to vote for the right candidate that will help in the
development of the country.
Source: Daily Post Nigeria
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Nigeria Decides 2023: Shehu Sani reveals what happened in mosque on Friday
February 25, 2023
By John Owen Nwachukwu
A former federal lawmaker, Shehu Sani has revealed
what happened during worship at a mosque on Friday
It is a general belief in Nigeria that Imams try to
convince their congregants to vote a particular candidate on the eve of crucial
elections.
Nigeria holds its presidential and National Assembly
elections today, Saturday 25th of February, 2023.
There are eighteen presidential candidates on the
ballot, but the top contenders include Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP, Bola
Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the
Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigerian Peoples
Party, NNPP.
Shehu Sani, who represented the Kaduna Central
Senatorial district in the eighth Assembly, said that the Imam in his mosque
was about to announce to the people the candidate to vote but had to change his
mind due to the presence of youths in the mosque.
Source: Daily Post Nigeria
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Tunisia opposition says it will hold new protest over
arrests on March 5
24 February ,2023
A Tunisian protest coalition said on Friday it would
not stop working to unite the opposition against President Kais Saied despite
the arrest of its top leaders, and added that it would hold a demonstration on
March 5.
Tunisian police have cracked down this month against
prominent critics of Saied, including senior figures in the National Salvation
Front, an umbrella organization that brought together political parties and
protest groups.
Earlier on Friday police arrested Jawher Ben Mbarek,
one of the movement’s leaders, his sister said.
“The detainees were brought to the public prosecutor’s
office handcuffed and in humiliating conditions amid an intense and heavily
armed presence of security agents,” the front said.
“The consultations aimed at unifying the democratic
forces, for which the detainees were arrested, will not stop but will
intensify,” it added.
The police and interior ministry have not made any
comment on the wave of arrests this month that has targeted prominent
politicians, protest leaders, media figures and others critical of Saied.
Protests against Saied have demanded that he step down
and have accused him of a coup for shutting down parliament in 2021, moving to
rule by decree and writing a new constitution that he passed last year in a referendum
with low turnout.
Saied, who has said his actions were legal and
necessary to save Tunisia from chaos, has called his critics traitors and
criminals and has said some of those arrested were behind food shortages that
economists have blamed on weak state finances.
Salsabil Chellali, the Tunisia director at
international monitoring group Human Rights Watch, said Saied was going after
his critics “with utter abandon.”
“The message in these arrests is that if you dare to
speak out, the president can have you arrested and publicly denounce you while
his henchmen try to build up a file against you based on remarks you made or
who you met,” he said in a statement.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Europe
Navy SEAL who killed bin Laden challenges military
chiefs on victory in Ukraine: ‘What is winning?’
February 24, 2023
On the one-year anniversary of Russia invading
Ukraine, the man responsible for killing the mastermind behind the September 11
attacks challenged the ideas of military generals offering their expertise on
helping Ukrainians win the ongoing war.
Rob O'Neill, the ex-Navy SEAL who claims to have shot
Osama bin Laden, asked one simple question.
"What is winning?" he said on "Varney
& Co" Friday.
While the question may seem also rudimentary, it is
worth asking, as O'Neill points out several times, when the U.S. has fought for
a pending victory that never came.
On "Varney & Co" Friday, two military generals
offered their definition of what a win would be in Ukraine as well as how to
accomplish it.
"Drive all the Russian troops out of
Ukraine," Gen. Jack Keane said. "Every piece of occupied territory
they are sitting on, drive them out. That is described as a military victory,
not a negotiated settlement. It is a World War II-type ending."
"If you give them everything that they've
requested in a timely manner, they can win this war decisively within a year.
And that's just the facts in front of us," he added.
Lt. Gen. Richard Newton echoed Gen. Keane's thoughts,
pulling his definition from statements from Ukraine's President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy.
