Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Plea in SC Seeks Ban on Dharma Sansad that Threatens To Massacre Muslims and Damages Integrity of Constitution, Law, Unity Of The Country
New
Age Islam News Bureau
11
January 2022
IMAGE:
Devotees garland the participants of the Dharma Sansad in Haridwar. Photograph:
ANI Photo
----
• Afghan Activists Claim US 'Betrayal' as Taliban Implement Sharia Law
• The
Muslim World Must Do More To Help Uyghurs Being Persecuted In China
• Saudi
Arabia Releases Muslim Preacher, Ali Abu Al-Hassan, Held Since 2017 Without
Charge
India
• Not
Just Land For Qabristan, Give Us Due Representation In Assembly: Shahi Imam
Maulana Usman Ludhianvi
• Court
Acquits Four Men For Loot And Arson At Muslim Homes During NE Delhi Riots,
Calls Police Witnesses Testimony Doubtful
• Famed
Salar Jung Museum To Set Up Islamic Art Gallery In Hyderabad, India
• Savarkar
had backed two-nation theory like Muslim League: Digvijaya Singh
• NIA
Charge Sheet Against 4 Bangladeshis, 1 Indian Operative of JMB for Radicalising
Muslim Youth
• Pathankot
grenade attacks: Terror module with ISYF link busted, 6 held
• Bulli
Bai app: Accused moves Mumbai court for bail
--------
South Asia
• Explosion
kills 9 children in eastern Afghanistan: Taliban
• Afghan
Envoy To China Quits After Six Months Of No Pay
• Nearly
80% of Afghan journalists changed their profession to survive
• Amir
Khan Motaqi meets Ahmad Masoud and Ismail Khan in Iran
• After
Taliban, NRF denied Motaqi’s meeting with Ahmad Masoud
• Taliban
vows to not let Afghanistan be used against others, seeks non-intervention
--------
Southeast Asia
• HSBC
Holding Shares In China Firm Linked To Human Rights Abuses Against Uyghur
Muslims
• About
1 in 5 Muslim healthcare staff has begun wearing tudung at work: Ong Ye Kung
• Intel
deletes reference to Xinjiang after backlash in China
--------
Arab World
• Syria’s
Exclusion From Arab League ‘Disgraceful’ For All Arabs, Senior Fatah Official
Says
• Iraq
Takes Back 111 ISIS-Linked Families From Syria
• Saudi
Arabia FM Meets Chinese Counterpart To Discuss Regional Security
• Yemen’s
forces take control of Shabwa province from Iran-backed Houthis
• Egypt’s
Sisi calls for dialogue to solve world crises
• Oman’s
Sultan pardons 229 prisoners
• Iran
says talks with Saudi Arabia to continue in Iraq
• In Surprising
Decision, Saudi English-Language Daily Appoints Rabbi As Regular Columnist
--------
Mideast
• PM,
Islamic-Christian Group Condemn Israeli Plans To Curtail The Powers Of The
Islamic Waqf In Al-Aqsa Mosque
• 50,000
Holy Qurans Donated By Turkish Charity To Palestine Islamic Centres
• Islamic
Jihad: Arab League's Silence About Israel's Siege Of Gaza 'Unjustified'
• Israel
threatens to arrest new security guards at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque
• Iran’s
Top Diplomat: Vienna Talks Positive, Good Agreement Needs Seriousness
• Israel
won’t be bound by any nuclear deal with Iran, Bennett says
• Yemeni
army declares liberation of Shabwa province from Houthis
• Haniyeh:
Zionist enemy has no future on Palestinian land
• In
new provocation, Israeli settlers storm al-Aqsa, perform rituals
• Israel’s
violations of al-Aqsa Mosque will have dire consequences: Hamas
--------
Pakistan
• COAS
Bajwa Underscores Significance Of Peace, Reconciliation Initiatives In
Afghanistan
• Daesh
Militants On The Run In Pakistan After Evading Police Raid
• Senior
TTP leader Khurasani killed in Afghanistan's Nangarhar: sources
• Minorities
In India Being Targeted By Extremist Groups, Alleges Pakistan PM Imran Khan
• Opposition
Narrative Of Civil-Military Rift ‘Dead And Buried’: PM Imran
• FM
Qureshi, Romanian PM discuss bilateral ties, Afghanistan situation
--------
Africa
• Sudan's
Sovereign Council Accepts UN Initiative
• Islamic
State claims responsibility for Dec 25 suicide attack in Congo
• Somali
national army kills some 25 al-Shabaab terrorists
• Tunisian
activist says revolution against ‘coup’ still alive
• Sudanese
protester dies of wounds, death toll rises to 63
• Libyan
security forces break up protest sit-in by migrants
--------
North America
• New
York Fire Victims Were Mostly Muslim Immigrants
• Ethiopia’s
Abiy Ahmed holds ‘candid’ conversation with US President Joe Biden
• US
conference calls for immediate humanitarian aid for Afghanistan
--------
Europe
• 'Peaceful
Kazakh Protests Became Violent Due To Criminal And Islamist Elements'
• Kazakhstan
detains almost 10,000 over deadly unrest
• Russia-led
troops to begin leaving Kazakhstan in two days: President
• Bosnia
sends protest notes to Russian, Chinese, Serbian embassies
• After
2 decades, former British inmate recalls Guantanamo ordeal
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
--------
Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Plea in SC Seeks Ban on Dharma Sansad that Threatens To Massacre Muslims and Damages Integrity of Constitution, Law, Unity Of The Country
IMAGE:
Devotees garland the participants of the Dharma Sansad in Haridwar. Photograph:
ANI Photo
----
January
10, 2022
The
petition demanded stern legal action against those who allegedly threatened to
massacre Muslims and said it was not just a matter of religion but of the
Constitution, law, unity and integrity of the country.
"Hate
speeches and statements against Muslims have suddenly intensified in the
country in recent times," it said.
"Even
the recent programmes held, under government's nose, in Haridwar and Delhi have
not only caused open provocations, but have also deliberately conspired to
provoke the majority to massacre Muslims for the establishment of 'Hindu
Rshtra', but unfortunately, no legal action has been taken in these two cases
so far," the petition said.
Jamiat
Ulama-i-Hind president Maulana Arshad Madani said that the State and central
law enforcement agencies have not fulfilled their duties, "which has
created a very depressing situation in the whole country".
"The
silence of the central and state governments on the controversial speeches in
the Dharma Sansad and elsewhere has added to the gravity of the
situation," he said in the petition.
The
apex court, meanwhile, on Monday agreed to hear another PIL seeking a direction
to ensure investigation and action against those who made hate speeches during two
separate events held recently at the 'Dharam Sansad' in Haridwar in Uttarakhand
and in the national capital.
A
bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and justices Surya Kant and Hima
Kohli took note of the submissions of senior advocate Kapil Sibal that no
action has been taken against those who made the hate speeches despite
registration of FIR by the Uttarakhand Police.
The
petition, filed by journalist Qurban Ali and former Patna High Court Judge and
senior advocate Anjana Prakash, has sought a direction for "an
independent, credible and impartial investigation" by an special
investigation team (SIT) into the incidents of hate speeches against the Muslim
community.
The
plea, which specifically referred to the "hate" speeches delivered
between "the 17th and 19th of December 2021 at Haridwar and Delhi",
has also sought compliance of apex court's guidelines to deal with such
speeches.
The
event in Haridwar was organised by Yati Narsinghanand and that in Delhi by the
'Hindu Yuva Vahini', and these allegedly called "for genocide of
members" of a community.
The
Uttarakhand Police had filed an FIR on December 23, 2021, under various
provisions of the Indian Penal Code against some persons including Wasim Rizvi,
Sant Dharamdas Maharaj, Sadhvi Annapoorna alias Pooja Shakun Pandey, Yati
Narsinghanand and Sagar Sindhu Maharaj.
A
similar complaint has been filed with the Delhi Police for the event organised
in the national capital.
The
plea said no effective steps have been taken by Uttarakhand and Delhi police.
Till
date no FIR has been lodged by the Delhi Police despite calls for ethnic
cleansing at the event organised here, it said.
Source:
Rediff News
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Afghan
Activists Claim US 'Betrayal' as Taliban Implement Sharia Law
Taliban
spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has assured women their rights would be respected
'within the framework of Islamic law' [File: Reuters)
-----
By
Luca Cacciatore
10
January 2022
Iranian
journalist Masih Alinejad told ''The Story With Martha MacCallum'' on Monday
that women's rights activists in Afghanistan feel betrayed by President Joe
Biden as Taliban insurgents consolidate control over the country after the
withdrawal of U.S. troops last year, Fox News reported.
Alinejad
said that she is in contact with women's rights activists in Afghanistan who
are dumbfounded by the sudden lack of U.S. support.
''I'm
in touch with a lot of women in Afghanistan. They're really angry with the
American government,'' Alinejad said.
''To
be honest, it's very heartbreaking. I call it like this is — a betrayal, [and]
not only from the Biden administration,'' she said. ''It is a betrayal for all
of those politicians around the world that are witnessing how people are being
beheaded in Afghanistan [and] getting shot in Iran,'' she added.
Alinejad
said that conditions for Afghans, especially women, continue to deteriorate
under the Taliban. The government has banned the observance of religions other
than Islam and recently ordered the beheading of all display mannequins, citing
them as ''idol worship.''
''We,
the people of Afghanistan and Iran, we share the pain. We experienced this,''
Alinejad told host Martha MacCallum.
''In
reality in Afghanistan and Iran under Sharia law, if you don't want to be a
Muslim anymore if you criticize the prophet if you criticize the Islamic law
and for the crime of apostasy and blasphemy, you will be beheaded.''
Source:
News Max
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.newsmax.com/politics/afghanistan-biden-withdrawal-taliban/2022/01/10/id/1051824/
--------
The
Muslim World Must Do More To Help Uyghurs Being Persecuted In China
A
Uyghur man works at his shop in Kashgar in the Xinjiang region. Kevin
Frayer/Getty Images
----
January
10, 2022
China
has been accused of the genocide of its Uyghur Muslim population following
testimonies of Islamophobia, violence, torture, rape and forcible detention in
concentration-style camps. A recent independent tribunal held in London reached
a unanimous verdict last month that "genocide" has indeed taken place
against Uyghur Muslims, Tibetans and the ethnic Turkic people of China.
Although
the verdict of the tribunal is not legally binding, it serves as a platform for
change so that world leaders may take heed and act in putting sanctions in
place against China. What is frustrating, though, is that despite mounting
evidence of injustices against Uyghurs, many Muslim countries around the world
continue to support Beijing shamelessly under the guise of "combatting
extremism".
A
list of "75 behavioural indicators" has been announced by China that
would identify "extremist behaviour". The list includes — but is not
limited to — praying in public places outside mosques; giving up the drinking
of alcohol abruptly; young and middle-aged men growing beards; and the wearing
of hijab and niqab by women (the veil worn, ironically, by millions of women
across the UAE and Saudi Arabia). Hence, those Muslims who want to practice
their faith can expect very little support from leaders such as Saudi Arabia's
Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, who has silenced Islamic religious figures,
accusing them of promoting "extremist ideas" and opposing social
reforms.
Countries
like Saudi Arabia and the UAE have even gone as far as selling out their Uyghur
brothers and sisters by signing a letter to the UN with 35 other states
supporting China's policies in Xinjiang. This was done, apparently, to protect
financial investments in China and keep a relationship with the economic
superpower, the price for which is to keep quiet in the face of the evidence of
genocide. Silence in this case is complicity.
Collectively,
the Muslim world has the power to stop the persecution of Uyghur Muslims in
China and other Muslims around the world yet fails to use it. Uyghur Muslims I
have spoken to feel that they have been "failed" by the many leaders
in the Middle East who they thought would support them in this, their toughest
of times. If only Muslim nations were united and followed the tenets of Islam.
The
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the collective voice of the Muslim world,
only expressed its "deep concern" following reports in 2019 that
Muslim minorities in Xinjiang were denied the right to fast and observe the
religious month of Ramadan. Three years later, Uyghurs are still suffering and
calling on the Muslim world to wake up and put morals and the values of Islam
ahead of their own political and economic interests with China.
As a
journalist, I have interviewed many Uyghurs over the years. Uyghur mothers
placed their trust in me as a Muslim to tell me about what they had endured.
Some had been sterilised forcibly so that they could not have any more
children. This is one way that China tries to stop the Uyghur population from
growing.
Other
Uyghur mothers have been separated forcibly from their children. If not for
their faith they would have been suicidal because of the pain of not being
allowed to reunite with them. Harrowingly, one mother told me that she spotted
her 4-year-old daughter on China's state social media and found out that the
child's name had been changed to a Han Chinese name and she was not allowed to
speak in the Uyghur language. Even the Muslim identities of children are being
changed, and they are being told that they have no parents who love or care
about them when this is far from the truth. Uyghur parents are suffering
because they aren't able to get their children back and the right of the
children to be Muslims is being stripped away.
One
Uyghur man told me that he and many others have been physically tortured with
electric prods in concentration camps and told to denounce their faith. When he
was not willing to denounce Islam and refused to pledge allegiance to the
Chinese Communist Party he was tortured even more. Many Uyghurs face torture
for being Muslims but refuse to give in, and yet there are Muslim leaders
around the world who continue to sell their soul by putting profits over lives.
The
Uyghur community relies on support from Turkey, with which it shares
historical, cultural and linguistic ties. In 2009, the then Prime Minister (now
President) Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed his belief that "a genocide"
was being committed in China and that there were many Uyghur exiles who had
sought safe sanctuary in Turkey to whom he had spoken personally.
The
dispiriting conduct of the Gulf States regarding the Uyghurs is one that will
not easily be forgotten. Even so, there is still time for the Muslim world to
speak up and take a stand with those who are oppressed against the oppressors.
