Hindu Jan Aakrosh Morcha Rally Held In Navi Mumbai against ‘Love Jihad, Land Jihad’ Asking Economic Boycott of Muslims
New Age Islam News Bureau
27 February 2023
This is the third protest of its kind being organised by Sakal Hindu Samaj in Mumbai in the past month. (Express photo by Narendra Vaskar)
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• London Hospital Forced To Take Down Artwork Created
By Palestinian Schoolchildren after Complaints by Jewish Patients
• Nikki Haley Says If Voted to Power, She Will Cut
Foreign Aid to Countries like China & Pakistan Which Hate America
• Malaysia Will Not Allow Islamophobia, It Violates
Fundamental Human Rights, Says FM
• Israelis, Palestinians Pledge To Curb Violence in
Jordan Meeting
India
• Names of many Muslim voters in a Bengaluru
constituency removed
• Congress MLA Organises Umrah Trip for Muslim Asha
Workers in Poll-Bound Karnataka
• Burnt Bodies in SUV in Haryana, Blood Stains of
Kidnapped Muslim Men: Cops
• AIMIM National Conference Passes Resolution on
Violence against Dalits, Muslims; Says PM Must Act against Hate Speeches
• Kashmiri Pandit killed, government faces scorn
• Bangladeshi Villagers Attack BSF Jawans, Snatch
Weapons; 2 Seriously Injured
• Madrasa cleric among two held for abducting
16-year-old girl in J&K’s Samba
• Institute of Objective Studies Organises Two-Day Conference
On “Indian Muslims And Plural Society”
--------
Europe
• Alleged ISIS ‘Beatle’ extremist goes on trial in UK
• Actor Daniel Craig lends voice to UK appeal for
Türkiye, Syria quake victims
• Iran supports China’s position on Ukraine crisis,
says genuine diplomacy needed to end conflict
--------
North America
• Research Report Warns About 'Institutional
Islamophobia' In Canada
• US warns Iran after fresh threats from IRGC against
Trump, Pompeo over Soleimani
• US has already spent more in Ukraine than it did in
Afghanistan: Report
--------
Southeast Asia
• High Court Dismisses Bid To Prosecute Preachers For
Insulting Other Faiths
• Malaysia wants relations to reach ‘higher level’
with Saudi Arabia, PM says
• PM Anwar Says RM2m for Printing Translated Copies of
Quran Not ‘Too Much’, Necessary to Educate Critics of Islam
• Report: Malaysia under Anwar administration seen to
make headway in peace deal between Bangkok and south Thai insurgents
• PAS lawmaker apologises for linking 'Menu Rahmah' to
cancer, autism
--------
Mideast
• First Israeli flight uses Saudi-Omani corridor to
East Asia
• Iran Intelligence Minister: Arab Nations Unable to
Buy Security through Normalization with Israel
• Iran: Foreign Meddling, War, Terrorism in Region
Lead to Widespread Environmental Destruction
• DM Calls for Further Cooperation between Iran, Iraq
in War on Terrorism
• Two settlers killed in occupied West Bank, Israeli
officials say
--------
South Asia
• New Generation Should Master Religious Education:
Taliban Minister
• $4.6 Billion Needed for Humanitarian Aid in
Afghanistan: OCHA
• Iran handed over Afghan Embassy in Tehran to Interim
Regime of Afghanistan
• Taliban forces kill two IS members in Kabul raid:
official
--------
Pakistan
• Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department Busts Seven
TTP-Militants
• Security situation not as bad as before 2008, 2013
polls: report
• Pakistanis among 59 killed in Italy boat tragedy
• Retired General Amjad Shoaib Arrested After FIR
Registered On Charges Of ‘Inciting Hatred Against State Institutions’
• Punjab, KP election limbo: SC to resume suo motu
hearing on delay in polls shortly
• TTP have Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police in their
crosshairs
--------
Arab World
• Israel’s El Al Airlines to Use Saudi-Omani Corridor
for Bangkok Flight
• Saudi Islamic minister meets Cardinal Christoph
Schonbrunn in Riyadh
• Egypt FM to Visit Syria, Turkey for First Time in
Decade Since Ties with Both Soured
• Qatar, Indonesia mark deep ties via Year of Culture
• Cockfighting still finds spectators in Iraq despite
animal cruelty concerns
• Syria’s Assad meets senior Arab lawmakers in
Damascus
• Saudi Arabia signs $400 mln agreement for Ukraine
aid as Kingdom’s FM visits Kyiv
--------
Africa
• Libya’s High Council of State Fails to Vote on
Constitutional Amendment
• More effort needed to bring calm in Palestine,
Jordan’s King tells Biden advisor
• AU condemns Tunisia’s president ‘shocking’ statement
on migrants
• Tunisia holds prominent critics of president in
pre-trial detention
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/hindu-jan-aakrosh-jihad-muslims/d/129210
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Hindu Jan Aakrosh Morcha Rally Held In Navi Mumbai
against ‘Love Jihad, Land Jihad’ Asking Economic Boycott of Muslims
This is the third protest
of its kind being organised by Sakal Hindu Samaj in Mumbai in the past month.
(Express photo by Narendra Vaskar)
-----
By Nayonika Bose
February 27, 2023
A Hindu Jan Aakrosh Morcha rally was held in Vashi in
Navi Mumbai on Sunday, during which calls were given for the economic boycott
of the Muslim community.
In protest against ‘love jihad’ and ‘land jihad’,
Sakal Hindu Samaj held a march in Navi Mumbai, commencing from Vashi’s Blue
Diamond Chowk on Sunday. This is the third protest of its kind being organised
by Sakal Hindu Samaj in Mumbai in the past month.
Amidst a sea of saffron flags and posters condemning
‘love jihad’, sloganeering protesters marched for about 3 km from Vashi’s Blue
Diamond Chowk to Shivaji Chowk. Among those at the rally were Ganesh Naik, MLA
and BJP leader, other activists from BJP, as well as members of Hindu outfits
such as Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal, that come under the umbrella of
Sakal Hindu Samaj.
Kajal Shingla aka ‘Kajal Hindusthani’, a Gujarat
resident, who claims to work for the cause of ‘Hindu human rights’, was a
keynote speaker. Urging the crowd to boycott these vendors, Hindusthani said,
“In Navi Mumbai, land jihad has become so prevalent that today 25 Bangladeshi
Muslims live in one room. They have hijacked our vegetable and fruit markets. I
want you to repeat after me that – we, the people of Maharashtra, will
economically boycott them.”
Citing the ‘illegal’ construction of eight dargahs in
APMC fruit market, and dargahs near Ghansoli and at several stations of Navi
Mumbai, she said, “I urge you to question your Navi Mumbai Municipal
Corporation. The women of our households will have to come out and question
authorities, and only then will Navi Mumbai be rid of them. When they construct
illegal dargahs, do they take permission? Then why do you need permission
before demolishing their properties?”
“We should not be renting or selling our spaces to
them. If this is happening at societies in your vicinity, make an association
with rules whereby whoever is not an idol worshipper should not be rented or
sold a flat,” she added.
The rally comes in the backdrop of recent Supreme
Court directives, wherein a bench of Justice K M Joseph and J B Pardiwala
directed that the Hindu Jan Aakrosh Morcha in Mumbai would be allowed only if
‘no hate speech’ is guaranteed.
The Navi Mumbai police have said they have
video-graphed the gathering and are analysing the content of the speeches.
Navi Mumbai Deputy Commissioner of Police (zone I),
Vivek Pansare, said, “There were utterances at the rally which we think may
come under hate speech. So we will scrutinise the recording again, and assess
if it can be categorised as such,” Pansare said.
Source: Indian Express
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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London Hospital Forced To Take Down Artwork Created By
Palestinian Schoolchildren after Complaints by Jewish Patients
Chelsea and Westminster
Hospital has removed a display of artwork incorporating Palestinian political
propaganda.
------
Aysu Bicer
27.02.2023
LONDON
A display of artwork designed by Palestinian
schoolchildren from Gaza was taken down at London’s Chelsea and Westminster
Hospital after complaints by a British pro-Israel campaign group on behalf of
Jewish patients.
The hospital was forced to remove the artwork after a
complaint by a small number of Jewish patients "who said they felt
vulnerable and victimized by this display," according to a statement by UK
Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI).
The display of decorated plates, titled “Crossing Borders
– a festival of Plates,” was a peaceful and artistic expression of Palestinian
culture and aspirations for independence.
But the authenticity of the artwork is being
questioned by the group, as it was created by children at two UNRWA-run schools
in Gaza and then transferred onto plates by children at Chelsea Community
Hospital School.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for
Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is a relief and human development
agency providing education, healthcare, social services and emergency aid to
over 4.7 million Palestinian refugees living in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria as
well as in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
The caption for one of the plates said: "The
olive branch is the symbol of peace and is used to express the wish for an
independent Palestinian state."
One Twitter account shared images of the display at
the hospital and said: "If you feel vulnerable and victimized having to
look at a display of artwork by children from Gaza, imagine how those children
feel when an Israeli soldier is pointing a gun at them.”
Home to nearly 2.3 million people, the Gaza Strip has
been reeling under an Israeli blockade since 2007, badly affecting livelihoods
in the seaside territory.
Last Wednesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
said that Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories are “illegal”
under international law, warning they “must stop."
“Across the occupied West Bank and Gaza, hopelessness
is spreading, feeding anger and despair. Each new settlement is another
roadblock on the path to peace,” Guterres said at the opening of the 2023
session of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the
Palestinian People.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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original story:
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Nikki Haley says if voted to power, she will cut
foreign aid to countries like China & Pakistan which hate America
Photo: The
Times of India
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Feb 26, 2023
WASHINGTON: Indian-American Republican presidential
candidate Nikki Haley has vowed that if voted to power, she will cut every cent
in foreign aid for countries like China, Pakistan and Iraq which hate America,
saying "a strong America doesn't pay off the bad guys".
The 51-year-old two-term Governor of South Carolina
and the former US Ambassador to the United Nations formally launched her 2024
presidential bid earlier this month.
"I will cut every cent in foreign aid for
countries that hate us. A strong America doesn't pay off the bad guys. A proud
America doesn't waste our people's hard-earned money. And the only leaders who
deserve our trust are those who stand up to our enemies and stand beside our
friends," she wrote in an op-ed in the New York Post.
She said that America spent $46 billion on foreign aid
last year, which is given to countries like China, Pakistan, and Iraq. American
taxpayers deserve to know where that money is going and what it's doing, she
added.
"They will be shocked to find that much of it
goes to fund anti-American countries and causes. As president, I'll put a stop
to this fiasco,” she said.
According to Haley, the Biden administration resumed
military aid to Pakistan, though it's home to at least a dozen terrorist
organisations and its government is deeply in hock to China.
She said that as the US ambassador to the UN, she
strongly supported then president Donald Trump's decision to cut nearly $2
billion of military aid to Pakistan because that country supported terrorists
who kill American troops.
"It was a major victory for our troops, our
taxpayers and our vital interests, but it didn't go nearly far enough. We've
still given them way too much in other aid. As president, I will block every
penny,” she added.
She said that the Biden administration restored half a
billion dollars to "a corrupt United Nations agency" that's supposed
to help the Palestinian people but in fact covers for deeply anti-Semitic
propaganda against our ally Israel. She added the US has given Iraq more than
$1 billion over the last few years, even though its government is getting
closer to Iran.
She said American taxpayers still give money to
"Communist China for ridiculous environment programmes, despite the
obvious threat China poses to Americans."
"We give money to Belarus, which is Russian
dictator Vladimir Putin's closest ally. We even give money to Communist Cuba —
a country our own government has designated as a state sponsor of terrorism,”
she said, adding that it's been happening for decades under presidents of both
parties.
"I am running for president to restore our
nation's strength, our national pride and our people's trust. Backing American
allies and friends like Israel and Ukraine is smart. Sending our tax dollars to
enemies isn't," she added.
"At the UN, I put together a book of how much
money we give other countries and how often they vote with us. It was
eye-opening. We are giving huge amounts of cash to countries that vote against
us most of the time. That doesn't make sense. I'll stop it. America can't buy
our friends. We'll certainly never buy off our enemies," she added.
Less than a fortnight after entering the race to the
White House, Haley is leading against President Joe Biden in a hypothetical
match, according to the latest opinion poll on Friday. But she trails badly
against leading GOP candidate former president Trump, Rasmussen Report said
based on a survey it conducted between February 16 to 19.
Among the Republicans, she comes at the third position
after Trump (52 per cent) and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (24 per cent).
Born Nimrata Nikki Randhawa to immigrant Punjabi Sikh
parents, Haley is the third Indian-American to run for the US presidency in
three consecutive election cycles. Bobby Jindal ran in 2016 and Vice President
Kamala Harris in 2020.
Days after Haley announced her White House bid,
Indian-American tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, another Republican, also
launched his 2024 presidential bid.
Before entering the presidential ballot, Haley has to
win the Republican Party's presidential primary which will start in January
next year. The next US presidential election is scheduled to be held on
November 5, 2024.
Source: Times Of India
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original story:
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Malaysia Will Not Allow Islamophobia, It Violates
Fundamental Human Rights, Says FM
Foreign Minister Datuk
Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said it was critical to address the underlying issue
in Islamophobic acts, in a move to rebuild tolerance and respect for all walks
of life. - NSTP/ASYRAF HAMZAH
------
27 Feb 2023
PUTRAJAYA, Feb 27 — Malaysia will not allow Islamophobia
to continue unabated as this would implicate the country in violating
fundamental human rights.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir said
Muslims should have the right to profess their faith without fearing
discrimination, persecution and intimidation as the right to believe and
practise one’s religion is enshrined in international law as a fundamental
human right.
“I am strongly worried that there is an absence of a
strong, united response from the Muslim world to combat Islamophobia. Indeed,
the silence that permeates through us is a worrying trend.
“Together, the Muslim world has a considerable amount
of resources at its disposal however, there is a lack of a holistic strategy to
mobilise these resources to create actionable change,” he said during his
welcoming remarks at the International Forum on Islamophobia: Meaningful
Engagement through Madani Discourse.
