Aceh Ulema Council Want People Flogged For Playing Violent Online Games
New Age Islam News Bureau
25 October 2020
A gamer plays the online multiplayer battle game
Player's Unknown Battlegrounds (PUBG) on a mobile phone. (Shutterstock.com)
------
• Turkish President Erdogan Slammed Emmanuel Macron over
His Policies toward Muslims, Saying That He Needed ‘Mental Checks’
• Trump Pocketed $123,000 from Qaddafi He Claimed To
Have Donated: Report
• France Recalls Envoy after Turkey Scolds Macron over
Muslims
• Afghan Forces Kill Top Qaida Member Al-Masri, One of
US’ Most Wanted
• Prime Minister Imran Khan: Society with Selective
Justice Can’t Survive
• UAE Welcomes US-Brokered Agreement between Sudan,
Israel
• Sudan Complicit In Genocide of Palestinians
• ‘Efforts to Reignite Anti-CAA Protests Still
Continue’: RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat In Dussehra Address
Southeast Asia
• Aceh Ulema Council Want People Flogged For Playing
Violent Online Games
• Indonesia’s President Says COVID Vaccine Must Be
Halal
• Political logjam drags Malaysia's royal households
into the fray
• Emergency will hurt economic recovery, Putrajaya
warned
--------
Mideast
• Turkish President Erdogan Slammed Emmanuel Macron over
His Policies toward Muslims, Saying That He Needed ‘Mental Checks’
• Iran Strongly Condemns Continued Sacrilege of Islam
Prophet (PBUH) in France
• Palestinian groups condemn Macron’s defence of
anti-Islam cartoons
• Turkey Seeks To Whitewash Palestinian Islamic Jihad
As Normal 'Group'
• Iran Censures Sudan’s Normalization of Ties with
Israel
• Sudan's normalization with Israel great betrayal:
Palestine official
• Revealed: How a bank in Turkey funded Hamas terror
operations
--------
North America
• Trump Pocketed $123,000 from Qaddafi He Claimed To
Have Donated: Report
• US Offers Up To $10 Million Reward for Information
On Hezbollah Funding
• US Says No Justification For China’s ‘Concentration
Camps’ For Uighur Muslims
• US embassy issues security alert in Turkey over
reports of ‘attacks, kidnappings’
• US lost $19bn in Afghanistan to waste, fraud, abuse
over 10 yrs
• US drone raid in NW Syria kills 17 civilians,
militants
--------
Europe
• France Recalls Envoy after Turkey Scolds Macron over
Muslims
• Turkey rejects US pressure over Russian S-400
defence system
--------
South Asia
• Afghan Forces Kill Top Qaida Member Al-Masri, One of
US’ Most Wanted
• Suicide bomber kills 18 in Kabul
• 6 Killed, 2 Injured In a Militant Attack on Kamal
Khan Dam: Nimroz
• Taliban Face Backlash for Denying Responsibility
over Bombing Kowsar Education Centre
• ISIS claims responsibility for deadly Afghanistan
bombing
• Road bomb kills nine civilians in Afghanistan,
attack blamed on Taliban
--------
Pakistan
• Prime Minister Imran Khan: Society with Selective
Justice Can’t Survive
• Justice Isa case: Opposition demands president, PM’s
resignations
• PML-N Has 'Broken the Shackles of Fear': Maryam
Nawaz
• US presidential contest increases influence of
Pakistani, Muslim voters
• Pakistan Scribe Missing after Airing Visuals of
Nawaz Sharif’s Son-In-Law’s Arrest
• Progress in Doha talks will ensure reduction in
violence: Pakistan
--------
Arab world
• UAE Welcomes US-Brokered Agreement between Sudan,
Israel
• NATO says it will reinforce Iraq mission to help
local forces
• Syrians spruce up famed Crusader castle after years
of war
• Bahrainis rally against Manama regime’s normalization
deal with Israel
--------
Africa
• Sudan Complicit In Genocide of Palestinians
• Nigeria unrest: Police deploy all forces to take
back streets
• Iran hails UN-brokered ceasefire deal in Libya,
urges dialog to resolve crisis
• Libyans voice hope, doubts over cease-fire deal
--------
India
• ‘Efforts to Reignite Anti-CAA Protests Still
Continue’: RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat In Dussehra Address
• Army Downs Chinese-made Pak Drone Dropping Arms in
Kashmir’s Keran Sector
• Farooq Abdullah to Head Seven-Party Peoples
Alliance, Mehbooba Mufti Nominated VP
• We Are Not Anti-National, Says NC Leader Farooq
Abdullah
• Pakistan targets LoC, IB in ceasefire violation
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/aceh-ulema-council-want-people/d/123259
--------
Aceh Ulema Council Want People Flogged For Playing Violent Online Games
October 25, 2020
A gamer plays the online multiplayer battle game
Player's Unknown Battlegrounds (PUBG) on a mobile phone. (Shutterstock.com)
------
The Aceh Ulema Council (MPU) has demanded that players
of the highly popular online game Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) and
other games depicting violence be subjected to public flogging. West Aceh
regency MPU chairman Teungku Abdurrani Adian said such a punishment was
appropriate, given that “violent” games were haram (forbidden by Islamic law)
under the region’s Qanun Jinayat (Criminal Code Bylaw). “It is only appropriate
in Aceh, a sharia region, that those who perpetrate haram acts that violate
Islamic law should be dragged [in front of the public] to be flogged in
accordance with the regulations that are in force in Aceh,” Teungku said on
Friday, as quoted by kompas.com. Aceh is the only province in Muslim-majority
Indonesia that implements sharia law. The provincial administration has fully
enforced Qanun Jinayat since 2015, which allows flogging for a range of
offenses, including gambling, prostitution and adultery. In 2019, the MPU
issued a fatwa declaring PUBG and similar video games haram amid concerns over
a possible rise in violence among youth influenced by the depiction of digital
violence. Teungku urged the Aceh administration to immediately enforce the
punishment to follow up on the fatwa. “Even though the punishments had not been
enforced yet, Muslims who continue to play the game will be burdened with sin,
for which they must take responsibility in the afterlife,” he said. He also
called on the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to support the MPU’s fatwa against
PUBG. Last year, the Communications and Information Ministry considered
imposing playtime restrictions on PUBG due to its alleged side effects. The
controversy surrounding the game, however, did not stop Indonesian PUBG team
Bigetron Red Aliens from being crowned world champions at the 2019 PUBG Mobile
Club Open (PMCO) Fall Split Global tournament in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in
December. (rfa)
https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/10/25/aceh-ulemas-want-people-flogged-for-playing-violent-online-games.html
--------
Turkish President Erdogan Slammed Emmanuel Macron over
His Policies toward Muslims, Saying That He Needed ‘Mental Checks’
October 24, 2020
Earlier this month, Macron pledged to fight 'Islamist
separatism' in France, drawing a sharp rebuke from Erdogan [File: Murad
Sezer/Reuters]
-----
ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on
Saturday slammed his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, over his policies
toward Muslims, saying that he needed “mental checks.”
Macron and Erdogan are feuding about maritime rights
in the eastern Mediterranean, Libya, Syria and — most recently — the escalating
conflict in Azerbaijan’s Armenian separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
“What can one say about a head of state who treats
millions of members from different faith groups this way: first of all, have
mental checks,” Erdogan said in a televised address in the central Anatolian
city of Kayseri.
Macron’s proposal to defend his country’s secular
values against radical Islam has angered the Turkish government.
Macron this month described Islam as a religion “in
crisis” worldwide and said the government would present a bill in December to
strengthen a 1905 law that officially separated church and state in France.
He announced stricter oversight of schooling and
better control over foreign funding of mosques.
Turkey is a majority Muslim but secular country which
is a part of Nato but not the EU, where its membership bid has stalled for
decades over a range of disputes.
“What’s the problem of the individual called Macron
with Islam and with the Muslims?” Erdogan asked.
“Macron needs mental treatment.”
Erdogan also predicted Macron would not do well in the
French presidential election in 2022.
“You are constantly picking on Erdogan. This will not
earn you anything,” said the Turkish leader.
“There will be elections (in France) … We will see
your fate. I don’t think he has a long way to go. Why? He has not achieved
anything for France and he should do for himself.”
Behind the disasters
The latest rift between the two leaders is over
Nagorno-Karabakh — a majority ethnic Armenian breakaway region inside
Azerbaijan, declared independence after the fall of the Iron Curtain, sparking
a war in the early 1990s that claimed 30,000 lives.
Macron this month demanded that Turkey explain what he
said was the arrival of jihadist fighters in Azerbaijan and said: “A red line
has been crossed.”
Erdogan on Saturday accused France — a member of the
Minsk trio tasked to resolve the conflict — of “being behind the disasters and
the occupations in Azerbaijan.”
He told France: “You are in the Minsk trio. What have
you done so far? Have you saved Azerbaijani lands from occupation? No. You only
send arms to Armenians.
“You think you will restore peace with the arms you
are sending to Armenians. You cannot because you are not honest.”
Turkey has backed Azerbaijan in its latest campaign
for Nagorno-Karabakh where hundreds have died since the fighting reignited in
late September.
“I spoke with (Azerbaijan’s president Ilham) Aliyev
this morning,” Erdogan said.
“Now, our Azerbaijani brothers are marching towards
the occupied territories. They have started to reclaim them.”
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2020/10/24/erdogan-tells-macron-to-seek-mental-checks-over-his-anti-muslim-policies/
--------
Trump Pocketed $123,000 from Qaddafi He Claimed To
Have Donated: Report
24 October 2020
Former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi
-----
US President Donald Trump has often overstated his
public claims of charitable donations in the absence of tax documents to verify
them, according to an investigate report on 18 years worth of his tax returns.
In 2009, for instance, former Libyan strongman Muammar
Gaddafi paid Trump $150,000 to stay at one of his properties. Although
Qaddafi's stay was canceled following objections from local residents, Trump
said he still received the money.
In an interview with CNN two years later, Trump
claimed he had given all the money away in charitable donation.
The president’s 2009 tax returns, however, reported
only $22,796 in business and personal cash gifts, according to the New York
Times. That means Trump pocketed some $123,000 from the former strongman and
later lied about it to the public.
New Tax Story: Donald Trump’s taxes show he didn't
reach for his wallet for most of his charitable giving. The bulk of it came
from donating land. His taxes also cast doubt on a number of charitable
commitments he has boasted about. https://t.co/J6pWBIKZEE
— Susanne Craig (@susannecraig) October 23, 2020
Trump’s hidden financial records “cast doubt on a
number of his charitable commitments and show that most of his giving came from
land deals that offset his income,” the report said.
When Trump announced his candidacy in 2015, he had
claimed to have made over $102 million in charitable donations over the
previous five years.
However, his tax returns from 2010 to 2014 revealed
only $735,238 in cash donations and nearly $47 million in land easements – a
form of charitable tax break for property owners -- and other non-cash gifts.
In response to questions from the Times, Amanda
Miller, a spokeswoman for the Trump Organization, said, “President Trump gives
money privately. It’s impossible to know how much he’s given over the years.”
The Donald J. Trump Foundation, once described as the
charitable arm of the president’s financial empire, was dissolved in 2018
following shocking patterns of illegality, including allegations of
self-dealing to benefit Trump, his businesses and his campaign.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/10/24/637097/Trump-money-charity-Qaddafi
--------
France recalls envoy after Turkey scolds Macron over
Muslims
October 25, 2020
PARIS: France recalled its ambassador on Saturday
after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said his counterpart Emmanuel Macron
needed mental help over his attitude towards Muslims.
“Outrage and insult are not a method,” Macron’s office
said.
The French leader this month declared war on “Islamist
separatism”, which he believes is taking over some Muslim communities in
France.
France has since been shaken by the beheading of a
teacher by an Islamist radical, avenging the use of cartoons of the Prophet
Mohammad in a class on freedom of expression.
“What is the problem of this person called Macron with
Muslims and Islam? Macron needs treatment on a mental level,” Erdogan said in a
speech in the central Turkish city of Kayseri.
“What else can be said to a head of state who does not
understand freedom of belief and who behaves in this way to millions of people
living in his country who are members of a different faith?” Erdogan added.
Turkey and France are both members of the Nato
military alliance, but have been at odds over issues including Syria and Libya,
maritime jurisdiction in the eastern Mediterranean, and the conflict in
Nagorno-Karabakh.
“France has gathered its European partners, who share
France’s demand that Turkey puts a stop to its dangerous adventures in the
Mediterranean and in the region,” the statement from Macron’s office said.
Erdogan has two months to respond or face measures, it
added, noting the absence of a condolence message from Turkey’s leader after
the history teacher’s death last week.
