India Belongs To Mahmood Madani As Much As PM Modi, Mohan Bhagwat: Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Chief
New Age Islam News Bureau
11 February 2023
Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Chief
Mahmood Madani addressed the 34th General Session- a three-day plenary session
at the Ram Lila ground (Image: ANI)
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• ‘When I’m Among You, I’m Your Family,’ I Have Known
Four Generations of the Syedna, PM Modi Tells Dawoodi Bohras
• Mullah Yaqoob, Sirajuddin Haqqani, and Mullah
Baradar Do Not Trust Each Other: Brookings Institution of US
• Mosque in London Raises $70,000 to Help Quake-Hit
Victims in Türkiye, Syria
• UAE and China Call For UN Security Council Meeting
on Al-Aqsa Mosque Storming
India
• Alleged Rise in Islamophobia: Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind
Wants Separate Law to Punish Those Who Incite Violence against Minorities
• Hindu Organisation Names Hate Speech Makers From
Muslim And Christian Community In Supreme Court
• Karnataka BJP leader challenges JD-S to field Muslim
CM candidate
• 'Read Romila Thapar and...’ Muslim Cleric, Maulana
Sajid Rashidi, Apologises for Comment on Somnath Temple after FIR
• Jamia Nagar Violence: HC Allows Urgent Listing of
Police Plea Challenging Order Discharging Sharjeel Imam, 10 Others
• Gujarat litigants fined for opposing shop sale to
Muslim
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South Asia
• Afghanistan withdrawal a dark chapter for UK: Tobias
Ellwood
• Sweden, Denmark Grants Refugee Status to Afghan
Women and Girls
• Taliban suppression of women’s rights may impact
international financial support: EU Special Envoy on Afghanistan
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Europe
• Arsenal in touch with UK's Muslim community to help
quake victims in Türkiye, Syria
• UN says threat from Daesh remains high
• Western Balkans leaders sign condolence books at
Turkish embassy
• Dutch leader signs condolence book for Türkiye’s
quake victims
• Netherlands cathedral plays Turkish national anthem
in solidarity with quake victims
• French President Macron vows 'full support' for
quake-hit Türkiye
• In wake of global criticism, US issues temporary
sanctions waiver for Syria
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Arab World
• Turkey-Syria Earthquake: UAE Mosques to Hold
Absentee Funeral Prayers for Victims
• Earthquake aid becomes political pawn as powers
clash over Syria access
• UAE rescuers save 2, including child, from rubble
120 hours after Turkey earthquake
• Up to 5.3 million in Syria may be homeless after
quake: UN
• Syria’s Assad regime approves aid to earthquake
victims in areas outside govt control
• More aid arrives in Syria’s quake-struck northwest:
Border official
• Lebanon’s embattled Central Bank chief says he will
not seek new term
• UAE’s Emirates airline launches Air Bridge to
transport aid to Turkey, Syria
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Mideast
• Children Found Alive As Turkey-Syria Quake Toll Tops
22,000
• Iran Exiled Opposition Figures in Talks to Unite
Against Mullah Regime
• Muslims offer absentee prayers for Türkiye, Syria
quake victims
• Iran’s top Sunni cleric calls for release of
political prisoners, criticizes IRGC
• FM: Iran Ready to Send Humanitarian Aid Teams to
Idlib
• Israel quake teams in Turkey should work through
Jewish sabbath: Chief rabbi
• Israel might target Iran’s humanitarian aid
shipments to Syria: Report
• Palestinian prisoners launch mass hunger strike
after prisoner's death
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Pakistan
• Pakistan Economic Crisis: No Bailout Deal With IMF yet,
Islamabad Inches Closer To Bankruptcy
• PM preaches ‘hard work’ to get Pakistan through
‘difficult time’
• Roadmap to reduce distortions in economy unveiled
• Will not betray Imran despite arrest threats, says
Qureshi
• PM asks provinces to crush fresh wave of terrorism
• Imran calls for ‘internal military inquiry’ against
Gen Bajwa
• Opposition in Sindh Assembly slams govt over rising
street crime, drugs abuse in schools
• 2 soldiers martyred in IED blast in Balochistan’s
Kohlu: ISPR
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Southeast Asia
• How Malaysia Can Help Facilitate Peace in Thailand’s
Restive Muslim South
• Muslim pilgrims from Singapore to pay more for the
haj in 2023
• Malaysia’s ex-PM Mahathir quits Pejuang party he
founded, chooses GTA as new political platform
• Rafizi agrees govt must address Malaysia’s low pay,
says high-income nation status achievable
• PM Anwar attends religious talk at Seri Perdana
after arriving from Thailand
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Africa
• Tunisian President Decides To Strengthen Diplomatic
Ties with Syria
• Morocco recalls ambassador to France amid simmering
tensions
• Eritrean leader denies rights violations by his
forces in Ethiopian war
• Jordan sends field hospital to help earthquake
victims in Turkiye
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North America
• US Senator Denies Sanctions Target International Aid
to Northwestern Syria Following Quakes
• US announces $85M in humanitarian assistance to
Türkiye, Syria over earthquakes
• New York City Mayor Voices Support for Quake-Hit Türkiye
• Turkish Americans hold candlelight vigil in US capital
to mourn victims of earthquakes
• US carrier positioned in eastern Mediterranean to
assist Türkiye in earthquake response
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/madani-modi-bhagwat-jamiat-ulama/d/129083
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India Belongs To Mahmood Madani As Much As PM Modi, Mohan Bhagwat: Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Chief
Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Chief
Mahmood Madani addressed the 34th General Session- a three-day plenary session
at the Ram Lila ground (Image: ANI)
--------
11th February 2023
New Delhi: Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind president Mahmood
Madani said India belongs to him as much as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat.
Speaking at the inaugural plenary session of Jamiat
Ulama-i-Hind at Ramlila Maidan in the national capital, Maulana Madani said,
“India is our country. This country belongs to Mahmood Madani as much as it
belongs to Narendra Modi and Mohan Bhagwat. Neither Mahmood is an inch ahead of
them nor are they one inch ahead of Mahmood.”
He further said that Islam is the oldest religion in
this country. “This land is the first homeland of Muslims. Saying that Islam is
a religion that came from outside is totally wrong and baseless. Islam is the
oldest religion among all religions. India is the best country for Hindi
Muslims,” Madani said.
The Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind chief said that they are
against forced religious conversions adding that today people who are
converting their religion voluntarily are also being sent to jail on false
charges.
He said, “We are against religious conversion driven
forcibly. Freedom of religion is a fundamental right. We are also against
conversion by force, fraud and greed. There are many examples of agencies
targeting the Muslim community, such as the ban on Namaz, police action on
them, and bulldozer action.”
The three-day plenary session of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind
began on Friday in Delhi.
According to Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, Uniform Civil Code,
religious freedom and Muslim personal law and autonomy of madrassas are among
some issues that will be discussed in the convention. Further, it said a
proposal can be brought to provide reservation for socio-economically backward
Muslims.
In the 34th session of Jamiat, the steps being taken
to strengthen religious brotherhood and initiatives to prevent hate campaigns
are also part of the agenda.
Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind is a century-old organization and
works for the protection of the civil, religious, cultural and educational
rights of Muslims. Jamiat claims to be the largest organization of Muslims and
socio-political and religious issues of Muslims remain on its agenda. The
Jamiat believes in the Deobandi ideology of Islam.
Source: Siasat Daily
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‘When I’m Among You, I’m Your Family,’ I Have Known
Four Generations of the Syedna, PM Modi Tells Dawoodi Bohras
Photo: The Times of India
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Feb 11, 2023
MUMBAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said he
sees himself as a family member of the Dawoodi Bohras and lauded the strides
the community has made in the fields of education, business and
entrepreneurship.
“When I am among you, I am neither chief minister nor
Prime Minister. I am your family. I have known four generations of the Syedna.
The late Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin too had blessed me,” Modi said, after
inaugurating the Marol campus of Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah, a premier institute of
the Dawoodi Bohra community. The institute has campuses at Surat, Karachi and
Nairobi.
Patron of the Jamea (institution) and spiritual head
of the Dawoodi Bohras, Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, presided over the ceremony
which was attended by chief minister Eknath Shinde, deputy chief minister
Devendra Fadnavis, a few diplomats and community members.
Earlier in the day, Modi flagged the CSMT-Solapur and
CSMT-Sai Nagar Shirdi Vande Bharat Express trains from Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj Terminus, and ‘remotely’ inaugurated two arms of the Santacruz-Chembur
Link Road extension project and Kurar underpass on Western Express Highway.
Modi said during the Dandi March, Mahatma Gandhi had
stayed in a “beautiful” bungalow, Saifee Villa. The late Syedna Taher Saifuddin
had later gifted the bungalow to the nation on former PM Jawaharlal Nehru’s
request. It is now a memorial, which Modi had inaugurated a couple of years
ago.
Modi said he has always enjoyed the love and affection
of the Bohras and whenever he is visiting other countries, members of the
community come to meet him.
Congratulating the Syedna and members of the community
for opening the Mumbai campus of Jamea, Modi said Dawoodi Bohras, who believe
in development and legacy, have moved with the times and have always valued
education, including for girls.
The PM said in the last eight years, India has opened
one university and two colleges every week. Pointing out that the new education
policy focuses on education in mother tongues and Indian languages, he said,
“Now, medical and engineering education can be imparted in local languages
too.”
Modi suggested that skill and technology, institute
and industry need to be blended to create an ecosystem where employment can be
generated. The government has ended 40,000 compliances to help entrepreneurs,
he added.
Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin thanked Modi for joining him
on this “auspicious day” and spoke decades-old friendship and bond between the
PM and his late father Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin.
“India has been our home for centuries, and we are at
peace here,” said the Syedna. He prayed that every child receives education and
opportunity to grow and flourish.
The Syedna also thanked the PM for his numerous
initiatives for the betterment of the nation, remarking specifically on his
presidency of the G20.
Source: Times Of India
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Mullah Yaqoob, Sirajuddin Haqqani, and Mullah Baradar
Do Not Trust Each Other: Brookings Institution Of US
Photo: The Khaama Press
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By Nizamuddin Rezahi
February 10, 2023
Research findings of the Brookings Institution of the
United States indicate that Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada is an irreconcilable
leader, whereas Mullah Yaqoob is a pragmatic person, and it is easier to engage
with him for the West.
It is also highlighted that the National Resistance
Front’s (NRF) military resistance does not pose any immediate threats to the
country’s ruling regime.
Vanda Felbab-Brown author and political analyst in the
foreign policy programs at Brookings say that serious disagreements exist among
the Taliban leaders over the group’s policies.
After contacting reliable sources in Afghanistan and
the West, Brown claims that pragmatic figures such as Mullah Yaqoob, and
Sirajuddin Haqqani do not oppose the Taliban supreme leader’s decrees fearing
death penalties and the group’s division.
Despite the Taliban’s negotiation team in Qatar
repeatedly emphasizing that the group’s policies towards political factions and
women have changed, they have restricted women from participating in education
and work as they seized power in August 2021. Brown says by forming a
‘monopolistic Pashtun government’ the Taliban have kicked other political
groups out of the government circle.
Brown belongs to those Western politicians and
analysts who recently discuss ‘moderate and extreme’ Taliban members. They
believe that the moderate group of Taliban would take control of power in
Afghanistan and revise the group’s policies and engagement with the western
world.
The political analyst reiterates that the Taliban
council based in Kandahar led by Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada exclusively
issues the implementation of extremist decrees in Afghanistan. This comes as
the moderate branch of the Taliban believes that the introduction of such
policies will weaken the current regime and lead to losing control of power in
the long term.
Pragmatic Taliban want the group to sustain power in
Afghanistan. As per their analysis, if the economic challenges and the
international isolation of the ruling regime are not resolved, and the foreign
cash aid ended, the group will not sustain itself in power for longer.
According to Brown, Mullah Yaqoob, Defence Minister,
Mullah Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister, and Sirajuddin Haqqani, Interior
Minister are among the pragmatic Taliban Leaders.
She further adds that the three senior Taliban leaders
including Mullah Yaqoob, Sirajuddin Haqqani, and Mullah Baradar are not united
and do not trust each other. Therefore, it is difficult for them to bring most
of the Taliban commanders with them.
Meanwhile, the chances are high that these senior
Taliban leaders might even lose their lives due to deep intergroup
disagreements, which may lead to the division of the group.
Source: Khaama Press
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Mosque in London Raises $70,000 to Help Quake-Hit
Victims in Türkiye, Syria
Photo: aa.com
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Burak Bir
11.02.2023
LONDON
A London mosque raised £60,000 ($72,000) Friday to
support earthquake victims in Türkiye and Syria.
The East London Mosque, one of the largest in the UK,
said, in partnership with Islamic Relief, Diyanet UK and other UK charity
partners, it has been working to extend a helping hand to those who were
affected by the powerful earthquakes.
"A fundraising collection took place after Friday
prayers with Islamic Relief today after a passionate plea for donations by
Islamic Relief’s UK Director, Tufail Hussain," it said.
The mosque noted that Umit Yalcin, Turkish Ambassador
to the UK, sent a message of support which was read after Friday prayers.
"I am touched by the compassion of our sisters
and brothers in the UK, especially from the East London Mosque, for collecting
funds to aid the survivors of the recent earthquakes," said the
ambassador.
The East London Mosque also said it will continue to fundraise
for victims in the coming weeks to ensure vital aid can reach those who need
it.
More than 20,200 people have died and over 80,000
injured after two strong earthquakes jolted southern Türkiye on Monday,
according to the latest figures.
The 7.7- and 7.6-magnitude earthquakes, centred in the
Kahramanmaras province, have impacted some 13 million people across 10 Turkish
provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis,
Malatya, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa.
In neighboring Syria, the death toll has climbed above
3,300, with more than 5,200 people wounded.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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UAE And China Call For UN Security Council Meeting On Al-Aqsa
Mosque Storming
Diplomats say a UN
Security Council meeting to discuss Itamar Ben-Gvir's visit will probably take
place on Thursday. Photo: UN
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4 January 2023
The United Arab Emirates and China have called for a
United Nations Security Council meeting to discuss Itamar Ben-Gvir's storming
of Al-Aqsa Mosque's courtyards in occupied East Jerusalem.
Israel's far-right national security minister entered
the courtyards on Tuesday accompanied by heavy security, in a highly
provocative move that drew condemnation from his country's allies in the West
and Middle East.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is one of the holiest sites in Islam,
and while it is similarly sacred to Jews, a longstanding agreement - as well as
common Jewish practice - forbids Jewish prayer there.
According to diplomats, the Security Council meeting
is likely to occur on Thursday.
Ben-Gvir's provocative actions have been compared to
those of Israel's former prime minister Ariel Sharon, who made a similar trip
to the site in 2000, sparking the Second Intifada Palestinian uprising.
Among those condemning the visit, which both the Palestinian
Hamas movement and Israeli opposition warned could spark dangerous escalation,
was the United States.
"The United States stands firmly... for
preservation of the status quo with respect to holy sites in Jerusalem,"
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
"Any unilateral action that jeopardises the
status quo is unacceptable."
Separately, State Department spokesman Ned Price said
that the visit "has the potential to exacerbate tensions and to provoke
violence".
The United Arab Emirates, which normalised relations
with Israel in 2020 as part of the US-backed Abraham Accords, also released a
statement of condemnation.
"The UAE today strongly condemned the storming of
Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyard by an Israeli minister under the protection of Israeli
forces," said the statement.
It called on "Israeli authorities to assume
responsibility for reducing escalation and instability in the region".
Jordan's foreign ministry also summoned Israel's
ambassador.
"Jordan condemns in the severest of terms the
storming of the Al-Aqsa mosque and violating its sanctity," the ministry
said.
Religious importance
Jerusalem's al-Aqsa Mosque draws tens of thousands of
pilgrims from across Palestine and the wider Muslim world each year.
It is also the site of the Jewish temple destroyed by
the Romans in 70 CE.
Non-Muslims are allowed to visit the mosque, though
prayer is prohibited and access to the Dome of the Rock shrine and Qibli prayer
hall are restricted.