"Ukraine is winning. They can win this, and it's
now up to the United States and the West to continue to keep the foot on the
gas and provide the necessary capabilities for them not only to blunt what
would be a Russian spring offensive but to also win this thing," he told
host Stuart Varney. "Not win this thing in terms of what the conditions
were set on February 24 of last year, but all the way back to 2014. To borrow
President Zelenskyy's key points that he wants in a negotiated settlement, and
that would be to return back to the Ukrainian territory, back to 2014. It's to
certainly compensate Ukraine for all the again, this invasion and then also to
pursue war crimes."
O'Neill, however, pushed back on the generals'
confidence and their plan for achieving victory.
"Generals never seem to have an answer [to] what
is winning," O'Neill said. "It's always as long as it takes. We've
been pretty good at doing mission creep since after World War II. We didn't do
Korea well. We lost in Vietnam. You know, we invaded a couple of different
countries, and then we didn't have a reason for going to Iraq. We did for
Afghanistan, but we boggled that after two decades."
"So I would ask these guys with the stars on
their shoulders, what is winning?"
After a year of fighting, the war in Ukraine is still
raging on with growing demands for military and financial support from the West
and NATO nations. On Friday, the Biden administration announced another $2
billion aid package for Ukraine in addition to new sweeping sanctions on
Russia.
"But just like anything from war to the vaccine,
there's no money in the cure. There's just money in the treatment,"
O'Neill argued. "And they want this war to go as long as it goes, because
a lot of people are making a lot of money in government contracts. And there
are people on the ground amongst these people that say they need to go as long
as it takes [that] have never seen the enemy up close, and they don't
understand what it's like on the ground."
O'Neill even called for an audit of the Pentagon to
better understand how leaders are using the department's budget and where
American taxpayers' money is going.
"So why is this money that we're sending to
Ukraine going where we want it? And now we're not talking defense, we're
talking offense. We're giving the best tanks in the world to people that can
defend with them, but then they can also go to the Red Square like they're
saying," he said. "This is a very, very dangerous game they're playing."
O'Neill also argued that the U.S. is
"feeding" the war "from both sides" due to our economic
policies and military aid.
"You got to figure we're funding Russia and
Ukraine. We're funding Russia because of our economic policies. We don't export
enough oil. So people are buying it from Russia, like India, China. Some of our
allies are buying Russian oil. It's a self-licking ice cream corner, and we're
feeding it from both sides. And someone needs to take a sharp look at this and
at least be accountable to the taxpayer. And that's what frustrates me."
While many respected generals and leaders have called
for supporting Ukraine for the time necessary, the American public is more
divided.
A new Fox Poll shows only 50% of Americans are willing
to support Ukraine "as long as it takes to win" with 46% favoring a
"limit timeframe."
Gen. Keane argued that if the American people were
shown "the president wants to give the Ukrainians everything they need and
try to win this year, and if not this year, certainly the beginning of next
year, I think that poll changes dramatically."
O'Neill, however, challenged the lack of
accountability and massive spending connected with Americans' concerns about
the war. He also warned that the U.S. preoccupation with Ukraine is distracting
from the growing threat of China.
Source: Fox Business
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Georgia always ready to support Türkiye in these
difficult days, says Georgian premier
Burak Dağ
25.02.2023
Georgia’s prime minister said Friday that his country
is always ready to support Türkiye and its people in difficult days.
Irakli Garibashvili visited the Georgian search and
rescue team that joined efforts to save lives in quake-hit Hatay province.
“On behalf of the Georgian people, I would like to say
once again that we are always with you and that we are ready to support you in
these difficult days,” he said, expressing condolences for those killed.
Garibashvili and his accompanying delegation were welcomed
by Türkiye’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez and the city’s
Governor Rahmi Dogan at the Hatay Airport.
“I personally conveyed my condolences to him and at
the same time thanked him again for accepting me and my delegation in these difficult
days. I am sure that you will get through these difficult days and you will
return to your old days under the leadership of your President,” he said.