As the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu said: "If you are neutral in
situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor."
Sadly, that's a charge that too many Muslim rulers now face.
Source:
Middle East Monitor
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Saudi
Arabia Releases Muslim Preacher, Ali Abu Al-Hassan, Held Since 2017 Without
Charge
Ali
Abu al-Hassan
----
10 January,
2022
Saudi
authorities released in December a preacher who spent over four years in
prison, an online human rights platform in Saudi Arabia confirmed on Monday.
Ali
Abu al-Hassan was released a day after his father passed away, according to the
Twitter account Prisoners of Conscience, which follows the cases of detainees
in the kingdom.
Saudi
authorities had prevented Al-Hassan from leaving jail to attend the funeral of
his mother in mid-2019, according to reports.
The
cleric was arrested in September 2017 and held without charge.
He
had gained wide popularity over the past few years over his religious
preaching, videos of which were published on his social media platforms and
widely shared.
A
number of clerics, activists, journalists and other officials – some of whom
have not stood trial - remain locked up in Saudi Arabia for various reasons.
Saudi
authorities also released imprisoned royal Princess Basmah bint Saud, according
to reports on Sunday.
Source:
The New Arab
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/saudi-arabia-releases-muslim-preacher-held-2017
--------
India
Not
Just Land For Qabristan, Give Us Due Representation In Assembly: Shahi Imam
Maulana Usman Ludhianvi
by
Raakhi Jagga | Ludhiana
January
11, 2022
In a
multi-cornered contest in Punjab Assembly elections, Muslims will play a key
role. “Muslim voters can make or break the government this Assembly election.
So, this minority vote bank shouldn’t be ignored at all. We do not need land
for Qabristan but due representation in Vidhan Sabha. In Punjab there are
(approximately) 23 lakh Muslim voters and their representation in 28
constituencies is around 10,000 plus voters,” said Shahi Imam Maulana Usman
Ludhianvi, who is also national president of Majlis-e-ahrar Islam Hind Party.
He
said, “With a five-cornered contest, victory margin will be very low. Last time
as well, victory margin on many seats was in the range of 5,000-15,000 votes.
Hence, political parties shouldn’t ignore this significant vote bank as this
time margin will further reduce due to too many political parties.”
He
added, “On two seats — Sujanpur in Pathankot and Amargarh in Malerkotla —
Muslim vote bank is of 22,000 and 42,000 respectively. Hence Muslim faces
should be fielded by political parties. Already Aladdin from Sujanpur and Abdul
Sattar from Amargarh have sought tickets from Congress. In the past, non-Muslim
faces have always been fielded. SAD and AAP have already fielded their
candidates but the other parties should think about it.”
Source:
Indian Express
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Court
Acquits Four Men For Loot And Arson At Muslim Homes During NE Delhi Riots,
Calls Police Witnesses Testimony Doubtful
by
Anand Mohan J
January
11, 2022
A
local court has acquitted four men facing trial for loot and arson at Muslim
houses during the Northeast Delhi riots in 2020 as it tore into police
witnesses in the case calling their testimony “intensely doubtful”.
Additional
Sessions Judge Virender Bhat acquitted the four men identified as Dinesh,
Sahil, Sandeep and Tinku in a judgement passed on January 7.
“This
court feels absolute loath to place any trust upon the testimony of PW8
(Constable Vipin) & PW12 (Head Constable Sanoj) on the aspect of
identification of the accused as rioters,” Bhat said in his order.
The
order said the manner in which the two police officers identified the rioters
“creates doubt in the mind of Court.”
The
two officers claimed all the four accused were known to them before the
incident and hence they could identify them in the mob.
However,
the court said, “Intriguingly they did not inform either their senior officers
or the IO (Investigating Officer) of this case about the fact that they knew
some of the rioters who were involved in the rioting incidents in Bhagirathi
Vihar.”
The
court said both these witnesses were posted at the Gokul Puri Police station
and it was “not difficult for them to find out the officer to whom
investigation of this case was entrusted and then to apprise the IO about the
identity of the rioters”.
It
also said they maintained an “eerie silence” when they recorded their
statements under section 161 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). It added
these officers have not explained the reason which “precluded them from
disclosing the names of the accused to the IO or to any senior officer till
22.03.2020.”
The
court also noted that the initial investigating officer of the case could not
trace any eyewitnesses in this case till March 21, 2020, and the new IO who
took over recorded the statement of the two officers on March 22, 2020.
Source:
Indian Express
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Famed
Salar Jung Museum to set up Islamic art gallery in Hyderabad, India
January
11, 2022
Famed
Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad of India, which boasts the largest one-man
collection of antiques and art treasures in the world, is setting up an
exclusive gallery for Islamic art.
More
than 2,500 rare Islamic artefacts currently displayed in various parts of the
museum as well as some that have never been showcased in public will find a
place in this gallery. At present, these treasures of Islamic art are scattered
over various galleries under Indian, Middle Eastern, European and Far Eastern
art collections.
The
exclusive Islamic art gallery will present all these forms of Islamic art at
one place.
The
Islamic art gallery was to open much earlier but the work was affected because
of Covid-19, and the unavailability of skilled labour only added to the
problem, said Dr A. Nagender Reddy, director of Salar Jung Museum. The work has
been, however, expedited now and the gallery will be ready for inauguration by
the end of 2022, he added.
The
art collection at Salar Jung Museum is so huge and varied that only three other
museums in the world — the Victoria and Albert Museum, the British Museum (both
located in the United Kingdom) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, —
can rival it. Salar Jung Museum is the second-highest revenue-generating museum
in India, next only to Kolkata’s Victoria Memorial. The Islamic art gallery is
expected to further increase its footfall.
The
idea of having an exclusive Islamic art gallery germinated when as many as 413
Islamic artefacts from Salar Jung Museum became the centre of attraction during
the ‘Glimpses of Courtly Splendour’, an exhibition of Indian Islamic art held
in Sharjah, UAE, in 2009.
Spread
over 26,000 square feet on the second floor of the museum’s eastern block, the
Islamic art gallery will showcase such artefacts as swords, ceramics, body
armours, manuscripts, Persian carpets, copies of the Holy Quran, celestial
globes, astrolabes, textiles, jades, porcelains and glass objects with Quranic
inscriptions and much more.
Though
most of the objects relate to Islam, some have links to Muslim kings and
nobles, poets, writers and historians, too.
Source:
ABNA24
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Savarkar
had backed two-nation theory like Muslim League: Digvijaya Singh
January
10, 2022
Congress
leader Digvijaya Singh on Monday used the "termite" analogy to target
the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological mentor of the BJP, which
he said is damaging the entire system.
Speaking
to reporters here in Madhya Pradesh, Singh also targeted Uttar Pradesh Chief
Minister Yogi Adityanath, saying his speeches are replete only with divisive
references like Hindu-Muslim and Shamshan-Kabristan.
Attacking
RSS, the Congress Rajya Sabha MP said it was like "dimak" (termite)
which silently damages a house or household goods. Similarly, RSS also works
discreetly and damages the entire system.
"I
know I will be severely abused for comparing RSS with termite. But, I have not
called RSS termite. I have said that the character of the ideology that is
silently damaging the entire system in the country is termite," Singh
added.
Speaking
about upcoming elections in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, he said, "You (media)
people must be listening to the speeches delivered by Yogi Adityanath. Have you
heard phrases other than Hindu-Muslim, Hindustan-Pakistan or shamshan-kabristan
(cremation ground and graveyards) in them?
Singh
alleged that a false narrative is being created to spread the message that the
Hindu religion is under threat.
"This
is done so that the fascist ideology can be taken forward and money can be
earned through political posts," he claimed.
Singh
said that the Hindu religion had never faced any danger even during the hundred
years of rule under Muslims and "Christian Britishers".
Speaking
at a symposium organised by the state Press Club here, Singh said that the
concept of Hindutva is being used as a political weapon and it has nothing to
do with Hinduism.
He
claimed that V D Savarkar had written in his book in 1923 that "it is
wrong to assume the Hindu religion as Hindutva".
"Mistaking
Hindutva as the Hindu religion would be the biggest mistake not only for Hindus
but for the entire country, he said.
Singh
claimed that the proposal on the Partition under the two-nation theory was
supported by the Muslim League as well as by Savarkar.
Source:
The Week
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
NIA
Charge Sheet Against 4 Bangladeshis, 1 Indian Operative of JMB for Radicalising
Muslim Youth
JANUARY
10, 2022
The
NIA has filed a charge sheet against four Bangladeshi and an Indian operative
of the proscribed Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh for their alleged involvement
in radicalising Muslim youth and their recruitment by JMB/AQIS (al-Qaeda in
Indian Subcontinent), an official said on Monday. Najiur Rahman Pavel, Mikail
Khan, Rabiul Islam and Mohammad Abdul Mannan Bachu, all Bangladeshi nationals,
have been named in the charge sheet along with Lalu Sen, a resident of West
Bengal’s North 24 Parganas, the official said.
The
Bangladeshis have been booked under relevant sections of the IPC, the UAPA, the
Foreigners Act and the Passport Act, the NIA official said. The case pertains
to a criminal conspiracy by three Bangladeshi nationals who had illegally
entered India along with their associates of JMB/AQIS, to recruit, motivate
Muslim youth to establish a ‘Caliphate’ and for the furtherance of terrorist
activities in India and Bangladesh, the official said.
Source:
News18
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pathankot
grenade attacks: Terror module with ISYF link busted, 6 held
Jan
11, 2022
CHANDIGARH:
Six operatives of a terror module that carried out grenade attacks on the
Pathankot Army camp and a public place in the border district of Punjab last
November were arrested on Monday in a crackdown that traced the conspiracy to
the proscribed International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF).
DGP V
K Bhawra said a police team from Nawanshahr seized six grenades, a 9mm pistol,
a .30 bore rifle, live bullets and magazines from the arrested men, all of them
natives of Gurdaspur district.
The
suspects were identified as Amandeep alias Mantri of Lakhanpal village,
Gurwinder Singh alias Gindi and Parminder Kumar alias Rohit of Kharal, Rajinder
Singh alias Malhi alias Nikku of Gunnupur, Harpreet Singh alias Dholki of
Gotpokar and Raman Kumar of Ghazikot. The outfit had hurled hand grenades near
Pathankot's Chakki Pull on November 11 and again outside Triveni Dwar of the
Army's 21 sub-area on November 21.
The
DGP said the suspects had confessed to being in touch with ISYF (Rode) chief
Lakhbir Singh Rode and his aides Sukhmeetpal Singh alias Sukh Bhikhariwal and
Sukhpreet alias Sukh. “The entire cache of seized hand grenades, arms and
ammunition were pushed in from across the international border by Rode. The
arrested accused were tasked with attacking identified targets, mainly police
and defence establishments, besides religious,” Bhawra said.
The
police also claimed to have confirmed Rode’s role in the killing of Shaurya
Chakra awardee Comrade Balwinder Singh at Bhikhiwind on October 16, 2020, and
hoarding IEDs, RDX, arms and ammunition at his relative Gurmukh Singh Rode's
Jalandhar premises. The explosives and arms were confiscated in August last
year.
His
aide Bhikhariwal, who is presently lodged in Tihar jail, was involved in the
murderous attack on Shiv Sena youth leader Honey Mahajan at Dhariwal on
February 10, 2020. He was deported from Dubai in December that year.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Bulli
Bai app: Accused moves Mumbai court for bail
By
Vinay Dalvi
Jan
11, 2022
MUMBAI:
Vishal Kumar Jha, who was the first to be arrested in connection with the Bulli
Bai app used to put hundreds of Muslim women on “auction”, has filed a bail
application in a Mumbai court. The court on Monday posted his plea for a
hearing on Thursday to allow the prosecution to file a reply.
In
his plea, Jha said the main accused in the case was someone else and the other
accused from different states were not connected to him. The plea was moved
after he was remanded in judicial custody.
The
Mumbai Police told Metropolitan Magistrate K C Rajput that Jha has contracted
Covid-19 and should be sent in judicial custody as he was admitted to a Covid
Centre. When Jha’s lawyers, Aarti Deshmukh and Shivamsinh Deshmukh, moved the
bail plea, the prosecution opposed it saying they will need to interrogate him.
Jha
said he has handed over his laptop, mobile phone, and SIM cards to the
investigating agency and he is in no position to tamper with any evidence. He
claimed the prosecution has failed to provide any concrete evidence in support
of allegations against him.
Mumbai
Police are probing the app hosted on the code-sharing platform GitHub. The app
was named after derogatory references to the Muslim community. Hundreds of
Muslim women, including vocal activists and top professionals, were listed for
“auction” along with their photographs sourced without permission and doctored.
Source:
Hindustan Times
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
South Asia
Explosion
kills 9 children in eastern Afghanistan: Taliban
Jan
10, 2022
KABUL:
An explosion in eastern Afghanistan near the border with Pakistan on Monday
killed nine children and wounded four, according to the office of a
Taliban-appointed governor.
A
statement from the governor's office said the blast took place when a cart
selling food items struck an old, unexploded mortar shell in the district of
Lalopar, in eastern Nagarhar province.
No
other details were immediately available.
The
province is the headquarters of Taliban rivals, the Islamic State group, which
has staged several attacks targeting Afghanistan's new rulers since the Taliban
took over the country in mid-August. However, the IS has operated in
Afghanistan since 2014, carrying out dozens of horrific attacks and most often
targeting the country's minority Shiite Muslims.
Source:
Times of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Afghan
envoy to China quits after six months of no pay
Jan
10, 2022
BEIJING:
Afghanistan's ambassador to China left a colourful resignation note for his
post-Taliban takeover successor on Monday -- revealing that staff had not been
paid for months and that a lone receptionist had been left to answer phones.