Since the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem began
in 1967, the site has been the subject of contention between Muslim worshippers
and those groups that want to restore full Jewish control over the area.
Since the 1967 Middle East war, Jewish prayer at the
site has been forbidden, though far-right settlers such as Ben-Gvir have
frequently prayed there under heavy security in recent years.
Source: Middle East Eye
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https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/china-uae-call-un-security-council-meeting-al-aqsa-mosque
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India
Alleged Rise in Islamophobia: Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Wants Separate Law to Punish
Those Who Incite Violence against Minorities
Feb 10, 2023
NEW DELHI: Prominent Muslim organisation, Jamiat
Ulama-i-Hind, on the first day of its three-day national meet at Ramlila Ground
in Delhi on Friday flagged the concern over the alleged rise in Islamophobia
and demanded that a separate law be enacted to specifically punish those who
incite violence against minorities.
Steered by influential clerics, the Jamiat’s 34th
General Session began here at the Ramlila ground under the Presidentship of its
chief Maulana Mahmood Madani. The organisation passed many resolutions. One of
these is on the alleged rise in the hate campaign and Islamophobia in the
country. “The rise in Islamophobia, besides cases of hatred and incitement
against the Muslims community, has increased to an alarming level in our
country, in the recent past. The most regrettable point is that though the
government is aware of these developments, it prefers to adopt an ostrich-like
approach,” JUH alleged in its statement.
To deal with Islamophobia, the JUH has recommended
that the government take strict action against those elements encouraging it
and the media engaged in spreading hatred. “As recommended by the Law
Commission, a separate law should be enacted to specifically punish those who
incite violence against the minorities; in particular, efforts to isolate the
Muslim minority socio-economically should be put to an end immediately,” the
JUH statement emphasised.
In a sepatate draft resolution, the meet dwelled on
measures to counter anti-Islam mindset and defamatory content regarding the
Prophet. “It is a fact that lies die their own death, nevertheless, if
blasphemous content is aired on any channel or social media or hurt the
religious sentiments of Muslims, then a few selected people should take legal
action and lodge an FIR against such channels and social media platforms.
Source: Times Of India
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Hindu Organisation Names Hate Speech Makers From
Muslim And Christian Community In Supreme Court
Feb 11, 2023
NEW DELHI: Days after the Supreme Court ordered the
Maharashtra government to ensure that no hate speech was made at ‘Hindu Jan
Akrosh Morcha’ at Mumbai, a Hindu organisation has moved the SC with a
compilation of scores of incidents of hate speeches by Muslim and Christian
community leaders and sought similar action against them.
A bench headed by Justice K M Joseph had directed the
Maharashtra government to ensure that no hate speeches were made at the rally
and to video-graph the proceedings to take to task anyone indulging in hate
speech. When solicitor general Tushar Mehta had on February 4 said that the
petitioner was from Kerala and would not know what is happening in Mumbai,
Justice Joseph had said anyone can come to the court (on this issue).
Spurred by the SC’s proactive stance to root out hate
speech in the country, a Lucknow-based NGO ‘Hindu Front for Justice’ led by
Ranjana Agnihotri has moved a plea for similar directions for protection of
Hindus from the constant hate speeches from the Muslim and Christian
communities.
The plea filed through advocate Vishnu Jain gave
details of eight processions taken out by Muslims at various places in Uttar
Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat giving ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’
(beheading) calls openly to terrorize the Hindu community.
Recently, the SC had pulled up Delhi police for the
delay in investigating into the FIRs lodged against those who had delivered
alleged hate speeches at a Dharam Sansad organized at Delhi in December 2021
and ordered it to complete the probe and file chargesheet expeditiously.
The fresh plea annexed evidence of recent hate
speeches made by Bihar education minister Chandrashekhar Yadav against
Ramcharit Manas and the virulent hate speeches inciting violence against Hindus
delivered in the last two years by Peerzada Taha Siddiqui of Furfura Sharif, Hooghly,
West Bengal; Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan; Asaduddin Owaisi; Maulana Ilyas
Sharafuddin; Ajmer Dargah khadims Syed Aaadil Chisti and Syed Sarwar Chisti;
AAP MLA Amanutallah Khan; and, Waris Pathan.
It also provided evidence of hate speeches by pastor
George Ponnaiah; preacher Mohan C Lazarus and Bishop Ezra Sargunum of Tamil
Nadu and the mocking of Hindu gods and goddesses by stand up comedians Mnawar
Faruqui, Alexander Babu, Aadar Malik, Surleen Kaur and Sanjay Rajoura.
Source: Times Of India
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Karnataka BJP leader challenges JD-S to field Muslim
CM candidate
11 February, 2023
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], February 10 (ANI):
Karnataka Health and Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar on Friday challenged
JD(S) legislature party leader HD Kumaraswamy to field a Muslim candidate for
Chief Minister’s post in the upcoming Assembly election.
“If Kumaraswamy has guts, he should announce a Muslim
CM candidate. CM Ibrahim is a State unit president of JD-S, let Kumaraswamy
announce him as a CM candidate,” he said.
The Karnataka Minister and BJP leader’s stinging
remarks came in the wake of controversy created by Kumaraswamy over his alleged
remarks against Brahmins.
HD Kumaraswamy recently gave fresh ammunition to the
BJP leaders after he attacked Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, saying that if the
BJP comes to power in the state this time, “a Brahmin” will be the Chief
Minister.
While talking to reporters last week, Kumaraswamy said
that “if the BJP comes to power in the state this time, a Brahmin will become
the Chief Minister.”
Pralhad Joshi will be appointed Chief Minister, and 8
people have already been appointed Deputy Chief Ministers,” he added.
A meeting of RSS leaders was held in Delhi and the
next CM was decided in the meeting and Prahlad Joshi will be the next Chief
Minister, claimed Kumaraswamy.
Kumaraswamy appealed to the voters that the people of
Karnataka “should not fall prey to RSS and BJP scams and false promises.”
“The Brahmin CM (Pralhad Joshi) decided by RSS is not
the Brahmin of our old Karnataka. He (Joshi) belongs to the Peshwas of
Maharashtra who demolished the Sringeri mutt.”
Kumaraswamy was also criticized by State Higher Education
Minister minister CN Ashwath Narayan, who on Tuesday retorted to the JD-S
leader’s remarks and said that the BJP is not engaged in caste-based politics,
“but is a secular party”.
Sudhakar’s statement came after a meeting, conducted
at the party office, as a part of preparations for the run-up to the Karnataka
Assembly elections.
Source: The Print
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'Read Romila Thapar and...’ Muslim Cleric, Maulana
Sajid Rashidi, Apologises for Comment on Somnath Temple after FIR
FEBRUARY 10, 2023
Muslim Cleric Maulana Sajid Rashidi on Friday
apologised for his comment claiming Mahmud of Ghazni did not destroy the
Somnath temple but stopped “immoral things" that were underway, after an
FIR was filed against him in Gujarat on Thursday.
“It was not my intention to hurt anyone. I read
historian Romila Thapar and accordingly made remarks," Rashidi, who is
president of All India Imam Association, said. “I apologize to the Somnath
Trustees as my intention was not to hurt anyone. Muslims ruled for 800 years
and they donated land for temples and beautified them," he was quoted as
saying by ANI.
In an interview aired by some news channels last
month, Rashidi had purportedly claimed that Mahmud of Ghazni did not destroy
the ancient temple of Somnath. “According to history, he learnt that immoral
activities in the name of faith and Hindu gods were being done inside the
temple….After confirming the facts, he invaded the temple. He did not destroy
the temple. He only put an end to wrongdoings," Rashidi had said.
An FIR was registered against Rashidi at Prabhas Patan
under IPC sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds
of religion, race, language, etc.) and 295A (malicious acts intended to outrage
religious feelings), after a complaint by General manager of the Shree Somnath
Trust, Vijaysinh Chavda.
“We have learnt that he had made such provocative
comments in the past too," District Superintendent of Police Manoharsinh
Jadeja told reporters, adding that a probe was on.
Source: News18
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https://www.news18.com/news/india/muslim-cleric-apologises-fir-somnath-temple-comment-7046365.html
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Jamia Nagar Violence: HC Allows Urgent Listing of
Police Plea Challenging Order Discharging Sharjeel Imam, 10 Others
FEBRUARY 10, 2023
The Delhi High Court Friday allowed urgent listing of
a plea by the city police challenging a trial court’s order discharging 11
people, including student activists Sharjeel Imam and Asif Iqbal Tanha, in the
2019 Jamia Nagar violence case.
The plea was mentioned by Solicitor General Tushar
Mehta before a bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice
Subramonium Prasad which allowed it to be listed for hearing on February 13.
The law officer said the court registry has raised
certain objections in the petition.
The petition by police was filed on February 7
challenging the trial court’s February 4 order discharging 11 persons, holding
that they were made “scapegoats" by police and that dissent has to be
encouraged, not stifled.
The trial court, however, ordered framing of charges
against one of the accused, Mohammad Ilyas.
An FIR was lodged in connection with the violence that
erupted after a clash between police and people protesting against the
Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in the Jamia Nagar area here in December
2019.
Imam was accused of instigating the riots by
delivering a provocative speech at the Jamia Milia University on December 13,
2019. He will continue to remain in jail as he is an accused in the larger
conspiracy case of the 2020 northeast Delhi riots.
The trial court had said there were admittedly scores
of protesters at the site and some anti-social elements within the crowd could
have created an environment of disruption and havoc.
“However, the moot question remains — whether the
accused persons herein were even prima facie complicit in taking part in that
mayhem? The answer is an unequivocal no," it had added.
Noting that the accused were merely present at the
protest site and there was no incriminating evidence against them, the trial
court had said dissent is an extension of the fundamental right to freedom of
speech and expression, subject to reasonable restrictions.
It had said investigative agencies need to discern the
difference between dissent, which has to be given space, and insurrection that
should be quelled.
It had also faulted the police for failing to produce
any WhatsApp chats, SMS or other proof of the accused interacting with each
other and criticised it for “arbitrarily" choosing to array some people
from the crowd as accused and police witnesses, saying this “cherry-picking"
by the police is detrimental to the precept of fairness.
The Jamia Nagar police station had filed the charge
sheet against Imam, Asif Iqbal Tanha, Safoora Zargar, Mohammad Qasim, Mahmood
Anwar, Shahzar Raza Khan, Mohammad Abuzar, Mohammad Shoaib, Umair Ahmad, Bilal
Nadeem, Chanda Yadav and Mohammad Ilyas.
The charge sheet was filed under various sections of
the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 148 (rioting, armed with a deadly
weapon), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353
(assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty),
308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 435 (mischief by fire or explosive
substance with intent to cause damage), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341
(wrongful restraint) and 120B (criminal conspiracy).
Source: News18
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Gujarat litigants fined for opposing shop sale to
Muslim
Feb 11, 2023
AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat high court has imposed fines on
neighbours for objecting to a Muslim person buying a shop in a Hindu-majority
area, claiming that it could “lead to polarization” and “disturb the
demographic equilibrium”.
Justice Biren Vaishnav imposed a penalty of Rs 25,000
each on two sets of litigants who opposed permission for sale to a Muslim in
the area, where the state government has imposed the Gujarat Prohibition of
Transfer of Immovable Property and Provisions of Tenants from Eviction from
Premises in Disturbed Areas Act (Distrubed Areas Act). This law introduces
restrictions on property transactions and property sales cannot be effected
without permission from the district collectorate.
On the other hand, the shop owner complained that
other shopkeepers and people living nearby did not let him carry out renovation
and he could not open his shop. He had to file two police complaints. This
infuriated Justice Vaishnav and he called this a “disturbing factor” because
the owner “is being hounded and thwarted in his attempt to enjoy the fruits of
the property which he successfully purchased”.
The court further said that it had already made it
clear that a neighbour’s opinion was immaterial and ‘free consent and fair
consideration’ were the only criteria to permit a property sale under the
Distrubed Areas Act.
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
South Asia
Afghanistan withdrawal a dark chapter for UK: Tobias
Ellwood
By Fidel Rahmati
February 10, 2023
The Chairman of the Commons Defense Committee referred
to the UK’s withdrawal from Afghanistan as a “dark chapter in Uk military
history” as lawmakers released a report on the pullout.
According to the report, between 2001 and 2021, more
than 150,000 members of the British Armed Forces deployed to Afghanistan. This
resulted in 457 service-related deaths and a financial expenditure of £27.7
billion.
The report also stated that the withdrawal of US
forces in line with the Doha Agreement made the subsequent collapse of the
Afghan Government inevitable. On the other hand, thousands of Afghans eligible
for evacuation to the UK are still living at risk in Afghanistan, and remain in
Afghanistan, said Tobias Ellwood, head of the Defence Committee.
The 30-page report claims that the military establishment
was “more surprised than it might have been” by how quickly the previous
Afghanistan government crumbled.
The report also urged the Government of the UK to
conduct an open, honest and detailed review of military operations and
political decisions throughout the 20 years of UK involvement in Afghanistan,
from September 11th 2001, to the evacuation from Kabul in August 2021, the
report said.
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defence stated that,
to date, more than 12,100 people had been moved under the programme. “We owe a
debt of gratitude to Afghan nationals who worked for, or alongside, the UK
armed forces in Afghanistan.”
The head of the Defence Committee also said that the
committee was calling for a government review “to take an unflinching look at
where we went wrong”.
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/afghanistan-withdrawal-a-dark-chapter-for-uk-tobias-ellwood/
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Sweden,
Denmark Grants Refugee Status to Afghan Women and Girls
By
Nizamuddin Rezahi
February
10, 2023
Swede
and Demark have announced to grant refugee status to Afghan women and girls
amid the deteriorating living conditions under the Taliban-run administration
in Afghanistan.
The
rights groups have praised the two Scandinavian states’ move towards granting
refugee status to Afghan women and girls, who have been living in complete
desperation and limbo under the current regime in their country.
Human
Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday appreciated the decision by Danish and Swedish
Immigration Authorities for extending their helping hands to the isolated women
and girls of Afghanistan during these difficult times and giving them refugee
status in the Scandinavian countries. HRW said the two nations should be models
for other countries around the world to follow.
HRW
stated that although the scheme may not have any significant impact on the
existing conditions of Afghan people, the decision opens a safe pathway for
Afghan women and girls to resettle in those countries, and it represents an
important moment to recognize that half of Afghanistan’s population face
persecution under Taliban rule.
Last
week, Denmark’s Appeal Board announced that the status of asylum seekers from
Afghanistan will change “solely because of their gender” under Section 7, of
the Aliens Act. The decision was made based on the continued worsening conditions
for women and girls in Afghanistan.
Similarly,
Sweden in December announced that all women and girls from Afghanistan will be
granted refugee status and a three-year residence permit.
The
Swedish Migration Agency stated that It has now become extremely difficult for
Afghan women and girls to study, earn a living, seek care, or get protection
from violence that they can be considered to be persecuted on the basis of
their gender.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/sweden-denmark-grants-refugee-status-to-afghan-women-and-girls/
--------
Taliban
suppression of women’s rights may impact international financial support: EU
Special Envoy on Afghanistan
February
11, 2023
SUHASINI
HAIDAR
India
and the EU need to speak up together about human rights in Afghanistan says the
European Union’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan Tomas Niklasson, who visited
Delhi for consultations on the way forward.
In
an interview to The Hindu, Mr. Niklasson said the Taliban’s increased
restrictions on women and the ban on girl’s education is of particular concern
for the EU, and may change its policy on engagement and assistance to the
regime in Kabul, but that supporting armed opposition groups like the National
Resistance Force (NRF) is not on the table at present.
How
would you describe the situation in Afghanistan more than 18 months after the
Taliban took over?
