Mullah Hibatullah’s Name Mandatory in Friday Prayer Sermon: Islamic State of Afghanistan
New Age Islam News Bureau
01 June 2022
In a new directive, the
Director of the Taliban Hajj, Islamic Affairs and Endowments has ordered the
preachers at the Ghazni congregational mosques that mentioning the name of
Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzadah in the Friday prayer sermon is
mandatory.
-----
• ‘Save the Republic’ Campaign: Heat Rising Over
Kerala Rally, PFI in No Mood to Backtrack On ‘Campaign against RSS’
• Why Do We Treat White Supremacists Differently To
Islamist Extremists?
• Pakistani Army, Not Govt, To Call Shots over
Appointment of Next Chief As Bajwa Retires In November
• Israeli Premier Publishes Classified UN Atomic
Agency Documents Allegedly Stolen By Iran
South Asia
• Bangladesh War Crimes Tribunal Sentences 3 to Death
Over 1971 Atrocities
• Taliban Forces Kill Four NRF Members in Badakhshan
Province
• The Taliban Arrests a Group for Killing Two People in
Ghor Province
• The Taliban Prevents the Smuggling of 50 Trucks
Carrying Wheat to Pakistan
• The Taliban Returns 12 Low-quality Fuel Trucks to
Iran
• Iran and Tajikistan Stress the Formation of an
Inclusive Government in Afghanistan
--------
India
• Against Law: Congress leader Rasheed Khan Seeks to
Reopen Charminar Mosque for Prayers
• Hyderabad police registers case against BJP’s Nupur
Sharma over comments on Prophet
• Gyanvapi Mosque-Shringar Gauri Temple Case Leads To
Divided Opinions within the Holy City of Kashi
• Mosque or Temple Won't Fill Stomach: Musicians
Lament Loss of Kashi's Old Culture
• Temple under Malali mosque? Mangaluru court starts
hearing plea
• Another plea seeking ‘puja’ rights at Kashi Madhav
temple filed
• Fresh Petition in Mathura District Court Seeks Early
Survey at Shahi Idgah Mosque
• Muslim Minors Detained After Khargone Communal
Violence Allege Brutality at Juvenile Home
• Jama Masjid's Shahi Imam Writes To ASI for Repair of
Finial That Got Damaged In Thunderstorm
--------
Europe
• Russian Orthodox Patriarch’s Words Reflect Growing
Role of Islam in Moscow’s Thinking since Start of Putin’s War In Ukraine
• Russia plans to restore mosques in Donbass
• Saudi Arabia ready to help with diplomatic solution
in Ukraine: FM to Russia’s Lavrov
--------
Pakistan
• Pakistan striving to boost unity among Muslim Ummah:
Shehbaz Sharif
• Imran Khan's supporters were carrying automatic
weapons at Azadi rally, says Pak defence minister
• Pakistan govt, TTP agree to extend ceasefire indefinitely
amidst ongoing negotiations to end militancy
• Tribal jirga to join ongoing talks between TTP, govt
in Kabul
• Govt shocks consumers with Rs213 per litre hike in
cooking oil prices
• PTI govt ‘knew about controversial Israel trip’,
claims organiser
• Senate body condemns use of force against PTI
marchers
• PM sees $5bn trade potential with Turkey
• Stricter punishments for offences against children
as KP Assembly passes bill
• Pakistan can’t progress until Imran is in politics:
Maryam
--------
Mideast
• Hamas refuses to commit to calm amid Israeli
escalation
• Anger grows over ‘unjust’ Israeli travel bans on
Palestinians in West Bank, Gaza
• Iran: Israel's Pressures Deviate IAEA Reports from
Technical Approach
• Iran confirms contact with US over nuclear talks
• ECHR condemns Turkey over amnesty activist’s
‘unlawful’ detention
• Iran urges Greece to cooperate over seized ships
without US role
--------
Southeast
Asia
• Celebrity Islamic Preacher Da’i Syed Acquitted and
Discharged On Two Unnatural Sex Charges
• Malaysia strongly condemns Israeli incursion at
Al-Aqsa mosque
• Malaysia 'a home away from home' for Azerbaijan
siblings
• London lawyer seeks to lead Najib’s SRC
International final appeal
• PM’s call to get King’s consent to dissolve Dewan
Rakyat, says ex-judge
--------
Arab
World
• Syrian Islamist Mercenaries Say Ready to Back Turkish
Operation In Rojava
• Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs highlights
adherence to moral principles
• Danish Supreme Court rejects Iraqi torture
compensation
• Lebanon parliament re-elects Nabih Berri as speaker
--------
Africa
• HRW Urges ICC to Probe Alleged Use of Mines in Libya
War
• Tunisia's major labour union declares general strike
on June 16
• Jordanian foreign minister arrives in Ramallah for
talks
--------
North
America
• US Lawmakers Urge State Dept. To Stop Israeli 'War
Crime' In Masafer Yatta
• Senators introduce bill banning US taxpayer funds
from being spent for Iran deal
• US plays down Israeli report, commits to reopening consulate
in Jerusalem
• US warns talks on Yemen truce in ‘trouble’
• US denies shelving plans for de facto Palestinian
Embassy
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
--------
Mullah Hibatullah’s Name Mandatory in Friday Prayer
Sermon: Islamic State of Afghanistan
In a new directive, the
Director of the Taliban Hajj, Islamic Affairs and Endowments has ordered the
preachers at the Ghazni congregational mosques that mentioning the name of
Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzadah in the Friday prayer sermon is
mandatory.
-----
By Saqalain Eqbal
31 May 2022
In a new directive, the Director of the Taliban Hajj,
Islamic Affairs and Endowments has ordered the preachers at the Ghazni
congregational mosques that mentioning the name of Taliban leader Mullah
Hibatullah Akhundzadah in the Friday prayer sermon is mandatory.
If the clerics defy the order, officials from the
Taliban Information and Culture Directorate for Ghazni province have warned
that they will face serious consequences.
During a meeting at the Hajj, Islamic Affairs and
Endowment Office on Monday, May 30, Mawlawi Abdul Manan Madani, the Director of
the Hajj, Islamic Affairs and Endowment Office in Ghazni province, told the
congregational mosque preachers and mullahs that the Taliban had already
provided the text if they delivered a sermon.
The Taliban have issued mandatory orders with
threatening warnings against various segments of the population, especially
women, during their nine months in power.
The Taliban’s mandate to enforce the hijab, the forced
covering of female performers, the denial of girls’ access to education, the
torture of journalists, and the intimidation of former soldiers are among the
things that have hampered the Taliban’s international legitimacy because they
are flagrant breaches of human rights in the eyes of the UN and international
community, as well as Human Rights Watch.
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
‘Save the Republic’ Campaign: Heat Rising Over Kerala
Rally, PFI in No Mood To Backtrack On ‘Campaign Against RSS’
The controversial slogans
raised by a minor boy during a rally by the People's Front of India in Kerala
has brought into spotlight a campaign it has been running for the past six
months called 'Save the Republic'.
-----
By Shaju Philip
May 31, 2022
The controversial slogans raised by a minor boy during
a massive rally by the People’s Front of India (PFI) in Alappuzha last week has
brought into the spotlight a campaign it has been running for the past six
months called ‘Save the Republic’. Meant to ensure “Muslims the rights
envisaged in the Constitution”, among other topics, the campaign has now evolved
into a full-blown offensive against the RSS.
The PFI, facing cases over the rally, has disowned
only the wording and style of the slogans raised, not the content – with the
belief in PFI circles being that “RSS terrorism” needs to be strongly countered.
PFI state president C P Muhammed Basheer told the
media: “We are not ready for any compromise. The RSS cannot silence the PFI.
Let the RSS denounce its ideology of hate.”
He also said that Muslims in the country were
“fighting for existence”, and that neither the CPM-led LDF nor the Congress-led
UDF could put up a strong fight against the RSS. “Our fight is to protect
Constitutional values and rights. Recent developments show that the country is
in the final stages of being declared a Hindu Rashtra,” he said.
After police booked two PFI leaders, including its
Alappuzha district president Vandanam Navaz, in connection with the Alappuzha
rally, the PFI held protests across many locations in Kerala. On Saturday,
police took away the father of the boy who raised the contested slogans from
their residence in Kochi. The father told the media his son “had taken part in
agitations against the CAA and the slogans were against the threat created by
the Sangh Parivar, and not against any community”.
Over the past 15 years, the PFI has assumed many roles
in the state, such as of a social crusader, moral police, and champion of
Muslim and Dalit causes. The emergence of the Sangh Parivar has lately helped
it project itself as the only Muslim answer to it. The alternative, the Indian
Union Muslim League, still the largest political party of Kerala Muslims,
treads a more moderate line being part of mainstream politics and an ally of
the Congress.
The PFI’s enmity with the RSS goes way back in Kerala,
with the body and its earlier version, the National Development Front (NDF),
and the Sangh Parivar involved in a series of killings and counter-killings.
The NDF, in fact, was launched two years after the Babri Masjid demolition, and
the issue has remained central to the PFI. It marks the December 6, 1992,
demolition every year, among the only Muslim organisations in Kerala to still
do so.
Now, the PFI has taken the lead on the Kashi
Vishwanath temple-Gyanvapi mosque row, which has resurfaced following a series
of court petitions. It has been telling the Muslim community that its warnings
regarding the intentions of the Sangh have come true, and that the Babri
demolition was just the start of what was to follow. PFI leaders admit they see
the issue getting much resonance among the Muslims.
No Muslim outfit or leader in Kerala has incidentally
publicly reacted on the Alappuzha slogans.
Worryingly for Kerala, the rise of the strident PFI is
correspondingly fanning Islamophobia among its Christian community, which in
numbers and political clout is as strong in the state as the Muslims. Various
Christian churches came out with strong statements criticising the slogans
raised at the Alappuzha rally.
While the LDF and UDF weigh their words, mindful of
their vote banks, the ground is also getting cleared for the BJP. If the PFI
claims to be the only legitimate Muslim voice, the BJP was notably the only
vocal “Hindu voice” on the Alappuzha rally.
Source: Indian Express
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/political-pulse/kerala-pfi-campaign-against-rss-7940936/
--------
Why Do We Treat White Supremacists Differently To
Islamist Extremists?
Many people subscribe to
the idea that white people are being replaced by mass immigration in a
deliberate ploy engineered by liberal elites
(Getty Images)
-----
Rabbil Sikdar
A week after the horrific Uvalde shooting - where an
alleged white supremacist targeted and murdered black Americans – Texas
governor Greg Abbott described him as “the sheer face of evil.” It’s hard to
disagree. Yet, calling Salvador Ramos the sheer face of evil doesn’t explain
why such acts take place.
Merely a few days before this shooting, another
18-year-old, Payton Gendron, murdered ten black Americans. Both were racist
atrocities committed by two young men in America, but the ideological nucleus
behind Gendron’s violence bore resemblance to the Christchurch terrorist
Brenton Tarrant, who murdered Muslims in New Zealand in 2019.
There are growing concerns that an increasing number
of white supremacists are committing violence, or plotting to do so, against
minorities. Many people subscribe to the idea that white people are being
replaced by mass immigration in a deliberate ploy engineered by liberal elites.
Both Gendron and Tarrant believed in the Great Replacement conspiracy theory
and both were radicalised by online white extremist material. In fact, Tarrant
was one of Gendron’s inspirations.
Perhaps the most fundamental aspect of their lives
that deserves greater understanding is their upbringing and childhood. The
negligible presence of friendships, social connections and family in their
lives are an understated factor behind what turns their disillusionment into
murderous violence.
In both the case of Gendron and Tarrant, what was
reported were unhappy childhoods marked by absence of friendships and a social
isolation that they themselves were acutely aware of.
Yet, if you try discussing this online, you are
attacked for humanising white supremacists and showing sympathy for its
ideology, instead of the victims. Some claim that the narrative must focus
solely around how the media and other national institutions produce hateful
viewpoints that normalise white supremacy, which is gradually absorbed by many
young men.
That is important too, but it doesn’t explain why some
young white men succumb to radicalisation. Why are some being ensnared by
far-right movements while most are not?
Our response to white supremacists is markedly
different to Islamist radicalisation, on both sides of the political spectrum.
When it comes to Islamists, many left-wing commentators are suddenly very
understanding of how young Muslims start their journey to radicalisation. For
years we were told that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were responsible for
driving Islamist extremism, that the west was paying the price for its foreign
policy disasters.
The opposite applies to white supremacists. Left-wing
commentators aren’t interested in their journey to extremism, but right-wing
commentators are. However, blaming Islamist violence on foreign policy is no
different to blaming a white supremacist attack on Islamist violence.
Islamist ideology believes that Jews are the enemy,
gays are to be killed and that non-Muslims can never be trusted. It isn’t that
different from white supremacism. Both ideologies draw young, disillusioned
young men, because they want belonging and identity. Many progressive
commentators rightly understood this about Islamists. But now they cannot bring
themselves to apply the same understanding to socially isolated young white
males.
To keep up to speed with all the latest opinions and
comment, sign up to our free weekly Voices Dispatches newsletter by clicking
here
Trying to understand what is drawing disenfranchised
white men to these movements does not mean people are sympathising or even
humanising them. It just means people are searching for answers on how to stop
more atrocities. Otherwise we are stuck in an unending loop of discovering that
an angry young white male has purchased a gun and violently played out his
darkest thoughts. We will continue counting the cost of not trying to fix this
problem because we were too afraid to be seen as humanising them.
Our attempts at understanding why some men become
drawn to violence has become deeply influenced by the politics of the
perpetrator. That is counterproductive to understanding the problem.
Unless you believe that everyone is born violent and
evil, it’s a natural assumption that something drives people into dark places.
Is it not worth shining a light on this and stopping it as much as we can?
Source: Independent UK
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
Pakistani Army, Not Govt, To Call Shots over Appointment
of Next Chief As Bajwa Retires In November
Pakistani Army, not govt,
to call shots over appointment of next chief as Bajwa retires in November
-----
31 May, 2022
Islamabad [Pakistan], May 31 (ANI): With the race for
the appointment of Pakistan’s new Army Chief on, it is highly likely that Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is constitutionally permitted to select the Chief,
will not play any role and the Army itself will call the shots.