During their visit to the Provincial Directorate of
the country’s disaster agency, AFAD, Donmez said: “From day one, friendly and
brotherly countries gave their best support regarding humanitarian aid and
particularly search and rescue efforts.”
He added: “Undoubtedly, Georgia has a special place.”
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Türkiye, Syria earthquake aid appeal to air on 29 UK
channels
Burak Bir
24.02.2023
LONDON
A video clip appealing for aid to support people
affected by the massive earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria will air on 29 UK
channels simultaneously on Friday.
The footage, featuring the devastating earthquakes on
Feb. 6, is voiced by famous British actor Daniel Craig, showing viewers how
they can donate to help with aid.
"Channel 4 has brought together media owners ITV,
UKTV, Channel 5, Sky, STV, Warner Bros. Discovery and Ocean Outdoor to gift
advertising space for a Disasters Emergency Committee Turkey-Syria earthquake
appeal, voiced by Daniel Craig," said Channel 4.
The 90-second film will air at 9.55 p.m. local time
across 29 British TV channels, in addition, the advert will appear on large
format digital screens in 18 locations.
Channel 4 said that the advert will also be broadcast
on its YouTube channel from Friday until Sunday.
More than 44,200 people have been killed in Türkiye by
the two strong earthquakes that jolted the country's southern region on Feb. 6,
according to officials.
The 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude quakes, centered in the
Kahramanmaras province, have affected some 13.5 million people across 11
provinces, including Hatay, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir,
Kilis, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa, and Elazig.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkiye-syria-earthquake-aid-appeal-to-air-on-29-uk-channels/2830586
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EU maintains sanctions on PKK in terrorist list update
Agnes Szucs
24.02.2023
BRUSSELS
The EU on Friday maintained its sanctions on the PKK
terrorist organization as it extended measures for another six months against
individuals and groups involved in terrorism.
The Council of the European Union, which represents
member states in the bloc, announced in a statement that it had "renewed,
with no changes the so-called terrorist list."
The sanctions list targets 13 people and 21 entities
or groups, including PKK and the far-left DHKP-C, another terror group.
In order to combat terrorism, the bloc freezes the
funds and financial assets that listed individuals and groups hold in the EU
and bans operators in the bloc from making economic resources available to
them.
The EU applies a separate sanction mechanism for
Al-Qaida and ISIS/Daesh.
In its more than 35-year terror campaign against
Türkiye, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and
the EU — has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people,
including women, children and infants.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/eu-maintains-sanctions-on-pkk-in-terrorist-list-update/2830365
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Southeast Asia
In Budget 2023 speech, PM Anwar reminds Malaysians to
stop emphasising racial differences
By John Bunyan
24 Feb 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 24 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar
Ibrahim today reminded Malaysians that racial differences should no longer be
highlighted to preserve harmony and unity in the country.
Anwar said that the government will not allow hatred
to fester until it leads to violence.
“I guarantee here that not only will the
‘perpetrators’ be arrested, but also the ‘purveyors’, who abuse the right to
freedom of expression,” he said during his speech when tabling Budget 2023.
Anwar, who is also the finance minister, announced
that the government had allocated a total of RM50 million to mobilise various
programmes, such as Kembara Perpaduan Malaysia Madani and Ini Warisan Kita, to
celebrate diversity and bridge the gap between Malaysians.
“The programmes will include various activities of unity
and social integration between communities such as unity sports leagues,
cultural competitions, fiestas and menu tastings,” he said.
He said the government also agreed to allocated RM20
million to implement a gotong royong programme in schools throughout Malaysia
as a measure to foster unity.
Source: Malay Mail
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Jais: Ustaz Azhar Idrus not certified to teach Islam
in S’gor
24-02- 2023
SHAH ALAM: The Selangor Islamic Religious Department
(Jais) has confirmed that free-lance preacher Ustaz Azhar Idrus does not hold a
certificate to teach Islam in Selangor.