Afghanistan
is going through a very difficult period. According to the U.N., about 28
million people are dependent on humanitarian assistance to survive, and 6
million are in danger of starvation. We see virtually no investment in the country,
no assistance going to the Taliban or going into the state budget, as we saw
before. The central bank has its reserves frozen abroad. And there is a de
facto government in place that, to a large extent, lacks the experience of
running a country. On top of the governance challenges, the Taliban are taking
decisions that prevent Afghans from contributing to economic growth. They
prevent women from working, they disinvest in the future of the country by not
allowing girls to go to school or to study at university. It’s a grim picture
and Afghanistan is overall at a worse place today than last winter.
Has
the Taliban’s reversal on women’s education and rights changed the view of the
international community towards engaging the regime?
We
could have managed to build a more constructive relationship with Taliban, or
helped stabilise the Afghan economy if we would have seen any progress being
made towards development and upholding of human rights. If we had seen, for
example, secondary schools opening for girls in March last year, or the Taliban
taking positive steps towards opening a political dialogue on specific issues,
taking a less harsh position on journalists and being more successful in
implementing their so-called amnesty for officials from the previous
government, if they had taken steps towards either recognising the Constitution
in place, or proposing a new one, and implementing rule of law. But the fact
is, they have not, and we cannot be seen as helping to prop up an increasingly
repressive regime.
There
will be a meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Brussels on February 20, the first
occasion when our Ministers will talk about Afghanistan substantially in this
format since September 2021. I think the question about whether we should give
any assistance beyond humanitarian will be on the table. I expect that some
member states would also like to have a discussion on possible human rights
sanctions. I think there may also be a discussion on the strengthening of what
we call accountability mechanisms for human rights. Examples would be the
mandate of UNAMA, which monitors the human rights situation and reports on it.
Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett has a specific mandate to look into the
human rights situation in Afghanistan, and the International Criminal Court is
ready to also look into acts of human rights violations or suspected acts of
human rights violations, primarily by the Taliban and ISIS-KP.
Where
do you see India’s role today — where it has a technical mission in Kabul, and
is talking to the Taliban?
India
has all this investment, not just financially, but culturally, the goodwill
that was there in Afghanistan, strong and positive emotions toward India, and
what India did, in terms of development projects throughout the country. India
was the biggest regional donor, Afghanistan was the biggest recipient of Indian
development assistance. There’s a need to keep that up somehow. But doing so in
the current context is becoming increasingly political challenging due to the
actions taken by the Taliban and some decisions not taken.
India
has taken a similar position as the EU, by establishing limited presence in
Kabul and saying we don’t want to close doors on engaging the regime, while not
recognising it, of course. And we don’t want to sit back in Brussels and Delhi
and tell ourselves that we don’t want to close doors. We actually want to be
there to have a dialogue with Afghan entrepreneurs, with journalists, with
civil society, with Afghan women, with Taliban, as needed. Because if we are
not there, others remain. And I don’t mean to portray this as a power game, or
game of influence. There are security risks. And we have seen over the last six
months, attacks against two diplomatic missions, attacks against Chinese
citizens and attacks against two Ministries in Kabul in high-security zones.
So, deciding to be present in Kabul is not only politically risky, but also
challenging from a security point of view.
During
your visit here, is there something you are asking India to do?
India
and the EU share and uphold common principles and values such as human rights,
including women’s rights, democracy, and inclusive government. The European
Union is often quite outspoken in public diplomacy and making statements to
explain our positions and our expectations. India takes a different approach, I
think, when it comes to public diplomacy. But it is essential we work together
to defend our shared principles and values.
India
has also denied most visas for Afghans, including students and medical patients
since August 2021. Are you discussing that?
I
would like to understand better what the Indian position is, and I would like
to get the facts right as well. I don’t come with an agenda. These are issues
that people have mentioned to me before I was coming here. And these are issues
that also some of our Indian counterparts have raised with me, but as I said,
my first point would be to have a better overview of the situation.
When
it comes to alternatives to Taliban, what is the EU’s position on supporting
the political opposition, or armed groups like Ahmed Massoud-led NRF?
For
the EU, supporting armed groups, or military interventions is simply not on the
table. I think any power considering doing so should consider the many risks:
Supporting the wrong people, or the armed resistance not succeeding, or
tainting any attempted armed resistance by making them be seen as supported
from abroad. And if one actor would extend financial or political support to
any specific group, other countries would most likely support other groups, and
we would risk seeing again a spiral of violence inside the country.
Currently
among Afghans abroad, most groups presenting themselves publicly as political
alternatives seem to consist mainly of former ministers, politicians,
ambassadors, and in some cases also Afghans referred to as warlords. We see a
number of groups, formulating positions, who have approached the EU to organise
platform meeting points for them.
So
far, we are very cautious for a number of reasons. First, the international community
collectively has a bad track record when it comes to proposing future leaders
of Afghanistan. Secondly, these Afghans outside the country have resources,
skills and contacts, and they should have these conversations amongst
themselves. We are happy to come to listen, we are happy to engage in a
dialogue, as long as armed resistance is not on the table. But we also see the
risk that if any group were to be seen as set up, facilitated, pushed by us, it
would be counterproductive. The truth is that many Afghans feel betrayed by
those who left the country, especially the regime. Many don’t trust them,
consider them part of a largely corrupt setup, see them as having ran away, and
that they benefited from something which most Afghans didn’t. And that creates
this trust gap that they will have to overcome. But regardless of that, and
first of all, I would say that in the medium to long-term change will have to
come from within Afghanistan.
In
the Doha agreement, the Taliban had committed to not allowing foreign terror
groups in Afghanistan. Is that promise being kept at all?
First
of all, we have less intelligence, less information as the [NATO/US] troops are
no longer there. Journalists cannot work freely the way they could. And there
are fewer journalists present in the country. Many countries have closed
embassies. Last summer, the leader of al Qaeda was killed in a building owned
or controlled by senior Taliban members. And that is a clear indication that
the Taliban have not delivered on one of their commitments in the Doha
agreement.
Source:
The Hindu
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Europe
Arsenal
in touch with UK's Muslim community to help quake victims in Türkiye, Syria
Burak
Bir
10.02.2023
LONDON
London's
Arsenal football club have contacted the UK's Muslim community to help victims
of powerful earthquakes that hit Türkiye and Syria earlier this week and caused
widespread destruction.
Mohammed
Kozbar, chairman of the Finsbury Park Mosque in North London, said the English
Premier League club reached out to them to take part in relief work.
"They
contacted us, we have this good relationship with them. They offered to give
food, some other material, necessary materials to the victims as well to those
who are being affected by the earthquake," he told Anadolu.
Kozbar
said they are working with the club to see how they can deliver the supplies to
the disaster zones.
Earlier,
Arsenal extended condolences to the victims on Twitter, saying: "We are
truly saddened to hear of the tragic events ... Our thoughts are with all those
who are affected."
Community
shocked, but united
Kozbar
said the Muslim community in the UK is united in aiding quake-hit victims in
both Türkiye and Syria.
He
said that like many people around the world, Muslims in London were also
shocked when they first heard the news about the earthquakes, "a huge
disaster" for the people of Türkiye and Syria, and a "shock for the
Muslim community here in the UK."
"No
one knew the scale of the disaster ... So many lives have been lost because of
this earthquake. And this makes people feel really helpless and shocked,"
he added.
Donation
drives
Kozbar
said that people did not know how to help until the Muslim Council of Britain,
an umbrella body with over 500 Muslim organizations, started to campaign,
making "the Muslim community get together."
"They
started sending messages through social media, emails and so on, telling people
that they can be positive and they can help [with] whatever they can by giving
money, make duas [pray], giving money as much as they can and also arranging
for if they have any shelters, any clothes," he added.
The
chairman explained that the communities have mobilized, and many activities and
charity campaigns are underway and planned in London.
One
of them is collecting donations after Friday prayers in mosques, he said,
adding that he believes people will be generous enough to support the campaign.
"We
are trying our best to help, I know that disaster is huge, it needs a lot of
efforts. But if every one of us does even a bit of things Inshallah [if Allah
wills], it will have an impact and help these people," he said.
Kozbar
also mentioned that they are currently running an online funds collection
campaign through a link, which they distributed on social media to those who
would like to donate through the mosque.
He
stressed that the raised amount will go to Islamic Relief as well, a member of
the UK's Disasters Emergency Committee.
"We
try our best to help our brothers and sisters in Turkey and Syria," Kozbar
said.
At
least 18,342 people were killed and 74,242 others injured in two strong
earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye earlier this week, according to the
national disaster agency AFAD.
The
magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in Kahramanmaras province, have
impacted some 13 million people across 10 Turkish provinces including Adana,
Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and
Sanliurfa.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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--------
UN
says threat from Daesh remains high
February
11, 2023
NEW
YORK: The threat posed by Daesh extremists remains high and has increased in
and around conflict zones, and the group’s expansion is “particularly worrying”
in Africa’s center, south and Sahel regions, the UN counterterrorism chief
said.
Undersecretary-General
Vladimir Voronkov told the UN Security Council that the group continues to use
the internet, social media, video games and gaming platforms “to extend the
reach of its propaganda to radicalize and recruit new supporters.”
“Daesh’s
use of new and emerging technologies also remains a key concern,” he said,
pointing to its continuing use of drones for surveillance and reconnaissance as
well as “virtual assets” to raise money.
Voronkov
said the high level of threat posed by Daesh and its affiliates, including
their sustained expansion in parts of Africa, underscores the need for
multifaceted approaches to respond – not just focused on security but on
preventive measures including preventing conflicts.
Daesh
declared a self-styled caliphate in a large swath of territory in Syria and
Iraq that it seized in 2014. The extremist group was formally declared defeated
in Iraq in 2017 following a three-year bloody battle that left tens of thousands
dead and cities in ruins, but its sleeper cells remain in both countries.
Some
65,600 suspected Daesh members and their families — both Syrians and foreign
citizens — are still held in camps and prisons in northeastern Syria run by
us-allied Kurdish groups, according to a Human Rights Watch report released in
December.
Voronkov
said the pace of repatriations remains too slow “and children continue to bear
the brunt of this catastrophe.”
At
the same time, he said, “foreign terrorist fighters” who joined the extremist
group are not restricted to Iraq and Syria and “move between different theaters
of conflict.”
Voronkov,
who heads the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, said “foreign terrorist fighters
with battlefield experience relocating to their homes or to third countries
further compounds the threat” from Daesh.
Weixiong
Chen, acting head of the Security Council CounterTerrorism Committee’s
executive directorate, told members that the failure to repatriate foreign
nationals from the camps provides Daesh “with ongoing opportunities to recruit
from camps and prisons and facilitate radicalization to violence and the spread
of terrorism.”
He
said the threat from Daesh “presents a complex, evolving and enduring threat in
both conflict and non-conflict zones.”
Chen
pointed to Daesh’s continued exploitation of “local fragilities and
intercommunal tensions” particularly in Iraq, Syria and parts of Africa and the
expansion of its affiliates notably in parts of central, southern and western
Africa.
He
also cited Daesh’s revenue generation and fundraising through a wide range of
ways “including extortion, looting, smuggling, taxation, soliciting donations
and kidnapping for ransom” as well as its use of social media and gaming
platforms. Daesh’s dominant means of moving money continues to be unregistered
informal cash transfer networks and mobile money services, he said.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2248741/world
--------
Western
Balkans leaders sign condolence books at Turkish embassy
Mustafa
Talha Öztürk
11.02.2023
BELGRADE,
Serbia
Leaders
and senior politicians from Western Balkan nations signed condolence books Friday
at Turkish embassies in their respective capitals to honor earthquake victims
in Türkiye.
Serbian
Prime Minister Ana Brnabic signed the condolence book after being greeted by
Turkish Ambassador to Belgrade, Hami Aksoy.
"The
Republic of Serbia and its people share the pain and sorrow of the friendly
Turkish people. We are ready to provide the necessary assistance,'' wrote
Brnabic.
Foreign
Minister Ivica Dacic also visited the embassy and signed.
Officials
from the Bosniak National Council (BNV), a representative body of the Bosniak
national minority in Serbia, signed the book at the Novi Pazar Consulate
General.
Hungarian
Foreign Minister Peter Szijjartt signed the book in Budapest.
Montenegrin
Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic signed in Podgorica.
"The
people of Montenegro stand by the friendly country Türkiye. Türkiye is more
than a friend to us,'' he wrote.
Bosnia
and Herzegovina's Foreign Minister Elmedin Konakovic signed in Sarajevo and
conveyed patience to the survivors.
Kosovo
Prime Minister Albin Kurti and President Vjosa Osmani visited the Pristina
Embassy.
"We
are with you and we will do much more in the days to come,'' said Kurti.
Albanian
Foreign Minister Olta Xhacka, said his country offered aid to Türkiye from the
very first moments and would continue to do so.
Meanwhile,
absentee funeral prayers were held for victims in the region with many
attending and donations collected during prayers at mosques.
Numerous
charity organizations in the Balkans collected a large amount of aid for
Türkiye and its victims.
People
left flowers in front of the Turkish Embassy in Sarajevo to honor the victims.
Bosnia
and Herzegovina sent 140 people to assist Türkiye. Albania sent 53; Serbia 45;
Croatia 40; Kosovo 30 and 15 from Montenegro.
More
than 20,300 people in Türkiye were killed and over 80,000 injured after the two
strong quakes hit the southern region early Monday, according to the latest
figures.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Dutch
leader signs condolence book for Türkiye’s quake victims
Burak
Bir
11.02.2023
LONDON
Dutch
Prime Minister Mark Rutte visited the Turkish Embassy in The Hague to offer
condolences Friday for the devastating earthquakes in Türkiye.
Rutte,
accompanied by Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra, extended condolences to Türkiye
and its people for Monday's powerful quakes.
"Our
thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones, both in Türkiye and
Syria," Hoekstra wrote on Twitter, sharing the words he wrote in the
embassy's condolence book.
"Words
will always fall short in describing the pain and grief caused by this week’s
terrible disaster that hit Türkiye and caused such tremendous suffering. The
shock and sadness felt by many in the Netherlands reflect the closeness between
our two countries," wrote Hoekstra.
Maltese
President George Vella and his wife Miriam Vella visited the Turkish Embassy in
Valletta and signed the condolence books.
"Following
the devastating earthquake that claimed thousands of lives, I have conveyed my
condolences to the people of the Republic of Türkiye at this tragic
moment," he wrote on Twitter.
Later
on Twitter, the embassy thanked Vella for his visit.
More
than 20,300 people were killed and over 80,000 injured after two strong earthquakes
jolted southern Türkiye on Monday, according to official figures.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Netherlands
cathedral plays Turkish national anthem in solidarity with quake victims
Selman
Aksünger
11.02.2023
AMSTERDAM
A
cathedral in the Netherlands played the Turkish national anthem Friday to show
solidarity with the quake-hit nation.
The
De Peperbus cathedral in Zwolle played the anthem at 11:30 a.m. local time.
Mayor
Peter Snijders said there are many in the city whose loved ones were affected
by the earthquakes that hit Türkiye.
Snijders
wrote on Twitter that he visited the Diyanet Mosque in the city to show
solidarity with Türkiye and convey his condolences to the Turkish people.
More
than 20,300 people were killed and over 80,000 injured after two strong
earthquakes jolted southern Türkiye on Monday, according to the latest figures.
The
7.7- and 7.6-magnitude earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province,
have affected 13 million people across 10 Turkish provinces, including Adana,
Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
French
President Macron vows 'full support' for quake-hit Türkiye
Nur
Asena Erturk
10.02.2023
France
stands ready to ramp up its support for Türkiye earthquake relief operations,
President Emmanuel Macron said.
Two
French teams with 140 members are already engage in rescue operations in
southern Türkiye, Macron said at a press conference after a meeting of EU
leaders in Brussels on Thursday.
“We
are ready to intensify this emergency support according to priority needs,” he
added, pledging France’s “full support.”
A
Foreign Ministry statement said a French field hospital with the capacity to
treat 100 patients per day will start operations in Türkiye’s Adiyaman province
on Sunday.
The
hospital will have an 87-member team, including surgeons, radiologists,
biologists, and other specialists.