The Pakistani Army, not only decides on who will be
the new Army Chief, but also on all activities relating to the government. The
Army remained neutral on the ouster of former Prime Minister Imran Khan but now
it seems to be taking a U-turn and getting back to its old game.
Pakistan’s economy which is in shambles with rising
inflation is also a matter at hand that concerns the Army. There is good reason
for the Army to be worried because without money their own survival is at
stake.
Meanwhile, it also seems to be clear that Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif will act on the directions of the Pakistani Army.
However, the worry remains the state of the Pakistani economy. Without that
foundation, no amount of politicking will help the Army stick to its position
as the supreme power in Pakistan, reported Islam Khabar.
The influence of the Pakistani Army remains was
evident when Major General Babar Iftikhar, Director General, Inter-Services
Public Relations (ISPR) while addressing a media briefing (14 April 2022), said
that Army Chief General Qamar Bajwa and Lt. Gen. Nadeem Anjum, DG ISI were
approached by the Prime Minister’s Office when the ‘deadlock’ was on.
The recent shift in the national politics of Pakistan
was widely reported as triggered by power play between Imran Khan and leading
figures in the country’s powerful military establishment — Army Chief General
Qamar Javed Bajwa, and the former head of intelligence services (ISI) Lt
General Faiz Hameed.
Hameed, who was widely expected to replace Bajwa, got
replaced in October by Lt General Nadeem Ahmad Anjum against Imran Khan’s
wishes. Last month, Khan became the first Prime Minister in Pakistan’s history
to be ousted from power after losing a no-confidence vote in the country’s
Parliament.
Khan was later charged with blasphemy on April 28
after his supporters allegedly hounded the new Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in
Saudi Arabia’s Madina on the same day. The power struggles are continuing among
the opposing factions in Pakistan’s establishment.
After Khan’s ouster, Lt General Anjum has ordered his
top men to launch an investigation of officials belonging to Lt General
Hameed’s clique which includes officials and leaders in ISI’s secret Desk.
Last year, reports had surfaced of an alleged standoff
between the military and the government over the appointment of Lt Gen Nadeem
Anjum as the new ISI chief.
The army had announced on October 6, 2021, that the
former ISI chief, Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, had been appointed the Peshawar corps
commander, while Lt Gen Anjum was appointed in his place. But the country’s
Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) had not issued an official notification of Lt Gen
Anjum’s appointment until three weeks later, leading to frenzied speculation of
strains in civil-military relations.
After delays, Pakistan’s PMO eventually notified the
appointment of Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum as the new ISI chief on October 26.
According to experts in defence matters, the procedure
for appointment of the ISI director general is neither mentioned in the
Constitution nor the Army Act, and all previous appointments were made as per
traditions under which the army chief proposes three names to the Prime
Minister who then makes the final decision, Dawn newspaper reported. Imran
Khan, who was elected as the Prime Minister in 2018, was ousted through the no-trust
motion by the opposition alliance last month. (ANI)
Source: The Print
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
Israeli Premier Publishes Classified UN Atomic Agency
Documents Allegedly Stolen By Iran
Photo: aa.com
----
Burak Dag
31.05.2022
ANKARA
The Israeli prime minister on Tuesday published
documents allegedly testifying that Iran stole the UN atomic agency's
classified record and evaded probes by the watchdog.
Naftali Bennett shared on Twitter a link to files he
claimed to be stolen International Atomic Energy Agency documents, along with
Persian-language Iranian records. He also posted a video in which he is holding
the documents said to be seized from Iran by the Israeli spy agency Mossad.
On Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian
refuting Israel's claims as lies, Bennett said: "Spreading lies? Come on,
I am holding right here the proof of your lies in my hands."
He added: "You see, after Iran stole classified
documents from the UN’s Atomic Energy, Iran used that information to figure out
what the Atomic Agency was hoping to find and then created cover stories and
hid evidence to evade their nuclear probes."
He said Israel seized "Iran’s deception plan a
few years back," referring to Mossad’s operation in which it said to have
seized documents about Iran's nuclear program from a warehouse in Tehran in
2018.
The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday reported that
Iran's nuclear files seized by Mossad in 2018 included the documents related to
stolen IAEA documents, which were marked confidential.
Noting that hundreds of pages of the documents are
“marked with a stamp of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence,” Bennett said: “There
is even some handwritten notes on the documents, by senior Iranian officials
like this one written by then-defense minister Fakhrizadeh.”
In November 2020, Iran’s top nuclear scientist Mohsen
Fakhrizadeh was killed by unidentified gunmen on the outskirts of Tehran. Most
Iranian officials held Israel responsible for the killing, vowing a fierce
response.
"Sooner or later they (referring to the Atomic
Agency) will ask us and we’ll need to have a comprehensive cover story for
them," Bennett quoted a note by Fakhrizadeh on the documents seized.
He said "Iran lied to the world, Iran is lying to
the world again right now, and the world must make sure that Iran doesn’t get
away scot-free."
Marathon talks in Vienna to revive the 2015 nuclear
deal, also known as joint comprehensive plan of action (JCPOA), are currently
stalled due to key disagreements between Tehran and Washington.
On May 25, US Special Representative for Iran Robert
Malley, who led more than a year of indirect talks with Iran, said that the
prospects of reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal are "tenuous" at
best.
Former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew
from the JCPOA in 2018.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
South
Asia
Bangladesh
war crimes tribunal sentences 3 to death over 1971 atrocities
ANISUR
RAHMAN
31
May, 2022
Dhaka,
May 31 (PTI) Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal on Tuesday sentenced
three persons to death for collaborating with the Pakistan Army and committing
crimes against humanity during the country’s Liberation War in 1971.
“One
of the convicts is a fugitive and was tried in absentia but the other two faced
the trial in person…they all were activists of Jamaat-e-Islami (party),” senior
prosecutor Syed Haider Ali said.
Jamaat-e-Islami
was opposed to Bangladesh’s 1971 independence from Pakistan while its activists
were the key-elements of Pakistan military’s auxiliary units like Razakar and
Gestapo-like Al-Badar forces.
A
three-member panel of the tribunal led by Justice Shahinur Islam pronounced the
verdict ordering the convicts to be hanged by neck until their death.
The
convicts are in their late 60s and 70s and were known little to the public
unlike the several other high-profile Jamaat leaders tried earlier while they
carried out their atrocities as Razakars in northwestern Naogaon district.
The
prosecution lawyers said of the three convicts, Rezaul Karim alias Montu, was
on the run. Karim was the one who led a Razakar unit in the neighbourhood of
his ancestral Naogaon district, while the other two convicts — Shahid Mandol
and Nazrul Islam — were his accomplices.
Montu
was a student of northwestern Rajshahi University in 1971 and leader of
Jamaat’s student wing Islami Chhatra Sangha.
Under
Bangladesh’s war crimes law, the convicts could appeal against the verdict in
the apex Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.
The
counsels of the three convicts said they were preparing to challenge the
judgment in consultation with their clients.
Bangladesh
in 2010 set up two high-powered tribunals, initiating the trial process to
bring to justice the collaborators of the Pakistani Army which committed war
crimes in the 1971 War of Liberation. The two tribunals have so far delivered
judgments in 46 cases.
The
tribunals handed down death penalties in most of the cases, while in few cases
the convicts were jailed “until death” in view of their old ages.
Only
six convicts have been executed so far after exhaustion of their appeals,
review petitions and clemency petitions to the Bangladesh president, while 22
convicts and 53 accused still remained absconding.
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Taliban
Forces Kill Four NRF Members in Badakhshan Province
By
Saqalain Eqbal
31
May 2022
Four
members of the National Resistance Front were killed during a clearing
operation by the Taliban forces in Badakhshan province’s Tagab district,
according to Taliban security officials.
The
incident occurred this morning, Tuesday, 31st May, according to the Bakhtar
state news agency.
The
National Resistance Front’s hideout has also been demolished in the area,
according to the news agency.
The
Taliban’s Director of Information and Culture in Badakhshan, Moizuddin Ahmadi,
confirmed the report, adding that their air force commander was also
participating in the operation.
The
Taliban’s allegation of killing four National Resistance Front members and
demolishing of the group’s hideout has elicited no response from the National
Resistance Front.
The
Resistance Front, on the other hand, recently claimed to have killed Taliban
fighters in an ambush in Panjshir province.
According
to Ali Maysam Nazari, the Resistance Front’s head of foreign relations, the
Front’s forces killed more than 15 Taliban fighters on the outskirts of
Panjshir yesterday.
The
Taliban have yet to respond to the resistance’s assertion.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-forces-kill-four-nrf-members-in-badakhshan-province476483/
--------
The
Taliban Arrests a Group for Killing Two People in Ghor Province
By
Saqalain Eqbal
01
Jun 2022
Ghor
province Taliban officials are said to have arrested a group of six people in
connection with the murder of two brothers in the province.
Officials
believe that the two brothers were killed while irrigating their fields in the
village of Deh Haji in the Chahar Sada district on Monday night, May 30.
The
two brothers, Zamanuddin and Khayaluddin, were killed for personal animosity
reasons, according to the Taliban provincial chief of police in Ghor.
A
group of six people has been arrested in connection with the murder
investigation of the two brothers, according to the security officials in Ghor
province.
Three
more civilians have been killed by gunmen in Ghor’s Passaband district in the
last two days.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/the-taliban-arrests-a-group-for-killing-two-people-in-ghor-province37483/
--------
The
Taliban Prevents the Smuggling of 50 Trucks Carrying Wheat to Pakistan
By
Saqalain Eqbal
31
May 2022
The
Taliban security officials in Helmand province claim to have prevented 50
wheat-laden trucks from unlawfully crossing the border.
On
Monday, May 30, the wheat trucks were captured on the Herat-Kandahar highway,
according to Hafiz Rashid Helmandi, the Taliban’s Director of Information and
Culture for Helmand province.
He
further said that the vehicles were loaded in the “Company” area of Helmand
province’s Washir district and to be taken to Pakistan.
Despite
the fact that wheat smuggling to Pakistan has been prevented, Afghanistan is in
urgent need of imported flour and wheat.
According
to the World Food Program, one in every two Afghans does not know when their
next meal will be and where will it come from.
The
Taliban recently claimed that they have ceased exporting wheat to other
countries due to rising unemployment and an increase in the community’s
population, citing food security as a reason.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
The
Taliban Returns 12 Low-quality Fuel Trucks to Iran
By
Saqalain Eqbal
31
May 2022
According
to Taliban security authorities in Nimroz province, 12 fuel trucks imported
from Iran were found to be carrying poor quality fuels and were barred from
entering Afghanistan.
After
being evaluated at the Norm and Standards Department laboratory, 12 trucks
carrying 500,000 liters of fuel imported from Iran were discovered to be of low
quality, according to Qari Abdul Rahim Hudhaifa, director of crime control at
the Taliban chief of police office in Nimroz province.
In
the presence of the Taliban governor for the province, the provincial police
chief, the National Directorate of Security representative, customs, and the
Norm and Standard department, he added, this amount of fuel was returned to
Iran.
Previously,
at a meeting the economic commission, chaired by Taliban Deputy Prime Minister
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, decided that a team would be responsible for
identifying low-quality petroleum products and prohibiting the import of
low-quality oil and gas.
Oil
truck drivers have expressed their dissatisfaction with the Taliban’s move,
which was made without preconditions.
One
of the drivers, Osman, believes that oil importers’ responsibilities should be
established by law.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/the-taliban-returns-12-low-quality-fuel-trucks-to-iran57438/
--------
Iran
and Tajikistan Stress the Formation of an Inclusive Government in Afghanistan
By
Saqalain Eqbal
31
May 2022
The
presidents of Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Tajikistan met in
Tehran and stressed the need of establishing an inclusive government in
Afghanistan.
“Our
common position on Afghanistan is that an inclusive government must be formed
that represents all parties, groups, and ethnic groups,” incumbent Iranian
President Ebrahim Raisi stated at the conference, according to the Tasnim news
agency.
He
continued by stating that the security of Afghanistan is particularly important
to Iran and Tajikistan, and that the presence of terrorists in Afghanistan is a
matter of concern.
President
Raisi stated in a statement that the United States’ 20-year presence in
Afghanistan has brought nothing except conflict, bloodshed, and destruction.
Tehran
and Dushanbe, he remarked, have a common vision to countering terrorism, drugs,
and organized crimes.
Furthermore,
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon described the current circumstance in the region
and around the world as sensitive, emphasizing the importance of Tajik-Iranian
security cooperation.
Iran
and Tajikistan are both concerned about the current situation in Afghanistan,
he noted.
President
Rahmon further added that the two countries share the aim of establishing a
comprehensive and inclusive administration in Afghanistan that includes members
from all ethnic, social, and political groups.
“We
believe that ensuring the rights and freedoms of all Afghans is a key factor in
maintaining long-term peace and stability in the country,” he continued.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
India
Against
Law: Congress leader Rasheed Khan Seeks To Reopen Charminar Mosque For Prayers
Ashish
Pandey
Hyderabad
May
31, 2022
The
Telangana BJP has come out strongly against Congress leader Rasheed Khan’s
demand to reopen the mosque inside the Charminar in Hyderabad.
“The
Charminar is a historical monument and thousands visit it. The Archeological
Survey of India (ASI) closed down the mosque for prayers to safeguard it and
avoid inconvenience to tourists during prayer times. It should be noted that
prayers have not been offered in the Charminar for years. At declared
monuments, prayers are not offered as it is against the law,” the spokesperson
of the Telangana BJP, NV Subhash, said.
“Prayers
have been happening peacefully at the Bhaygalakshmi temple on the Charminar
premises and at the Mecca Masjid. Rashed Khan wants to vitiate the peaceful
atmosphere of the city by raising and demanding the reopening of the mosque for
prayers just to garner some votes,” Subhash alleged.
Khan
began a signature campaign at the historic Mecca masjid near Charminar, saying,
“It is our constitutional right to freely profess, practice and propagate
religion.”
“Devotees
should be allowed to offer the five daily prayers, which are mandatory in
Islam,” he demanded.
Source:
India Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/charminar-mosque-congress-bjp-mecca-masjid-1956678-2022-05-31
--------
Hyderabad
police registers case against BJP’s Nupur Sharma over comments on Prophet
31st
May 2022
Hyderabad:
The Cybercrimes department of the Hyderabad police has registered a case
against BJP National Spokesperson Nupur Sharma for her alleged derogatory and
blasphemous remarks against the founder of Islam Prophet Mohammed.