Erdogan is a pious Muslim and since his
Islamist-rooted AK Party first came to power in 2002, he has sought to shift
Islam into the mainstream of politics in Turkey, an overwhelmingly Muslim but
constitutionally secular country.
The Turkish president had also said on Oct 6 that
Macron’s comments on Islamist threats were “a clear provocation” and showed
“impertinence”.
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2020/10/25/france-recalls-envoy-after-turkey-scolds-macron-over-muslims/
--------
Afghan forces kill top Qaida member al-Masri, one of
US’ most wanted
Oct 25, 2020
KABUL: Afghan security forces have killed Abu Muhsin
al-Masri, a senior al-Qaida member who was on the Federal Bureau of
Investigation’s Most Wanted Terrorists list, Afghanistan’s National Directorate
of Security (NDS) said in a tweet late on Saturday.
Al-Masri has been charged in the United States with
having provided material support and resources to a foreign terrorist
organisation, and conspiracy to kill US nationals. The US issued a federal
arrest warrant against him in 2018.
Al-Masri, believed to be al-Qaida’s second-in-command,
was killed during a special operation in Ghazni province, the NDS said.
Al-Masri, also known as Husam Abd-al-Rauf, is an Egyptian national.
Kabul suicide blast kills 18 at study centre; IS takes
blame
A suicide bombing at an education centre in
Afghanistan’s capital Kabul killed at least 18 people and wounded dozens more
on Saturday, officials said. A ministry of interior spokesman, Tariq Arian,
cited security guards as identifying a bomber who detonated explosives in the
street outside the Kawsar-e Danish educational centre. Eighteen people were
killed and 57 were injured in the attack, according to the ministry. Islamic
State claimed responsibility for the bombing, the group said in a statement,
without providing evidence.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/afghan-forces-kill-top-qaida-member-al-masri-one-of-us-most-wanted/articleshow/78852930.cms
--------
Prime Minister Imran Khan: Society with Selective
Justice Can’t Survive
Khurshid Anwar Khan
25 Oct 2020
MIANWALI: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that a
society cannot survive for long where people rot in jails for minor theft but
those who loot billions are considered untouchable.
Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony of Chapri Dam
at the Cadet College in Isakhel, some 55km off here, on Saturday, he said the
nation could progress rapidly only by developing backward areas.
To be built at a cost of Rs3.2 billion in two years,
the dam would supply water to the hilly area of Isakhel tehsil of Mianwali
district.
Mr Khan said the time was not far when people would
witness Pakistan emerging as one of the strongest states in the world, adds
APP.
He said that the major objective of the state of
Madina was to uplift the poor and protect them from any exploitation or
victimisation by powerful people.
He said that the state of Madina was based on two
major principles — rule of law and humanity — and the western countries like
Denmark, Sweden and Norway had become prosperous by adhering to this model.
The prime minister said that ensuring water supply to
remote areas of Punjab was the dire need of time.
He said many people asked him about the selection of
Usman Buzdar for the office of Punjab chief minister. He said that since Mr
Buzdar belonged to the backward district of Dera Ghazi Khan, he knows the
problems being faced by the people of districts like Mianwali, Bhakkar,
Rajanpur etc. and would certainly develop these backward districts.
Mr Khan said that former chief minister of Punjab
(Shehbaz Sharif), who lived in Lahore and got medical treatment in London,
neglected the backward areas of the province.
Recalling his entry into politics and love of the
people of his constituency for him, who had elected him to the National
Assembly, Mr Khan said that now it was time to fulfill his promise of meeting
their old demands by providing water supply and sanitation facilities to this
area.
He said it had been observed that doctors and teachers
were always reluctant to serve in backward areas and to solve this dilemma, the
government was considering the proposal of recruiting professionals for these
sectors, particularly education and female health, from their own backward
areas.
The PM said that education ensured prosperity and
development of a country and research centres were vital for this purpose. He
said that the Namal University would be developed into a knowledge city having
the facility of teaching all subjects and initially an agriculture research
centre would be established there soon, which would introduce advanced methods
of farming in the area.
Earlier, in his welcome address, Abdul Rehman Khan,
MPA from Isakhel tehsil, highlighted problems of the area by demanding gas,
health and female education facilities beside transfer of the administration of
the Cadet College from the provincial government to the federal defence
ministry.
The prime minister also inaugurated the hostel of the
Cadet College which has been functional for the last six months. He planted a
sapling at the lawns of the college and also administered polio drops to a
couple of children.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1586899/society-with-selective-justice-cant-survive-says-pm
--------
UAE welcomes US-brokered agreement between Sudan,
Israel
Joseph Haboush
23 October 2020
The United Arab Emirates Friday welcomed the agreement
between Sudan and Israel to normalize ties, expressing its optimism that the
deal would help peace in the region.
The UAE Foreign Ministry said it hoped the deal would
positively impact pushing forward with peace in the region and globally.
For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
A statement from the Foreign Ministry, carried by the
state-run Emirates News Agency, said that Sudan’s decision was an “important
step,” which would improve security and prosperity in the Arab world. It will
also expand the “range of scope of economic, commercial, scientific and
diplomatic cooperation,” the statement said.
On Friday, US President Donald Trump held a three-way
phone call with the leaders of Sudan and Israel to announce the deal.
Sudan became the third Arab country to normalize Tel
Aviv ties after the UAE and Bahrain signed the Abraham Accords last month.
Trump removed Sudan from the State Sponsors of
Terrorism List after Khartoum agreed to a number of points, including the
payment of $335 million to American victims of terrorist attacks and their
families.
Sudan, which recently broke free of yearslong rule by
Islamist president Omar al-Bashir, will now have access to badly-needed economic
aid.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/10/24/UAE-welcomes-US-brokered-agreement-between-Sudan-Israel
--------
Sudan complicit in genocide of Palestinians
24 October 2020
Dr. Kevin Barrett
Sudan has just officially committed treason and
complicity in genocide by accepting a ransom from occupied Washington, DC and
its masters in Tel Aviv in return for being taken off the terrorism list which
will allow US and Western money to flow to Sudan and of course in return for
covert bribes from bin Sheitan in Israeli occupied Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The pathetic Sudanese leadership has set itself up to
be executed for treason by its own people and by the world's 2 billion Muslims
and two and a half billion Christians, whose holy places are occupied by
satanic Zionists who are planning to tear down the holy places and put up a
blood sacrifice temple which will be the site of global rule by the Antichrist
or Dajjal.
So everyone who is participating in this campaign to
establish a global satanic dictatorship under Dajjal, who will be hailed by
fake atheist Jews as their so-called Messiah is not only committing treason
against their own people but also participating in a satanic plot.
So, it's just beyond belief that the leaders of Sudan
have done this, but we see why they've been pressured to do so. Sudan has been
brutally attacked and starved by World Zionism since the 1990s. At that time it
was a leader in the Islamic awakening and as payment for its role in standing
strong in the cause of God, and justice the leaders of Sudan at that time were
then targeted by the Zionist Antichrist. And they were attacked in many ways
when the Zionist false flag human sacrifice events of September 11 happened and
the Israelis blew up the World Trade Center as an homage to Satan - their real
god and murdered 3000 Americans as an excuse to launch the next phase of
operation Antichrist. The Sudanese took some of the blame because the patsy
Osama bin Laden had spent some time in Sudan.
So, the Zionist satanic conspiracy and its friends at
high levels in Freemason occupied Washington DC, went ahead and helped the
Israelis destroy Sudan. They funneled all kinds of arms to the southern part of
Sudan and paid terrorists to break up Sudan.
So-called South Sudan is the place where all the
resources are so Sudan was starved by being destroyed. It's been broken up. It
doesn't exist anymore and what's now called Sudan doesn't have any of its
resources so now it's dependent on people like bin Sheitan from occupied
Riyadh, and from the Americans.
So I guess they feel that they need to feed their
people and to do that they have to surrender to Dajjal or the Antichrist, but
they will be fully rewarded for their deeds in this life Insha Allah, as well
as the next.
Kevin Barrett is an American author, journalist and
radio host with a Ph.D. in Islamic and Arabic Studies. He has been studying the
events of 9/11 since late 2003. He recorded this article for Press TV website.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/10/24/637137/Sudan-commits-complicity-in-genocide-of-Palestinians
--------
‘Efforts to reignite anti-CAA protests still
continue’: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in Dussehra address
Edited by: Amit Chaturvedi
Oct 25, 2020
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat
said on Sunday listed various “noteworthy incidents” that took place in the
last one year.
“In 2019, Article 370 became ineffective, then the
Supreme Court gave Ayodhya verdict on November 9. Entire nation accepted the
verdict. On August 5, 2020, the groundbreaking ceremony of Ram temple was held.
We witnessed patience and sensibility of Indians during these events,” Bhagwat
said during his annual Dussehra address at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur, as
reported by news agency ANI.
Due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic,
only 50 volunteers were allowed inside the Maharshi Vyas auditorium.
Bhagwat said that the country saw many developments
this year, but Covid-19 overshadowed everything.
“We witnessed anti-CAA protests which created tension
in the country. Before it could be discussed further, the focus shifted on
Corona this year. Corona overshadowed all other topics,” the RSS chief said.
He said that using CAA, opportunists unleashed
organised violence in the name of protests.
“CAA does not oppose any particular religious
community. But those who wanted to oppose this new law misled our Muslim
brothers by propagating a false notion that it was aimed at restricting the
Muslim population. Using CAA, opportunists unleashed organised violence in the
name of protests,” said Bhagwat.
“Before it could be discussed further, the focus
shifted on coronavirus this year. So, communal flare in minds of few people
stayed in their minds only. In the background, the efforts by rioters and
opportunists to reignite the conflict still continue,” ANI quoted
him as saying.
Bhagwat also performed Shastra Puja, the Hindu
tradition in which arms are worshipped annually during Dussehra.
RSS marks Vijay Dashmi as one of its biggest events
when the Sangh chief addresses the workers on a number of issues concerning
politics, society, national security and family values.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/efforts-to-reignite-anti-caa-protests-still-continue-rss-chief-mohan-bhagwat-in-dussehra-address/story-REFd1cK1mgP0R9HToqcFGM.html
--------
Southeast Asia
Indonesia’s president says COVID vaccine must be halal
Erric Permana, Nicky Aulia, Hayati Nupus
20.10.2020
JAKARTA, Indonesia
Indonesian President Joko Widodo warned his ministers
Monday not to rush the launching of a novel coronavirus vaccine amid public
concerns about whether it would be certified halal, or permissible under
Islamic law.
“We should consider public perception regarding the
halal status of potential COVID-19 vaccines,” he said during a meeting.
Controversy over whether vaccines adhere to Islamic
principles has stymied public health responses before in Indonesia, including
in 2018, when the Indonesian Ulema Council issued a fatwa or ruling declaring
that a measles vaccine was haram, or forbidden under Islam.
“Public communication regarding the halal status,
price, quality and distribution must be well-prepared,” he added.
Widodo said the next critical point is administering
the vaccines to the public.
He suggested providing a thorough explanation to the
public regarding the priority of vaccine recipients as well as the reasons.
Vice President Ma'ruf Amin meanwhile said that the
COVID-19 vaccines that will be distributed must receive halal certification
from the authorities beforehand.
Vaccine program to start next month
Indonesia will begin vaccination for approximately 9.1
million people as early as November this year.
“We will start the process after the Food and Drug
Supervisory Agency issues an emergency use authorization,” said Achmad
Yurianto, director-general for disease control at the Ministry of Health.
The country will use vaccines from three companies:
Cansino, G42/Sinopharm and SInovac.
They have entered the final phases of their clinical
trial third stage and are in the process of obtaining Emergency Use
Authorization (EUA) in a number of countries while already obtaining the EUA
from the Chinese government in July.
The Indonesian government is currently waiting for
halal certification from the Indonesian Ulema Council for the vaccines.
Medical workers and public service personnel will be
prioritized in the provision of COVID-19 vaccines.
According to Yurianto, Indonesia needs to procure 320
million doses for 160 million people to achieve herd immunity.
So far, the country has reported 365,240 COVID-19
cases, including 12,617 fatalities and 289,243 recoveries.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/indonesia-s-president-says-covid-vaccine-must-be-halal/2012102
--------
Political logjam drags Malaysia's royal households
into the fray
Leslie Lopez
Malaysia's nine royal households, which are part of a
unique constitutional monarchy system, have long been content with playing a
passive role in upholding Malay-Muslim values in the country's complex and
often combustible multiracial politics.
Now, with the ethnic Malay community divided like
never before, the King is being dragged into the fray to play the central role
of adjudicator in a bid to resolve the country's worsening political gridlock -
developments that are stirring fresh debate on the role of the monarchy in
society.