Its director, Datuk Mohd Shahzihan Ahmad said this
when commenting on the cancellation of Ustaz Azhar’s lecture that was to be
held at Tengku Ampuan Jemaah Mosque, Bukit Jelutong here this Sunday.
He said the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais)
and Jais are subject to the laws and regulations in effect in Selangor.
“All individuals who teach Islam in Selangor must
comply with the laws and regulations.
“Mosque or surau authorities too, cannot invite
individuals who do not possess teaching certificates issued under Section 118
of the Islamic Religious Administration Enactment (Selangor State) 2003
Amendment 2016,“ he said in the statement today.
Yesterday, Ustaz Azhar posted on his Facebook page
that his lecture at Tengku Ampuan Jemaah Mosque was cancelled by Jais and
conveyed his apologies to the people of Selangor.
Source: The Sun Daily
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Malaysia’s new Vatican envoy to promote interfaith
dialogue
February 24, 2023
Malaysia’s newly appointed ambassador to the Holy See
from Christian-majority Sarawak has termed his selection as “unique” and has
vowed to work towards interfaith dialogue and the well-being of Malaysians.
“It is a bit unique, and we do not have trade and
investments. What we are doing is to promote interfaith dialogue between the
different faiths all over the world,” said Hendy Assan who is the third Bidayuh
indigenous tribe member to be appointed to the post.
The first-ever Bidayuh ambassador was John Tenewe Nuek
who has retired.
Bidayuh is a collective name used to identify several
indigenous groups found in southern Sarawak, Malaysia, and northern West
Kalimantan, Indonesia, on the island of Borneo, which are broadly similar in
language and culture.
Assan also voiced his hope to increase socio-cultural
and educational ties during his tenure to further strengthen the relationship
between Malaysia and the Holy See, The Borneo Post reported on Feb. 22.
“We will try to share our experience as a progressive
Muslim country because they look highly on Malaysia,” Assan said.
“At the same time, we will also look into the welfare
of Malaysians who are residing or studying in Vatican City,” he added.
Assan and nine other ambassadors received their Letter
of Credence from His Majesty Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah
Shah, the Malaysian head-of-state on Feb 9.
Assan gave his comments to the press after paying a
courtesy visit to Childhood, and Community Wellbeing Development Minister
Fatimah Abdullah.
He was accompanied by another Sarawakian, Gloria
Corina Peter Tiwet, who was appointed as the Malaysian ambassador to Brazil.
Ambassador Tiwet is the first and only woman among the
three Bidayuh to be appointed from Sarawak.
Minister Abdullah during the meeting urged the
ambassadors to highlight the inclusivity and good practices of Malaysia and
Sarawak in their respective work domains.
“Don’t forget to share the good practices we have here
which contribute to the unity among the people of various races and religions,”
said Abdullah.
She also urged the ambassadors to share the state's
implementation of its women and social support system which they have
“established [for] our Sarawakian society to become an inclusive state.”
Reportedly, Assan has an illustrious career in the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs which began with his service as an assistant
director of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1995,
reported the Dayak Daily newspaper.
He also served as the consul general of Malaysia in
Shanghai, China between 2010 to 2014 and had diplomatic assignments to Tokyo,
Japan, Rome, Italy, and Senegal.
At the ministry, Assan has also worked as the
undersecretary of the East Asia Division, and undersecretary of the
International Cooperation and Development Division.
Before his latest assignment as the ambassador to the
Holy See, Assan served as the Malaysian ambassador to the Republic of
Uzbekistan, a post he took up in 2018.
Assan is married to a Swiss national and they have two
daughters aged 17 and 19.
The appointment of Assan and Tiwet from
Christian-majority Sarawak is particularly relevant as Christians make up only
10 percent of Malaysia’s estimated 32 million people, according to 2018
government estimates.
Of the country’s total population Muslims make up more
than 60 percent, Buddhists 20 percent, and Hindus are estimated at 6.3 percent.