Taking
cognizance of a TV debate on a National TV Channel broadcasted on May 27, 2022,
a suo-moto case under IPC sections 153(A) (Promoting enmity between two
groups), 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace)
505(2) (Statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill will between
classes) and 506 (criminal intimidation) has been registered against her.
P
Ravindar, Sub-Inspector of Police cyber crimes in his complaint with the SHO
Cybercrimes alleged that on a TV channel debate Nupur Sharma had used abusive
words against the Prophet Mohammed insulting Islam.
“The
malicious statement of Sharma hurts the sentiments and feelings of Muslims. her
statement has enraged and offended all Muslims and the Muslim community cannot
bear any insult against the Prophet,” he said.
The
SI in his complaint also said that she targeted the beliefs and tenets of Islam
with an intention of creating disharmony, feelings enmity, hatred and ill-will
between the Muslims and non-Muslims. Since then, the video of her statement has
gone viral and was being widely circulated on the internet.
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Gyanvapi
Mosque-Shringar Gauri Temple Case Leads To Divided Opinions Within The Holy
City Of Kashi
Rakhi
Bose
01
JUN 2022
The
Gyanvapi mosque-Shringar Gauri temple case has led to divided opinions within
the holy city of Kashi. The city, home to several temples and priestly families
that have taken care of these temple complexes for centuries, has been in the
eye of a political slugfest after five Hindu women moved a local court in
Varanasi, seeking permission to pray at Sringar Gauri complex located inside
the mosque premises.
While
the debate initially started with the right for Hindus to pray at the Shringar
Gauri complex, located at a western wall in the backside of the mosque, the
discovery of what the Hindu side claimed to be a shivling in the Wazoo Khana of
the mosque - a spot for devotees to perform ablutions before Namaz - has led to
further debate and division. So much so that the main priestly family of
Mahants that has taken care of the Vishweshwar temple complex for centuries
itself has become divided on the issue.
“It
is a Shivling. What else could it be?” says Dr Kulpati Tiwari, the present
Mahant of Kashi Vishweshwar temple. “Who are we to question where and how the
Lord will emerge?" he adds.
“This
temple was founded by our ancestor Narayan Bhatt in the pre-Mughal period. From
then till now, my family has taken care of this temple,” Dr Tiwari states.
“When Aurangzeb broke the temple, my family saved the Shivling. After the
downfall of Aurangzeb, the Shivling was established again at the spot where the
Vishwanath temple stands today. The spot used to be our ancestral home. When
Maratha Queen Ahilya Bai Holkar from Indore came in 1780, she sought to build a
temple at the same spot. And thus the temple was built and has been in the care
of my family ever since,” he tells Outlook.
Mahant
Rajender Tiwari, who now lives a few kilometres away from the Kashi Vishwanath
complex where the family’s erstwhile home had been, agrees with this version.
Tiwari, who has been a staunch opponent of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s new Kashi
Vishwanath Corridor project, has been living in Lunka since their ancestral
home was demolished as part of the Corridor construction. Several other members
of the Mahant’s family have also been dispersed to other parts of town while Dr
Kulpati Tripathi lives in a building close to the Vishwanath temple from where
he runs the temple administration.
Tiwari
does not agree that the object found in the Wazoo Khana during the survey of
Gyanvapi’s premises is an ancient Shivling. The petitioners on the Hindu side
are claiming that they went looking for Gauri (an avatar of Shiva’s wife
Parvati) and found Shiva too. Some claim that the Shivling found during the
survey is the original Vishwanath’s Shivling which had been lost during
Aurangzeb’s time.
Rajender
Tiwari, however, rubbishes the claim. “If the Shivling hidden and later
established by us was the original Shivling, how are some people claiming that
the object found in the Wazoo Khana is the original Shivling?"
“They
are claiming this is a Dharam Yuddha for Hindus. Where were these Hindus when
the administration was breaking down temples to build the Corridor? They want
to start praying to the Shivling they claim to have found in the mosque. Where
were these Hindus when the administration carelessly left Shivlings lying on
the ground?” he asks.
Source:
Outlook India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Mosque
Or Temple Won't Fill Stomach: Musicians Lament Loss Of Kashi's Old Culture
Rakhi
Bose
01
JUN 2022
The
stir caused by the Gyanvapi mosque-Shringar Gauri temple dispute in Varanasi
has left a bad taste in the mouth of the city’s artists, musicians and local
communities. As the old city of Kashi swarms with media crews and camerapersons
along with throngs of cops waiting on the sidelines, some of the city’s
residents lament the loss of Varanasi’s charm and intrinsic artistry to the
politics of division and development.
Arun
Chatterjee, a resident of Varanasi, a scribe by profession and a tabla player
by passion, laments the loss of the old culture of Kashi when one could hear
the sound of mridangam and pakhawaj from every house of the Old City.
"Music
is in itself a way to spirituality. Many don’t have the time to go to temples
of mosques. But even if one can remember god through a small bhajan, through an
azaan, it’s a form of prayer. In Varanasi, such spirituality was always in
currency. But today, people want symbols like mosques and temples alone to
represent god," Chatterjee aserts.
Badri
Narayan Pandit, another musician, adds that issues like the Gyanvapi mosque are
driven by politics and often hide the real issues faced by people or
communities, especially artists. “Building a temple or razing a mosque will not
help us fill our stomachs. If they really want to the save the culture of
Varanasi, they should focus on improving lives for the artist communities of the
city that give it its distinct culture,” says Pandit.
Both
Chatterjee and Pandit rehearse regularly with Mahant Viswambar Nath Mishra, the
Mahant of Sankat Mochan temple in Kashi and the head of the Mechanical
Engineering department at IIT BHU. Apart from being a man of God and science,
Mishra is also a pakhawaj player pas excellence. He is also a vocal dissident
of the recent development drives in Kashi and the current mandir-masjid
politics.
Source:
Outlook India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Temple
under Malali mosque? Mangaluru court starts hearing plea
01st
June 2022
MANGALURU:
A local court here on Tuesday started hearing a petition over the controversy
related to the Jumma Masjid in Malali near Mangaluru.
A
“temple-like structure” had emerged during the demolition of the centuries-old
mosque.
Advocate
Chidananda Kedilaya representing the petitioners said they have requested the
court to order a survey of the disputed site through the court commissioner
which is assisted by the archaeological department.
The
objections will be heard on Wednesday. About a month ago, a petition was filed
by one Dhananjaya and others, claiming that the structure of the masjid is
similar to the temple and demanding an investigation by the archaeological and
other concerned departments.
The
petition said that the truth has to come out through investigation and till
then status quo should be maintained.
Based
on the petition, the court had granted an order of injunction against the
mosque authorities and restrained anyone from dismantling or damaging the
structure till the case is heard.
Source:
New Indian Express
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Another
plea seeking ‘puja’ rights at Kashi Madhav temple filed
Jun
1, 2022
VARANASI:
Even as the Gyanvapi case is being heard by the Varanasi district court, a
petition for seeking permission for performing puja in another structure in the
city was filed on Tuesday with petitioners asking for worship at Bindu Madhav
temple inside Beni Madhav-ka-Dharahara, alleging that it was destroyed by
Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and converted into a mosque. The structure is an
ASI-protected monument.
The
court of civil judge (junior division) Akash Vermahas accepted “our petition by
allotting case no. 225/2022 and fixed July 4 as the next date for hearing in
this case”, said Raja Anand Jyoti Singh, the lawyer of petitioners Atul Kul,
Rahul Mishra, Rajendra Prasad, Shyamji Singh and Ramesh Yadav.
Referring
to history books and the ‘Varanasi Gazetteer’, the petitioners have claimed
that Bindu Madhav temple of god Vishnu existed at the top of the Panchaganga
Ghat along the Ganga. The temple was destroyed by Aurangzeb and a mosque was
built there, they claimed.
Singh
said: “The petitioners wish to restore the temple, which was destroyed by the
Mughal emperor.” The petition will be heard on the day when the district judge
takes up the Shringar Gauri-Gyanvapi case.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Fresh
Petition In Mathura District Court Seeks Early Survey At Shahi Idgah Mosque
31
MAY 2022
A
fresh revision petition has been filed in a district court in Uttar Pradesh's
Mathura seeking a survey of the Shahi Idgah mosque and verification of claims
of signs of a temple at the site.
District
Government Counsel Sanjai Gaur said on Tuesday that Additional District Judge
Sanjay Chaudhary has set July 8 for the petition's disposal.
Last
week, while disposing of a similar application, the Judge Chaudhary had
directed a lower court to speedily decide the petition for appointing a court
commissioner to survey the Shahi Idgah mosque and verify the claims of temple
signs there.
The
fresh petition came after the lower court of civil judge (senior division),
which is hearing a bunch of suits for the removal of Shahi Idgah Masjid from
near the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple, on May 23 fixed the next hearing on July 1
on their application for appointing the survey commissioner.
The
petitioners have been seeking an urgent order while expressing appprehension
that the evidence of temple structure may be damaged or destroyed.
The
judge had decided to hear the matter on the reopening of courts after the
summer vacation, instead of passing an order, the counsel for petitioner Dinesh
Chandra Sharma, who has now moved the district court, said. Sharma, treasurer
of Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, is among those who have filed the suits.
The
petitioners had claimed in the earlier application that temple signs are
present in the mosque, and had also expressed apprehension that the same
(marks) may be disfigured, or destroyed by the defendant of the suit, Sharma
said.
It
has been requested in the revision petition to cancel the order of the lower
court and pass an order for the survey, the counsel for the petitioner said.
The
lower court is hearing a bunch of suits for the removal of Shahi Idgah Masjid
from near the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple in the Katra Keshav Dev Temple complex
and subsequent interim applications for appointing a court commissioner to
survey the mosque.
The
petitioners have sought the mosque's survey, claiming the existence of several
signs of temples, like those of "om, swastika and lotus" inside it
besides its alleged "Hindu architecture".
The
pleas have been filed by deity Thakur Keshav Dev Ji Maharaj virajman (in-situ)
in its capacity as a juristic person, represented by advocates Mahendra Pratap
Singh and Rajendra Maheshwari as its "next friend", among others.
The
other petitioners included United Hindu Front founder Jai Bhagwan Goyal, a
Delhi resident, and Vrindavan's Dharm Raksha Sangh president Saurabh Gaur.
Source:
Outlook India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Muslim
Minors Detained After Khargone Communal Violence Allege Brutality at Juvenile
Home
Sumedha
Pal
New
Delhi: In the aftermath of the communal violence that broke out in Madhya
Pradesh’s Khargone on April 10, on the occasion of Ram Navami, the police
registered approximately 72 cases and arrested nearly 200, including several
minors.
In
connection with stone pelting, arson and violence, 12 minors were sent to a
juvenile correctional home in Khandwa after their remand at the Khandwa police
station. Two brothers – 15-year-old Omair* and 17-year-old Mirza* – were among
those arrested on the intervening night of April 11-12 and sent to the
correctional home in Khandwa on April 14. Walking out of the facility after
over 30 days, the boys allege physical violence, targeted harassment and denial
of food and water.
“Bhajans
were played on a mobile phone and we were made to sing those songs. We were
given the Gita Gyan and were made to read it,” said Mirza. “There were 12 of us
there and more boys in general, we had to make do by drinking water as we were
not fed adequately. They made us do chores, asked us to sit like chicken and
then beat us up too.”
Mirza
and Omair allege that they suffered serious injuries while they were kept in
the correctional home.
When
asked the names of the officers responsible for the violence, Mirza named a
certain “Bhim”. He added that they were asked questions about namaz and about
people eating on the same plate. “We told them about our practices, but we were
told you all eat on the same plate at weddings to conspire.”
Documents
accessed by The Wire state that the youth were named in an FIR pertaining to
Sections 147,149,436, 435, 427 and 336, among others, amounting to rioting,
arson and mischief with intent to cause harm.
Speaking
to The Wire, the boys’ advocate M.A. Khan said, “Maximum number of people were
charged with section 436 amounting to arson, the case against Mirza and Omair
is the same. Amid the cases we have noticed a pattern of several loopholes –
including how a man who had died two years ago is also named as an accused.”
“In
the case of a masjid being set on fire, Muslims have been named. Several
lacunae can be seen pertaining to this investigation too, the youth were kept
in the correctional homes longer than the stipulated time period and the boys
have also reported violence in custody.”
Also
read: In Lakhnawi Tradition, Communal Harmony in Places of Worship Leaves No
Space for Hatred
He
added, “We spoke to other children too, however, they appear to be traumatised
as of now. These are the only examples of custodial violence as far as the
minors are concerned.”
The
two boys’ bail application was first rejected by the juvenile court, after
which they had to approach the sessions court. Khan said they had to make
another plea for bail despite some sections of the complaint being those
wherein immediate relief can be sought.
Traumatised,
hurting post release
“The
kids had never even been touched by their parents, let alone being beaten up,”
says their grandfather, determined to achieve justice for the violence his
grandchildren suffered. “We had nothing to do with what happened [the communal
violence], yet my family is suffering enormously.”
The
grandfather of the minors and another relative have filed a complaint with the
police detailing how 8-10 policemen barged into their homes and hurled abuses
at them, inflicting violence and taking away minors. The family in its
application has pleaded that their home was far from the site of the communal
violence
Speaking
to The Wire, the mother of the two boys stated, “My sons are traumatised, they
are scared and physically hurting. They have pains in their chests, their backs
and their legs where they were hit. Their lives are on the line now.”
The
Wire reached out to the Inspector of Town at the Khargone police station B.L.
Mandloi with the family’s claims. Mandloi categorically denied any allegations
of physical violence in custody or at the correctional home in Khandwa. He went
on to state, “There was no violence that has happened with any youth, I can
confirm that minors were sent to Khandwa however, no physical violence
occurred.” When asked about the number of youth taken to Khandwa, Mandloi said
that he was not sure.
The
Wire also tried to reach out to the correctional home in question, but the
phone call did not connect.
Omair
and Mirza were not the only people taken away from their home. Adults including
their father and two uncles were also taken into custody the same night. The
men are currently lodged in the state’s Mandaleshwar jail as the case against
them is ongoing.