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/political-logjam-drags-malaysias-royal-households-into-the-fray-royals-role-in-politics
--------
Emergency will hurt economic recovery, Putrajaya
warned
Hakimie Amrie Hisamudin and Jason Thomas
October 24, 2020
PETALING JAYA: Two economists have warned of severe
setbacks to the Malaysian economy if the government were to declare a state of
emergency.
Reacting to reports that Prime Minister Muhyiddin
Yassin is poised to announce a partial emergency, Carmelo Ferlito of the Centre
for Market Education and Goh Lim Thye of Universiti Malaya said an emergency in
any guise would impede economic recovery.
It is believed that Putrajaya will resort to an
Emergency declaration to help it fight Covid-19 and to put a stop to political
squabbles.
Ferlito said it would be an “exaggerated reaction”
that would be of no help to the already stagnant economy.
“I think it is a very questionable move considering
the number of cases and deaths are far from being an emergency,” he told FMT.
“It will be a hard punch on both democracy and the
economy. It will create political uncertainty, pushing investors away from the
country,” he said.
Ferlito feared the move would cause multinational
corporations to leave the country and added that the government should not be
making decisions without consulting stakeholders.
“An emergency status goes precisely in the direction
of not involving stakeholders,” he said.
“This is a very harmful situation as the democratic
process is already under discussion and the economy is at bay.
“We need a relaxed environment now to make sure that
the country comes out of this moment.”
He said Malaysia could adopt a clear and effective
policy against Covid-19 without having to suspend democracy.
Meanwhile, Goh said an emergency would further damage
businesses already struggling to cope with the conditional movement control
order (CMCO) that has been enforced in certain states.
He warned that the move would likely further contract
economic growth.
Last Wednesday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
forecast that the Malaysian economy would shrink by 6% this year, worse than
its June forecast of a 3.8% contraction.
Worried by the likelihood of a state of emergency,
investors sent the FBM KLCI down by 4.16 points, or 0.3%, to close at 1,494.64
yesterday.
Bank Islam chief economist Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid
said it was too early to predict if the benchmark index would bounce back when
trading resumes on Monday.
Commenting on KLCI’s drop, Shankaran Nambiar of the
Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER) said the current absence of
adequate information could create unnecessary anxiety in markets.
“There is an urgent need for clarity on the
situation,” he said.
“This is something we hardly need with the already
depressed economy.”
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2020/10/24/emergency-will-hurt-economic-recovery-putrajaya-warned/
--------
Mideast
Iran Strongly Condemns Continued Sacrilege of Islam
Prophet (PBUH) in France
Oct 24, 2020
“Undoubtedly, the unacceptable and violent actions of
a few extremists, which are originated from an extremist and deviant ideology
in the Islamic world, and, ironically, is also owned by political partners
close to the West and the US, no way can be a justification to insult and
disrespect a heavenly figure respected by 1.8bln Muslims in the world,” Foreign
Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Saturday.
“No doubt the unjustifiable position of the French
officials is not an appropriate and prudent response to the extremism and
violence that is condemned in its place, and it causes hatred more than ever as
we are witnessing some suspicious and disgusting acts of insult to the holy
Quran by a few extremist and anti-Islam streams in a number of European states
which are strongly condemned,” he added.
Khatibzaden underscored Iran’s support for the Islamic
countries’ position to deplore such acts, describing sacrilege of Islamic
values and beliefs of Muslims as unacceptable and denounced.
The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC) on Friday condemned continued attacks and incitement against
Muslim sentiments and insults of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
A statement by the OIC criticized the "discourse
from certain French politicians, which it deems to be harmful to the
Muslim-French relations, hate-mongering and only serving partisan political
interests".
It said it "will always condemn practices of
blasphemy and of insulting Prophets of Islam, Christianity and Judaism" as
it condemned any crime committed in the name of religion.
It also denounced the killing of French teacher Samuel
Paty, who was decapitated last Friday in a Paris suburb.
The statement rejected the incitement against Islam,
its symbols and linking Islam and Muslims with terrorism.
In recent weeks, French President Emmanuel Macron
attacked Islam and the Muslim community, accusing Muslims of
"separatism", and he said previously that "Islam is a religion
in crisis all over the world".
The incident in Paris coincided with a provocative
move by Charlie Hebdo, a left-wing French magazine infamous for publishing
anti-Islamic content, which has drawn widespread anger and outrage across the
Muslim world.
The caricatures were first published in 2006 by a
Danish newspaper Jylllands Posten, sparking a wave of protests.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990803000417
--------
Palestinian groups condemn Macron’s defence of
anti-Islam cartoons
25 October 2020
Palestinian resistance groups based in the
Israeli-besieged Gaza Strip have blasted French President Emmanuel Macron for
defending offensive cartoons of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him).
In a statement released on Saturday, Hamas said,
“Insulting religions and prophets is not a matter of freedom of expression, but
rather promotes a culture of hatred,” warning of unspecified “consequences.”
"Macron's encouragement to publish insulting
cartoons of the Prophet (Peace be upon Him) is an attempt to revive the
Crusades which France was the source of its trigger," said Sami Abu Zuhri,
a senior Hamas spokesman.
For its part, the Islamic Jihad stressed that
"offending" Islam, and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is a "red
line" that "could not be tolerated."
The condemnations came three days after Macron claimed
that a French teacher beheaded earlier this month "was killed because
Islamists want our future."
The history teacher, Samuel Paty, had provoked outrage
by showing to his students the blasphemous cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH),
published by the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.
He was murdered outside his school in a Paris suburb
on October 16 by an 18-year-old assailant, identified as Chechen Abdullakh
Anzorov, who was shot dead by police soon after the killing.
In a tribute to the slain teacher, the French
president described him as a “quiet hero” and posthumously awarded him the
Légion d'Honneur, the country’s highest civilian honor.
Macron also vowed his country would not "give up
cartoons" depicting Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), claiming that Paty was killed
by "cowards" for representing the secular, democratic values of the
French Republic.
Since then, calls have been growing for a boycott of
French products in the Arab world and beyond.
Protest in Tel Aviv
On Saturday night, hundreds of Arabs in Israel
gathered outside the residence of French Ambassador Eric Danon in Tel Aviv’s
Jaffa district to voice their anger at Macron’s comments.
The protest began after Muslim evening prayers, with
the participants holding up banners written in Arabic in support of Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH).
One of the demonstrators, Amin Bukhari, accused Macron
of playing the game of “the extreme right.”
“The Prophet Muhammad is the most sacred figure in
Islam and whoever attacks his honor, attacks an entire people,” he told the
crowd. “We must respect Moses among the Jews, we must respect Jesus Christ who
is our prophet too, and we must respect the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon
Him).”
Also in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis, Palestinian
protesters burned photos of Macron and called for the defense of both the
prophet and Islam, Le Figaro reported.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/10/25/637154/Palestine-Gaza-Hamas-France-Macron-Islam
--------
Turkey seeks to whitewash Palestinian Islamic Jihad as
normal 'group'
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN
OCTOBER 24, 2020
As part of Turkey’s ruling party hosts Hamas
terrorists, it has also begun to try to normalize Palestinian Islamic Jihad
(PIJ), an extremist terror group that is widely seen as an Iranian proxy.
Israel has put pressure on PIJ in recent years, killing Bahaa Abu el-Atta in
November 2019. According to Russian media, Islamic Jihad deputy leader Akram
al-Ajouri’s home was also hit with an airstrike last year in Damascus.
On Saturday, Anadolu media in Turkey reported that
Islamic Jihad had “paid tribute to the Turkish Republic for defending Islam and
Muslims.” The headline was “Palestinian group praises Turkey for defending
Muslims.” This presented Islamic Jihad as if it was a normal and important
organization, while it is a small Iranian-backed terrorist group. Anadolu is a
major pro-government media outlet in Turkey, where almost all opposition media
has been closed down and their journalists imprisoned by the regime, and its
views represent Turkey’s leadership and their views. The frontpage report on
Islamic Jihad’s praise and the reference to the Iranian-backed terrorist
organization as a “group” shows Turkey is whitewashing and perhaps cozying up
with the group. Ankara refers to the Kurdistan Workers Party as “terrorists”
but does not refer to Palestinian groups that bomb Israeli buses and fire
rockets at Israelis as “terrorists,” increasingly representing how the Turkish
regime has sought to whitewash terrorists using its media.
Iran is a key backer of Islamic Jihad. It has hosted
the leadership and supported it financially and with technical advise to
increase the range of its missiles. In December 2018 and February 2020 Iran’s
Foreign Minister Javad Zarif spoke with PIJ leader Ziad Nakhala. Last year, PIJ
used around 5% of its rocket stockpile to attack Israel, just some of the
thousands of rockets fired from Hamas-run Gaza.
Turkey’s regime, led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is a key
supporter of Hamas and now it appears to be embracing Islamic Jihad, as well.
While Turkey has told its lobbyists in the US to try to work with the Trump
administration by pretending to be against Iran, in fact Ankara embraces Iran’s
regime and works to support the same Palestinian groups. The Times media in the
UK has reported that Hamas operates a cyber terror headquarters from Turkey. In
addition, the Telegraph has previously revealed that Turkey gave Hamas leaders
visas and that Hamas planned terror attacks from Turkey. These revelations came
to light in December 2019 and then August 2020 and this week. This appears to
be building evidence of Ankara’s hosting of terrorists. The US State Department
slammed Turkey for hosting a Hamas leader in August, the second high level
red-carpet meeting for Hamas this year. Turkey is leading opposition to Trump’s
policies of moving the embassy and has led opposition to Israel-UAE
relations.
The Saturday report at Anadolu appeared to give
Islamic Jihad a platform as if the terror organization is just a political
legitimate “group.” First of all this is clear from the media reports that
framed the group’s praise as supporting Turkey for “defending Islam.” Turkey’s
ruler Erdogan has sought to transform Turkey into a political Islamist state in
recent years. When he turned Hagia Sophia into a mosque in July, the Turkish
presidency said that it was one step on the path to “liberating Al-Aqsa mosque”
in Jerusalem. This is the same rhetoric the Iranian regime uses. In addition,
on October 1, Turkey declared “Jerusalem is ours,” illustrating how it seeks to
try to lead opposition to Israel. Turkey discussed the creation of an “Islamic”
currency based on gold along with Iran, Malaysia, Qatar and other states in
December 2019 as a way to get around western sanctions on countries like Iran.
Turkey’s key allies are Muslim Brotherhood-aligned political parties and
states, such as Hamas, Qatar and Tripoli-based Libyan parties. Turkey has
sought to push influence in Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia and Pakistan in recent
years, as well as pushing northern Cyprus and Azerbaijan to increase tensions
with their neighbors.
The outreach to Islamic Jihad may be linked to this
attempt to unify Islamic groups linked to Iran and to challenge Israel. In
August the Times in the UK reported that the head of Mossad had said Turkey
could be a larger threat than Iran in the future. The substance of the Islamic
Jihad report notes that Daoud Shehab, a spokesperson for PIJ, had praised
Turkey and that PIJ had slammed Franch President Emmanuel Macron. Macron is one
of the toughest critics of Turkey’s regime, opposing its role in Libya, the
Eastern Mediterranean and its exporting of Syrians to attack Armenia and its
ethnic cleansing of Kurdish areas in Syria. That means that Turkey appears to
be highlight Islamic Jihad’s view of Israel and France. Anadolu reported that
Islamic Jihad had critiqued France for “neglecting the achievements of
Muslims.” It was unclear why, out of many Muslim voices, Turkish media sought
to highlight an extremist group known for terror and rocket attacks on Israel
to critique France. The overall perception is that Islamic Jihad is just a
normal “group” and a legitimate voice for “Muslims.”
Turkey in the past used to be against Islamic Jihad
and Hamas before Erdogan changed Ankara’s role. Israel blamed Islamic Jihad for
a rocket attack in August 2015 on the Golan. In 2004 former Egyptian leader
visited Turkey to meet Erdogan and discussed how Egypt was confronting Hamas
and Islamic Jihad. At the time diplomatic reports noted that Turkey wanted to play
a larger role in the Middle East and also welcomed Egypt’s initiatives. Things
have changed today. A leaked diplomatic report from January 2004 also notes
that Turkey had asked Syrian regime leader Bashar al-Assad, during a visit to
Turkey, to “stop supporting Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and for
the PFLP.”