More
than 20,210 people have died and over 80,000 others were injured after two
strong earthquakes jolted southern Türkiye on Monday, according to latest
official figures.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
In
wake of global criticism, US issues temporary sanctions waiver for Syria
10
February 2023
Washington
has issued a temporary sanctions waiver to allow earthquake relief funds to
reach Syria, following widespread criticism that the bans are hampering
international aid efforts in the country.
The
US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Friday
issued the waiver for Caesar Act sanctions imposed on Syria, authorizing
earthquake relief transactions for a period of six months.
Deputy
Secretary of the US Treasury Department Wally Adeyemo said they issued the
waiver to ensure the US sanctions would not get in the way of “life-saving
efforts for the Syrian people.”
“While
US sanctions programs already contain robust exemptions for humanitarian
efforts, today Treasury is issuing a blanket General License to authorize
earthquake relief efforts so that those providing assistance can focus on
what’s needed most: saving lives and rebuilding.”
Syria
has been a target of US sanctions since 1979. Following the start of the crisis
in 2011, the US and its Western allies placed rounds of sanctions and
restrictions on the Arab country. The sanctions intensified with the passing of
the Caesar Act in 2019, which targeted any individual and business that
participated either directly or indirectly in Syria's reconstruction efforts.
In
the wake of the devastating earthquake, a storm of criticism was triggered
against the impact of the US sanctions on the humanitarian situation in Syria,
particularly on relief efforts following the quake. The US claims its sanctions
have exemptions for humanitarian aid. However, experts say the sanctions
intimidate countries against dealing with the Syrian government, and even when
aid is involved, those who want to assist usually refrain from doing so due to
the high risk of US consequences.
On
Wednesday, Bassam Sabbagh, Syria’s permanent UN envoy, said international cargo
planes have been refusing to land in Syrian airports due to the threat of
sanctions.
Earlier,
the Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement the sanctions prevent Syrians
from importing rescue equipment. It said the Syrians are also denied access to
medicines and medical equipment.
Other
countries have also criticized the US bans, including China, which on Wednesday
urged the US to put aside its “geopolitical obsession” and remove its
unilateral sanctions on Syria.
Search
and rescue operations continue in Syria and Turkey five days after the massive
quake there, whose death toll has already passed 22,000 in both countries.
The
World Health Organization has urged the global community to lend a helping hand
to Syria as the country’s humanitarian needs are particularly high.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/02/10/697986/US-temporary-sanctions-waiver-quake-Syria
--------
Arab World
Turkey-Syria
earthquake: UAE mosques to hold absentee funeral prayers for victims
10
February ,2023
Mosques
across the United Arab Emirates will hold absentee funeral prayers for the
victims of a major earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria, the country’s
President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed announced on Thursday.
The
president directed that the prayers be held after the Friday prayers in all
mosques across the country, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.
As
of Friday morning, more than 21,000 people have died in the 7.8-magnitude quake
that hit northern Syria and southwest Turkey, and officials say the death toll
is expected to keep rising in the coming days.
Rescue
teams – including ones from Saudi Arabia and the UAE – continued to scour
through the rubble of collapsed buildings hoping to find any survivors in a
race against time.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
Earthquake
aid becomes political pawn as powers clash over Syria access
10
February ,2023
Aid
deliveries to tens of thousands of Syrians caught up in this week’s earthquake
are being hampered by wrangling between rival powers in the country’s more than
decade-long war.
“The
devastation from the earthquake is unimaginable,” United Nations’ Special Envoy
for Syria Geir Pedersen tweeted after a meeting of the Syria Humanitarian Task
Force on Thursday, as he appealed to countries not to politicize the response.
“This is about putting people first,” he said.
While
supplies have flowed into heavily damaged regions of neighboring Turkey, in
Syria the areas hit are mainly controlled by anti-government forces that
President Bashar al Assad has been battling since 2011.
That
has raised tensions over aid provision that have embroiled Turkey, Russia and
the US and Europe amid longstanding international sanctions on Assad and his
government for atrocities committed since the start of the conflict, leaving
quake victims as pawns in the wider struggle over the Middle East state.
US
and European representatives clashed with their Russian counterpart over the
sanctions at the closed-door talks in Geneva, according to a Middle East-based
senior European diplomat who received the meeting’s minutes. A spokesperson for
Pedersen’s office declined to comment.
The
US and its allies should immediately lift sanctions because their “politicized
approach hinders the provision of aid to earthquake victims,” Russian Foreign
Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing Friday in Moscow. “We
emphasize the need for urgent international assistance to Damascus in close
coordination with the Syrian government.”
The
risk is Syria and Russia seek to spin the crisis in their favor as part of a
disinformation campaign that’s distracting from the rescue efforts. Syrian
government channels are spreading the message that US and European sanctions
are impeding relief work, claims echoed in media outlets in Iran and Russia
which both backed Assad in the conflict.
‘Lift
Sanctions’
“All
we want from Europe and the US now is to lift sanctions,” Assad’s adviser
Bouthaina Shaaban told Sky News on Wednesday. “It is the sanctions that are
making life here impossible and causing the death of people under the rubble.”
Aid
workers and diplomats involved in the response reject this and accuse the
government in Damascus of exploiting the situation for its own gain, saying
most Syrian aid funded by Europe and the US goes through UN agencies and their
local partners based in the capital. They pointed to Syria routinely blocking
international aid to rebel-held areas in the north and siphoning supplies for
the rest of the country.
With
the death toll in Turkey and Syria together exceeding 23,000 and with tens of
thousands still trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings, rescue workers
say there’s an urgent need for medical supplies and shelters to help survivors
of the disaster.
The
first convoy of humanitarian aid provided by the UN was only able to cross into
northwest Syria from Turkey’s Cilvegozu border post on Thursday, but the
shipment is small relative to the scale of devastation there. Turkey is trying
to get agreement from Russia for new border crossings to be opened to deliver
aid, according to Turkish officials.
Kremlin
spokesman Dmitry Peskov didn’t respond to a request to comment.
“Russia
won’t be against this, providing it’s agreed with Damascus,” said Elena
Suponina, a Moscow-based Middle East analyst.
Turkey
and Russia are on opposing sides in northern Syria, where Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened in November to begin a long-delayed offensive
against US-backed Kurdish forces that Ankara regards as controlled by
terrorists. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who sent his military to back
Assad’s troops in 2015, wants Damascus to regain control of all the country’s
territory from rebel forces.
While
Russia last month supported a UN resolution to extend the use of the Cilvegozu,
or Bab al-Hawa, border crossing as the sole point of entry for international
aid shipments into Syria, it has opposed opening other checkpoints allowing
material to flow to rebel-held territory.
Meanwhile,
nearly 50 aircraft laden with humanitarian aid and medical supplies and
equipment have flown into Damascus and Aleppo since Monday, according to the
Syrian Ministry of Transportation. The United Arab Emirates alone, which
restored diplomatic ties with Damascus in 2019, has airlifted 640 tons of
relief to both Syria and Turkey, according to the country’s news agency WAM.
“The
ball is in the Americans’ court,” said Ebtesam Al-Ketbi, who runs the UAE-based
Emirates Policy Center. “The UAE has been open to Syria and bringing Syria back
into the Arab fold but without removing the sanctions, no one can get help with
reconstruction.”
Western
powers say the main reason for the sanctions is to compel Assad to agree to
meaningful political reforms, something he has refused to do.
Still,
the US on Thursday said it was easing restrictions on money transfers to Syria
until early August to facilitate earthquake relief. It also announced $85 million
in humanitarian assistance to Turkey and Syria.
The
European Union has activated its Civil Protection Mechanism which allows for
aid to flow directly to government-controlled areas of Syria as well.
For
thousands of Syrians whose lives have been shattered by the disaster and who
urgently need assistance, the political maneuvering seems very distant from
their concerns.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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UAE
rescuers save 2, including child, from rubble 120 hours after Turkey earthquake
11
February ,2023
Emirati
rescue workers from the United Arab Emirates have saved two people – including
a child – trapped under rubble in Turkey more than 120 hours after the devastating
earthquake that has killed more than 23,000 people across the region.
As
part of the UAE’s ‘Gallant Knight/2’ operation, the 11-year-old and a man -
thought to be aged in his 50s or 60s - were rescued from rubble after a lengthy
search and rescue operation in the Kahramanmaraş province.
The
team’s dramatic rescue defied the reality that the chances of finding many more
survivors five days after the catastrophic earthquake are shrinking fast.
The
survivors have been successfully treated by medical professionals, and they are
currently in good health, state news agency WAM reported Saturday.
Earlier
this week, Emirati rescue teams also pulled a Syrian family of four trapped
under rubble in Turkey following a five-hour operation.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Up
to 5.3 million in Syria may be homeless after quake: UN
10
February ,2023
Up
to 5.3 million people in Syria may have been made homeless by the devastating
earthquake which rocked the region this week, a United Nations official said on
Friday.
“As
many as 5.3 million people in Syria may have been left homeless by the
earthquake,” the Syria representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees,
Sivanka Dhanapala, told a press briefing.
He
said the UN estimated that 5.37 million people affected by the quake will need
shelter assistance across the country.
“That
is a huge number and comes to a population already suffering mass
displacement,” he said.
“For
Syria, this is a crisis within a crisis. We’ve had economic shocks, COVID and
are now in the depths of winter.”
Quake
survivors have flocked to camps set up for people displaced by nearly 12 years
of war from other parts of Syria.
Many
lost their homes or are too scared to return to damaged buildings.
Nearly
23,000 people have died across Turkey and Syria because of the quake, one of
the worst disasters to hit the region in around a century.
The
quake killed more than 3,300 in Syria, according to health ministry figures and
a rescue group.
The
conflict in Syria started in 2011 with the brutal repression of peaceful
protests and escalated to pull in foreign powers and global extremists.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Syria’s
Assad regime approves aid to earthquake victims in areas outside govt control
10
February ,2023
The
Syrian government has approved humanitarian aid delivery across the frontlines
of the country’s 12-year civil war, state media said on Friday, a move that
could speed up the arrival of help for millions of people affected by Monday’s
deadly quake.
Aid
distribution will take place in cooperation with the United Nations, the
International Committee of the Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent,
state media said, to “guarantee the arrival of this aid to those who need it.”
The
UN has pushed for aid to flow more freely into Syria, especially into the
country’s northwest - where it estimated more than 4 million people already
required aid before the quake - via frozen frontlines and through crossings
with Turkey.
More
than 3,200 people have died in Syria from the earthquake, with many more
injured and hundreds of thousands displaced. Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan said on Friday that the death toll in Turkey had risen to 19,388.
Dozens
of planeloads of aid have arrived in areas held by Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad’s government since Monday but little has reached the northwest,
leading many residents to say they feel left alone.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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More
aid arrives in Syria’s quake-struck northwest: Border official
10
February ,2023
A
United Nations aid convoy crossed into war-torn Syria’s opposition-held
northwest from Turkey on Friday, the second such delivery after a devastating
earthquake hit the two countries, a border official told AFP.
The
7.8-magnitude quake early Monday has killed some 22,000 people in Turkey and
Syria, according to officials and medics.
“A
second aid convoy, coming from the United Nations, entered a short time ago,”
said Mazen Alloush, media officer at the Bab al-Hawa crossing.
The
convoy consisted of 14 trucks containing non-food items such as “humanitarian
kits, solar lamps, blankets and other assistance,” International Organization
for Migration (IOM) spokesman Paul Dillon told reporters in Geneva.
The
aid “will be sufficient for about 1,100 families in the quake-hit areas in
Idlib” province in the country’s northwest, he added.
On
Thursday, a first delivery carried “basic relief items... to cover the needs of
at least 5,000 people,” the IOM had said.
The
aid delivery mechanism from Turkey into opposition-held areas of Syria through
the Bab al-Hawa crossing is the only way UN assistance can reach civilians
without passing through areas controlled by Syrian government forces.
While
the crossing itself was not affected by the quake, the road leading to it was
damaged, temporarily disrupting operations, a UN spokesman said earlier this
week.
The
White Helmets rescue group that operates in opposition-held areas had expressed
disappointment Thursday at the first batch of aid, saying it was part of
“routine” deliveries.
“This
is certainly not special aid and equipment for search and rescue teams,” the
group said on Twitter.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Lebanon’s
embattled Central Bank chief says he will not seek new term
10
February ,2023
Lebanon’s
veteran central bank chief Riad Salameh said he would not seek a new term in
office once his latest six-year stint at the head of the Banque du Liban ends.
“My
decision is that, at the end of the term, it will be a page I turned in my life
and I will move to work outside the central bank,” Salameh told Saudi
Arabia-based Asharq News.
Salameh’s
term is set to end in July.
Lebanese
political sources say that there is not yet consensus around a replacement to
Salameh, who has held his post for three-decades and retains the support of
some of Lebanon’s most powerful politicians, including Speaker Nabih Berri.
The
central bank chief, in office for three decades, is widely blamed for monetary
policies that contributed to an unprecedented economic crisis in Lebanon, but
he has dismissed such criticism.
France,
Germany and Luxembourg last March seized assets worth 120 million euros ($130
million) in a move linked to a probe by French investigators into 72-year-old
Salameh’s personal wealth.
Lebanon
opened its own probe into Salameh’s affairs last year, after the office of
Switzerland’s top prosecutor requested assistance with an investigation into
more than $300 million allegedly embezzled from the central bank with the help
of his brother.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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UAE’s
Emirates airline launches Air Bridge to transport aid to Turkey, Syria
10
February ,2023
In
the wake of the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, Emirates is
setting up an airbridge with the International Humanitarian City (IHC), to
transport urgent relief supplies, medical items and equipment to support
on-ground aid efforts and search and rescue activities in both countries.
The
first shipments are due to go out Friday on EK 121 and EK 117, consisting of
high thermal blankets and family tents from UNHCR, followed by World Health
Organisation (WHO) and World Food Program (WFP) relief cargo of medical kits
and shelter items, co-ordinated by the IHC in Dubai.
In
the coming days, more consignments of blankets, tents, shelter kits, flash
lights, water distribution ramps and trauma and emergency health kits will be
transported on Emirates.
Emirates
SkyCargo plans to dedicate cargo space for around 100 tonnes of humanitarian
relief goods over the course of the next two weeks across its daily flight
operations to Istanbul.
The
critical emergency supplies carried on Emirates will then be delivered by local
organizations to affected areas in southern Turkey and northern Syria,
supporting on-ground responders and providing much needed aid to the hundreds
of thousands of people impacted by the earthquakes.
Sheikh
Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum, Emirates’ chairman and chief executive, said: “We
stand with the Turkish and Syrian people and are working with experts like the
International Humanitarian City to help provide urgent relief to those affected
and displaced by the earthquakes, as well as support the complex recovery
efforts on the ground.”
“Emirates
also supports the UAE’s ongoing humanitarian efforts to support Turkey and
Syria, and Dubai’s unique position as the world’s largest international aid
logistics hub means that we can efficiently reach disaster stricken areas and
the most vulnerable people as quickly as possible.”
Earlier
this week, the UAE pledged $100 million to Syria and Turkey, one of the largest
sums yet following the catastrophic earthquake that to date has killed more
than 21,000 people across both countries.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Mideast
Children
Found Alive As Turkey-Syria Quake Toll Tops 22,000
Feb
10, 2023
KAHRAMANARAS:
Rescuers pulled children alive Friday from the rubble of the Turkey-Syria
earthquake as the toll surpassed 22,000 and bitter cold compounded the
suffering of the homeless.
In
the Turkish city of Kahramanmaras, one of those hit hardest by the region's
worst earthquake in nearly a century, the stench of death clung to the air.
But
as crews entered a fifth day of peeling back flattened buildings, Turkish media
reported rescues of young children, long after the expiration of the 72-hour
window when survivors are considered most likely to be found.
In
the 105th hour, rescuers pulled 18-month-old Yusuf Huseyin from the debris in
the southeastern city of Antakya. Twenty minutes later, they rescued
seven-year-old Muhammed Huseyin, NTV news channel reported.