Javid
Ahmad Qaem took to Twitter to detail how he had to scrape cash from the
embassy's bank account to pay staff after the Taliban seized Afghanistan last
August.
"Since
we did not receive salaries from Kabul for the last six months, we assigned a
committee from within the diplomats to solve the financial issues," Qaem
wrote in a letter to Afghanistan's foreign ministry dated January 1 but posted
to social media on Monday.
Still,
he left some funds for his successor.
"As
of today, 1st January 2022, there is around $100,000 left in the account."
He
did not say where he was going next.
In a
portrait of a barely functioning embassy, Qaem's letter revealed he had left
the keys for the embassy's five cars in his office and that a lone local hire
had been assigned to answer queries after all the other diplomats left.
Many
of Afghanistan's embassies are in diplomatic limbo, run by staff still loyal to
the Western-backed government toppled by the Taliban.
Several
Afghan diplomats have abandoned their Beijing postings since the fall of Kabul,
Qaem wrote, calling his resignation "the end to an honourable
responsibility" in an accompanying Tweet.
"I
believe when the new person assigned, Mr Sadaat, arrives to Beijing, there will
be no other diplomat left," the letter said, adding that China had been
"well-informed".
It
was not immediately clear of the whereabouts of his successor, or who had
appointed him, and no immediate comment from Taliban officials in Kabul.
The
Afghan embassy in Beijing appeared open as usual on Monday afternoon, with the
internationally recognised Afghan tricolour raised and two security guards
outside.
Qaem,
who has served as ambassador since November 2019, had expressed concerns about
the Taliban in media interviews shortly after China hosted a visiting
delegation in July.
Weeks
later, the Taliban captured Kabul and formed a new Islamist government.
Since
then, Afghanistan has been plunged into financial chaos, with inflation and
unemployment surging.
China
has provided millions to Afghanistan in aid since the takeover and the new
regime sees Beijing as a crucial source of investment.
The
Taliban have not appointed new representatives to most missions, however, and
their government is not recognised by any nation.
Beijing
is not the only Afghan embassy that has seemingly fallen into chaos.
Police
were called to the country's embassy in Rome last week when a sacked Afghan
diplomat attacked the ambassador after claiming to have been appointed to
replace him, the mission said.
The
Taliban's foreign ministry in Kabul said the diplomat still had a valid
contract and his termination was illegal.
Source:
Times of India
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Nearly
80% of Afghan journalists changed their profession to survive
11
Jan 2022
Journalists’
Foundation of Afghanistan said that Afghan Journalists are going through the
worst economic situation as 79% of them have lost their jobs and resorted to
other professions to make money and survive.
The
foundation has assessed the lives of Afghan journalists in the past one and a
half months and found that they are living the worst life due to the fragile
economic situation.
Prior
to that, statistics have shown that up to 75 percent of media in Afghanistan
have been shut due to financial woes.
Findings
of the Foundation indicate that 91% of Afghan journalists are satisfied from
having chosen the profession while only 8 percent are not happy.
462
Afghan journalists across Afghanistan have taken part in the survey among them
were 390 male and 72 female.
The
Foundation called on the International Community and the Islamic Emirate of
Afghanistan to address the economic situation of the Afghan journalists.
Source:
Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/nearly-80-of-afghan-journalists-changed-their-profession-to-survive-876876/
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Amir
Khan Motaqi meets Ahmad Masoud and Ismail Khan in Iran
10
Jan 2022
Deputy
Minister of Information and Culture and Spokesman of the Islamic Emirate of
Afghanistan Zabiullah Mujahid in a Twitter post said that the Afghan delegation
led by acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Motaqi met with Ahmad Masoud and
Ismail Khan.
Zabiullah
Mujahid said that Masoud and Khan were given assurance about their safe return
to Afghanistan.
“Islamic
Emirate of Afghanistan tries to make the situation of Afghanistan safe and
conducive for everyone so that there is no opportunity for people to oppose
IEA.” Reads the Twitter post.
Ahmad
Masoud is the leader of the so-called anti-Taliban Resistance Force also known
as the National Resistance Force (NRF) while Ismail Khan was a local leader in
western Herat province who was surrendered to the Taliban during the collapse
of the province.
Ismail
Khan then fled to Iran.
Earlier,
the spokesman of NRF Sibghatullah Ahmadi denied the meeting.
Source:
Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/amir-khan-motaqi-meets-ahmad-masoud-and-ismail-khan-in-iran-47457/
--------
After
Taliban, NRF denied Motaqi’s meeting with Ahmad Masoud
10
Jan 2022
The
so-called anti-Taliban National Resistance Force (NRF) denied meeting between
acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Motaqi and the head of the NRF in Iran.
Spokesperson
of NRF Sibghatullah Ahmadi told Hasht-e-Sub (Afghan newspaper) that no meeting
between the two has been conducted in Tehran.
Taliban
spokesperson Bilal Karimi had also denied the meeting in Iran.
Earlier,
it was rumored that Amir Khani Motaqi who is visiting Iran at the official
invitation of the country, is supposed to meet Ahmad Masoud and another Jihadi
leader Ismail Khan.
The
acting Afghan Foreign Minister leading a high-level delegation met with Iran’s
foreign minister and discussed political, economic, trade, transit, and
refugees.
Source:
Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/after-taliban-nrf-denied-motaqis-meeting-with-ahmad-masoud-4567547/
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Taliban
vows to not let Afghanistan be used against others, seeks non-intervention
Michael
Hernandez
10.01.2022
WASHINGTON
The
Taliban repeated its vows on Monday to ensure Afghanistan does not again become
a bastion of international terror groups, but said it wants to ensure foreign
nations do not interfere in its domestic affairs.
Addressing
a Washington-based aid conference, Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban's acting
foreign minister, said the group "will not allow anyone to use the
territory of Afghanistan to harm others, and will also not allow others to
interfere in our internal affairs."
"We
respect legitimate interests and demands of other nations, and in return we
expect similar treatment from others," he said.
The
Taliban overran the formerly internationally-recognized government in
Afghanistan in August following a two-decade long insurgency campaign that left
tens of thousands of people dead across the country. Their 2020 military
offensive saw government forces collapse and officials flee the nation of
roughly 39 million.
Muttaqi
claimed that the Taliban's most recent violent push for power "transpired
in a very peaceful manner without any bloodshed."
"The
IEA (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) entered Kabul with a message of national
unity, and opened its arms of peace and brotherhood to its past political and
even military rivals," he said, using the Taliban's preferred name for its
government. "It would be rare to find such civilized, humane and Islamic
conduct in history."
Muttaqi
said some 500,000 civil servants from the defunct internationally-recognized
government have continued their positions under the Taliban, saying the de facto
government has "utilized their capabilities without prejudice."
The
collapse of the internationally-recognized government led to Afghanistan's
foreign assets being frozen, and a halt being placed on international aid to
the de facto government.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Southeast Asia
HSBC
holding shares in China firm linked to human rights abuses against Uyghur
Muslims
Thomas
Kingsley
HSBC
bank holds more than £2 million in shares for a subsidiary of a Chinese
paramilitary company that has been accused of human rights abuses against
Uyghur Muslims, it has been revealed.
The
UK’s biggest bank bought £2.2 million worth of shares for Xinjiang Tianye, a
chemicals and plastics company, for an anonymous client last year while
continuing to act as a custodian meaning it pockets money while holding the
shares, the Sunday Times reported.
Xinjiang
Tianye Group describes itself as a “large state-owned enterprise in the eighth
division of XPCC”, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.
The
corps, a large paramilitary and economic organisation, has been subject to US
sanctions and has helped to oversee the surveillance, mass detention and forced
labour of hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs and Muslim minorities in the
Xinjiang region.
The
group is often described as a “state within a state” and controls numerous
publicly traded subsidiaries, including Xinjiang Tianye which is on the
Shanghai stock exchange and allegedly plays a part in the abuses including
forced labour transfers.
Beijing
has placed around one million Uyghurs in labour camps and there have been
widespread reports of forced sterilisation and the wholesale destruction of
mosques.
Many
international organisations have labelled Beijing’s actions as genocide. China
says its aim is to tackle poverty and religious extremism in Xinjiang.
Xinjiang
Production and Construction Corps continues to face sanctions under the Biden
administration after first receiving penalties in 2020 under the Magnitsky Act
in 2020, citing its “serious rights abuses against ethnic minorities”.
American
citizens, including those working for foreign companies such as HSBC, whose
headquarters are in London, are banned from transactions or services involving
XPCC.
Marco
Rubio, the US senator, said facilitating such trades was “another example of a
company turning a blind eye to genocide and slavery just to turn a profit”.
Iain
Duncan Smith, the former Conservative Party leader, said: “Project Kow-Tow is
alive and well in some British companies. After all, HSBC seem more and more to
have thrown their lot in with the despotic Chinese government.”
Last
year Dominic Raab, foreign secretary at the time, condemned the bank after it
said it would follow the controversial national security law giving China
powers dominating over Hong Kong. He said that the rights of people in Hong
Kong should not be “sacrificed on the altar of bankers’ bonuses”.
Source:
Independent UK
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--------
About
1 in 5 Muslim healthcare staff has begun wearing tudung at work: Ong Ye Kung
Osmond
Chia
JAN
11, 2022
SINGAPORE
- About one in five female Muslim public healthcare staff has begun wearing the
tudung at work since they were allowed to do so from November, said Health
Minister Ong Ye Kung on Monday (Jan 10).
"Some
staff have chosen not to do so, while some others may be considering. We
respect the decision of each individual," he added in a parliamentary
reply.
He
was responding to Dr Wan Rizal Wan Zakariah (Jalan Besar GRC), who requested
for an update on the move to allow healthcare workers to wear the tudung while
in uniform.
Mr
Ong said hospitals have set clinical guidelines and informed staff to ensure
that infection control requirements are followed for the safety of patients and
staff.
"Staff
who choose to wear the tudung have also undergone refitting for N95
masks," he added.
Last
August, the Health Ministry said the revised policy to don the headgear will
apply to more than 7,000 healthcare workers. The move was announced during
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's National Day Rally speech on Aug 29.
PM
Lee acknowledged that wearing the tudung has become increasingly important for
the Muslim community, reflecting a general trend of stronger religiosity in
Islam around the world, as well as in South-east Asia and Singapore.
It
has also become an important part of the faith of many Muslim women. Over the
last few decades, more Muslim women here have worn the headgear, both in social
settings and at workplaces, he noted.
Source:
Straits Times
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Intel
deletes reference to Xinjiang after backlash in China
January
11, 2022
BEIJING:
US chipmaker Intel has deleted references to Xinjiang from an annual letter to
suppliers after the company faced a backlash in China for asking suppliers to
avoid the sanctions-hit region.
Last
month, Intel was slammed on Chinese social media for a letter to suppliers
published on its website. The Dec 23 letter said Intel had been “required to
ensure that its supply chain does not use any labour or source goods or
services from the Xinjiang region” following restrictions imposed by “multiple
governments”.
This
paragraph, or any reference to Xinjiang or China, was no longer in the letter,
according to a Reuters review of the same page on Tuesday.
The
letter now reads that the company prohibits “any human trafficked or
involuntary labour such as forced, debt bonded, prison, indentured, or slave
labour throughout your extended supply chains”.
Intel
did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It apologised last month
for the “trouble” it had caused, saying that its commitment to avoid supply
chains from Xinjiang was an expression of compliance with US law, rather than a
statement of its position on the issue.
Multinational
companies have come under pressure as they aim to comply with Xinjiang-related
trade sanctions while continuing to operate in China, one of their biggest
markets.
The
US has accused China of widespread human rights abuses in Xinjiang, home to the
country’s predominantly Muslim Uighurs, including forced labour. Beijing has
repeatedly denied the claims.
Intel’s
deletion of any reference to Xinjiang in its annual letter to suppliers, which
was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, was criticised by US Senator
Marco Rubio.
“Intel’s
cowardice is yet another predictable consequence of economic reliance on
China,” Rubio said in a statement on Monday.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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Arab World
Syria’s
exclusion from Arab League ‘disgraceful’ for all Arabs, senior Fatah official
says
10
January 2022
The
secretary general of the central committee of the Palestinian Fatah political
party has denounced Syria’s exclusion from the Arab League as “disgraceful” for
the entire Arab nations, especially as the war-ravaged country is a founding
member of the regional organization.
Speaking
at a press conference in the Syrian capital of Damascus on Monday, Jibril
Rajoub said Syria must return to the Arab League, Syria’s official news agency
SANA reported.
He
said that his visit to Damascus at the head of a high-ranking Palestinian
delegation would constitute a turning point in light of the Israeli regime’s
stepped-up aggression and attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause.
Rajoub
noted that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas plans to visit Syria in the near
future, extending his gratitude to the Syrian people and leadership for their
firm stances vis-à-vis the Palestinian cause despite all difficulties they have
gone through over the past years, and for their hospitality towards
Palestinians living there.
The
senior Fatah official highlighted that the Palestinian cause is now at its most
difficult stage, given the Tel Aviv regime’s relentless efforts to Judaize
al-Quds city and advance its land expropriation and settlement expansion
policies across the occupied Palestinian territories.
Last
December, the speaker of the Jordanian House of Representatives, Abdul Karim
al-Daghmi, called for Syria to be fully reinstated to the Arab League when
Algeria hosts the next Arab summit in March.
“We,
as the Arab Parliament, must put pressure on our governments and ask our
leaders to green-light Syria’s return to the Arab League when next summit
convenes in Algeria, and to allow its delegation to participate in the Arab
Parliament sessions as well,” Daghmi said in a press conference on the
sidelines of a session of the Arab Parliament in Amman on December 23.
He
noted, “It is now high time for Syria to return to its Arab origins and rejoin
the Arab League.”