Turkey’s pro-government media embrace of Islamic Jihad
is therefore symbolic of an attempt by Ankara to whitewash, provide a platform
for, embrace and highlight Islamic Jihad as if it is a normal and important
group. PIJ has historically been a very small part of the Palestinian political
landscape and even though it is a dangerous terror group support by Iran and
hosted by the Syrian regime, it is not very large. That means any media that
gives its statement front page news and feels its “praise” is important is
clearly indicating that Islamic Jihad is important, otherwise why would Ankara
highlight the “praise.” The contradictory way Ankara’s pro-government media
calls the PKK and other Kurdish groups “terrorists” but does not refer to many
other groups as “terrorists” shows that Turkey does not believe firing rockets
at Israeli civilians is a terrorist act.
While the media report is only one report, the way it
presented PIJ could be symbolic of a larger shift in Turkey. While Turkey
sought to portray itself as fighting Hezbollah during clashes in Syria in the
spring of 2020, even appearing to feed media reports about how it had harmed
Hezbollah’s Radwan unit, Ankara may have been doing this to try to scupper
Israel-UAE relations as part of a brief charm offensive to torpedo Israeli work
on the East Mediterranean gas forum. In the end Turkey’s embrace of Hamas, and
now its media embrace of Islamic Jihad, as well as vows to liberate Jerusalem
and claim ownership of Israel’s capital, shows the Turkish leadership’s real
intentions.
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/turkey-seeks-to-whitewash-palestinian-islamic-jihad-as-normal-group-646778
--------
Iran Censures Sudan’s Normalization of Ties with
Israel
Oct 24, 2020
The Iranian Foreign Ministry, on its official Twitter
page, wrote that Sudan was removed from the terror blacklist as a prize for
normalizing relations with Israel, which, in fact, mean turning a blind eye to
the crimes of Tel Aviv against Palestine, revealing that the terrorism list is
nothing but an instrument to pressure countries to comply with the US demands.
Sudan became the fifth Arab country to sign a
normalization agreement with Israel, following the announcement of a similar
agreement between Tel Aviv, Abu Dhabi and Manama last month, signed in
Washington under the auspices of US President Donald Trump. Jordan signed a
peace agreement with Israel in 1994 and Egypt in 1979.
The Islamic Hamas movement in Gaza condemned the
Sudanese government’s decision to normalize relations with Israel, like the UAE
and Bahrain.
“Our heroic Palestinian people, together with all the
people of the Arab and Islamic nations and the free world, have received the
news of the Government of Sudan’s agreement to normalize relations with the
Zionist enemy with great shock, condemnation and reprehensible،” the group
said in a statement, ABNA 24 reported.
The statement added, “We express our condemnation,
anger and disgust at this shameful and degrading normalization that is not
befitting Sudan’s people, history, status and role as a deep state in support
of Palestine and its cause and resistance.”
The statement called on the people of Sudan to reject
the “agreement of shame”, which “will not bring stability or détente to the
country, but will take it towards further fragmentation, narrowing and loss”.
It added, “We have confidence on the people of our
nation that they will not be dragged into this quagmire as some regimes and
governments have done, and the people of our nation will remain vibrant with
the love of Palestine, al-Quds and the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and loyalty to
the Palestinian cause until Palestine is cleansed of the tyranny of the usurped
Zionist invaders.”
The leaders of the United States, Israel and Sudan
announced in a joint statement on Friday that Khartoum and Tel Aviv had reached
an agreement to normalize relations.
The joint statement states that “the agreement
establishes economic and trade relations between Israel and Sudan with a
primary focus on agriculture.”
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990803000677
--------
Sudan's normalization with Israel great betrayal:
Palestine official
24 October 2020
Palestinians have denounced as "great
betrayal" Sudan's recent decision to follow the United Arab Emirates and
Bahrain in forging diplomatic relations with Israel.
Deputy speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council
Ahmad Bahar said Saturday that the normalization of relations between Sudan and
Israel constitutes a support for US President Donald Trump ahead of the
November presidential election, the Arabic-language Palestinian Safa news
agency reported.
The normalization agreement between Tel Aviv and
Khartoum is a great betrayal of the principles and culture of the Arab and
Islamic nations, said Bahar, adding that the deal poses a threat to the
identity of the North African nation and its future.
He further called on the Sudanese people to widely
protest against the agreement in order to make the country's junta rescind it
and instead support the matters that were of significance to the Arab and
Islamic worlds, including the Palestinian issue.
'Jerusalem al-Quds not for sale'
Separately, Palestinian Presidential spokesman Nabil
Abu Rudeineh said that normalization, the so-called deal of the century and the
Israeli annexation plan in the occupied West Bank are all unacceptable and
nothing will pass or be implemented at the expense of the Palestinian people,
Palestine's official Wafa news agency reported.
"Normalization is unacceptable, rejected and
condemned, not only because it is contrary to Arab laws and international
legitimacy, but because it circumvents the Palestinian people,” he said.
He said that the Palestinian leadership would take
necessary measures in due time and will act at all levels.
"No one has the right to speak in the name of the
Palestinian people who have a leadership supported by its people, the Arabs and
internationally, and no one may deviate from the agreed upon norms," he
said.
Abu Rudeineh said that the leadership has confidence
in the Palestinian people and the free people of the world, underlining support
for the "sacred" Palestinian cause, including the status of the holy
city of Jerusalem al-Quds.
“Al-Quds is not for sale, not with gold or silver, and
not with order from the Israeli or the American administration or any other
administration," he said.
“Peace will only be achieved with the consent of our
people and its leadership, and any attempt to bypass that will not achieve
peace, stability, security, or prosperity because the Palestinian issue is
clear, and anyone who wants to search for peace, justice and stability must
turn to the only option that leads to the desired peace,” said Abu Rudeineh.
Trump announced on Friday at the White House that
Sudan and Israel had agreed to normalize relations.
Trump sealed the agreement in a phone call with
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla
Hamdok and Transitional Council Head Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, senior US
officials said.
Sudan’s acting foreign minister Omar Gamareldin,
however, said on Friday the accord will depend on approval from its yet-to-be
formed legislative council. It is unclear when the assembly will be formed
under a power-sharing deal between the country’s military officers and
civilians.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has rejected the
deal, saying the Palestinian Authority will take necessary measures to protect
the legitimate interests and rights of Palestinian people.
His office said in a statement on Friday that the deal
was in violation of the Arab League resolutions, the so-called Arab Peace
Initiative and the UN Security Council Resolution 1515.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/10/24/637119/Palestine-Sudan-Israel-normalization
--------
Revealed: How a bank in Turkey funded Hamas terror
operations
October 25, 2020
JEDDAH: A US district court ruling that a foreign bank
based in Istanbul helped finance the Hamas terror group has heaped further
pressure on Turkey over its tacit support for terrorism funding.
Ankara has remained silent on the verdict, but the
court’s findings are likely to isolate Turkey further on the international
stage and damage its relations with Israel.
Three US law firms, including Stein Mitchell, last
year launched legal action against the Kuveyt Turk bank over alleged terror
financing.
The firms were acting on behalf of the estate of
husband and wife Eitam and Na’ama Henkin, who were murdered in their car in a
West Bank terror attack in 2015. The couple’s four children were also in the
vehicle, but survived.
Eitam Henkin was a US national and his wife a foreign
national.
The attack was praised by Hamas as an act of “brave
resistance” and “heroic.”
In its ruling, the US eastern district court of New
York said that the Kuveyt Turk “knowingly maintained several bank accounts for
a Hamas operative who was the terrorist organization’s primary Turkish
fundraising entity.”
According to the court, the bank “fully understood the
operative’s role in supporting Hamas’ illicit and violent activities.”
“We all know about Iran’s longstanding support for
Hamas. But less understood is the fact that Turkey, a NATO ally, provides
significant support to the terrorist group,” Jonathan Schanzer, senior vice
president for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, tweeted on
Friday.
Plaintiffs in the case claimed that the bank aided and
supported the murders by providing banking services to three customers,
including a known Hamas operative, Jihad Yaghmour, and a Hamas-run institution,
the Islamic University of Gaza.
However, the complaint also accused Turkey of acting
as a “major political and financial supporter for Hamas,” with Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan publicly meeting senior Hamas leaders.
Turkey’s acceptance of 11 Palestinian prisoners
released under a prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas in 2011 was also
included in the court ruling as a proof of close ties between Ankara and the
terror organization.
The court also criticized Turkey for its failure to
ban the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief, known
as the IHH, a prominent fundraiser for Hamas in the country.
The foundation has been operating as part of the Union
of Good, a global fundraising network for the terror organization, since
October 2000. The network gathers over 50 separate Islamic organizations,
several of which are designated as global terror groups by the US Treasury
Department.
IHH made headlines after the Mavi Marmara raid when
volunteers from the group on board a Turkish-owned vessel attempted to bypass
the Gaza blockade in May 2010. Israeli forces stormed the ship and killed 10
activists on board, including Turkish nationals and an American of Turkish
origin.
The US court harshly criticized the IHH for supporting
the Islamic University of Gaza (IUG), which served since the 1990s as the
principal recruitment source for Hamas ranks, especially Al-Qassam Brigades.
According to the court ruling, from 2012-2015, Kuveyt
Bank conducted criminal activities by maintaining several bank accounts for
Yaghmour, IHH and IUG. These included Euro-dollar accounts used to transfer
funds though bank accounts in the US.
On Thursday, The Times newspaper in the UK claimed
that Hamas had set up a secret headquarters in Istanbul to carry out cyber
strikes and counter-intelligence against Saudi and UAE embassies in the Middle
East and Europe.
Based on Western intelligence sources, the unit is
allegedly run by Hamas’ military leadership in Gaza and directed by Samakh
Saraj, a senior Hamas member.
In August, the US criticized Turkey over Erdogan’s
hosting of two Hamas leaders in Istanbul, the second time this year, saying
that the officials were “specially designated global terrorists.” Hamas chief
Ismail Haniyeh was a guest of honor at the meeting.
“President Erdogan’s continued outreach to this
terrorist organization only serves to isolate Turkey from the international
community, harms the interests of the Palestinian people, and undercuts global
efforts to prevent terrorist attacks launched from Gaza,” the US State
Department said.
However, Turkey continues to court Hamas despite US
objections amid claims that Ankara has granted passports and citizenship to
dozens of militants in the past two years, including senior members of a Hamas
terror cell.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1753671/middle-east
--------
North America
US offers up to $10 million reward for information on
Hezbollah funding
Joseph Haboush
23 October 2020
The United States Friday announced a reward of up to
$10 million for any information on ways to disrupt Iran-backed Hezbollah’s
funding.
“In that reward offer, [we are] seeking information on
the activities, networks, and associates of Hezbollah that form a part of its
financial support, which includes financiers and facilitators like Muhammad
Qasir, Muhammad Qasim al-Bazzal, and Ali Qasir, the individuals the Department
highlights today,” the State Department said.
For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
The US says that Muhammad Qasir is a critical link
between Hezbollah and Iran and directs a unit that facilitates the transfer of
weapons from Syria to Lebanon.
“He has been a significant conduit for financial
disbursements from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Qods Force
(IRGC-QF) to Hezbollah,” the State Department said.
Al-Bazzal is another key financier for Hezbollah and
the IRGC-QF, the statement said.
He and Ali Qasir are affiliated with Hezbollah-linked
“front companies” that work in the steel industry and they assist in the
transfer of Iranian crude to Syria.
“All three individuals have previously been designated
by the US Department of the Treasury as Specially Designated Global
Terrorists,” the State Department noted.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/10/23/US-offers-up-to-10-million-reward-for-information-on-Hezbollah-funding
--------
US Says No Justification For China’s ‘Concentration
Camps’ For Uighur Muslims
23 October 2020
The deputy White House national security adviser on
Friday denounced China’s treatment of Uighur Muslims, saying there was no
justification for the country maintaining “concentration camps” within its
borders.
Matt Pottinger, who has been a leading figure in the
development of President Donald Trump’s China policy, made the remark in
Mandarin in an online address to the UK-based Policy Exchange think tank.
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News
channel online or via the app
Pottinger’s remark represented a further ratcheting up
of American rhetoric against China in the run-up to the November 3
USpresidential election, in which Trump, a Republican, has made a tough
approach to China a key foreign policy theme.
Last week, Pottinger’s boss, US national security
adviser Robert O’Brien, said China was perpetrating “something close to”
genocide with its treatment of Muslims in its Xinjiang region.
The United States has denounced China’s treatment of
Uighur and other minority Muslims in Xinjiang and imposed sanctions on
officials it blames for abuses.
It has not, though, so far termed Beijing’s actions
genocide, a designation that would have significant legal implications and
require stronger action against China.
The United Nations estimates that more than a million
Muslims have been detained in Xinjiang, and activists say crimes against
humanity and genocide are taking place there. China has denied any abuses and
says its camps in the region provide vocational training and help fight
extremism.