He said the root cause of Islamophobia lies in
misinformation, thus it is often linked to broader social and political issues,
such as xenophobia, racism and anti-immigrant sentiments that are also fuelled
by a lack of unbiased information.
“Addressing these underlying issues is critical in
rebuilding tolerance and respect for all walks of life. By doing so, we are
fulfilling our duty to uphold the fundamental human rights of all individuals
while building a more inclusive and equitable society,” he said.
Meanwhile, he said Malaysia will continue to play a
leading role in spearheading Malaysia Madani’s agenda in promoting the tenets
of Islam and combat Islamophobia at the international fora.
“Through the values and principles which Malaysia
Madani holds, this will restore the trust that Malaysia had among the Muslim
Ummah,” he said.
The concept of Malaysia Madani was introduced by Prime
Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Jan 19, based on six pillars, namely
Sustainability, Prosperity, Innovation, Respect, Trust and Compassion.
He added Wisma Putra’s unwavering commitment to combat
Islamophobia on a global level with other leading actors such as the
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will remain strong.
“Islamophobia can only be adequately addressed if all
parties work together to fight it. We must speak out against prejudice and
injustice, support our fellow Muslims, and stand with them in solidarity,” he
said. — Bernama
Source: Malay Mail
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original story:
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Israelis, Palestinians Pledge To Curb Violence In Jordan
Meeting
Members of the Islamic
Action Front protest against the meeting between top Israeli and Palestinian
officials at the Red Sea port of Aqaba, in Amman, Jordan, February 26. —
Reuters
------
February 26, 2023
Israel committed to stopping authorisation of any
settler outposts in the occupied West Bank for six months during a meeting on
Sunday with Palestinian officials in Jordan when the sides pledged to
de-escalate surging violence.
In a joint statement at the end of a meeting in the
city of Aqaba, Israel, and Palestinian officials said they would work closely
to prevent “further violence” and “reaffirmed the necessity of committing to
de-escalation on the ground”.
Host nation Jordan, along with Egypt and the United
States, considered “these understandings as major progress towards
re-establishing and deepening relations between the two sides”, the statement
said.
The meeting was held as anxiety mounted of escalation
in the run-up to the holy month of Ramazan that begins in late March.
Palestinian factions, including the Hamas group, which
governs the Gaza Strip, condemned the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority for
taking part in the meeting.
The meeting brought together top Israeli and
Palestinian security chiefs for the first time in many years, officials said
and aimed to restore calm in Israel, the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the
Gaza Strip.
Israel and the Palestinian Authority “confirmed their
joint readiness and commitment to immediately work to end unilateral measures
for a period of three-six months”, the statement said.
“This includes an Israeli commitment to stop
discussion of any new settlement units for four months and to stop
authorisation of any outposts for six months,” the statement said.
The participants also agreed to meet again in Sharm
el-Sheikh in Egypt in March. “The participants stressed the importance of the
Aqaba meeting, the first of its kind in years,” the statement said.
“They agreed to continue meeting under this formulae,
maintain the positive momentum and expand this agreement towards wider
political process leading to a just and lasting peace.”
US President Joe Biden’s Middle East adviser Brett
McGurk is attending, along with Jordanian and Egyptian officials.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s return to power at
the head of one of the most right-wing coalitions in Israeli history has added
to Arab concerns about escalation.
Israel on Feb 12 granted retroactive authorisation to
nine Jewish settler outposts in the occupied West Bank and announced mass
construction of new homes within established settlements.
The UN Security Council issued a formal statement
denouncing Israel’s plan to expand settlements on occupied Palestinian
territory, the first action the United States has allowed the body to take
against its ally Israel in six years.
Source: Dawn
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original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1739252/israelis-palestinians-pledge-to-curb-violence-in-jordan-meeting
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India
Names of many Muslim voters in a Bengaluru constituency removed
Syed Ali Mujtaba
25th February 2023
Bengaluru: Names of 9,159 Muslim voters in the
Shivajinagar constituency in Bengaluru have been removed from the voters’ list.
This removal is done based on a complaint filed by a private agency named Chilume
which has links to the BJP. The complaint was filed on November 16, 2022, and
the action was taken by the Election commission in January 2023.
It is reported that the private agency, Chilume
prepared a list of 26,000 voters after collecting the data illegally since
October 2022 for the Shivajinagar constituency. The complaint filed to the
Election Commission alleged that 26,000 fake voters are identified in the
Shivajinagar constituency who have either shifted from that place or are dead.
The Election Commission published the final electoral
roll for the Shivajinagar constituency on January 15, 2023. This is when the
BJP private agency swung into action with its voters list some eight days after
the electoral roll was published. The private agency of the BJP went to the
Election Commission demanding that the 26,000 names mentioned in the EC list
should be removed.
The EC officials immediately cross-checked all the
26,000 names and found that 9,159 had either shifted out of their old home
addresses or were dead. Accordingly, EC asked the suspected voters to appear
before the authorities.
However, media reports say the suspected names that
were deleted were all wrong and it verified with those who received the notices
found them to be alive and living at the same old addresses.
Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad has reportedly said,
“Voters are getting harassed. Many people replied to the first notice, despite
the that they have been issued a second notice asking them to appear before the
EC. This process is to tire people out.. I don’t know why Shivajinagar was
chosen for this experiment. Maybe because this is a safe seat for the Congress,
the BJP wants to see if deletion can help them win the election.”
Further, the MLA asked, “how a private group can do
door-to-door electoral roll calls and create a voter list of its own is
something that is a mystery? The alarming part is the quick response of the
election commission to such a complaint.
The move is being seen as a violation of Election
Commission rules issued on September 13, 2021, that says no deletion to the
electoral rolls can be done six months prior to the end of the term of the
Assembly. (Karnataka assembly term ends in the last week of May).
Rules mandate that Form 7 has to be filled if anyone
wants to raise an objection and delete a name from the existing electoral roll.
Did the BJP fill 26,000 Form 7s? The Electoral Registration Office confirmed
that the BJP did not fill any Form 7. If they didn’t, why did the CEO’s office
accept their complaint?
Source: Siasat Daily
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/names-of-many-muslim-voters-in-a-bengaluru-constituency-removed-2535311/
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Congress MLA organises Umrah trip for Muslim Asha
workers in poll-bound Karnataka
Sagay Raj
Feb 27, 2023
Ahead of Assembly election in Karnataka this year,
Congress MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan has organised Umrah, or pilgrimage to Mecca, for
Muslim Asha workers in the state.
Khan was seen distributing 500 Saudi Riyals to every
Asha worker who would be going on the pilgrimage. Apart from cash, national travel
kits were also provided to the pilgrims.
This comes shortly after the Congress in Karnataka
promised Rs 2,000 a month to every woman head of household if the party is
voted to power in the upcoming state Assembly election.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said Rs 24,000
yearly would be directly credited to their bank accounts under "Gruha
Lakshmi Yojana", an "unconditional universal basic income".
Karnataka Congress has also promised 10 kg of free
monthly rice for Below Poverty Line (BPL) cardholders if voted to power.
Source: India Today
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of the original story:
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Burnt Bodies In SUV In Haryana, Blood Stains Of
Kidnapped Muslim Men: Cops
February 27, 2023
The report of forensic science laboratory has
confirmed that the charred bodies and the blood stains found in the SUV
recovered from a cow shelter in Haryana's Jind were of Junaid and Nasir, a
Rajasthan police officer said.
The bodies of Rajasthan's Bharatpur-based men, who
were abducted, were found inside a vehicle in Haryana's Bhiwani district on
February 16. The families of the deceased alleged that they were beaten and
murdered by members of the Bajrang Dal.
"The FSL (forensic science laboratory) report
confirms that the charred bodies and the blood stains in the SUV recovered from
a Gau-shala in Jind (Haryana) were of Nasir and Junaid," Bharatpur range
IG Gaurav Srivastav said.
He said the burnt vehicle matched the chassis number,
but the bodies left inside could not be identified.
The officer said that FSL samples were collected from
the spot. Blood samples of the family members of Nasir and Junaid were also
collected so that the blood stains found in the SUV and the bones found in the
burnt vehicle can be matched.
He said the report has now confirmed the identity of
both bodies.
Source: ND TV
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AIMIM National Conference Passes Resolution On
Violence Against Dalits, Muslims; Says PM Must Act Against Hate Speeches
26 FEB 2023
The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) on
Sunday passed several resolutions at the end of its two-day national conference
in Mumbra in, Maharashtra's Thane district, including on violence against Muslims
and Dalits and demands from some Sangh Parivar segments to make India a 'Hindu
Rashtra'.
The conference was chaired by AIMIM chief and
Telangana Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi.
Addressing a press conference here, Owaisi said,
"One resolution unequivocally condemns the continuing and increasing
attacks against Muslims, other minorities, and Dalits. The Centre and state
governments must ban illegal and criminal organisations that have undertaken a
systematic campaign of terror in the garb of cow protection, anti-conversion,
love jihad, etc."
He said his party sought a dedicated cell in the
Ministry of Home Affairs to track and counter "majoritarian religious
radicalisation", while victims of "majoritarian violence", those
who have been lynched or killed in the name of Hindutva, must be compensated.
Other resolutions include one demanding that Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and chief ministers speak out against hate speeches,
while another sought reservations for the Muslims based on several commissions
that have termed the community as socially, economically, and educationally
backward, Owaisi said.
"Moreover, Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians
must be classified as Scheduled Castes and get benefits. The Union government
must amend the 1952 Presidential order to remove an unconstitutional religious
classification. We are also opposed to the Uniform Civil Code," the
Hyderabad MP informed.
A resolution passed during the two-day conference
condemned several states for enacting Freedom of Religion laws to curb
religious conversion through fraudulent means, including marriage by harping on
"love jihad".
Love jihad is a term right-wing activists often use to
claim Muslim men are converting Hindu women through marriage.
"The AIMIM calls for the repeal of such laws that
target religious scholars (who solemnise marriages) and interfaith
couples," one of the AIMIM resolutions stated.
Condemning statements by some Sangh Parivar leaders
seeking that India is declared a 'Hindu Rashtra', the AIMIM also said the
Narendra Modi government must defend the Places of Worship Act in the Supreme
Court as it was recognised by the apex court as part of the basic structure of
the Constitution.
Source: Outlook India
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Kashmiri Pandit killed, government faces scorn
Muzaffar Raina
| Srinagar
27.02.23
Militants killed a Kashmiri Pandit who worked as a bank
security guard in Pulwama district on Sunday, prompting a Pandit organisation
to pour scorn on the government for its failure to protect the community and
claims of normality in the Valley.
Sanjay Sharma, 40, was shot around 10.30am on a street
in hometown Achan while being accompanied by his wife, a police officer said.
The incident comes after a four-month lull in fatal attacks on Kashmiri
Pandits.
“#Shame on (lieutenant governor) Manoj Sinha,” the
Kashmir Pandit Sangarsh Samiti, a group representing resident Pandits, tweeted.
“Yet another Non-Migrant Kashmiri pandit (who) was
working as guard at ATM(killed). Near his residence atAchan Pulwama. Survived
by his wife and two children. He was brother of Bhushan Lal Sharma, the priest
of Kashmiri pandits.”
The group taunted the central government for being
unable to control “75 lakh Kashmiris” while aspiring to control “PoK and
Baluchistan”.
It accused the government of censoring information
that proved that “Kashmir is(the) most dangerous place for Kashmiri Pandits in
this world”.
Thousands of Pandit government employees have fled the
Valley and are agitating for relocation to Jammu since the killing of a
colleague, Rahul Bhat, in May last year.
The government has rebuffed their demand and withheld
the salaries of those refusing to join work in the Valley. The protesters claim
the government is turning them into sacrificial lambs to hard-sell its “all is
well” Valley narrative.
The Sangharsh Samiti shared a screenshot of a
statement by a purported militant group, Kashmir Freedom Fighters, that claimed
responsibility for the killing.
Several top militant groups use frontal organisations
to carry out attacks in the Valley. Local Muslims condemned the killing and
said it was a blot on “Kashmiriyat”, or Kashmir’s composite culture. The police
said an armed guard had been posted in the village for the security of minority
(Hindu) homes, and an investigation was on to ascertain how the killing took
place.
“Terrorists fired upon one civilian from a minority
namely Sanjay Sharma S/O Kashinath Sharma R/O Achan Pulwama while on way to
local market,” the Kashmir zone police tweeted.
Two days ago, militants had shot and injured Asif Ali
Ganai, son of a police head constable who had been killed by insurgents last
year in Anantnag.
Sunday’s killing comes days after the KashmirFight
blogspot, purportedly backed by militants, threatened organisers of the Global
Kashmiri Pandit Conclave, held this weekend in Delhi. Kashmir Files director
Vivek Agnihotri and actor Anupam Kher have been among the participants.
Militant attacks on Pandits and other Hindus, along
with non-local workers, have picked up in the Valley since the 2019 scrapping
of the special status of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state.
The attacks have spread also to Jammu where militants
killed seven and injured several members of the Brahmin community in Dhangri
village, Rajouri, last month.
Source: Telegraph India
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/kashmiri-pandit-killed-government-faces-scorn/cid/1919111
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Bangladeshi villagers attack BSF jawans, snatch
weapons; 2 seriously injured
Feb 27, 2023
NEW DELHI: Two Border Security Force (BSF) jawans
received severe injuries after they were attacked by Bangladeshi miscreants and
villagers while performing duty in the security of Indian farmers on the
international border.
BSF has raised the matter with Border Guards
Bangladesh (BGB) and called for a flag meeting.
In a statement, BSF informed that the incident took
place in the area of Border Out Post Nirmalchar, 35 Battalion under the
Berhampore Sector of Bengal Frontier.
According to Indian farmers' complaints, Bangladeshi
farmers enter Indian farmers' fields to graze their cattle and deliberately
damage their crops. To ensure the safety of the Indian farmers, the BSF jawans
had temporarily set up a post near the border.
On Sunday, BSF jawans of Border Out Post Nirmalchar
were on duty on the border when they stopped Bangladeshi farmers from bringing
their cattle to the fields of Indian Farmers.
Immediately more than a hundred villagers and
miscreants from Bangladesh entered the Indian side and attacked the jawans with
sticks and sharp-edged weapons (Dahs).
"Two jawans were seriously injured in the attack.
The miscreants fled to Bangladesh after snatching their weapons," the
statement reads.
Upon receiving the information, more BSF Jawans
reached the site of the incidents and the injured jawans were immediately
evacuated to the nearest hospital for treatment.
The BSF officials immediately informed the Border
Guards Bangladesh (BGB) officials about the incident and asked them to organize
a flag meeting so that the weapons of the jawans could be recovered from the
Bangladeshi miscreants and the repetition of the incident could be prevented.
In the past, there have been many incidents of Indian
farmers' crops being destroyed and Bangladeshis forcibly grazing their cattle
on Indian land. The BGB has been notified about these incidents, but no
concrete action has been taken to stop such incidents.
BSF has lodged an FIR against the unknown Bangladeshi
attackers at Police Station Ranitala.A spokesperson from South Bengal Frontier
informed about the incident told that when smugglers and people with criminal
intent do not get success in their illegal activities across the border, they
attack the jawans.
Source: Times Of India
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Madrasa cleric among two held for abducting
16-year-old girl in J&K’s Samba
Feb 27, 2023
JAMMU: A madrasa cleric and his accomplice were
arrested for allegedly abducting a 16-year-old girl in Jammu and Kashmir’s
Samba district, police said on Sunday.
The teenager was pursuing Arabic studies at the
madrasa in Samba’s Chak Dayala area. The cleric, a resident of Gandoh in Doda
district, had been staying at the religious school for the past five months,
alleged the girl’s father in his police complaint.
Police registered a case and rescued the girl. The
cleric, identified as Bilal Ahmed, was arrested from Ramsoo in Ramban district
while his accomplice Riaz Ahmed, who aided in the crime, was also apprehended.
Both are natives of Bathari village, Doda, police said.
Source: Times Of India
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Institute Of Objective Studies Organises Two-Day
Conference On “Indian Muslims And Plural Society”
25th February 2023
New Delhi: Institute of Objective Studies, New Delhi,
organised a two-day National Conference on “Indian Muslims and Plural Society”
in hybrid mode from February 15 – 16.
Inaugural session
The inaugural session commenced with Prof Haseena
Hashia, Assistant Secretary General, IOS, welcoming the guests and
participants.
Prof M.H Qureshi, an eminent Geographer, talked about
India witnessing numerous migrations over the last several centuries. “We have
Nordics, Mediterranean, and Mongols—people from Central Asia, Persia and even
Arabs who arrived in India through its southern-western coastal region.
Therefore, India has immense diversity, he said.
He said that the Arabs came to the Kerala coast and
brought many traditions that became part and parcel of India.
Professor Mehrajuddin Mir, former Vice-Chancellor of
the Central University of Kashmir, said that the concept of pluralism was how to
live together, tolerate others’ thoughts and ideas, and even understand
opponents’ miseries for solutions to live in diversity. All religions have
various sects, and thus, their practices differ. The conflicts are, therefore,
intra-religious, interreligious and social, he noted.
Professor Mir quoted Indian Defence Minister, Rajnath
Singh, who recently spoke about how one Imam and one Pundit shaped his career
to understand brotherhood and oneness.
Professor Akhtarul Wasey, former President, Maulana
Azad University, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, in his presidential address, said that
Muslims came to India as traders and invaders. But once they came here, they
delved into the culture and traditions of India and became one who enriched the
nation to encourage pluralism. Muslims have contributed to India’s prosperity.
He said that how Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam became a global
personality of Indian origin—a Muslim. The country couldn’t think of its
missile programme without his theoretical contributions, he said.
Technical Session I
The 1st Technical Session began with the theme,
“Genesis of Pluralism in India.” Professor Arshi Khan, Department of Political
Science, AMU, Aligarh, as Moderator & Chairperson.
Dr. Ram Puniyani, Human Rights Activist and Writer,
said, “There is a misconception in the country, especially against Muslims.”
The alliance of civilizations defines plurality. Religions don’t have any
nationality. They are universal. The Kings in India, whether Muslim or Hindu,
ruled the nation for centuries with people of different faiths as their core
governance teams. There was nothing like Muslim Kings or Hindu kings then, he
explained.
He observed that calling Indian cultures as Hindu is a
bigoted idea. Leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi and Maulana Abul Kalam
Azad brought secular spirits into the country. We have Sufi and Bhakti
traditions that describe the morality of religions and humanity in India.
Professor Mohammad Sohrab, MMA Jauhar Academy of
International Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, described pluralism as
a definition both from a conceptual and theoretical perspective. Primarily a
religious and moral philosophy, pluralism was the acceptance of diversity. It
is more than tolerance of differences. The conception of ‘We’ was essential to assess
pluralism through organic social bonding. Pluralism in the Islamic context of
acceptance and the country’s scenario today should be understood in the context
of how the nation’s spirit developed in Madinah during the time of the Prophet,
he elaborated.
He said that pluralism demands that your neighbour be
considered an asset, not a liability. Diversity with pluralism creates
resilience, but diversity without pluralism brings disaster, he concluded.
Gurtej Singh, IAS, Chandigarh, spoke about how India’s
constitutional and political federalism paved the way for the constitution. The
atrocities against Sikhs and their resistance were part of history, he said.
The examples of pluralism can be understood from the Guru Granth of Sikh
religion.
His book Sikh and Indian Civilization sheds light on
how Sikhs were projected during partition.
Sanjay K. Rai, a social activist from Lucknow,
mentioned that “diversity doesn’t accept dictators.” He highlighted the
importance of multicultural societies. Linguistic Pluralism was the need of the
hour in today’s context. Societies with pluralism also impact by technological
growth. Communities can’t be defined through one particular race or culture. He
felt that there can’t be nation-building and growth without taking Muslims
along who constitute 15-20% population in India. The One Nation, One Culture
concept can only work in some countries. One can’t find books on Hitler in
Germany today. Mussolini’s home has been destroyed in his country as people
don’t want him to be remembered. It symbolizes how those going against
pluralism perish from the leaflets of history, he concluded.
Mr. Gurdeep Singh, a Sikh leader from Bhatinda,
Punjab, stressed that it was high time to focus on the future, in view of the
experiences of the past and present to grow in a plural society. Mistakes could
be there in the past, but remembering those only won’t solve the purpose. It
will hinder progress. He warned that today’s rulers in India were breaking the
very ascent of Indian culture and unity.
He said that when Kashmiri Muslims are tortured,
others in the country feel their pain.
Dr. Lubna Naaz from the Department of Islamic Studies,
Women’s College, AMU, spoke on “An Islamic Perspective on Peaceful
Coexistence.”
Technical Session-II
Focused on the theme, Role of Islam to Strengthen
Pluralism in India, the Technical Session II started under the Chairperson,
Professor M. Ishaque from the Department of Islamic Studies, Jamia Millia
Islamia.
Maulana Abdul Hameed Nomani, Former General Secretary,
All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, Delhi, highlighted that two things are
required to be properly understood: the Creator, and the Creator’s motive. He
said that Sufis always made one feel the independence to think and lead life.
Islam always propagates the rights of neighbours, relatives and much more. Sufi
Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti wore similar dresses like Indian Sadhus to ascertain
people of his time, irrespective of their religious faiths, connected with him.
He said that Swami Dayanand and Raja Ram Mohan Roy
kept Hindu philosophy out of their movements but promoted social reforms in the
societies applicable to all faiths for social betterment. “Faith is vital, like
Allah’s mercy, unlike social practices that change with time,” he said. India’s
beauty was in its diversity of religious thoughts. In pre-Islam Arab tribes
kept fighting for generations on a single issue of their forefathers, but the
scenario has changed. Islam accepts variety in pluralism, from religious to
traditional to social practices. Islam as a religion must not change its basic
principles. It is a Sanatan religion with firm principles, he concluded.
Source: Siasat Daily
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Europe
Alleged ISIS ‘Beatle’ extremist goes on trial in UK
27 February ,2023
The UK terror trial of an alleged member of the ISIS
group’s “Beatles” kidnap-and-murder cell begins on Monday.
Aine Davis is accused of belonging to the notorious
group of four hostage takers, who grew up and were radicalized in London, something
he is understood to deny.
Active in Syria from 2012 to 2015, the four were
allegedly involved in abducting more than two dozen journalists and relief
workers from the United States and other countries.
The group members were nicknamed the “Beatles” by
their captives because of their distinctive British accents.
The hostages -- some of whom were released after their
governments paid ransoms -- were from at least 15 countries,
including Denmark, France, Japan, Norway, Spain and
the United States.
ISIS tortured and killed its victims, including by
beheading, and released videos of the murders for propaganda purposes.
Davis, who is in his late thirties, will go on trial
at the Old Bailey criminal court in London.
He faces two formal charges related to providing money
for terrorist purposes and one of possessing a firearm for a purpose connected
to terrorism.
The trial is expected to take less than two weeks.
Davis was arrested in Turkey in 2015 and sentenced in
2017 to seven and a half years for membership of ISIS.
He was released in July last year and deported from
Turkey the next month. He was re-arrested when he arrived at Britain’s Luton
airport.
In 2014, his wife Amal El-Wahabi became the first
person in Brit-ain to be convicted of funding ISIS extremists after trying to
send 20,000 euros -- worth $25,000 at the time -- to him in Syria.
She was jailed for 28 months and seven days following
a trial in which Davis was described as a drug dealer before he went to Syria
to fight with ISIS.
Two of the “Beatles,” El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda
Amon Kotey, have received life sentences in the United States.
Former British national Elsheikh was sentenced last
year for the deaths of four US hostages in Syria.
The trial featured emotional testimony from former hostages
and was the most significant prosecution of an ISIS extremist in the United
States.
Ten former European and Syrian hostages testified at
Elsheikh’s trial, accusing the “Beatles” of months of brutal treatment
including beatings, electric shocks, waterboarding, and mock executions.
Elsheikh and Kotey were captured by a Kurdish militia
in Syria in January 2018 and handed over to US forces in Iraq.
They were flown to the United States in 2020 to face
trial. Kotey pleaded guilty in September 2021.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Actor Daniel Craig lends voice to UK appeal for
Türkiye, Syria quake victims
Aysu Bicer
26.02.2023
LONDON
A video clip appealing for aid to support people
affected by the massive earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria was voiced by famous
British actor Daniel Craig.
The 90-second footage, which features visuals from the
devastating Feb. 6 earthquakes, guides people on how they can donate to help
the victims.
It has been broadcast by 29 UK media outlets and also
appeared on digital screens in 18 locations.
A massive UK fundraising drive launched by the
Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) raised £100 million (nearly $120 million)
in just two weeks.
The appeal was launched on Feb. 9 and included a £5
million donation by the British government via the UK Aid Match scheme.
The DEC brought together 15 major UK charities,
including the British Red Cross, Oxfam and ActionAid, to raise funds that will
cover medical aid, emergency shelter, food, and clean water.
The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes, centered in
Türkiye’s Kahramanmaras province, have claimed more than 44,200 lives and
impacted some 13 million people across 11 provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman,
Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, Elazig, and Sanliurfa.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Iran supports China’s position on Ukraine crisis, says
genuine diplomacy needed to end conflict
26 February 2023
Iran has declared its support for an initiative
offered by China to help settle the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, saying it is
time for genuine diplomacy to be activated to end the conflict between Moscow
and Kiev.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry made the remark in a
statement issued on Sunday, two days after China released its initiative for
putting an end to the Ukraine war, officially known as China’s Position on the
Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis.
China’s initiative, among other points, urges respect
for the sovereignty of all countries, stressing that conflict and war benefit
no one and calling for the resumption of peace talks between Ukraine and
Russia.
"Iran believes that the elements reflected in
this document are enough for commencing negotiations for a mutually agreed
framework for terminating the military activities in Ukraine, stopping
unilateral measures, and restoring the situation in accordance with the
principles of the Charter of the United Nations," the ministry's statement
said.
The statement affirmed that Iran is ready to
contribute to peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis with the main goal
being early termination of the military activities by the two neighboring
countries.
"It is the time for genuine diplomacy to be
activated in order to end the conflict ... rather than advertising and fueling
the war, as well as accusing others ... and insisting on unilateral
measures," the statement added.
Moscow started what it called a special military
operation last February in order to defend the pro-Russian population in the
eastern Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Donetsk against persecution by Kiev
and also to "de-Nazify" its neighbor.
Moscow says the West's anti-Russian agenda, including
its eagerness to integrate Ukraine into NATO and the subsequent expansion of
the Western military alliance toward Russia's borders, forced the country to
launch the war on Ukraine.
Ever since the onset of the conflict, the United
States and its allies have provided Ukraine with billions of dollars worth of
heavy weapons, while slapping Russia with many rounds of unilateral sanctions;
steps that Moscow says will only prolong the war.
"Iran denounces war and unilateral sanctions
[imposed on various countries by the West] and reaffirms its absolute
preference for dialogue and diplomacy for settling disputes," the Iranian
Foreign Ministry said.
Iran also condemned "the Cold War era hegemonic
mentality" of the United States and certain other Western countries, which
is manifest in their "national policies and regional arrangements (such as
NATO)," describing it as "one of the root causes of many crises in
the world, including the ongoing one in Ukraine."
Source: Press TV
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/02/26/698954/Iran-Ukraine-China-Russia-conflict-settlement
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North America
Research Report Warns About 'Institutional
Islamophobia' In Canada
24 February 2023
A research report has urged the "vital" need
to address "institutional Islamophobia" in Canada, citing the
Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)'s aggressive targeting of the
country's Muslim community.
The report was published by The Conversation, an
Australia-based network of not-for-profit media outlets, on Wednesday.
The investigators came up with their findings after
interviewing scores of Muslim community leaders across five major Canadian
cities to learn about their treatment by the CSIS.
'Mass surveillance, coercive techniques'
They came up with a whole host of "anti-Muslim
tactics" deployed by the CSIS as part of its efforts to maintain the Muslim
community under "radicalized surveillance."
"We found that CSIS adopts specific surveillance
practices that are informed by Islamophobic tropes," the researchers
wrote.
They realized that as part of its tactics aimed at
raising "suspicion" about the community, the service has turned
mosques "into sites of surveillance."
This features monitoring the mosques' frequenters,
especially imams, who "are subject to interrogation and forced to provide
intelligence on their congregations," and also placing "operatives"
at the places of worship.
The service, meanwhile, deploys "coercive
techniques," including pressuring ordinary individuals to turn them into
"informants," and making unsolicited visits to people's homes in the
middle of the night in order to catch them at times, when they "are unable
to access legal counsel or community support."
'Youths, political activism in crosshairs'
The CSIS particularly targets Muslim youths,
especially those who are part of Muslim student organizations and attend Muslim
gatherings or summer camps, "frequently" interrogating them.
"Muslim university students who we spoke to
informed us they have found recording devices in their campus prayer spaces,
and had their social media scanned," the report said.
The CSIS also particularly targets Muslims that engage
political activism, including criticism of the government and its policies.
Source: Press TV
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US warns Iran after fresh threats from IRGC against
Trump, Pompeo over Soleimani
26 February ,2023
The US issued a warning to Iran on Saturday, saying
that it would respond to any attacks by the country after a top Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps commander said that Tehran was seeking to kill former
US officials, including former President Donald Trump, for their role in the
2020 killing of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani.
General Amirali Hajizadeh, who heads the IRGC’s
aerospace unit, made the comments on state television late on Friday while
discussing Iran’s missile attack on the Ain al-Assad air base, which hosts
American troops in western Iraq, five days after Soleimani’s killing on January
3, 2020.
“God willing, we will be able to kill Trump… [former
secretary of state Mike] Pompeo, [former head of US Central Command General
Kenneth] McKenzie and those military commanders who gave the order” to kill
Soleimani, he said.
In an emailed statement to Al Arabiya English, the
State Department warned Iran that any attempt to harm US citizens, including
those who served in the past, would be met with a strong response.
“Iran would test our resolve to protect our citizens
at great peril. As the Administration has consistently made clear, the United
States will protect and defend its citizens. This includes those serving the
United States now and those who served in the past,” a State Department
spokesperson said.
The State Department spokesperson also reiterated the
US’ commitment to working with its allies and partners to deter and respond to
any attacks carried out by Iran, and to hold the IRGC accountable for its
“malign activities.”
Soleimani, who led the Quds Force, the overseas arm of
the IRGC, was killed in a US airstrike in Iraq ordered by Trump.
Iranian officials have repeatedly pledged to avenge
Soleimani’s death, as the attack on Ain al-Assad was seen as insufficient
retaliation. No US troops were killed in that attack.
Last month, President Ebrahim Raisi, speaking on the
third anniversary of Soleimani’s killing, said that revenge for Soleimani was
“certain.”
In November, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Iran
would “never forget” the killing of Soleimani, adding that Tehran remained
committed to avenging his death.
Source: Al Arabiya
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US has already spent more in Ukraine than it did in
Afghanistan: Report
26 February 2023
The United States has sent more military assistance to
help Ukraine fight against Russia than Washington spent annually to fight its
own war in Afghanistan, according to a report.
The data compiled by German research firm Statista
showed that US military aid to Ukraine up to mid-January, covering the first 11
months of the conflict, totaled $46.6 billion.
That compared with an average annual military spend of
$43.4 billion, in 2022 dollars, during the first ten years of the Afghanistan
war, said Statista citing data from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
“When calculating the average annual costs of previous
wars in which the United States has been involved in, the true magnitude of the
country’s Ukraine aid expenditure can be seen,” Statista data journalist Martin
Armstrong said. The Ukraine total doesn’t include an additional $5 billion
worth of weapons and equipment that the Pentagon sent to Kiev, he said.
The figures however exclude non-military aid, such as
the $4.5 billion that US President Joe Biden pledged to fund pensions,
government salary and another public spending. In total, the United States has
allocated $113 billion in Ukraine aid, and multiple administration officials
have vowed to keep supporting Kiev “as long as it takes.”
Americans have sent more money to Ukraine than Russia
spends on its annual military budget. Russia spends about US$65 to 70 billion a
year. The US sent more than $100 billion, including non-military aid, and plus
there are the other NATO countries and those in Asia too.
A number of US lawmakers, such as Representatives Seth
Moulton of Massachusetts and Georgia Marjorie Taylor Greene have called the
Ukraine conflict a “proxy war” that the US and NATO are waging against Russia.
Greene called the war in Ukraine “a deadly profitable
industry” and demanded the US withdrawal from the NATO military alliance.
“The American people do not want war with Russia, but
NATO & our own foolish leaders are dragging us into one. We should pull out
of NATO,” said Greene while referring to the Biden administration’s massive
military aid to Ukraine as a “proxy war” against Russia that Americans have no
appetite for.
Ukraine is the “new Iraq wrapped up with a pretty
little NATO bow, with a nuclear present inside,” she further added in a series
of tweets in which she has expressed fierce criticism of Washington’s response
to the Ukraine conflict by sending billions of taxpayer dollars to the country
and risking a potential nuclear war.
Russia began its “special military operation” in
Ukraine on February 24, 2022 with a declared aim of “demilitarizing” Donbas,
which is made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk self-proclaimed republics. Back in
2014, the two republics, which are predominantly Russian-speaking, broke away
from Ukraine, prompting Kiev to launch a bloody war against both regions. The
years-long conflict has killed more than 14,000 people, mostly in the Donbas.
Since the onset of the conflict between the two
countries, the United States and its European allies have unleashed an array of
unprecedented sanctions against Russia and poured numerous batches of advanced
weapons into Ukraine to help its military fend off the Russian troops, despite
repeated warnings by the Kremlin that such measures will only prolong the war.
The US invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 following
the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, despite the fact that no
Afghan national was involved in the attacks. Hundreds of thousands of Afghans
died in the US war of aggression on the country.
American forces had occupied the country for about two
decades on the pretext of fighting against the Taliban. But as the US forces
left Afghanistan, the Taliban stormed into the capital Kabul in August 2021,
weakened by continued foreign occupation.
The Taliban took over the capital Kabul on August 8,
2021, and declared that the war in Afghanistan was over.
Source: Press TV
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Southeast Asia
High Court dismisses bid to prosecute preachers for
insulting other faiths
27 Feb 2023
SHAH ALAM: The High Court here has dismissed an appeal
by a former air steward to commence private prosecution against two Muslim
converts for allegedly insulting the faiths and religious practices of
non-Muslims.
Judicial commissioner Wendy Ooi said there was no
merit in the appeal brought by S Shashi Kumar against the public prosecutor.
“The magistrate made a correct finding in dismissing
the application to commence private prosecution,” she said.
Lawyer S Ravichandran, who represented Shashi, said he
would take instructions from his client on whether to pursue the matter in the
Court of Appeal.
“It is not an automatic right of appeal. We will need
to identify legal questions to secure leave for the merits of the appeal to be
heard,” he told FMT.
On Sept 3 ,2021, magistrate Redza Azhar Rezali
disallowed the application as the matter was still under investigation.
Redza also held that Shashi’s complaint could also not
be entertained as Firdaus Wong and Muhammad Zamri Vinoth Kalimuthu had
allegedly committed seizable offences.
However, he said the complaint by Shashi had been made
under Section 133 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which only applied to
non-seizable offences.
The magistrate said he took note of the information
provided by deputy public prosecutor Ainul Amirah Abdul Razak who appeared
before him in April 2021.
Ainul Amirah had said the police were still
investigating the reports under Section 298A of the Penal Code.
That section provides for the offence of promoting
enmity on grounds of religion or race and for acts prejudicial to the
maintenance of harmony.
Those found guilty may be jailed for a minimum two
years and a maximum five years.
Redza said the discretion as to whether to prosecute
anyone for the offence lies with the attorney-general, and can only be
exercised after investigations have been completed.
Moreover, he said, the court could not conduct an
inquiry into the matter as it did not have the necessary information.
Redza also said Section 298A was a seizable offence
which allowed the police to arrest and detain suspects.
Shashi initiated the action against Firdaus, who is
the president and founder of the Multiracial Reverted Muslims (MRM), and Zamri,
who are both said to be associated with controversial preacher Zakir Naik.
Firdaus is said to have insulted persons professing
non-Muslim religions, particularly those of the Hindu faith, through postings
on Facebook and YouTube.
In a statutory declaration, Shashi said he had lodged
a police report against Firdaus in January 2018 after having seen their
postings on both social media platforms.
“The contents have given rise to hatred and insults
toward non-Muslims in Malaysia, and are likely to cause breach of peace,” he
said, adding that many others had also made similar reports.
Shashi said he had sent a memorandum to then prime
minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad as well as to the home, communications and
multimedia, and national unity ministers, the Islamic Affairs department and
the Attorney-General’s Chambers in October 2018.
In a separate SD, Shashi said he had also lodged a
police report against Zamri in June last year, for allegedly insulting the
rituals and practices of Hinduism via postings on his Facebook account which
had gone viral.
“His postings are likely to cause hatred and upset the
religious harmony among the people of different faiths,” he said.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
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Malaysia wants relations to reach ‘higher level’ with
Saudi Arabia, PM says
NOR ARLENE TAN
February 23, 2023
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is committed to improving
relations and exploring new areas of cooperation with Saudi Arabia, Prime
Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Thursday, as the two countries agree to finalize
discussions on establishing a bilateral coordination council.
Talks to form the Saudi Arabia-Malaysia Coordination
Council have been ongoing since September 2020, and the matter was again
discussed in a meeting between Malaysian Foreign Minister Zambry Abd Kadir and
his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan in Riyadh earlier this week.
The Malaysian premier, in a series of tweets posted on
Thursday, congratulated Saudi leaders for the Kingdom’s Founding Day and said
his government is committed to boosting ties.
“Malaysia is committed to elevating the brotherly
relations with the Kingdom to a higher level, especially in trade, investment,
education, and culture as well as exploring new potential areas of
cooperation,” Anwar said.
Saudi Arabia and Malaysia established diplomatic
relations in 1961. The Kingdom has long funded mosques and schools across the
Southeast Asian nation, while also providing scholarships for Malaysians to
study in the Gulf country. The Southeast Asian country was also one of the
countries King Salman visited in his 2017 Asian tour.
The Malaysian foreign minister arrived in Riyadh on
Sunday for a state visit and met top officials and leaders of international
organizations based in the Kingdom, including the Organization of Islamic
Cooperation.
The new areas of bilateral cooperation can be explored
through the SMCC, Kadir wrote on Twitter.
The council will serve as the main platform for future
cooperation across sectors and ministries between the two countries, Malaysia’s
Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, adding that both countries
agreed to increase bilateral trade.
“These include finding space and opportunities through
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which is indeed a very good development agenda to
be explored together,” Zambry said, as quoted in a statement.
Shahriman Lockman, director of special projects at the
Institute of Strategic and International Studies in Kuala Lumpur, said the SMCC
will be key for Malaysia.
“The SMCC is essential to Malaysia primarily because
it wants to take part in the epochal transformation that’s taking place in
Saudi Arabia,” Lockman told Arab News.
“Malaysia sees how Saudi Arabia is reorienting its
economy and society for an era in which oil and gas are likely to play a less
significant role than they do today,” he said.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2256851/world
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PM Anwar says RM2m for printing translated copies of
Quran not ‘too much’, necessary to educate critics of Islam
By Syed Jaymal Zahiid
Monday, 27 Feb 2023
PUTRAJAYA, Feb 27 — Allocating RM2 million from Budget
2023 to print and distribute 20,000 translated copies of the Quran is
reasonable, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today.
Anwar, who is also finance minister, was responding to
criticism that the money is “too much” just for that purpose, following his
retabling of Budget 2023 in Parliament last Friday.
“Why is it too much? It’s the Quran and it’s not just
in the Swedish language but others too and for the purpose of fostering
understanding.
Source: Malay Mail
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Report: Malaysia under Anwar administration seen to
make headway in peace deal between Bangkok and south Thai insurgents
By Zarrah Morden
27 Feb 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 27 — Peace talks between the Thai
government and the largest group of Thai-Malay Muslim rebels calling itself
Barisan Revolusi Nasional appear to be making progress with the Malaysian
government’s help.
Talks between the two sides, that had stalled for the
last two years since the Covid-19 pandemic, resumed earlier this month. A Thai
observer familiar with the situation has expressed optimism that a deal
brokered by Malaysia could be reached under the leadership of Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the Straits Times reported today.
Prince of Songkla University’s Institute for Peace
Studies Rungrawee Chalermsripinyorat expressed her optimism that the two sides
were moving closer to reaching a peace deal that could stabilise the southern
Thai region that borders the northern Malaysian peninsula.
“There is a general positive view on the peace talks
in southern Thailand following Anwar’s visit.
“Given his international outlook, it is hoped that
Kuala Lumpur might be more open towards the engagement of other third parties
into the process, particularly the international actors,” Rungrawee told the
Singapore newspaper.
The involvement of other third parties could increase
the odds of success, she added.
She told the Straits Times that armed conflicts in
other places have shown that more than one facilitator was required for
fruitful peace processes.
“Political stability in Malaysia, therefore, could
have a significant bearing on the peace process in southern Thailand,” she was
quoted as saying.
National news agency Bernama reported a sixth round of
peace talks between the Thai government and the Thai insurgents had been held
over two days here last week with Anwar appointing a new Malaysian facilitator.
Former chief of defence force Tan Sri Zulkifli Zainal
Abidin replaced former inspector-general of police Tan Sri Rahim Noor as the
Malaysian facilitator.
Rahim had played a key role in negotiating a three-way
peace deal involving Malaysia, Thailand and the Communist Party of Malaya that
ended a decades-long communist insurgency with the signing of the Hat Yai
Accords in 1989.
Source: Malay Mail
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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PAS lawmaker apologises for linking 'Menu Rahmah' to
cancer, autism
By Shahrin Aizat Noorshahrizam
27 Feb 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 27 — PAS lawmaker Dr Halimah Ali
today apologised for her remarks on the government’s Menu Rahmah programme
causing “cancer, autoimmune diseases and autism, among other things.”
“If any speech has been misinterpreted, I’m here
putting my ten fingers together (to apologise). I will continue to champion the
voice of the people, to serve as the check and balance for the Madani
government,” Dr Halimah read her poetic apology statement in Parliament today.
Previously, Dr Halimah has defended her statement that
“low-quality ingredients” in Menu Rahmah could cause ill effects.
She received flak from lawmakers and the public over
her remarks.
Earlier Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Johari Abdul said
that he had called DAP’s Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii and the Kapar MP to
his office to reach a middle ground about the issue.
Menu Rahmah was launched on January 31 by Domestic
Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub as part of the
Unity Government’s short-term efforts to mitigate the inflation squeeze on
low-income earners.
Source: Malay Mail
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Mideast
First Israeli flight uses Saudi-Omani corridor to East
Asia
27 February 2023
The first-ever commercial flight by Israel’s biggest
airline El Al has used a new corridor over Saudi Arabia and Oman after taking
off from the occupied territories, as Muscat and Riyadh made an apparent
gesture of openness toward the Tel Aviv regime.
El Al Flight 083 departed from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion
Airport on Sunday evening toward Bangkok. The flight took around eight hours to
reach Thailand’s capital.
The new route would shorten flights to some Asian
destinations by about two hours, according to a statement released by the
company.
Omani authorities announced earlier that all airlines
could overfly the country’s territory as of February 23, joining neighboring
Saudi Arabia in providing a corridor for Israeli carriers.
Israel has been hoping Oman would join the US-brokered
Abraham Accords, under which the regime normalized diplomatic relations with
United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco in 2020.
Oman has hosted Israeli leaders over the years. But,
Muscat has declared that any normalization of relations with the Tel Aviv
regime would require the establishment of a sovereign independent Palestinian
state.
Back in July 2022, the Saudi General Authority of
Civil Aviation (GACA) said in a statement that the country’s airspace was now
open to all carriers, including those of Israel, following a trip by US
President Joe Biden to the kingdom and the Israeli-occupied territories.
Biden met Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and
other regional leaders during the high-profile visit last July.
Saudi Arabia did not show any opposition when the UAE,
Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco became the first Arab countries in decades to
normalize relations with Israel in a deal brokered by former US president
Donald Trump.
The oil-rich kingdom has not shown official signs to
jump on the bandwagon. But, the two sides have seen growing contacts and
de-facto rapprochement in recent years, despite claims that it is committed to
the 2002 so-called Arab Peace Initiative, which conditions normalizing ties
with Israel on the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state
within the 1967 borders.
The Riyadh regime in November 2020 granted permission
for Israeli airlines to use its airspace, hours before the first Israeli flight
to the UAE was set to take off.
Source: Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Iran Intelligence Minister: Arab Nations Unable to Buy
Security through Normalization with Israel
2023-February-26
“Security is not established through deals and
memoranda of understanding with the child-killing Zionist regime. It is
established from inside and through cooperation among neighbouring countries,”
Khatib stated on Saturday.
He added that the Zionist regime is today seeking to
create an integrated defence system in the regime.
That’s while, he noted, the regime has been humiliated
in the face of Palestinians and the measures it is taking would have no results
but to plunder countries’ assets.
The Iranian intelligence minister expressed hope that
lasting security is established between Iran and its neighbouring countries
thanks to efforts by President Ebrahim Rayeesi’s administration to forge good
ties with those countries.
Back in 2020, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and
Bahrain signed United States-brokered agreements with Israel to normalize their
ties with the TelAviv regime. Some other regional states, namely Sudan and
Morocco, followed suit soon afterward.
Palestinian officials censured the deal between the
Arab countries and Israel to establish normal diplomatic relations, describing
the agreement as a “treacherous stab in the back of the Palestinian nation”.
The international community has strongly condemned the
latest Israeli brutal raids in the Gaza Strip, voicing its deep concern over
the latest rounds of violence by the Tel Aviv regime against Palestinians in
the besieged coastal enclave.
Iran describes Israel as the root cause of the
region’s instability, but also stresses Israel's US-supported barbarity will
not change the inevitable fate of the Tel Aviv regime.
Iranian officials have repeatedly underlined the
necessity for the settlement of the crises and problems in the region through
collective cooperation among the regional states, and underscored that the
presence of foreigners is harmful.
Source: Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Iran: Foreign Meddling, War, Terrorism in Region Lead
to Widespread Environmental Destruction
2023-February-26
Amir Abdollahian made the remarks in a message on
Sunday to the first national conference on diplomacy and extra-territorial
environmental challenges.
The minister said that foreign interference, terrorism
and waging insecurity and instability in some of the regional countries have
marginalized environmental issues.
"Human interventions in the environmental cycle
and its destruction of water resources, energy, and territorial damages have
caused real concerns for the development and management of societies," he
added.
The senior diplomat stated that "this situation
has made the sustainable management of the environment face serious obstacles
and land degradation."
"The wars and crises of the last few decades in
West Asia have weakened or destroyed the existing infrastructure for
cooperation in various fields, including the environment," Amir
Abdollahian continued.
"Destruction of water resources and wetlands,
damage to biological resources, and land degradation have been in a way that
decades of close regional cooperation are required to restore these huge
resources," the foreign minister concluded.
Iranian officials called on the regional states to
increase cooperation and coordination to resolve the environmental problems in
the region.
Back in mid-July, Iranian President Seyed Ebrahim
Rayeesi described the hegemonic approach of the Western countries, their
unlimited encroachment on natural resources and the production of various
pollutants as the main factors of environmental destruction.
Pointing out that Iran is one of the countries that
has paid attention to the issue of the environment in its constitution and has
introduced it as a requirement for the growing social life of mankind, he
clarified, "The destruction of the environment, which in itself is the
result of social and political inequalities, as well as the wrong use of
nature, are one of the important factors in the violation of human
rights."
The current world is facing many environmental
problems beyond geographical and political borders, the president said, adding,
"In the West Asian region, we are facing many environmental problems,
including climate change, dust storms, and pollution of biological
resources."
"Undoubtedly, the reduction of biological and food
security, the creation of pollution, the indiscriminate harvesting of
non-renewable resources and the reduction of biodiversity have led to a
decrease in public welfare and a negative impact on the economy and health of
the residents of these areas," he underscored.
Source: Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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DM Calls for Further Cooperation between Iran, Iraq in
War on Terrorism
2023-February-26
Ashtiani made the remarks at a joint news conference
with his Iraqi counterpart Thabet Muhammad Saeed Al Abbasii in Tehran on
Saturday.
The Iranian official reaffirmed Tehran’s support for
the territorial integrity of Iraq, saying the Arab neighbor’s affairs have
strategic importance for the Islamic Republic.
Ashtiani also stated Iran continues to help maintain
stability and security in Iraq, expressing Tehran’s readiness to provide
Baghdad with experience to achieve self-reliance in its defense industry.
He noted that Iran considers Iraq’s security its own security
given that the two countries have geopolitical relations with each other.
The top official also highlighted the issue of
terrorism and its threat to Iran from the Iraqi territory, stressing Iran has
made it clear that it will not let terrorists threaten the country.
He added that the Iraqi side is taking good measures
in this regard and that Iran will also help them with those measures.
The minister underscored that "the presence of
terrorist groups, hidden and active cells in Iraq, including in the provinces
adjacent to the Islamic Republic, is still a potential threat to the national
security of the two countries", and called for further cooperation in
military, intelligence and security fields between the two countries.
The senior official stressed that trans-regional
states never seek to promote democracy but to create unnecessary crises,
discord and conflicts in the region.
“Experience has proven that the presence of
trans-regional countries in any part of the world has been accompanied by insecurity
and division. This presence in our region is meant to ensure the flow of energy
and strengthen the Zionist regime’s security belt through creating artificial
crises, differences, and conflicts between Muslim countries,” Ashtiani
continued.
“Therefore, this presence has never been meant for
helping human rights, promoting democracy, and aiding regional people,” the
defense minister said.
Ashtiani added that Iran has also told the Iraqi side
that it is firmly resolved to pursue the case of the assassination of
Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani in a US drone attack in 2020 near Baghdad.
Since late September, the Islamic Revolution Guards
Corps (IRGC) has launched a series of aerial operations on the headquarters of
terrorist groups in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. The military
operation came after the illegal entry of armed teams linked with the Kurdish
terrorist groups into the Iranian border cities in recent months.
The IRGC Ground Force has announced that the
operations against terror bases will continue until all anti-Iran separatist
and terrorist outfits holed up in the rugged mountainous area lay down their
arms and surrender.
The Iranian Armed Forces, specially the IRGC, have
repeatedly warned that they will never tolerate the presence and activity of
terrorist groups along the Northwestern border and will give strong and
decisive responses in case of anti-security activities.
The IRGC has on countless occasions attacked and
destroyed terrorist hideouts in the Kurdistan region with artillery fire,
missiles and drones.
Source: Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Two settlers killed in occupied West Bank, Israeli
officials say
26 February ,2023
A Palestinian gunman killed two Jewish settlers in
their car in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, Israeli officials said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the
incident, which came as Israeli and Palestinian security officials met in
Jordan to discuss ways of lowering tensions.
Medics said the casualties near Hawara, an area that
sees regular friction between Palestinians and settlers, were men in their
twenties. A settlements spokesperson said they were residents of Har Bracha, a
settlement 8 kilometers (5 miles) away.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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South Asia
New
Generation Should Master Religious Education: Taliban Minister
By
Nizamuddin Rezahi
February
26, 2023
Neda
Mohammad Nadeem, Afghanistan’s Acting Minister of Higher Education asked the
university professors to train the new generation in “religious studies”
besides professional education.
Taliban’s
ministry of higher education in a statement on Sunday said that Minister Nadeem
in an opening ceremony of the curriculum development of language and
literature, journalism, and social sciences departments, stated that religious
education should become a major component of the university curriculum.
He
said the Taliban-run administration is preparing the education curriculum in
such a way that should meet the requirements of the people and community.
The
statement further added that Mr. Nadeem asked the university lecturers to train
the young generation in religious studies besides professional education so
that they are well equipped with Islamic beliefs and committed to serving the
people and country with integrity and pride.
It
is believed that the focus of the Taliban regime is concentrated on supporting
religious education more than anything else.
This
comes as schools have been closed for girls above grade six throughout
Afghanistan for the past year – the emphasize is placed on establishing
religious schools (madrasas) across the country, instead.
The
closure of girls’ schools and universities has prompted worldwide
condemnations, calling for the Taliban regime to lift the bans and allow female
students to benefit from their natural civic rights. However, the ruling regime
has its own priorities and pursues a rather extreme version of the Islamic Sharia
laws.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/new-generation-should-master-religious-education-iea-minister/
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$4.6
Billion Needed for Humanitarian Aid in Afghanistan: OCHA
By
Nizamuddin Rezahi
February
27, 2023
Afghanistan
needs $4.6 billion in humanitarian aid for the year 2023, the United Nations
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid (OCHA) said on Sunday.
OCHA
on Twitter said, that more than 28 million people are in desperate need of
humanitarian aid. So humanitarian aid organizations can help vulnerable families
during the planting season and prepare to deal with floods across Afghanistan.
The
UN agency further stated that currently, two-thirds of Afghanistan’s population
depends on humanitarian aid, which is a great challenge for the ruling regime
to find a solution considering the economic crisis which has hit the country
the most.
Meanwhile,
Abdul Rahman Habib, the spokesman of the Ministry of Economy, while confirming
the existence of poverty in the country, said that the statistics and reports
of international organizations about the human condition in Afghanistan are not
approved by the government.
Meanwhile,
the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has stressed that the inflow of humanitarian
aid to the country is fundamental, stating that partial aid cannot heal any
pain.
“In
order to reduce poverty in Afghanistan, the economic infrastructure must be
strengthened. Agriculture and rural economy are the basic foundations of the
national economy which needs immediate development” says economic experts.
This
comes as foreign investment in the country is nearly zero since the Taliban’s
return to power in August 2021. National and foreign investors and business
people fled the country due to security concerns, with no prospect of their
return in the near future.
Many
infrastructure projects across the country are left incomplete, and the Taliban
administration does not have the financial ability to resume work on those
projects, which has further complicated the economic situation of Afghanistan.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/4-6-billion-needed-for-humanitarian-aid-in-afghanistan-ocha/
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Iran
handed over Afghan Embassy in Tehran to Interim Regime of Afghanistan
By
Fidel Rahmati
February
27, 2023
The
Afghanistan embassy in Tehran was “formally” handed over to the Taliban on
Sunday afternoon, according to an Afghan diplomat in Iran.
The
outgoing ambassador of Afghanistan gave over all documents and equipment of the
Afghanistan embassy in Tehran to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According
to a source, the Taliban-led government has appointed Fazl Mohammad Haqqani,
the first secretary of the former ambassador of Afghanistan in Iran, as the
group’s charge d’affaires in Tehran.
Earlier
last week, an unofficial source said that the Iranian Foreign Minister had
planned to hand over the Afghan embassy in Tehran to the Taliban government
after months of negotiations.
Previously,
Mohammad Afzal Haqqani was named as the ambassador to Iran, according to a
letter from Afghanistan’s foreign ministry. The letter stated that Haqqani
would be in charge of the diplomatic mission in Iran as the embassy’s first
secretary.
Initially,
Haqqani had left Tehran for Kabul, returned to Tehran, and presented his letter
of appointment as the Afghan Embassy’s chief. Haqqani was not. However, the
Iranian Foreign Ministry had yet to accept Haqqani as the new ambassador to
Tehran then.
Iran
is the third country after Pakistan and Russia that handed the Afghan embassy
to the Taliban. Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021,
Iran has actively engaged with the Taliban, and its diplomatic mission has
operated in Kabul.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/iran-handed-over-afghan-embassy-in-tehran-to-interim-regime-of-afghanistan/
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Taliban
forces kill two IS members in Kabul raid: official
February
27, 2023
Taliban
security forces killed two militants from the Islamic State group and detained
a third in an overnight raid in the Afghan capital of Kabul, the spokesman for
the Taliban government said Monday.
The
regional affiliate of the Islamic State group — known as the Islamic State in
Khorasan Province — is a key rival of the Taliban. The militant group has
increased its attacks in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover of the country
in August 2021. Targets have included Taliban patrols and members of
Afghanistan’s Shiite minority.
According
to Zabihullah Mujahid, the main Taliban government spokesman in Kabul, the
operation took place in a residential neighborhood, targeting IS militants who
were planning to organize attacks in the Afghan capital. He said the Kher Khana
neighborhood is an important IS hideout.
There
was no immediate comment from the IS.
Zabihullah
Mujahid said two IS members were killed and one was arrested, and ammunition
and military equipment were seized in the raid. There were no casualties among
the Taliban forces during in the operation, he added.
In
a separate operation this month, Taliban intelligence forces killed three IS
militants and arrested one in an overnight operation in eastern part of Kabul,
in Karti Naw neighborhood. The Taliban had claimed that IS was behind organised
recent attacks in the capital.
Overnight,
posts on on social media reported several explosions and small-arms fire in the
area of Kher Khana .
Source:
The Hindu
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Pakistan
Punjab
Counter-Terrorism Department Busts Seven TTP-Militants
February
26, 2023
LAHORE:
The Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department on Saturday claimed to have captured
seven terrorists, said to be affiliated with outlawed TTP from Lahore and other
cities of the province.
A spokesperson
for the CTD told media on Saturday that the CTD launched an operation following
credible information about the presence of terrorists and managed to arrest
seven terrorists from Lahore and other cities.
He
said that the captured terrorists belonged to the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan.
He
said the militants were identified as: Ahmad Ullah, Usama, Nazeer, Hammad,
Abdul Rehman, and Aman Ullah.
He
informed the CTD also recovered material used in making suicide jackets,
explosives and arms from the possession of the militants. The spokesperson
revealed that the terrorists had planned targeting sensitive installations and
other areas.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2023/02/26/ctd-busts-seven-ttp-militants-from-lahore-other-cities/
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Security
situation not as bad as before 2008, 2013 polls: report
Ikram
Junaidi
February
27, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
While efforts are being apparently made to avoid polls in Punjab and Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa due to ‘poor’ security, a report released by an independent think
tank claimed that situation in the country is not as bad as it was during the
2008 and 2013 general elections.
The
situation was bleak before the 2008 elections as just months before the polls,
former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in Rawalpindi, more than
180 people were killed in Karachi, Red Mosque operation was conducted and the
banned TTP came into being.
During
the 2013 electioneering, Awami National Party, Pakistan Peoples Party, then
-Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and independent candidates were the target of
the terrorists.
The
militants killed at least 119 people and left over 438 injured in 59 attacks on
the candidates, election offices, public meetings of different political
parties, polling stations and office of the election commission during the
60-day election process.
However,
the data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies
(PICSS) showed that the current situation is not much different from 2018 when
the last general elections were held.
Moreover,
it said, security forces are also better trained and equipped than they were in
2008 and 2013.
“In
2008, the elections were held on February 18. The security situation was very
bleak at that time as former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was killed just two
months before the elections on Dec 27, 2007, in Rawalpindi. In Oct 2007, more
than 180 people were killed in Karachi when a blast took place in a PPP rally
held to welcome Ms Bhutto. The year 2007 also witnessed the Red Mosque
operation in July. The TTP was also formed just two months before the general
elections (December 2007),” the report stated.
According
to the PICSS data, 639 terrorist attacks took place in 2007 in which 1,940
people were killed and 2,807 others injured.
In
2008, January witnessed 459 deaths in 39 attacks, the majority of them in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the erstwhile Fata.
“During
2022, Pakistan faced 380 militant attacks in which 539 people were killed and
836 injured. That means there was a 72 per cent reduction in deaths and a 70pc
decline in the number of injured in 2022 compared with 2007. The number of
deaths in January 2008 (preceding month of general elections) alone was more
than the whole year of 2022,” it stated.
In
2013, general elections were held on May 11. According to the PICSS militancy
database, the four preceding months before May 2013 witnessed 366 terrorist
attacks in the country in which 1,120 people died and 2,151 suffered injuries.
It means those four months witnessed 52pc more deaths.
Data
shows political parties were the major targets of terrorists during the
elections campaign of 2013.
“The
militants killed at least 119 people and left more than 438 others injured in
some 59 attacks on different candidates, elections offices, rallies and public
meetings of different political parties, polling stations and office of
election commission during the 60-day-long election process, starting from 21st
of March to 20th of May, 2013,” it stated.
The
ANP, PPP, then-MQM and independent candidates were the main target of
terrorists during the 2013 election campaign.
“There
is no doubt that terrorist attacks increased by around 32pc during 2022
compared with 2021. However, the situation is much better than in 2008 and
2013.
Pakistani
security forces are also better trained and equipped than they were in 2008 and
2013, the report added.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1739357/security-situation-not-as-bad-as-before-2008-2013-polls-report
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Pakistanis
among 59 killed in Italy boat tragedy
Reuters
February
27, 2023
ROME:
Fifty-nine people died, including some children, when a wooden sailing boat
carrying migrants crashed against rocks on the southern Italian coast early on
Sunday, authorities said.
The
vessel had set sail from Turkiye several days ago with migrants from Pakistan,
Afghanistan, Iran and several other countries, and crashed in stormy weather near
Steccato di Cutro, a seaside resort on the eastern coast of Calabria.
“As
of a few minutes ago, the number of confirmed victims was 59,” Crotone mayor
Vincenzo Voce said, while a provincial government official, Manuela Curra, said
81 people survived, with 22 of them taken to hospital.
Curra
said the vessel left Izmir in eastern Turkiye, three or four days ago, adding
that survivors had said some 140 to 150 were on board. The survivors were
mostly from Afghanistan, as well as a few from Pakistan and a couple from
Somalia, she said, adding that identifying the nationalities of the dead was
harder.
One
survivor was arrested on migrant trafficking charges, the Guardia di Finanza
customs police said.
His
voice cracking up, Ceraso told the Sky TG24 news channel that he had seen “a
spectacle that you would never want to see in your life … a gruesome sight …
that stays with you for all your life”.
Wreckage
from the wooden gulet, a Turkish sailing boat, was strewn across a large
stretch of coast.
Italian
President Sergio Mattarella said: “Many of these migrants came from Afghanistan
and Iran, fleeing conditions of great hardship.”
Ignazio
Mangione, an Italian Red Cross official, said a very few of the children
believed to have been on the boat survived.
‘Illusory
mirage’
Italian
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed “deep sorrow” for the deaths. Blaming
human traffickers, she vowed to block migrant sea departures to prevent such
disasters.
In
a separate statement, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said it was
essential to stop sea crossings that he said offer migrants the “illusory
mirage of a better life” in Europe, enrich traffickers, and cause such
tragedies.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1739372/pakistanis-among-59-killed-in-italy-boat-tragedy
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Retired
General Amjad Shoaib Arrested After FIR Registered On Charges Of ‘Inciting
Hatred Against State Institutions’
Umer
Burney
February
27, 2023
Defence
analyst and Lieutenant General (retd) Amjad Shoaib was arrested on Monday after
an Islamabad magistrate registered a case against him on charges of inciting
the public against state institutions.
The
first information report (FIR), a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, was
lodged at the Ramna police station by Magistrate Owais Khan on Sunday. It
invokes section 153A (promoting enmity between different groups, etc) and 505
(statements conducing to public mischief) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
In
the complaint, Magistrate Khan said that the retired general — in an interview
on BOL TV show ‘Imran Khan Bol Kay Saath’ aired on Saturday — passed statements
that “incited the government officials and opposition from performing their
government and legal duties”.
The
FIR quoted Shoaib as saying that the Jail Bharo court arrest movements could
not produce the required outcomes because it was only the people who were
bearing pain and agony in it, while “narcissist and shameless rulers sitting
atop didn’t care the least about it”.
The
magistrate stated that the retired army officer had advised the PTI to “work
out a strategy”.
“For
example, you can stop people from going to government offices in Islamabad,”
the FIR quoted Shoaib as saying.
The
complaint said that the retired general’s statement had “tried to create
further enmity, anarchy and hatred between the government and the opposition”,
adding that Shoaib had passed these remarks “according to a well-thought
conspiracy and planning to further weaken the country”.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Punjab,
KP election limbo: SC to resume suo motu hearing on delay in polls shortly
Haseeb
Bhatti
February
27, 2023
The
Supreme Court will resume hearing its suo motu proceedings regarding the delay
in the announcement of a date for elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on
Monday.
A nine-member
bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial and also
comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib
Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice
Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Athar Minallah,
will take up the case at 12pm.
The
suo motu notice was taken by the top judge after President Dr Arif Alvi earlier
this week unilaterally announced April 9 as the election date in both provinces
after his invitation for consultations on the matter was turned down by the
Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
At
the previous hearing, the coalition parties — PML-N, PPP and JUI-F — had
presented a note in the apex court asking two SC judges, Justice Ahsan and
Justice Naqvi, to recuse themselves from the case.
The
parties had further said that the two judges should never be part of any bench
hearing any case involving these three parties and their leadership.
Coalition
seeks full court for suo motu case
On
Saturday, the coalition government petitioned the Supreme Court for the
formation of a full court — comprising all judges except Justice Ahsan and
Justice Naqvi — to conduct the suo motu proceedings.
The
joint petition, filed by senior counsel Farooq H. Naek, Mansoor Usman Awan and
Kamran Murtaza on behalf of the PPPP, PML-N and JUI-F, respectively, says the
prayer has been made “in the best interest of justice and to strengthen the
people’s confidence in the Supreme Court”.
It
is imperative that the full court — minus the two judges, who have already
disclosed their minds in the matter — be constituted to hear the case in the
interest of justice and fairness, contends the petition, which has been moved
under Order 33 Rule 6 of the Supreme Court Rules 1980.
The
petition argued that when the case was taken up by the nine-judge bench headed
by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial on Feb 23, Justice Jamal
Khan Mandokhail read out a note and raised objections to the effect that since
the two-member bench consisting of Justice Ahsan and Justice Naqvi had already
rendered a definite opinion on the issue as recorded in the court’s Feb 16
order, it would amount to a violation of Article 10A if they remain part of the
larger bench.
Justice
Mandokhail, the ruling parties recalled, had further stated that it was not
appropriate to refer the matter to the CJP under Article 184(3) and that the
suo motu action taken by the latter was not justified. Later, the Supreme Court
on the same date issued notices to the relevant stakeholders and that the
applicants appeared before the court on Feb 24 through their counsel and read a
joint statement, seeking the recusal of Justice Ahsan and Justice Naqvi from
any matter involving the PPPP, PML-N and JUI-Pakistan and their leadership.
According
to the petition, these circumstances have raised several questions of immense
legal, constitutional and public importance as recorded in the CJP’s note while
invoking suo motu jurisdiction.
Suo
motu notice
Last
week, the top judge took suo motu notice of the delay in holding polls in
Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying that there appeared to be a “lack of
clarity” on the matter.
In
the notice, CJP Bandial said that the SC bench would consider the following
questions:
Who
has the constitutional responsibility and authority for appointing the date for
the holding of a general election to a provincial assembly, upon its
dissolution in the various situations envisaged by and under the Constitution?
How
and when is this constitutional responsibility to be discharged?
What
are the constitutional responsibilities and duties of the federation and the
province with regard to the holding of the general election?
In
his order, the CJP observed that there was, to put it shortly, a lack of
clarity on a matter of high constitutional importance.
In
his order, the CJP observed that there was, to put it shortly, a lack of
clarity on a matter of high constitutional importance.
The
issues raised require immediate consideration and resolution by the Supreme
Court. The decision was taken after a note was presented to the CJP against the
backdrop of a Feb 16 order by a two-judge bench asking the chief justice to
invoke a suo motu initiative in this regard.
“Several
provisions of the Constitution need to be considered, as also the relevant
sections of the Elections Act 2017. In particular, the issues involve, prima
facie, a consideration of Article 17 of the Constitution and enforcement of the
fundamental right of political parties and the citizens who form the
electorates in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to exercise their right to elect
representatives of their choice to constitute fresh assemblies and the
provincial cabinets,” the SC order said.
“This
is necessary for governments in the two provinces to be carried on in
accordance with the Constitution,” observed the CJP, adding that these matters
involve the performance of constitutional obligations of great public
importance apart from calling for faithful constitutional enforcement.
“There
is a material development in the last few days,” the CJP noted, adding that it
appeared that subsequent to certain correspondence initiated by President Arif
Alvi with the Election Commission of Pakistan, the former had taken the
position that it was he who had the authority and responsibility for appointing
a date for the general elections, in terms as provided in Section 57(1) of the
Elections Act.
The
order said: “By an order made on Feb 20, the President had appointed April 9,
2023, to be the date for the holding of the general elections in Punjab as well
as KP and had called upon ECP to fulfil its constitutional and statutory
obligations in this regard.
More
than one month has now elapsed since the dissolution of the provincial
assemblies and it seems prima facie that even the matter of appointing the date
of general elections which was a first step towards the holding of the
elections, has still not been resolved, the judge remarked.
“Constitutional
authorities appear to hold divergent and perhaps even conflicting, views on the
issue, and thus several federal ministers appear to have contested the
authority asserted by the president. Since ministers act under the
constitutional rule of collective responsibility, it appears, prima facie, that
this is the view taken by the federal cabinet as a whole.
“It
is also to be noted that statements attributed to ECP have appeared in the
public record to the effect that it was not being provided the requisite
assistance and support, in particular by the provision of necessary funds,
personnel and security, as would enable it to hold the general elections in
accordance with the Constitution.”
The
CJP observed that in the cases of Punjab and KP, the then chief ministers
tendered advice to their respective governors under Article 112(1) of the
Constitution to dissolve the assembly.
Punjab,
KP election limbo
The
Punjab and KP assemblies — where the PTI had governments — were dissolved on
January 14 and January 18, respectively, in an attempt to pave the way for snap
polls.
On
Jan 24, the ECP wrote letters to the principal secretaries of Punjab and KP
governors, suggesting elections in Punjab between April 9 and 13, and in KP
between April 15 and 17.
At
the same time, the PTI had on Jan 27 approached the LHC seeking orders for the
Punjab governor to immediately announce a date for an election in the province
following which the court had directed the ECP to immediately announce the date
for elections after consultation with the governor.
Meanwhile,
President Arif Alvi had also urged the ECP on Feb 8 to “immediately announce”
the date for polls in KP and Punjab and put an end to “dangerous speculative
propaganda” on both the provincial assembly and general elections.
However,
so far, the governors of the two provinces have refrained from providing any
date for the polls on several pretexts.
Last
week, President Alvi had invited Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar
Sultan Raja for an urgent meeting regarding consultations on election dates but
the ECP told him he had no role in the announcement of dates for general
elections to provincial assemblies and the commission was aware of its
constitutional obligation in this regard.
Subsequently,
the president on Monday unilaterally announced April 9 as the date for holding
general elections for the Punjab and KP assemblies.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
TTP
have Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police in their crosshairs
February
27, 2023
PESHAWAR:
Atop a police outpost in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Faizanullah Khan stands behind a
stack of sandbags and peers through the sight of an anti-aircraft gun, scanning
the terrain along the unofficial boundary with the restive former tribal areas.
On
this cold and rainy February morning, he was looking not for aircraft but for
Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters behind attacks against the Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa police.
It
was daytime, so he could relax a bit, said Khan, an assistant sub-inspector
(ASI), as he sat down on a traditional woven bed. But the night was a different
story, he said, pointing to pock marks left by bullets fired at the outpost,
named Manzoor Shaheed, or Manzoor the Martyr, after a colleague felled by
insurgents years ago.
The
outpost is one of the dozens that provide defence against militants waging a
fresh assault on police from hideouts in the border region adjoining
Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. The area, part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is a
hotbed for TTP militants.
The
threat the insurgency poses to Pakistan was illustrated last month when the
bombing of a mosque in Peshawar killed more than 80 police personnel. A faction
of the TTP, Jamat-ul-Ahrar, claimed responsibility.
Visiting
northwest Pakistan this month, Reuters gained access to police outposts and
spoke to more than a dozen people, including senior police officials, many of
whom described how the force is suffering increasing losses as it bears the
brunt of attacks while contending with resourcing and logistical constraints.
The
officials acknowledge these challenges but say they are trying to improve the
force’s capability amid adverse economic circumstances.
‘Stopped
their way’
Police
here have fought the militants for years — more than 2,100 personnel have been
killed and 7,000 injured since 2001 — but never have they been the focus of
militants’ operations as they are today.
“We’ve
stopped their way to Peshawar,” ASI Jameel Shah of Sarband station, which
controls the Manzoor Shaheed outpost, said of the militants.
Sarband
and its eight outposts have suffered four major attacks in recent months and
faced sniper fire with unprecedented frequency, according to police based
there.
Killings
of police in KP rose to 119 last year, from 54 in 2021 and 21 in 2020. Some 102
have been slain already this year, most in the mosque bombing but some in other
attacks. Elsewhere, militants stormed a police office in Karachi on February
17, killing four before security forces retook the premises and killed three
assailants.
The
TTP pledges allegiance to the Afghan Taliban but is not directly a part of the
group that rules in Kabul. Its stated aim is to impose religious law in
Pakistan.
A
TTP spokesman, Muhammad Khurasani, told Reuters its main target was Pakistan
Army, but the police were standing in the way.
“The
police have been told many times not to obstruct our way, and instead of paying
heed to this the police have started martyring our comrades,” he said. “This is
why we are targeting them.”
The
military has conducted operations alongside the KP police and faced TTP
attacks, with one soldier confirmed dead in the province this year, according
to data released by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), which did not
address questions from Reuters about military casualties.
In
December, the TTP released a video, purportedly recorded by one of its fighters
from mountains around Islamabad, showing the parliament building. “We are
coming,” said a note held by the unidentified fighter.
The
TTP wants to show that its fighters can strike outside their current areas of
influence, said Amir Rana, director of the Pak Institute for Peace Studies, an
Islamabad-based think tank.
While
their ability may be limited, he said, “propaganda is a big part of this war
and the TTP are getting good at it”.
‘Sitting
ducks’
The
police in KP, which neighbours Islamabad, say they are up for the fight, but
point to a lack of resources.
“The
biggest problem is the number of personnel, which is a little low,” said Shah,
of Sarband station, which has 55 people — including drivers and clerks — for
the station and eight affiliated outposts.
“This
is a target area, and we’re absolutely face-to-face with (the militants).”
Days
before Reuters visited Sarband, a senior police official was ambushed and
killed outside the station during a firefight with militants. The attack demonstrated
the firepower of the insurgents, who, according to Shah, used thermal goggles
to target the officer in darkness.
It
wasn’t the first time. About a year ago, the TTP released a video of its
snipers using thermal imaging to take out unsuspecting security personnel.
Defence
Minister Khawaja Asif, who did not respond to a request for comment from
Reuters about the insurgency, told local TV this month that militants saw the
police as “soft targets” because their public-facing role made it easier to
penetrate their facilities.
Zahid
Hussain, a journalist and author of books on militancy, said the police were
more vulnerable than the military, given their resources and training.
“I
mean, they’re sitting ducks there,” Hussain said.
‘Lethal
weapons’
Moazzam
Jah Ansari, who was chief of KP police when he spoke to Reuters this month but
has since been replaced, said militant strategies had been evolving.
“They
try and find more effective ways to conduct military operations, more lethal
weapons,” he said.
Militants
have procured US-made M4 rifles and other sophisticated weapons from stocks
left by Western forces that exited Afghanistan in 2021, police officials said.
Some police guards told Reuters they had seen small reconnaissance drones
flying over their outposts.
Khurasani,
the TTP spokesman, confirmed the group was using drones for surveillance.
Several
police officials at Sarband station said the provincial government and military
provided them and other outposts with thermal goggles in late January to aid the
fight. But they encountered another problem.
“About
22 hours of the day, we have power outages… there’s no electricity to charge
our goggles,” Shah told Reuters at Sarband.
The
station has one rooftop solar panel, which officers paid out of their own pockets
to install, according to station house officer (SHO) Qayyum Khan. One
policeman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of disciplinary
action, said police use their vehicles or go to a petrol station equipped with
a back-up generator to charge their goggles.
Police
said they had taken other protection measures, including erecting rudimentary
walls to guard against sniper fire, and procuring bulletproof glass from a
market that sells equipment left behind by US-led forces.
Economic
conditions
Reuters
spoke to four other senior officials and more than a dozen lower-ranking
officers, all of whom said the provincial force was neglected despite its key
role. They spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of disciplinary action.
Required
resources were not forthcoming, and their pay and perks were inferior to that
of counterparts elsewhere in Pakistan, let alone the military, these officials
told Reuters.
“Do
the police need more resources? They absolutely do,” said Taimur Jhagra, who
was provincial finance minister until January, when a caretaker administration
took over ahead of elections.
Jhagra
said his government helped the police as much as it could with pay raises and
procuring equipment such as goggles, despite fiscal constraints. Pakistan’s
debt-ridden economy has been in a tailspin for over a year, and the country is
trying to slash spending to avoid default.
“Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa pays a greater price for that” because of its exposure to the
militants, he said.
Ansari,
the former police chief, said resources had improved, but tended to come
reactively when a threat emerged, rather than as sustained support. He, too,
attributed this to economic circumstances, but added that things were not as
bad as some suggested.
‘Seething
anger’
After
Western forces left Afghanistan in August 2021, Pakistan sought a truce with
the TTP, resulting in a months-long ceasefire and negotiations brokered by the
Afghan Taliban. As part of the effort, many militants from Afghanistan were
resettled in Pakistan.
The
TTP ended the ceasefire in November 2022, and regrouped militants restarted
attacks in Pakistan soon after.
Following
the Peshawar bombing, police personnel held public protests where some voiced
anger against their leadership, the provincial and national governments, and
even the military, calling for more resources and clarity on the policy of
fighting the militants.
Ansari
acknowledged a “deep sense of loss” and “seething anger” in the force in the
wake of the attack.
At
the site of the blast, police personnel gathered on a recent day to remember
their fallen comrades. The imam, a police employee who lost his brother in the
attack, prayed for the success of the force.
Behind
the mosque, Daulat Khan, an ASI, and eight relatives live in cramped police
quarters comprising a 25-square-metre space with only one room. Around him are
crumbling, blast-damaged walls.
“Everyone
can see the sacrifices of the police, but nothing is done for us,” he said,
pointing to rows of century-old, British-colonial era quarters. “You see the
conditions in front of you.”
Outside,
open sewage canals lined the alleyways.
Different
battle
Pakistan
Army effectively dismantled the TTP and killed most of its top leadership in a
string of operations from 2014 onwards, driving most of the fighters into
Afghanistan, where they regrouped.
But
the nature of the fight has changed in recent months, which partly shows why
the police, not the military, are at the forefront. The militants were now
spread in smaller groups across the country and among the civilian population,
instead of operating from bases in former tribal areas, analysts said.
The
military has also been stretched by another insurgency in Balochistan, where
separatists are targeting state infrastructure and Chinese investments.
The
defence ministry did not respond to requests for comment about the armed
forces’ role in resisting militants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Miles
from the flashpoints, meanwhile, police graduates receive six-month crash
courses in anti-militant operations at the vast Elite Police Training Centre in
Nowshera.
The
personnel, including women, learn how to conduct raids, rappel from buildings
and use rocket-propelled grenades and anti-aircraft guns, which they unleash on
a model of a militant training camp.
But
beyond the training school’s walls, there is no stationary militant camp,
attacks come at night, and police are often on their own.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2023/02/27/ttp-have-khyber-pakhtunkhwa-police-in-their-crosshairs/
--------
Arab World
Israel’s
El Al airlines to use Saudi-Omani corridor for Bangkok flight
26
February ,2023
El
Al Israel Airlines Ltd. said it would on Sunday become the first Israeli
national carrier to use a new corridor over Saudi Arabia and Oman, after Muscat
last week joined Riyadh in allowing Israeli civilian overflights.
El
Al Flight 083, departing Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport in the evening, will
take around eight hours to reach Bangkok - two and a half hours less than
previously, the company said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Saudi
Islamic minister meets Cardinal Christoph Schonbrunn in Riyadh
February
26, 2023
RIYADH:
Saudi Islamic Minister Sheikh Abdullatif Al-Asheikh on Sunday received Cardinal
Christoph Schonbrunn, archbishop of Vienna, who arrived with his accompanying
delegation to Riyadh at the invitation of the Muslim World League.
They
discussed common issues of concern, especially efforts to build bridges of
cooperation and effective communication among leaders in confronting hatred and
extremist ideas, as well as spreading tolerance and coexistence.
During
the meeting, Al-Asheikh also reviewed the efforts made by Saudi Arabia under
the leadership of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in spreading
the principles of Islam and the correct understanding of religious discourse
according to the approach of moderation and tolerance.
He
added that Saudi Arabia was a model for supporting international efforts
calling for spreading noble human values and common interests among peoples, as
well as spreading peace worldwide, by supporting international forums and
conferences, both locally and globally.
Schonbrunn
commended the efforts made by the king and the crown prince in spreading peace,
love, and justice, indicating the importance of joint work among religious
leaders to promote a culture of dialogue and build bridges of communication to
serve generations.
On
Saturday, MWL Secretary-General Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa met
Schonbrunn. They discussed issues of common interest, especially efforts to
build bridges between nations and peoples, and the importance of cooperation
and communication between religious leaders in confronting calls for a clash of
civilizations.
The
meeting discussed the Makkah Document and its global impact on relations
between religions and cultures, and its active role in addressing international
crises.
Schonbrunn
praised the Makkah Document’s achievements at the global level, especially its
positive messages for future generations.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2258371/saudi-arabia
--------
Egypt
FM to visit Syria, Turkey for first time in decade since ties with both soured
26
February ,2023
Egypt’s
top diplomat Sameh Shoukry will travel to Syria and Turkey on Monday in the
first such visit by an Egyptian foreign minister since Cairo’s relations soured
with both Damascus and Ankara over a decade ago.
The
Egyptian foreign ministry said the visit aimed to convey “solidarity with the
two countries and their brotherly peoples” after the devastating earthquake
which struck Turkey and Syria on February 6.
The
minister is expected to emphasize Egypt’s willingness to provide assistance and
that both its government and people will always be ready to stand by its
“brothers.”
The
7.8 magnitude earthquake was the deadliest in the countries’ modern history. It
has racked up a death toll of over 50,000, injured tens of thousands, and left
millions homeless.
Syria
Shoukry
will be the first Egyptian foreign minister to visit Damascus and meet with
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since the eruption of Syria’s bloody civil war
in 2011 which has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions.
Assad’s
regime has been politically isolated in the region since its suspension from
the Arab League over the government’s violent crackdown on pro-democracy
protestors. In addition, many Arab countries severed ties with Damascus and
recalled their envoys.
The
country’s isolation became international when the level of brutality of the war
reached new heights. Eventually, the Syrian regime was sanctioned by the US for
carrying out chlorine gas attacks against civilians.
However,
in present day, Assad is basking in the international limelight with the
outpouring messages of support and solidarity, the pledges of assistance and
the desperately needed humanitarian aid packages worth tens of millions of
dollars.
Syria,
already ravaged by a 12-year bloody war, was hit by a deadly natural disaster
that killed approximately 6,000 people and displaced millions; yet, despite the
massive scale of the calamity the war-torn country is experiencing, Assad’s
government is more concerned with how best to use this disaster to make
diplomatic strides in achieving legitimacy for its regime and to break out of
isolation on the international stage.
Assad
received a phone call from Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi on February
7. It was the first official interaction between the two. And Egypt's
parliament speaker Hanafi Gibali met with Assad in Damascus on Sunday as part
of a delegation of senior members of parliament from regional countries.
The
Syrian president has also received phone calls from leaders in the Arab world,
visits from their top diplomats, and a steady stream of humanitarian aid
packages flowing into the country.
Turkey
Ties
between Egypt and Turkey have been strained since Egypt’s army, led by Sisi,
ousted Muslim Brotherhood President Mohammed Mursi, a close ally of Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in 2013.
Cairo
designates the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organization. Erdogan’s
Islamist-rooted AK Party supported Mursi’s short-lived Egyptian government.
Many Brotherhood members and their supporters have fled to Turkey since the
group's activities were banned in Egypt.
The
two countries also clashed over maritime jurisdiction and offshore resources,
as well as differences in Libya, where they backed opposing sides in the civil
war.
After
trading insults and accusations for years, Ankara and Cairo started softening
their public rhetoric towards one another in 2021.
Turkey
was on a mission; it wanted to normalize relations and rebuild ties with
regional powers, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. In that vein,
Ankara launched a charm offensive campaign to ease the tensions with those
countries, and eventually relations began to thaw.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Qatar,
Indonesia mark deep ties via Year of Culture
27
Feb 2023
Doha:
To mark the Qatar-Indonesia 2023 Year of Culture, Qatar Museums is featuring
some of the hidden treasures from Indonesia housed within its renowned
collections and museums.
“The
beautiful artefacts and poignant photographs on display at the Museum of
Islamic Art and the Lusail Museum highlight the deep connection between
Indonesia and Qatari culture,” said Aisha Ghanem Al Attiya, Director of
Cultural Diplomacy for Qatar Museums.
“Indonesia
is the first Southeast Asian country to partner with the Years of Culture
initiative, which is a testament to our historic connection and growing
cooperation across many sectors,” said Indonesian Ambassador to Qatar H E
Ridwan Hassan.
Following
a recent facilities enhancement project and the reimagination and
reinstallation of its permanent collection galleries, the Museum of Islamic Art
(MIA) introduced exciting new galleries dedicated to Southeast Asia, a subject
not typically presented in an Islamic art museum. The galleries remind visitors
that the region today is home to the largest Muslim community worldwide.
Indonesian gold jewellery and textiles are among the objects on display.
The
galleries also highlight the connection between different cultures through
exhibits on the trade of commodities and the exchange of ideas across the
Islamic World and beyond. MIA Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs Shaika
Nasser Al Nassr said: “At MIA, we tell the story of the spread of Islam around
the world and its influence on art and culture. The new MIA makes that story
complete with the addition of galleries on the Indian Ocean region and
Southeast Asia.”
Source:
The Peninsula Qatar
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/27/02/2023/qatar-indonesia-mark-deep-ties-via-year-of-culture
--------
Cockfighting
still finds spectators in Iraq despite animal cruelty concerns
27
February ,2023
Two
vicious roosters circle a filthy carpet in southern Iraq, facing off for a
cockfight that has drawn dozens to a dimly lit cafe in the port city of Basra.
“This
practice has been around since I was born in 1949,” said referee Riad Ali,
whose father introduced him to cockfighting when he was around 10.
The
popular blood sport “dates back to the 1920s or earlier” in Basra and is thought
to have arrived with boats at the port, he added.
Banned
in many parts of the world due to concerns over animal cruelty, cockfighting
has remained common from the Philippines to India, and is tolerated in areas
including parts of northern France.
An AFP
photographer witnessed several nights of fights in Basra, where red-crested
roosters were locked in a violent dance, leaving smears of blood on their feet
and neck as they leapt and pecked at each other.
Spectators
on narrow seats near the red and yellow ring littered with feathers sipped tea
as they watched, the smell of cigarettes and water pipes filling the air.
The
avian bouts can last for an hour or two, and end when the birds are exhausted
or when one of the owners withdraws his animal, said Ali, who has been an
amateur cockfighting referee for around two decades.
Retiree
Naji Hamza said he had been attending cockfights since the 1970s even though
they were banned during the time of Saddam Hussein, Iraq’s former dictator who
was toppled following a 2003 US-led invasion.
“We
were in secluded homes, not at a cafe or in public” like now, said the
70-year-old.
Islam
prohibits gambling, and in conservative, Muslim-majority Iraq it is usually the
animals’ owners who make wagers, putting down between 25,000 and 100,000 dinars
($17-$68) per fight – though spectators sometimes have a flutter too.
Mohammed,
a 51-year-old mechanic who declined to provide his surname, said he had had
birds in the ring since the early 1990s, and bought his three roosters in Turkey
for between $900 and $1,100 each.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Syria’s
Assad meets senior Arab lawmakers in Damascus
26
February ,2023
A
delegation of senior Arab parliamentarians met with Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad in Damascus on Sunday, another sign of thawing ties after more than a
decade of isolation over the conflict in Syria.
The
heads of the Iraqi, Jordanian, Palestinian, Libyan, Egyptian and Emirati houses
of representatives, as well as representatives from Oman and Lebanon, traveled
to Syria as part of a delegation from the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union.
They
met with Syrian parliamentarians and with Assad, according to Syrian state news
agency SANA.
“We
cannot do without Syria and Syria cannot do without its Arab environment, which
we hope it can return to,” said Iraqi parliament speaker Mohammed Halbousi.
Syria
was largely isolated from the rest of the Arab world following Assad's deadly
crackdown against protests that erupted against his rule in 2011.
The
Arab League suspended Syria's membership in 2011 and many Arab countries pulled
their envoys out of Damascus.
But
Assad has benefited from an outpouring of support from Arab states following
the devastating earthquake on Feb. 6, which killed more than 5,900 people
across his country, according to a tally of UN and Syrian government figures.
Donors
have included Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which both supported
rebels seeking to overthrow Assad in the early years of the Syrian conflict.
Egypt's
President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi spoke with Assad by phone for the first time on
Feb. 7 and Jordan's foreign minister made his first trip to Damascus on Feb.
15.
Assad
then traveled to Oman on Feb. 20 – the first time he left Syria since the
quake.
He
had rarely left Syria during the war, travelling only to close allies Russia
and Iran whose military support helped him turn the tide of the conflict.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Saudi
Arabia signs $400 mln agreement for Ukraine aid as Kingdom’s FM visits Kyiv
26
February ,2023
Saudi
Arabia signed an agreement and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with
Ukraine, providing the war-torn country with $400 million in humanitarian aid
during a high-level delegation’s visit to Kyiv, the Saudi foreign ministry said
on Sunday.
Saudi
Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan led the Kingdom’s delegation and was
received by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the presidential
residence in Kyiv.
The
FM also met with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba and the head of the
Ukrainian president's office Andriy Yermak. The Saudi top diplomat discussed
opportunities to enhance bilateral cooperation in a wide range of fields, in
addition to reviewing regional and international developments of common
concern, the Saudi foreign ministry said.
The
Kingdom’s diplomatic efforts aimed at peacefully resolving the Ukrainian crisis
through a political solution, and aspects of Saudi assistance provided to
Ukraine and its people to help mitigate the social and economic adverse
repercussions of the war.
The
agreement signed is a $100 million joint cooperation program to provide
humanitarian aid to Ukraine, state news agency SPA reported.
The
MoU pledged that the Saudi Fund for Development will finance Ukraine’s oil
derivatives worth $300 million and was signed by the fund’s chief executive
Sultan Abdulrahman al-Marshad.
The
aid package was first announced by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last
October, after his phone call with Ukrainian President. The Crown Prince had
expressed the Kingdom’s support of de-escalation efforts and readiness to
continue mediation efforts to resolve the conflict.
Since
the onset of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Saudi Arabia has maintained a
neutral stance. It called for de-escalation, offered support to Kyiv while
maintaining the status quo of its relationship with fellow OPEC+ member Moscow,
and expressed its willingness to mediate between the conflict parties to reach
a peaceful resolution.
At
the end of last year, Saudi Arabia voted in favor of a UN resolution which
condemned the Russian moves to annex Ukrainian territory; a decision Kyiv
lauded and interpreted as Riyadh supporting the territorial integrity of
Ukraine. In addition, the Saudi Crown Prince had a pivotal role in mediating
the release of 10 prisoners of war (POW) of various nationalities, as part of
an exchange of POWs between Russia and Ukraine.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Africa
Libya’s
High Council of State fails to vote on constitutional amendment
Walid
Abdullah
26.02.2023
TRIPOLI,
Libya
A
scheduled session of Libya’s Tripoli-based High Council of State (HCS) failed
to convene on Sunday due to lack of a quorum.
The
HCS, which acts as a senate, was planned to vote on a constitutional amendment
meant to pave the way for holding the country’s stalled elections.
“The
quorum was not achieved for holding the session to vote on the amendment,” a
council member told Anadolu as he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Sunday’s
session was required to be attended by 101 members of the 200-seat council.
On
Thursday, East Libya-based House of Representatives approved the constitutional
amendment that was published in the official gazette.
The
new amendment includes 34 articles defining the new system of government and
the tasks of the elected president and prime minister.
Earlier
Sunday, 54 council members issued a joint statement rejecting the
constitutional amendment.
On
Saturday, HCS chairman Khaled Al-Mishri said the constitutional amendment “is
the result of lengthy consultations” with the House of Representatives.
Oil-rich
Libya has remained in turmoil since 2011 when longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi
was ousted after four decades in power.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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More
effort needed to bring calm in Palestine, Jordan’s King tells Biden advisor
26
February ,2023
Jordan’s
King Abdullah told US President Joe Biden’s top Middle East adviser attending
an Israeli-Palestinian meeting on Sunday that efforts should be intensified to
bring “calm and reduce escalation” in Palestinian territories, state media
reported.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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AU
condemns Tunisia’s president ‘shocking’ statement on migrants
25
February ,2023
The
African Union has condemned remarks by Tunisia’s president directed at migrants
in his country from elsewhere on the continent and warned against “racialized
hate speech” that could bring harm.
President
Kais Saied sparked an outcry this week after saying “hordes” of sub-Saharan
African migrants were causing crime and posed a demographic threat in Tunisia.
Saied
later sought to reassure “legal” migrants they were welcome but doubled down on
claims that those illegally in Tunisia were changing the composition of the
country.
In
a statement, the AU Commission said it had called Tunisia’s representative for
an urgent meeting to register “deep shock and concern at the form and
substance” of the remarks on behalf of the continent-wide bloc.
“The
Chairperson of the African Union Commission H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat strongly
condemns the shocking statement issued by Tunisian authorities targeting fellow
Africans which go against the letter and the spirit of our Organization and
founding principles,” read the statement issued Friday.
Faki
said AU member states were obligated “to treat all migrants with dignity,
wherever they come from, refrain from racialized hate speech that could bring
people to harm, and priorities their safety and human rights.”
Tunisian
rights groups accused Saied of hate speech but the president said those
accusing him of racism “want division and discord and seek to damage our
relations with our brothers.”
Saied,
who has seized almost total power since a dramatic July 2021 move against
parliament, urged his national security council on Tuesday to take “urgent
measures” to tackle irregular migration.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Tunisia
holds prominent critics of president in pre-trial detention
February
26, 2023
TUNIS:
A Tunisian anti-terrorism investigative judge has decided to hold three
prominent politicians and a high-profile businessman in pre-trial detention,
their defense team said, amid a continuing crackdown targeting opposition
figures.
The
four men are the first to face a judicial hearing among over a dozen leading
figures critical of President Kais Saied who have been detained this month.
The
main charge against Abdelhamid Jlassi, a former senior official in the Ennahda
party, former Finance Minister Khayam Turki, Republican Party leader Issam
Chebbi and businessman Kamel Ltaif is conspiring against state security.
Lawyers
for them and for some of the others detained said they were boycotting the
hearings because conditions for a fair trial had not been met.
Late
on Friday, police also detained Ghazi Chaouachi, another prominent critic of
Saied, his son said.
The
arrests represent the biggest crackdown on opponents of Saied since he shut
down the parliament and took control of most powers in 2021 before moving to
rule by decree and writing a new constitution that he passed last year in a
referendum.
Activists
and political parties including Ennahda, which was the biggest in the
parliament elected in 2019 and had played a role in successive coalition
governments, have denounced Saied’s moves.
They
have warned that other moves by Saied, including taking ultimate authority over
the judiciary and passing a law mandating prison for people convicted of
posting false information online, augur a return to autocracy in Tunisia.
Saied
has said his actions in 2021 were legal and necessary to save Tunisia from
chaos, and has denied that he will become a dictator.
He
has called his opponents traitors, terrorists and criminals, and said judges
who fail to convict them should be regarded as accomplices.
The
police, Interior Ministry and Justice Ministry have not commented on the
detentions, which have also drawn in the head of Tunisia’s main independent
media outlet Mosaique FM.
Saied
has said some of those detained are behind food shortages that economists have
blamed on a crisis in state finances.
Police
have also detained a senior figure in the powerful UGTT labor union and several
members of a police union on separate charges.
President
Saied is now going after his critics with utter abandon,” said Salsabil
Chellali, HRW’s Tunisia director.
“Saied
is calling them terrorists and dispensing with the pretence of assembling
credible evidence.”
France
also urged Tunisia to protect “democratic gains” since the country’s
revolultion.
Source:
Arab News
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of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2258066/middle-east
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