Three-year-old
Zeynep Ela Parlak was also rescued in Antakya on Friday, while in Adiyaman
province, rescuers saved a 60-year-old Eyup Ak and in Gaziantep, two people
were pulled out alive including a child whose age was not known.
"Half
an hour ago, we managed to rescue two living people out of the rubble,"
the Czech fire service tweeted Friday of their teams in southeastern Turkey's
Adiyaman.
On
Thursday, rescuers pulled a 10-day-old baby and his mother out alive after 90
hours trapped in hard-hit Hatay province, Turkish officials said.
The
baby boy named Yagiz Ulas was swiftly wrapped in a thermal blanket.
Bodies
flown home
Turkey's
miners, expert in rescuing their own colleagues, told how they rushed to help
people trapped by Monday's 7.8 magnitude quake.
"Our
hearts couldn't take this," said miner Ismail Hakki Kalkan.
Yet
the bodies of seven Cypriot children, as well as two teachers and a parent killed
by the earthquake in Adiyaman were flown home on Friday, with Turkish media
reporting that 19 children in the group died.
Two
dozen children aged 11 to 14 from the island, along with 10 parents, four
teachers and a volleyball coach, were in Turkey for a school tournament and had
been staying in a hotel that was destroyed.
In
a region home to many displaced and traumatised by Syria's civil war, worries
were growing over the many people left without shelter amid freezing
temperatures.
UN
aid and rescue teams have arrived, while the US Agency for International
Development offered a $85-million package including food, shelter and emergency
health services.
World
Health Organization head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and UN humanitarian chief
Martin Griffiths have both announced upcoming visits.
"As
this tragic event unfolds, people's desperate plight must be addressed,"
said the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mirjana
Spoljaric, who travelled to quake-hit Aleppo in Syria.
Outlawed
Kurdish militants are temporarily suspending "operations" in Turkey
after the massive quake in the country and Syria, a PKK leader said.
Aid
reaches rebel areas
"Thousands
of our people are under the rubble. Everyone must mobilise using all their
means," leader Cemil Bayik was quoted as saying late Thursday by ANF, a
news agency close to Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
The
first aid deliveries to rebel-held northwestern Syria since the quake arrived
on Thursday, an official at the Bab al-Hawa crossing told AFP.
A
decade of civil war and Syrian-Russian aerial bombardment had already destroyed
hospitals, collapsed the economy and prompted electricity, fuel and water
shortages.
UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the Security Council to authorise the
opening of new cross-border humanitarian aid points between Turkey and Syria.
"This
is the moment of unity, it's not a moment to politicise or to divide but it is
obvious that we need massive support," Guterres said.
Temperatures
in the Turkish city of Gaziantep, located near the epicentre of the quake,
plunged to minus three degrees Celsius (26 degrees Fahrenheit) early Friday.
Despite
the cold, thousands of families have been living in cars and makeshift tents --
too scared or banned from returning to their homes.
Gyms,
mosques, schools and some stores have opened at night. But beds are scarce, and
thousands spend the nights in cars with engines running to provide heat.
'Quiet
is agonising'
Monday's
quake was the largest Turkey has seen since 1939, when 33,000 people died in
the eastern Erzincan province.
Officials
and medics said 18,991 people had died in Turkey and 3,377 in Syria from
Monday's tremor, bringing the confirmed total to 22,368.
Experts
fear the number will continue to rise.
Anger
has mounted over the government's handling of the disaster.
"People
who didn't die from the earthquake were left to die in the cold," Hakan
Tanriverdi told AFP in Adiyaman province.
On
a visit to the area, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan admitted there had
been "shortcomings" in the government's handling of the disaster.
In
the devastated Turkish town of Nurdagi, close to the epicentre, emergency
workers using drones and heat detecting monitors ordered silence when a
potential survivor was found.
Source:
Times Of India
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Iran
exiled opposition figures in talks to unite against mullah regime
February
11, 2023
DUBAI:
Eight Iranian exiled dissident figures discussed ways of uniting a fragmented
opposition on Friday, amid pro-government events marking the anniversary of the
1979 Islamic revolution inside the country.
Iran
was rocked by nationwide unrest following the death in police custody of a
young Iranian Kurdish woman in September after she was detained for flouting a
strict Islamic dress code for women. The protests are among the strongest
challenges to the Islamic Republic since the revolution.
“The
Islamic Republic has survived because of our differences and we should put our
differences aside until we come to the polling booth,” Nobel laureate Shirin
Ebadi said in a video message to the prominent opposition figures’ gathering at
Georgetown University in Washington.
US-based
women’s rights advocate Masih Alinejad said: “We must agree on principles based
on the declaration of human rights, on eliminating discrimination, and
principles that every Iranian can see themselves in, and that depict the end of
oppression.”
Alinejad
expressed hope that an agreement on the opposition’s principles could be
reached by the end of 2023.
Asked
why there was only one Kurdish leader among the eight, Reza Pahlavi, the exiled
son of the toppled Shah of Iran, said: “You don’t need to wait for an
invitation in order to participate... This is a free bus!“
Iran’s
opposition has long been split in numerous factions, both at home and abroad,
including monarchists, republicans, leftists and organizations grouping ethnic
minorities including Kurds, Baluchis and Arabs.
Meanwhile
Iranian state media showed fireworks as part of state-sponsored celebrations,
and people chanting the Islamic rallying cry “Allahu Akbar! (God is
Greatest!).” But many could be heard shouting “Death to the dictator!” on
videos posted on social media.
A
video purported to be from Tehran’s Afsariyeh district showed distant fireworks
while protesters could be heard shouting “Death to the Islamic Republic.”
Similar
social media videos, which Reuters could not verify independently, carried
anti-government slogans shouted from windows and rooftops by protesters who had
stayed home in several cities.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2248816/middle-east
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Muslims
offer absentee prayers for Türkiye, Syria quake victims
Thousands
of citizens performed absentee prayers in mosques in Muslim countries on Friday
for the souls of earthquake victims in Türkiye and Syria.
In
Palestine, thousands performed absentee prayers in West Bank mosques for the
earthquake victims, followed by a collection of donations organized by the
Ministry of Religious Endowments.
Tens
of thousands of Palestinian worshipers also performed absentee prayers in both
Al Aqsa Mosque in occupied East
Jerusalem, and the mosques of Gaza.
In
the Emirates, worshipers performed, after Friday prayers in all mosques in the
country, the absentee prayer for the souls of the earthquake victims in Türkiye
and Syria, in response to the invitation of the UAE President Sheikh Mohammed
bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to Emirati newspapers.
Bahrain's
capital Manama also witnessed absentee prayers for the earthquake victims in
Syria and Türkiye, the daily Bahraini Al Ayam reported.
In
Jordan, after Friday prayers, all mosques witnessed absentee prayers for the
souls of the earthquake victims, according to a directive by the country’s
Religious Endowments Ministry on Thursday.
In
Lebanon, hundreds participated in absentee prayers in mosques in various
regions, including the capital Beirut, Tripoli and Sidon, according to the
Anadolu Agency correspondent.
In
Yemen, hundreds of Yemenis performed absentee prayers in the southwestern city
of Taiz for the souls of the earthquake victims.
At
least 19,388 people have died and 77,711 others are injured since Monday’s
powerful earthquakes in southeastern Türkiye, according to the latest official
figures.
The
magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, have
impacted some 13 million people across 10 Turkish provinces, including Adana,
Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and
Sanliurfa.
Source:
TRT World
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Iran’s
top Sunni cleric calls for release of political prisoners, criticizes IRGC
10
February ,2023
Molavi
Abdolhamid, Iran’s most prominent Sunni cleric, called on authorities on Friday
to release all political prisoners and criticized the role of the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the country.
“It
is good that some prisoners were released, but we expect other political
prisoners to be released too. Release all political prisoners,” Abdolhamid said
in his Friday prayer sermon in the city of Zahedan, the capital of
Sistan-Baluchistan province, where he is based.
Last
week, state media reported that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had pardoned “tens
of thousands” of prisoners, including many arrested in recent anti-regime.
But
rights activists have expressed skepticism, pointing out that many prominent
figures remain in jail and activists continue to be arrested.
Abdolhamid
also criticized the role of the IRGC in Iran, saying that the country was
mostly controlled by the military and that political positions should be held
by politicians and specialists in the field.
“There
are many generals who are in political positions. The country should be run by
politicians … Specialists and people who are capable in the field of politics should
run the country,” he said.
Abdolhamid
has been openly critical of the regime since nationwide protests erupted in
Iran following the death of 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in
police custody on September 16.
Following
Friday prayers, protesters in Zahedan took to the streets again, continuing
their weekly demonstrations with chants against Khamenei and the IRGC.
Videos
posted on social media showed the protesters chanting “political prisoners must
be freed” and “death to Khamenei.”
The
protests took place as Iran prepared to mark the 44th anniversary of the 1979
Islamic Revolution on Saturday. That revolution, led by Shia cleric Ruhollah
Khomeini, toppled the shah and led to the establishment of the Islamic
Republic.
Despite
a brutal crackdown by security forces, Sistan-Baluchistan has witnessed
protests weekly after Friday prayers since late September.
According
to the Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights, more than 400 people have been
killed by security forces during the protests across Iran, with
Sistan-Baluchistan having the highest number of fatalities.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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FM: Iran Ready to Send Humanitarian Aid Teams to Idlib
2023-February-10
Amir
Abdollahian also congratulated Mirjana Spoljaric Egger on her appointment as
the new president of the International Committee of the Red Cross and wished
her good luck in the capacity.
As
for the readiness of the Islamic Republic of Iran to help the quake-hit people
in Turkey and Syria, Amir Abdollahian said since the tremors happened in the
two countries, the Islamic Republic of Iran has taken various measures to
assist those who suffered losses as a result of the earthquakes.
The
Iranian foreign minister pointed out that the measures include dispatching
rescue teams to Turkey and Syria and announcing readiness to treat the wounded
in Iranian hospitals.
The
top Iranian diplomat described the humanitarian situation in Syria as difficult
and stressed the need for international organizations to pay attention to the
special situation in the country.
Due
to the anti-Syria sanctions, he said, the situation of the Syrian people has
further deteriorated following the quake.
Amir
Abdollahian noted that the humanitarian situation in Syria’s Idlib province is
critical and the number of deaths and people who suffered losses is high.
He
underlined that Tehran is ready to immediately send relief teams along with
humanitarian aid to Idlib, saying it is expected that the ICRC will make
necessary coordination with Iran’s Red Crescent Society for the purpose of
sending and distributing the aid in Idlib which is out of the control of the
Syrian government.
ICRC
President Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, for her part, thanked the Islamic Republic
of Iran for its humanitarian efforts and measures in the quake zone. She said
the ICRC will take drastic measures in Syria and, after assessing the
situation, it will make necessary coordination with Iran regarding its valuable
proposals and ways of implementing them.
Mirjana
Spoljaric Egger also stressed the need for the ICRC to continue contact and
interaction with Iranian institutions.
A
7.8 magnitude tremor, one of the strongest to hit the region in more than 100
years, struck Southeastern Turkey and Northwestern Syria early Monday, killing
at least 17,000 people, injuring tens of thousands more and reducing hundreds
of buildings to rubble.
Freezing
weather conditions are further endangering survivors and complicating rescue
efforts, as hundreds of aftershocks have struck the region.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14011121000235/FM-Iran-Ready-Send-Hmaniarian-Aid-Teams-Idlib
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Israel
quake teams in Turkey should work through Jewish sabbath: Chief rabbi
10
February ,2023
Israel’s
Ashkenazi chief rabbi, David Lau, ruled Friday that emergency teams deployed to
Turkey to help in the earthquake response should work through the Jewish
sabbath to save lives.
“So
long as there is any hope of saving lives and finding survivors, operations
should continue,” Lau said in a public letter to the rescue teams.
“The
treatment being given to the wounded should not be interrupted,” he added.
Since
the 7.8-magnitude quake devastated swathes of southeastern Turkey and
neighboring Syria on Monday, killing more than 22,700 people, Israel has
deployed several hundred rescue specialists, doctors and nurses to Turkish
towns and cities to assist in the relief effort.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Israel
might target Iran’s humanitarian aid shipments to Syria: Report
10
February 2023
An
unnamed Israeli military official has told a Saudi-owned outlet that Tel Aviv
will not hesitate to bomb Iran’s humanitarian aid shipments to the quake-hit
Syria.
Speaking
to Elaph online newspaper, the official claimed that Iran seeks to “take
advantage of the tragic situation” to send weapons and equipment to the
Lebanon-based resistance movement Hezbollah.
The
unnamed official also said Israel has “intelligence” to back up the claim, as
the Israeli military has “intensified its monitoring by air, land, and sea of
everything that Iran is transporting to Syria.”
Iran
has been one of the leading countries providing humanitarian assistance to Syria
since a 7.8-magnitude quake devastated the country’s northwestern region.
Israel
regularly carries out airstrikes on various targets inside Syria, but it rarely
comments on them.
The
threat comes just two weeks after Israeli drones targeted an Iranian convoy of
over two dozen trucks carrying foodstuff from Iraq into Syria.
In
December, Israel’s then military chief of staff Aviv Kochavi confirmed the
regime was behind an early November 2022 attack on an Iranian fuel convoy
heading to Lebanon near the Syria-Iraq border. That attack targeted a convoy of
22 tankers carrying Iranian fuel that had just entered Syria from Iraq.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/02/10/697995/Israel-Iranian-aid-shipments-Syria
--------
Palestinian
prisoners launch mass hunger strike after prisoner's death
10
February 2023
Palestinian
prisoners have started a hunger strike in all Israeli prisons in protest
against the death of a Palestinian prisoner due to deliberate medical
negligence in a hospital in the occupied territories.
The
move prompted the Emergency Committee of the Palestine Prisoners' Movement to
announce a state of alert in all prisons of the Zionist regime on Friday
morning and three days of public mourning following the martyrdom of Ahmad Abu
Ali.
The
Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) announced in a statement that Ahmed Badr
Abdullah Abu Ali, a resident of Yatta city in the south of the occupied West
Bank city of al-Khalil, died at Soroka Medical Center on Friday morning.
The
48-year-old Abu Ali, whose family says was suffering from chronic heart health
failure, diabetes, and obesity, was admitted to the hospital after his health
condition sharply deteriorated.
He
was detained in 2012 and sentenced to 12 years in prison.
The
PPS held Israeli authorities fully responsible for Abu Ali’s death and for the
fate of all ill Palestinian prisoners being incarcerated at the regime’s
detention centers, stating that his death represents yet another crime that the
occupying Tel Aviv regime is systematically perpetrating against Palestinians.
There
are reportedly more than 7,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails. Hundreds of
the inmates have been apparently incarcerated under the practice of
administrative detention.
Human
rights organizations say Israel violates all the rights and freedoms granted to
prisoners by the Fourth Geneva Convention. They say administrative detention
violates their right to due process since the evidence is withheld from
prisoners while they are held for lengthy periods without being charged, tried,
or convicted.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Pakistan
economic crisis: No bailout deal with IMF yet, Islamabad inches closer to
bankruptcy
Feb
10, 2023
NEW
DELHI: Last-ditch negotiations between Pakistan and the International Monetary
Fund (IMF) failed to unlock $1.1 billion in crucial funds that would have gone
a long way in preventing the cash-strapped country from going bankrupt and
defaulting on external loan repayments.
Experts
said Pakistan needs the payout as soon as possible. "If this drags on for,
say, longer than a month, things get more difficult as our forex reserves have
reached a critical level," former central bank deputy governor Murtaza
Syed told Reuters.
Fuel
crisis: Petrol pumps go dry
Meanwhile,
oil companies of Pakistan are on the verge of 'collapse' due to a reeling
economic crisis and devaluation of the currency as a result of which most of
the petrol pumps across the country have ran out of petrol. Some rural areas
have not seen fuel supply in more than a month.
The
situation appears to be worst in certain large towns such as Lahore,
Gujranwala, and Faisalabad, where numerous petrol pumps have reportedly been
running on a poor or nonexistent supply of petrol for many days as a result of
pressure from the oil marketing companies.
IMF
team leaves without deal
The
IMF team, which had arrived in Islamabad on January 31 to work out a deal, left
Pakistan on Friday.
Pakistan
finance ministry officials and the IMF both said the talks did not result in a
"board discussion", a meeting that would have led to the release of
the funds that are part of a $6.5 billion bailout that Pakistan signed in 2019.
"Virtual
discussions will continue in the coming days," assured IMF Pakistan
mission chief Nathan Porter, adding "considerable progress had been
made".
Finance
minister Ishaq Dar said talks had "concluded successfully" and that a
draft memorandum on broadly agreed policies had been shared by the lender.
Package
repeatedly stalled
The
$1.1 billion tranche was initially expected to be paid out last December. In
addition to the stalled tranche, $1.4 billion remain of the $6.5 billion
bailout programme, which is due to end in June.
The
$6.5 billion bailout package was repeatedly stalled after the former PM Imran
Khan-led government backed out on subsidy agreements and failed on its tax
collection commitments outlined in the IMF deal. The Shehbaz Sharif-led
government resumed the programme last year and received around $1.17 billion in
August.
Pakistan
govt wary of IMF riders
In
order to unlock the latest tranche of funds, the IMF has set out several tough
conditions for Pakistan that include market-based exchange rate of local
currency, boosting low tax base, ending tax exemptions for the export sector,
as well as raising artificially low petrol, electricity and gas prices.
During
the policy-level talks, the lender also expressed its reservations over the
projections made by Pakistan's finance ministry over external financing inflows
from multilateral, bilateral creditors and commercial loans.
The
IMF has also pushed for Pakistan to keep a sustainable amount of US dollars in
the bank through guarantees of further support from friendly nations, as well
as the World Bank.
The
Shehbaz Sharif government, however, has been extremely reluctant in enforcing
the IMF's bailout conditions, especially in an election year. PM Sharif
previously called the conditions for the $1.1 billion loan instalment
"beyond imagination".
But
after months of holding out, the government began to bow to IMF pressure in
mid-January, loosening controls on the rupee (a step that caused the currency
to plunge to a record low), and hiking petrol prices by 16%.
The
fiscal adjustments demanded by any deal, however, are likely to fuel record
high inflation, which hit 27.5% year-on-year in January.
The
IMF also highlighted the energy sector's almost $15 billion debt. Pakistan has
submitted a plan to cut the debt in phases though price hikes and dividends
from gas companies, but the IMF is demanding a clearer path forward.
Dar
also said his government would discuss the fund's recommendations about energy
sector reforms.
Bankruptcy
and default on payments
Analysts
have warned that rejecting the conditions could push Pakistan to the brink of
bankruptcy and default on external loan repayments.
Pakistan's
economy is in dire straits, stricken by a balance-of-payments crisis as it
attempts to service high levels of external debt amid political chaos and
deteriorating security.
Inflation
has rocketed, the rupee has plummeted and the country can no longer afford
imports, causing a severe decline in industry.
The
IMF's loan is critical for Pakistan's economy as the State Bank of
Pakistan-held foreign exchange reserves have dropped to $2.91 billion.
With
Pakistan's reserves declining to such low levels, chances of default against
commercial debt rises. In that case, the central bank would refuse repayment to
commercial lenders or service their debt.
Since
January, Pakistan has not issued letters of credit, except for essential food
and medicine, causing a backlog of shipping containers at a Karachi port
stuffed with stock the country can no longer afford.
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
PM
preaches ‘hard work’ to get Pakistan through ‘difficult time’
February
11, 2023
Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday urged the nation to work hard to get the
country through a “difficult time”.
He
made the remarks at a ceremony after he laid the foundation stone of the
Bab-i-Pakistan project and an upgrade to Walton Road in Lahore.
“Today,
once again we are at a historical place,” he said at the ceremony on Saturday
morning. “In the past 20-25 years this is my eighth or tenth visit. This place
reminds us of the millions of people who migrated here.”
He
cited the historical significance of the place and harkened back to
difficulties of Partition. He said: “People braved difficulties and there is no
other example in history when it comes to sacrifices rendered by children and
women. This led to the creation of our country. Thousands of migrants stayed at
this point in Walton.
“There
are disturbing tales of how people lost their lives and belongings wishing to
reach Pakistan.”
He
then described the winding journey of the project over the years, from 1997 to
present. “We were supposed to make this venue a place to visit for
international and local visitors,” he said. He also then spoke about the
alleged graft in the project, but did not go into specifics.
He
said he was told that Rs900 million worth of white granite was planned to be
imported from Italy for the monument. “I asked the reason for it. The officer
concerned said the creation of Pakistan could not be highlighted without
importing that granite. I told him we have financial issues and have several
projects to undertake. Should we spend Rs900 million on this thing? But he had
no answer. But he said we have given an order. But I reminded him to follow my
order that this stone will not be imported. He lodged my complaint with someone
else.”
He
described the contractor as a “fraud”. “He had no experience but he was given
the contract without bidding,” the PM lamented.
He
said he was at the project again after years but it was still in “ruins”. “I
will talk about it when the IMF agreement reaches its conclusion. But I want to
talk about the historical place that how billions of Pakistan rupees were
misappropriated.”
He
then asked why the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) never looked into the
alleged graft in this project. “I wish no one goes to NAB’s akhuwat khana, not
even my enemy. Innocent people were pushed against the wall. [But] this
project, where billions were misappropriated, did NAB look into the elements
who indulged in corruption in this project?”
He
said until such a system was “buried”, the country cannot progress and see
development. “The picture of the past that I painted today is to lay the facts
before the nation. There are several other projects that were lost to
corruption but no action has been taken.
“But
we should not lose hope. We are also going through a difficult time, and if we
endeavour round the clock and if the well-off do their part, this ship will
reach its destination. The only condition is that we have to work day and
night.”
He
then thanked the National Logistics Cell chairman and expressed hope he would
complete this project and work round the clock.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1736556/pm-preaches-hard-work-to-get-pakistan-through-difficult-time
--------
Roadmap
to reduce distortions in economy unveiled
Amin
Ahmed
February
11, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
The World Bank, in its latest report, has observed that Pakistan’s inability to
allocate all its talent and resources to the most productive uses has stunted the
economic growth.
Pakistan’s
economy can grow sustainably only if the country introduces productivity
enhancing reforms that facilitate a better allocation of resources into more
dynamic activities, and of talent to more productive uses, according to the
World Bank report, “From Swimming in Sand to High and Sustainable Growth”,
released on Friday.
The
report presents a roadmap to reduce distortions in the economy that are
currently acting as a deterrent to productivity growth. Critical reforms
include: harmonizing direct taxes across sectors, so that more resources flow
into dynamic tradable sectors like manufacturing and tradable services, instead
of real estate and non-tradables; reduce the anti-export bias of trade policy
by lowering import duties and reversing the anti-diversification bias of export
incentives.
“Pakistan’s
economy is at a critical stage. It could be a turning point where long-term
structural imbalances that have prevented sustainable growth for too long ought
to be addressed urgently. The report puts forward a series of policy
recommendations to achieve this in a sequenced way,” said Gonzalo J. Varela,
senior economist and co-author of the report.
World
Bank report suggests ‘smart interventions’ rather than ‘blanket subsidies’
“First,
reduce distortions that misallocate resources and talent. Second, support
growth of firms through smart interventions, rather than through blanket
subsidies. Third, create a positive, dynamic loop between evidence and
policymaking, strengthening feasibility analysis of publicly funded projects or
programmes,” the World Bank official said.
Positive
impact on productivity
The
report urges Pakistan to maximise positive impact on businesses and
productivity across the board by: reducing regulatory complexity; harmonizing
the general sales tax (GST) across provinces; reforming investment laws to
attract more foreign direct investment; and upgrading insolvency laws to reduce
the costs of liquidating non-viable firms.
The
report focused on how Pakistan has performed in three areas that are at the
core of the growth process: productivity, growth of firms and investment, and
female labour force participation.
It
presents new evidence on firms’ productivity dynamics across different sectors
of the economy, the patterns of firms’ growth and investment, and the
allocation of female talent.
Women’s
participation
Productivity
is further affected by the fact that Pakistan does not tap into all of its
talent. “Women in Pakistan have made progress in educational attainment, but this
accumulated human capital is underused because of constraints they face to
participate in the labour force,” said World Bank Country Director for
Pakistan, Najy Benhassine.
Pakistan
displays far lower female labor force participation rates than expected for a
country at its level of development. Pakistan can accrue GDP gains ranging
between 5pc and 23pc by closing the female employment gap relative to its
peers, depending on the extent of implementation of complementary labor market
policies.
About
7.3m new jobs would be created if Pakistan were to close its female employment
gap with Bangladesh.
The
report pointed out that aggregate productivity in Pakistan has been stagnant or
declining during the past decade, mostly driven by firms and farms becoming
less productive over time. The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated the decline in
firms’ productivity, with a contraction of 23 per cent in 2020.
In
the agriculture sector, focusing on Pakistan’s main crops, while yields have
grown over the past decades, this has been due to a more intensive use of
inputs. At the same time, total factor productivity has been falling for most
crops, although, in this case, with provincial heterogeneity: Punjab and Sindh
have been relatively good performers, compared with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa or
Balochistan.
Crop
productivity in Pakistan is highly susceptible to elevated temperatures and
rainfall variations, putting the crop segment at severe risk due to climate
change.
‘Zombies’
Part
of the borrowing of the government that crowds out private investment is used
to support firms that may be unviable without state support.
Pakistan
exhibits a relatively large share of firms known as ‘zombies’, that is, firms
that are loss-making for at least three consecutive years state-owned enterprises
(SOEs) and family-owned domestic firms are more likely to be zombie firms,
according to this definition, and to display low investment rates.
To
increase investment rates and bring in large firms that could add dynamism to
markets, the country could leverage its untapped FDI potential – estimated at
$2.8 billion annually.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1736461
--------
Will
not betray Imran despite arrest threats, says Qureshi
February
11, 2023
LAHORE:
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said he
and his family will not betray Imran Khan despite “threats of arrest and
political victimisation for changing loyalty”.
Talking
to media persons after visiting a returning officer in connection with scrutiny
of his nomination papers to contest a by-election for NA-156, Multan, on
Friday, the former foreign minister said his son Zain Qureshi was receiving
threats of arrest, but they would not switch loyalty and are ready to court
arrests during the ‘Jail Bharo’ (court arrest) movement.
Mr
Qureshi alleged that the government and administration were trying to change
election results, but democratic forces would not allow vote snatching.
He
said resigning from assemblies and contesting by-elections were a strategy of
his party and it would not leave the ground vacant for Pakistan Democratic
Movement (PDM) candidates.
Commenting
on retired Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa’s statement about the PTI government causing
destruction in the country, Mr Qureshi said the public knows who caused the
destruction and they will not listen to the former army chief.
He
said the current economic condition of the country could not afford chaotic
situations as these would further deteriorate the economy.
Claims
his son is being threatened; accuses Punjab administration of trying to change
election results
He
said the government was involved in changing administration at a massive level to
change the by-election results and it was a violation of the ECP’s code of
conduct.
Mr
Qureshi said the caretaker government could not delay elections more than 90
days as it would be tantamount to the violation of the Constitution.
He
questioned the impartiality of the caretaker government in Punjab and said he
would have been an opposition leader like Raja Riaz had he changed his loyalty.
He
said the entire country had witnessed the clash between workers of two
political parties outside the ECP office in Multan and its footage was also
available, but cases under terrorism charges were registered against PTI’s
former MNA Malik Aamir Dogar and the city president.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1736511/will-not-betray-imran-despite-arrest-threats-says-qureshi
--------
PM
asks provinces to crush fresh wave of terrorism
Syed
Irfan Raza
February
11, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday asked provinces to take all possible
measures to crush a fresh wave of terrorism after a horrible picture was
painted by the Punjab police chief and the chief secretary about the resurgence
of terrorists in the country during a top-level meeting on the country’s
security.
Presiding
over the security meeting, the prime minister directed Interior Minister Rana
Sanaullah to visit all provinces to have a close coordination with the
provincial governments to collectively fight the new wave of terrorism.
He
directed the federal interior ministry and the provincial governments to
rejuvenate counterterrorism departments, equip security personnel with latest
weapons and gadgets, ensure close liaison among them and improve performance of
Safe City Projects (network of CCTV cameras in cities).
According
to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the premier also ordered implementation
of decisions of the apex committee in letter and spirit.
Pledges
support to Turkiye in wake of deadly earthquake
A
source privy to the meeting told Dawn that the inspector general of police and
Punjab chief secretary told the meeting that insurgents had penetrated major
cities of the country, especially in Punjab.
They
also gave a similar briefing to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar
Sultan Raja on Monday during a meeting held to review possibilities of
provincial assembly’s elections in Punjab.
They
quoted a recent abortive attempt by some terrorists at a police station in
Mianwali on Feb 1 and said terrorists were hiding in a nearby mosque in the
guise of women.
Earlier
in Lahore, the prime minister said Pakistan would extend every possible support
to Turkiye in the wake of a deadly earthquake and urged the people to donate
generously in the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund.
The
prime minister saw off a cargo plane carrying relief goods of 20 tonnes for the
earthquake victims of Turkiye at the Lahore airport on Friday.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1736482/pm-asks-provinces-to-crush-fresh-wave-of-terrorism
--------
Imran
calls for ‘internal military inquiry’ against Gen Bajwa
February
10, 2023
Former
prime minister Imran Khan has called for an internal military inquiry against
former army chief retired General Qamar Javed Bajwa for his alleged “admission”
about being involved in the PTI government’s ouster.
In
an interview with Voice of America Urdu aired on Friday (today), Imran once
again said: “The PML-N, PDM (Pakistan Democratic Movement) and the
establishment are all standing on one side … they all together removed our
government and Gen Bajwa has admitted to the regime change since he has given
his statement to a journalist about for what reasons the government was
removed.”
Imran
claimed that policies set in place by the former army chief were still
continuing.
Imran
was referring to Gen Bajwa’s remarks published in a column by Javed Chaudhry
from a day ago in his interview. In it, Bajwa said his “crime” was not stepping
in to save Imran’s government. He was also quoted as saying that “these people
(the PTI) were dangerous for the country”.
“Now
he has himself said that he ousted the government because, according to
whatever he said, there was a danger to the country,” Imran reiterated.
When
asked about the army chief’s acknowledgement of the military’s involvement in
politics, Imran said: “There should be an internal army inquiry against him for
the statements that he proudly and arrogantly gave that ‘I made the decision
because the country’s conditions were such’, as if he was some economic
expert.”
He
said the army should internally reflect on what happened as a result, adding
that distance was created between the people and the establishment.
“The
whole nation [already] thought that the government was ousted because of Gen
Bajwa, but he himself admitted it, so now he lifted the veil from the people’s
suspicion and it became clear for them that the army chief removed the
government.”
‘A
danger’
Chaudhry
claimed that he had asked the former army chief, “why did you overthrow Imran
Khan’s government?” to which Gen Bajwa allegedly answered: “We did not
overthrow his government. Our only crime was that why we did not save his
government. Imran wanted us to step in and save his government.”
Chaudhry
said he then told Bajwa that he should have done so since “you have been doing
this before as well” to which the former army chief was quoted as saying it
would have been the “most suitable” option for him if he was looking after his
own “interest”.
“I
would have kept supporting Imran Khan and would have respectfully retired after
bidding him farewell but I sacrificed my image for my country. I took the
correct but difficult decision,” Chaudhry quoted the former army chief as
saying.
The
columnist said he quizzed Bajwa on how that was the correct decision to which
the latter said: “Our reading was that these people were dangerous for the
country. If they remain then the country won’t remain.” He goes on to explain
that the ex-PM allegedly used a Punjabi word for the Saudi crown prince.
The
column claimed that according to Gen Bajwa, one of Imran’s own federal
ministers related this to the Saudi envoy who then began getting the word
translated by different people.
In
another example, the column claimed that Gen Bajwa said: “We kept stopping them
from trying to make Shaukat Tarin the finance minister. I told the prime
minister: ‘Sir he (Tarin) couldn’t run his own bank, he will tank the economy,’
but he was not convinced.
“There
was a Rs8 billion corruption case against Shaukat Tarin in NAB (National
Accountability Bureau). Conversely, the prime minister asked us to finish this
case. We were stuck with the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) and IMF
(International Monetary Fund) so we were forced and thus Lt-Gen Faiz Hameed got
Shaukat Tarin’s NAB case quashed.”
The
column further claimed that the former army chief said: “I got a phone call
from State Bank of Pakistan governor Reza Baqir and he was very worried.
According to him, Shaukat Tarin had heated up the economy and dollar reserves
were fast decreasing and ‘we need your intervention’.
“Thus
we were forced to go to the prime minister and Hammad Azhar, Asad Umar, Shaukat
Tarin and Reza Baqir were also present in this meeting. I asked the prime
minister: ‘Sir you are collecting 53 per cent tax from customs. This is wrong.
We will get trapped,’ but he (Imran) said: ‘This is a good thing. Tax revenue
is increasing,’ to which I said: ‘Sir you are collecting rupees by sending
dollars abroad. The country will not be able to continue this way. You should
stop Shaukat Tarin otherwise we will default.’
“Reza
Baqir supported this and the prime minister agreed but did nothing practically.
Asad Umar thanked me after the meeting and said: ‘You are correct. We ended up
on the wrong track. We should have done the things you told us today in the past.’
You can ask Asad Umar if I’m saying anything wrong.”
In
his last public address as the army chief in November, Gen Bajwa had
acknowledged that the army for seven decades had “unconstitutionally interfered
in politics”. He had said that the military’s interference in the political
sphere by the military continued till February 2021 after which the military
thoroughly deliberated on the matter and decided to stay out of politics.
‘Devastating
and against Pakistan’s sovereignty’
Responding
to Chaudhry’s column during a press conference in Lahore, PTI Vice President
Fawad Chaudhry said that the “confession” from Gen Bajwa was “devastating and
against Pakistan’s sovereignty”.
Regarding
the part about quashing Tarin’s case, he said it was a “serious intervention in
Pakistan’s judicial system”.
On
the column’s claims about economic matters and issues, the PTI leader said:
“Which country’s army chief deals with the state bank’s governor or the finance
minister’s approach? … you are not an economic expert.”
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1736405/imran-calls-for-internal-military-inquiry-against-gen-bajwa
--------
Opposition
in Sindh Assembly slams govt over rising street crime, drugs abuse in schools
Tahir
Siddiqui
February
11, 2023
KARACHI:
The Sindh Assembly on Friday echoed with lawmakers’ concern over increasing
incidents of street crime and drug use in educational institutions in the
metropolis.
They
asked the provincial government to take urgent measures to control the security
situation.
Speaking
on her call attention notice, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf MPA Adeeba Hassan said
that the people of Karachi felt unsafe nowadays while travelling in streets.
She
said that the law and order situation in the city was getting worse day by day
and shocked the house members by informing them that she herself had been
robbed in front of her house.
“Police
are nowhere to be seen, extortion is on the rise in the city and street crime
is a big concern,” she deplored and inquired the provincial government as to
what steps had taken to curb street crimes.
Shah
Nawaz Jadoon, another PTI MPA from Keamari, said that incidents of robberies
were rampant in his constituency as well.
“Illegal
internet cafes and drug trafficking are also on the rise in the area,” he added
and asked what measures were being taken to eradicate these curses.
On
a point of order, Grand Democratic Alliance lawmaker Shaharyar Mahar came down
heavily on the provincial government for what he described as a complete
failure to contain crime, particularly street robberies, in Sukkur and
Shikarpur.
He
said that the law and order situation in the two districts was worst as there
was no security on roads for houses and businesses.
“Mugging
incidents have become an order of the day on main Shikarpur Road,” he said
adding that the provincial government should abolish the police department if
it was not capable of controlling crimes.
Drugs
in schools
Muhammad
Hussain of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan on a point of order drew
attention of the house towards an alarming increase in sale and use of drugs in
educational institutions, including schools and colleges.
He
alleged that deadly drugs such as ‘ice’, cocaine and heroin were being sold in
schools, colleges and universities openly under the ‘patronage of police’ and
drug mafia.
The
lawmaker said that he knew several bright students who had scored straight ‘As’
in Cambridge exams had fallen prey to drugs, adding that the curse had put the
future of the young generation at stake.
He
urged the provincial government to take strict and effective measures against
the drug mafia.
‘Govt
taking action’
Responding
to the lawmakers’ concerns over growing street crimes and use of drugs in
educational institutions, Labour Minister Saeed Ghani said that the police had
been asked by the provincial government to show its presence on the roads of
Karachi to prevent street crime incidents.
He
said that police had mobile vans and motorcycles to keep a check on criminal
activities in the city.
The
minister informed the house that Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had held
meetings with the provincial and city police chiefs on the issue of street
crimes in the metropolis.
He
told the concerned lawmakers that the law and order situation in Karachi had
worsened to a great extent in the past and the provincial authorities overcame
major crime incidents in the city, though the incidents of motorcycle theft and
other such crimes were continuing in Karachi.
“Police
and other law enforcement agencies have been working to tackle this issue,” he
said.
As
for the alarming increase in use of drugs in educational institutions, he said
that collective efforts were required by all the stakeholders concerned to get
rid of the issue of use of narcotics by students in schools, colleges, and
universities in Karachi.
He
said the provincial authorities would take up the issue with the administration
of the educational institutions from where such complaints were received. “The
provincial government also takes necessary action after receiving such
complaints,” he said.
Wheat
price
Responding
to another call-attention notice, the labour minister said that the provincial
government had issued the notification of fixing Rs4,000 per 40kg as the
procurement price of wheat in the province for the new crop season.
He
said the provincial government had set target of procuring 1.4 million tonnes
of wheat in the present year.
He
said that Pakistan had been importing wheat for the past many years. He said
growers would be encouraged to grow more wheat by offering them attractive
procurement price by the government.
Legislation
The
assembly passed ‘The Sindh Prohibition of Interest on Private Loans Bill’ into
a law.
Giving
details of the new law, the labour minister said that it was aimed at
eradicating exploitation of poor people at the hands of private money lenders.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
2
soldiers martyred in IED blast in Balochistan’s Kohlu: ISPR
Ghalib
Nihad | Naveed Siddiqui
February
10, 2023
Two
Pakistan Army soldiers were martyred after an improvised explosive device (IED)
exploded in Balochsitan’s Kohlu area, the military’s media wing said on Friday.
“Based
on credible intelligence, a sanitisation operation was initiated on Feb 10 in
the Kohlu area of Balochistan to deny terrorists any liberty of action,” the
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.
During
the ensuing sanitisation of the area, the ISPR said, an IED exploded close to
the leading party.
“Resultantly,
two officers — identified as Major Jawad and Captain Sagheer — embraced
martyrdom and laid their lives in defence of the motherland against an
externally perpetrated threat.”
The
ISPR said that a sanitisation operation is under way in the area to apprehend
perpetrators and enemies of peace.
“Such
cowardly acts by inimical elements cannot sabotage the hard-earned peace and
prosperity in Balochistan. Security Forces are determined to neutralise their
nefarious designs even at the cost of blood and lives,” the statement
concluded.
Earlier,
the medical superintendent of the District Healthquarter Hospital (DHQ) Kohlu
told Dawn.com that an emergency had been imposed at the medical facility.
All
the medical staff, doctors and paramedics have been alerted, he added.
Today’s
attack in Balochistan was the latest in a series of terrorist attacks which
spiked since the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) rescinded the
ceasefire with the government in 2021.
According
to a report, January was the deadliest month since 2018, in which 134 people
lost their lives — a 139 per cent spike — and 254 received injuries in at least
44 militant attacks across the country.
Last
week, a Coast guard was martyred and seven others were injured in a landmine
explosion and subsequent ambush by armed militants in the Jiwani area of Gwadar
district.
On
Feb 6, seven people were injured in two terrorist attacks in Quetta.
Five
people, including an office-bearer of the Civil Secretariat Staff Association,
suffered injuries in the first attack. The outlawed TTP later had claimed
responsibility for the blast, saying that it was a suicide bombing.
Source:
Dawn
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of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1736391/2-soldiers-martyred-in-ied-blast-in-balochistans-kohlu-ispr
--------
Southeast Asia
How
Malaysia can help facilitate peace in Thailand’s restive Muslim south
VIJAYA
KUMAR
February
10, 2023
KUALA
LUMPUR: Peace talks in Thailand’s restive south are likely to gain momentum
under Malaysia’s new leadership, experts said on Friday, after Prime Minister
Anwar Ibrahim pledged to help solve the neighboring country’s decades-long insurgency.
Predominantly
Buddhist Thailand for decades has been confronting a separatist movement from a
Muslim and ethnic minority concentrated in its southern provinces. The mainly
ethnic Malay communities continue to have a common sense of grievance that they
were separated from their kin across the border in Malaysia after a treaty
between British colonial powers and Siam, now the kingdom of Thailand, in the
early 20th century.
Under
the 1909 deal, the former Siamese tributary states of Terengganu, Kelantan,
Kedah and Perlis were incorporated into British Malaya, while Pattani and Satun
were acknowledged as territory of Siam. The fixed border established at that
time is the current boundary between Thailand and Malaysia.
The
first armed resistance to the division emerged on the Thai side in the 1920s
and was suppressed by the government. However, the secessionist movement has
not stopped and several separatist revivals have taken place throughout the
decades.
In
2004, there was an unprecedented increase in insurgent violence, involving
militants who received training during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. More
than 7,300 people have been killed since then in fighting between Thai security
forces and groups seeking independence, mainly in the provinces of Narathiwat,
Yala, Pattani and parts of Songkhla.
Malaysia
has been helping to facilitate peace negotiations between separatist groups and
the Thai government since 2013, but the talks have been repeatedly disrupted.
During
his first state visit to Bangkok on Thursday, Ibrahim pledged during a meeting
with his Thai counterpart, Prayuth Chan-ocha, to “do whatever is required and
necessary to facilitate the (peace) process.”
The
Thai government issued a statement after the meeting saying that both leaders
reaffirmed their commitment to “seek new cooperation for Thailand-Malaysia
border area to become peaceful and prosperous.”
Anwar,
one of the most prominent Muslim leaders in Southeast Asia who took office in
November, is likely to bring “vigor” into the new negotiations, Sivamurugan
Pandian, professor of political sociology at the Universiti Sains Malaysia,
told Arab News.
“Although
it might take some time, constructive engagement can be used as a mechanism to
vow support and get a win-win solution,” he said.
“Anwar
has a strong personality and is loved by Muslim countries and regionally as
well. He can use his strong leadership to facilitate, negotiate and mediate for
neighboring countries, such as Thailand.”
Pandian
added that Malaysia has a track record of being a mediator in regional
conflicts involving Muslim separatist groups in non-Muslim countries of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including the Philippines.
“As
the closest border and considering religious element as well, Malaysia
understands better the Muslim world and ASEAN world as well,” he said.
It
also has the ethnic and religious leverage other countries in the region lack.
“Malaysia
seems to have a disproportionate suasion over the southern rebels, freedom
fighters, guerrillas, separatists, and the bilateral working relations with the
Thais are cordial and pragmatic,” Oh Ei Sun, senior fellow at the Singapore
Institute of International Affairs, said.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2248501/world
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Muslim
pilgrims from Singapore to pay more for the haj in 2023
Gabrielle
Chan
FEB
10, 2023
SINGAPORE
- Muslim pilgrims planning to perform the haj in 2023 will have to pay $1,500
more on average, compared with the last five years.
The
cheapest package for Haj 2023 – which will take place in June – is $8,490 per person.
The average package price per person is around $14,150, excluding emergency
medical assistance and airfare.
The
Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) said on Friday that letters of
offer will be sent out to 900 prospective pilgrims via SMS and e-mail. The
places will be allocated to those who have already registered and can meet the
conditions and requirements for the 2023 pilgrimage.
Those
who receive the offer are to book their haj packages through 13 travel agents
authorised by Muis, with a total of 30 packages on offer.
“Muis
advises pilgrims to evaluate the approved haj packages carefully based on
individual needs and affordability before deciding on their preferred haj
packages,” the statement said.
It
added: “Pilgrims are also advised to read and understand the contents of the
Haj Package Purchase Contract, in particular the ‘payment schedule’, before
signing it.”
The
approved travel agents have also been advised to explain the full details of
the contract.
The
haj is one of the five pillars of Islam, and Muslims who are physically and
financially able to do so are expected to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca,
Saudi Arabia, at least once in their lifetime.
Muis
announced in January that Singapore’s allocation for the annual pilgrimage in
2023 was 900 places, the same number as in 2022 and before the start of the
Covid-19 pandemic.
Singapore
was initially allocated 407 places in 2022, but that quota was later increased.
In
January, Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli signed in
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, an agreement for the 2023 pilgrimage with Saudi Minister
of Haj and Umrah Tawfiq Bin Fawzan Al Rabiah.
“Dr
Tawfiq assured me that he and his team understand the strong aspiration of our
prospective pilgrims and will review Singapore’s requests for more haj places,”
Mr Masagos said in a Facebook post then.
The
authorised travel agents for Haj 2023 are AQ Travel & Tours, Azza Travel
& Tours, Evershine Travel & Services, Hagel Travel & Tours,
Hahnemann Travel & Tours, Halijah Travels, Hamidah Travel & Tours,
Jalaluddin Travel & Services, Noor Mohamad Services & Travel, Nurhikmah
Travel & Tours, Sha Travel & Tour, Shahidah Travel & Tours, and TM
Fouzy Travel & Tours.
Source:
Straits Times
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/muslim-pilgrims-from-singapore-to-pay-more-for-haj-in-2023
--------
Malaysia’s
ex-PM Mahathir quits Pejuang party he founded, chooses GTA as new political
platform
Ram
Anand
FEB
11, 2023
KUALA
LUMPUR - Malaysia’s former premier Mahathir Mohamad has quit Parti Pejuang
Tanah Air (Pejuang), a Malay party he founded just over two years ago,
indicating a split in political direction with his son Mukhriz Mahathir, who
currently heads the party.
Tun
Dr Mahathir, 97, was one of 13 Pejuang members who sent in a notice to party
secretary-general Amiruddin Hamzah on Friday that they were leaving the party
and will now continue their political journey with Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA), a
coalition of Malay-Muslim parties and non-governmental organisations that
Pejuang was previously a part of.
The
resignation letter was shared by GTA secretary Marzuki Yahya, who was among
those who quit Pejuang along with Dr Mahathir.
Dr
Mahathir founded Pejuang in 2020, and later founded GTA along with several
other Malay-Muslim parties in August 2022, ahead of the 15th General Election
that took place last November.
After
the Pejuang-led GTA returned empty-handed from the national polls, with all
their candidates – including Dr Mahathir – losing their deposits, he quit as
Pejuang chairman. But he stayed on as GTA chairman amid reports that Pejuang
was considering leaving GTA.
Pejuang,
whose president is Datuk Seri Mukhriz, announced on Jan 14 that it was formally
leaving GTA after coming to a consensus among its members at the party’s annual
general meeting.
“The
decision by Pejuang to cut ties with GTA automatically removes us from the
party, as we are continuing our struggle under the GTA platform,” Dr Mahathir
said.
Pejuang
also resolved to open negotiation channels with the ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH)
or opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalitions ahead of six state elections
due in 2023.
Dr
Mahathir has a frosty relationship with both PH chief Anwar Ibrahim –
Malaysia’s current prime minister – and PN chief Muhyiddin Yassin, who succeeded
Dr Mahathir as premier in 2020.
Dr
Mahathir is Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister, serving for a total of
24 years over two non-consecutive terms.
He
led the Barisan Nasional government as PM from 1981 until 2003, before
returning to power in 2018 after leading PH to its first victory in national
polls, while leading Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).