Pottinger spoke after China’s President Xi Jinping
delivered a speech on the 70th anniversary of Chinese troops entering the
Korean War to fight against US troops, in which he warned that China will never
allow its sovereignty, security and development interests to be undermined.
Xi did not directly refer to the present-day United
States, with which relations have sunk to their lowest in decades over disputes
ranging from trade and technology to human rights and the coronavirus.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/10/23/US-says-no-justification-for-China-s-concentration-camps-for-Uighur-MUslims
--------
US embassy issues security alert in Turkey over
reports of ‘attacks, kidnappings’
23 October 2020
The US Embassy in Turkey issued a security alert
Friday, saying it received reports of a possible attack on Americans and other
foreigners, and temporarily suspended consular services.
“The US Mission in Turkey has received credible
reports of potential terrorist attacks and kidnappings against US citizens and
foreign nationals in Istanbul, including against the US Consulate General, as
well as potentially other locations in Turkey,” the embassy said in a
statement.
The embassy in Ankara, Turkey’s capital, urged
American citizens to exercise caution, including while at large office
buildings, shopping malls and other locations where foreigners gather.
It said citizen and visa services would be temporarily
suspended at all US consulates in Turkey .
ISIS and an outlawed Kurdish militant group conducted
deadly attacks on Turkish soil between 2015 and 2017. A far-left group has also
previously targeted the US Embassy in Ankara.
A US Embassy spokesperson said: “The US mission to
Turkey issued this notice as a result of our ongoing assessment of security
conditions. The statement speaks for itself. We are grateful for the support of
the Turkish government in ensuring the safety of Americans living in Turkey as
well as Turkish citizens who visit our Embassy and Consulates.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/10/23/US-suspends-visa-services-over-reports-of-terrorist-attacks-kidnappings-in-Turkey-
--------
US lost $19bn in Afghanistan to waste, fraud, abuse
over 10 yrs
25 October 2020
After nearly two decades of war, the US government
continues to essentially flush billions in taxpayer dollars down the toilet.
The US lost approximately $19 billion to waste, fraud,
and abuse in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2018, according to the top government
watchdog for the reconstruction effort there.
According to the new audit from the Special Inspector
General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) published last week, the US
government lost nearly $3 billion in 323 separate instances over the last two
years alone.
Waste, defined as “the act of using or expending
resources carelessly, extravagantly, or to no purpose," accounted for 90
percent of those 323 instances during that time period, according to the SIGAR
report.
Fraud — namely bribery, theft, and other forms of
corruption — accounted for about approximately 9 percent of the remaining
incidents, while abuse of power by officials accounted for approximately 1
percent.
The US has appropriated more than $134 billion for
Afghanistan reconstruction since 2002, approximately 47 percent of which SIGAR
has reviewed through audits over the years, according to the report.
Unfortunately, it's unclear what specific impact this
scale of waste, fraud, and abuse. Indeed, the Pentagon for more than a year has
either over-classified or outright ceased to gather critical data on whether
the United States is actually succeeding or failing to win the war in
Afghanistan.
But according to SIGAR, this bodes poorly for the
ongoing Afghan peace process: the report concluded that the waste, fraud, and
abuse detailed in its audit doesn't just represent a waste of taxpayer dollars,
but a potential threat to the long-term prospect of stability in the country.
"Endemic corruption, widespread insecurity, and
lack of accountability over on-budget assistance continue to make any
investments made in Afghanistan vulnerable to waste, fraud, and abuse and may
threaten the peace process as well as the perceived legitimacy and
effectiveness of the Afghan government," according to the report.
In a statement to Task & Purpose, the Defense
Department blasted the SIGAR report as replete with "factual errors and
misrepresentations."
"The report cites instances of 'waste, fraud and
abuse' that pertain mainly to projects completed years ago - some more than a
decade ago - that SIGAR investigated previously," DoD spokesman Maj. Rob
Lodewick said in a statement. "DoD and several other US government
departments and agencies are already on record as having challenged these
previous reports as inaccurate and misleading. We continue to voice our
well-informed disagreement."
"Furthermore, DoD disagrees with some of the
report’s conclusions, which are subjective, based on previous contentious SIGAR
work, and appear to make little distinction between reconstruction efforts that
were mismanaged and those efforts that have, to date, simply fallen short of
strategic goals," he continued. "Although some projects have yet to
accomplish their intended outcomes, the net effect of the overall effort in
Afghanistan has clearly improved Afghan society over the last 18 years, despite
an ongoing violent insurgency."
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/10/25/637145/US-military-Afghanistan-waste-fraud-abuse-SIGAR
--------
US drone raid in NW Syria kills 17 civilians,
militants
25 October 2020
US military forces have reportedly killed 17 militants
and civilians in a drone strike in northwest Syria near the Turkish border,
identifying the targets as leaders of an al-Qaeda-linked group.
"US Forces conducted a strike against a group of
al-Qaeda in Syria (AQ-S) senior leaders meeting near Idlib, Syria," said
the spokeswoman for the US Central Command (CENTCOM), Maj. Beth Riordan, as
cited in an AFP report on Saturday.
"The removal of these AQ-S leaders will disrupt
the terrorist organization's ability to further plot and carry out global
attacks threatening US citizens, our partners and innocent civilians,"
Riordan claimed in a statement.
Although the CENTCOM spokeswoman did not specify the
number of those killed in the unauthorized intrusion and assassination strike
in Syria, the UK-based group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR)
said at least five civilians were among those killed in the US drone attack.
The Western-backed group, believed to have links
within Takfiri terrorist groups fighting since 2011 to overthrow the Syrian
government of President Bashar al-Assad, further explained that that the drone
strike targeted “a dinner meeting of Jihadists in the village of Jakara in the
Salqin area” that killed at least 17, “including 11 leaders,” according to the report.
The term “jihadist” is a term invented by Western
media and government agencies to falsely refer to radical militants engaged in
terrorist acts in the name of Islam, although most of them have actually been
directly or indirectly recruited, financed and supplied by Western countries
and their client Arab dictatorships.
The village lies in Syria's last major territory held
by Western- and Saudi-sponsored terrorist groups in Idlib province, dominated
by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, led by a former al-Qaeda affiliate –
al-Nusra Front -- and its terrorist allies.
However, other terrorist groups, including the rival
al-Qaeda affiliate, Hurras al-Deen faction, are also present and active in the
area.
The report further cited SOHR chief Rami Abdel Rahman
as claiming that five non-Syrian terrorists were among those killed in the US
drone attack, but added that their nationalities were not immediately known.
"They had been invited to dinner in a tent on a
farm in Jakara," he further stated.
"It was a meeting of leaders opposed to HTS and
who reject the Russia-Turkish deals" that led to a fragile truce in Idlib,
he also claimed, noting: "Some were close to Hurras al-Deen."
He was referring to a March agreement between Ankara –
which sponsors numerous terrorist groups inside Syria -- and Moscow that
prevented a Syrian military offensive against terrorist forces remaining in
Idlib province and operating in populated areas holding nearly three million
people.
Drone raid was response to killing of Islamophobic
French teacher
Meanwhile, the report further revealed that the US
drone attack came after French officials claimed that the 18-year-old accused
of killing a school teacher in France last week for propagating offensive
cartoons of Islam’s Prophet Mohammed in his classroom had been in contact with
a Russian-speaking militant in Syria.
Citing “a source close to the case,” it also claimed
that the identity of the Russian-speaking militant was not yet known, though
French daily Le Parisien alleged that the person's IP address was traced to
Idlib.
Invading US military forces are also present in
eastern Syria, supporting Kurdish-led terrorists affiliated with the so-called
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and also engaged in looting Syria’s oil reserves
out of the war-torn Arab country.
The development came days after SDF militants released
hundreds of inmates arrested on suspicion of collaborating with Daesh Takfiri
terrorist group during their terror campaigns in Syria and Iraq in recent years.
The 631 detainees were freed on last week from the
Alaya detention facility on the outskirts of Qamishli city, located 680
kilometers northeast of the capital Damascus.
The US has long been providing the SDF with arms and
militant training, calling them a key partner in the purported fight against
Daesh.
Many observers and experts, however, regard the US
sponsorship of SDF forces in the context of Washington's plot to cement its
foothold in Syria in a bid to steal the country’s crude oil reserves.
The US looting of Syrian oil was first confirmed
during a Senate hearing exchange between South Carolina Republican Senator
Lindsey Graham and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in late July.
On July 30 and during his testimony to the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee, Pompeo confirmed for the first time that an
American oil company would begin work in the northeastern Syria, which is
controlled by SDF terrorists.
The Syrian government has denounced in the strongest
terms the agreement inked to plunder the Arab country's natural resources,
including Syrian oil and gas, under the sponsorship and support of the
administration of US President Donald Trump.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/10/24/637144/US-drone-attack-CENTCOM-Syria-Idlib-militant-leaders-
--------
Europe
Turkey rejects US pressure over Russian S-400 defense
system
24 October 2020
Turkey on Saturday dismissed US criticism that the
Russian defense systems it has bought are not compatible with Ankara’s NATO
commitments.
The Pentagon on Friday strongly condemned the first
test of a Russian-made S-400.
“We have been clear and unwavering in our position: an
operational S-400 system is not consistent with Turkey’s commitments as a US
and NATO ally,” said US Department of Defense spokesman Jonathan Hoffman.
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
But Turkey stood by its decision Saturday, insisting
it was meeting its NATO commitments.
“Turkey’s goal is not upset anyone but to ensure its
people’s security,” defense ministry spokesperson Sebnem Aktop said in a
statement.
The S-400 test came despite repeated warnings of
sanctions from the US State Department if the system was activated.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday confirmed the
first test of the S-400 defense system saying: “We are not going to ask America
for permission.”
Aktop said the tests were part of “natural process”
and made it clear they would use the S-400 system without integrating it into
any NATO command control system – following other alliance members who have
S-300s.
Turkey has criticized the US for failing to sell it
competing American Patriot missile defense batteries, arguing that it had to
turn to Russia to address its security needs.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/10/24/Turkey-rejects-US-pressure-over-Russian-S-400-defense-system-
--------
South Asia
Suicide bomber kills 18 in Kabul
Oct 24, 2020
KABUL: A suicide bomber struck near an education
centre in the Afghan capital on Saturday, killing at least 18 people in the
latest attack to rock the conflict-wracked country.
Violence on the ground has spiked in recent weeks
despite the Taliban and the Afghan government holding peace talks in Qatar to
end the country's grinding war.
The suicide attack, which also wounded 57, happened
late afternoon at the centre, which offers training and courses for students in
higher education in a western district of Kabul.
"A suicide bomber wanted to enter the education
centre," Tareq Arian, spokesman for the interior ministry, said in a
statement.
"But he was identified by the centre's guards
after which he detonated his explosives in an alley."
He said the attack had left at least 18 people dead
and 57 wounded.
"I was standing about 100 metres from the centre
when a big blast knocked me down," said local resident Ali Reza, who had
gone to hospital with his cousin who was wounded in the blast.
"Dust and smoke was all around me. All those
killed and wounded were students who wanted to enter the centre."
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Taliban said it was not involved.
Residents in several districts of western Kabul belong
to the minority Shiite Hazara community, often targeted by Sunni extremists of
the Islamic State group.
In the past, extremists have targeted several
education centres and other facilities in the area.
In May, a group of gunmen launched a brazen daylight
attack on a hospital in west Kabul that left several mothers dead. The gunmen
were shot dead after hours of fighting with security forces.
The suicide attack came hours after a roadside bomb
tore through a bus east of Kabul, killing nine civilians. Officials blamed that
blast on the Taliban.
On Friday, rights group Amnesty International said at
least 50 people had been killed in attacks in the preceding week, accusing the
Taliban and the Afghan government of failing to protect civilians.
"The world must sit up and take notice. Afghan
civilians are being slaughtered on a daily basis," said Omar Waraich, head
of South Asia at Amnesty International.
"The international community must make the
protection of civilians a core demand for their ongoing support of the peace
process."
Despite holding peace talks with the Afghan government
in Doha since last month, the Taliban have only increased violence, in a bid to
wield leverage in the negotiations.
The top US envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad,
said earlier this week that fighting was threatening the peace process.
US influence over Afghanistan's battlegrounds is on
the wane, however, with the Pentagon looking to withdraw all its remaining
troops by next May.