Among Malaysia’s 13 states, Sarawak, and Sabah on the
island of Borneo account for about two-thirds of the country’s Christians.
Sarawak is the largest state in terms of area where
Christians make up the majority with 1.2 million (50.1 percent) in a population
of 2.4 million. Muslims make up 800,000 (34.2 percent) and Buddhists account
for about 300,000 (12.8 percent).
Protestants, mostly Anglicans, are the majority among
Christian denominations.
Source: UCA News
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https://www.ucanews.com/news/malaysias-new-vatican-envoy-to-promote-interfaith-dialogue/100476
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Divyadarshini’s recitation of surah amazes Muslims
25 Feb 2023
A VIDEO of a non-Muslim reciting Quran verses went
viral on TikTok, impressing Muslim netizens.
Medical assistant M. Divyadarshini, 27, said she was
also able to read Jawi aside from memorising some verses from the Quran as she
was raised by a Muslim nanny, reports Harian Metro.
“Previously, only my family and close friends knew
that I memorised the surah (verses).
“However, this somehow went viral after I joined a
live session on TikTok with someone on the platform.
“The lady requested that I recite the prayer before
eating, and she also asked me about any surah that I knew by heart. I recited
Surah An-Naas, and I didn’t expect it would go viral,” she said.
Divyadarshini said her family never stopped her from
learning the Quranic verses from her babysitter, who took care of her from age
six to 16.
“Whenever my babysitter taught her child to recite the
Quran, I would join them.
“From there, I learned how to read the Arabic letters
and Jawi as well as memorise some short surahs,” she added.
> Actress Isyariana Che Azmi, 31, is scared of
marriage as she is still traumatised by the divorce her parents went through,
reports Utusan Malaysia.
She also admitted to having trust issues, especially
with men, which led her to prefer friendships over romantic relationships.
“I have a hard time trusting people, especially men.
Maybe I’ve been in a similar situation and seen my parents’ marital problems
and their divorce.
“I got to know some guys, but I don’t have the desire
to pursue a marriage. Not that I’m angry or disappointed, just that I’m more
comfortable on my own,” she said.
Source: The Star
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Cabinet ministers laud Budget 2023 for being
progressive towards developing Malaysia Madani
25 Feb 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 25 — The government’s efforts to
empower the people’s well-being in facing the current economic challenges are
translated through various initiatives which were announced under Budget 2023
themed ‘Developing Malaysia Madani’ yesterday.
Cabinet Ministers expressed their hope that all
development proposals and aspirations tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar
Ibrahim can be fully and transparently implemented with the cooperation of all
relevant ministries, agencies and quarters.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk
Seri Nancy Shukri viewed Budget 2023 as giving focus to empowering children’s
well-being and women’s careers.
She thanked the Prime Minister’s support of the
ministry’s proposal in creating a Child Development Department, adding that the
ministry will work closely with central government agencies such as the Finance
Ministry and the Public Service Department to set up the department as soon as
possible.
Nancy said the ministry was also pleased with the
announcement of the establishment of a special unit under Division D11, Royal
Malaysia Police (PDRM) to combat child pornography, adding that it is ready to
assist the police for the safety and well-being of children.
The ministry also lauds the government’s initiative
under the Social Security Organisation (Socso) to encourage women to return to
the workforce after long maternity leave, she added.
International Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk
Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz said Budget 2023 was expected to strengthen the
country’s position as a destination of choice for investment and trade as a
gateway to the Asian region.
“InsyaAllah, the MITI (Ministry of International Trade
and Industry) team and I will work hard to ensure that all the agendas and
plans are carried out well,” he said.
Minister of Economy Rafizi Ramli said that his
ministry would balance the focus between economic restructuring and the needs
of the people concerning the cost of living and better wages through the
allocation of RM750 million for the People’s Income Initiative (IPR).
He said the agriculture sector which is part of the
initiative, must be a pillar for the national economy along with other
strategic sectors in the future and for that purpose, a total of 800 acres of
land owned by the federal government will be utilised by the B40 and extreme
poor.
Meanwhile, National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago
Dagang in a Facebook post said Budget 2023 showed the government’s commitment
to fostering unity and celebrating diversity in the country.
“A total of RM50 million is allocated for the ‘Kembara
Perpaduan Malaysia Madani’ and ‘Ini Warisan Kita’ programmes. The government
also agreed to provide RM20 million to implement the ‘gotong-royong’ programme
in all schools throughout Malaysia,” he said adding that RM50 million is also
provided for the maintenance and repair of non-Muslim houses of worship
throughout the country
Source: Malay Mail
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Dismantling race-based rent-seeking will take more
than usual discourse, forum told
By Shahrin Aizat Noorshahrizam
23 Feb 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 23 — Race-based rent-seeking has
become entrenched in Malaysia and will need more than the usual echo chamber to
convince the country to discard the practice, speakers told the “Now Everyone
Prospers (NEP): The Best of Both Worlds” forum today.
The forum’s topic was a play on the technically
defunct NEP (New Economic Policy) that was introduced in the aftermath of the
1969 race riots to ostensibly tackle racial inequality in Malaysia, but has
been misused for rent-seeking by the politically connected.
Iman Research co-founder Dina Zaman said all the
intellectual conversations about corruption and generating deeper understanding
of the topic must go beyond Klang Valley and reach the country’s heartlands to
have real effect.
In part, Dina said this was because some in the ethnic
Malay community did not realise that their participation in systems of
rent-seeking and patronage ultimately fostered an environment that was
conducive to corruption.
“You have to go out of KL and engage with the people.
Now we do a lot of work on the ground, and I’ve been doing this even when I was
a journalist.
“There are a lot of people out there you need to
engage. There’re a lot of youth groups, you don’t have to like them but if you
want to know what the heartland is about, what their needs are,” she told the
forum organised by Global Institute of Tomorrow (GIFT).
Rent-seeking is when someone seeks to enrich
themselves through social or political links but without generating new wealth
or benefits to the larger society.
According to Dina, one justification for rent-seeking
among some in the Malay community was a supposed view that they were
responsible for defending their race and its religion, Islam, from the
amorphous threat of progress and liberalisation.
Citing the rejection of the attempt to certify the
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
(ICERD) in 2018, she said the sentiment stemmed from the same brand of Malay
nationalism.
She further said that when the community began
noticing the number of non-Malay ministers in the Cabinet of the Pakatan
Harapan administration at the time, it whipped itself into the belief that the
Malays were losing their leadership role in the government.
“But when I asked my father, he said all his bosses in
government were Indian and Chinese in his time. But this current generation
doesn’t realise this. They say ‘no, this is a shock to us, all these years
since we were young, we always had Malay faces in government’.
“They said that was when they realised that it was a
political calling for them and to get back the identity they have forgotten,”
she added.
GIFT chief executive officer Chandran Nair said
pervasive rent-seeking has become a chronic drain on the economy as a result of
the systemic misallocation of the country’s natural, human, and financial
resources.
Going forward, he said unaddressed rent-seeking would
also erode Malaysia’s international business reputation, deterring global
companies and investors from seeing Malaysia as a viable place to do business.
“The institutional and business damages caused by the
prevailing rent-seeking economy are not isolated from Malaysian society.
Rather, there are significant carryovers that result in a host of issues,
including continuing political instability, economic inequality, deepening of
racial divisions, and even worsening of the rural-urban and East-West divide.
“Additionally, implications can manifest on
non-material measures of the health of Malaysia's social fabric, such as
corrosion of public trust in government, erosion of value systems, stagnating
social mobility for the marginalised communities,” he said.
The forum session explored the impact of race-based
rent-seeking on Malaysia’s development.
Source: Malay Mail
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