The
family is involved in running multiple small businesses including in hardware
and set up stalls at state fairs. The wife of one of the boys’ arrested uncle’s
told The Wire, “I was visiting my sister’s in-laws when the violence broke out.
On the intervening night of April 11-12 the police barged into our home at 1
am. They dragged out my husband’s brothers. Amidst this my husband fainted and
he too was dragged out. The men were stripped and beaten up, we could hear them
crying and screaming. It has been over a month, we are trying to bring them
back,” she said.
Earlier
this month, women in the region had also taken out a protest march demanding
that the innocent minors who had been taken into custody be tried fairly and
released immediately. The protestors had alleged that youth were being hauled
into custody without a fair probe and proper identification.
Members
of the Jama’at Islahul Muslimeen, coordinating the family’s case, alleged that
the investigation in the case is one-sided and is not being done in a fair
manner. A member of the organisation said, “Youth were deliberately targeted
and taken into custody, many are scared to speak up and some have cases against
other family members which are ongoing. One of the boys was traumatised to the
extent of attempting suicide but was rescued in time. We are discovering a
pattern of how these boys were kept in the stations without a proper probe and
then sent off to jails.”
On
April 10, communal violence broke out in Khargone as processions celebrating
Ram Navami passed through Muslim-dominated localities. In the aftermath of the
violence, the state government had razed homes of those it claimed were
involved in stone pelting and attacking the Hindu procession.
Source:
The Wire
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://thewire.in/rights/khargone-muslim-minors-allege-brutality
--------
Jama
Masjid's Shahi Imam writes to ASI for repair of finial that got damaged in
thunderstorm
June
01, 2022
New
Delhi: A day after the finial of the main dome of the historic Jama Masjid in
the national capital was damaged and dislodged in a fierce thunderstorm, its
Shahi Imam wrote to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Tuesday
requesting removal of the dangling part of the crown and repair of the
ornamental structure that has topped the grand mosque since its construction.
Meanwhile,
Delhi Waqf Board Chairman and AAP lawmaker Amanatullah Khan visited Jama Masjid
located in the heart of the Walled City and inspected the damage caused to the
finial.
He
also went up on the terrace to see the damaged parts lying there, accompanied
by other officials and a team of experts from INTACH.
"Yesterday
(Monday), the dome of Jama Masjid suffered severe damage due to the stormy
weather. Today, with a team of INTACH experts and Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed
Bukhari, inspected the mosque premises and gave directions for the repair of
the finial of the main dome. God willing, the damage to the dome shall be
repaired," he tweeted.
Jama
Masjid Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari described the rampaging storm as something
he had "never seen" in his entire life.
"Scared
people ran to shelter themselves from the stormy weather, women and children
lay huddled in the cloisters, crying. It was a horrible sight in the mosque
premises. The wind was swirling and howling. Two or three people also got
injured at Jama Masjid as stone parts fell off from minarets and other parts of
the mosque. But, it was a nature's miracle ('kudrat ka karishma) that most
people came out of it safely here," he told PTI.
Bukhari,
however, lamented that the iconic Mughal-era mosque lost its finial in the
storm on Monday evening, and said, "I personally felt very sad to see that
the mosque without its crowning glory".
The
finial, measuring about 12-15 feet, which got damaged is also from the same
period as the mosque, he said.
On
Tuesday, he wrote a letter to the Archaeological Survey of India, underlining
the damage caused to the precious finial and sought help of the ASI in
undertaking its repair.
In
the letter to ASI's Director General V Vidtavathi, Bukhari has mentioned that
after being broken into multiple pieces in the storm, some parts fell on the
terrace below the main dome, and one very heavy part is "still hanging
precariously from the dome and it may fall any time".
Bukhari,
while interacting with PTI at Jama Masjid, also said for the time being entry
of general visitors to the mosque has been temporarily closed as a safety
measure, and, about a hundred odd people only would be allowed during the
namaz, as there is a risk due to the dangling piece of the finial.
At
his office, the Shahi Imam showed a smaller piece of the huge finial kept in
store while two large pieces are lying on the terrace below the dome.
"The
part which is still hanging from the main dome, would weigh around 350 kg, and
the entire ensemble weight would have been about 500 kg. So, it is essential to
remove that portion from the dome," he said.
In
his letter to the ASI, marked, “most urgent”, Bukhari has cautioned that if it
falls, it may damage the wall opposite it and the two adjacent turrets.
“Namaz
prayers are not being allowed in the courtyard as of now, and the area near the
dome has been cordoned off. Only about a hundred or so people would be allowed
to offer namaz and that too inside the mosque,” he said.
In
his appeal to the ASI authorities, he has urged that “immediate removal” of the
“dangerously hanging part of the finial and “reinstalling it after repairs is
essentially urgent”.
“I
shall be grateful, if as a special case, the Archaeological Survey of India
undertakes this task as expeditiously as the situation warrants,” the Shahi
Imam wrote.
Asked
what are the plans for repair, he said, after reading media reports about the
damage caused to the finial in the storm, a private firm in Agra that
specialises in repair of such historical artifacts, have also reached out to
him.
In
June last year also, some stone pieces from the southern minaret of Jama Masjid
had fallen after a storm. In 2020 too, the mosque had suffered damage due to
tremors in the city.
Meanwhile,
Delhi Waqf Board Chairman Amanatullah Khan on Tuesday visited Jama Masjid
located in the heart of the Walled City and inspected the damage caused to the
finial. He also went up on the terrace to see the damaged parts lying there,
accompanied by other officials.
A
senior official of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH)
also visited and inspected the damage, the Shahi Imam said.
An
architectural jewel and a very popular tourist attraction, Jama Masjid is a
17th century monument, originally named Masjid e Jehan Numah, was built by
Mughal Emperor Shahjahan.
He
himself had laid the foundation of stone on the strong basements of a hillock
on October 6, 1650 which was a Friday. The grand mosque was completed in 1656,
according to information shared by the Shahi Imam’s Office, on its history.
Source:
Firstpost
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Europe
Russian
Orthodox Patriarch’s Words Reflect Growing Role Of Islam In Moscow’s Thinking
Since Start Of Putin’s War In Ukraine
June
1, 2022
By
Paul Goble
Patriarch
Kirill’s positive comments about “the pious Islamic population” of Russia in
recent days reflect the increasing role of Islam in Kremlin thinking during the
course of “special military operation” in Ukraine over the last three months,
Andrey Melnikov says.
While
the war between Russia and Ukraine has not yet taken on the form of the kind of
clash of civilizations Samuel Huntington described, the editor of NG-Religii
says, it is increasingly the case that Moscow is sensitive to the role of
Muslims in the Russian Federation in it
(ng.ru/ng_religii/2022-05-17/11_529_muslims.html).
Like
Christians and Jews, the Muslim community inside the Russian Federation is
divided on the war, with some supporting Putin’s invasion and others very much
opposed and even going to Ukraine to fight against Russian forces. But Muslims
are in a very different position than are Orthodox Christians, Melnikov
suggests.
Because
Ukrainians are Orthodox Christians as are the Russians, this conflict is one
between two Orthodox peoples. As far as Islam is concerned, however, there are
far more Muslims in Russia than in Ukraine, many of whom are now serving in
Russian military units there, and Muslim countries have been more supportive of
Moscow than has the Christian West.
Consequently,
both the Kremlin from the first days of the way and now the leadership of the
ROC MP have spoken out far more warmly about the Muslims of the Russian
Federation. On the one hand, this may be simply a tactical maneuver; but on the
other, it may presage a new balance between Orthodoxy and Islam in Russia.
Source:
Eurasia Review
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Russia
plans to restore mosques in Donbass
May
31, 2022
Russia
will help the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) to restore two Orthodox churches
and two mosques. It was stated on Friday by the head of the Council of Imams of
Muslim Religious Administration of the DPR, the chairman of the Muslim
community of Donetsk, Rashid Bragin.
“Our
imam and other representatives of the Islamic clergy of the DPR and I met with
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin and, among other things,
discussed the issue of restoring places of worship in the republic,” the
Donetsk News Agency quotes him as saying.
Bragin
noted that Russia promises to help restore the Ahat Jami mosque in Donetsk and
the Suleiman the Magnificent and Roksolana mosques in Mariupol, which have
repeatedly come under fire from Ukrainian troops. According to him, it is also
planned to restore the Orthodox St. Iberian Convent in Donetsk and the St.
Nicholas Church in Mariupol.
Source:
Abna24
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://en.abna24.com/news//russia-plans-to-restore-mosques-in-donbass_1262502.html
--------
Saudi
Arabia ready to help with diplomatic solution in Ukraine: FM to Russia’s Lavrov
31
May, 2022
Saudi
Arabia is ready to contribute to achieving a political solution to the Ukraine
crisis, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told his Russian counterpart
Sergei Lavrov during their meeting in Riyadh on Tuesday, state news agency SPA
reported.
Prince
Faisal said the Kingdom supports efforts aimed at reaching a political solution
that ends the crisis and achieves security and stability.
Lavrov
arrived in Riyadh after departing from Bahrain where he met with the King and
Crown Prince and discussed the war in Ukraine.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
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Pakistan
Pakistan
striving to boost unity among Muslim Ummah: Shehbaz Sharif
June
1, 2022
Pakistan
will continue to strive to promote unity among Muslim Ummah, Pakistan's Prime
Minister said, attaching great importance to Pakistan's relations with Iran and
Saudi Arabia.
Speaking
in an interview with Anadolu Agency, Shehbaz Sharif spoke about the latest
regional developments, the situation in Afghanistan, and Pakistan's relations
with important Muslim countries including Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan
hosted two Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summits within six months
last year, he said, adding that Pakistan is one of the founding members of the
OIC and, with its legacy rooted in the Islamic faith, has consistently
supported Muslim causes.
"We
have always played an active and dynamic role to re-invigorate the OIC and
forging closer relations with all Muslim countries," Sharif said,
"As
far as our relations with Saudi Arabi and Iran, Pakistan has excellent
brotherly relations with Saudi Arabia, and we enjoy equally good relations with
Iran," he also said, adding, "Our relations with both countries are
deeply rooted in our shared values, faith, history, culture, and
traditions."
Source:
Abna24
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Imran
Khan's supporters were carrying automatic weapons at Azadi rally, says Pak
defence minister
May
31, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan's defence minister Khawaja Asif has claimed that protesters in the
Azadi March were carrying not only guns but also automatic weapons on the
orders of ousted prime minister Imran Khan.
Khan
led his thousands of supporters of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party to
Islamabad last Wednesday in a protest and had planned to stage a sit-in until
new elections were announced but abruptly called off the sit-in at the last
minute after making it to the capital.
However,
he had threatened to return after six days if the government failed to give a
date for snap polls in the country.
In
an interview to Geo TV on Monday, Asif said the protesters at the Azadi rally
were carrying weapons on Khan's orders.
“Imran
Khan is right, his party workers were not only carrying guns, but they also had
automatic firearms. Imran Khan had asked protestors to bring weapons in the
long march, however, the government was aware of that,” he said.
Asif
was replying to a question on a recent interview of Khan in a private news
channel in which he confirmed that his party's workers were carrying firearms
during the 'Azadi March'.
Khan
was removed from office in April through a no-confidence vote but he refused to
accept the outcome and blamed that the US was involved in toppling his
government.
Source:
Times Of India
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Pakistan
govt, TTP agree to extend ceasefire indefinitely amidst ongoing negotiations to
end militancy
May
31, 2022
PESHAWAR:
The Pakistan government and the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have
agreed to extend the ceasefire indefinitely amidst ongoing negotiations between
the two sides to end the nearly two decades of militancy in the tribal region,
bordering Afghanistan.
The
ceasefire, which was to come to an end on the night of May 30, has been
extended for an indefinite period, sources told PTI.
The
extension in ceasefire indicates significant progress in talks between the two
sides in the Afghan capital Kabul, Dawn newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing
sources familiar with the development.
The
TTP, also known as the Pakistan Taliban, was set up as an umbrella group of
several militant outfits in 2007. Its main aim is to impose its strict brand of
Islam across Pakistan.
The
group, which is believed to be close to al-Qaeda, has been blamed for several
deadly attacks across Pakistan, including an attack on army headquarters in
2009, assaults on military bases and the 2008 bombing of the Marriott Hotel in
Islamabad.
Citing
Sources, the paper said that the two sides had agreed to extend the ceasefire
and continue peace talks following separate meetings with Mullah Muhammad Hassan
Akhund, acting Prime Minister of the Taliban-led Afghanistan government, at his
office the other day.
These
sources said that in his meetings with the two sides, the septuagenarian leader
expressed his desire that the talks and ceasefire should be allowed to continue
without any cut-off date.
In
a subsequent joint meeting, the two sides agreed to extend the ceasefire
indefinitely and pursue negotiations to end the conflict that has seen mass
dislocation and killings of thousands of people in Pakistan's tribal region and
the country at large.
Afghanistan's
interim Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid and TTP spokesman
Muhammad Khurasani had issued statements early this month, announcing extension
in the ceasefire till May 30.
No
official statement has been issued so far regarding the indefinite extension in
ceasefire.
The
development follows days of "intense and extensive negotiations" in
the Afghan capital attended by senior level delegations from the two sides that
at one point seemed close to breakdown.
Afghanistan's
acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is the central mediator,
helped bring the talks back on track, sources said.
The
Pakistan government had demonstrated its seriousness by acceding to some of the
TTP's demands after the Afghan Taliban suggested it would be important for
confidence-building to move from preliminaries to formal and structured
negotiations.
The
release of prisoners and presidential pardon to two key militant commanders,
including TTP Swat spokesman Muslim Khan, was one such demand.
The
government has released 30 TTP prisoners after the talks and ceasefire.
Compensation
for the dead and wounded, enforcement of Shariah regulation in Malakand,
withdrawal of military from the borders and reversal of tribal areas merger
into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were key demands from the TTP side, sources said.
The
government had no issue with some of the TTP's demands, but two major issues
remained challenging: the reversal of tribal areas merger and the disbandment
of the TTP as an armed militant group, they said.
The
government delegates made it clear that the merger brought about through a
constitutional amendment was not up for discussion and that tribal people were
the main, important stakeholders.