The Taliban have been quick to exploit the apparent
lack of resolve, and began to push for fresh military gains as soon as they
signed a withdrawal deal with the US in February.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/suicide-bomber-kills-18-in-kabul/articleshow/78846471.cms
--------
6 Killed, 2 Injured In A Militant Attack on Kamal Khan
Dam: Nimroz
By Mohammad Haroon Alim
24 Oct 2020
Six Security guards were killed and two others were
injured in an unknown gunmen attack on Kamal khan hydroelectric and irrigation
dam in southwestern Nimroz province on Saturday.
The governor’s spokesman, Wahidullah Jumazada told
Khaama press, unknown militants attacked a security checkpoint in the
Qala-e-Fata area of Chaharborjak district last night.
Wahidullah added, six security personnel assigned for
the protection of Dam were killed and two others were injured in the attack.
The Kamal Khan Dam is being built on the Helmand River
in Nimroz province, one of Afghanistan’s largest water control projects.
Water collected from the Dam is expected to irrigate
174,000 hectares of land and generate nine megawatts of electricity.
According to reports, this Dam can store 52 million
cubic meters of water.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
https://www.khaama.com/6-killed-2-injured-in-a-militant-attack-on-kamal-khan-dam-nimroz-987676/
--------
Taliban Face Backlash for Denying Responsibility over
Bombing Kowsar Education Center
By Mohammad Arif Sheva
25 Oct 2020
KABUL, Afghanistan – The terrorist group, who is
accused of countless violence throughout Afghanistan, faced backlash for
denying responsibility over Saturday bombing in Kowsar education center, with
the ARG saying “Taliban still continue to escalate violence and protract their
illegitimate war”.
Hours after the blast rocked west Kabul Saturday
evening, the Afghan Presidential Palace in Press Release said, “Afghanistan
vehemently condemns the brutal and terrorist attacks in various parts of the
country that claimed scores of innocent lives and injured many others including
children and women today.”
“This evening’s terrorist attack that targeted a
training center in district 13 of Kabul, a roadside bomb in Rawza area of
Ghazni province that took 9 innocent lives, attack on Kamal Khan hydropower dam
as well as recent terrorist attacks in Helmand, Ghor and Nimruz provinces have
caused casualties and damages to the public facilities,” the Palace elaborated.
While the Afghan government released at least 6,100
Taliban prisoners to mark a peace deal with the group, compromising its
security and defense bodies, critique suggests war has rather escalated in
recent months.
“Consultative Peace Jirga decided and approved the
release of 6,100 Taliban prisoners, and in spite of the frequent calls by the
Afghan government and people and the international community on the Taliban to
end the war and bloodshed and agree to a ceasefire; the Taliban still continue
to escalate violence and protract their illegitimate war,” the Palace
criticized.
Earlier, an explosion went off outside the Kowsar
education center in Pul-e-Khoshk area of Dasht-e-Barchi in West Kabul Saturday
evening, killing at least 24 and wounded further 46 people.
According to the Interior Ministry, a suicide bomber
was identified by security guards of the education center, leading the suspect
to a premature detonation.
Taliban denied involvement in the attack, while Daesh
claimed responsibility.
The Kowsar education center is located at a narrow
street in Pul-e-Khoshk area. The suicide bomber who was trying to enter the
center, was reportedly recognized, failing him to target crowd of young
students.
According to eyewitnesses, dozens of pupils between 16
to 25 years old were in their classes when the bomb went off. Videos on social
media showed many teenagers sustained injuries in the explosion.
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-face-backlash-for-denying-responsibility-over-bombing-kowsar-education-center-234234/
--------
ISIS claims responsibility for deadly Afghanistan
bombing
24 October 2020
The ISIS extremist group has claimed responsibility
for an attack Saturday near an education center in the Afghan capital that
killed 18 people.
A suicide bomber “set off towards a gathering... in
Kabul, where he detonated his explosives jacket among” the crowd, ISIS said in
a statement posted on its social media channels.
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
Violence on the ground has spiked in recent weeks
despite the Taliban and Afghan government holding peace talks in Qatar to end
the country’s grinding war.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/10/24/ISIS-claims-responsibility-for-deadly-Afghanistan-bombing
--------
Road bomb kills nine civilians in Afghanistan, attack
blamed on Taliban
24 October 2020
A roadside bomb tore through a passenger bus east of
the Afghan capital on Saturday, killing nine civilians, officials said, in the
latest attack blamed on the Taliban.
Violence on the ground has spiked in recent weeks
despite the Taliban and Afghan government holding peace talks in Qatar to end
the country’s grinding war.
The bomb struck the bus at around 10:30 am when it was
travelling from Kabul to the eastern city of Ghazni, Waheedullah Jumazada,
spokesman for Ghazni governor told AFP.
“Nine civilians including three women were killed in
the explosion,” he said.
Four policemen were also wounded, Ghazni police
spokesman Adam Khan Seerat said, blaming the Taliban for the attack.
Despite joining peace talks with the government last
month, the Taliban have only increased violence in a bid to wield leverage in
the negotiations.
The top US envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad,
said earlier this week that fighting is threatening the peace process.
On Friday, rights group Amnesty International said at
least 50 people had been killed in attacks just in the preceding week, accusing
the warring sides of failing to protect civilians.
“The world must sit up and take notice. Afghan
civilians are being slaughtered on a daily basis,” said Omar Waraich, Head of
South Asia at Amnesty International.
“The international community must make the protection
of civilians a core demand for their ongoing support of the peace process.”
Afghan authorities also faced criticism this week
after 11 children were killed in an air strike by the military that hit a
mosque in the northeastern province of Takhar on Wednesday.
The authorities in Kabul insist that those killed were
Taliban fighters operating in that area.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/10/24/Road-bomb-kills-nine-civilians-in-Afghanistan-attack-blamed-on-Taliban
--------
Pakistan
Justice Isa case: Opposition demands president, PM’s
resignations
25 Oct 2020
LAHORE: The mainstream opposition parties — the PML-N
and PPP — have asked Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Arif Alvi to step
down after the Supreme Court’s detailed verdict in the Justice Isa case.
“No justification is left for the premier and the
president to stick to their offices after the apex court’s decision in the
justice Isa case,” PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz said.
Talking to the media here on Saturday, she said in the
SC’s order the ‘real face’ of the PTI government had been exposed.
She said the way ‘they’ had attacked the judiciary and
Justice Isa and the Supreme Court stopped it.
“Now the selected and those who instituted the
reference against Justice Isa have no right to cling to their positions and
they must step down,” she demanded.
Maryam dares PM try his luck to bring Nawaz back from
UK
Maryam dared PM Khan try his luck in the UK to bring
back Nawaz Sharif.
“In the UK, there are no judges like Arshad Malik.
Imran had once gone to the UK to bring back Altaf Hussain. Imran must know that
hollow slogans will not work in the UK as the law is strictly followed there,”
she taunted the PM.
She said Nawaz Sharif would address the Pakistan
Democratic Movement’s Sunday rally in Quetta.
“Imran, every now and then, talks of Nawaz only to
raise his stature.”
Maryam said although a selected premier was installed
in Islamabad but that the selected government should have carried out
investigation into the Karachi incident.
The former Punjab governor and PPP leader Sardar Latif
Khosa has asked Imran Khan, Arif Alvi, Shahzad Akbar and Farogh Naseem to
resign after the apex court’s verdict in the Justice Isa case.
Flanked by Chaudhry Manzoor and Aslam Gill, Mr Khosa
told a presser that it was a ‘suicide attack’ on the judiciary.
He said Imran Khan and could not fool the people any
more over this matter. The verdict had made it clear that the ‘bad intention’
of the PTI government was behind this move.
The SC had held that President Alvi did not form a
considered opinion under Article 209 (5) of the Constitution; therefore, the
presidential reference against Justice Qazi Faez Isa had multiple defects, he
added.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1586865/justice-isa-case-opposition-demands-president-pms-resignations
--------
PML-N has 'broken the shackles of fear': Maryam Nawaz
Oct 24, 2020
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) Vice
President Maryam Nawaz on Saturday said that now was the best time to join her
party, as it, along with 11 other members of Pakistan Democratic Movement
(PDM), have broken the shackles of fear.
"I feel this is the best time to join the PML-N
because PML-N and 11 parties in the PDM have broken the shackles of fear,"
said Maryam Nawaz told party workers, as reported by Geo News.
"The truth is that despite being banned, Nawaz
Sharif is the only Pakistani personality whose voice is echoing all over
Pakistan," Geo News quoted Maryam.
She added that across the country, the people
"can only see the face of one man" who they feel will resolve their
problems.
This comes after Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid e Azam
Group (PML-Q) leader Sheikh Jaffer Mandokhel had announced his decision to join
PML-N.
This comes after a recently held anti-government rally
in Karachi where political parties under the banner of joint opposition
alliance-Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-- protested against the 'puppet'
government of Prime Minister Imran Khan and demanded his resignation. Thousands
of people participated in the rally in Karachi.
Following the rally, PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz's
husband Safdar Awan was arrested from his hotel room. Safdar has now been
released on bail.
PML-N leader and spokesman for Nawaz Sharif and Maryam
Nawaz's and former Sindh Governor Muhammad Zubair said that the IGP Sindh was
'kidnapped' by Rangers who forced him to file an FIR for Safdar's arrest.
Almost all police officers in Sindh Police applied for
leave in protest against the humiliation meted out to the Sindh IGP Mushtaq
Mehr, during the PML-N leader Safdar Awan's arrest saga, The News International
reported.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pml-n-has-broken-the-shackles-of-fear-maryam-nawaz/articleshow/78849470.cms
--------
US presidential contest increases influence of
Pakistani, Muslim voters
Anwar Iqbal
25 Oct 2020
WASHINGTON: Five journalists of an American
broadcasting service recently lost their jobs for publishing Democratic
presidential candidate Joe Biden’s election message in Urdu.
Normally, such deviations would have been ignored but
the 2020 elections are different. A close contest between President Donald
Trump and Mr Biden means that all votes count, even that of Pakistanis, the
single largest country group within America’s 3.45 million Muslims. The
Pakistani community includes thousands of professionals — particularly
physicians – and this gives them an influence much larger than their size. This
also explains why the Trump administration reacted so strongly to Voice Of
America’s Urdu message.
Pakistani and other Muslim voters are concentrated in
key swing and battleground states, such as Michigan, Florida, Wisconsin and
Pennsylvania. Two of these states — Michigan and Wisconsin — changed from blue
to red (Republican) in 2016.
In 2016, Democrats lost Michigan by less than 20,000
votes. The state has more than 100,000 Muslim voters who can help the Democrats
take it back, as those in other key states can too. This will ensure that Mr
Biden gets 270 of the 435 electoral votes he needs for the White House.
ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER AD
So, they have a clear message for Muslims. If elected,
Mr Biden will “prioritise issues affecting American Muslims, protect their
constitutional and civil rights and will honor the diversity of Muslim-American
communities”, says a group that identifies itself as “Muslims for Biden”.
Five VOA journalists lose jobs for publishing Biden’s
message in Urdu
But a recent survey by the Institute for Social Policy
and Understanding says that Muslim support for President Trump nearly doubled
in 2020 compared with a year ago, with 30 per cent of Muslims willing to vote
for him.
Another survey by the Council on American-Islamic
Relations reports that American Muslims’ support for the Democratic Party fell
by 12pc since 2018, while the Republican Party gained 2pc.
Yet, both surveyors acknowledge that Muslims appear to
be the religious group least likely to support Mr Trump in 2020. Jewish
Americans came in as the second least likely, with only 34pc favouring the
president. The only group that showed less support for the president than
Muslims was Americans who are unaffiliated with any faith, 23pc.
Mr Biden re-emphasized his message for Muslims in the
final US presidential debate on Thursday night, saying that President Trump has
“banned Muslims” from coming to the United States because “they are Muslims”.
In July, Mr Biden told Million Muslim Votes Summit
that if elected, “I will end the Muslim ban on day one. Day one. And I will
work with Congress to pass hate crimes legislation” to prevent future actions.
One of Mr Trump’s first actions as president in 2017
was to suspend entry to the United States of travelers from seven majority
Muslim nations.
There are about 23m immigrant voters this year against
a total of nearly 240m eligible voters. Of these, only 1m are Muslims — not a
large number but when compared with voting patterns, this becomes a significant
bloc.
In 2016, only 55.5pc voters used their right to elect.
Even if the expected 60pc cast their votes this year, the total would still be
144m. This gives 23m immigrant voters, including Muslims, a deciding role in
the 2020 election.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1586873/us-presidential-contest-increases-influence-of-pakistani-muslim-voters
--------
Pakistan scribe missing after airing visuals of Nawaz
Sharif’s son-in-law’s arrest
Oct 24, 2020
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani journalist who had obtained
CCTV footage of raid on and arrest of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s
son-in-law and then aired it on a TV channel has gone missing from Karachi, his
family said on Saturday morning.