Algerian
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has already called for restoration of Syria’s
membership in the Arab League, stating that Arab nations would not be able to
reunify and resolve their differences in case Damascus is excluded from the
regional organization.
Speaking
at a joint press conference with his Tunisian counterpart, Kais Saied, in Tunis
on December 15, Tebboune said Syria should rejoin the Arab League in order for
Arabs to unify again, SANA reported.
He
noted that Algeria will stay away from discrimination and will not treat any
country differently from others, when it hosts the Arab Summit in March 2022.
The
Arab League suspended Syria's membership in November 2011, citing alleged
crackdown by Damascus on opposition protests. Syria has denounced the move as
"illegal and a violation of the organization’s charter.”
Syria
was one of the six founding members of the Arab League in 1945.
Mikdad:
Syria, Palestine constantly facing Israeli occupation
On
Sunday, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mikdad underscored that Syria stands by
Palestinian people in order to restore their inalienable legitimate rights,
including establishment of a sovereign state on their own lands.
He
noted that Syria and Palestine are constantly confronting the Israeli regime’s
occupation, attacks, criminal acts and violations of the international law.
Mikdad
deplored crimes being committed by Israel against the Palestinian nation as
well as the regime’s settlement construction and land grab policies, terming
the Israeli decisions against the occupied Syrian Golan Heights and Palestinian
territories as war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Source:
Press TV
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Iraq
takes back 111 ISIS-linked families from Syria
10
January ,2022
Iraqi
authorities have repatriated 111 Iraqi families linked to the ISIS group from a
Kurdish-run camp in northern Syria, a local official said on Monday.
They
arrived on Saturday and were transferred to Al-Jadaa camp south of Mosul, in
Nineveh province, said the official who declined to be named.
Since
May 2021, at least 339 families linked to the extremist ISIS group have been
moved from Al-Hol camp in northeast Syria to Al-Jadaa which hosts around 7,500
internally displaced people.
These
include families of extremists, some of whom hail from other parts of Iraq,
including the provinces of Salaheddine and Ramadi, according to Iraqi
authorities.
The
prospect of their return to their places of origin has sparked concern among
residents who survived the brutal rule of ISIS when it occupied one third of
Iraq between 2014 and 2017.
In
late 2017, Iraq declared “victory” over ISIS after driving the extremists from
all urban areas, with support from a US-led coalition.
Iraqi
authorities announced last month their intention to close Al-Jadaa, the last
camp sheltering displaced in Iraq, outside of the autonomous region of
Kurdistan.
But
the process is long and facing resistance from local populations who don't want
ISIS families among them.
According
to the International Organization for Migration, six million Iraqis were
displaced during the ISIS rule.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Saudi
Arabia FM meets Chinese counterpart to discuss regional security
11
January ,2022
Saudi
Arabia’s foreign minister met with his Chinese counterpart on Monday to discuss
economic and security matters, including the Iran nuclear deal, the Saudi
Ministry of Foreign Affairs detailed on Twitter.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
Kingdom’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan discussed
strengthening cooperation with China with the country’s Minister of Foreign
Affairs Wang Yi during a visit to the southern city of Wuxi.
The
meeting came as Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council Dr. Nayef
al-Hajraf himself met with a gathering of Chinese officials.
Prince
Faisal engaged in discourse over the Iran nuclear deal with Wang, and stressed
the importance of security and stability in the Middle East.
They
also covered the topic of security in Afghanistan – noting the importance of
promoting stability in the nation as it adjusts to life under its Taliban
rulers.
Economic
matters were spoken about, including the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and the
Sino-Saudi Joint Committee.
World
Bank data positions China as Saudi Arabia’s biggest trading partner.
In
2019, Sino-Saudi trade was valued at just under $73 billion, according to the
Atlantic Council.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Yemen’s
forces take control of Shabwa province from Iran-backed Houthis
10
January ,2022
Yemen's
Giants Brigade forces announced on Monday taking full control of Shabwa
province from the Iran-backed Houthis, after taking control of Ain district.
Earlier,
the Arab Coalition said on Monday it carried out 11 strikes against Houthi
targets in Marib during the past 24 hours.
It
also confirmed it struck 38 Houthi targets in Shabwa during the past 24 hours,
which resulted in the destruction of 29 military vehicles and the killing of
more than 220 Houthi members.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
Giants Brigade forces continued on Monday combing through and securing Ain
district, and some units advanced to Numan district in al-Bayda province to
continue pursuing the Houthis.
The
entire 17 districts of Shabwa are now under the control of the internationally
recognized government of Yemen, after the Houthis withdrew towards the
neighbouring province al-Bayda.
Shabwa
is the third largest province in terms of area in Yemen, and it is a pivotal
province of particular importance to the south due to its geographical location
in the middle of the country.
Its
importance lies in its natural resources, as it includes oil fields and facilities,
and two strategic ports for the export of gas and oil.
It is
also a strategic province in the south because it borders Marib, the largest
oil province in Yemen, from the north, and from the west, al-Bayda province,
which is the heart of Yemeni geography.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Egypt’s
Sisi calls for dialogue to solve world crises
Mahmoud
al-Buzom
10.01.2022
Egyptian
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday called for dialogue to resolve world
crises and achieve peace.
Sisi
made the call as he opened a youth forum in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm
el-Sheikh. The four-day event is attended by a host of regional leaders and
youths from several countries around the world.
Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and Jordan's
Crown Prince Al-Hussein bin Abdullah II were among the attendees in the opening
session.
Sisi
said sincere intentions “are the only way to end conflicts and challenges.”
In a
recorded speech, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the forum was a
major opportunity for youth to exchange expertise and create a better future.
"Young
people have provided ideas and solutions that help local communities on how to
rebuild and get out of the pandemic in a stronger state," Guterres said.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/egypt-s-sisi-calls-for-dialogue-to-solve-world-crises/2470170
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Oman’s
Sultan pardons 229 prisoners
Ibrahim
al-Khazen
10.01.2022
MUSCAT,
Oman
The
Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq, on Monday pardoned 229 prisoners, including
70 foreigners, on the occasion of the second anniversary his accession to the
throne.
No
details were provided by the state news agency ONA on the nationalities of the
pardoned foreigners.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/oman-s-sultan-pardons-229-prisoners/2470151
--------
Iran
says talks with Saudi Arabia to continue in Iraq
10.01.2022
Iran
said Monday that Iraq-mediated talks with Saudi Arabia will continue, amid
efforts to normalize relations between the two arch rivals.
"The
next round of negotiations between Iran and Saudi Arabia is on the agenda,”
Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told a news briefing in Tehran.
“Iraq
will host these meetings," he added.
Tehran
and Riyadh severed diplomatic ties in January 2016 following an attack on the
Saudi Embassy in Tehran after Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr was executed by Saudi
authorities.
Relations
between the two rivals deteriorated further after Iran in September 2016
accused Saudi authorities of deliberately causing the death of around 400
Iranian pilgrims in a 2015 stampede in the Muslim holy city of Mecca.
The
two sides have since been engaged in a strong regional rivalry, often accusing
each other of waging a proxy war for regional influence.
Vienna
talks
Khatibzadeh
said Saudi Arabia was among a number of countries that sent delegations to the
Austrian capital Vienna to take part in bilateral meetings in line with their
“national interests”.
The
eighth round of marathon talks between Iran and the P4+1 (Russia, China,
France, UK, and Germany) resumed late last year.
The
talks are centered on Iran's key demand of lifting the sanctions imposed by the
former US administration following its unilateral withdrawal from the 2015
nuclear deal in May 2018.
Khatibzadeh,
however, noted that Tehran is “not satisfied with the pace of the negotiations
in Vienna."
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/iran-says-talks-with-saudi-arabia-to-continue-in-iraq/2469956
--------
In
Surprising Decision, Saudi English-Language Daily Appoints Rabbi As Regular
Columnist
10
January 2022
Saudi
Arabia’s English-language daily newspaper Arab News has appointed a prominent
rabbi as a regular current affairs columnist, as Israel is working behind the
scenes towards normalization of diplomatic relations with the Riyadh regime.
According
to a report published by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Marc Schneier,
who is an American rabbi and president of the so-called Foundation for Ethnic
Understanding, has lately joined the editorial board of the Saudi daily, which
is published mainly in Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf region.
According
to the Israeli daily, Schneier has been a regular guest of royal palaces of
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman during the past
15 years and is among 50 highly influential rabbis in the United States.
Last
week, a high-ranking official at the Israeli ministry of foreign affairs said
Tel Aviv is working clandestinely towards normalization of diplomatic relations
with Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.
“These
are the two countries we want to reach an agreement with, but it is a slow
process that takes a lot of time and effort. We hope for the best,” the unnamed
official noted at a media briefing.
Even
though Israel and Saudi Arabia do not have formal diplomatic relations, Riyadh
has taken a number of steps in recent years toward normalizing relations with
the Tel Aviv regime.
Saudi
authorities were said to have given a behind-the-scenes green light to the
United Arab Emirates forging ties with Israel last year, and have since allowed
Israeli aircraft to use the kingdom’s airspace for direct flights to Dubai and
Abu Dhabi.
On
January 6, an independent nongovernmental organization advocating human rights
in Saudi Arabia said the Riyadh regime is making use of arbitrary arrest to
silence vociferous opponents of normalization with Israel.
Source:
Press TV
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Mideast
PM,
Islamic-Christian group condemn Israeli plans to curtail the powers of the
Islamic Waqf in Al-Aqsa Mosque
JERUSALEM,
Monday, January 10, 2022 (WAFA) – Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh and The
Islamic-Christian Commission for Supporting Jerusalem and the Holy Places today
condemned Israeli plans to curtail and undermine the powers of the Islamic Waqf
(endowment) Department and the custodianship of Jordan on Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa
Mosque and other holy places in the occupied city.
Speaking
at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting held in Jericho, PM Shtayyeh
condemned the Israeli obstruction of the Waqf’s restoration and maintenance
work at Al-Aqsa Mosque, stressing that Israel wants to assume control over
Islam’s third holiest site by revoking the powers of the Islamic Waqf, which is
in charge of the affairs of walled Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and its 144 dunum
area, and by allowing Jewish fanatics to break into it and violate its
sanctity.
The
Islamic-Christian Commission echoed the fears of the Prime Minister and said in
a statement that the Israeli obstruction of the work of the Islamic Waqf
Department has reached an unacceptable level, and seriously threatens the
powers of the Waqf as the party with exclusive responsibility for the
management, restoration, and maintenance of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which
derives its legal, political and religious legitimacy from Jordan’s Hashemite
custodianship of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.
It
stressed that the obstruction of the restoration work inside the mosque
compound and the continuous attacks against the employees of the Reconstruction
Committee by the Israeli police, in addition to the rise in the daily
intrusions of the Mosque by Jewish fanatics who violate the sanctity of the
Muslim holy place constitute a clear and dangerous indication of the intentions
of the Israeli establishment in changing the historical, legal and religious
status quo of Al-Aqsa Mosque on the road to diving it for Muslim and Jewish
worship in time and space.
Source:
Wafa
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
http://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/127593
--------
50,000
Holy Qurans Donated By Turkish Charity To Palestine Islamic Centres
January
11, 2022
A
Turkish charity society has donated 50,000 copies of the Holy Quran to be
distributed among mosques and Quranic centers in Palestine.
The
Ghazi Destek Society that operating in the Gaza Strip on Sunday handed over
20,000 copies of the Quran to the Gaza Awqaf and Religious Affairs Ministry,
Anadolu Agency reported.
Hani
Thuraya, an official with the society, said it was part of the “Let the Quran
Be My Gift” plan which is implemented under the supervision of Turkey’s
Religious Awqaf Institute.
He
added that as part of the plan, 30,000 more copies of the Holy Book will be
handed out in the West Bank and Jerusalem al-Quds.
A
Gaza Awqaf Ministry deputy, Abdul Hadi al-Agha, said the initiative comes
within the framework of boosting people’s relation with the Noble Quran.
He
thanked Turkey’s Religious Awqaf Institute and Ghazi Destek Society for the
donations.
Source:
ABNA24
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Islamic
Jihad: Arab League's silence about Israel's siege of Gaza 'unjustified'
January
10, 2022
Senior
Islamic Jihad leader, Khaled Al Batsh, condemned, on Monday, the Arab League's
silence about Israeli siege of Gaza Strip as "absolutely
unjustified."
During
a memorial ceremony for late head of Gaza's administrative committee, Abdul
Salam Siam, Al Batsh said: "Our conflict with the occupation is open and
will never be closed unless after regaining the rights of the Palestinian
people."
He
added: "The Israeli occupation continues its violations against the
Palestinian lands, Jerusalem and the Palestinians everywhere."
Al
Batsh condemned the Israeli occupation siege imposed on Gaza and said:
"Silence of the Arab League about the Israeli siege of Gaza is absolutely
unjustified."
Meanwhile,
he said: "Occupation's racism in occupied Palestine (Israel) has sharply
increased, and the noble resistance cannot accept to live with it or accept the
retention of the occupation."
The
Islamic Jihad leader also called for the rights groups to "urgently move
to end the suffering of the Palestinian prisoners, mainly those under
administrative detention."
Source:
Middle East Monitor
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israel
threatens to arrest new security guards at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque
By
Mustafa Abu Sneineh
10
January 2022
Israeli
authorities have blocked the appointment of new Palestinian security guards at
the Al-Aqsa compound in occupied East Jerusalem's Old City, threatening
Palestine's Jerusalem Islamic Waqf with arrest if they refuse to comply.
Sheikh
Ekrima Sabri, the mosque's veteran Palestinian imam, said that the Waqf, a
religious trust that administers the Al-Aqsa compound, needs new guards as
there have been no new appointees to oversee the sacred esplanade since 2017.
Usually,
the Waqf nominates a list of names of guards and sends it to Jordan's Ministry
of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs for approval. Jordan acts as a custodian of the
sacred compound in Jerusalem as part of a joint agreement with Israel.
However,
this time Israeli authorities have objected to the procedure, saying that the
Waqf in Jerusalem should run the list by them first before final approval of
the new security staff.
The
Waqf urgently needs new security to oversee the compound and maintain the
safety of crowds during Muslim prayers.
It
has refused to comply with the Israeli request, saying that Tel Aviv has no say
or sovereignty over matters inside the Al-Aqsa compound.
Sabri
said that Israel's internal intelligence, the Shin Bet, will be tasked with
examining the list, and that it threatened to arrest the new guards if its
demands were not met.
According
to Sabri, guard numbers at Al-Aqsa have diminished in the past year, due to
death, retirement or resignation.
He
said Israel's actions were an attempt to impose "sovereignty over Al-Aqsa
and end the role of the Islamic Waqf in Jerusalem... Israel considers itself as
the guardian of Al-Aqsa and above Jordan in the matter of appointments."
New
guards to begin work
Israel
maintains a security presence at Al-Aqsa's gates, with members of its military
police standing behind metal barriers, occasionally examining Palestinian IDs
before deciding whether or not to allow them to enter the compound.
Israel
has full control over the Morrocan Gate, in the southwest corner of Al-Aqsa
compound, which leads to the Western Plaza, a holy site in Judaism.
Omar
al-Kiswani, the Al-Aqsa mosque manager, told Jordan's Radio al-Balad that
Jordan's ministry of foreign affairs and the ministry of Awqaf are aware of the
issue, but declined to comment further.
Source:
Middle East Eye
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-palestine-jerusalem-aqsa-threatens-arrest-new-guards
--------
Iran’s
Top Diplomat: Vienna Talks Positive, Good Agreement Needs Seriousness
2022-January-10
“If
there is serious will, we will be able to reach a good agreement in the
shortest time, and as of today, we believe that negotiations are positive and
moving forward,” Amir Abdollahian said in an interview with the state TV on
Sunday.
“Our
proposals are transparent and clearly on the table. Our opposite sides,
especially the Western parties, must show goodwill,” he added.
Amir
Abdollahian stated that during the ongoing round of talks on the revival of the
2015 deal, Americans sought a host of concessions from Iran in return for
giving one simple concession.
“The
negotiations [in Vienna] are not easy, but the initiatives taken by the Iranian
side ... have put us on the right track. We are close to a good agreement.
Whether we would be able to clinch this good agreement in the short term
depends on the opposite side... If all parties returned to their obligations
under the JCPOA – specially the United States, which withdrew from the JCPOA and
violated it, and three European signatories that followed suit with the US –
then we would certainly return to [full compliance with] the JCPOA,” he said.
Amir
Abdollahian expressed the hope that a good agreement would be reached by the
Vienna talks participants in the shortest possible time, emphasizing that Iran
does not seek protracted talks.
"We
are not willing to give 10 concessions and get one ... If there is serious
determination, it is possible to reach a good agreement in the shortest
time," Amir Abdollahian said.
Iran’s
foreign minister added that the Iranian economic team, which is present at the
Vienna talks, is tasked with working to neutralize the sanctions imposed on the
country, adding, "This means that we are not going to wait for the (outcome
of) Vienna talks for years."
“The
mission of the economic team in the Iranian delegation in Vienna is removing
the sanctions. I mean, we are not supposed to wait many years till the Vienna
negotiations will lead to an agreement. In the cabinet sessions, too, I told my
colleagues to pursue their responsibilities supposing that the sanctions will
be in place, as they are today. The president, too, emphasizes that the
economic team’s looks should not be focused on Vienna, and the country’s fate
should not be tied to the negotiations,” he added.
Amir
Abdollahian said that the Foreign Ministry’s top responsibility is assisting
the country to gain more hard currency and strengthen the stand of the
government’s economic team.
“The
other responsibility of the Foreign Ministry is having the diplomatic art at
the negotiation table, as the innate responsibility of the Foreign Ministry.
There, we pursue the negotiations with strong logic that makes good sense in
encountering the other side. President Rayeesi’s government is pragmatist, and
therefore in the negotiations we are determined with a pragmatist behavior
based on securing national interests, which is the 13th government’s approach;
so that we can lead the negotiations toward a satisfactory agreement,” he added.
Amir
Abdollahian said that Iran’s proposals are clear and unblemished on the
negotiation table. The other side, particularly the westerners need to show
their good will. "In my visit of New York some personalities who are close
to the US president were trying to arrange for a negotiation in New York. I
told them behave in a way to prove your policies towards Iran have changed. If
you are truthful in negotiations, release our blocked money abroad (10 billion
dollars) as a sign of your good will for us to return to the JCPOA."
“Reaching
a shared literature was difficult during the first two rounds of the
negotiations. The entire past six rounds of negotiations are before us, and
meanwhile, we too, have presented some proposals. I mean, there is no doubt that
it is the right of the new government to review the agreements reached by the
previous government. The former government’s approach was hastiness at the end
of the negotiations. We have not time for making mistake, and will pursue our
responsibilities carefully at the negotiation table,” he said.
Amir
Abdollahian said that even in these negotiations in exchange of the “Non-Paper”
documents between Iran and the US, the American side demands 10 points for
itself, and intends to give only one point to Iran, and even that point, is not
cash. Naturally, the negotiating table work is not simple, but the Iranian
side’s initiatives and the done negotiations have put us on the right and
appropriate path.
"We
have got very close to a good agreement, but weather this good agreement can be
reached in a short while, or not, is up to the other side. We declared that if
they have good will and serious determination, everything is clear. If every
side will return to acting in accordance with their commitments, and those who
initially breached the JCPOA terms, specially the Americans, and the Europeans
who followed suit, then we too, will return to observing out JCPAO
commitments,” the foreign minister said.
Iran’s
lead negotiator Ali Baqeri Kani said on Saturday that talks on removal of
sanctions against his country in Vienna are advancing and the two sides are now
trying to resolve outstanding issues.
Iran
and the five remaining signatories to the 2015 nuclear agreement are resolving
the outstanding issues, Baqeri Kani told reporters in Vienna after meetings
with representatives of the G4+1 group of countries (Britain, France, Germany,
Russia and China).
He
added that the talks aimed at removing the US sanctions are advancing and
moving forward.
Following
talks with the Iranian lead negotiator, diplomats of the G4+1 countries
reportedly held a meeting with the US representative and discussed the latest
developments pertaining to the Vienna talks.
Tehran’s
chief negotiator told reporters on Wednesday that the Vienna talks are
“positive and forward-moving” and emphasized that efforts were underway to
achieve results from the talks.
Also,
last Monday, Amir Abdollahian said during sanctions removal talks in Vienna,
Tehran seeks guarantees that no further sanctions will be imposed on the
country once they are removed.
“We
seek removal of sanctions that were imposed on Iran by (former US President
Donald) Trump, especially those sanctions that are at odds with the (2015)
nuclear deal," Iran’s foreign minister said.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the
full text of the original story:
--------
Israel
won’t be bound by any nuclear deal with Iran, Bennett says
10
January ,2022
Prime
Minister Naftali Bennett said on Monday that Israel would not be bound by any
nuclear deal with Iran and would continue to consider itself free to act “with
no constraints” against its arch-foe if necessary.
Indirect
talks between Iran and the United States on salvaging the 2015 Iran nuclear
deal resumed a week ago in Vienna. France’s foreign minister said on Friday
that progress had been made, although time is running out.
“In
regard to the nuclear talks in Vienna, we are definitely concerned ... Israel
is not a party to the agreements,” Bennett said in public remarks, in a briefing
to a parliamentary committee.
“Israel
is not bound by what will be written in the agreements, if they are signed, and
Israel will continue to maintain full freedom of action anywhere any time, with
no constraints,” he said.
Israel
has called on world powers to maintain a credible military option against Iran
while they pursue an agreement.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Yemeni
army declares liberation of Shabwa province from Houthis
SANAA,
Yemen
11.01.2022
SANAA,
Yemen
The
Yemeni army announced Monday that it had liberated all of Shabwa province in
southeast Yemen from the Houthi rebels.
In a
statement, the Giants Brigades, a militia affiliated with the Yemeni army, said
that on the 10th day of fighting, their forces liberated Ain District in
western Shabwa, adding all of the province’s districts are now under the army’s
control.
"We
thank the Arab Coalition led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the support of
the United Arab Emirates," the statement added in reference to the Arab
Coalition’s support in the fight against the Houthis.
The
Houthi rebel group has yet to comment on the Yemeni army’s statement.
At
the start of January, the Yemeni army launched a military campaign to liberate
the districts of Usaylan, Bayhan and Ain in Shabwa province from the Houthis,
who seized them in September last year.
Yemen
has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when the Iran-aligned
Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Haniyeh:
Zionist enemy has no future on Palestinian land
10
January 2022
Ismail
Haniyeh, the head of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, says the
Israeli occupation “has no future” on the Palestinian territories.
“The
Zionist enemy has no future on the Palestinian land,” Haniyeh said in an
interview with Qatar’s Al-Jazeera television network on Sunday night, the
Palestinian Information Center reported.
He
reiterated the Palestinians’ right to return to their homeland from which they
were displaced, adding, “Palestine will remain alive in the conscience of the
[Palestinian] people and the Arab and Muslim nation.”
Some
750,000 Palestinians were expelled from their lands in 1948 and scattered
across refugee camps in the occupied West Bank, the besieged Gaza Strip, and
Palestine’s neighboring countries. Over five million Palestinian refugees are
currently estimated to be still displaced.
Elsewhere
in his remarks, Haniyeh noted that the issue of release of the Palestinian
detainees from Israeli jails has been one of the primary concerns of Hamas
since its 1987 establishment. For Hamas, the issue is “a national issue par
excellence, regardless of their political affiliation”, the movement’s head
said.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
In
new provocation, Israeli settlers storm al-Aqsa, perform rituals
10
January 2022
Dozens
of Israeli settlers, escorted by troops, have intruded into the al-Aqsa Mosque
compound in the Old City of the occupied East al-Quds.
The
Palestinian Information Center cited local sources as saying that the settlers
toured the mosque’s courtyards before they performed Jewish rituals on Monday
morning.
The
intrusion came amid Israeli efforts to impose control over the al-Aqsa Mosque.
While
the Israeli forces provide protection for setters during their incursions of
the mosque, they arrest Palestinian sit-inners at al-Aqsa and ban them from
accessing the mosque.
Israel
occupied the Old City of al-Quds during the Six-Day War of 1967. After the end
of hostilities, the regime allowed the ‘Awqaf’ to retain authority over the
al-Aqsa Mosque compound, or the ‘Haram al-Sharif.’
Israel
lays claim to the entire al-Quds, but the international community views the
city’s eastern sector as occupied territory and Palestinians consider it the
capital of their future state.
In
May, repeated acts of violence against Palestinian worshipers at the al-Aqsa
Mosque led to an 11-day war between Palestinian resistance groups in the
besieged Gaza Strip and the Israeli regime. Israel killed at least 260
Palestinians, including 66 children, during the conflict.
Settlers
vandalize Palestinian cars in West Bank
Also
on Monday, Israeli setters vandalized Palestinian vehicles in the occupied West
Bank.
Local
sources told the PIC that the settlers hurled stones at Palestinian-owned cars
near the settlement of Bet El, north of the city of al-Bireh. Israeli troops
were looking on in the meantime.
Israeli
settlers routinely engage in violence and vandalism against Palestinians in the
West Bank. Palestinians are outraged by rising settler attacks on their
villages, with backing from Israeli troops. Israeli rights group B’Tselem has
documented hundreds of such attacks this year alone.
However,
Israeli authorities rarely prosecute settler assaults on Palestinians and their
property and the vast majority of the files are closed due to deliberate police
failure to investigate properly.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/01/10/674464/Israeli-settlers-storm-al-Aqsa-perform-rituals
--------
Israel’s
violations of al-Aqsa Mosque will have dire consequences: Hamas
10
January 2022
The
Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has warned Israel of dire consequences if
the regime does not end recurrent violation of the holy al-Aqsa Mosque
compound.
In a
statement released on Sunday, Hamas spokesman Mohamed Hamada denounced Israel’s
attempts to obstruct maintenance and restoration work at the Mosque’s premises,
calling on al-Quds people to further frequent the Mosque under these
circumstances.
Hamas
also censured Israel’s aggression against Islamic Awqaf officials and employees
of the Islamic Awqaf in the holy city.
It is
a regular thing for Israeli legislators and settlers to provocatively intrude
into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, infuriating the Palestinians. Such mass
settler break-ins almost always take place at the behest of Tel Aviv-backed
temple groups and under the auspices of the Israeli police in al-Quds.
In
October 2021, an Israeli court upheld a ban on Jewish prayers at the al-Aqsa
Mosque compound, after an earlier decision by a lower court stirred outrage
among various Palestinians and across the Muslim world.
In
May the same year, frequent acts of violence against Palestinian worshipers at
al-Aqsa Mosque led to an 11-day war between Palestinian resistance groups in
the besieged Gaza Strip and the Israeli regime, during which the regime killed
at least 260 Palestinians, including 66 children.
Palestinians
want the occupied West Bank as part of their future independent state and view
al-Quds’ eastern sector as the capital of their future sovereign state.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/01/10/674455/Aqsa-Israel-Hamas
--------
Pakistan
COAS
Bajwa underscores significance of peace, reconciliation initiatives in
Afghanistan
January
10, 2022
COAS
General Qamar Javed Bajwa met Major General Talal Abdullah Al-Otaibi, the
military advisor to Saudi Minister of Defence, at the General Headquarters in
Rawalpindi on Monday, where he stressed upon the significance of peace and
reconciliation initiatives in Afghanistan, stated the Inter-Services Public
Relations (ISPR)
During
the meeting, matters of mutual interest, regional security, the current
situation in Afghanistan and bilateral defence relations between the two
countries were discussed.
The
COAS stressed the urgency for swiftly devising an institutional mechanism for
channeling humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan in order to avert a looming
humanitarian catastrophe.
Gen
Bajwa said that Pakistan valued its historical and brotherly relations with the
Kingdom and acknowledged its unique place in the Islamic world.
The
visiting dignitary acknowledged the professionalism of the Pakistan Armed
Forces and vowed to enhance cooperation in various fields.
Source:
Pakistan Today
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Daesh
Militants On The Run In Pakistan After Evading Police Raid
January
11, 2022
QUETTA,
Pakistan: A band of suspected Daesh militants is on the run in Pakistan after
escaping a police raid that killed six other members of the group, officials
said Monday.
Counterterrorism
police said in a statement they had stormed a hideout in the southwestern city
of Quetta on Saturday and killed six militants, but “around four to five
managed to escape.”
A
senior police official speaking on condition of anonymity told AFP that “teams
are now raiding different areas to arrest those who escaped.”
Among
the dead was Asghar Sumalani, a junior commander in the regional chapter of
Daesh State-Khorasan. He had a two million rupee ($11,400) bounty on his head.
Pakistani
officials have long played down the presence of IS-K in their country.
But
the group has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks, including the
slaying of 11 miners from the minority Shiite Hazara community last year.
Some
of the miners were beheaded after being kidnapped from a remote coal mine in
the mountainous Machh area, 60 kilometers (37 miles) southeast of Quetta.
IS-K
has deep roots in several provinces in eastern Afghanistan along the porous border
with Pakistan.
The
group carried out a suicide bombing at Kabul airport in August, killing scores
including 13 US service members, as the Taliban retook Afghanistan.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2001901/world
--------
Senior
TTP leader Khurasani killed in Afghanistan's Nangarhar: sources
Naveed
Siddiqui | Tahir Khan
January
10, 2022
A
senior leader of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Khalid Balti
alias Mohammad Khurasani, was killed in the eastern Nangarhar province of
Afghanistan, a senior security official confirmed on Monday.
Details
on the circumstances surrounding the killing were not clear.
The
official said Balti, aged around 50, had also been the banned outfit's
spokesperson and was involved in several attacks on the people and security
forces of Pakistan.
He
(Balti) had been visiting Kabul frequently since the Taliban seized power in
Afghanistan, the official added.
Balti
had been making efforts for uniting various TTP factions and planning terrorist
attacks with TTP chief Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, the official said, adding that
he had recently hinted at carrying out terrorist attacks inside Pakistan.
However,
a spokesman for the Afghan government denied the killing of the senior TTP
member and said that no such incident had taken place.
"I
do not confirm these reports. They are not true. No such incident has taken
place on this (Afghan) side," Afghan government spokesperson Bilal Karimi
told Dawn.com when asked for a comment on Balti's killing.
Hailing
from Gilgit-Baltistan, Balti had been an operational commander of the TTP for
the past several years.
In
2007, he joined the banned Tehreek Nifaz Shariat-i-Muhammadi in Swat and
established close ties with Mullah Fazlullah, a former head of the TTP. He had
cordial and close relations with TTP members of all tiers, officials said,
adding that Balti played a vital role in the TTP's propaganda campaign.
Officials
said Balti ran a terrorist hideout in Khyber Pakthunkhwa's Miramshah town and
had fled to Afghanistan in the aftermath of operation Zarb-i-Azab. In 2014, he
served as the head of the TTP media committee.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Minorities
in India being targeted by extremist groups, alleges Pakistan PM Imran Khan
Jan
10, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday alleged that minorities in India
were being targeted by extremist groups and warned that such an agenda "is
a real and present threat" to regional peace.
Khan
took to Twitter to make the allegations in the wake of alleged inflammatory and
provocative speeches against Muslims at an event in Haridwar in Uttarakhand
held in December.
On
his Twitter handle, Khan also questioned whether the BJP government supports
the call for genocide of minorities in India, especially the 200 million Muslim
community.
"It
is high time international community took note & acted," he further said.
In
another tweet, Khan accused the BJP-led government of targeting minorities in
India, adding that the extremist agenda "is a real and present threat to
peace in our region."
Last
month, Pakistan's foreign office summoned India's Charge d'Affaires and
conveyed its concern over the alleged hate speeches made at the Haridwar
conclave.
Pakistan
conveyed to the Indian side that the reported hate speeches were viewed with
grave concern by the civil society and a cross-section of people in the
country.
Held
in Haridwar from December 17-20, the Dharma Sansad was organised by Yati
Narasimhanand Giri of the Juna Akhada, who is already under police scanner for
making hate speeches and inciting violence against Muslims.
At
the event, several speakers allegedly made inflammatory and provocative
speeches, calling for the killing of people from the minority community.
Two
FIRs have been lodged against 15 people in the case, including Waseem Rizvi who
changed his name to Jitendra Narayan Tyagi after converting to Hinduism
recently and organiser of the Sansad Yati Narasimhanand, the head priest of
Dasna temple in Ghaziabad.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Opposition
narrative of civil-military rift ‘dead and buried’: PM Imran
Syed
Irfan Raza
January
11, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Imran Khan has once again said that his government’s
relationship with the military was ‘exceptional’ and the opposition’s narrative
regarding a rift between the government and the military was ‘dead and buried’.
In an
apparent response to his detractors, the PM told a meeting of party
spokespersons on Monday that “civil-military relations are unprecedented
these days”.
The
prime minister had shared similar views during a meeting with a journalist last
week.
When
asked — in the context of rumours of a possible deal between the PML-N and
military to send his government packing — whether he felt threatened from any
quarters, the PM said he personally was not under any kind of pressure. He
added that he enjoyed the support of government allies and expressed the
confidence that his government would complete its mandated five years.
Talking
about the tragic incidents that occurred in Murree over the weekend, the PM was
of the opinion that timely arrangements could have averted the deaths of 22
people.
A
close aide to the PM told Dawn after attending the meeting that he praised the
military for swiftly rushing to the aid of those stranded in Murree and
carrying out a rescue operation in the calamity–hit hill station.
PM
Khan said the number of tourists in the country had increased while the
infrastructure was the same as it was several decades ago, stressing the need
for improving facilities and constructing new hotels in tourist spots.
Finance
Minister Shaukat Tarin also told the meeting about agreements made by the
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government with the International Monetary Fund
(IMF). He also claimed that prices of food items were on the decline.
PM
assails Modi regime
Earlier,
PM Khan called the extremist agenda of the Narendra Modi-led government “a real
and present threat to peace in the region”, saying that all minorities in India
were in the crosshairs of extremist groups operating under the patronage of the
ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
In a
series of tweets, the prime minister lambasted Mr Modi for his “continuing
silence” and inaction against extremist Hindutva groups that were calling for
genocide of minorities in the country.
Mr
Khan said the extremist ideology of the ruling BJP was behind the provocations
against India’s minorities.
“Under
the extremist ideology of the BJP Modi govt, all religious minorities in India
have been targeted with impunity by Hindutva groups,” he said and urged the
international community to take notice of the calls and act against it.
Last
month, leaders from several far-right groups in India had called for the ethnic
cleansing of minorities in the country, especially targeting its 200
million-strong Muslim population.
The
“hate speech conclave” was reportedly organised by Hindutva leader Yati
Narsinghanand from Dec 17 to 19 in the city of Haridwar, where multiple calls
to kill minorities and attack their religious spaces were made.
It
has also been reported that Hindu leader Narsinghanand has been accused of
inciting communal tension against the Muslim community on several occasions.
Similarly,
Sadhvi Annapurna, the general secretary of the political party Hindu Mahasabha,
also gave a call to arms and incitement to genocide.
“Nothing
is possible without weapons. If you want to eliminate their population, then
kill them. Be ready to kill and be ready to go to jail. Even if 100 of us are ready
to kill 20 lakhs of them (Muslims), then we will be victorious, and go to
jail,” he had said.
PTI
restructuring
On
Monday, PM Khan also chaired a meeting of senior PTI leaders, directing them to
take effective steps to further strengthen the PTI’s organisational structure
across the country.
He
also called for activating PTI workers for success in the upcoming local
government elections.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
FM
Qureshi, Romanian PM discuss bilateral ties, Afghanistan situation
January
10, 2022
BUCHAREST:
Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shah Mahmood Qureshi who is on visit to
Romania called on Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuc on Monday and discussed
with him issues of bilateral interest, prevailing situation of Afghanistan and
grave human rights violations by Indian troops in IIOJK.
Earlier,
the Romanian Chief of Protocol received the foreign minister upon his arrival
at PM Office.
While
conveying good wishes from Prime Minister Imran Khan, the foreign minister
highlighted the historic and cordial ties between the two countries.
Shah
Mahmood Qureshi informed the Romanian PM that Pakistan desired to establish
broad-based and result-oriented ties with his country and the current
improvement of the bilateral relations manifested the vision of the two
leaderships.
While
appreciating the anti-COVID measures by Romania, he thanked the prime minister
of Romanian for a donation of 500,000 doses of anti-COVID vaccines to Pakistan
by his government.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Africa
Sudan's
Sovereign Council accepts UN initiative
Mohammed
Amin
11.01.2022
KHARTOUM,
Sudan
Sudan’s
Sovereign Council said Monday that it accepts a UN initiative to facilitate
dialogue among all of the Sudanese parties to resolve the country’s political
crisis.
Sovereign
Council spokeswoman Salma Abdul-Jabbar Al-Mubarak said the council, headed by
Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, welcomes the initiative.
She
called for the participation of the African Union to support and contribute to
the success of the intra-Sudanese talks.
Al-Mubarak
further said that the council will form a caretaker government in order to fill
the void at the executive level left by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's
resignation on Jan. 2
Volker
Perthes, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan and head
of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan
(UNITAMS), has launched a dialogue initiative between the Sudanese partners.
“The
UN-facilitated intra-Sudanese political process is aimed at supporting Sudanese
stakeholders in agreeing on a way out of the current political crisis and
agreeing on a sustainable path forward towards democracy and peace,” he told a
press conference.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/sudans-sovereign-council-accepts-un-initiative/2470469
--------
Islamic
State claims responsibility for Dec 25 suicide attack in Congo
10
Jan 2022
CAIRO:
Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed at
least five people in a restaurant in the city of Beni in eastern Congo on Dec.
25, the group's Amaq news agency said on a Telegram channel on Monday.
Source:
Brecorder
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Somali
national army kills some 25 al-Shabaab terrorists
Mohammed
Dhaysane
10.01.2022
MOGADISHU,
Somalia
The
Somali National Army on Monday said it had killed at least 25 members of the
al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group al-Shabaab and wounded dozens in an
operation in the country's southwest.
The
operation, which took place near the town of Barire in the Lower Shabelle
province, was carried out by Gorgor (eagle) special commandos who were trained
by the Turkish military under bilateral security cooperation.
"The
operation came after the army got an intelligence report that the terrorist
fighters were regrouping in the area," the Somali National News Agency
reported on Monday.
Bariire
is a small strategic agricultural town located 74 kilometers (45 miles)
southwest of the capital Mogadishu which was recently liberated from al-Shabaab
by a major military offensive.
On
Sunday, the Somali National Army and forces from the country’s Galmudug region
repulsed an attack by al-Shabaab, killing at least 21 of its members.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/somali-national-army-kills-some-25-al-shabaab-terrorists/2470328
--------
Tunisian
activist says revolution against ‘coup’ still alive
Adel
El-Thabti
10.01.2022
TUNIS,
Tunisia
A
renowned Tunisian leftist activist said the 2011 revolution is still alive, as
the North African country prepares to mark the 11th anniversary of an uprising
that unseated former President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.
"The
revolution is still going on. It’s not over yet,” Ezzeddine Hazgui told Anadolu
Agency.
Hazgui,
77, is the spokesperson for “Citizens Against Coup” movement, a group that
spearheads protests against incumbent President Kais Saied’s power seizure.
January
14 marks the anniversary of the Tunisian revolution that toppled Ben Ali.
Saied, however, changed the date to Dec. 17, when fruit seller Mohammed
Bouazizi set himself ablaze after an altercation with police, an incident which
ignited the uprising.
Hazgui
slammed Saied’s move to change the date, saying the Tunisian president is
“denying history” like his “tyrant predecessors”.
“This
(Saied) who did not participate in the history of this country in any national
movement wants to change its history," Hazgui said.
For
Hazgui, Dec. 17, 2010 marks the beginning of the revolution but Jan. 14, 2011,
is the culmination of the uprising. “We will celebrate the revolution on Jan.
14," he said.
Saied
ousted the government on July 25, 2021, suspended parliament and assumed
executive authority. While he insists that his "exceptional measures"
are meant to "save" the country, critics have accused him of
orchestrating a coup.
Hunger
Strike
Last
month, Hazgui’s group launched a hunger strike to protest "Tunisia's
sliding into a real repressive juncture". It accused Saied of
orchestrating "individual rule and the suppression of the voices of
opponents", including the dispersing of sit-ins on December 17 and 18.
Hazgui
said the hunger strike was triggered by “the fierce attack of the repressive
security of the Ministry of the Interior and the militias of coup master
(Saied) on December 18, when we were attacked.”
He
said his movement was also protesting “the military trials of civilians and
legitimate lawmakers" following Saied’s “exceptional measures”.
“The
legitimate parliamentarians are detained on military orders,” Hazgui said,
adding that the move was “a violation of all laws”.
The
activist went on to accuse the Tunisian president of seeking to control the
judiciary.