However,
he lasted only 22 months on the job before abruptly resigning, leading to the
collapse of the PH administration. He subsequently resigned as Bersatu chair,
before being sacked by the party in May 2020. He then went on to form Pejuang.
Source:
Straits Times
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of the original story:
--------
Rafizi
agrees govt must address Malaysia’s low pay, says high-income nation status
achievable
By
Rex Tan
10
Feb 2023
KUALA
LUMPUR, Feb 10 — Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli today agreed that the country
needs to create high and equal salaries while lowering costs of living by
implementing programmes such as Menu Rahmah.
The
Menu Rahmah initiative offers balanced, cooked meals for only RM5 at selected
food outlets.
Around
12,000 premises have already offered Menu Rahmah, including restaurants
affiliated with the Malaysian Indian Restaurant Owners Association (Primas),
the Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association (Presma), Malaysia Singapore
Coffee Shop Proprietors General Association (MCSPGA), and Mydin supermarket
outlets nationwide.
“We
have to address both the costs of living, but we also are looking at wages,”
said Rafizi when asked by reporters about economic experts calling Menu Rahmah
a “band-aid” for high costs of living and low wages.
He
added that the country is seeking to become a high-income nation in the next
few years by crossing the gross national income (GNI) threshold of USD 15,205
(RM57,050) while seeking to have a more equal income distribution.
Since
achieving the middle-income nation status in 1985, Malaysia’s economic growth
has lagged behind other nations and fallen into the “middle-income trap”, a
notion used to describe countries that are unable to catch up with
higher-income nations.
“We
are at around US$13,000 plus, so if the growth rate is at about four to five
per cent for the next three to five years. The high-income nation status is
actually within the horizon.
“What
we want to make sure is we don’t hit the status by per capita instead ensure
the inequality gap is taken care of,” he said, adding that the government is
looking into policy to calibrate equal wage growth among different income
groups.
Rafizi
said other government initiatives such as moving to a digital economy,
upskilling, and reskilling are all aimed at creating high-income jobs.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
PM
Anwar attends religious talk at Seri Perdana after arriving from Thailand
10
Feb 2023
PUTRAJAYA,
Feb 10 ― Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today attended the “Seri
Perdana Religious Talk” at Seri Perdana here as soon as he arrived from his
two-day official visit to Thailand.
Arriving
at 9pm, he spent about 30 minutes with some 200 guests comprising community
members residing around Seri Perdana.
Despite
only having just touched down at the Bunga Raya Complex at the Kuala Lumpur
International Airport, Anwar took the time to mingle with the guests amidst the
recitation of the “selawat”.
One
of those who attended, free-lance preacher Abd Hadi Bakri Abdullah, said Anwar
shared with him stories of his visit to Thailand.
“He
said the Malaysia Madani concept which he introduced was well received by the
Muslim community in Bangkok.
“He
then invited me to attend more religious and knowledge-based talks such as this
one here,” he said.
Source:
Malay Mail
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of the original story:
--------
Africa
Tunisian
president decides to strengthen diplomatic ties with Syria
February
11, 2023
TUNIS:
Tunisian President Kais Saied has decided to strengthen diplomatic ties with
Syria, the presidency said on Thursday, the clearest sign yet of Tunisia’s
intention to fully restore relations days after a deadly earthquake that has
devastated large parts of Syria.
Tunisia
cut off diplomatic relations with Syria nearly a decade ago to protest the
government’s brutal crackdown on protesters and activists opposed to the regime
of President Bashar Assad.
After
that, Tunisia reinstituted a limited diplomatic mission to Syria in 2017, in
part to help track more than 3,000 Tunisian militants fighting in Syria. “The
issue of the Syrian regime is an internal matter that concerns only the
Syrians,” Saied said in statement following a meeting with his country’s
foreign affairs minister.
He
added that “the ambassador is accredited to the state and not to the regime.”
Assad
is seeking political advantage from the earthquake that has devastated large
parts of Syria and Turkiye, pressing for foreign aid to be delivered through
his territory as he aims to chip away at his international isolation, analysts
say.
Tunisia
sent aid planes to Syria, including rescue and civil protection teams, which
arrived at Aleppo airport under the control of the Syrian regime.
Since
Saied took control of almost all powers in July 2021 when he closed parliament
and dismissed the government, Tunisia has sent signals it was open to changing
its diplomatic stance with Syria.
Assad
made his first reported trip on Friday to affected areas since the earthquake,
visiting a hospital in Aleppo with his wife Asma.
His
regime also approved humanitarian aid deliveries across the frontlines of the
civil war, a move that could speed up the arrival of help for millions of
desperate people.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2248706/middle-east
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Morocco
recalls ambassador to France amid simmering tensions
Khalid
Mejdoup
10.02.2023
RABAT,
Morocco
Morocco
on Friday called back its ambassador to France, the North African kingdom's
Foreign Ministry announced.
The
termination of Mohamed Benchaaboun's duties in Paris came in accordance with
royal instructions, the ministry said in a statement without providing further
details.
This
move coincided with a crisis between Rabat and the EU and cooling relations
with Paris.
Last
January, the EU adopted a resolution criticizing the conditions of freedom of
the press and expression in Morocco.
On
Wednesday, the Moroccan parliament announced the formation of a parliamentary
committee to reassess relations with the European Parliament.
The
tensions between Rabat and Paris, meanwhile, is fueled by tightening visa
restrictions against Moroccans, and talk of French companies' withdrawal from
the North African country.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/morocco-recalls-ambassador-to-france-amid-simmering-tensions/2814847
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Eritrean
leader denies rights violations by his forces in Ethiopian war
Andrew
Wasike
10.02.2023
NAIROBI,
Kenya
Eritrean
President Isaias Afwerki said Thursday that his country’s forces never
committed any human rights violations or interfered in the war in northern
Ethiopia, which has claimed over half a million lives.
Speaking
at a joint press conference in Kenya’s capital Nairobi with his host Kenyan
President William Ruto, Afwerki said that many reports pointing the finger at
his troops' interference in the Tigray war are fabrications.
“I
have no intention of interfering in this matter despite the disinformation
campaign going on trying to disrupt the process of peace in Ethiopia,” Afwerki
said while lauding the Nairobi and Pretoria peace processes that ended the war
in Ethiopia.
“You
talk about withdrawal or no withdrawal (of Eritrean forces), and we say this is
nonsense. Why are we bothered if Eritrean troops were there or not there?” said
Afwerki, who is on a two-day official visit to Kenya.
“Everybody
talking about human rights violations (by Eritrean forces), rape, looting, this
is a fantasy in the minds of those who own this factory that I call a factory
of fabricating misinformation,” he added.
The
Eritrean leader did not answer a question about the death toll of Eritrean forces
in Ethiopia.
It
has been widely reported by UN agencies and other non-governmental
organizations in Ethiopia that Eritrean forces played a significant role in the
conflict in Tigray, Ethiopia.
Eritrean
troops are said to have crossed the border into Tigray and joined forces with
the Ethiopian military to fight against the Tigray People's Liberation Front
(TPLF). The Eritrean government has officially denied involvement in the
conflict, but a significant amount of evidence suggests otherwise.
The
war between Ethiopian government forces and Tigray rebels erupted in November
2020 after the TPLF attacked federal army bases stationed in the northern
region.
Hostilities
subsided after the two warring sides in Ethiopia signed agreements in Pretoria
and Nairobi in November last year.
The
Tigray conflict has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions more
since November 2020.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Jordan
sends field hospital to help earthquake victims in Turkiye
February
11, 2023
AMMAN:
Jordan’s armed forces have sent a field hospital and the medical team to staff
it to Turkiye to help treat victims of the earthquake that struck the south of
the country on Monday.
Maj.
Gen. Yousef Huneiti, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met the medics
before they departed, passed on the greetings of King Abdullah, told them to
help those in need, and urged them to be good ambassadors for the Jordanian
Armed Forces, the Jordan News Agency reported on Friday.
“The
field hospital was equipped in record time and under the direct supervision of
the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as time in such circumstances is an
important factor,” said Brig. Gen. Hassan Shanatwah, the JAF’s director of
military operations. “This reflects the high readiness of our armed forces to
deal with such circumstances and developments.”
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2248711/middle-east
--------
North America
US
senator denies sanctions target international aid to northwestern Syria
following quakes
Rabia
Iclal Turan
10.02.2023
WASHINGTON
A
US senator on Thursday denied claims that international aid cannot enter
northwestern Syria in the wake of Monday's deadly earthquakes due to Western
sanctions.
“Rumors
that int'l aid cannot get into NW Syria because of Western sanctions are
false,” Senator Jim Risch wrote on Twitter.
Syrian
leader Bashar “Assad is the sole reason aid cannot get to those who need it
most,” he added.
Calling
on the UN Security Council to consider proposing a resolution to open more
border crossings, he added that humanitarian organizations are “desperately”
working in the field.
“It's
time Assad & his cowardly backers help by opening additional border
crossings for aid,” said the senator, who represents the US state of Idaho.
“Assisting
humanitarians in delivering aid to a population already devastated by Assad is
critical,” he added.
Stressing
that calls for “sanctions relief” are only intended to ”avoid accountability
for the (Assad) regime," he said, “Open the other crossings to alleviate
conditions at Bab al-Hawa & prevent needless suffering,” referring to the
sole border crossing for UN aid into Syria, located in Cilvegozu, Türkiye.
The
US eased sanctions Thursday on Syria to allow the flow of humanitarian
assistance following the deadly earthquakes that hit southern Türkiye on
Monday, which left at least 3,300 dead in Syria and over 19,000 dead in
neighboring southern Türkiye.
The
US Treasury Department issued a license that authorizes for 180 days all
transactions related to earthquake relief that would be otherwise prohibited by
the Syrian sanctions regulations.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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US
announces $85M in humanitarian assistance to Türkiye, Syria over earthquakes
Servet
Günerigök
10.02.2023
WASHINGTON
The
US Agency for International Development (USAID) said Thursday that it is
providing $85 million in urgent humanitarian assistance to Türkiye and Syria
after deadly earthquakes this week.
"USAID
is providing emergency food and shelter for refugees and newly displaced
people, winter supplies to help families brave the cold, critical healthcare
services to provide trauma support, safe drinking water to prevent disease, and
hygiene and sanitation assistance to keep people safe and healthy," the
agency said in a release.
The
statement recalled US efforts to assist Türkiye and Syria in the wake of the
earthquakes, adding 200 people including disaster experts as well as 159 search
and rescue members and 12 canines had arrived in Türkiye.
"The
United States remains committed to supporting the government of Türkiye’s
response and providing life-saving assistance to the Syrian people in
responding to this devastating disaster," it added.
At
least 17,674 people were killed and 72,879 others injured by two strong
earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye earlier this week, Health Minister
Fahrettin Koca said Thursday.
The
magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in Kahramanmaras province, were
felt Monday by 13 million people across 10 provinces, including Adana,
Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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--------
New
York City mayor voices support for quake-hit Türkiye
Servet
Günerigök
11.02.2023
NEW
YORK
New
York City Mayor Eric Adams expressed support Friday for Türkiye in the wake of
two powerful earthquakes that killed thousands of people.
Adams
noted that Türkiye hosts Syrian refugees fleeing persecution during a visit to
a Turkish mosque in Brooklyn where humanitarian donations are being collected
for victims of the earthquakes that were centered in Kahramanmaras in southern
Türkiye.
"You
have always been there for other countries and we want to be here," Adams
told reporters following Friday prayers. "We are all feeling the pain that
Turkiye is going through right now."
Adams
was welcomed by the Consul General of Turkey in New York, Reyhan Ozgur, who
thanked the Turkish-American community for their assistance in helping quake
victims.
Ozgur
said the consulate has shipped more than 50 tons of humanitarian aid material
to Türkiye and more than 200 tons of humanitarian assistance will be shipped
from New Jersey.
At
least 20,213 people were killed and 80,052 others injured by two strong
earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Monday, Health Minister Fahrettin
Koca said Friday.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/new-york-city-mayor-voices-support-for-quake-hit-turkiye/2815357
--------
Turkish
Americans hold candlelight vigil in US capital to mourn victims of earthquakes
Rabia
Iclal Turan
11.02.2023
WASHINGTON
A
candlelight vigil was held Friday in Washington, D.C. to honor the victims of
deadly earthquakes in Türkiye.
A
group gathered in Lafayette Square next to the White House to mourn the victims
of the massive earthquakes that killed at least 20,318 and injured more than
80,000.
The
vigil was organized by the American Turkish Association of DC (ATA-DC) and was
attended not only by Turkish Americans but Americans who want to show
solidarity with those affected by the earthquakes. Türkiye's Ambassador to the
US, Hasan Murat Mercan also attended the vigil.
A
minute of silence was observed to honor the victims as attendees later
expressed their feelings and sadness regarding the earthquake -- described by
many as "the disaster of the century."
ATA-DC
President Sitki Kazanci told Anadolu that the group has been collecting aid
materials and donations for the victims.
“This
is the least we can do. Everyone abroad is doing their best here,” he said.
He
said everyone was “extremely emotional” at the vigil.
“One
thing that makes us happy is that we are all together,” he said.“We support our
country.”
American
Kenneth Joholske, said he was “deeply moved” because he was part of the Turkish
community in Washington DC.
He
noted that he is involved with ATA-DC relief effort and said the aim of the
vigil was to ”spread awareness” as well as community solidarity.
Turkish
student in Washington DC, Melike Bolukbasi, attended and said that she has been
helping fundraising efforts at the Turkish Embassy.
“It
really touched my heart that we gathered here today like this,” she said.
Ceyda
Ozoglan, a Turkish-American, said attending the vigil was necessary to fulfill
the duty of being human.
“The
pain is huge,” she said. “Thousands of people are still under ruins right now.
I guess what we're doing here is just to feel ourselves there.”
Recalling
the 1999 Marmara earthquake which killed more than 17,000 people, she said: “We
must be tired of learning lessons from them (earthquakes) every time.”
The
7.7- and 7.6-magnitude earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province,
affected more than 13 million people across 10 provinces, including Adana,
Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa.
Several
countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the strong
tremors that struck Türkiye in the space of less than 10 hours.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
US
carrier positioned in eastern Mediterranean to assist Türkiye in earthquake
response
Rabia
İclal Turan
11.02.2023
WASHINGTON
The
US European Command (USEUCOM) said Friday it has positioned military
capabilities, including the George HW Bush carrier in the Mediterranean Sea to
help Türkiye’s search and rescue efforts following deadly earthquakes.
“The
George Herbert Walker Bush Carrier Strike Group arrived in the eastern
Mediterranean Sea within hours of notification on Feb. 7, and stands ready to
provide logistics, medical, and rotary airlift support,” USEUCOM said in a
statement.
A
source speaking on condition of anonymity told Anadolu that the US carrier was
positioned off the island of Rhodes in international waters.
The
statement said a team from USEUCOM arrived at the Incirlik Air Base in Türkiye
on Feb. 9 to determine “how the U.S. military can rapidly respond” to the
support assistance requested by the Turkish government through USAID.
The
US Army rotary wing aircraft have also been flying missions out of the Incirlik
Air Base and began transporting first responders to quake-hit areas Feb. 7, it
said.
UH-60
Black Hawks helicopters transported injured civilians to a local medical
facility, said USEUCOM.
“Additional
aircraft, including Black Hawks and CH-47 Chinooks are being sent to Incirlik
and will be postured for potential follow-on missions to support any requests
from Turkish medical professionals,” it said.
It
added that the Incirlik Air Base has received more than 1,337 international
aircraft sorties in support of earthquake relief assistance following the
quakes hitting the southern provinces of the country.
"When
an Ally or partner nation faces moments of incalculable disaster and tragic
loss of human life, there's never a moment of hesitation from the United States
to quickly respond to the needs of that nation," US Army Gen. Christopher
G. Cavoli, who leads USEUCOM, said in a statement.
"From
search and rescue to medical assistance and humanitarian aid, our command is
working with other U.S. government agencies to provide assistance requested by
the government of Türkiye in the aftermath of this natural disaster,” he said.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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