Ali Imran, a reporter working for Geo News channel,
left his home in Karachi between 7pm and 8pm on Friday but has not returned
since then. He was recently credited with obtaining footage of surveillance
cameras of a posh hotel in Karachi showing the arrest of Sharif’s son-in-law,
Captain (retd) Mohammad Safdar, from a hotel room early on October 19 morning.
Safdar had been staying in the hotel room with his
wife Maryam Nawaz after attending a public rally of the Pakistan Democratic
Movement, an alliance of opposition parties vowing to oust PM Imran Khan from
office. He was arrested for raising slogans at the mausoleum of Mohammad Ali
Jinnah.
Following the arrest, Maryam and opposition leaders
claimed that Sindh police chief Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar was kidnapped and kept
hostage for four hours at the office of the sector commander of the Pakistan
Rangers, a paramilitary force, and forced to register an FIR after he refused
to take any action against Sharif’s son-in-law.
Meanwhile, the missing reporter’s family said he went
to a bakery near his home in Gulistan-e-Jauhar area but did not come back. The
police have lodged a criminal case against unknown people and started
investigating the incident.
All civilian leaders and leading associations representing
journalists in Pakistan have unanimously condemned the incident and demanded
top authorities to ensure he is traced at the earliest, without any harm.
Speaking to reporters in Lahore, ex-PM Nawaz Sharif’s
daughter and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice-president Maryam Nawaz
said: “I have heard that he has been picked up for allegedly sharing CCTV
footage of Captain Safdar’s (her husband) arrest. This is unfortunate.”
“You (government) have earned a lot of flak for
breaking down my door, the manner in which you arrested my husband and the way
you undermined the Sindh police force,” she said.
“Don’t earn yourself more criticism by kidnapping
people and stopping them from raising their voice for the truth. This is very
wrong and needs to stop,” she added.
The reporter’s disappearance has also garnered
attention on social media. A hashtag -- ‘BringBackAliImran’ -- was among the
top trends on Twitter on Saturday.
Amnesty International stated that Imran was “feared to
have been subjected to an enforced disappearance for his reporting”. “The
authorities must establish his whereabouts immediately,” the human rights group
said.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pakistan-scribe-missing-after-airing-visuals-of-nawaz-sharifs-son-in-laws-arrest/articleshow/78850623.cms
--------
Progress in Doha talks will ensure reduction in
violence: Pakistan
25 Oct 2020
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on
Saturday said that the way towards reduction in violence in Afghanistan lay in
progress in the ongoing intra-Afghan dialogue.
He was talking to Speaker of Afghanistan’s Wolesi
Jirga Mir Rahman Rahmani.
“Progress in the intra-Afghan negotiations would help
in reduction in violence leading to a ceasefire,” an FO statement quoted the
foreign minister as having told the Afghan leader.
Kabul has been urging the Taliban to agree to
reduction in violence, but hostilities have increased despite the dialogue in
Doha, which started last month. Taliban have carried out large-scale attacks
against Afghan security forces.
Meanwhile, little progress has been made in the talks.
Fears are being expressed that the high level of
violence could disrupt the Doha talks.
Mr Qureshi reminded the Afghans that they had a
“historic opportunity” to work together and secure an inclusive, broad-based
and comprehensive political settlement.
Qureshi says Afghans have ‘historic opportunity’ to
work together
He also urged them to be watchful of the “spoilers”,
who do not want Afghanistan to achieve peace and stability and were
simultaneously averse to strong Pakistan-Afghanistan relations.
The foreign minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for
a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan and highlighted Pakistan’s
positive contribution to the Afghan peace process.
He stressed the importance of APAPPS
(Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity), noting that the
mechanism provided the best platform to address all relevant issues.
Mr Qureshi said enormous synergies and
complementarities existed in trade and economic fields between the two
countries which should be optimally utilised. A new visa regime has been
implemented for Afghan nationals which would facilitate people-to-people links,
he recalled.
APP adds: Mr Rahmani, accompanied by a high-level
delegation, is on a three-day bilateral visit from October 23 to 25.
He will also participate in Pakistan-Afghanistan Trade
and Investment Forum 2020 — Partnership for Mutual Benefit seminar in
Islamabad.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1586878/progress-in-doha-talks-will-ensure-reduction-in-violence-pakistan
--------
Arab world
NATO says it will reinforce Iraq mission to help local
forces
24 October 2020
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday a
meeting of western military alliance defense ministers had agreed to expand its
training mission in Iraq to help Iraqi forces fight extremism.
“While the security situation remains challenging,
NATO remains committed to stepping up our support,” said Stoltenberg after a
two-day defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels.
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
“Our aim is to help build self-sustaining Iraqi forces
able to fight terrorism, prevent the return of ISIS, and stabilize their
country,” added Stoltenberg, citing a “concerning” rise in the number and
sophistication of attacks against international forces in Iraq.
NATO maintains a 500-strong training mission in the
country to prepare local forces in the event of attacks from Islamic State
extremists.
Stoltenberg said the scope of the mission’s upgrading
would be decided at a meeting of alliance defense ministers in February.
Anti-US sentiment spiked anew in Iraq following the
January killing of powerful Iranian military commander Major General Qassem
Soleimani in a US airstrike near Baghdad, leading to a suspension of NATO
training of Iraqi forces.
The Covid-19 pandemic also forced the alliance to dial
down numbers earlier this year but the mission has since returned to full
capacity, Stoltenberg said.
Turning to Afghanistan, Stoltenberg urged the Taliban
to reduce “unacceptable levels of violence” and break ties with violent groups.
But he also betrayed concern over last week’s US
announcement that the American troop contingent will be cut to around 2,500 early
next year – despite the potential impact on peace negotiations between the
Afghan government and Taliban insurgents.
Both sides’ original understanding was that Washington
would not fully withdraw prior to a solid deal between the two sides.
“The negotiations in Doha are fragile, but they are
the best chance for peace in a generation. And all Afghans should seize this
historic opportunity,” said Stoltenberg, cautioning that “the next months are
decisive for Afghanistan.
“NATO backs the peace process. And we have adjusted
our presence to support it,” scaling its troop presence back to less than
12,000 from more than one hundred thousand.
“We decided to go into Afghanistan together; we will
make decisions about future adjustments together; and we will leave together,
when the time is right,” Stoltenberg insisted.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/10/24/NATO-says-it-will-reinforce-Iraq-mission-to-help-local-forces
--------
Syrians spruce up famed Crusader castle after years of
war
24 October 2020
Clutching to pickaxes and shovels, dozens of Syrian
volunteers clear grass, shrubs and dead trees growing up the centuries-old
walls of one of the world’s most famous Crusader castles, Krak des Chevaliers,
to protect it from forest fires that have ravaged the region.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/10/24/637110/Syria-Crusader-Castle
--------
Bahrainis rally against Manama regime’s normalization
deal with Israel
24 October 2020
Hundreds of people have staged rallies across Bahrain
in a clear display of public dissent in the Persian Gulf kingdom over the
ruling Al Khalifah regime’s signing of a deal to establish formal diplomatic
relations with Israel.
Dozens of people took to the streets in the capital
Manama on Friday, hoisting banners and placards in condemnation of the
agreement, the Arabic-language Lualua television network reported.
Banners were displayed reading “Normalization is
mortifying” and “No to humiliation!". The demonstrators walked over the
Israeli flag as well.
Similar demonstrations were also held in the villages
of al-Markh, Nuwaidrat, Sanabis and Bu
Quwah in addition to A'ali town, where participants expressed solidarity with
the Palestinian nation, according to footage that has surfaced online.
Protestors trampled on the US flag and that of the
Israeli regime in Bu Quwah and A'ali, before setting them on fire.
Bahraini regime forces reportedly broke out protests
in the villages of Abu Saiba and Shakhura. There were no immediate reports of
casualties.
At a ceremony in Manama on October 18, Bahraini and
Israeli officials signed a joint communiqué establishing full diplomatic
relations. The Manama and Tel Aviv regimes are now expected to open embassies.
The Israeli delegation, led by Israeli security
adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat, flew on an El Al Israel Airlines charter flight from
Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, to Bahrain and was accompanied by US Secretary
of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin.
The meeting followed a September 15 ceremony at the
White House where Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed US-brokered
normalization deals with the Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed
Al Nahyan and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani.
The normalization deals have drawn widespread
condemnation from Palestinians, who seek an independent state in the occupied
West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital. They say
the deals ignore their rights and do not serve the Palestinian cause.
Many Arab states say they remain committed to the
so-called Arab Peace Initiative – which calls for Israel’s complete withdrawal
from the Palestinian territories occupied after 1967 in exchange for peace and
the full normalization of relations.
But speculation has been rife that some countries in
the region would soon join the bandwagon to establish full diplomatic ties with
Israel.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/10/24/637098/Bahrainis-rally-against-Manama-regime%E2%80%99s-normalization-deal-with-Israel
--------
Africa
Nigeria unrest: Police deploy all forces to take back
streets
25 October 2020
Nigeria's police have ordered the immediate
mobilization of all resources to reclaim the streets, which have become the
scene of unprecedented violence and looting, after police shot peaceful
protesters in Lagos earlier this week.
The Inspector General of Police Mohammed Adamu told
the police force that "enough is enough" and ordered officers to
"use all legitimate means to halt a further slide into lawlessness,” the
police force said in a tweet on Saturday.
Adamu "warns troublemakers not to test the
collective will of the nation by coming out to cause any further breakdown of
law and order,” it said.
Adamu also called on people to “join forces with the
police and other members of the law enforcement community to protect their
communities from the criminal elements,” the force said.
The demonstrations dominated by young people began
earlier this month against police brutality, but turned violent after police
opened fire on unarmed protesters during a round-clock curfew in the country's
biggest city, Lagos, on Tuesday, .
Protesters had called for a police unit, the Special
Anti-Robbery Squad (Sars), to be disbanded.
The unit, accused of harassment, extortion, torture
and extra-judicial killings, was dissolved by President Muhammadu Buhari days
later, but the protests have continued following reports that some members from
the disbanded unit were hired for other roles.
Security forces killed at least 12 people on Tuesday,
said Rights group Amnesty International, but Nigeria's army has denied any
involvement in the killings.
On Wednesday, authorities imposed a round-the-clock
curfew on millions of people in Lagos and several states.
This prompted protest organizers to call on people on
Friday to stay at home.
President Buhari said on Friday that officials had
recorded 69 fatalities and 37 injuries — mainly civilians, but also officers
and soldiers — as a result of “hooliganism” in recent weeks.
Buhari had sparked harsh criticism for not mentioning
Tuesday’s killings in a national address Thursday, when he instead warned
citizens against “undermining national security.”
He further escalated the violence by saying security
forces had exercised “extreme restraint” in handling the situation.
His government insisted that the peaceful protests
have been hijacked by thugs.
US Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said this
week that Washington “must stand with Nigerians who are peacefully
demonstrating for police reform and seeking an end to corruption in their
democracy.”
“I urge President Buhari and the Nigerian military to
cease the violent crackdown on protesters in Nigeria, which has already
resulted in several deaths,” Biden said Thursday.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also reacted to the
violence in Nigeria, saying that the US “strongly condemns the use of excessive
force by military forces who fired on unarmed demonstrators in Lagos.”
The Tuesday violence in Lagos has been the worst since
Nigeria’s return to civilian rule in 1999.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/10/25/637160/Nigeria-unrest-curfew-police-brutality-Lagos
--------
Iran hails UN-brokered ceasefire deal in Libya, urges
dialog to resolve crisis
24 October 2020
Iran has welcomed a permanent UN-brokered ceasefire
agreement between warring sides in Libya, saying the crisis in the North
African country should be resolve through dialog.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh
on Saturday hailed efforts by the United Nations and Libya’s rival sides to
reach the ceasefire agreement and expressed hope that all sides remain
committed to their obligations and sign a lasting deal in the future.
He stressed the importance of putting an end to
foreign interference in the process of agreements between the negotiating sides
in Libya.
The Iranian spokesperson said the Islamic Republic
opposes a military solution to the conflict in Libya.
Libya’s rival sides on Friday eventually agreed to
sign a permanent ceasefire agreement in all areas, to bring an end to months of
deadly fighting in the North African country.
The two sides poised to sign an agreement to open air
and land routes that connect all regions and cities in the country, according
to a United Nations spokeswoman.
The country, which sits atop the largest oil reserves
in Africa, descended into chaos last year after the so-called Libyan National
Army (LNA) under rebel commander Khalifa Haftar moved toward Tripoli to seize
the city, which was repelled by Libyan government forces.