"The
president has appointed himself as a judge, prosecutor, and researcher, and he
is walking on a path that he himself does not know where it leads,” Hazgui
said.
Real
democrats
Hazgui
said the “coup” was a test to sieve the real democrats from those claiming to
be democrats.
He
added that the hunger strike "exposed everyone, those who claim democracy
are undemocratic, just as it exposed the claimants of human rights."
"There
is an organization called the Tunisian League for Human Rights (founded in
1976) and there are dozens of bloggers and civilians in prisons, dozens were
kept in compulsory residence, and dozens were prevented from traveling. We
launched a hunger strike and the League did not speak."
He
accused the League and some elites of being “anti-democratic” and people who
“still live in the Middle Ages” with “tribal thinking”.
Hope
Hazgui
believes the hunger strike will bear fruits. "We have not lost hope, and
we call on the people to join us. Our strike is part of exposing Saied's
violations."
He
hailed the hunger strike for being able to "assemble some of the elites
who had not met before and discussed a lot during the past half month,” adding
that the elites subscribed to “different ideological orientations”, something
he hopes will pave way for a better Tunisia.
Hazgui
said those leftists that support Saied cannot claim to be leftist.
"These
are the same leftists who went with Ben Ali in 1991 against the Islamists,” Hazgui
said.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Sudanese
protester dies of wounds, death toll rises to 63
Talal
Ismail
10.01.2022
KHARTOUM,
Sudan
A
Sudanese protester died of his injuries on Monday, taking the death toll from
protests against the military takeover in Sudan to 63, according to local
medics.
In a
statement, the independent Central Doctors Committee said a 16-year-old youth
was injured in the head during Sunday’s protests against the military and succumbed
to his injuries on Monday.
There
was no comment from the Sudanese authorities on the report.
Sudan
has been in turmoil since Oct. 25 when the military dismissed Prime Minister
Abdalla Hamdok's transitional government and declared a state of emergency.
Prior
to the military takeover, Sudan was governed by a sovereign council of military
and civilian officials tasked with overseeing the transition period until
elections in 2023.
Hamdok
resigned on Jan. 2, six weeks after he returned to his post in a deal with army
chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, an agreement rejected by most political groups in
Sudan.
On
Saturday, the UN mission in Sudan launched a UN-facilitated intra-Sudanese
political process in an effort to salvage the country’s transition to democracy.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Libyan
security forces break up protest sit-in by migrants
January
10, 2022
SHARM
EL-SHEIKH: Libyan security forces raided and violently broke up a protest
sit-in by migrants outside a shuttered UN community center in the capital of
Tripoli, activists and migrants said on Monday.
The
troops came on Sunday night, smashed up the protest site and arrested hundreds,
said activist Tarik Lamloum. Those detained were sent to a detention center in
the nearby town of Ain Zara.
Others
managed to flee from the raid, he said.
Lamloum,
who works with the local Belaady Organization for Human Rights, said at least
one migrant community leader was shot during the raid.
The
migrants, including women and children, had camped outside the center in
Tripoli since October, seeking protection following a massive crackdown on
migrants, and demanding better treatment at the hands of Libyan authorities.
Aiysha,
a Sudanese migrant, was part of the sit-in protest along with her family since
October. The mother of two said police beat and detained migrants. She was
among those detained.
“We
were caught off guard,” she said, speaking by phone from the detention center
in Ain Zara. She gave only her first name, fearing for her safety.
“They
burned the tents, burned everything.”
The
Norwegian Refugee Council and the International Rescue Committee said more than
600 migrants were detained in the raid.
“This
is the culmination of a disastrous situation that has deteriorated” since the
mass detention of migrants in October, said Dax Roque, the NRC’s Libya
director.
Both
groups urged Libyan authorities to immediately release those detained and
provide them protection from further violence.
A
government spokesman did not answer phone calls and messages seeking comment.
In
the October crackdown, Libyan authorities rounded up more than 5,000 migrants,
including hundreds of children and women — dozens of them pregnant, according
to the United Nations.
Authorities
at the time described it as a security operation against illegal migration and
drug trafficking.
The
detained migrants were taken to overcrowded detention centers, prompting an
outcry from the UN and human rights groups.
Libya
has been engulfed in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed
Muammar Qaddafi in 2011.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2001806/middle-east
--------
North America
New
York fire victims were mostly Muslim immigrants
Anwar
Iqbal
January
11, 2022
NEW
YORK: New York Mayor Eric Adams said on Monday that a “significant number” of
the Bronx fire victims were Muslims, originally from Gambia.
At
least 19 people, including nine children, were killed on Sunday when an
apartment building in the New York borough of Bronx caught fire.
A
representative for the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), which was
working with other Muslim charity groups to help the survivors, said “almost
all the victims” were Muslims.
Mayor
Adams said the city was coordinating with faith leaders to ensure the dead
receive Islamic burial rites.
City
officials also confirmed that the fire injured more than 63 people, 32 of whom
were in life-threatening condition. Most of them were Muslims too.
“This
is a horrific, horrific, painful moment for the city of New York,” Mayor Adams
said.
The
mayor assured the survivors that the city will not share the names of building
residents seeking government assistance with the department of Immigration and
Customs Enforcement (ICE). Earlier reports suggested that the survivors were
reluctant to seek help as they feared deportation.
“We’re
all feeling this. And we’re going to be here for this community to help them
navigate through this,” Mayor Adams said. “Your names will not be turned over
to ICE or any other institution.”
New
York Governor Kathy Hochul said she would establish a victim’s compensation
fund, and New York Senator Chuck Schumer promised to offer housing, tax and
immigration assistance at the federal level. “This is a night of tragedy and
pain. And tomorrow we begin to rebuild,” Governor Hochul said.
The
fire started just before 11am on Sunday, in a duplex apartment on the second
and third floors of the building, which houses African immigrants. “And
significant number of them are practicing Muslims,” a city official told
reporters.
The
New York Times reported that the firefighters arrived within three minutes and
encountered smoke that extended the entire height of the 19-story building.
New
York Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro told reporters that “the smoke
conditions in this building were unprecedented,” and that victims had suffered
from severe smoke inhalation.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1668796/new-york-fire-victims-were-mostly-muslim-immigrants
--------
Ethiopia’s
Abiy Ahmed holds ‘candid’ conversation with US President Joe Biden
10
January ,2022
US
President Joe Biden spoke to Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Monday about
the latest developments in the war-torn African country.
Ahmed
tweeted that he held a “candid” phone call with Biden on Ethiopia, “bilateral
relations as well as regional matters.”
“We
both agree there is great value in strengthening our cooperation through
constructive engagement founded on mutual respect,” the Ethiopian premier said.
The
White House said Biden commended Abiy for releasing several political prisoners
while both leaders discussed ways to “accelerate dialogue toward a negotiated
ceasefire, the urgency of improving humanitarian access across Ethiopia, and
the need to address the human rights concerns of all affected Ethiopians.”
The
US president also voiced concern over recent airstrikes and the killing of
civilians.
“Both
leaders underscored the importance of the US-Ethiopia relationship, the potential
to strengthen cooperation on a range of issues, and the need for concrete
progress to resolve the conflict,” the White House said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
conference calls for immediate humanitarian aid for Afghanistan
January
11, 2022
WASHINGTON:
A group of Afghans, including former government officials and representatives
of civil society organizations, held a one-day conference in Washington on
Monday in an effort to encourage communication and cooperation between US
authorities and the Taliban government in Kabul to facilitate the delivery of
humanitarian aid to the Afghan people.
The
Afghan Peace and Humanitarian Task Force said it wants to help keep all lines
of communication open between the international community and the Taliban in an
effort to prevent a humanitarian disaster.
“The
Afghan Peace and Humanitarian Task Force is initiating the Washington
Conference on Peace and Humanitarian Assistance for Afghanistan primarily to
forge common terms between the United States and the Taliban government, and to
facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the starving Afghans (to
prevent) the unfolding catastrophe,” conference organizers said.
The
participants also discussed the potential security threat to the US and the
wider world if Afghanistan remains isolated, as it was under the 1990s Taliban
rule.
Taliban
Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi addressed the conference from Kabul. He
answered questions and pledging cooperation with the international community to
alleviate the humanitarian crisis.
Afghan
Senator Bakhtar Aminzay told Arab News that he was encouraged by the
conference, during which he said witnessed the efforts of the Afghan diaspora
to bring about positive change in their country and help avert a humanitarian
crisis this winter.
“I am
encouraged by Mr. Muttaqi’s answers at the conference where he stressed his
government’s pledge to end the war in the country and to speak a common language
with the international community, as well as the US,” he said.
He
added that Afghanistan must move toward peace and stability, with the help of
the US and the international community, for the sake of the long-suffering
population.
Halil
Demir, chairman of the Zakat Foundation of America, an international Muslim
charity based in Chicago, said the conference represented an important step
toward a partnership between Afghan civil society organizations and the
international community in an effort to help the country and its people.
He
told Arab News that the humanitarian situation is dire and the lack of
international recognition of local financial institutions in Afghanistan is
complicating access to international aid.
“I
urge the international community to recognize the local financial institutions
in Afghanistan to help facilitate humanitarian aid reaching to those who need
it the most,” he said.
Following
a prolonged war against the American-backed former government, the Taliban
regained control of Afghanistan on Aug. 15 last year, shortly after Western
troops withdrew from the country. Lack of international recognition of the new
Taliban government remains the main obstacle to the delivery of aid and
financial assistance to those in need.
In
December, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution clearing the
way for aid to reach most of the Afghans in desperate need of assistance. It
was welcomed by Martin Griffiths, the UN’s emergency relief coordinator,
especially given the harsh winter that is expected in Afghanistan.
But
according to Abdul Subhan Misbah, the chairman of Akbar, an umbrella group of
118 non-governmental civic and humanitarian Afghan organizations, the UN
resolution has yet to make any difference to the people of the country.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2001896/world
--------
Europe
'Peaceful
Kazakh protests became violent due to criminal and Islamist elements'
10
januari 2022
by
Paolo Sorbello
On 8
January, people in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan’s capital, woke up with a slow but
steady internet connection. Like their fellow countrymen, they had been sealed
off from internet communications for almost three days, as the emergency in the
Central Asian state worsened.
In
the business capital, Almaty, violent clashes had set the city ablaze for three
days and internet connection continued to be down. Only subscribers to certain
mobile operators could be reached in other cities in Kazakhstan and abroad,
keeping residents and observers in a frightening state of blackout broken only
by gunshots and sirens.
After
protests against growing fuel prices in the west of the country escalated into
violence and looting across the country, what really happened in Kazakhstan
since 2 January remains to be discovered.
openDemocracy
reached Yevgeniy Zhovtis, a prominent human rights defender and director of the
Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights, in Almaty via telephone. He
was able to offer a tentative explanation of the causes and developments during
this past week – as well as some insights on what to expect next.
Popular
discontent in Kazakhstan has been simmering for years. What finally provoked
the fuel protests that sparked the nationwide demonstrations?
'First,
there was a protest regarding a price increase of liquefied petroleum gas
(LPG), which was initially confined to western Kazakhstan, in the town of
Zhanaozen. The government was unable to provide a satisfactory explanation,
saying the pricing policy would now be regulated by market principles. Yet
people knew that the fuel sector there is monopolised: lifting the government
subsidies would simply mean more expensive fuel.
This
initial protest of 2 January, which spelled out economic demands, was met by an
attempt to negotiate on the part of the government, which sent a commission
headed by the deputy prime minister to talk to people in Zhanaozen’s central
square. The government wanted to avoid a repetition of the clashes that led to
the shooting of unarmed striking oil workers there in 2011 and tried to prevent
an escalation. It was, however, too late.
The
next day the protest spread to nearby cities, sparking rallies of solidarity
across the country. At this point, socio-economic demands were already being
accompanied by more structured political demands for change.'
A
short timeline of what we know about the crisis in Kazakhstan:
Sat.
1 January. Subsidized prices for LPG are set free. As a consequence, LPG prices
double overnight.
Sun.
2 January. Residents of oil-producing city Zhanaozen, situated in Kazakhstan’s
less-wealthy western Mangystau region, where 70-90 percent of vehicles run on
LPG, take to the streets.
Mon.
3 January. Approximately 1000 Zhanaozen protesters gather on the city's central
square. Promises to lower gas prices by the authorities do not quell the crowd.
Tue.
4 January. Uprisings spread from Kazakhstan’s west to other parts of the
country. Approximately 5000 people gather in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city
and Soviet-era capital. Riot police attack the crowds in Almaty throwing tear
gas and stun grenades. Government announces a reversal of the decision to set
free LPG prices, but it does not quell the crowd.
Wed.
5 January. Demonstrations escalate: protesters attempt to pull down statue of
Nazarbayev, government buildings are set on fire, Almaty Intl. Airport is
stormed. Tokayev responded: the President blocked internet and messaging apps,
declared a state of emergency, fired the government, called on Russia to come
to his assistance, and he announced that he would replace former President
Nazarbayev as Chairman of Kazakhstan’s security council.
Thu.
6 January. An unknown amount of protesters, as well as 12 police officers, are
killed. Russia deploys its 'peacekeeping troops' under the umbrella of the CSTO
(Collective Security Treaty Organisation).
Fri.
7 January. President Tokayev declares 'constitutional order' to have been
restored, orders security forces to 'shoot to kill without warning,' claiming
that not protesters, but 20,000 'armed and trained bandits, both local and
foreign' were responsible for the unrest.
Sat.
8 January. Despite the tightened grip of the government, protests continue in
Zhanaozen. President Tokayev arrested Karim Massimov, the head of Kazakhstan's
security services.
Sun.
9 January. Various government bodies report 164 people to have been killed, of
which 103 died in Almaty. 5800 people were still in detention.
Mon.
10 January. After a five-day block, internet returns to Almaty.
Who
joined the protests in solidarity across the country?
'The
groups behind the protest had different motivations and the protest changed
course over time. Some of them rallied in support and solidarity of the
original protests from Zhanaozen. Others took to the streets to voice the
demands of unofficial opposition parties, such as [exile oligarch] Mukhtar
Ablyazov’s Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan and [opposition journalist]
Zhanbolat Mamai’s Democratic Party, alongside youth movements such as Oyan,
Qazaqstan! and other less-organised groups and individuals. These protesters
demanded political reform and the release of political prisoners.
In
our work at the International Bureau for Human Rights, we monitor these
protests and we can assess that the massive gatherings of 3 to 4 January were
not organised by one particular group.
The
trigger was rather the difficult socio-economic situation, the pandemic, and
the ongoing restrictions to freedoms.
Until
midday on 4 January, the protest was largely peaceful and pressure was mostly
registered on the part of the police and security forces.
This
made the situation tense, also given that the police, the ruling party, and the
authorities in general have no legitimacy and don’t enjoy any trust from the
population. Besides some government officials in the west of the country, local
governors refrained from meeting with the people at the rallies.'
We
saw different styles and different kinds of people protesting, from angry
residents to workers to looters. What can you tell us about the make-up of the
protest?
'By 5
January, there were probably four main groups of people on the streets of
Almaty, where the protest took on a mass scale.
The
first group was the peaceful citizens that had gathered the previous days
across most urban centres in the country. A second group comprised the
[opposition] political groups that tend to take part in these protests, which
are generally promptly suppressed. A third group was composed of a large crowd
of young people, mostly marginalised segments of the population that came into
the city from the outskirts of the metropolis and from nearby villages. This
generated a tension along rural-urban lines, and became evident in this group’s
drive to loot the city. This group numbered in the thousands and [President
Kassym-Jomart] Tokayev later called them 'terrorists and bandits,' but that’s
far from the truth. It was just a crowd, like those we have seen recently on
the streets of the United States or France.
The
last group, which by no means should be considered as unitary or organised, is
the violent section, composed by Islamists and criminal elements infiltrated by
loyalists to local elites. It is likely that Islamist groups were behind the
burning of government buildings in the northern city of Aktobe, where Islamist
cells historically exist. The involvement of these people, whose objective was
to attack the police and steal weapons, was visible in the south as well, in
the cities of Taraz, Shymkent and Almaty, where several criminal and violent
groups possibly linked to the elites operated. The third and fourth group
joined forces in certain instances, especially in Almaty, escalating the
violence against the police, which responded with an iron fist.'
The
hypothesis that some of the violent elements originated from local elites could
be a sign of an internal struggle for power?
'We
have seen political machinations in Kazakhstan for decades. This time it seems
possible that some of the violent groups were close to the circles of former
president Nursultan Nazarbayev, and probably acted from within the security
service, the Committee for National Security (KNB), which we here used to call
the Committee for Nazarbayev’s Security.
This
is why one of the first and most decisive actions by Tokayev was to first
dismiss and then announce the arrest of the head of the KNB, Karim Massimov,
and then take the position of head of the National Security Council, previously
held by Nazarbayev. In his initial speech to the nation, Tokayev spoke about an
attempted coup, which he later amplified by publishing the accusation of high
treason against Massimov, someone who has been very close to Nazarbayev
historically. This would confirm the hypothesis that the enemy was within the
state apparatus.
Of
course, this is speculation, because it would be extremely difficult to verify
what goes on behind the closed doors of the presidential palace. In any case,
the situation is very complex. I believe at this time Tokayev might be trying
to balance different elite groups.'
In a
speech on 7 January, Tokayev explicitly accused activists, foreign media, and
human rights defenders for having abused their rights to freedom of speech and
having mishandled the freedoms he had granted with a new 2020 law on peaceful
assembly.
'Since
coming to power in 2019, Tokayev had been trying to build a 'managed civil
society', something he could control through his channels. Yet, the fact that
people are witnessing and living through social injustice led to a widespread
distrust of these so-called reforms.
The
people who have been carrying out the official policy of the ‘Listening State’
[the nickname for Tokayev’s liberalisation and modernisation policy announced
in 2019] have done so in a Soviet manner, top-down, through manipulation, and
by controlling the media. I believe that part of the presidential speech was
written by Dauren Abayev, former minister of information and now deputy head of
the presidential administration. Human rights defenders and NGOs never enjoyed
his favour and were always targeted. In addition, I believe that Russian
political technologists assisted in drafting the speech, given the lexicon that
Tokayev uses.
Source:
Raamop Rusland
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Kazakhstan
detains almost 10,000 over deadly unrest
Jan
11, 2022
NUR-SULTAN:
Security forces in Kazakhstan have detained 9,900 people regarding last week's
unrest, the interior ministry of the central Asian nation said on Tuesday.
The
news comes as President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who called the violence a coup
attempt, is set to nominate a new prime minister in an address to parliament
later in the day.
The
oil-rich former Soviet republic says government buildings were attacked in
several major cities after initially peaceful protests against hikes in the
price of car fuel turned violent.
Tokayev
has said Islamist militants from regional nations and Afghanistan, as well as
the Middle East, were among the attackers.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Russia-led
troops to begin leaving Kazakhstan in two days: President
11
January ,2022
Kazakhstan’s
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said Tuesday that a contingent of Russia-led
forces would begin leaving the troubled Central Asian country in two days, with
the pullout to take no more than 10 days.
“The
main mission of the CSTO peacekeeping forces has been successfully completed,”
Tokayev said, referring to troops of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization.
“In
two days a phased withdrawal of the CSTO united peacekeeping contingent will
begin. The withdrawal process of the contingent will take no more than 10 days,”
he said, addressing the government and parliament in a videoconference call
broadcast live.
The
CSTO mission of more than 2,000 troops was despatched at the peak of the crisis
last week, after armed clashes between government opponents and security forces
and a looting spree rendered parts of the largest city Almaty almost
unrecognisable.
Tokayev
also appeared to have further bolstered his position, backing acting prime
minister Alikhan Smailov to take on the job permanently -- a nomination that
won the unanimous support of lawmakers Tuesday.
Kazakhstan
has framed last week’s unrest that grew out of a peaceful protest against an
energy price hike in the west of the country and left dozens dead as a coup
attempt assisted by foreign terrorists, but the crisis has also laid bare
infighting at the very top of the government.
Tokayev’s
mentor, founding president Nursultan Nazarbayev, has yet to appear publicly
since the crisis began, despite Nazarbayev’s aide claiming that the 81-year-old
strongman was in the capital Nur-Sultan and in dialogue with Tokayev.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Bosnia
sends protest notes to Russian, Chinese, Serbian embassies
Mustafa
Talha Öztürk
11.01.2022
BELGRADE,
Serbia
Bosnia
and Herzegovina sent protest notes Monday to the Russian, Chinese and Serbian
embassies for sending embassy representatives to mark the anniversary of the
founding of the autonomous Republika Srpska in defiance of a top court ruling.
Foreign
Minister Bisera Turkovic emphasized that the official participation in these
celebrations amounted to a gross interference in the internal affairs of Bosnia
and Herzegovina.
In
the protest notes, the relevant decision of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia
and Herzegovina published in the official gazette was included, and it was
stated that such actions could disrupt bilateral relations with Bosnia and
Herzegovina.
The
Ministry of Foreign Affairs lodged a protest over the presence of
representatives of the embassies at the commemoration ceremonies in the city of
Banja Luka, which represent an act opposing the upper ruling of the
Constitutional Court.
The
ministry was therefore forced to strongly condemn this behavior, which can
disrupt friendly relations, said the notes.
Bosnian
Serbs held celebrations to mark the anniversary of the founding of the
Republika Srpska entity.
A
parade in Banja Luka – the administrative capital of the entity – kicked off
the celebrations Sunday.
Among
those attending were Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic together with Serbian
Parliament Speaker Ivica Dacic and ministers from her Cabinet as well as the
Chinese and Russian ambassadors to Sarajevo and far-right French deputies.
Court
order
Bosnian
Serbs consider Jan. 9 to be their small state's most important holiday.
However,
in late November 2015, Bosnia's Constitutional Court ruled that celebrating
Republika Srpska Statehood Day could be discriminatory to other ethnic groups
in the country.
The
Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina was established by the Dayton
Peace Agreement that ended the Bosnian War in 1995. It consists of two
Bosniaks, two Serbs, two Croats and three foreign judges, and its decisions are
legally binding.
However,
Serbs in Republika Srpska overwhelmingly passed a controversial referendum on a
"national holiday" in defiance of Bosnia's highest court in September
2016.
Over
99% of the voters in the Serb-majority territory chose to make Jan. 9
“Statehood Day,” fueling fears that the referendum could be a first step
towards seeking independence from Bosnia and Herzegovina, a country torn apart
by violent ethnic conflict in the 1990s.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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After
2 decades, former British inmate recalls Guantanamo ordeal
Ahmet
Gurhan Kartal
10.01.2022
LONDON
A
British citizen who was kept in custody and tortured at the infamous Guantanamo
Bay detention center by the US government in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror
attacks says he is still struggling for justice.
Speaking
to Anadolu Agency on the 20th anniversary of the opening of the prison located
in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Moazzam Begg, one of the directors of the London-based
advocacy group CAGE, said: “We've been campaigning since the beginning against
Guantanamo and also the Islamophobic policies that exist within the Western
world.”
Begg,
who was detained in Islamabad, Pakistan on Jan. 31, 2002, said he “tried to
seek accountability” after his unjustified detention of two years at the
International Criminal Court in The Hague and through the police by giving
evidence about the role of British intelligence in torture, which is a crime.
He
said that after giving evidence at a war crimes tribunal and meetings with
ministers of the UK government, he "sat with people who have ordered … an
inquiry into the role of the British in torture.”
“And
every single step of the way, we find that the governments of the United States
of America and all of its allies that were involved in torture are above the law,”
Begg said.
“None
of them are accountable for their role in the war crimes, in the war on
terror.”
Begg
said his attempt was a legal case "against those who were involved in
torture.”
He
said British police visited the US, Guantanamo, and Libya for investigations,
but “every time they found that the governments of Britain, America, and
elsewhere would not cooperate with the police investigation.”
“And
so, that again, tells me that the government is above the law.”
Begg
said there are still 39 prisoners who are in custody without indictment at the
detention camp.
“American
President George (W) Bush opened the place, but he also released … over 500
prisoners,” he said, adding that his successor Barack Obama failed to keep his
promise to close the center and to prosecute those who were involved in
torture.
Quoting
former President Donald Trump as saying “I believe torture works,” Begg said:
“Imagine if somebody of any other country said ‘I believe torture works, and I
will torture prisoners,’ and then for somebody to say ‘I will torture American
prisoners,’ what the world would think.”
Begg
said US President Joe Biden has been in power for one year and has so far
released one prisoner only.
“And
that is a Moroccan prisoner called Abdul Latif Nasir.”
Bitter
memories
Begg
still remembers how he was detained and started his two-year-long journey of
custody, torture, and rendition at the hands of the US government.
He
said that on Jan. 31, 2002, “unidentified individuals who stormed into my house
put a gun to my head, tied my hands behind my back, put a hood over my head,
and carried me off into the back of a vehicle. There, I realized that these are
CIA agents with the Pakistani ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence).”
“And
they threatened to send me to Guantanamo. At first, they sent me to a series of
secret detention sites, first in Pakistan and then into American custody, where
they took me to Kandahar prison, then Bagram prison, where I stayed for about
one year, and then eventually to Guantanamo, where I would remain for another
two years, after which I was released without charge or trial.”
Torture
and killings
Begg
told Anadolu Agency that he “witnessed and endured many types of abuses myself,
but the worst thing that I saw was a prisoner. He was brought to the front of
me. His hands were tied to the top of the cage-like this, and he was suspended.
He had, placed over his head, a sack and he was kicked repeatedly. And
eventually, he was killed.”
“This
is a death that the Americans have accepted. And the reason why they killed him
was that they found it amusing that every time they kicked him on his leg, he
said ‘Allah, Allah,’ so they kicked him so that he could say ‘Allah, Allah,’
and he did that. Over 100 times he was kicked on his leg.”
Remembering
another beating to death of a separate prisoner after he tried to escape, Begg
said they were “innocent prisoners, they were never charged with any crime.”
“So
watching the abuse and the murder of these prisoners has been something that
has remained with me all of this time.”
Worst
memory
Begg
said probably the worst thing that happened to him was in Bagram.
“I
heard the sound of a woman screaming in the next cell, which they led me to
believe was my wife being tortured,” he said.
“They
brought pictures of my family, my children in front of me, while my hands were
tied behind my back to my legs, and they said: ‘Well, where are your children?
Where's your wife? What do you think happens to them?
“Now,
by Allah's Mercy, (she) wasn't my wife, but it was somebody else’s wife. It was
somebody else’s daughter, it was somebody’s sister. They had a woman in that
prison. I know that for a fact, and still I'm trying to discover who that woman
was.”
An
American project
“Well,
let's remember one thing. Guantanamo is an American project. It's Republican.
It's Democrat. It's Black. It's white. It's East Coast. It's West Coast,” Begg
said.
He
explained his ordeal as he was detained in 2002.
“Two
soldiers sat on top of me, one on my head, one on my back. They took out a
knife and they slipped off my clothes with a knife and I could feel the cold
steel against my skin. And then they dragged me in the mud, screaming and
shouting, spitting in my face, spitting on my body, spitting on other
prisoners, kicking me, punching me, bringing dogs, and then photographing me in
this state, and then shaving my beard off, shaving my hair off, and then
interrogating me naked, shivering in the cold.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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