The
TTP on its part had brought documents containing the commitment made by
Pakistan's founder Qaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah with the tribal people
guaranteeing their autonomy in an independent Pakistan. They were told that the
reversal of the merger would mean return to the Frontier Crimes Regulation
which was a relic of the British Empire and did not contain anything that could
be considered 'Islamic.'
The
disbandment of the TTP is another make-or-break issue, sources said.
The
government has made it clear that no armed group would be allowed to enter
Pakistan territory or operate as such.
The
next round of negotiations is expected to take place in the second week of
June, sources said, with a tribal jirga holding direct talks with the TTP in
Kabul.
Source:
Times Of India
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Tribal
jirga to join ongoing talks between TTP, govt in Kabul
Tahir
Khan
June
1, 2022
A
grand tribal jirga will join the ongoing talks between the outlawed
Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the government in Kabul to press for an
agreement to end years of violence, one of its members said on Wednesday.
Former
governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Shaukatullah Khan, who is part of the jirga,
told Dawn.com that the jirga's role is “very important” in view of tribal
traditions that are respected by both sides.
“We
are hopeful our efforts will produce results,” he said.
Khan,
who belongs to Bajaur tribal district, said over 50 people are part of the
jirga, including a federal minister, representatives from the KP government and
tribal elders.
Federal
Minister Sajid Hussain Turi, who hails from Kurram tribal district, and Special
Adviser to the KP Chief Minister for Information Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif
are part of the jirga, he revealed.
Previously,
the jirga was mainly composed of people from South Waziristan and included
elders from Malakand Division. However, this time, a tribal elder from the
Khyber district, Shaji Gul Afridi, has also been made part of the jirga, Khan
added.
The
Afghan Taliban government is mediating between the TTP and the government of
Pakistan.
A
Pakistani official in Kabul told Dawn.com that the talks had “entered a serious
phase” with some progress. The official, who wanted to remain anonymous,
declined to provide more details at this stage.
The
jirga arrived in Kabul on Wednesday morning, Pakistani sources told Dawn.com.
Dawn
reported on Tuesday that the TTP and the Pakistani side have agreed on an
indefinite ceasefire that is considered a major confidence-building measure to
take the process forward.
TTP
spokesman Mohammad Khurasani did not deny the report about the ceasefire but
said a formal decision is expected either today or tomorrow.
The
earlier ceasefire expired on May 30.
Afghan
government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid did not respond to a Dawn.com query
about the current round of talks. He had, however, confirmed last month that
talks were being held in Kabul, saying the Islamic Emirate played the role of a
mediator.
In
a series of tweets, Mujahid had reported “significant progress” in the talks
and also shared that a ceasefire had been agreed upon.
“The
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, in good faith, is making efforts to take the
process forward. We hope that both sides will be accommodating and show
flexibility,” he had said last month.
Reports
had also emerged about the release of two key TTP leaders, Muslim Khan and
Mahmood Khan, and their subsequent handover to the Afghan Taliban. Both leaders
were on the list of over 100 detainees, the release of whom is one of the
group's key demands.
There
was no confirmation about the release of the two key leaders by both the TTP
and the government.
Source:
Dawn
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Govt
shocks consumers with Rs213 per litre hike in cooking oil prices
Aamir
Shafaat Khan
June
1, 2022
KARACHI:
The government on Tuesday shocked consumers by pushing up ghee and cooking oil
rates by an unprecedented Rs208 and Rs213 to an all-time high of Rs555 per kg
and Rs605 per litre, respectively, even though “these rates still do not exist
in the retail markets.”
An
official in the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) in Karachi confirmed to Dawn
that the USC had issued a notification of this whooping jump in ghee and
cooking oil rates effective June 1.
The
official, however, did not comment as to why the rates had been jacked up so
mercilessly which would hit the consumers badly.
The
maximum rate of ghee and cooking of renowned brands in the retail markets still
hovers between Rs540-560 per kg/litre.
Utility
stores to begin selling ghee and cooking oil at Rs555 and Rs605, respectively;
higher than ‘retail rates’
However,
Pakistan Vanaspati Manufacturers Association (PVMA) Secretary-General Umer
Islam Khan hinted that the retail rates of ghee and cooking oil would soon come
on a par with USC prices.
He
said ghee/cooking oil manufacturers have stopped giving the products on credit
to the USC as the corporation had not cleared outstanding Rs2-3 billion to the
manufacturers.
Mr
Umer said the Prime Minister Task Force Committee on Supply of Palm Oil
comprising officials of relevant ministries and PVMA office-bearers has been
holding daily zoom meetings to analyse the demand and supply situation of palm
oil.
He
said around 160,000 tonnes of palm oil stocks are available at the twin ports
of Karachi which are sufficient for three weeks of consumption. Despite the
lifting of an export ban by Indonesia on palm oil on May 23, not a single
loaded vessel had been on the high seas or at Indonesia port for shipments to
Pakistan.
However,
the PVMA had requested the government to remove 2pc additional customs duty on
the import of palm oil from Malaysia to offset the high cost of Malaysian palm
oil which is costlier by 15-20pc compared to Indonesia’s.
Around
87pc of Pakistan’s total palm oil imports originates from Indonesia and the
rest is met from Malaysia.
When
asked why ghee and cooking oil rates did not fall despite a drop in Indonesian
palm oil rate to $1,700 from $1,900-2,000 per tonne two months back, Mr Umer
said the shipments booked on higher rates and a massive rupee devaluation
further raised the landing cost.
Source:
Dawn
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PTI
govt ‘knew about controversial Israel trip’, claims organiser
Malik
Asad
June
1, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
The revelation that a number of Pakistani expats and a couple of citizens
recently travelled to Israel as part of a delegation has sparked a controversy,
with former prime minister Imran Khan and his party spinning the incident into
their narrative of a foreign conspiracy against the previous government, and
alleging that the trip had their successors’ tacit approval.
The
issue has been discussed at length in parliament as well as during press
conferences and public meetings and portrayed as a political step by the
government. The fact that other predominantly Muslim countries, such as the UAE
and Turkey, are now also warming up to Tel Aviv, has also played a major role
in generating excitement around the visit.
However,
two members of the delegation that visited Israel have taken issue with the
version of events that is being narrated by the current government and its
critics.
The
trip’s organiser, Anila Ali, who heads the non-governmental organisation (NGO)
American Muslim Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council (AMMWEC), told Dawn’s
Anwar Iqbal they had arranged special permission from the PTI government for
one of its members, a Pakistani citizen, to travel to Israel. They were also
assured, she said, that he would not be victimised for visiting Israel.
Ahmed
Quraishi says he’s not on PTV’s payroll
In
an interview with Geo.tv, published on Tuesday, Ms Ali claimed that her NGO
aims to build interfaith ties with people of different communities in America.
“So, it was a natural alliance with Muslims and Jews that we became partners
and decided to visit not just Israel but Dubai and Abu Dhabi as well,” she
said.
Ms
Ali said she was very sad that politicians in Pakistan, especially Dr Mazari
would use an interfaith women’s organization as a ploy to distract from her
party’s ouster and failures.
“Our
trip had nothing to do with Pakistan and everything to do with Muslim Jewish
peacemaking,” she said.
Dawn
also spoke with Ahmed Quraishi, the PTV-affiliated journalist who had
accompanied the delegates to Israel.
He
claimed that the previous PTI government launched the “unexpected” debate on
Pakistan-Israel relations. He said the delegates were not there to lobby to
establish diplomatic relations between both the countries but the agenda was
interfaith harmony, Muslim-Jewish reconciliation and The Abraham Accords.
In
a detailed interview with Dawn, Mr Quraishi claimed that he had not been a
full-time PTV employee outside of his stint with the state broadcaster in
2004-2008.
He
said he was surprised to hear that the government had announced that he had
been sacked from PTV. “I am just a freelance journalist who, among other
engagements, is paid for hosting a show per episode on PTV.”
He
said the government’s announcement meant that it was endorsing PTI’s leadership’s
“false claims” about a state employee being sent to Israel. In his opinion, the
statement that the government issued through PTV was a political statement,
possibly trying to give PTI leadership a concession.
He
also claimed that the purpose of his delegation’s visit had “nothing to do with
Pakistan”.
Mr
Quraishi alleged that the matter was dragged into Pakistani politics and
politicised by Shireen Mazari, who used photos of the trip to claim that the
Shehbaz Sharif government was conducting covert diplomacy with Tel Aviv.
“Then,
the former PM used our visit to strengthen his narrative on an alleged
conspiracy to oust his government,” he said, adding that the delegation’s work
was “a Middle Eastern story that has no relevance for Pakistani government or
politics. The delegation is not a Pakistan-Israel lobbying effort but an effort
centered on interfaith harmony, Muslim-Jewish reconciliation, and the second
anniversary of Abraham Accords”.
Explaining
how he came to be part of the delegation, Mr Quraishi said he had been working
as a journalist in Pakistan and the Middle East for around two decades and had
accepted the invitation of Anila Ali to join a study tour in partnership with
Sharaka, a renowned UAE-based NGO that supports the Abraham Accords.
The
Abraham Accords are a series of treaties normalizing diplomatic relations
between Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, facilitated by the US
Administration between August and December 2020.
Mr
Quraishi was also of the opinion that Pakistan and Israel have other business
to attend to in this vital region, apart from the nature of the relationship
between Israel and Palestine.
He
argued that the two were the only nuclear-armed nations in “the Middle East”
and both had increasingly come to share the same friends — from China to the
United States and a long list of states in between.
“With
no direct bilateral conflicts, it sure seems like Pakistanis and Israelis will
be bumping into each other in many capitals across the region where both enjoy
robust ties,” he said.
When
asked if Pakistan should establish diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv, Mr Quraishi
said that this was a sovereign decision, which Pakistan had the right to make
in alignment with national interests. “What is ironic is that the PTI
leadership has launched an unexpected debate in Pakistan on Pakistan-Israel
relations when it was not on the agenda of anyone,” he said.
He
was also of the opinion that many Pakistanis believed Islamabad should have
excellent relations with Palestinians and Israelis. “While Palestinians and
Israelis are the only ones who can resolve their conflict, Pakistan might be
able to contribute to a peaceful settlement, building on the Palestinian
recognition of Israel in 1995 and other bilateral Palestinian-Israel arrangements.”
When
asked if the Pakistani government was in the loop on his travel plans, Mr
Quraishi asked whether every Pakistani journalist working with the
international media was bound to obtain clearance from the government. “Prior
knowledge is possible but I don’t think Pakistani journalists working abroad
for international media seek prior permission, nor does the state demand that.”
Source:
Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1692546/pti-govt-knew-about-controversial-israel-trip-claims-organiser
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Senate
body condemns use of force against PTI marchers
Jamal
Shahid
June
1, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
A parliamentary committee on Tuesday condemned what is said excessive use of
force by law enforcement agencies prior to and during the ‘Haqiqi Azadi March’
of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).
The
Senate Standing Committee on Interior met to discuss and fix responsibility on
the use of what it said use of undue force on the participants of the march,
obstructions created in their ways and the registration of first information
reports (FIRs) against them.
“It
is necessary to investigate where the abuse took place during the Haqiqi Azadi
March,” chairman of the committee, Senator Mohsin Aziz demanded.
The
members were shown videos of violence against participants of the march,
including members of parliament.
Forms
subcommittee, comprising all political parties, to probe and file report for
fixing responsibility
Senators
Ijaz Chaudhry, Azam Khan Swati, Shibli Faraz, Faisal Javed among members of the
Punjab and Sindh assemblies and former Punjab health minister Dr Yasmeen Rashid
alleged atrocities committed against them.
Shehzad
Waseem, leader of the opposition in the Senate, demanded details of tear gas
fired on the protesters while Senator Zeeshan Khanzada asked for details on
raids carried out on May 23-25. Senator Fauzia Arshad said peaceful protesters
were tortured. Senator Saifullah Abro demanded that police officers who
violated the law should be brought to book.
“Torturing
protesters and restraining them by force is contempt of court. Withdraw FIRs
against the citizens,” Senator Faisal Saleem added.
Minister
for Law and Justice Senator Azam Nazir Tarar said the issue of senators Ijaz
Chaudhry and Azam Khan Swati had been raised with the Ministry of Home Affairs.
He occasionally interrupted the proceedings by insisting that the matter was
sub judice and according to rules it should not be debated. He hoped that a
decision would be made by the court in this regard soon.
Senator
Maula Bakhsh Chandio challenged the impartiality of the committee and also
interrupted the proceedings with frequent sarcastic remarks.
Inspector
General of Police (IGP) Islamabad Dr Akbar Nasir Khan, responding to questions
from the senators, said tear gas used on the protesters caused irritation in
the eyes only. “Expired tear gas shells were not used. No other chemicals were
used to disperse the crowds on May 25,” he said.
Tear
gas was fired at the protesters after the court denied them entry to D-Chowk.
He said: “No one is detained in Islamabad at the moment. Everyone was released
following the court order.”
After
a lengthy discussion, the chairman of the committee decided to form a
subcommittee, comprising all political parties, to probe into the use of force
against the participants so that responsibility could be fixed.
“It
is important to note that the administration should not be given so much
power,” he said.
Written
questions regarding use of police force and violations of human rights would be
forwarded to the concerned authorities, the committee chairman.
Source:
Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1692505/senate-body-condemns-use-of-force-against-pti-marchers
--------
PM
sees $5bn trade potential with Turkey
June
1, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
On the first day of his official visit to Turkey on Tuesday, Prime Minister
Shehbaz Sharif noted that the closeness in Pakistan and Turkey’s relationship
was not reflected in trade relations between the two countries, and expressed
the desire that the volume of trade between the two should go up to $5 billion
per year.
Addressing
the Turkey-Pakistan Business Forum, the PM regretted what he termed the
“maltreatment” of Turkish investors at the hands of the previous government
over the past four years.
“The
first metro in Lahore was designed by Turkey. Solid waste management expertise
given to Pakistan in peanuts. Turkish trained our police free of cost. But in
return what we have done to our Turkish brothers.”
He
also announced a decision to lift visa restrictions for Turkish citizens.
In
an interview with Turkish news agency Anadolu, the PM also thanked the
leadership of Turkey for its principled support on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
“Both
Pakistan and Turkey have a similarity of views on regional and international
issues and enjoy close collaboration on bilateral, regional, and multilateral
forums,” Sharif said ahead of his three-day official visit to Turkey.
On
Pakistan’s role in US policy in the region, he said Pakistan and the US had a
long-standing and broad-based relationship in various areas of mutual interest.
“We
wish to deepen and widen our engagement with the US, which remains Pakistan’s
biggest export market and a major source of FDI and remittances,” he said.
On
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), he said the vision of connectivity and
win-win cooperation at the heart of the project was in line with his
government’s priorities, as well as the vision for Pakistan as a peaceful,
prosperous region.
He
mentioned that work was underway on CPEC Special Economic Zones, and Pakistan
was incentivizing foreign investments in key industrial sectors.
On
relations with India, he said Pakistan pursued its shift from geo-strategy to
geo-economics, we are looking to forge partnerships, especially within the
region, based on connectivity, collective development, and prosperity.The prime
minister was accompanied on this trip by Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad
Asif, Information and Broadcasting Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Minister for
Investment Board Chaudhry Salik Hussain and PMs special assistants Tariq Fatemi
and Fahad Hussain. Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will also join the
delegation.
During
his visit, the prime minister will have a one-on-one meeting with President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which will be followed by delegation-level talks. A
business delegation from Pakistan comprising representatives of leading
companies across various sectors will also participate in the business
engagements.
Meanwhile,
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also met with his Turkish counterpart,
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu upon his arrival.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1692538/pm-sees-5bn-trade-potential-with-turkey
--------
Stricter
punishments for offences against children as KP Assembly passes bill
June
1, 2022
PESHAWAR:
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Tuesday passed the much-delayed provincial
Child Protection and Welfare (Amendment) Bill, 2022, making punishments for
crimes against children, including sexual abuse, pornography, organ trade and
trafficking, more stringent.
The
bill, which was introduced in the house in March 2022, had been under
discussion at multiple forums. Civil society groups and lawmakers had carried
out a campaign for enhancing punishments for sexual offenders in the wake of
the rape and death of a minor girl in Nowshera district two years ago.
The
assembly had constituted a special committee on child abuse to recommend
certain amendments to the existing law. The amended act has death sentence or
imprisonment of life and fine which shall not be less than two million to five
million rupees for the offender involved in dealing with organs of a child.
Significantly,
the exiting law already carries death sentence for the offender involved in
dealing with the child organs. Fine in the original law is up to Rs1 million
for a convicted person.
Visit
of Pakistani expats to Israel echoes in house amid sloganeering, walkout
The
assembly passed amendment to Section 48 of the law. The amendment section says
that whoever commits an offence of child pornography shall be punished with
rigorous imprisonment, which shall not be less than 14 years and may be
extended to 20 years and shall also be liable to fine, which may not be less
than two million and may extend to seven million rupees.
In
the original law, punishment was three-seven years imprisonment and fine of
Rs200,000-Rs500,000 for the offender involved in pornography of a child.
Punishment for offender involved in seduction of child has been increased. The
amended law carries up to 10-year imprisonment and shall be liable to fine
which may extend to two million rupees.
The
amended law carries life imprisonment for offender involved in child
trafficking. “Whoever involves himself in child trafficking within Pakistan
shall be punished with imprisonment for life or a term which may extended to 25
years, but which shall not be less than 14 years and shall also be liable to
fine which may extend to Rs5 million.
The
amended act also carries life imprisonment for a person involved in sexual
abuse fine up to Rs 5 million. Opposition members staged walkout from the
proceeding as result their amendments were dropped.
The
amended law says that the police in consultation with the Child Protection and
Welfare Commission shall maintain a register of sexual offenders, which shall
contain the names of convicted persons, referred by the court or by the
prosecutors, who are involved in any sexual offence against the child under
this act.
It
also carries prohibition of employment for the offenders, use of public
transport and also calls for punishment for willfully recruitment of an
offender.
The
government introduced the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Emergency Rescues Services
(Amendment) Bill, 2022 and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government (Amendment)
Bill, 2022 in the House. The assembly passed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Antiquities
(Amendment) Bill, 2022 and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Occupational Safety and
Health Bill, 2022.
The
visit of Pakistani expatriates to Israel echoed in the assembly amid
sloganeering and walkout after the chair, Deputy Speaker Mahmood Jan, did not
allow the opposition members to speak on the adjournment motion before
admitting the item for a detailed discussion.
MPA
Mohammad Abdul Salam tabled the motion to hold discussion on the visit of a
delegation of Pakistani Americans to the Jewish state and subsequent meeting
with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
The
lawmaker said the Israeli president had confirmed his meeting with the
Pakistani delegation and termed it very amazing.
He
said the current ‘imported’ federal government’s dirty move regarding
recognition of the Jewish state would spark crises in Pakistan as well as
Muslim world.
“Such
move [recognition of Israel] will be tantamount to great betrayal with the
right of self-determination of Palestinians and will badly effect Pakistan’s
stand in this regard,” said the motion.
Source:
Dawn
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--------
Pakistan
can’t progress until Imran is in politics: Maryam
May
31, 2022
MURREE:
PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz has said that Pakistan cannot progress until
PTI Chairman Imran Khan is in politics.
Talking
at a party ceremony, she said that Pakistan cannot prosper until people like
Imran Khan are active in the country’s politics.
The
PML-N leader said that Imran Khan claims to plant one billion trees but the PTI
workers burned trees and green belts during their long march.
She
said that the PTI workers asked the government to unblock roads so that their
revolution would come, adding that revolutions don’t need open roads, they make
their own way.
The
PTI leader sabotaged our relationship with friendly countries with his foolish
policies, she added.
Maryam
said that the PTI government destroyed the Pak-Turk projects initiated in the
PML-N era.
She
said that “Imran Khan is a gang leader […] his political campaign is more
dangerous than terrorism.”
The
PML-N leader said Khan has admitted in a recent interview that his party
workers were armed, whereas, in her rallies, “not a single person carries
weapons”.
Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa’s people have understood the politics of Khan, which is why they
were not part of his long march and his facial expressions were enough to show
that the long march failed,” she added.
She
went on to say that ahead of the long march, law enforcement agencies (LEAs)
had found weapons at the residence of a PTI leader.
“If
a person is openly accepting that they are involved in terrorist activities,
then should we let them off the hook?”
Maryam
said since Khan was removed from the prime minister’s office, he has set fires
across the country. “These are only the goals of a terrorist.”
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Mideast
Hamas
refuses to commit to calm amid Israeli escalation
Nour
Abu Eisha
31.05.2022
GAZA
CITY, Palestine
Palestinian
resistance group Hamas on Tuesday refused to commit to calm amid Israeli
escalation in the occupied East Jerusalem.
“Mediators
are seeking to get pledges from Hamas on avoiding escalation, but this is
rejected,” Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told Anadolu Agency.
"We
can't speak about calm at a time when the (Israeli) occupation is continuing
its aggressive behavior,” he added.
The
Hamas spokesman said his group told mediators that “it can’t tolerate any
aggression on holy sites.”
Tension
has been running high across the Palestinian territories in the wake of a
controversial flag march by Israeli settlers through East Jerusalem and daily
settler incursions into the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.
On
Sunday, Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh said he refused to give guarantees
to mediators regarding the situation in the Palestinian territories.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/hamas-refuses-to-commit-to-calm-amid-israeli-escalation/2602180
--------
Anger
grows over ‘unjust’ Israeli travel bans on Palestinians in West Bank, Gaza
MOHAMMED
NAJIB
May
31, 2022
RAMALLAH:
Palestinian schoolteacher Zawada Shalaldeh has been the subject of an Israeli
travel ban for 37 years.
The
59-year-old from the town of Sa’ir, near Hebron, in the West Bank told Arab
News that the restrictions imposed on his movements had also impacted on his
wife’s ability to get around.
He
said: “Since 1985 until today, I have been banned from traveling by the Israeli
occupation forces who claim it is for security reasons. Even my wife cannot
obtain an entry permit to Jerusalem because of the ban imposed on me.”
Shalaldeh
has been arrested by the Israeli military authorities several times and was
last released from custody in December 2016. His travel ban remained in place
before and after his arrest.
He
attempted to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah in 1988, 1993, and 2008,
but on each occasion the Israelis blocked him at Allenby Bridge, the only land
border crossing in the West Bank, that links the territory with Jordan.
“I
want to travel now to perform Umrah in Saudi Arabia, but they do not allow me.
I was arrested, and I was punished with imprisonment. Why is this additional
punishment preventing me from traveling?
“This
is unfair and an unjustified restriction on human freedom. The Israeli occupation
has no right to prevent me from exercising my right to travel freely,” he
added.
Shalaldeh
is one of hundreds of Palestinians that have been hit with travel bans, and
human rights officials claim such Israeli restrictions have only intensified in
recent years.
“I
will continue to struggle until the travel ban is lifted, but I will not give
up my right to travel,” he added.
Israel
has implemented similar bans on entire communities, including Hebron in 2014,
and the village of Rummana, near Jenin, earlier this year.
Helmy
Al-Araj, director of the Hurriyat civil rights center in Ramallah, who is
leading a campaign against the restrictions, said: “The collective travel ban
is for a specific period, but the individual travel ban is far worse as no one knows
its time limit or duration, and it is considered a permanent travel ban.”
The
official noted that individual travel bans on Palestinians put in place by
Israel’s internal security agency Shin Bet faced legal challenges as they often
lasted indefinitely and affected relatives.
Many
Palestinians need to travel through Jordan for trade and business reasons or
for education, medical treatment, pilgrimage, and family reunions. Palestine
has no airport, but Palestinians are prohibited from using Israel’s Ben Gurion
Airport, so Allenby Bridge, controlled by the Israeli authorities, is their
only corridor to the outside world.
The
Hurriyat Center has documented more than 8,500 cases of travel bans since 2014,
650 of them involving women.
“Travelers
are surprised by this procedure when they are prevented from traveling to
Jordan at the border crossing,” Al-Araj added.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2093851/middle-east
--------
Iran:
Israel's Pressures Deviate IAEA Reports from Technical Approach
2022-May-31
The
IAEA's Sunday report was neither fair nor balanced as Tehran had provided
written answers to the Agency’s questions, Khatibzadeh told reporters in a
press conference in Tehran on Tuesday.
He
added that the recent report claiming that Iran hasn't submitted answers to its
questions didn’t reflect the truth about the talks between Iran and the Agency.
After
the agreement reached between Iran and the IAEA in Tehran, he noted, Iran
provided the Agency with written answers to its questions.
Khatibzadeh
said that the nuclear watchdog’s report was the same report that IAEA
Director-General Rafael Grossi hastily presented in the European parliament and
was concluded before Iran-IAEA meeting in Tehran.
The
report is neither fair nor balanced and the Zionist regime’s pressure has
deviated the IAEA’s reporting from technical to political, he underlined,
adding that the Islamic Republic of Iran is moving forward its nuclear program
on the peaceful path.
Khatibzadeh
called on the IAEA to exercise maximum care not to deviate from the technical
path and its charters and warned that the Zionist regime spoils the talks by
spying on the IAEA whenever a breakthrough is made or an agreement is nearly
available.
Asked
if the talks in Vienna, Austria, to revive the 2015 nuclear deal have stalled,
the spokesman said that Iran’s measure were clear, but the US has failed to
provide Iran with expected answers.
If
the US takes its political decision, there will be no stalemate and the
outstanding issues will be solved, he added.
Grossi
had said in March that relations between Tehran and the IAEA were moving
towards a better atmosphere.
Grossi
made the remarks in a press conference in Vienna after returning from Iran
where he had talks with senior Iranian officials, including Iran’s Foreign
Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and AEOI Head Mohammad Eslami.
“We
are moving into a more cooperative relationship, things are moving toward a
better atmosphere,” he said at the presser that was held at the Vienna
International Airport following his return from Tehran.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
confirms contact with US over nuclear talks
31
May, 2022
Iranian
Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on Tuesday addressed negotiations with
the US over the collapsed 2015 nuclear deal, telling reporters he shared
concerns with US Vice President Kamala Harris through a third party when they
were in Munich earlier this year.
Iran
has repeatedly demanded guarantees that no future US president could
unilaterally abandon the agreement, as former President Donald Trump did in
2018.
“I
asked (an intermediary) to tell senior US officials who were in Munich, Ms
Kamala Harris and US Secretary of State Mr (Antony) Blinken, why in talks,
despite so much hard work done during the past months, you keep saying that
whatever deal we agree on we can't guarantee that the next US administration
would honour it,” Amirabdollahian said.
He
added: “I told the minister (unidentified) to please tell Ms Kamala Harris: ‘If
a group of rebels are going to take over the White House, could you please let
us know?’ Even if a group of rebels take over, they must be committed to
international agreements, based on international law. It is not acceptable,
neither legally nor politically, for an incumbent administration to return to
an agreement to say I can't offer any guarantee regarding what the next
administration will do.”
The
White House has said it cannot make such a commitment.
Talks
to restore Tehran's tattered nuclear deal with world powers have hit a
deadlock.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
ECHR
condemns Turkey over amnesty activist’s ‘unlawful’ detention
31
May, 2022
The
European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday condemned Turkey over the arrest in
2017 of the head of the Turkish branch of rights group Amnesty International,
ruling his detention was unlawful.
The
court said there was no indication an offence had been committed.
Taner
Kilic was detained in June 2017 on charges of links to US-based preacher
Fethullah Gulen, who Turkey accuses of staging a failed coup in 2016 against
the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Kilic
was released in August 2018. But in July 2020, he was convicted of belonging to
a terror group and sentenced to six years and three months in prison. Kilic,
who is currently not in detention, has appealed against the verdict.
In
its latest damning ruling against Turkey, the ECHR said his pre-trial detention
had been “unlawful and arbitrary” and there had been “no reasonable suspicion
that Mr Kilic had committed an offence.”
The
chamber’s verdict was agreed unanimously by seven judges, including Saadet
Yuksel of Turkey.
The
court said Kilic’s detention violated the European Convention on Human Rights
on four counts. The ECHR enforces the convention and all 46 member nations of
the Council of Europe must adhere to it.
“This
long-awaited European Court ruling confirms what we have known from the start –
that Taner Kilic was arbitrarily deprived of his liberty when jailed in a high
security prison on trumped-up charges,” said Amnesty International’s Europe
director, Nils Muiznieks.
He
said the conviction must be “quashed”, warning that Kilic risks another
two-and-a-half years in prison if it is upheld by the Turkish Court of
Cassation.
The
verdict was the latest ECHR ruling against Turkey. Concerns remain over freedom
of expression in the country in the wake of the 2016 coup bid, which saw an
unprecedented crackdown against opponents of Erdogan.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
urges Greece to cooperate over seized ships without US role
31
May, 2022
Iran
urged Greece on Tuesday to cooperate to resolve a crisis over the seizure of
ships without involving the United States, after Iranian forces seized two
Greek tankers in the Gulf following the seizure of an Iranian vessel off
Greece.
Tehran
seized the Greek ships on Friday after Athens impounded the Iranian-flagged
Pegas in April. The United States, which has imposed a tough sanctions regime
on Iran, confiscated the Iranian oil cargo that was on the Pegas.
US
and Greek diplomats have called on Iran to immediately release the Greek
tankers, their cargoes and their crews. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
said Washington backed its NATO ally Greece “in the face of this unjustified
seizure”.
“Mr
Blinken has to realise that the era when the US single handedly imposed its
rules on the world has come to an end," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman
Saeed Khatibzadeh said, calling Washington “the biggest disrupter of free trade
in the world”.
“Unfortunately,
the Greek government demonstrated that taking orders from a third party is more
important to them ...But we believe relations between Iran and Greece should
remain well-intentioned,” he told reporters in Tehran.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Southeast
Asia
Celebrity
Islamic Preacher Da’i Syed Acquitted and Discharged On Two Unnatural Sex
Charges
By
Justin Ong
31
May 2022
PETALING
JAYA, May 31 — The Sessions Court here today acquitted and discharged celebrity
preacher, Da’i Syed, or whose real name is Syed Shah Iqmal Syed Mohammad
Shaiful, on two charges of committing unnatural sex and using criminal force to
a private college student with intent to outrage her modesty.
Judge
Jamaludin Mat made the ruling after allowing the defence's application to free
Syed Shah Iqmal, 27, on both the charges.
"The
accused is acquitted and discharged in accordance with Section 254 (3) of the
Criminal Procedure Code for both cases and bail (of RM25, 000) is returned,” he
said.
On
Dec 10, 2020, Syed Shah Iqmal pleaded not guilty to a charge of having
unnatural intercourse with the woman, then aged 22, at his rented house at
Damansara Perdana here, between 3 am to 4 am on Oct 17, 2020.
He
was charged under Section 377B of the Penal Code, which provides an
imprisonment for up to 20 years as well as whipping, upon conviction.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Malaysia
strongly condemns Israeli incursion at Al-Aqsa mosque
31
May 2022
The
Foreign Ministry in a statement on Tuesday said the premeditated incursion on
the Holy Site of the Muslims and the rallies of the flag march in the Old City
was clearly a provocation and a flagrant violation against the revered Holy
Site and its sanctities.
“This
latest raid on the Al-Aqsa Mosque was undoubtedly an act of aggression by the
Israeli occupation regime and Israeli extremists, unduly fanning the flames of
tensions among the region and beyond,” the statement read.
Malaysia
called upon the international community to immediately demand the Israel regime
to cease any provocative acts in the interest of peace and stability, said
Wisma Putra.
“Malaysia
stands strong in solidarity with the people of Palestine, and reiterates the
status of AlQuds Al-Sharif as the Holy site of the Muslim Ummah,” it said.
Source:
Ahram
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/467169.aspx
--------
Malaysia
'a home away from home' for Azerbaijan siblings
June
1, 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR: Two siblings from Azerbaijan who came to pursue their higher education
in Malaysia were full of praise for their second home.
Nazrin
Nasirova, 20, arrived in Malaysia three years ago to pursue a degree in Human
Resources Management at Limkokwing University of Creative Technology (LUCT).
That was six months before the Covid-19 pandemic gripped the world.
So,
Nazrin was still not familiar with the country when the virus hit our shores.
Yet,
when most international students rushed back home to the comfort of their
families, Nazrin decided to remain here.
"It
is the warmth and hospitality of the people here. Although I am a foreigner and
could not speak Bahasa Malaysia, Malaysians were willing to help me understand
the country.
"Sometimes,
when I asked for directions from people at roadside stalls, who were not fluent
in English, they would go the extra mile to show me the way by walking with me
to the destination. In fact, I have
picked up some words myself by speaking to them on a daily basis.
"During
the pandemic, I felt safe here. I could rely on the people here for help,"
she
told the New Straits Times at the
Azerbaijan
Independence Day reception hosted by the Azerbaijan embassy here recently.
Her
brother, Ibrahim Nasirov, 19, came to Malaysia during the height of the
pandemic last year.
Ibrahim,
who is studying Business Management at LUCT, started his undergraduate life
with online classes.
"Azerbaijan
and Malaysia share many similarities, besides both being Muslim-majority
countries. Even our local dishes are prepared almost similarly but, of course,
everything in Malaysia comes with extra spice.
"Now
that Malaysia is transitioning to the endemic phase, Nazrin and I feel safer to
go on vacations here. We are planning to
visit Langkawi soon," he said.
Source:
NST
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2022/06/801263/malaysia-home-away-home-azerbaijan-siblings
--------
London
lawyer seeks to lead Najib’s SRC International final appeal
May
31, 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR: Former prime minister Najib Razak has engaged London-based lawyer
Jonathan Laidlaw to lead the defence team in making his final appeal against
conviction in the RM42 million SRC International case at the Federal Court.
Laidlaw,
a Queen’s Counsel (QC) specialising in business and financial crime laws, is
seeking the High Court’s permission to argue the SRC International case on an
ad hoc basis.
In
his petition, Laidlaw said SRC International involved “serious, complex, and
novel issues related to several branches of criminal and civil laws. For the
purpose of the appeal, the applicant (Laidlaw) possesses special
qualifications, experience and expertise which is not available among the
lawyers here.”
The
Federal Court is scheduled to hear Najib’s appeal for a period of 10 days from
Aug 15 to 26.
Last
year, the Court of Appeal affirmed the High Court’s decision in July 2020 to
convict Najib on seven charges of power abuse, criminal breach of trust and
money laundering over RM42 million belonging to SRC International that entered
into his AmBank accounts.
It
also upheld Najib’s 12-year jail sentence and RM210 million fine. However, the
former prime minister was released on bail pending his final appeal before the
Federal Court.
Najib
had previously sought to include fresh evidence in his appeal, but the Federal
Court dismissed his application, saying it did not fulfil the requirements of
the law.
In
2007, another QC, Cherie Blair, was engaged by a company to appear before the
Federal Court for a commercial dispute. Blair is also the wife of former
British prime minister Tony Blair.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
PM’s
call to get King’s consent to dissolve Dewan Rakyat, says ex-judge
V
Anbalagan
June
1, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: The prime minister has the authority to decide whether to seek an
audience and obtain consent from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to dissolve the
Dewan Rakyat, a retired judge said.
Gopal
Sri Ram said Article 43 of the Federal Constitution gives such authority to the
prime minister, who is the head of the executive branch.
“It
is the prime minister who makes the final decision to seek an audience and
request the King to dissolve the House,” he told FMT.
The
former Federal Court judge said this in response to Pasir Salak MP Tajuddin
Abdul Rahman’s statement yesterday that it is up to the Cabinet to decide when
Parliament can be dissolved.
Tajuddin,
the ambassador-designate to Indonesia, said yesterday that only the Cabinet
could decide when to dissolve Parliament with the consent of the King.
Sri
Ram said in practice, the prime minister could consult the Cabinet.
“If
the Cabinet advises that it is not in the national interest to dissolve the
Dewan Rakyat, then the prime minister will be guided by that advice.
“Even
if the Cabinet advises him in favour of a dissolution, it is up to the prime
minister to disagree because the Constitution vests such power only in him,” he
said.
He
said that under Article 43 (2) (a), the King appoints a prime minister among
the elected MPs who in his judgment is likely to command the confidence of the
majority.
Under
Article 43 (4), it is the prime minister who should seek the dissolution to
call an election if he no longer commands the support of the majority.
In
this case, Sri Ram said, the prime minister must resign if such a request did
not obtain the King’s consent.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab
World
Syrian
Islamist mercenaries say ready to back Turkish operation in Rojava
May
31, 2022
SYRIA,—
Syrian Islamist mercenary fighters said on Sunday they were ready to join
Turkish troops in a possible new offensive threatened by Turkey against Kurdish
YPG fighters in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), northern Syria, to reportedly seize
back largely Arab populated towns and villages held by Kurdish-led forces.
Two
senior commanders said orders were given to heads of units of the Turkey-backed
Syrian National Army (SNA) to take an offensive stance as the Turkish military
step up mortar shelling and drone strikes in the Kurdish territory the YPG
control.
“Readiness
can happen in a day or two. There are thousands of fighters ready to
participate alongside the Turkish military,” Captain Abdul Salam Abdul Razak, a
prominent Syrian commander told Reuters.
Turkish
President Tayyip Erdogan said last week Ankara would soon launch new military
operations along its southern borders to create safe zones 30 km (20 miles)
deep to combat what he characterized as terrorist threats from these regions.
“Like
I always say, we’ll come down on them suddenly one night. And we must,” Erdogan
said on his plane following his Saturday visit to Azerbaijan, according to
daily Hurriyet newspaper and other media.
Ankara
has conducted three incursions into northern Syria since 2016, seizing hundreds
of kilometers of Kurdish land and pushing some 30 km deep into the country, in
operations targeting mainly the U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish YPG militia.
In
2016, the Turkish troops entered the Kurdish northern Syria in an area some 100
km east of Afrin to stop the Kurdish YPG forces from extending areas under
their control and connecting Syrian Kurdistan’s Kobani and Hasaka in the east
with Afrin canton in the west.
In
January 2018, Turkish military forces backed pro-Ankara Syrian mercenary
fighters to clear the YPG from its northwestern enclave of Afrin. In March
2018, the operation was completed with the capture of the Kurdish city of
Afrin. The flags of Turkey and Syrian rebel groups were raised in the Kurdish
Afrin city and a statue of a Kurdish hero Kawa, a symbol of resistance against
oppressors for all Kurds worldwide, was torn down.
In
2019, an incursion into Syrian Kurdistan against the YPG drew widespread
international condemnation, prompting Finland, Sweden and others to restrict
arms sales to Turkey.
Ankara
which regional intelligence sources say has at least 18,000 troops inside
Syria, says the YPG is linked to an insurgency on Turkish territory.
Two
main goals are Tal Rafaat, a town where thousands of Arabs have been displaced
and Kobani, a Kurdish majority city, whose capture would allow Turkey to link
the towns of Jarablus and Gire Spi (Tel Abyad) it now controls, a Syrian
opposition military officer said.
Turkey
last week dismantled parts of a concrete wall near Kobani which Ankara had
built along the 911-km-long border with Syria, in a move to push forces into
the border town, two rebel sources said.
A
senior opposition commander in touch with Turkish military however said it was
not certain the military operation would start soon, adding it could be
postponed until “further notice.”
Erdogan’s
vow to undertake the incursion coincides with Turkey raising stakes in his row
with NATO partners over Finland and Sweden joining the alliance.
Washington
has expressed concern at any new offensive in northern Syria saying it would
undermine regional stability and put U.S. troops at risk.
A
YPG source who is not authorized to speak publicly said at least several
thousand troops have been redeployed and sent to Kobani and other threatened
towns.
“All
options are open in the next few days,” he said.
The
Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Sunday they were taking “the
necessary measures” to confront a “potential invasion.”
The
YPG which sought Russia’s help to halt a Turkish advance in a previous
incursion, conducted in the last few days joint patrols near the frontline with
Turkey-backed rebels, he added.
Moscow
was also sending more military flights to Qamishlo airport in Syrian Kurdistan
where the YPG has left under Syrian army control even though the city itself is
under its control, another Kurdish source said.
The
worldwide-respected PYD-led Autonomous Administration in Syrian Kurdistan has a
secular decentralized self-rule, where equality between men and women, direct
democracy, and environmental responsibility are emphasized.
In
2013, the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party PYD — the political branch of
the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) — has established three autonomous
Cantons of Jazeera, Kobani and Afrin and a Kurdish government across Syrian
Kurdistan in 2013. On March 17, 2016, Kurdish and Arab authorities announced
the creation of a “federal region” made up of those semi-autonomous regions in
Syrian Kurdistan. Turkey on January 20, 2018 launched an operation against the
YPG in the Kurdish canton of Afrin and on March 18, the Turkish troops
supporting Syrian Islamic mercenary fighters drove the YPG out of Afrin city.
Rights
groups and displaced Kurdish families have accused Ankara-backed Syrian Islamic
mercenary fighters of executions, home confiscations and looting in that border
strip.
The
Kurdish Democratic Union Party PYD and its powerful military wing YPG/YPJ,
considered the most effective fighting force against IS in Syria and U.S. has
provided them with arms. The YPG, which is the backbone of the Syrian
Democratic Forces SDF forces, has seized swathes of Syria from Islamic State.
The
Kurdish forces expelled the Islamic State from its last patch of territory in
the eastern Syrian village of Baghouz in March 2019. An estimated 12,000
suspected IS members are still held in Kurdish prisons since 2019.
Source:
Ekurd
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://ekurd.net/syrian-islamist-mercenaries-say-2022-05-31
--------
Supreme
Council for Islamic Affairs highlights adherence to moral principles
31
May 2022
Manama,
May 31 (BNA): The Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (SCIA) said it was
monitoring with concern the growing systematic campaigns to promote
homosexuality in the world.
Such
campaigns are led by global forces and organizations that strive to distort
human nature, destroy religious, moral and social principles, and infiltrate
conservative societies, especially Islamic ones, to undermine their values, the
Council said.
In
a statement following their meeting, the Council stressed its categorical
rejection of the "Satanic campaigns" and called on Islamic countries,
organizations, peoples and all supporters of common sense in all religions to
stand united in the face of such reprehensible campaigns.
Those
behind the campaigns should never be allowed to take advantage of sporting,
artistic or cultural events, especially the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, to use
them as starting points for their misguided and destructive calls, the
statement said.
The
international community should take serious and courageous stances and steps
against them and should engage in campaigns to defend and promote the values of
virtue and common sense.
Source:
BNA
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.bna.bh/en/news?cms=q8FmFJgiscL2fwIzON1%2bDt9P8U2Q0L9TTeIQjfUIO0s%3d
--------
Danish
supreme court rejects Iraqi torture compensation
31 May,
2022
Denmark’s
supreme court on Tuesday overturned a lower court ruling ordering the
government to compensate 18 civilians tortured during the Iraq war in a joint
operation by Iraqi forces and a Danish battalion.
A
total of 23 Iraqi plaintiffs had sued Denmark after they were arrested and
subjected to “torture and inhumane treatment” in 2004 during operation “Green
Desert” near Iraq’s main port city of Basra.
The
supreme court ruled that since the Danish troops neither took part in nor were
aware of the torture, the defense ministry was not obliged to pay compensation.
An
appeals court in Copenhagen had ruled in 2018 that although the Danish soldiers
did not join in the torture, they failed to prevent the abuse.
It
said they were aware the prisoners faced a “real risk” of being physically
abused by the Iraqi security forces, and ordered the Danish state to pay 18 of
them 30,000 Danish kroner ($4,300, 4,000 euros) in damages.
But
the supreme court instead found “the Danish forces had no command over the
Iraqi military and police forces, that the operation was Iraqi-led, and that
the Danish forces’ participation in and conduct of the operation was in
accordance with the mandate they were sent under.”
“The
Danish forces had no concrete and current reason to believe that the Iraqi parties
would be subjected to abuses,” the court said in a written statement.
It
concluded therefore that “the defense ministry is not liable for assaults
committed by Iraqi special forces following the military operation with the
participation of Danish forces.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Lebanon
parliament re-elects Nabih Berri as speaker
31
May, 2022
Lebanon’s
new legislature narrowly elected veteran politician Nabih Berri for a seventh
term as speaker of parliament in its first session on Tuesday.
Berri,
84, won 65 votes in the 128-member parliament, where the role of speaker is
reserved for a Shia Muslim under the sectarian political system.
It
was the slimmest majority ever won by Berri, reflecting the make-up of a new
parliament in which the Lebanese Hezbollah and its allies lost the majority
they won in 2018.
Tuesday’s
session was the first since the new parliament was elected on May 15, in the
first vote since Lebanon’s economic collapse and the devastating Beirut port
explosion of 2020.
Berri,
who leads the Shia Amal Movement, has held the role of speaker since 1992 and
is a close ally of Hezbollah.
Around
a dozen opposition newcomers took their seats for the first time in the more
fragmented chamber, after an expectedly strong breakthrough by reform-minded
candidates into a system long dominated by the same sectarian groups.
Opponents
of Hezbollah including the Lebanese Forces - a Christian faction - gained
seats.
With
parliament split into several camps, none of which have a majority, analysts
have warned of the prospect of political paralysis that could further delay the
reforms needed to drag Lebanon out of economic disaster.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Africa
HRW
urges ICC to probe alleged use of mines in Libya war
31
May, 2022
Human
Rights Watch on Tuesday called for the International Criminal Court to
investigate allegations of the use of landmines in 2019 by Russian
paramilitaries fighting in Libya.
According
to the New York-based watchdog, new data has emerged from Libyan demining
groups linking mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner Group to the use of “banned
booby traps” in Libya during an offensive by east-based Libyan forces trying to
capture the capital of Tripoli from rival militias.
The
Wagner Group backed the offensive of the east-based forces led by commander
Khalifa Haftar.
Libya
plunged into turmoil after a NATO-backed uprising in 2011 toppled dictator
Moammar Gadhafi, who was later killed. It has for years been split between
rival administrations, each backed by different militias and foreign powers.
Lama
Fakih, HRW’s director for Mideast and North Africa, said a “transparent and
international” inquiry is needed to look into the use of land mines around
Tripoli.
The
group said that a demining group with the Tripoli-based Defense Ministry
reported that mines and other explosive ordnance killed at least 130 people and
wounded 196, mostly civilians, between May 2020 and March 2022 in Tripoli’s
southern suburbs.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Tunisia's
major labour union declares general strike on June 16
Yosra
Ouanes
31.05.2022
TUNIS,
Tunisia
Tunisia's
powerful UGTT labor union has declared a general strike on June 16 in protest
of the government’s refusal to reform public companies.
In
a statement on Tuesday, the union said the strike was called “over government’s
unwillingness to reform public companies.”
It
said the general strike will cover 159 public institutions in the country.
Tunisia
faces its worst financial crisis and is seeking a $4 billion loan from the
International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The
UGTT, which has more than a million members, calls for wage increases for state
workers as inflation reached a record level of 7.5% in April, from 7.2% in
March and 7% in February.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Jordanian
foreign minister arrives in Ramallah for talks
Qais
Abu Samra
31.05.2022
Jordanian
Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi arrived in the West Bank city of Ramallah on
Tuesday for talks with Palestinian officials.
Safadi
arrived aboard a Jordanian helicopter from the capital Amman, according to an
Anadolu Agency reporter.
He
will hold talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other officials on
the latest Israeli escalation in occupied East Jerusalem as well as discussing
coordination between Palestine and Jordan on all issues, the official Palestine
TV reported.
The
top Jordanian diplomat is scheduled to hold a press conference with Hussein
al-Sheikh, Secretary of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)’s Executive
Committee, before departing Ramallah, the broadcaster said.
Tension
has been running high across the Palestinian territories in the wake of a
controversial flag march by Israeli settlers through East Jerusalem and daily
settler incursions into the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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North
America
US
lawmakers urge State Dept. to stop Israeli 'war crime' in Masafer Yatta
June
1, 2022
More
than a dozen US House Democrats have sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony
Blinken, calling on the White House to take measures to stop the Israeli regime
forces from forcibly seizing Palestinian land and expelling more than 1,000
people from their homes.
On
May 4, an irresponsible Israeli regime kangaroo court, in pursuance of Tel
Aviv's internationally-condemned and illegal policies, ordered the forcible
expulsion of more than 1,000 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
In
a letter to Blinken, 15 House Democrats led by Congresswoman Cori Bush called
on the Biden administration to take immediate, concrete steps to prevent the
ongoing demolition of Palestinian homes in the Masafer Yatta district of
al-Khalil in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
"Forced
displacement and transfer by Israel of Palestinians in Masafer Yatta would be a
grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention and would amount to a war
crime," wrote US lawmakers -- including Bush, Andre Carson, Pramila
Jayapal, Betty McCollum, Marie Newman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar,
Mark Pocan, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib -- in the letter.
"If
Israel proceeds with its plans to forcibly displace the indigenous Palestinian
residents," the lawmakers pointed out to the Biden administration in the
letter, "the State Department and the US Embassy in Israel should
immediately ... send observers to document the mass transfer, including details
of the military units involved in these operations and the use of any US
weapons."
This
is the second such letter in a week urging the Biden administration to
immediately take action against the regime's expulsion of Palestinians.
“The
Biden administration and Congress must hold the apartheid government of Israel
accountable for its atrocities against the Palestinian people,” Bush told
Jewish Currents. “We must do all we can to ensure the Palestinian community of
Masafer Yatta can stay in their homes and live in safety and freedom.”
Basil
al-Adraa, a Palestinian journalist and activist has reported that the Israeli
forces have demolished 22 Palestinian structures in Masafer Yatta in the past
month.
He
told Jewish Currents that some residents were forced to move to nearby caves in
the al-Khalil area.
Source:
ABNA24
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Senators
introduce bill banning US taxpayer funds from being spent for Iran deal
01 June,
2022
Several
Republican senators introduced a bill that would forbid US taxpayer funds from
being spent for a nuclear deal with Iran until Tehran fulfilled a number of
different conditions.
“The
bill would prohibit the provision of taxpayer dollars to advance a nuclear
agreement with Iran until the Iranian regime terminates its ties with the
Chinese Communist Party and terrorist groups like Hamas,” a statement from
Senator Marco Rubio read.
The
Iran China Accountability Act was introduced by Rubio and Senator Marsha
Blackburn. It would require any nuclear agreement to be ratified by a
two-thirds vote in the Senate and would ban using taxpayer funds for a nuclear
deal until Iran halted all arrangements, including security and military
partnerships, with China. The bill also states that Iran would need to cut off
all ties and transfers of cash to Iranian proxy forces, including Hamas. Tehran
would need to verify the destruction of all chemical weapons, materials and
infrastructures.
Rubio
and Blackburn’s bill also said US taxpayer funds couldn’t be used for the deal
until China ceased the incarceration of Uyghur Muslims.
While
the Biden administration has been adamant about reviving the 2015 nuclear deal
between Iran and Western powers, negotiations have hit an impasse due to Iran’s
demand that Washington removes the IRGC from its terror blacklist.
In
addition, the Trump administration has been blamed by many current White House
and State Department officials for making it difficult to lift some sanctions
that were imposed after the former US president withdrew from the deal.
“A
renewed nuclear deal with Iran would not only benefit the regime in Tehran, it
would similarly reward and enrich the Chinese Communist Party,” Rubio said. ”We
cannot allow the Biden Administration to continue making concessions to
dictators in return for empty promises. It is dangerous and anti-American.”
For
her part, Senator Marsha Blackburn, who introduced the bill with Rubio, said
the “Obama-Biden Iran Deal” was always a failure. “The Biden Administration
should not re-enter a deal that legitimizes the Iranian regime — especially
while they continue to fund terrorism, endorse Communist China’s dangerous government,
and facilitate genocide,” she said in the statement on Rubio’s website.
Republicans
have been vocal critics of the deal and opposed all efforts to reach a similar
one. But Democrats have also become increasingly against the agreement.
The
Senate passed two non-binding motions last month, which showed the broad
bipartisan agreement on opposing the Biden administration’s efforts on the Iran
nuclear deal.
One
motion stated that any nuclear deal with Iran needed to address Iran’s support
for terrorist groups in the region and ensure that the IRGC remains designated
as a terrorist organization.
US
Special Envoy for Iran Rob Malley had reportedly floated the idea to Iran in
return for them pledging not to target current or former US officials as a way
of revenge for the slaying of former Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.
A
separate motion, which garnered Democrat support, was passed with an
overwhelming 86-12 vote. That motion, submitted by Senator Ted Cruz, spoke of
the need to maintain terrorism-related sanctions on Iran to limit its
cooperation with China.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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US
plays down Israeli report, commits to reopening consulate in Jerusalem
31
May, 2022
The
US remains committed to reopening a consulate in Jerusalem, a State Department
official said Tuesday, playing down a recent Israeli report that Washington’s
promise to do so had been shelved.
“We
continue to believe it can be an important way for our country to engage with
and provide support to the Palestinian people,” State Department Spokesman Ned
Price told reporters during a briefing.
The
Biden administration had vowed to reopen the diplomatic mission, which former
US President Donald Trump shuttered after he unilaterally recognized Jerusalem
as the capital of Israel.
But
pushback from Israel has delayed the consulate’s reopening, and Price said
Washington was holding discussions with Palestinians and Israelis over the matter.
“There are a number of steps that go into the reopening of any diplomatic
facility. As you know, there are some unique sensitivities to this particular
facility,” Price said.
The
Times of Israel, citing US and Palestinian officials, reported that the US had
decided to take steps in place of not reopening the consulate.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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US
warns talks on Yemen truce in ‘trouble’
31
May, 2022
The
United States warned Tuesday that talks on Yemen’s two-month truce were in
“trouble” as it pushed for an extension to help support millions at risk.
Yemen’s
internationally recognized government and the Iran-backed Houthis on April 2
entered a UN-brokered truce, the first since the brutal war broke out in 2016,
but it expires on Thursday.
Talks
to extend the pause in fighting “haven’t ended yet but seem to be in a bit of
trouble,” said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the United
Nations.
The
talks impasse “is troublesome to us,” she told reporters.
“We
encourage the parties on both sides to continue those efforts and find a
peaceful way to provide needed humanitarian assistance to the people of Yemen.”
Secretary
of State Antony Blinken also raised “efforts to strengthen and extend the truce
in Yemen” during talks Monday with his Saudi counterpart, Foreign Minister
Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the State Department said.
The
war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and left millions on the brink
of famine.
Aid
groups have appealed for an extension of the truce, saying it has brought
long-needed humanitarian dividends.
Earlier
this month, the Norwegian Refugee Council said the number of civilian
casualties in Yemen had dropped by more than half since the truce took effect.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2022/05/31/US-warns-talks-on-Yemen-truce-in-trouble-
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US
denies shelving plans for de facto Palestinian Embassy
Michael
Gabriel Hernandez
01.06.2022
WASHINGTON
The
State Department denied Tuesday that it has halted plans to reopen its
consulate in Jerusalem, which had served as the US' de facto Embassy to the
Palestinians until it was shuttered by former President Donald Trump.
"We
remain committed to opening a consulate in Jerusalem. We continue to believe it
can be an important way for our country to engage with and provide support to
the Palestinian people," State Department spokesman Ned Price told
reporters, later clarifying that he was referring to the "reopening"
of the former diplomatic building.
"We're
continuing to discuss this with our Israeli and our Palestinian partners, and
will continue to consult with members of Congress as well," he added.
The
comments came after the Times of Israel reported that the Biden administration
is freezing plans to reopen the consulate amid stalwart opposition from Israel,
and would instead elevate Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Israeli and
Palestinian Affairs Hady Amr to become US special envoy to the Palestinians.
The
Palestinian Affairs Unit, which is currently housed in the embassy, would begin
reporting directly to Amr rather than the US ambassador to Israel, according to
the report, which cited anonymous US and Palestinian officials.
Trump
closed the US Consulate General in East Jerusalem in March 2019. The building
had, for decades, served as Washington's main diplomatic mission to the
Palestinians and its staff worked independently of their counterparts in the
former US Embassy to Israel in Tel Aviv.
Its
mission was instead folded into the US' Israel Embassy two years after Trump
relocated it to Jerusalem and recognized the contested city as Israel's capital
in a move that continues to roil the Palestinians who are seeking East
Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.
Israel
has staunchly opposed the reopening of the consulate, with Prime Minister
Naftali Bennett saying it does not belong in Jerusalem, which Israel views as
its undivided capital.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-denies-shelving-plans-for-de-facto-palestinian-embassy/2602538
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