The conflict has escalated into a regional proxy war
fueled by foreign powers pouring weapons and mercenaries into the country.
Haftar forces were fighting to unseat the government
with support from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Jordan.
But government forces have pushed them as far back as
Sirte, on the Mediterranean coastline, with crucial help from Turkey.
According to the ceasefire, all military units and
armed groups must pull back from the front lines and return to their camps. All
foreign fighters and mercenaries must leave Libya within three months – by
January 23.
The warring sides will also work with the UN Libya
mission to set up a way to monitor the truce.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Friday
described the permanent ceasefire agreement in Libya as a “fundamental step
toward peace and stability” in the North African country.
“I appeal to all stakeholders and regional actors to
respect the provisions of the ceasefire agreement and ensure its implementation
without delay,” the UN chief said.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/10/24/637120/Iran-Libya-Khatibzadeh-ceasefire-dialog
--------
Libyans voice hope, doubts over cease-fire deal
October 25, 2020
TRIPOLI: Libyans have reacted with a mix of hope and
skepticism after the signing of a nationwide cease-fire deal intended to pave
the way toward a political solution to the country’s grinding conflict.
While observers have welcomed the UN-backed deal, few
are under any illusions about the difficulties of turning it into lasting peace
on the ground.
“We’ve seen a lot of deals in the past,” said Hassan
Mahmud Al-Obeydi, a 40-year-old secondary school teacher from the eastern city
of Benghazi.
“What’s important is the implementation.”
Friday’s deal was signed in Geneva by military
delegates from the two main warring parties in the North African country, which
plunged into violence in 2011 with the NATO-backed revolt that toppled veteran
ruler Muammar Qaddafi.
The Tripoli-based unity government and rival forces
led by eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar agreed to withdraw from front
lines, start demobilizing armed groups and set about integrating them into the
state.
Crucially, the deal also calls for the departure of
all foreign forces from Libyan soil within three months.
“It’s good that the two sides have been prepared to
compromise, but the devil is in the detail,” said Peter Millett, a former
British ambassador to Libya.
“There are an awful lot of questions. A key one is:
Will countries that have been sponsors of military forces in Libya support this
compromise?”
Both major camps in Libya’s complex war have received
extensive backing from foreign powers.
Friday’s deal comes four months after Haftar forces
gave up their year-long attempt to seize the capital Tripoli, a battle that
killed hundreds of people and displaced tens of thousands.
In June, Haftar withdrew from western Libya in the
face of a blistering counterattack by forces supporting the Government of
National Accord (GNA) — backed by Turkey.
The battle had further deepened the bitter mistrust
between the rival political camps and their military allies, as well as
ordinary Libyans.
“The war caused terrible social divisions,” said
Obeydi. “Work is needed immediately, right now, to rebuild and to heal the deep
wounds in Libyan society.”
In the capital Tripoli a 1,000-km drive west, pro-GNA
fighter Salim Atouch voiced doubts the cease-fire would hold.
“We have experience with a previous agreement, which
was five days before Haftar’s attack on Tripoli, during which he destroyed the
capital’s infrastructure and killed many people,” Atouch said.
“I hope this won’t be like previous agreements,
meaning we go back to war again. We will abide by it, but we are ready to react
at any moment if it’s violated.”
The Geneva talks were the military part of a process
led by the UN’s Libya mission UNSMIL.
Separate political talks that start Monday aim to
create a new governing body and prepare for elections.
Mohamed Dorda, co-founder and consulting director of
geopolitical risk consultancy Libya Desk, said the cease-fire was a positive
step that “creates a basis for the political talks.”
But, he warned, “Libya needs a security arrangement to
allow a government to be set up. If we don’t deal with the security crisis, we
will find ourselves in same situation in a few years.”
That is a complex challenge in a country prey to a
patchwork of rival militias as well as foreign mercenaries and rebel groups.
Observers have warned that those negotiating in Geneva
do not necessarily control their armed allies on the ground.
Nor are foreign players in Libya likely to easily give
up their hard-won influence.
Emadeddin Badi, a senior fellow at the Atlantic
Council think tank, warned that Russia and Turkey would want economic dividends
from their military interventions.
“It’s naive to get them to just leave,” he said. “The
best case scenario is that they win economic concessions and limit their presence
on the ground. The worst is that fighting resumes.”
Yet despite all the obstacles, recent days have seen
tangible progress.
This week, the two camps agreed to open domestic
transport links and boost Libya’s vital oil output, hard hit by fighting and
blockades. Key oil installations have already restarted production after
months-long shutdowns.
Massoud Al-Fotmani, a 57-year-old from Benghazi who
runs a group of food stores, said he hoped the cease-fire would hold.
“The war has caused a terrible economic downturn,” he
said. “We’ve lost a lot of money because of the cutting of commercial ties
between east and west due to the roads being closed.”
English teacher Mayssoon Khalifa, who works at a
private school in Tripoli, echoed his call for a lasting peace.
“Many are hopeful, but not optimistic,” she said. “I
sincerely wish that this deal will hold. Libya deserves better.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1753651/middle-east
--------
India
Army downs Chinese-made Pak drone dropping arms in
Kashmir’s Keran sector
Oct 24, 2020
SRINAGAR: The Army downed early Saturday morning a
Chinese quadcopter (a drone with four rotors) used by Pakistani soldiers to
drop arms and ammunition into Jammu and Kashmir.
The consignment dropped in Keran sector of north
Kashmir, according to an Army statement, included three AK-47s, 28 pistols and
six MI-16 rifles.
The Army’s Srinagar-based Chinar Corps said a Pakistan
Army qua-copter, “DJI Mavic 2 Pro model”, was shot down along the LoC in Keran
sector, in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district. An alert soldier had spotted the
drone hovering over the LoC dropping off ammunition, official sources said.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/army-downs-chinese-made-pak-drone-dropping-arms-in-kashmirs-keran-sector/articleshow/78850684.cms
--------
Farooq Abdullah to head seven-party Peoples Alliance,
Mehbooba Mufti nominated VP
Oct 24, 2020
SRINAGAR: The Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration,
the seven-party amalgam of mainstream Kashmir parties demanding the restoration
of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, appointed on Saturday National
Conference chief Farooq Abdullah as its president, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti
as vice-president, and decided the flag of the erstwhile state of Jammu and
Kashmir would be the flag of the alliance.
The decisions came at a meeting of alliance
constituents, some of whom are arch-rivals, at Mufti’s Gupkar Road residence
here. “It’s not an anti-national alliance, it is an anti-BJP alliance… BJP
wants to divide the country, our aim is to ensure that the rights of the people
of J&K and Ladakh are restored,” Dr Abdullah said.
Congress appeared to distance itself from the PAGD
with J&K PCC president GA Mir staying away from two meetings of the
conglomerate — on October 15 when the alliance was forged, and on Saturday.
Sources close to the regional Congress unit said this was because of what they
described as a “twist” in the objective of the basic demand for the restoration
of special status to J&K, a reference to recent statements from Mehbooba
Mufti to the effect that she would raise the tricolour only when the J&K flag,
too, was allowed to fly. The source said Congress had raised the issue of the
nullification of Article 370 in Parliament but the PDP Rajya Sabha members had
not spoken a word on it in the Upper House.
Farooq
Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, meanwhile, was
quoted by ANI as asking, “Why is the so-called secular lobby silent at this
anti-national remark (Mehbooba’s remarks of Friday)? … In one country there
cannot be ‘do nishaan, do pradhan’. We condemn this.” He added that J&K was
“India’s inseparable part” and “Article 370 abrogation was a constitutional
process (sic)”.
However, CPM leader Yousuf Tarigami rejected the
notion of Congress distancing itself, saying,“Congress party is very (much) a
constituent of the PAGD.”
PAGD’s constituents are National Conference, Peoples
Democratic Party, Peoples Conference, Awami National Conference, CPM, CPI and
J&K Peoples Movement.
Veteran CPM leader M Y Tarigami was elected convener
while Lok Sabha member from South Kashmir Hasnain Masoodi was made coordinator
of the conglomerate. People’s Conference chairman Sajad Gani Lone would be the
spokesman for the amalgam.
Peoples Conference chairman Sajad Lone said the PAGD
would come up with a document, at the next meeting in Jammu in two weeks, on
the “lies being spread against the people of Jammu and Kashmir”. “The white
paper will compare the reality and false propaganda on the ground,” Lone said.
Both Congress and BJP condemned Mehbooba’s statements
of Friday. While Congress advised Mehbooba to desist from such statements, BJP
demanded her arrest and party activists burnt effigies of Mufti for “insulting
the national flag”
“Our relationship with the flag of this country is not
independent of this flag (Jammu and Kashmir's flag). When this flag comes in
our hand, we will raise that flag too,” Mehbooba had said on Friday.
JKPCC chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma, however,
added that Congress is for the restoration of J&K’s special status and that
J&K should revert to being a single state that includes Ladakh. “We are not
with any such irresponsible statement which would hurt the sentiments of
Indians,” Ravinder Sharma said.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/farooq-abdullah-to-head-seven-party-peoples-alliance-mehbooba-mufti-nominated-vp/articleshow/78850654.cms
--------
We are not anti-national, says NC leader Farooq
Abdullah
Oct 24, 2020
NEW DELHI: National Conference (NC) chief Farooq
Abdullah on Saturday said the Peoples' Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD),
which is fighting for restoration of special status to Jammu and Kashmir, is an
anti-BJP and not an anti-national front.
He said the aim of the People's Alliance is to ensure
that the rights of people of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are restored.
The statement came after the members of People's
Alliance for Gupkar Declaration met at PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti's residence in
Srinagar for the first time after its formation.
"We are anti BJP, not anti-national. Attempts of
dividing us in the name of religion will fail. It's not a religious
fight," the NC leader said after the meeting.
After the meeting, People's Conference leader Sajad
Lone, who also attended the meet, said that Farooq Abdullah has been chosen as
the president and Mehbooba Mufti as the vice-president of the recently-floated
People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration.
CPM leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami is the convenor of
the alliance, while Sajad Lone has been named as the spokesperson.
The amalgam leaders adopted the flag of the erstwhile
state of Jammu and Kashmir as its symbol.
"A document will be prepared within a month
through which we will present facts behind the lies that are being propagated.
It'll be a tribute to people of J&K who are being slandered," Lone
added.
On Friday, Mehbooba Mufti stirred a controversy after
saying that she was not interested in contesting elections or holding the
national tricolour till the constitutional changes enforced on August 5 last
year were rolled back.
In her first media interaction after her release from
14-month detention, the PDP president said she would hold the tricolour only
when the separate flag of the erstwhile state would be restored.
The Jammu and Kashmir BJP slammed her and demanded the
PDP chief's arrest for her "seditious" remarks. The BJP said "no
power on earth" can either hoist the state flag again or restore Article
370 of the Constitution, which granted a special status to the erstwhile state
of Jammu and Kashmir.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/we-are-not-anti-national-says-nc-leader-farooq-abdullah/articleshow/78845368.cms
--------
Pakistan targets LoC, IB in ceasefire violation
Oct 24, 2020
JAMMU: Pakistan on Saturday violated ceasefire at
multiple locations by firing unprovoked along the International Border (IB) in
Samba sector and the Line of Control (LoC) in Degwar sector of Poonch district
in Jammu & Kashmir.
Official sources said Pakistan violated ceasefire
along the International Border at Rajpura area of Ghagwal in Samba district
around 2am by firing at the border outposts (BOPs) of Border Security Force
(BSF). BSF troops retaliated promptly and effectively to the enemy fire. No
loss of life or injury was reported in the exchange of firing. Sources said
that BSF had started some development work of forward locations along the
international border, and Pakistani firing was aimed at hindering it.
Later in the evening, Pakistani troops violated
ceasefire along the LoC in Degwar sector of Poonch district. Jammu-based
defence spokesperson Lt Col Devender Anand said, “Pakistan initiated unprovoked
ceasefire violation by firing with small arms and mortar shelling along the LoC
in Degwar sector at about 6.30pm. The Indian Army retaliated befittingly."
On Friday, Pakistan had violated ceasefire by
resorting to unprovoked firing and shelling along the LoC in three sectors of
Poonch district. Before this, it had violated ceasefire in the Mankote sector
on October 16 and in two sectors along the LoC in Poonch district on October
14. Prior to this, it had violated ceasefire for three consecutive days — on
October 9, 10 and 11 — in Rajouri and Poonch districts.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pakistan-targets-loc-ib-in-ceasefire-violation/articleshow/78850767.cms
--------
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/aceh-ulema-council-want-people/d/123259
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism